Hello from New Zealand Options

[Quidam]

welcome but why cant there be more gt4 owners from down christchurch region im sure im the only 1 in this forum from chch

I'm in the Christchurch region, you're right though, not many other st205s down here eh.


Nice GT-Four Quidam, looks good. I think I remember seeing this GT-Four on trademe and thinking it looked like a good buy, glad you found your way to this site. So you had a bit of a mission finding wheels to fit aswell? Me too lol.

Hi there!

Funny thing is the trademe add (Mike Baker Motors) was pretty lame, and I almost didn't bother going to look at it. I was seriously considering the one that was down in ChCh (white) which looked mint and had a great add, but thought since this one was already at my back door it can't hurt to at least have a look at it. I got a real surprise at the condition it was in -much better than I was expecting. I got a bit of info on its history, purchased the carjam report + they had a full list of receipts of work done on it by the 2 previous NZ owners, which included a full clutch rebuild with cambelt and waterpump done, in just the last couple of months. At that point it became a serious contender. So I arranged to come back with my trade-in and to take it for a test-drive. The moment I took it on the motorway and gave it some juice I think was the moment I decided I was going to buy this car lol.

When I got back fromt the TD there was someone else already waiting who wanted to test drive it after me. At that moment I knew I had to make a decision, buy or don't buy. So I gave them a deposit (meaning they sent the other guy away packing lol) and I agreed to the purchase subject to the results of the pre-purchase inspection (VTNZ). Well the check came out perfect across the board -engine compression mattered most to me. A quick visit to my bank manager to bump up my personal loan (I work for the bank in I.T. which helps lol) and hey presto, proud new owner of a very original GT4

I factored in a new set of mags into my financing of the car, and yes, Mag and Turbo warehouse changed their tune after looking at the size of the brake callipers. All of a sudden I had a choice of just 3 rims. I almost went with much simpler 5 spoke 17inch wheels, but they offered me a great discount on the 18inch Konigs and I decided I liked the look of lower-profile tires and a slightly firmer ride that 18inch wheels were likely to give me

One thing is for sure, I know where all my money is going to go over the next couple of years or so

This post has been edited by Quidam: Nov 30, 2009 - 4:41 PM

[delusionz]

Did that pre-purchase check cover turbocharger shaft play? If so I'm going to bang my head against the wall, I should have known I was getting a lemon.

My turbo crapped out a week after I got it, There wasn't enough oil getting to the turbo because there was too much crap build up, even though when I bought the car the oil was golden. Later down the track I met a mechanic who had worked on this car before, Said it had been neglected for 40,000kms and had been properly serviced only within the last 10,000kms of me buying it

[Quidam]

Ahh now this is interesting and a good cautionary tale. So to answer your question the pre-purchase check definately did not cover the turbo-charger condition (other than the fact that it was working). I should mention I also purchased a 2 year autosure warranty, which seems quite comprehensive, and definately covers the turbo.

You remind me that I need to get in touch with the mechanic who has worked on this car previously -who just happens to be down the road from where I live.

I would definately like to get his opinion on the car in general, and its service history (from his perspective) and perhaps any issues that he may be aware are still outstanding. Going to call him now!

I can say I've been through every receipt (ordered them by date) and the car does appear to have been well serviced with a lot of money spent on it whenever it needed it. In fact I almost felt guilty paying what I did for it given how much money its sucked up over the years -but I guess now its my turn

[HaysoosKreesto]

How can you feel guilty for owning such a magnificent car?

*correction TWO magnificent cars lol?