BRG 86

[OB1]

This looks a nice car.

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1573937

If anyone wants to share any thoughts that would be much appreciated. Send a pm if preferred.

Many thanks

Ollie

[rbgosling]

Visually it looks great, that paintwork shines really nicely. Interior looks in excellent condition too, the drivers seat shows the wear you'd expect with age but doesn't look bad. Headlining looks nice and tight, so that must have been done (which the seller does mention). The wood around the gauges, I wonder if that's been re-done, on mine there's a much rounder fillet on the corners. That said, it looks nice, so I wouldn't say it's a problem.

Engine bay looks less shiny than the outside and interior, but it's more important that it works well than what it looks like under there (for me anyway!)

It has a sunroof, which is something I have and prefer I hadn't - not because it has any problems, just that it robs 1" or so from the limited headroom, which make a difference to those of us who are 6'3" .

Claimed mileage of 48,000 is pretty low for a 37 year old car, it's either been taking life very easy or it's been around the clock. I'd take that with a pinch of salt unless there's old MOTs to confirm.

There doesn't appear to be a stereo, just a blanking plate, or maybe it's one with a removable front and the front's been taken off. But the aerial (which should be at the front centre of the roof) is also missing.

There's not much there about the mechanicals, other than a few parts replaced which is just normal stuff for keeping an older car running. So we can assume the engine hasn't had major work on it, at least recently. In addition to normal checks on coolant and oil, it'd re-assure me to do a compression test just to confirm all is well there.

[MetBlue]

Looks to have a good MOT history since 2006 and nearly always a straight pass which has to be good. Not done many miles though for a long while so might need a bit of a shake down if planning on regular use. Looks a nice tidy car, but did notice no air pipe to the cleaner and what's that white box on the O/s wing?
Would also ask if the seat belt mounts have been replaced. Advisory on MOT some years ago and not mentioned since, but could just be tester doesn't know what to look for
Tony

[OB1]

Thanks Tony and Richard for your comments very helpful. I completely missed some of the points you raised.

I did message the seller and he confirmed there is no service history at all with the car, but you can see from the MOT history that it has been lightly used each year since 2005. Whilst low mileage sounds good on the face of it light use isn't ideal either.

No aircon - which I thought all SE's had but clearly this wasn't the case and it was an option.

I am 6 ft 2 so need all available headroom as well.

I do like the colour though and the full leather looks ok other than the drivers seat which is to be expected.

I think I will wait and see what else comes along and at what price.

Thanks again for your advice and thoughts.

Cheers

Ollie

[Hawaiis0]

I Think that looks in a tidy condition. Lovely colour. The roof can be filled in relatively easy I believe and the full leather is far nicer than cloth. Aircon can be retro fitted see forum .

Test drive required possibly

[TonyL]

Those bloody sun roofs. My Excel has one as well. It really spoils the look of the car – far more than the many paint defects my car carries.

Re: headroom – my intention is to swap out my original seat for a one piece race seat, which will sit right on the floor. It’s more my head’s proximity to the top of the wndscreen, rather than the roof lining that bothers me. This will go some way to dealing with the problem of the low steering wheel as well.

There are a couple of nice looking black Excels over at Wingham at the moment.

As a newish Excel owner, I have only been following the market for the past six months. There are a surprising number of Excels for sale, given how few were made, & how many survive. Are we seeing a flurry of owners cashing in all of a sudden, as values have risen, or have there been a good number of cars coming onto the market every month, for the past several years?

[TonyL]

PS. Just for clarification: a Riviera sunroof is a wonderful thing - it's those cheap see through aftermarket sunroofs I dislike.

[Hawaiis0]

...

As a newish Excel owner, I have only been following the market for the past six months. There are a surprising number of Excels for sale, given how few were made, & how many survive. Are we seeing a flurry of owners cashing in all of a sudden, as values have risen, or have there been a good number of cars coming onto the market every month, for the past several years?

There has been a sudden flurry of tidy cars coming to market. Most likely due to the comment you make. Most owners enjoy the cars and keep them long term but the cars I am seeing at the moment are generally new to me, so with old age setting in and prices doing well some may be cashing in for new slippers