4200CC LN54FAO - anyone know the car?

dgmx5

Member
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1,142
Anyone come across this car before?

It's entered into Saturday's auction at Anglia Car Auctions but the registration plate rings a bell and I think it may have been offered for sale previously on AT or eBay.

I know that @Nayf has had a quick look round it, but if anyone else knows about it I would be interested to hear.

TIA, David
 

safrane

Member
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16,748
Do a MOT history check... they can assist you in recognising if its been well cared for or if it has been run on a knife edge.
 

dgmx5

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1,142
Hi Peter, already done and all looks good enough and supposedly had services in recent years at F-tech which is encouraging. Just do not want to travel a long way if a forun member knows of any issues.
 

flexwing

Member
Messages
256
Hello guys, yes this used to be my car which I sold to WBAC earlier this year. I wondered where and when it would surface!!
I bought it from a forum member having been "checked over" by F Tech as part of some work that was being done.
It drives really well and is generally in very good condition, but....
Drove up to Edinburgh from Bristol and all well.
Generally the car didn't move for a few months over the winter then in March I started to use it more and then noticed a damp patch on the drivers carpet. Having had a previous 4200 which suffered from a heater matrix failure I was very conscious of the issue.
Needless to say, Phil from PK Supercars had a good look with a borescope and right enough the heater matrix was leaking.
It was very light and we treated it with a fancy rad weld type stuff to see it would work.
I don't like cheap fixes and unfortunately Phil was not in a position to take the car apart (a major and thankless job!). I then decided to get rid of it there and then!
This car is generally in very good condition with major suspension etc works undertaken. The interior was restored and was immaculate. When I bought the car the clutch was 71% worn but working perfectly.
So, it will need a heater matrix done and you'll need to budget for a new clutch at some time.
I'm done with Massers for a while!
I would not buy a 4200 or Gransport that could not evidence a recently replaced heater matrix. Two out of two is more than just bad luck. There was clear evidence of this failure in both examples but inspections by well known indies and main dealer failed to pick it up. Quite frankly I was bitterly disappointed but life is too short and therefore did not take it further. I could not prove the problem was not pre purchase but the evidence suggest it was.
 

Navcorr

Member
Messages
3,839
Quite frankly I was bitterly disappointed but life is too short and therefore did not take it further. I could not prove the problem was not pre purchase but the evidence suggest it was.
Given the obvious upset it is good of you to share this info. A very sad story and somewhat troubling too. Begs the question who can you trust. Hopefully time will heal the pain and, without wishing to sound glib, perhaps 3rd time lucky.
 

dgmx5

Member
Messages
1,142
@flexwing really deserved better, most likely just bad luck as the heater matrix is an expensive but rather capricious issue.

He has been very generous with his time, both discussing this car but also some previous that we had both crossed paths on. If there is a 3rd time, I hope the forum will keep its collective fingers crossed.
 

flexwing

Member
Messages
256
Thanks for the comments. Still love the cars and this forum makes the experience even better. My only piece of advice is "buy the best you can as it is not really cost effective if you have a major problem." This is particularly the case if you are not envisaging long term ownership.
 

Gp79

Member
Messages
1,393
Hello guys, yes this used to be my car which I sold to WBAC earlier this year. I wondered where and when it would surface!!
I bought it from a forum member having been "checked over" by F Tech as part of some work that was being done.
It drives really well and is generally in very good condition, but....
Drove up to Edinburgh from Bristol and all well.
Generally the car didn't move for a few months over the winter then in March I started to use it more and then noticed a damp patch on the drivers carpet. Having had a previous 4200 which suffered from a heater matrix failure I was very conscious of the issue.
Needless to say, Phil from PK Supercars had a good look with a borescope and right enough the heater matrix was leaking.
It was very light and we treated it with a fancy rad weld type stuff to see it would work.
I don't like cheap fixes and unfortunately Phil was not in a position to take the car apart (a major and thankless job!). I then decided to get rid of it there and then!
This car is generally in very good condition with major suspension etc works undertaken. The interior was restored and was immaculate. When I bought the car the clutch was 71% worn but working perfectly.
So, it will need a heater matrix done and you'll need to budget for a new clutch at some time.
I'm done with Massers for a while!
I would not buy a 4200 or Gransport that could not evidence a recently replaced heater matrix. Two out of two is more than just bad luck. There was clear evidence of this failure in both examples but inspections by well known indies and main dealer failed to pick it up. Quite frankly I was bitterly disappointed but life is too short and therefore did not take it further. I could not prove the problem was not pre purchase but the evidence suggest it was.

That’s a real shame it all ended that quickly and that way.

My PPI also missed some issues which were pretty obvious if you know these cars...

The heater matrix in my GS is currently bypassed (credit to Craig Waterman) so I could use it during the summer then I’ll replace it this winter.

If I didn’t do most the work myself I would find it very hard to justify owning this.
 

dgmx5

Member
Messages
1,142
Car is coming back from Voicey tonight and first service in my ownership completed and MOT passed.

There are issues to be addressed but in Harvey's words it is a good car which is a relief having bought completely blind.
 

dgmx5

Member
Messages
1,142
40,000 miles to go, assume car is worthless by then. So £10k lost ;-)

Hopefully only 1 clutch at £2.5k, 2 sets of tyres at £600 per set, heater matrix at £1k, budget for some wishbones or other major item of expense at £2k plus petrol at £15k allowing for inflation over a 10 year period, servicing at £1k per annum averaged between minor and major services, insurance at £4k and tax at £4k over that period. All in about £5k per annum.

If you ran less than 4k miles per annum, how much would you save? How much might you make on the car in that time? Or how little might you lose?