cost consideration when
 

When buying a non runner / doa upper you need to give extra consideration to the costs for doing it up.

I got a car with a duff clutch and I think budgeted on either a clutch salve or clutch master. Well slave and master changed as well as clutch but in doing this job, drop links, lower arm bushes and now strut bearings have all needed replacing. Now to my horror the front arms may need replacing due to the rubber boot coming apart, another £180ish.
I also need to replace the near side mirror as it is broken but I have a spare.

It is either pay a fair price thinking you know what's wrong or pay below value in case there is a long list of problems and then find it is a quick and easy fix. Either buyer or seller could end up aggrieved.

I paid £800 for this Tourer, inside it is quite good but I now feel 5 or 600 would have been a more realistic price.


How have you faired when buying a project, quid's in or money pit?

macafee2

Got £340 for my tourer on ebay yesterday (well I say I have but the buyer's not yet rang me to arrange collection) - a bit lower than I'd hoped for even knowing it needs work doing to it, but I need the space on my drive more than the money otherwise I might have hung onto it for a while longer. The car was basically sound but would probably need the upper arms and brake pipes doing in the next year or so, plus some of the electrics aren't up to scratch, though only luxuries not the essentials.


No idea if the new owner will be using and keeping the car or breaking it for bits, but either way I think he's done well for the money!

Bones was £150 so I expected trouble. Not perhaps the issues I ended up with but I knew going in it was a big risk. The colour was the thing that swung it.

My ZT cost me £500 3 years ago as spares or repair. The reason for the family getting rid was timing belt tensioner had gone (which it had) and their local garage telling them it was time to scrap.

They had spent a small fortune on it on their last couple of years including:

New MGR inlet manifold
New clutch and cylinders
A few bits of suspension

This is my resto post

https://the75andztclub.co.uk/forum/s...d.php?t=216283

I reckon I have spent in the region of £1K to get her where she is now with the suspension restoration front and back to do. I have tried to keep all the replacement part OE or equivalent.

At least when the repairs are done you should be happy that they are costs you shouldn't have to spend again. Whereas buying a good but untouched car, albeit with no 'current' faults, could quickly become a money pit 2,000 miles later.

Obvious issues such as corrosion on body and running gear can be seen and accounted for at time of purchase. But plenty of problems that cannot be seen until it comes to the crunch. No different to any other car, young and old. But at least parts and repairs are not in the Jag,Audi,BMW,Mercedes cost bracket.

It's just one of the reasons I buy cheap 'bangers'! My 120+ cost me £80 as spares/ repairs last Nov and sailed through its mot the same day. I have spent maybe £300 on a few niggles but a major oil leak signalled it's death knell. So absolute max I have lost is £400. Sold some parts and mad back £150 and may sell some more.

My 190+ cost me £200 a month ago, again spares repair, nearly ready for its mot and maybe another £75 spent, and some spares off of the 120.

Bangernomics rules!!

When I buy a project I assume everything needs doing, that it'll take at least a year, so it has to be something special.

The worst car one of these I ever bought was a tourer that I took ownership of a week after it had allegedly passed an MOT in england, it was rotten underneath and along the sills. I hated it by the time it was fixed and sold it as soon as possible.

I paid £295 for my firefrost tourer with a no clutch and when I did the clutch it needed a gearbox (well impressed)have to do the job twice then the 190 se came up had that not even heard it run yet as needs belts plus electrical problems £400 for that but I could (but won't)break and get my money back there's no point that's why we buy them unless you spend good money then you take your chances .they are good cars when kept right.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...765f4e1e7e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...23e8037367.jpg

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Buying cheaper cars is usually buying someone else's problem

I have paid silly money for cars in the past only to find they are just as bad. Bones has taken me to hell and back, and still not done, but after the torment of the moment is gone, its actually quite gratifying to have saved something.