ALISTAIRROSS

It certainly seems like a well looked after car from the pictures and MOT history - second owner let the brakes discs and calipers got to rot, failing the MOT but seems that Glenburgie have put all that right, as there were no advisories on the last MOT. My only worry was the dreaded head gasket issue if it had been pushed hard, but had convinced myself to take the risk. Hope it turns out to be a good car for you, although I might have just taken away any room off haggling down the price. :-)

******! The garage answer phone said they were closed until 4th Jan otherwise I would have gone before Christmas. What was the reason for the third owner only doing 1600miles then returning the car? They've knocked £300 off from the September selling price as a result.

Thanks for the reply. "Looked after" is the bit that concerns me. I'm leaning towards the 07 auto on the basis that the provenance and service history is with one garage from new, and I've driven it! On paper, the performance is slightly less than the manual but still lively enough. It had its secondary air pump replaced in the summer, so no immediate issues there.

Currently advertised on ebay, item no: 252218871394 from Glenburgie Cars. First registered in Newcastle then made its way north. 3 owners, the last for only 1500miles. That could be an innocent thing or perhaps it was returned within the one month warranty offered. Can't ask garage yet as they are closed until the new year. My heart says yes, but my head says potential head gasket or secondary air pump issue. Cosmetically it looks the business but I guess a PPP version is always going to have been driven harder. Has anyone got comparative experience of the PPP version versus a standard XTE? The alternative car I'm considering is a 2007 XTE similar mileage but no PPP pack or sat-nav, but known owners and subaru FSH. I'm currently torn and contemplating a trip to Scotland - just not sure what I could detect without a crystal ball. Perhaps an AA inspection. All thoughts welcome. Either way, hope to be a Forester owner soon. Alistair