Very low miles-car - are they driveable? *What have I done!?*

[Lukas]

Oh what have I done...

 

It seems I got the Espero now. 200€ as it is. 

 

Don´t know what to do with it. At first, I´ll have it trailered to my brother-in-law next week. He known how to use a spanner, 

so he is my first bet when it comes to rescueing worthless cars. 

 

Lukas

 

*Awaiting acclamation from Mr. Dan Hirst*

[dollywobbler]

AMAZING. Hero status achieved.

[Tickman]

Ending up buying an old, slightly broken and unloved car is not quite an unexpected twist for here.

Not buying it would have been though.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Great work Lukas!!! I reckon you'll be fine. I bet whatever has broken in the column can be fixed for £0 with a MIG welder.

[Faker]

Well done Lukas !!

[Guest bangerfan101]

What sort of re-commissioning are you planning for it?

[New POD]

I have some experience of buying or being given low mileage Vauxhalls and then putting more miles on them

 

1984 Mk2 Cavalier Sri 1st owner did 19K in 16 years. 2nd owner took it to 75K in 3 years. I took it to 110k in 3 years.

1986 mk2 Cavalier 1.6 GL 1st owner did 10K in 9 months 2nd owner did 15k in 6 years. I took it to 115K in 5 years

1992 Mk3 Cavalier 1.8 L 1st owner did 12K in 1 year 2nd owner took it to 22K in 7 years. We (wife, me, and son) took it to 120K in another 13 years

2000 mk4 astra 1st owner took it to 19K in 15 Years. Son has taken it to 45K in 3 years. 

 

In none of these examples was there any particular issues.

[Lukas]

What plans do I have for it?

 

I really don´t know.

 

My brother-in-law will repair the known faults for me and it will get a huge service (all fluids, maybe even with cambelt + waterpump), after that it will sail through

an austrian MOT (hopefully) and after that, I think I will register it and drive it for a while and look what happens.

 

If it proves to be reliable and I enjoy it at least a bit, it may stay. Mostly because it will fetch next to no money in a sale and because it´s so rare.

If I dont enjoy driving it or if it is not reliable, I will try to sell (export or scrap) it to get a bit of money back.

 

Lukas

 

P.S.: Still nothing from Mr. Dan Hirst?

[JayW]

Ha! Had an Espero back in 2k3, it was shite, proper shite and it was only 7 years old!

 

It would only start when bump-started, despite the starter motor working just fine.

 

It was scrapped when the insurance company refused to stump up for a new windscreen because it was more than the car was worth. At 7 years old!

 

FYI, I'm pretty sure windscreens are completely NLA now...

[Ghosty]

P.S.: Still nothing from Mr. Dan Hirst?

 

Hirst had a disagreement with daveb47 and left these parts a few months ago.

[Eddie Honda]

and, here comes the real problem, the steering column is loose. 

 

Someone tried to adjust the steering wheel and something inside the adjusting mechanism broke. So the car is not driveable,

because the steering column is loose. Parts are not available from Daewoo, no breaker has an Espero in his yard, so repairing that 

could become a bit of a long-time-project.   Maybe a GM/Opel-parts fits, but no one knows because no one knows the Espero. 

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/57920096/Espero/Daewoo%20Espero%20-%20Service%20Manual.rar

 

Looks very GM in the tilt mech and sphere coupling.

[stripped fred]

I thought you'd end up with this in the end Lukas. I hope it deserves it!

[Lukas]

I just discovered that my Espero is the DOHC 16V-model.   So I thought this might be the sportier engine with more power etc. etc. 

 

After a bit of a search on the interweb, I found out that the DOHC 16V-engine is the smallest and less powerful engine, 1.5 with 75hp. 

 

The other engines are SOHC 8V-engines, but 1.8 or 2.0 litre.

 

That adds to the shite-apeal, I guess. 

[stuboy]

Roll the dice and just use it

[New POD]

I have some experience of buying or being given low mileage Vauxhalls and then putting more miles on them

 

1984 Mk2 Cavalier Sri 1st owner did 19K in 16 years. 2nd owner took it to 75K in 3 years. I took it to 110k in 3 years.

1986 mk2 Cavalier 1.6 GL 1st owner did 10K in 9 months 2nd owner did 15k in 6 years. I took it to 115K in 5 years

1992 Mk3 Cavalier 1.8 L 1st owner did 12K in 1 year 2nd owner took it to 22K in 7 years. We (wife, me, and son) took it to 120K in another 13 years

2000 mk4 astra 1st owner took it to 19K in 15 Years. Son has taken it to 45K in 3 years. 

 

In none of these examples was there any particular issues.

 

 

To be fair, to the previous owner of the last 3 of these who passed them on within the family, he was paranoid about getting the car up to temperature and not getting it wet and not using it if there was the chance of salt and making sure he'd polished it at least once a month, so his journeys tended to be to the supermarket, but not one that was close. He would drive 10 miles to Southport Morrisons so that the car was thoroughly warmed up. But if it rained he would walk to the local waitrose about 1/2 mile and get the free bus back and then complain because the scotch was dearer.  Hence he took to buying 4 bottles at a time and stock at last count was 26 bottles. 1/3 of a years supply.

He never went over 2500 rpm though, but subsequent owners (me, my wife and son) included frequent Italian tune ups. 

He also kept a weekly record of the tyre pressures in a little book and reset them weekly.

 

This is a man that used to count the leaves one by one as he removed them from the garden.

[Lukas]

Poor fella. 

[New POD]

Poor fella. 

 

His family and all his friends consider my father in law to be eccentric, OCD, and easily stressed, and sheer bloody minded.

 

I think that were he 60 years younger he would have been diagnosed with high functioning Aspergers.

 

The great thing about him is that if you invite him around for a meal, he will bring a couple of bottles of really good wine, and a full bottle of scotch. 

[Lukas]

I´m discovering a world of parts-availability I never knew as an old japanese car enthusiast. 

 

The Espero gets collected on Friday, the 24th, so it´s enough time to source parts. The oily shock absorber

that needs to get changed before the austrian MOT for example is the same as on the Ascona C, the Kadett E,

the Astra F and many other Opel-models. 

 

So that could be quite interesting to see which other parts are interchangeable too. 

[dollywobbler]

It is just a reskinned Cav/Ascona, so you could be on to a winner here. I know what you mean about Japanese parts availability though. Can be tricky!

[Lacquer Peel]

Handsome cars, these.

 

I'm not sure what a Korean J car might drive like, miserably I expect.

[Lukas]

Designo Bertone!   

 

I´ll tell you how miserable it feels on the road. Could be some month, but I´ll keep you updated. 

[vulgalour]

I found the Espero to be over-assisted, vague and somewhat absent minded as a driving experience.  The looks, however, do make up for this.  If the Espero drove like an R8 Rover, I'd have one today.

[omegod]

His family and all his friends consider my father in law to be eccentric, OCD, and easily stressed, and sheer bloody minded.

 

I think that were he 60 years younger he would have been diagnosed with high functioning Aspergers.

 

The great thing about him is that if you invite him around for a meal, he will bring a couple of bottles of really good wine, and a full bottle of scotch. 

 

Let me know his favourite meal he's welcome round mine   , good score with the Espero Lukas!!

[uk_senator]

 

I found the Espero to be over-assisted, vague and somewhat absent minded as a driving experience.  The looks, however, do make up for this.  If the Espero drove like an R8 Rover, I'd have one today.

 

 

I dare say a lot of that woolness could be got rid of by using sporty Vauxhall bits..

 

This ones been sitting near me for about a year..

[uk_senator]

This Nexia sedan was also sitting a few miles away for about 2 years, wasnt there last time I went past, so I just checked it, to find its been scrapped:

[Lukas]

Today was the day, my brother in law collected the Espero with a beaver-tail car transporter.

 

All he said on the phone is that the car looks and feels like it has 21.000km on the clock, but the inside

is dirty like 400.000km. But he reckons it´s just dirty, nothing that could not be washed away with a cleaning

cloth and some elbow-grease. 

 

He says the engine runs fine, he has driven it a few minutes around a private track and did not tell anything

unexpected. 

 

He steering-column can be repaired he said, but he will have to get it out, weld it and get it in there again.

That wont happen too soon, but now the car is stored dry and secure in the garage.

 

Lukas

[Pillock]

Handsome cars, these.

 

I'm not sure what a Korean J car might drive like, miserably I expect.

Why does that look like it's got the wrong back end? Looks late Rover 800, or perhaps Xantia.

 

Espero had gingercators on the bottom and brake lights above.

 

[Lukas]

That´s the only picture he sent me to prove it´s secure now. And in good company with a 230E W124. 

 

 

And: No, these are not the usual panel-gaps on an early Daewoo, the bonnet is open! Honour bright! 

[Lukas]

Oh, I forgot to mention: I am prepared for the day the repaired Espero comes into my life! 

 

[mk2_craig]

Nice one Lukas! I don't reckon there'll be any real grief due to the low mileage, plus if most of the bits that do give up due to age are GM-related, that will help it along a lot in the future.