Thinking of buying a Renault Sport Spider

Hi, I've just joined the forum as I'm interested in acquiring a Renault Sport Spider and am seriously contemplating purchasing a red one, with c27k on the clock, reg. P884 NNC. Does anybody know anything about this particular car? Any comments most welcome! Many thanks.

I don't know the car myself, is it a private sale or do you have a link to the advert?
Of course it goes with out saying they are great cars

Thanks Miles, It's the red Spider currently advertised on Piston Heads site. I believe it's already been flagged up on this forum.

Ok had a look and I don't think I have seen this car in the flesh. Always difficult to judge things from just photos so you must get to see the car in person, maybe not be able to at the moment.
Photos have been played around with and if you don't know Mars Red is not as cherry like as it appears here. Mars Red to me is flatter but of course colour is very subjective. Two sets of wheels is nice but the race wheels are OZ not as quoted and have been repainted, should have a silver lip CNCed and originally there would have been yellow Oz racing decals on the centers.
Your best bet is to ring Stephen Dell for a chat about all things Spider and join the club as a full member, it's worth it for all the help and advice,as well as getting hold of parts you may need.
Good luck and hope we can meet up in the future

Much appreciated Miles. I'm based in Northern Ireland and would love to see the car in the flesh, unfortunately as you say, current COVID-19 lockdown restrictions make jumping on a plane and viewing the car a tad challenging at present... That said, I've done a fair bit of homework and asked a lot of questions. I appreciate what you are saying regarding colour. The photos are quite stylised, and agree, they make the car look more cherry in colour. I recall seeing a similar red one for sale a few years ago from a dealer in Poole, with photos which gave a better indication of the actual colour. There are 2 or 3 Spiders locally and an owner of one very kindly allowed me to take his car for a spin a few years back. I also know a local Renault dealer who has one. I've actually desired a Spider for quite a few years but for various reasons acquiring one hasn't yet happened. When I was across at the Classic Car Show in Birmingham in 2019, the star of the show in my opinion, was the yellow Renault Sport Spider on display, reg. P503 MOA, which I believe had the same OZ wheels you refer to. Seeing it galvanised my commitment to finally get one.... Hopefully I'll secure the red one, but if not, I'm certainly in the market and if any one is thinking of selling, I'd be keen to hear from them!

[stephendell]

The NEC spider used to be mine, I sold it to Bob not long before and he kindly put it on the stand

Thanks Stephen, very nice Spider! Miles has recommended that I have a chat with you, so I'll be in touch. Despite deal being done for the red Spider I was set to buy, it transpired that all was not as it seemed, so regrettably it doesn't look like I'll be taking delivery of this particular vehicle... My quest therefore continues... David

Sorry to hear that David but if it's not right then best to move on.
Did you really want a red one or just happy with any good Spider?

Hi Miles, firstly apologies for delay in coming back to you. Yes you are right, best to be philosophical about such things! I was drawn to the red car because I thought it looked really cool, though all my first hand experience of Spiders has involved yellow cars, so I'm really open to any colour. Key thing as you say, is to get a good one, ie accident free and well looked after. David

Ok so the search goes on.
Can you say what put you off the red car? Nice if you can give others a heads up

Firstly, apologies for my delay in responding Miles. "War and Peace" follows... I've previously bought a number of cars remotely and providing you are dealing with a person or company with integrity, there is no real issue, and I've been fortunate to date in having dealt with some great people who have more than delivered the goods. On this occasion I initially made contact with the trade vendor as per the advertisement on the Pistonheads site, and stated that my location coupled to COVID-19 lockdown restrictions meant that our dealings would be done virtually. The vendor stated that this would not be a problem and that he had personally delivered cars to my part of the world. By way of establishing his credentials, he was quite insistent on having a local guy who he'd had considerable dealings with phone me to endorse him and his company, though he was averse to telling me much about the gentleman in question and what he'd supplied him with, just that he was an avid collector. Fair enough I thought, so the process began... Early on in the proceedings the vendor indicated that the Spider had belonged to a friend of his, so I thought great, he should be able to give me a good insight into the car's history and condition etc. I asked the usual questions and requested a few photos and some video footage. It became apparent however that the vendor did not know as much about the car as I had hoped, and while he was polite throughout, I got the distinct impression that I wasn't being told the full story. For example, I asked about the headlight covers - were they both original and I was told they were, however on close examination of a photo, I suspected this was not the case, so asked again, only to be told that one was in fact a polycarbonate replacement. Though not apparent from the photos, seemingly on the same side as the replacement headlight cover, there is a paint mismatch indicating that some work may have been done to the bodywork at some time, whether cosmetic or otherwise. Mindful of the aftermarket exhaust, I'd also asked did the car have a catalyst fitted and was initially told no, though some time later this response was changed to yes, albeit a sports one, which meant that passing MOT emissions could be touch and go. I enquired was there any evidence of the inside rims of the wider wheels rubbing against the suspension arms which can happen under hard cornering, and though told no and that spacers were fitted, it was marginal and the photos I requested for my own peace of mind verifying there was no issue were not forthcoming. The Spider's aluminium brief case with locking wheel nut, jack etc. is missing. Despite my misgivings, I was willing to put my faith in the vendor and we agreed that I'd pay the full price including him delivering the car to my home address, which he was happy to do. Matters however began to unravel somewhat when it came to finalising payment details, as the full amount was required upfront despite my offer to pay the lion's share in advance, including delivery costs, with the balance paid to the vendor via either an immediate digital transfer into his nominated bank account or Banker's Draft, once he arrived with the car. To my surprise, at this point he then declared that he was purely facilitating the sale of the Spider on behalf of his friend and that he nor his company had any financial interest in the car! So despite the car being advertised under a trade banner and appearing on the "vendor's" business Website, it transpired that it was to be a private transaction all along between me and "Mr Anonymous". By this time even though alarm bells were ringing very loudly in my head, I went back to the dealer and said "OK, I'll give you full payment upfront, but remember you are facilitating this transaction and your reputation and your company's is on the line..." I'd also mentioned in passing the profession I was in and being fully conversant with UK consumer law and the workings of the ASA.... It all went very quiet... So I will leave you to draw your own conclusions. Suffice to say that I'm still in the market for a decent Renault Sport Spider....

Ok thanks for that, not easy to get one of these cars with out being able to see it in the flesh. It's not like getting some sort of Ford, there's only going to be a handful for sale and being mostly handmade they are all going to be slightly different. And that's with out any after market additions.
Good luck with the search I will be back out in my Spider in April and now you know why the weather is going to turn cold again

Now wheres my bobble hat and ski jacket

The OZ race wheels do touch the lower suspension arms at the rear when you drive the car very hard (cornering) and occasionally there are two people in the car. It's just what they do it seems! The stock rims do not touch.
For the money they are asking I'd expect the tool kit, the aluminium box with all documents and spare key.
There will be jobs to do on any spider I think - they are 25 y/o cars now.
Well worth seeing the car. I have seen aluminium corrosion on spring supports and other places where there is close contact to steel.

There are only 11 red RHD cars by the way

Many thanks for your responses Miles and Rupert. Apologies again for delay in my responding, but I only visit the forum occasionally. I've a fair bit of experience with hand built, GRP sports cars, having owned a Clan Crusader and then a Ginetta G32, the mid-engined one, and fully agree that seeing any potential vehicle in the flesh is wise. However, it can be an expensive exercise as I found when hunting down a good example of my current toy, a Lotus Elise S1, which took me c4 years! Picking up a Porsche or even a Ferrari locally is relatively easy (if you've got the money!), as there are quite a few examples around, something a bit more niche however usually means a trip across to GB, so you've really got to be sure the trip to go and view a potential car is worth it, as the Irish Sea can be an expensive bit of water to cross and I don't see the "Boris Bridge" (or should it be tunnel?), materialising any time soon, if ever... After a somewhat protracted and frustrating process, I eventually sourced the right car from a Lotus specialist, without seeing it, until I took delivery of it. In essence, I put my faith in him and his reputation and he came up trumps. Problem is with only c60 examples in the UK of the Renault Sport Spider, specialists to my knowledge, don't exist, though I did think that the dealer advertising the car initially showed every sign of delivering the goods, but unfortunately this proved not to be the case. Interesting what you say Rupert about potential corrosion issues, which is also the case with the Elise. Price wise, what should I be paying for good, well looked after Spider? I could have picked one up for c£15k a few years back, but collectors have now entered the market and this coupled to demand/supply, means prices appear to be only going one way...