Should I buy this, or run away screaming?
My local trusted garage has a 2001 4.7 Amazon VX V8 for under £9k
I went and had a good nose around and test drive today,
its got 84k miles
green paint/beige leather
plenty of cosmetic issues, scratches & scuffs some touched in, some not, minor dent on wing
front fog lights heavily corroded
roof bars flaking
minor corrosion on the upper tailgate
6 inch water saturation on the carpet drivers side,looks long standing, had a replacement windscreen perhaps not sealed properly.
flat battery
no history
some mud/crud and corrosion underneath
its been on the lot for a few months
1st impressions, not great then, but it has a good quality Prins multi point LPG and flashlube kit. I looked at the serial number but it was so far from what I expected for its age, I assume its got the potentially flawed TC/autobox.
The mechancic jumped it and we chatted whilst waiting the 6 minutes for it to start.
I took it for a drive... OMFG big grin time !!!!!!!!! How does something that size accelerate like that and drive that well !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Going through a junction I pressed the LPG button and it cut out on mid-junction, took a couple of minutes to get going but after that swapped from petrol/lpg on demand just ok.
Some wheel wobble and speed, but brakes worked just fine, good oil pressure, no overheating.
Pressing the brakes got a rattle noise, which continued for a few seconds after the brakes were released.
Towards the end of my drive I noticed the o/d light flashing.
No AHC warnings, tried swapping shocks to sport and comfort, which was like night and day, so they seem ok.
Overall nice drive, easy to thread though town, powerful and luxurious.
The mechanic wondered if the rattle noise was normal, I said no way, it reminded me when my range rover air suspension compressor kept kicking in to compensate for leaks.
It seems to be coming from the ABS valve block and lo and behold the ABS,TRAC,VSC lights came on.
Told you so I said in smug mode to the mechanic.
I find out later that the occasional o/d flashing is reporting a fault, but it drove fine.
It seems a basically sound vehicle with a quality LPG install, thats fallen on recent hard times, but if it didn't have the LPG, I'd say no thanks and walk away...
BUT it has so what do I do?
The ABS issue would have to be fixed, as thats an MOT failure.
The remaining issues seem electrical in nature, and may be a consequence of sitting for so long, damp, and/or lack of maintenance, but nothing makes me happier than polishing, undersealing, and doing basic servicing.
The CAP book says a good condition one at this age and mileage is 10,700. This isnt good condition, but has the LPG and is up for sale at 9,000.
I'm aware that it would need TLC and servicing from stem to stern, including all fluids. at the very least and that its only a few thousand miles before needing a timing belt/tensioners/waterpump etc change.
I'd have to get this work done over a few months. For a daily driver the LPG is essential, and its quite hard to get V8 TLC, they're most diesel and priced accordingly. Ideally Diesel is not for me. Also I'm not adverse to getting a car thats sound that I can improve, as its keeps the finance down.
So 2 questions really.
(1) Would you buy?
(2) How much would you pay?
I would really appreciate a few replies from those who own these already, so I have a feel for whats right.
If I did take you up on the offer, I would owe you a case of your favorite frosty cold beverage.
