Well the one I saw turned out not to be my dream car. Was the second time I'd been to see it and it seems I must have had the 'first car blindness'. My girlfriend came along (actually a good move - they pick out all the bad bits you don't see, or don't want to see
).
The drivers door didn't open properly, there were a fair few stone chips (down the sides rather than the bonnet), a rear light was cracked and it had one brand new tyre which the dealer couldn't explain (if it was a puncture fair enough but I can't think of any other non-dodgy reasons why tyres aren't changed in pairs at least). Interior was also a bit more scruffy and marked than I remembered.
Add to that the fact it needed a cambelt and tax, for £8k it didn't seem a good deal. The guy wouldn't budge on price and I didn't particularly like him either (!) so walked away. Having said that it wasn't a
terrible car so I won't name and shame the garage.
Also tried out an 03 model just for comparison in Wigston, Leicestershire. Liked the Recaros
It's up for £7k but it needs a service (air con reeked), cambelt change and calipers could do with a spruce up so with a bit of haggling it will make a good purchase for someone.
There seem to be a few platinum Rs on sale for good prices at the moment - where are the bargain black ones hiding??