General Input appreciated on 500 purchase

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General Input appreciated on 500 purchase

Well, we decided to take the plunge on the third option above. It will have a fresh (probably basic) service, MoT and cambelt. I think the battery has been replaced recently too as it looks a fairly new Bosch item, and the stop/start actually worked during the test drive!
I'll post some pics when we've got it, hopefully next week, and probably ask more advice when it comes to fettling.
 
Yes, hopefully it will turn out fine, I will enjoy doing a certain amount of fettling. Rust inhibiting on the sensitive bits underneath will happen before winter. I'm contemplating spending a tenner on ebay for a couple of door handle hinges to be ready!
It's a long time since we've owned a car this old, but it's encouraging to see so many older ones around, which presumably haven't cost the earth to keep on the road.
 
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Well, picked the car up yesterday, here are a couple of hurried pics.
Service and cambelt change carried out, although I suspect it was just an oil and filter change. The rear tyres were new when we looked at it, when we picked it up they had also replaced the fronts, although there was at least 3mm of tread left. They also replaced the radio aerial and circuit board as they noticed reception was poor. All outstanding MoT items were addressed.
Very pleased so far, drives nicely with no nasty noises. Over the coming weeks it will get clayed and polished, and a careful clean of the engine bay. I'll also attend to a couple of minor paint chips and a scuffed alloy. The rear beam will be coated in Waxoyl before winter, and I'll inspect the sump and treat accordingly. At some point I'll inspect and if necessary change the air and cabin (!) filters, and probably put in iridium plugs.
This car is a similar age and mileage to the first car I bought in 1973, and it's staggering how much better they age these days!
 
64 plate 2015 500s, £5700, 65000 miles.
64 plate 2014 Lounge, £5250, 63000 miles.
14 plate 2014 Lounge, £5495, 55000 miles.

Prices seem mad still, we paid £5k for a 2015 500S and only 30k miles, 2 years ago!! from a local dealer too.
 
Yes, prices are mad at the moment. We almost got our money back on the Captur we traded for the Fiat, which we had run for 18 months.
 
Nice little car, looks like you have bought a good one!
Enjoy bombing around in it!
Just thought I'd give an update after running "Ruby" for a couple of months. No issues to report, she has behaved impeccably so far. Most drives have been local, but we had a round trip of about 100miles to the coast yesterday which was enjoyable, and gave 51mpg.
I bought an air filter, pollen filter and plugs from Shop4parts last week, and will put the pollen filter in soon, when I'm in the mood for footwell grovelling. I'll probably leave the air filter and plugs until next spring to get them in sync with the next oil change. I'll get the local garage to do that, as crawling underneath to wrestle with the filter puts me off, not to mention potential drive staining and having to dispose of the oil.

I have clayed the paint, polished it and given it a coat of Autoglym high gloss sealant. Looks very shiny now. I also used a Halfords touch up kit on some stone chips, very good colour match.

I'll try to remember to post my fettling experiences in case anyone is interested in seeing how an old codger gets on doing car maintenance for the first time in years!
 
I recommend having the ac recharged even though "it's working fine" if you're inclined ask how much was in vs replaced then work out what % was left?
It does seem to be working pretty well at present, it kept the interior comfortable even in the mid-30s temperatures we had during the week. I won't be surprised to get better airflow after changing the filter - as it's such a faff, with the patchy service history I'm expecting it to be in a state!

I'll probably get the gas checked when I get the oil changed in the spring, to save an extra visit to the garage. Haven't checked which gas it uses yet, being 2014 it could be either.
 
ATS have deals often with itison, aircon recharged for £25 (old gas)
 
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