What To Look For In A 2nd Hand Xr6 T?

[TKAO]

HI Peoples

first post ever here.

I've recently graduated from uni and now looking for a car for work-I've had my eyes set on the XR6 Turbo ever since BA was released in 2002.

I would appreciate if anyone could give me some guidance on buying a secondhand XR6 Turbo. What should I look for? And how do I avoid Xr6 T's that were poorly looked after? My price range is about $20-22k for a vehicle that's done about 60,000-80,000km's (obviously the lower the milage the better). I prefer an auto too (and I do rather like the blue print colour).

[Laner]

see this guys.....THIS MAN HAS GOOD TASTE!!!!

welcome and good luck in your search, be patient, there's a blue meanie out there somewhere with your name written all over it

[shnaped_second]

Hmm im in the same boat too and interested in what ppl recomend?

[OzTEXS]

well at that price it seems your in the BA mark I range.

here are some of the things that u should know. (pls correct me if iam wrong any1)

*brakes are not the best on the early BA's

* avoid the 5 spd manual on the 02/03 if possible

* avoid buying from P platers

good deals can be found at auctions .. keep an eye out

cheers !

[aiboart]

Things to look for in a BA XRT

For someone who knows a bit about cars

a garaged one owner unmodified car that has a full service history with oil changes every 7,500km.

Mandatory option. (the Top Gear, '... get this or you won't be here in the spring' option.)

The factory Premium Brakes.

Option that if you fail to buy it you will be kicking yourself 24 hours after buying the car.

The Premium Sound.

Option that just may save you and your passenger.

Front Seat Airbags.

All other options.

To taste.

Colour

To taste - they are all good. Blueprint was the early XRT hero colour.

For the car expert.

There are some amazing modified XRT's out there from great tuning houses. These cars are often bargins as there is a limited market for this type of vehicle.

Regards,

aa

[EvilDaifu]

Well said aiboart

To be sure it is well serviced and maintained, I think going to a fleet auction and pick up a government fleet car is a reasonable move. Unfortunately, T's are pretty rare at government fleet auctions.

You've got a good chance that it has had only one owner (not necessarily the case as cars can be transferred internally within the government organisation as employees leave) and that it is truly stock (as government organisations won't cover the driver with insurance if there is the slightest deviation from "as delivered" stock status but no guarantee as edits can be stealthly applied and removed when convenient like during servicing).

Good luck!

[PepeLePew]

Man in my shopping experiences you'd be in the high end of that km range with that price range. Otherwise they'll be advertising them as low km specials

The standard brakes are crap even day to day, they dont inspire you with confidence. My missus' Territory stops solidly next to my BA. You might be waiting to find premium brakes though....save a couple of bucks or get a few bucks extra on the loan and fit late model brakes and focus on the other options IMHO.

PS did anyone mention the standard brakes are crap

[Iconic Bionic]

Your budget looks a lil tight for the options the others are reccomending. The auctions wont get you any T's with that many K's and for your budget either. And the ex-goverment, which are usually police cars are another 10K on top of what you have to spend.

Take your time on this and dont rush. Use the net to your advantage and search the whole of the state your in as it could be worth ya while taking a trip just to pick up the right car. Most dealers will rip you off, but you will get the small second hand car warranty that is mandatory though them. I dont think you will find too many with the manufacturers warranty left unless theyve been extended.

I.B.

[lv619]

Try to get a BA Mk2 if you can rather than the MK1. Although you may be limited by your price range, try spending that little extra in getting a 'newer' car with more options etc, rather than the basic 'taxi' options. Avoid the 5spd manual if your going to even slightly modify the car, unless of course you can afford a few $k on strengthening/better clutch. Find a car with at least a few months of warranty on it, so if you do happen to notice something major after purchasing, you 'may' be able to get it fixed under warranty. And generally be careful with buying a modified car, make sure that the owner knows a thing or two about cars and didn't just get the usual mods done without spending the money on strengthening the engine etc. Its all well and good to turn off emissions and up the boost with a 'tune', but the engine/driveline was engineered to have those restrictions in place.

If you can hold off until later this year or better yet until Orion is released in march next year, then you will no doubt be able to pick up a bargain around then. Consequently if you do happen to buy one now, don't be surprised when your resale goes through the floor in 6-12 months time.

The most important thing when looking I guess is seeing who the previous owner was and what type of servicing and repairs were undertaken. Someone who looks after their car would have had most issues fixed/replaced by the time they are looking to sell/upgrade. Whereas someone else might be selling their shopping trolley because one of the wheels are starting to wobble.

[Iconic Bionic]

One other thing with your budget is that if you need to fix these cars they get quite costly without any warranty. And your aiming for one with K's that are getting up there.