SmokinWaffle

That's....life though. People should be able to delete their own threads if they see fit, period. They don't need a reason nor should we remove the function. If you're less likely to put content or posts into a forum because the OP might delete the thread forums probably aren't for you. That's like worrying about spending time finding a good takeaway in case they decide to shut up shop.

Fiat....Rimo?

Agreed. Makes sense for new drivers probably but even then - the whole insurance game is bollocks My partner had a black box in her first car. She had to swerve and slam on brakes to avoid t boning someone who pulled out on her and probably would have written off both cars and / or killed either party if she didn't - and she got a warning for "harsh braking/movement" or some other tosh. Works in theory but in practice it has many caveats.

How about because he fucking wants to? Not everything has to have a reason that is okay with everyone? Not everything needs an answer? Enjoy the content rather than the reasoning. The intricacies of some systems/how they work is very interesting to some people, myself included. If it's not interesting to you (not directed at you - but if a party doesn't find it interesting), that's fine - but perhaps everyone doesn't need to constantly take every opportunity to go "hurr durr why u do dis thats not normal u r loser" and make someone feel like they are being singled out? It is like schoolyard bullying, it's like if someone had a toy or lunchbox that was a bit different and all of the passive bullies who think they're funny and smart keep going "Why do you carry that around" "why do you play with that all the time" "why do you do X at X time at X age", Then when the teacher comes along they go "I WASNT DOIN NUFFIN I WAS JUST ASKIN A QUESTION CANT I ASK QUESTIONS NOW" Christ almighty True, but that doesn't justify people being so judgemental or make the thinly veiled jabs okay. Everyone is entitled to an opinion, correct - but that doesn't mean you can go banding it around without recourse. Eg - if you're racist then you're entitled to hold that opinion and I can't stop you (as much of a shitty one as it is) - but if you go outside and start shouting racial abuse chances are someone is going to pull you up on it. I'm sure the police office who arrests the person will undo the cuffs when they say "ThE wOrLd AiNt A sAfE sPaCe M9!!" . Nothing is a safe space, but there is common courtesy and kindness. but I think AS is enough of a community for someone to be able to post about their interest in their own thread without people making pathetic weird comments like: Not to give you too much of a shocking reality check @Rod/b - but you're on a forum of mostly middle aged men dedicated to old shit cars and their intricacies, in the middle of a Saturday, making childish jabs at someone who is trying to share something they find interesting in their own thread. Chances are you don't have "much else going on" either.

Also one thing that is really worth considering long and hard - how much do you value your ongoing health or life, or your loved ones? If someone hits you while you are in REV at anything above 15MPH - it could be very serious or fatal. Please do keep that in mind. I'm sure that driving REV daily, even if it goes faultlessly - will not be worth the trade off when your loved ones have to see you pulled out of it into a body bag. Life is too precious to fuck about like that.

Some good points being made here. I will say - I love old weird cars as much as anyone and I've travelled hundreds of miles to buy them. I've been emotional when I've sold them and lusted after the ones I couldn't have. About 8 years ago I had a Hillman Hunter. Nothing special but a damn sight more advanced and comfier than an Invacar. It ran pretty well and was mostly sorted - albeit it looked very much its age. It was my second hobby car - my daily was an '84 Volvo 740 Saloon. The alternator on the volvo died and a few other bits needed doing and it was off the road for two months in early winter. I drove the Hillman daily in that time because it was an easy choice. Let me tell you - I loved that car more than any car I had ever owned at that point. Still have a place in my heart for it. I drove it to shows, road trips, with friends - really held it dear. I cried when I sold it. Broke my heart even more when it was written off 7~ months after. But those two months I drove it in winter were fucking miserable. I really loathed it by about 2 weeks in. It was cold, loud, unrefined, constantly frozen over, I sometimes had to kick the gear stick in the mornings with all of my force to get it into gear because the gearbox was past its best and it was colder than it liked. but I will say that its something I only learned with age and experience - and likely you will too. I could be wrong but trust me when I say love for a car will honestly only get you so far. Before this I gladly drove a lowered imported MX5 with a huge exhaust for 2 years solid in all weathers. But I was a lot younger, had no real big responsibilities, they are super reliable and rust can be hidden frkm the MOT man. Nowadays my back, ears and eyes (from being blinded by EVERYONE'S headlights) just wouldn't cope. Same with my recently sold BX. Favourite car I've owned I think. Most comfortable by a long shot - even by modern standards - but still a good 30/40% of the year it was irritatingly cold / not convenient. It takes so much out of you genuinely dailying a classic just from a maintance perspective. Old cars always seem solid when they're being tootled around. Put 1,000 miles on one that you've only done a few miles in and I can guarantee you - regardless of prep - at least 3 things will break and cause you hassle or stop it working in a critical way. Can you cope with it being off the road multiple times a year for you to do some sort of physical work yourself or finding someone to do it? Best of luck either way. Take advice from someone who knows. I own a 52 Plate Berlingo I got for £400 as a semi-modern reliable runabout/big/tip run car, a 72 plate electric car which was a fair bit more than £400 with posh bits for my partners main car and when I want some respite, and (until recently) a 1980's BX that was, as far as BX's go, quite nice - and I dailyed that for nearly 2 years. BUT I still needed a backup car - even when I was driving it daily for when it broke - which was my partners corsa at the time. You need a reliable and dependable daily. Its not subjective, unrealistic or being argumentative - its a fact. An Invacar simply will never be that vehicle in 2024.

I'll gladly chuck £20 into the fund to do this to see @LightBulbFun being able to progress the hobby / life and get things moving again. Same goes if Ceri gets it. Regardless of intention, kindness, costs / doing it for free or agreements - in this situation it feels like @red5 is literally putting a large section of someone else's life on pause indefinitely and just being ignorant to the situation by not replying. Ignoring you when he has *your car* and is actively posting and viewing the forum is frightfully poor form to say the least. He's basically holding any progress @LightBulbFun wants to make hostage. I'm happy to be proven wrong. Remember we are all here for the same reason - love of old shit cars. No matter who it is - it genuinely upsets me to see someone with such passion being fucked about and strung along. Its literally effecting your life and mental health. Please - I urge you to get it back in whatever state its in. You aren't being unreasonable. We are all adults. I'm sure red understands. Even if he doesn't - he'd be the minority. Anyone in your situation would be totally justified going and getting it back.

Lovely! No rust advisories. Surprising. But yes - certainly needs seeing to as you said.

Now in the safe hands of @Jimbob McGregor - see here If you want the thread title renamed and to continue it's history here - I'm sure @vulgalour will oblige gladly.

I would rock a volvo berlingo for sure

Good advice, shame I can't take it! In all seriousness, I'd rather just get it sold as the longer I keep it, the harder it'll be. It is a wonderful thing.

Okay - after a bit more thinking I think it's settled. Question is - what's it worth? Needs cutting out and welding to both sills to pass the MOT most likely - although im tempted to book it in for one to see what it fails on. I was thinking without MOT £6-700, or is that a bit rich? Given the rarity of it being the 1.7D and a known quantity. Shame memories don't translate to money. Open to thoughts. My main aim is to get it to someone who will enjoy it.

Mojo back - but with it comes with a heady dose of reality. Well, not reality as such, more of a change I've realised. Now owning a house and having renovated it, and wanting to do many other things to it that all cost money - the BX is going to take a back seat for the foreseeable future and....that doesn't upset me. Making my home a lovely place to be is a great experience and I can't see a time in the near or semi-near future (<1.5Y) where I'd rather put £500 into the car rather than any other number of projects or hobbies. With both me and my partner now working from home permanently I don't really drive very much (and nor do I have the want to really!) so best case scenario it'd see maybe 1000 miles a year. Which is a damn shame. At the moment it's been off the road for two years. I don't want it to sit in a garage or be coddled. I want someone who uses it frequently for what it's meant to be used for, as a car that just keeps going and they love. It deserves to be used. Not sit like this for months on end. That, and it's almost wasted space at this point. There is a lot of hobbies like woodworking and furniture making that I'd like to try but don't have the space and the garage itself would be the ideal place for it. I feel I'd get a lot more satisfaction from trying those things - and I'm coming to the conclusion it may be time to move it on and let someone else have the chance to own a unique car, enjoy it and make memories like I have in it. I think this is the way forward for me - I can't say I'm totally 100% at the moment so I'll have a little longer to think - but it's looking likely whatever way I swing it. With that in mind, if anyone is interested in the meantime and wants to give it a good home - drop me a PM and we'll have a chat.

Excite.

Probably a little far gone / bent by the look of the post

I drove past this yesterday and almost crashed into a wall when I saw the price. I know it's a cool little thing but he dreaming at 2k.

Wow - that really doesn't look it's age. That's wild...

The Estate was picked up by the ever helpful @worldofceri - with some clever movement of some timbers we had it off the drive even with it stuck on the lowest suspension setting due to the LHM leak. Not after I'd attempted to get it off without that the previous day and grounded it out like a melon and left a nice scrape at the top of the drive but still.. Raining when it was delivered, raining when it was collected. Made some pretty colours on the road / drive as it left in typical BX fashion. Now sitting happily in @Marshall2810's garage: Glad to see it with someone with more time and focus for it. Hopefully will be in a better state soon. Thanks to @Marshall2810 for a painless transaction. Still think it's a super cool thing and looking at it makes me sort of regret it - but I know it wasn't for me! Moving it on really did give me a shot of motivation and general happiness with the mental energy that was free'd up. So I set to work on mine! With 3/4 fuel lines from the pump and across the injectors either pinholed, seeping or failing in some way causing diesel to spray out, I figure I'd just replace them all. £4 later and some cutting of halfords finest fuel hose, all of the old perished ones were removed and replaced Which sorted all of the leaks and I once again had a dry engine bay, and didn't have to worry about causing a small natural disaster whenever I moved it! Also fitted the new battery that I bought for the green one. Started it and it rose (literally) from it's slumber with gusto - rising up very quickly totally free of any leaks and sounding sweet. Beauty. Reversed it out of the garage into the sun It's crooked face really makes me happy. With the leaks fixed, it was time to tackle the next task......the interior. Being SORN since November 2021, and a year and a bit of that being outside in all weathers combined with not being totally water tight resulted in the interior becoming a bit more...cultured. It smelt as musty as it looked. Not to be deterred, I donned some rubber gloves and a mask and got to work. Sprayed the entire interior down with ample amounts of white vinegar spray (750ML~ when all was said and done) and gave it a light scrub and left it for half hour to kill off the nasty. Then it was time to bring out the big guns. fast forward an hour and a half and I had obtained the Ｆｏｒｂｉｄｄｅｎ ｃｈｏｃｏｌａｔｅ ｍｉｌｋ Neighbours rather flashy BMW M4 photobombing. This is the first time I've used the SpotWash in anger on anything more than a carpet spill or cat hairball stain and it's fantastic. Highly recommend anyone who is on the fence or needs to do some interior cleansing gets one. Was £100 or so - and well worth it. Left the interior pretty much dry which was very impressive and it now smells and looks a hell of a lot better. Very satisfying and well overdue. Really nice to be giving it some TLC. Watching all the crap horrible dirt being sucked out of the seats with the Vac was awesome too. Scrubbed, white vinegar spray'd and cleaned all interior plastics and door cards of the mould - even did the roof lining and boot while I was there. Was probably closer to 2 hours total of graft but worth it. Left it overnight with the windows open in the garage and some vanilla dehumidifer....box...thingies (79p from home bargains) to get some of the residual vinegar smell out. Got to it this afternoon and smelt a fair bit better, seats smell fine. Fantastic. Still an air of vinegar which isn't surprising given the amount I had to use so I gave it a good dose of Febreze for good measure. Checked the LHM, fine with no drop since it was left in 2021, same for the water. Good little thing. Trustworthy. Backed it fully out of the garage, up the drive and onto the road. What a sight. Overjoyed, genuinely. Time to check out the sills... Not great. Crispy and soft at the same time - will certainly need cutting out and welding. Good thing I have a welder in the garage I got from Facebook a year or so ago - now I have a reason to learn! Took it on a shakedown run around the block and it was faultless. Comfy as always. The feeling was certainly still there when driving it, reinforcing I made the right choice. Cleared the clag out (stupidly on the drive), but it'll wash... Did make a fair ol' cloud of diesel smoke (which my partner really appreciated as she was pruning the front garden at the time) but once it was cleared it didn't do it again. Stretching it's legs after a long nap. All in all a very productive few days with some things that were overwhelming in my head fully sorted with not much hassle. Now it's in a place where I know what I need to do to get it MOT'd (most likely just welding - might take it for a test just to see what it fails on as well beforehand), the interior is no longer festering & I don't have to worry about moving it and it leaking everywhere. I leave you with a visual of how a the average BX owners driveway looks after simply driving two BX's on and off. (All apart from the coal mark is LHM from the green one) Lovely.

Well colour me learnt - I did not know that! Thanks

Is this a 1.7 turbo? Didn't even know they did a turbo of the 1.7 - that's hard enough to find on its own. I'd be interested to see the engine as the owner of an N/A 1.7 .

So, that was a short love affair. After some soul searching and chats with my partner I've realised that....I just don't like the estate as much as I thought I would. Bittersweet as its always been a bit of a dream car but something about it just doesn't fit with me. There is something special about my white one that I can't shake or identify - and that needs to have my full concentration as that's where the passion lies for me. I've also grown annoyingly fond of the berlingo that it was meant to replace! But - my loss can be your gain. Buy it off of me for scrap money/what I paid to transport of. You know you want to. Let the BX addiction take hold and in a few years maybe you can be an indecisive citroen licker; just like me.

I can smell the Chinese takeaway musk in the seats from here

Any hints? Following with excitement.

If anyone is local to this and can go and grab parts for me I'd be very grateful

Wow! That's the exact same as the one I got from @Stinkwheel - that's a spares paradise. Anyone close and can transport it? Not that I have space....