[The Yellow Peril]

Hi Keith

We went with the idea of buying it ourselves, however, the first thing we discovered (before we went) was that it had been sold at auction in Scotland less than 2 weeks ago for £750.00

First impressions were not favorable. It had not been prepped for viewing, and was in an inaccessible place to view properly.

Flat battery was the first issue, there was some minor rust on the nearside wing at the top front end by the bonnet. Never seen rust there before.

Removing the oil filler cap revealed a nice yellow gunge, "condensation" said the garage man, Bo****ks we said.


There was no water in the cooling system (it was all in the oil) It took 2 full watering cans worth to get it up to the fill mark.

Interior was a very fetching shade of nicotine which didn't do the Aubergine seats and trim any favors.

The leather was very badly marked, and the rear passenger door handle was mostly absent. There were a few bits on the back seat, but no sign of the locking button on the door. The door card was hanging off, and the carpets were pretty grimy.

Two to three inches of water complimented the wet look boot, dipping the head lights I've heard of, but not the spare tire.

When we got a spare battery connected it fired up well and did not sound too bad. No manifold rattle, although as we did not take it on the road it was not possible to get an idea of how the auto gear box performed.

One of the road wheels was knackered and to top it off the paintwork was in a very poor condition and there were signs of a bad respray on the rear drivers side quarter.

If you have the time, space and money, and you could get it for £750 or less then there might still be life in this car, but a gap of 15,000 miles in the service record (since the last recorded service) makes you wonder why it was dropped through the auction in the first place.

It's a shame but it really is a wreck.

Andy