Buying a Frontera

[stevie1967]

Hi folks,this is my first post. just been to look at a 2000 model 2.2 petrol RS Sport with 93k on the clock in a dealer forecourt. I gave it a good look over and was impressed by the overall condition. Its been well looked after over its life and has a vauxhall dealer service history up till 70k. Timing belt has been changed last year at 89k, only issue i could find that the radiator required a couple of litres of water to bring it up to level, the expansion bottle was up to max line which i found a bit strange, any advice on this would be great.
I ran the car up for approx 30 mins and temp guage was fine no over heating, engine sounded sweet enough, no oil leaks on the engine or drive train. took it for a drive and it was good on the road.
I had a 2.0 sport years ago and loved it, buying this for the wife to use of the winter months, i have stuck a deposit on it and will collect it over the next few days, hopefully made a good choice.

Cheers

Stevie

[BoxCleva]

These things are known for engine issues, specifically heads and headgaskets. I'd want it pressure tested to check for leaks or a sniff test

[MG Autos (Mark)]

The 2.2 is notorious for Head Gasket issues and if he had to pop the rad / expansion bottle up I'd be a bit dubious about the engine

However if it's cheap enough and comes with a decent warranty that will actually cover the head gasket (check all the small print) it may be worth ago, just make sure your 100% covered if there are issues ......

[Dannyboy]

i bought one n it sounds the same as what i found, it did work fine all the way to the lakes n about half way back just off the m6 n i got white smoke n bang, new engine required! be very carefull pal engines for these arnt cheep! or reliable if not looked after

[stevie1967]

The expansion bottle did not require to be topped up as the level on that was ok, with the radiator level low i presumed that there is a leak somewhere rather than the HG gone.


Cheers

Stevie

[fogman]

i would be on the cautious side steve, as previously stated h/gasket failure is very common on the 2.2, infact its not a case of if it goes its a case of when ? when my h/g failed the exp bottle didnt drop a bit i only lost it from the rad.
having to top up the rad by a couple of litres of coolant is going to be quite a leak mate.
as suggested previously have it tested before you purchase it

[stevie1967]

Thanks for the info guys. I had a 2.0 Sport a good few years back and it was a great car. I have looked at the 2.2 forum posts and quite shocked at the amount of HG/Engine failures with this engine. I was a mechanic to trade but been out of the business for 20 years and cannot be a****d doing any work on cars unless i have to , now a days i just give car to a mate who works with Kwik Fit to do all my servicing and repairs. He will test it this weekend if i buy it, do the HG along with Head skimming etc for 200 quid total. The dealer that i am buying from is a small independant and unlikely to offer any warranty, forgot to ask . I can ask that tomorrow or see if they will let me do a compression test on site, worst that can happen is i lose my 100 quid deposit.


Cheers

stevie

[Dannyboy]

If your lookin to buy one mate the 3.2 isnt that much differant on fuel consumption but its a whole differant beast to drive!!!!!!! and ultra reliable too!

[fogman]

i definetly agree with the above

[stevie1967]

Think i will give this car a miss and look for another non 2.2.

Stevie

[fogman]

i wouldnt discount the 2.2 completly because theres lots of good 2.2s out there, once the h/g has been changed theres no reason why it cant go on for another 10 years or so

[fudge]

Now my quick input
Hope you got your deposit bk
And all cars sold by a dealer must have 6 months warrentiee by tranding standereds
This may only apply to the engine and drive, or the hole thing

[MG Autos (Mark)]

[john (smifffy)]

[stevie1967]

Guys, i am having second thoughts now. I really like this car and the underneath is solid all rustproofed at some point, chassis is in good nick. Engine bay is spotless, no oil leaks underneath. The dealer which is a small trader will give me 7 days warranty to cover all major parts, i have informed him i suspect the H/G he says he has been driving it and all was fine, no over heating etc. I let it tick over for 20 mins yesterday and heater was hot and no sign of coolant loss/leaks. If i take the car its going in to my mate to have the HG checked. If it is gone i will rather have money back to cover the repairs than take it back to the dealer, i can get the head skimmed at piston and components in Glasgow along with a Gasket kit all for 100 quid, 1 day turnaround on the head skimming. Will do the job myself, been a long time since i have done a head gasket. If the HG tests out ok will get full service done,all the oils changed, transmission, diffs, engine etc ready for the ball and chain to drive.

The price of it is £2000, see piccy.

[BoxCleva]

I hope it's immaculate matey, coz that's a lot of money for that truck bud.

[stevie1967]

Yep i guess its due to time off year and prices are higher. I have looked around and not many for sale within a suitable distance, what would you say was a reasonaable price.


Cheers

Stevie

[BoxCleva]

1500 given the time of year bud.I know these do go for a bit more up your part of the world though

[MG Autos (Mark)]

Have to agree with Box on that matey, that's seriously pricey, even considering the time of year.

What year / mileage is it ?

It looks like a 1999 ish model from the pic and in April / May the market value of that would be around £1200 from a dealer. Privately you can pick them up for as little as £600 in the summer time. I agree with Boxcleva that £1500 -£1600 would be about right considering snow's coming but I'd expect a decent 12mths Warranty, full MOT & full service all stamped up and if he agrees to that then £1800 should be the VERY most for that car but personally I wouldn't go that high. If he's asking £2000 he's really "chancing his arm" and gambling on Heavy Snow Fall to help sell it for him. If you don't buy it I recon it will still be sat there in the spring if he's still looking for that kind of cash.

In some ways you'd be better off finding one much cheaper down south, paying Sleazy Jet for one of their cheepo £69 flights and grab a bargain then drive back, if you can spare the time that is

[BoxCleva]

There is definitely a 'Scottish premium' on 4x4's. I noticed this last year as well. There seems to be a real shortage north of the border and they seem to sell for silly money.