Brabus to RCZ

[Hugh Jars]

Hello good people!

A little bit about me, I currently own a Brabus Coupe Roadster, which is even rarer than a RCZ. I love the car but unfortunately expanding family means the 2 seater has to go. But before I sell the Brabus I had to make sure that I could find something that turned just as many heads. This is where the RCZ comes in, I know the rear two seats are tiny so it is probably only marginally more practical than my Brabus but I have always loved the RCZ and as luck would have it I have finally managed to get a chance to buy a 2012 white RCZ with facelift front bumper. Now the bad bit, it has a facelift front bumper because it was a Cat D damaged car from 2016. The car is up north and I am in London, it is selling for £5.5k and has 2 previous owners (I would be 4th). It did not come with service history when the seller bought it in 2016 but he managed to track down records of it being serviced from dealerships. After that he has had it serviced 3 more times. Obviously seller says it is mint and his "kids have outgrown it" hence the sale but I wanted to know what to look for as I am not too familiar with the usual RCZ quirks/faults. From research so far I have learnt that pre-facelift models may need timing chain replacing? Is this right?

Some pics of my current car for reference:

The potential RCZ when it was damaged in 2016:

Potential RCZ now:

Should I buy this RCZ, i have great plans for it

Any help is appreciated,

Regards,

Hugh.

 

[Plecodoras]

For that money Hugh I'd have thought that you could buy a RCZ which has not been in a crash.
As for should I buy it, that is down to you. As for your plans, do they involve the engine because you don't mention what sort it is, diesel petrol 156 200 ?
You see the dilemma !

But if you do buy a RCZ then you will be pleasently surprised to find it is a very accomplished car.

Good luck with your project and future search for a Z.

Cheers M....

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[Plecodoras]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre ... 3370511077

This has already had substantial work done and was or still is owned by a former forum member.

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[Hugh Jars]

For that money Hugh I'd have thought that you could buy a RCZ which has not been in a crash.
As for should I buy it, that is down to you. As for your plans, do they involve the engine because you don't mention what sort it is, diesel petrol 156 200 ?
You see the dilemma !

But if you do buy a RCZ then you will be pleasently surprised to find it is a very accomplished car.

Good luck with your project and future search for a Z.

Cheers M....

Sent from my CLT-L09 using Tapatalk

Sorry, I should have mentioned, it is a (Gt Thp 156) Auto, therefore limiting my choices and pushing the price up. I prefer to drive automatics.

I did see the yellow one, bit too loud for me!

 

[Plecodoras]

Well that clarifies that LOL !

Ok, well I'm not sure about other auto's but still think that is a bit high and with it having a bump changes things.
Don't rush into any snap decision, there's definitely a few to look at.
Anyway just for the record the 156 will stage 1 map to near on 200 bhp, which improves performance and efficiency.
Keep us updated on what you eventually get. Cheers M...

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[neilgsxr69]

Yeh saw this on eBay and thought it looked like a cheap car for someone :eusa-think: it’s got low mileage as well, the thing that would put me off are the photos of the damage looking at the inter cooler pipes they look squashed which shows the front of the engine bay has been pushed back and not just a front bumper replacement as it first seems. The front could have been pulled and jigged back streight though so it would need a good knowledgeable eye casting over it. As for the the timing chain question on MK1 cars, on a car with 30k plus miles I would expect the chain kit would have been done by now but if testing make sure car is flat cold and have someone start the car while you listen to the engine with the bonnet up if there is a problem for the first 20-30 seconds the car will sound like a diesel then possibly quieten down.

Hope this helps and by the way the Brabus looks super :thumbup:

 

[wilsofar]

You might be happy to dispense with chocolate soft alloys,leaks from roof,water ingress via scuttle on to SAM with resulting failure,solder failure of SAM unit causing engine cut outs at random,clutch actuator error codes causing complete shutdown,but these will seem very cheap and easy fixes compared with the Z' s problems!(I'm on to £2500 repair total compared with £500 for my Roadster)

At least the Roadster' s engine (unlike the For Two and the Z)was bullet proof.

On a positive note the Z and the Roadster were the only sports cars I could sit comfortably in ,and I'm a very modest 6'1".

Also,access is much easier in the Z and on balance the boot will tske more (just) than the front and rear boots of the Roadster combined.

On the road other drivers do not notice the Roadster as it is so much lower than the Z.

The Z is far more numerous than the Roadster. I see at least one other Z each day on very short journeys whereas Roadsters pop up say every six months!

However on balance,now that the Z is finally working fine after 6 months of in /out of main dealers I would choose the Z as a laid back low revving cruiser (manual 156),which will go when you want it to!

 

[Hugh Jars]

Thanks guys and thanks @Wilsofar I didn't think I'd find someone whos already done what I'm contemplating, so your response was very interesting