Ae111 Problems Help!

[tranced]

well i was looking to buy a 97 trueno bz-r as i said in my other thread (dunno if making a new thread is frowned upon but i kinda need help fast here)

 

the bloke selling it was the actual compliance workshop. he repeatedly said the vehicle was 'perfect' and i was welcome to get it inspected cos i wouldnt find anything. also apparently a 'friend of the family' was interested but they were overseas at the moment. well i almost bought it but decided to get an independant inspection done anyway... heres what it turned up...

 

first, and most worrying is that he thinks there is a coolant leak between the head and block, over the starter motor. said he could barely see it, but the aluminium was oxidised in that area and he thinks its leaking coolant as the inside of the head has begun to corrode... HRRRM

 

also the left CV boot is broken so i guess that means i could be looking at rebuilding the CV joints sometime soon?

 

one of the suspension bushes i think is broken too, tho he wasnt familiar with the superstrut system so it might have been an error on his behalf... he said soemthing about the wheel turning when he had the car jacked up...

 

said the valve train was noisy and you should assume you need a new timing belt since there is no service history. and idle was too fast??

 

and a bunch of other stuff, but i think he would have to get this all sorted to pass the pits anyway. including...

 

several oil leaks

no immobiliser

left stop light not working

spoiler light not working

left headlight not working

windscreen washers not working

 

and its had some spray work done...

 

SOOO... i think i will definately avoid this car, unless there is some unique feature of this engine that would make it look like the head had corroded and was leaking radiator fluid??

 

the rest of the stuff i guess i could live with...replace the broken boots and bushes and hope that it will come good? and some of it perhaps the seller was planning to fix before he took it over the pits, but this sounds like a serious engine problem!

 

and anyway, the car is pretty far from 'perfect' despite him insisting it had been fully tested, fixed up... he had a 20 page report of things that i don't understand to prove this!!

 

do you think he could have genuinely not noticed these problems or perhaps he was trying to flog me a lemon?? i agreed to buy the car depending on the condition report and registration. i think this is grounds to say 'no thanks' but should i trust this guy to get me another car? i kinda need to get back to him on monday at any rate...

 

and lastly... am i living in a fantasy world where a car this age will not have these problems? is this sort of condition to be expected?

[tranced]

been googling for like 4 hours and cannot find any info to either confirm or deny that an area of oxidised aluminium on the head would suggest a coolant leak and internal corrosion... could it have been caused by something else? hmm

[Trev]

Have you tried www.twincam.org.au

I myself know SFA about 20v's but the AE111 is common over there.

[altezzaclub]

the bloke selling it was the actual compliance workshop. he repeatedly said the vehicle was 'perfect'

 

Long list of faults follows....

 

 

 

 

The guy is a crook! Run away!

 

several oil leaks

no immobiliser

left stop light not working

spoiler light not working

left headlight not working

windscreen washers not working

 

Those are so obvious and would fail a vehicle check, so his compliance business is very dodgy!

 

Most of those cars would ahve been owned by young guys by now and thoroughly thrashed and abused. My boy's one burns oil, but I haven't seen any coolant leaks or head work on it.

 

How much?? $4grand? I don't think my son is going to get that much for his.

Edited August 6, 2010 by altezzaclub