Buying a used 75 or ZT that is some distance from where you live, can at best be an incovienience, and at worst a complete waste of money and time.
I myself wanted to buy a ZT which was for sale in Sheffield some months ago. Not a problem, unless like me you live in Southampton. However, with the help of fellow member
Duotone who lived nearby, I was able to get an initial heads up on the car which then enabled me to decide whether to travel the 200 miles and pay the considerable train fare to see the car for myself.
Duotone, who I value as a friend, gladly accepted my request to take the initial inspection for me, and he was able to take photographs showing the actual condition of the vehicle, not just the images supplied by the seller.
On the strength of his report, I did make the trip, and purchase the car. This experience has prompted me to post a suggestion which other members might find useful.
Namely that If you are a club member who has spotted a car for sale on the forums, ebay or Autotrader, but that is located at the other end of the country, why not consider asking any members listed below, who live close by, to take the initial look for you. If the area is not covered, then an appeal in the General forum should be the next best option.
With any private sale, one mans 'perfect' may be another mans 'poor', so written descriptions could disappoint, but the beauty of this suggestion is that everyone here has a good eye for our cars, knows what to look for, and can quiz the seller with a detached manner that they couldn't if they themselves were considering buying it.
In addition, asking whoever volunteers to view the car for you, to take a few pictures would certainly help in acertaining the true condition of the car for sale.
So please don't be afraid to ask on the off chance, in the long run it could save you a considerable amount of time and money.
EDIT:
rrobson has compiled an excellent check list of things to look for when viewing a used car, print off and take along if required
General Car Checks
Further to this, below is a list of members who would be happy to view a vehicle if approached by another club member, click on their names to send them a PM:
UK -
England
The South
fathead431 - Andover, Winchester and Basingstoke triangle
Hantsdave -Portsmouth, Havant, Petersfield and Chichester
Houxboy - Poole and Wimborne
Kully - Basingstoke / Reading / Maidenhead
MangoMan - Southampton, Fareham and Eastleigh
Petetourer - Buckinghamshire and Berkshire... Possibly others
Redfive - Weymouth Dorchester area
Reebs - Southampton
thomas 75 connie -Plymouth to Brixham
The South West
arnosvale65 - Bristol
Dorset Bob - North Dorset
DragonFly - Bristol area
Ratty - parts of Devon & Cornwall
Windslore - West Dorset/ Devon region
wylie66 - Cornwall and West Devon
The Midlands
1gp - Derby and Notts area
Andydote - Coventry, Leamington, Rugby, Nuneaton, Warwickshire etc
Bernard LPG - borders of Worcesterhire, Warwickshire and Gloucestershire
Coolguy - north Northamptonshire
Jezzer 1 - Warwickshire / West Midlands
john493 - North Oxfordshire / South Warks
Kiltman - Stoke, Staffordshire, Crewe,South Manchester
Mark2000cc - Sutton in Ashfield, Mansfield, Mansfield Woodhouse, Skegby, Kirkby in Ashfield, Oak Tree, Edwinstowe (all in the Nottinghamshire area) but not all of Nottinghamshire
MR190 - the midlands
MrDoodles - South Lincs and North Cambs
spawn666 - Peterborough area
trebor - Walsall & Wolverhampton
Trophy Blue Tourer - Bletchley/Milton Keynes
victorgte - Gloucestershire/Worcestershire (South)
The East
championdaddy - Letchworth North Herts
Davy Goody - South East Essex
Drewski - East Anglia
guru - Norfolk and north Suffolk
Yorkshire
Jakey010 - Leeds, West Yorkshire
Nikonite - West Yorkshire
rrobson - West Yorkshire
sikelsh - South Yorkshire Area
stocktake - Leeds
Xtra100 - Doncaster
The North West
andyg2011 - Manchester
Frank Incensed - Manchester
Ken Lion - Radcliffe near Bury, North Manchester
prezz1 - Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
The North East
bazza004 - 20 mile radius of Newton Aycliffe Co. Durham
suzublu - Hartlepool & North East
trikey - Durham & North Lincolnshire
bobred9 - Northumberland
Cumbria
jonathan63 - South Cumbria & Furness
Northern Ireland
andymc - mid & north Antrim/east Derry area
Colin_NI - Northern Ireland (General Antrim area, but will help out elsewhere!)
Eire
bongi69 - Dublin & all of Leinster
trojan - Midlands area, Eire
Scotland
Captain Leisure - Aberdeen, South Aberdeenshire/Kincardineshire and maybe a bit further
Ennine - Portmahomack & Inverness
FrazzleTC - Dumfries and Galloway
GRAHAM1961 - Edinburgh and the Lothians
kieranswood - Edinburgh, west Lothian and Fife
klickmarket - Central
Les4048 - Elgin, Moray and surrounding area
stockwell1 - Glasgow & 30 mile radius
Terrorfex - Perthshire / Tayside area
Wales
andrewldog - South Wales and the Valleys
Dragrad - Cardigan & district
spider13 - Newport, Gwent (SE Wales)
steve811 - South and East Wales
TheSamPeople - North Wales. Angelsey and Gwynedd area
International -
(None)
Disclaimer:
The members listed on this thread will view cars in their local area on behalf of fellow club members entirely in good faith, and AT THE PURCHASER'S OWN RISK, no liability can be attributed to the person who viewed the car, or to the Club, if they do not discover any potential fault at the time of viewing, which may arise after purchase. All purchases are made at buyer's own risk, the viewer can only give their honest opinion and their comments should reflect the true status of the vehicle as seen.