I've secured a car today, buying over the phone is not something I would usually do but i've held it on a small deposit with a dealer which is refundable if not 'as described' when I arrive, but with the current mix of weather and my work commitments coupled with living on a rock in the middle of the Irish sea its likely to be 2 weeks before I can get to pick it up.

Thank you for the tips and advice you guys have provided during my search, both on the forum and through pm's, I'm confident that based on the info you all gave me i've been able to sort the wheat from the chaff and ask all the right questions before I committed to a deal, and i'm sure i'll be back on here to ask a few more questions once I get it home.

The car by the way is a late 04 Roadster in met blue, 2 lady owners, 55000m with 4 new tyres and a service 1000m ago, I know photo's can be deceiving but i've also had the dealer talking me around it too and describing every little detail and imperfection, and it all stacks up.