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OK, let's do this thing. Talbot Solara 4 Sail


wuvvum

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Before I change my mind again...

 

Most of you probably know the car.  It's the ex-Boobydoo Solara Rapier.  One of the last, on a C-plate, and with a sparkly new MoT as of last Saturday.  Here's a pic:

 

post-190-0-81178100-1404561117_thumb.jpg

 

I'll take some more as soon as it stops pissing down with rain for long enough.

 

It's done just over 40K miles from new.  I don't have anything close to a full history with it, but judging by the overall condition I'd say it's genuine.  I do however have the original bill of sale, which shows that its first owned traded in a Peugeot 504.  Obviously a man of taste.

 

It's very solid for a Solara, and up until a couple of weeks ago it had never been welded.  It now has a plate on the rear of the offside sill, as MOT man's hammer made a 10p-sized hole which was near enough the jacking point to be a fail.  I've sprayed over the patch in completely the wrong shade of metallic beige, but it's not too noticeable down there anyway.  My local motor factor is crap at mixing up paint for older stuff, so I was buggered if I was going to spend 17 quid or whatever getting paint mixed up when it wasn't going to be a proper match anyway.

 

It has a few cosmetic issues - a patch on the offside C-pillar where the paint / lacquer has gone funny, a length of pinstripe missing on the offside front wing, which also has a dent in it (which could probably be pushed out if you took out the wheel arch liner and went at it from behind, but I've never got round to it :roll: ).  The nearside corner of the front bumper has gone a bit weird, and there is a rust bubble on the leading edge of the front wing.  Overall though it's still a tidy car for its age, and could easily be brought back to vgc by someone less useless than me.

 

It had just had a new battery when I bought it off Boobydoo, and in my ownership it's had a new water pump and one brand new and three nearly-new Goodyear tyres (although I haven't had the rear two fitted yet).  Other than the obvious things like wiper blades, bulbs etc., it hasn't needed owt else.

 

Electrics are all good, with two minor exceptions - the oil light sometimes flashes (dodgy connection on the dipstick) - the car has an oil pressure gauge anyway so not a major issue, and the rear demister doesn't seem to do much.  Also I've had to bypass the screenwash switch and put in a separate button (which I haven't fitted into the dash as I didn't want to start cutting holes).  Oh, and the washer jets are universal replacements as the originals were blocked solid, but you'd have to be proper anal to worry about that kind of thing.  Also the heater is lukewarm at best, although this has improved since I fitted the new water pump.

 

It starts fine, drives well and goes like the clappers when needed.  Clutch and brakes are fine, power steering is good and the gearbox is as good as these 5-speed Peugeot units ever were.  It could probably do with a bit of a tune-up as it can hesitate slightly on a very light throttle, particularly when cold, and the idle can be slightly uneven, but it's still perfectly useable.  TO be honest I think a good Italian tune-up would probably do it a lot of good - I haven't tried becasue a) it isn't taxed and b ) if I start hooning about in it I'll then decide I don't want to sell it again.  Doesn't overheat or otherwise misbehave, and should drive anywhere it's asked to.  Like I say, it isn't taxed, but it's still on my insurance so can tax it if need be.

 

Does £500 sound fair?  Note that I will only sell it to someone who is going to give it the attention it deserves - if it's just going to be left to rot then it might as well rot in my ownership...

 

Edit:  Car is in NE Norfolk.  D'oh.

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These cars are the epitome of the autoshite ethic. I had a W reg Solar SX and I can confirm that they really do go like shit off a shovel. The 1.6 engine produced as much power as the contemporary XR2/XR3 (also a good 20bhp up on a 1.6 Sierra) and were also pleasingly economical. The SX was loaded with toys (central locking, electric windows all round and even a trip computer).

 

I hope that it finds a sympathetic buyer

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