Technical Plz help advice on buying a bravo!

[jimm3h]

Hi,

I'm looking at buying a bravo hlx:

Manual, 66,700 miles, 16v,Black,ABS,PAS,FSH,CD,12 months MOT, heatedseats,c/locking,airbag, elec-sunroof/windows/mirrors, Adjustable seats, Adjustable steering column/wheel, Alloy wheels,front fog lights,pre-tensioners,new cam belt,recent tyres and breaks,a small dent by passinger door(see photo)otherwise car is in very good condition inside and out. £1,600. ono

The only problem is the car is like 80 miles away and I don't want to drive all that way to buy it and then end up not wanting it. I rang him up and everything is good apart from the tax expiring at the end of Oct and recently its started idling high at just under 1 and a half thou. He has already said that he is willing to negotiate on the price because of this (and the small dent) but I was wondering what possilbe causes the idling could be, whether it will be expensive to fix, and how much I can knock off the price? Help would be much appreciated as im a fiat virgin but I have fallen in love with bravos since driving my brothers!
Cheers Jim.

 

[bravosx]

you didn't state which version it is - 1.4, 1.6SX, 1.8GT or the 2.0HGT.

each version has got it's own problems i reckon. if you really wanna buy it, just travel the distance and check out the ride yourself. at least you know that if it's a good one, it's worth the buy. If it's not, at least you knew you travelled to see it and didn't buy it, rather than you didn't and end up with a lemon.

 

[jug]

its about twice the price i'd pay (and more than twice the price i did pay for my car)

if it has a dent, short tax, and high idle i'd offer him £800 max for a mk1, i'd go as high as £1000 for a mk2, maybe £1100 if it is perfect apart from the tax, dent and idle.

the high idle will probbaly be due to a dirty idle speed control valve, its located on the throttle bosy and easy cleaned with some petrol to solve the problem.

the dent will do your head in and make you lose sleep

the tax isn't cheap.


as a comparison, i paid £750 for my late 98 1.8HLX with 58k, full service history, mint condition throughout, long tax and test, all that was wong was a cruch going into 2ng gear. i think i paid more than it was worth but it wasnt that bad. at £1600 you're talking serious money, more than double what i paid, so it better be the best one you could find for that much, because there are some excellent bravo's at the £800-1200 range. for £1600 i'd expect aftermarket alloy wheels, a great stereo, and loads of extras. although the dent alone would put me off paying any where near that much because thing slike that always end up bothering you, and a repair will never be perfect.

as always, look at a few cars, at least half a dozen, to make sure you have a realistic idea of what your money can buy. £1600 is a lot of money, use it wisely