Drive it, stash it away or flog it? Opinions please. Update from last year...

[barmatt]

Saw a mate today who has a similar interest in vehicles as most of us on here do. He'd told me earlier in the week about his latest acquisition and today I went to have a nosey.

 

It's an absolutely immaculate 91 Fourtrak. It's been sitting in a farmers garage for at least 15 years. Apparently the farmers dad bought it new in 91 drove it for a couple of years and then became to frail to drive anymore so the car was garaged and that's where it's sat since. It was wax oiled from new so the chassis is mint, in fact everything is mint on it. It was so bloody clean and new looking I didn't even want to sit in it in case I got dirt on it.

 

So the question is... what would you do with it?

 

1. keep it and use it as a daily, devaluing it in the process.

 

2. Stash it away in a barn for the next 20 years hoping it's value will increase exponentially.

 

3. Stick it in the next classic car auction hoping for a nice profit.

 

here's a couple of pics

 

[John F]

Wow. That's fantastic.

 

I'm not convinced it would ever be worth much more than a few thousand pounds though, so on that basis I'd drive it & enjoy it as a 'new old car'.

[Bren]

White background = £££££

[Tamworthbay]

Dangerous bullbar, pointless winch, massive number of spotlights on the roof, a one life live it sticker in the back, then drive it on the school run.

[barmatt]

Wow. That's fantastic.

 

I'm not convinced it would ever be worth much more than a few thousand pounds though, so on that basis I'd drive it & enjoy it as a 'new old car'.

 

I probably shouldn't say what he paid for it but it wasn't a huge amount so a few grand would be a bloody good profit.

[holbeck]

Deffo enjoy it.

 

Whilst it will be worth a premium over the run of the mill Daihatsu's, I'd be amazed if it turned into a scene tax investment.

[Shep Shepherd]

It would make a really interesting weekend/show car

[Kiltox]

Enjoy it - just put more effort into rust prevention now and reap the rewards with a long service life

[chaseracer]

As above - use it, but look after it.

[dugong]

I'd be contacting Toyota UK, to be honest. See if they'd sponsor some appearances with it at shows to help pay for the upkeep.

 

That is seriously fit.

[Faker]

That's awesome

[dugong]

Do you want me to contact Toyota UK?

[Cavcraft]

Do you want me to contact Toyota UK?

 

Please do and record the call for us, just for shits n giggles.

 

 

Personally, I'd stick that away somewhere and just run it occasionally to keep it in good order. It'll be a while before it's worth good money, but it certainly will make it one day.

[Uncle Jimmy]

FFS this is Autoshite, drive it or at least sell it for a loss.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

That's the cleanest one of those I've seen in forever. They are ALL without exception farmed to within an inch of their lives over here. Sadly not as common as they once were

 

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

[320touring]

My 46k mile Toledo is a daily- wash it, keep the rust at bay and service it, they're sesigned to be driven.

 

alternatively, clean it up, punt it on and then buy one you can drive and enjoy

[RoadworkUK]

My 72k KV6 800 is a daily - wash it (at least twice annually), avoid checking for rust in case I get a sad, and service it. They're designed to be driven (onto a flatbed).

[danthecapriman]

That's lovely and really wants to be kept like it is.

I'd get it up in the air and wax the hell out of it then use it as a weekend classic, keep it clean and well looked after. As others have said, I don't think it'll ever be worth a fortune but in that condition it's rare and well worth looking after just for that. There can't be many left like that now.

[barmatt]

.

...as my signature says.

 

But surely the answer is directly related to how your friend / the new owner likes it as a car.?  Does he find it attractive in any other way than it's pristine condition and mileage., ? and is it something he'd like to drive now or in the foreseeable future. ?  

 

If the answer is 'no, it's not actually a car he'd like to own' then I'd opt to stick it on a top $$ auction such as Bonhams, and save yourself storage costs (including insurance, etc) and issues of rat infestation. And then use the money to buy whatever shite motor he really likes,  or else to pay a chunk off the mortgage.  That ways there'll be no long-term regrets. 

 

Alternatively ruffle it here on Autoshite

 

Bfg

 

He doesn't know what to do with it, which is why I asked here to see what others opinions would be. Personally I'd flog it but I'm a tight arse that just sees pound signs in it.

He had a fourtrak of similar age for years but that was a real workhorse bag of rust but this is too nice to mess up. Ultimately it's his choice but he did say he'd be interested to hear what other car guys would do.

 

I think tickets for a roffle might be a bit expensive.

[colino]

They are in short supply now, largely because they were worked to death (they have huge towing abilities) and they were, short-sightedly, ridden hard and put away wet.  As this one has been attended to, the only thing sensible is to use it and continue to look after it.  Be prepared to put up with cash offers every time it is out and about though, their maker only makes white goods now.

[AMC Rebel]

FFS this is Autoshite, drive it or at least sell it for a loss.

 

Banger race it surely?

[lisbon_road]

If it appeals, keep it and use it but not too much.  I'd avoid salt and generally keep it dry.  If it doesn't appeal, sure sell it and make as much as possible.  I wonder if it would have any appeal in Japan?  

[garbaldy]

I sold both of mine to a farmer who now has eight left all round the farm.

They still use some of them everyday too.

[purplebargeken]

Contact Toyota, give it a proper wash and clean, get it service and enjoy it at shows and so on. Reckon a magazine or two might be interested in that.

[Guest Lord Sward]

As has been mentioned a few times already, rustproof the fuck out of it.  Every and I mean everything rots under them, chassis, pipes, etc.  The last one i sold was borderline, but I was pulled out the door for it.

[Jim Bell]

Thats lush.  Must be worth a small fortune if its solid solid.

[chaseracer]

Contact Toyota, give it a proper wash and clean, get it service and enjoy it at shows and so on. Reckon a magazine or two might be interested in that.

 

Paging Dollywobbler (Retro Japanese)...

[Cavcraft]

Ok, I'll bite, as it's bugging me:

 

What has Toyota got to do with this?

[Noel Tidybeard]

 

The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Toyota Group

[RoadworkUK]

Toyota like, totally pwns Daihatsu M9.

 

Basically, Toyota couldn't really decide what to do with Daihatsu in Europe, so it didn't bother.

 

Emissions legislature didn't help, either. Our cries for a new Charmant fell on deaf ears.