Car appreciation... the aesthetics, the engineering, etc

912 or 911? What’s the plate?

Damn

From Hither Green? One stolen around here recently too from a locked underground car park.

Cheers Dammit, It’s a 912.
I would assume the plate would be removed though. In fact I know it’s removed because I placed it on the parcel shelf myself. I don’t they’d put it back on.
Better distinguishing feature is the front left wing and light is damaged where somebody pranged it and drove off.

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Mine was from New Cross se14

What's the driver behind these classic thefts?

I wonder if these are exported black market?

Surely the scrubbed chassis number would be hard to resell over here?

Really sorry to hear about this. Hope you're otherwise all good.

Mostly it’ll be for parts. There are tens of thousands of £ worth of untraceable parts on a 912.

The engine can be re stamped with a kit bought off the internet.

Nice...
https://www.carandclassic.com/auctions/2001-bmw-520i-business-edition-e39-touring-8jyyk4?bsft_aaid=a5ce63ed-6419-48b8-adb6-8692f74daf04&bsft_eid=e63dbf22-cfe5-49ad-a640-5218901c87ef&bsft_pid=2734b879-a9ab-4699-b6c4-c279b140d39c&utm_campaign=targeted-auction-automated-email-01-08-22&utm_source=blueshift&utm_medium=email&utm_content=targeted-automated-auction-email-1-08-22&bsft_clkid=26207ce6-3019-49af-bf60-3d691a851b9d&bsft_uid=a8b4e84f-0d5c-47ed-97eb-c585988790fd&bsft_mid=b48df5d8-492e-4050-9bb8-96a72902afb9&bsft_pp=13&bsft_mime_type=html&bsft_ek=2023-01-03T08%3A31%3A23Z&bsft_lx=27&bsft_tv=87&bsft_bk=block2

Hello car thread. I am not really very/at all car savvy, so I hope you'll tolerate my noob questions here. I am thinking about buying a car - it was actually offered up via a mate of a forumer in the 'how to buy a car' thread. £1.5k for a 1.4 VW polo auto, 4dr, 2005, 80k miles. His wife has owned for the last 10 years, apparently doesn't have the full service history, but has been basically off the road in an underground car-park for last 2+ years and hardly driven at all. Ideally, I want to buy a small auto for my gf to learn on with the hope of selling it on in 12-18 months for not too much less than we paid and upgrading to something with more space for eventual dog/baby etc. I think I have two questions (and understanding that buying old cars is a lottery etc, might get lucky, might get a dog)

• does this look like a reasonable deal to more informed types? Looking at autotrader for the same year and similar mileage it looks like a decent price to me.
  
• I'd want to take a mechanic with me. Any recommendations for mechanics around the SW London area who would be happy to do this, or more generally how to go about finding someone? AA used to do it i think, can look into that as we'd want roadside support once we've got the car...
  
  

Thank you.

I now work for Polestar if you have any specific questions.

Go for a 90mins test drive (from Battersea Power Station) and see what you think?

(The PS2 is the best EV I've driven/been driven in.)

Finger in the air price says that’s about right money wise (all being well with the car), and considering how mentally priced similar cars are at the moment. I take it that it is ULEZ (2005 for petrol is within the cutoff I think, but deffo checking to be sure). I’d want to test drive it if it’s just been sat for 2 years though. Does “basically just been sat” mean literally not been moved at all, or driven once a month or so. I’d potentially be concerned if it hadn’t moved at all.

Can’t help on the mechanic front unfortunately !

Wonder what it’ll go for? Looks nice, but has an oil leak, is an auto etc.

I now work for Polestar if you have any specific questions.

ooooo .. @chrisbmx116 should pivot ;)

Thanks for the reply mate, appreciate it.

Yup, ULEZ compliant, wouldn't be considering it without. I don't know specifics of recent use but certainly doesn't sound like used much/at all in past 6 months, and relatively little for the 18 preceding that.

Reassuring to hear that the price doesn't sound way off.

If anyone does have any mechanic recommendations much appreciated!

Same... These were going for peanuts pre-plague, especially in the kind of 'well-loved' condition this one's in (scratches, leaks, broken mirror, worn seals etc).

Already in the car world babes, you should know that.

Check the 1.4 VWs of that age can run on cheap petrol. Some of them can’t. Not the end of the world but more expensive to fill as you have to use super.

To be clear, with a years MOT, that would be a £500ish car a year or two ago I reckon (if buying off a friend etc). But the market is absolutely bonkers right now, and cheap cars have been hit the hardest.

the market is absolutely bonkers right now, and cheap cars have been hit the hardest.

Does anyone know why this is?

I get that low interest rates pushed loads of people into Porsches/similar as investments. But there are millions of old average cars like this, why are they worth so much more?

Is it driven regularly? It's worth asking the Police if it's been towed due to being reported for being abandoned. I know it's not likely, but worth checking.

Yeah I went through a period of keeping an eye on the e39 tourings on eBay etc, fortunately my mates talked me out of it. And then I saw first hand how chronic the rust problems are in the boot and footwells when I tore my banger e39 saloon apart, I just lost interest. Not to mention immobiliser issues!!!! Spent months prepping the car only for it to develop the common immobiliser fault literally as we went to trailer it to the track :((

People need cheap cars but PCP and lease deals have become way more expensive due to interest rates increasing and supply of new cars dropping has pushed prices up. So the second hand market has had a massive increase in demand, which drives prices up.
If you have 5k to buy a car, you’ll still get a car for that money, you’ll just get “less” car. But if you only have £1000, the market is insanely competitive as supply is so shallow and demand so high.

It’s also worth noting that the second hand market in the uk has been really cheap compared to Europe for quite a long time.

About 5 years ago I had the chance to buy a unicorn E39 Touring for £4.5K: PRISTINE condition 530i Sport, manual, grey metallic, 80K miles, single owner, every option ticked including heated seats & motorised bootlid etc etc... Glad I didn't go for it as I definitely would not have kept it the way it deserved!

Weeping all the way to the pump to fill up tho!