is this one to buy...? (ebay link)

[gerlewis]

Hi Guys

I am thinking of buying a williams tomorrow, but dont know a great deal about them.

Can someone tell me if this is a good car form the write up? and also let me know what I should be looking for if I go to buy it? also is it worth £2800

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1994-RENAULT-C...QQcmdZViewItem

Thanks!

Geraint

[wazza16v]

Yeah it looks nice, lets hope it looks better than the photos. Just make sure you do a hpi check on it and make sure there is a huge service history as this will be easier to sell in the future. Make sure there is proof of the cam belt change as they can be costly to get done.Good luck

[gerlewis]

thanks mate, I will do those checks.

[TriO`]

Looks nice but i'd be wary of buying a car from someone who can't even be arsed to run a spell checker on their add... after all, it's a much easier task than taking care of a troublesome car like a clio!!

TriO`

[white16valver]

What size tyres is it on? 185/55/15s are standard (and pretty expensive for good ones), but some run 195/50/15 as they're cheaper and not that much different. They don't look very tall in the pics so if they're 195/45/15s the speedo will be very slightly out (over-reading the speed) and it'll be a much stiffer ride than it's supposed to be!

Also, the silver heatshield behind the exhaust manifold is about £40 to replace (from renault, about the only place you'll get them) so could be a small bargaining tool, and the missing plastic cover where the leads now are is about £25 secondhand I think.

Getting the arches done properly (cut out and new ones welded on) will be about £400 I think.

Check if the engine's warm before he starts it, and if he takes you out check to see if he canes it from cold.
Personally I'd prefer them to drive it gently until the oil temperature rises to where it should be (about halfway up the middle dial in the small bank of 3 dials above the middle vents).

Also, when he starts up the oil level needle should rise to, ideally, the very top of the left hand dial in the above bank of dials. If it's not then it's a bit low on oil, and they don't like being below the max on the dipstick really! (in my opinion, anyway )

Keep and eye on the oil pressure gauge (the right hand of the three) - if should rise to above 4 on start up (with a cold engine) and stay around 3 when driving (when warm), rising and falling a bit with the revs. It can idle at virtually zero and be ok though so don't worry about it unless the oil pressure light comes on! lol

If you get a drive, make sure that there's no play in the steering (brand new column = £100+, or getting it welded is £30+).

Check the gearbox isn't whining when you come off the throttle (new box = £350+). (Mine does a little bit sometimes though, bloody thing lol)

There's lots of other "character traits" LoL but generally just use common sense and you should hopefully be ok
Either way, plenty of knowledge on here if it all goes wrong!


Or, is there anyone local on here who could go along as a 'knowledgeable friend'?

[gerlewis]

cheers mate for that detailed reply.

I am going to meet him m4 j21 if anyone fancies it.

[FATBOY]

tut tut tut! you forgot to mention that the oil level gauge drops down to zero after a few seconds after ignition! perfectly normal! so dont panic if you see that happen.

another bargainin point is the wheels. if there badly corroded they can be refurbed. about £50 odd a rim. obviously it wont affect the car, but it does give it that finishing touch if the wheels look mint!!! :D

[FATBOY]

also check the oil filler cap. and make sure its not covered in a milky substance. if it is milky looking then it would appear that the head gasket is going/gone.

[white16valver]

tut tut tut! you forgot to mention that the oil level gauge drops down to zero after a few seconds after ignition! perfectly normal! so dont panic if you see that happen.

That just occured to me as I re-read my reply lol



As a thought, is it worth checking the engine number to make sure it definitely is a willy? Looks genuine enough to be straight but you never know - all that glitters...

Was also going to say about checking all the switches light up on the lights and work properly - don't forget the heated electric wingmirrors and sunroof (which you could test for leaking by running a hose over it for a few minutes, but he might not like that if he's just polished it... )

And the heater matrix - when it's up to temperature turn the fans on and turn them to hot - if it's only lukewarm then that's a blocked heater matrix that might be fixable (in the short term) by flushing the cooling system, but long term is a dash-out job to get the new one in. It's booked as 10 hours labour I think! but can be done (apparently) in 3...

[Daz.]

Tyres make a BIG difference!

Anything other than 185's ruin the flow of the car and the firmness of the ride.

After long terms on 195's I can immediately tell even on these brand new 185's that they're simply the best tyre for a williams - anything else is just numbing the experience - and to be fair if you can't spend £25 extra a corner on decent rubber you don't deserve to be driving a decent car.