One final slightly unpleasant note on this saga.
It's always tricky when the dealer is many miles away, and there is a need for a degree of trust - a gentleman's agreement - to allow the deal to take place. I'm sure it's quite normal for a dealer to expect a degree of commitment to hold a car for a day or so to allow the viewing to take place, in this case £500. The salesman and I discussed the need to allow both parties to pull out of the deal upon actually viewing the cars before the deposit was paid, having agreed a part exchange deal in principle.
To be fair to the dealer, James Paul, they held the car for me, and it was as described. To be fair to me, my wife and I drove 300 miles to view the car, arranged insurance and means of payment in advance, showing real intent to do a deal if it were to be acceptable. It wasn't because my wife took an instant dislike to the car, and we walked away.
Should the dealer have refunded all or part of the deposit? To be honest I'm not sure. The salesman justifies keeping the deposit by quoting conversations that just didn't happen, which is why I won't be visiting their establishment in future.
I had heard a couple of negative reports about James Paul, but the car itself was a good one. I'm left feeling quite uncomfortable by the whole thing. Caveat Emptor, I suppose. I've certainly dealt with more honourable people.
Oh well, the outcome is that I'm still thoroughly enjoying the Z3M, and the sun is shining.
![Sunny :sunny](./images/smilies/smilie-sunny.gif)