Pre-purchase inspection

[cazna52]

Does anybody know of any companies that do pre-purchase inspections of esprits in the UK and who take credit card?

I have found a very nice looking 88 turbo on ebay located in Devon but I am in Australia so I need it inspected before I commit to buy it. The AA said they could do it if I paid for a data check but after I paid for the data check they said that they couldn't do inspections on esprits. The RAC say that they can do an inspection but that it will cost 480 pounds which is almost 5% of the cost of the car just to get someone to look at it.

I spoke to a local mechanic also who said he could do the inspection for 30 pounds but he wants me to post him a cheque which I think would be difficult and quite time consuming.

[Bibs]

Hey Justin and welcome to the forum.

Really, you need a Lotus specialist to look at the car and not just some chap from the AA or local nut'n'bolt garage. These are exotic cars and do have their known quirks to look out for.

Depending on where it is, you need to speak to http://www.thelotuscentre.com (independent Lotus specialists) or perhaps http://www.peninsulacars.co.uk (Lotus Main Dealer) - There's a solid chance the guys at SW Lotus might already know the car!

[SteveSmith]

Looking at the eBay ad in question, it appears the majority of the renovation work was carried out by South West Lotus Centre so I'd recommend touching base with them.

[cazna52]

Thanks for the advice guys.

The owner emailed me and suggested the same thing so I have emailed the South West Lotus Centre. Hopefully they tell me it is a great car then I can start trying to figure out how to get this beauty over to Australia.

Justin