Super nice. CA car, now at Geneva in WI. How do cars like this get left in the garage for ~20 years?
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/20...convertible-8/

 

I’m guessing the owner lost the keys

Looking at the CarFax, Owner #2 had the car for the last 8 years and only averaged a bit over 100 miles every year. And that includes the round trip drive for annual inspection. This car literally sat for all that time.

I’d feel better if you could speak with the owner for a sale like this, but unfortunately it’s a used car dealer with no service records and zero maintenance on the CarFax.

 

Sounds like it’s in need of at least an inspection 2, and probably a full suspension rebuild once a few miles are put on it. Sadly letting one sit, still wears out anything rubber, bushings, gaskets, water pumps, fuel pumps etc are all subject to sudden failure once they are put back in service. Been there, done that.

rahter have 100k-150k where you can read the wear and plan appropriately, vs one that looks new but sat.

 

^^^ I can't agree with those generalizations. While in agreement on replacing anything fuel related (as my own expensive experience confirmed), I'll disagree on rubber and/or suspension components deteriorating while kept in indoor dry storage. Some folks prefer to buy high mileage beaters with high wear and tear evidence of prior ownership usage and others low mileage examples like the subject 2005 R53, which then need far less effort and expenditures. How much of that might it take to bring one with 100k-150k miles to an equivalent condition? I'd much rather buy one like this, then do deferred maintenance offsetting the lack of service records. Perhaps cliche, however the expression; "they're only like-new once" seems applies...

 

Thing is, you never know what one of these needs till you get it amd start driving it. I’ve seen them with rust pitted bores, seized rings, needing full brake job and hydraulics etc etc etc on these “low mile” examples from water in the fluids. Or just not being turned over amd driven often enough.


for the ridiculous prices people ask (and dumb collectors pay) for these low mile high year autos, you can often buy a good to really good used example and do any defered maintenance and still come out way ahead.

I mean if they are selling it for 6-8k, sure, get it. But I bet they wind up asking near GP prices!

at $ 12.5k with a day to go…, for that money I’d expect the fuel pump to have been replaced, tank dropped and cleaned, all new fluids, all new cooling and hydraulic hoses to have been done, water pump changed, filters changed, etc. and if not, budget appropriately.

irrelevwnt of the miles, it is a 20 year old car.
reading comments, none of that was done and seller bought it second hand from a used car lot, who bought it from owner, so anything said about it’s condition other than “it looks good and seems to work fine at this second to me” is complete puffery.

 

Its has our Genuine European Euro Cubby.

https://www.ecstuning.com/Search/Sit...h/51167058406/

 

I like the shift ****.

 

Reserve not met at $16,001

What was the seller expecting?

 

Apparently expecting a big return on very little effort.

Even the $5 missing interior piece was too much to take care of. Tells you all you need to know.

 

Couldn’t even bother to properly clean the pedals either.

let’s be frank,they didn’t pay a penny over 8.5 when they bought it from the other dealer.

 

Gen 1 cars are now collector valued. I wold imagine these will start making the list of fast-appreciating cars at Mechum and Hagerty in the not so distant future. Already see people trying to sell normal G1 S's as JCW cars to jack up the prices.

Ps - I remember the 'Smints!'! I also still have my original Italian Job antenna topper that came with my car!