AdamR Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 (Psy80 @ Jul. 26 2011,15:46) QUOTE The Redtop has been for sale for a LONG time (before I started looking, late last year) - not sure why as the spec seems to add up and it looks fairly tidy... Nearly went to view it, in fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Seabrook Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I dont think thats bad money for either of those cars to be honest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funbobby Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 Funbobby - ideally I'm looking for either a Zetec or Vauxhall engined car. I'm not particularly mechanically minded so am leaning more toward a more modern (and hopefully more reliable engine) so that I can spend my time enjoying the drive and not fixing it Windscreen would be preferred to aero screen and the more classic shape is what I'd prefer. If its a more classic shape your after then have a look at the one Nik faf has for sale in the for sale section on here. The red top is unburstable really and this looks to have a few nice bits of kit and is classic shape. A few cosmetic tweeks, and I reckon you'd have a belter on your hands. The Playskool Roll Bar is really good also. Easy upgrades for you later would be on things like arb's and 13 inch rims for handling. Looks like he would be open to a deal too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psy80 Posted July 26, 2011 Author Share Posted July 26, 2011 I have looked at Nicks (on the PC) so maybe it's time for a trip to Devon! What are arbs though? Sorry if this is a stupid question!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Eastwood (Gadgetman) - Club Chairman Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 ARB - antiroll bars, usually anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephenh Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 ARB - antiroll bars, usually anyway. either that or arbitrators. Think I'd assume antiroll bars in this case though!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobsy Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I spoke to him a few months ago, as I was in Birmingham anyway, so wanted to combine NEC with Westfield factory, then to him on the way back. Unfortunatly I didn't get there. That was with regards to the orange Duratec, which sounded fair to me, but as it's still for sale 3mts later, purhaps it wasn't. I have a fair bit of contact with car dealers in my work, and often do a couple of vehicles myself. It's not always bad, a dealer will obviously want a profit, often bodge or cover up an existing problem, exaggerate, and make justifications you couldn't imagine anyone believing. Trouble is, so potentially will someone selling it private All any of us can do, is look at what it is, check it to out to the best of our ability, take someone with us, they may see something we've missed, even if they're not really a mechanic. But mainly look with your head not your heart, want will over ride rational decissions if your not careful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samcooke Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I would personally advocate buying from a dealer for your first car. If you buy from a private seller and if this happens : http://boardroom.wscc.co.uk/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=4;t=91426 it's down to you to fix it. Buy from a dealer and it's up to them to sort out that type of trouble and leave you enjoying the ownership of your new dream car rather than being upset at the thought of it as with that poor chap. I'd also proffer that specialist dealers actually have to price cars realistically and honestly as they have a number there and need to be able to justify the differences in spec and price objectively, whereas a private seller has no frame of reference to show a buyer and inevitably thinks their car is the best ever and therefore is worth more than all the others. Only an experienced buyer, or one that has the time to view numerous other cars, can make an informed decision on a private purchase, otherwise you're left with just the owner's biased opinion. You could be lucky and buy the best car ever from a private seller at a great price, with a dealer who has a number in stock you don't need luck, it's all laid out before you for you to make up your own mind and if it goes wrong in the first six months they should be there to sort it out. You'll also generally find a dealer happy to change things you don't like on a car before collection, will probably take a part exchange, sort out finance for you, collect you from a train station and generally do other stuff that makes life easy for you. The other thing to mention is that compared to the briefly mentioned Terry Nightingale Toybox is likely to be a dream to deal with. < / devil's advocate with vested interest > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricky Posted July 26, 2011 Share Posted July 26, 2011 I bought from Andrew at Toybox back in Feb this year. I wanted a decent build and wasn't too worried about the engine/spec as long as it was a wide body. I bought a 96 seiw with a 1.6 CVH in it, it had 2300 miles from new and was factory built. I drove the car home from Tamworth to Sheffield with no dramas until it had been parked for an hour on the drive where upon I find a boat load of oil on my drive. I rang Andrew who suggested that it may be the sump gasket which I decided to change myself rather than drive 80 miles back to Tamworth. It turned out to be the rear crank oil seal and was a nightmare to change engine out to access it, (there may be an easier way to do it but I was a bull in a mist with anger). Anyway to cut a long story short Andrew sent a cheque to cover the cost of the parts which I was grateful for but I'm not sure how I would have stood if I wasn't capable of repairing it myself. My dealings with Andrew at Toybox I have always found him to be courteous and helpful, very open although with hindsight I would have spent more time thoroughly testing and checking the car over carefully. Ideally take someone with you who knows Westfields there are so many variables. Do I regret buying from Toybox, No! My car is a work in progress and if I'd bought one that didn't need anything doing, what would i do at the weekends. I've transformed the car over the last 6 months giving it my personal touches and it makes me grin like a loon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevemarsh Posted August 2, 2011 Share Posted August 2, 2011 Hi, I spoke to Andrew on the phone last Saturday when I started looking for a car. Very nice chap to talk to, he asked me to email him the details for the deal I was looking for and said he would come back to me. I did call again to say email had been sent but still nothing. To be fair he did tell me that cars are his thing not paperwork and emails and to keep calling, but I always worry a little when it's hard to get hold of someone before they have taken your money. I'd like to try him again in the future as his cars did look good and he seemed pretty good on the phone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnBlenk Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Hi, I spoke to Andrew on the phone last Saturday when I started looking for a car. Very nice chap to talk to, he asked me to email him the details for the deal I was looking for and said he would come back to me. I did call again to say email had been sent but still nothing. To be fair he did tell me that cars are his thing not paperwork and emails and to keep calling, but I always worry a little when it's hard to get hold of someone before they have taken your money. I'd like to try him again in the future as his cars did look good and he seemed pretty good on the phone. I had a similar experience when dealing with Andrew. He can take days to respond to an e-mail (if at all), so the best way to contact him is on his mobile. Even if he didn't answer, he would always call back if I left a message. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy Banks Posted August 3, 2011 Share Posted August 3, 2011 Got my first from Toybox. Decent enough chap to deal with but yeah, he is a dealer so you should expect dealer shenanigans. I would not go back personnaly. Main thing I've learnt from the experience is to do massive ammounts of research first, don't let your heart rule your head and take someone knowledgeable with you to check the car over THOROUGHLY. Go to the local meets and talk to other members. If you do go to Toybox, meet him at his offices / garage (I guess he has one) and not at his home (Parents Home...?) like I did, as you would be well advised to get the car up on ramps and have really good poke around with a powerful torch. Mine was a little old and tired, I paid well over the odds and bits started to fall of and major things break within a couple of months. These things "could" have been spotted if I'd done a fuller check of the car and had been armed with the knowledge I now have thanks to the trials of ownership and the fantastic support and knowledge of the club. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Psy80 Posted August 3, 2011 Author Share Posted August 3, 2011 Thanks everyone for the recent responses to this post. In the end I found a lovely little car which I have purchased from an individual (and forum member). Just waiting to get the car now so that I can get out there on the lanes and get blatting!! Can't wait! Once I'm in possession I'll get some pictures loaded on here to share my experience. Happy motoring to all Simon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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