Hello.
I have joined this club because I have a chance of buying a Sirion Rally 2.
I am not only new with Daihatsu but new with cars in general, as I have only recently got my driving license, which is why I needed some help from experienced people.
I live in France and a Daihatsu Sirion Rally 2 owned by a British person has come up for sale near me. It has only 32,000 miles on the clock and is a 2003 model. From just these figures I imagined an almost showroom mint condition car but I was wrong. Outside, it had a big dent under the petrol filler cap, big enough that the back door next to the dented panel looks unclosed even when closed. It had big noticeable scratches on the front bumper as well. Under the bonnet, the metal part of the engine cover (the big metal bit between the black plastic cover and the radiator) was rusty. Under the car, the exhaust looked a bit rusty but not too bad. When I turned the engine on, it had a slight tapping sound but I am not sure if this is normal for the engine or not. When driving, the clutch pedal squeaked when pressed and released and felt soft/loose, and the brake was very spongy and weak (definitely need fixing).
The owner told me that a lot of the miles on the clock are actually the result of being towed behind a motor-home with an a-frame tow. Apparently one of the front suspensions were damaged recently while being towed but it has been replaced.
Serviced by a mechanic family member once a year until two years ago.
The owner didn't know Daihatsu was a Japanese car company and thought it was Korean.
The car basically looked like it hadn't been appreciated and taken care of in its life, which I thought was a shame as I have heard very good things about the model.
And the most important of all, the price.
I managed to bring it down from 3000€ to 2000€ (1700£).
What is your opinion. Is 1700£ right for the car as I described?
Would you buy it if you were in my shoes?
Personally, I do like to have a sirion rally 2 as they are fast and rare cars, but for that price I have many other choices of cars in better conditions.
Hope to hear some advise from experienced people.
Many thanks.