1996 850 T5 For Sale
 

Originally purchased by my dad in January 1997, then registration transferred to my mum when dad died some years ago, and she kept the car because she liked it, and it was "his car", so a lot of sentiment tied up in it.

Mum is now no longer able to drive, and the car has essentially sat idle in the garage since April 2020 when it came back from its last service and MOT. Battery has been kept topped up with a conditioner, tyres inflated, and the engine turned over periodically, but it hasn't actually been anywhere. So it's now my job to find it a new loving home, hopefully.

The astute will already have noticed that this means it's not got a current MOT and is SORN'd, so test drives aren't really an option. However, it does run and drive fine (I used to drive it for longer journeys as mum got older, and then get the train back and leave her with it for local use). It would, however, need to be collected on a trailer, I guess.

Details and full disclosures :)

• 1996 850 T5 "Orange" (bronze)
• Indicated mileage 96k (see below)
• paperwork and service history going back forever
• bodywork and engine sound, runs fine
• clean and tidy, especially given age (see photos)

Known faults and issues:

• Odometer no longer works. Actual mileage is 2-3k more than indicated. Advised by garage that it wasn't an economic fix due to labour charges, so to just ignore it
• Air con is shot, and needs proper flush/replace, not just a re-gas. Again, not carried out on grounds of economics and mum not really ever using it (which is why it's shot in the first place)
• Courtesy light doesn't work/iffy - advised that parts cheap, but a major pain with all the trim that needs removing, so left as non-essential
• Remote lock/unlock unreliable. I honestly don't know if this is just a case of new batteries/pairing, or if there's a deeper fault. All I do know is that for the last 10 years or so mum always just used the key in the lock rather than mess with it
• A couple of stone chips in the windscreen. These should be easily repaired. I didn't know they were there until I took pictures at the weekend
• Possible issue with the electric sunroof. I have a nagging memory about this but no certainty, and have no intention of finding out, given it's currently closed and weather proof!
• Some flaking/bubbling on the wheels. Fairly sure it's cosmetic, not structural. Detailed in pics
• There's a cut/gouge in the rear off-side tyre which doesn't look great, although it must have been there at the last MOT

As far as I can remember, that's the extent of the issues, or potential issues. All of the 'big' ones (odometer, air con, courtesy light, remote) have been like that for years without causing any actual inconvenience.

Currently has a full tank of petrol, which has to be worth a fair bit :teeth_smile:

I have no idea of value, so am open to offers. I know all the stuff that's good about it, and I've listed all the stuff that needs fixing, which obviously has an impact. Mum's priority is that it goes to someone who'll actually use it and look after it, not just scrap it, as she has a lot of emotional value tied up in it. My priority is that we get a sensible price from someone and get it gone before time and idleness just create more problems.

I do have more, higher res, photos (front, rear, both sides, each wheel, boot interior) but didn't want to hack anyone off by putting too much up here. The wheel photo is to show some of the bubbling and the tyre damage on the rear off-side.

Questions/viewings etc. through me (Pete) and the vehicle is located in Hertford, Herts.

Hi Pete,
I've sent you a private message.

Regards, Paul

Thanks for the PMs (various).

As a newbie I can't reply directly, and I don't want to annoy people with another 29 pointless posts somewhere just to trigger the post count.

If you've given me contact details I'll be in touch tomorrow. If you haven't and want me to be in touch, please PM me again with a contact number or email address (I hope that's OK with the admins? Otherwise if someone can point me at a playpen where I can post rubbish for a bit, that would be great :) ).

Pete

It was all reading so well until I saw offers.... might as well put it on ebay!

Thanks for the interest. A deal has now been done, and the car is sold.

SteveP - if you really want to deal with all the crap on Ebay when selling a 27 year old car that will only appear to enthusiasts, on behalf of your aging mother with dementia who is going to be distressed by the sale anyway, good luck to you mate :)

Good afternoon, 'MrSnags', and welcome to the forum. Firstly, I'm pleased that you have negotiated a satisfactory deal via this thread, you can be reasonably certain that the purchaser will be an enthusiast who will therefore both appreciate a and care for the motor car in a sympathetic way.

Secondly, it is unnecessary to post 'rubbish' in order to increase your post count in order to make use of the PM system. You can do this on request on the appropriate thread towards the bottom of the first page that opens entitled 'Forum user support'. The Mods are generally quite amenable to a polite request. :regular_smile:

Regards, John.

I've sold dozens of cars on Ebay including several classic volvos, never had an issue. I'm glad you sold your car and hope it went to a good enthusiast owner, but similarly would not be surprised to see it back for sale after a bucket of water and a polish as this forum can be just as bad as anywhere else for that. And so what? If a satisfactory deal is strick, both parties are happy and the next chap becomes the owner, the car is theirs to do with what they wish. I have sold and missed cars, regretted letting them go, but never felt any rancour against the next custodian, its their property. If they wanna paint it pink and put an exhaust you could put your heid in, banger race it or sell it on for a profit, its their decision. If the thought of such a thing happening horrified me so much I'd not sell the car, simple.

Agreed^^^^^^

I sold my Silver Cloud III on ebay after 33 years of ownership. Perfect sale to an enthusiast who promised to cherish it as much as I had. Even asked if I wanted to keep in touch with updates from time to time. I declined the offer as I explained I had cherished the car and now it was his to do as he saw fit and it was time for me to move on. 12 months later it was for sale again in a dealers showroom. Once something is sold all control is gone.