For Sale Phil's Automotive Activities

[phil_lihp]

Hats off to the insurance company who sorted the mistake very quickly, so all is now well.

 

Today I has been to deepest Cornwall, where twosmoke300 gave the Accord a thorough going over and a full service.

 

 

Pretty much all good news, despite the complete absence of any history with the car, the general condition of most of it suggests it has been very well maintained in the past.  Valve clearances were perfect, oil and fuel filters looked relatively recent and there's not much grot to report underneath.  Brake discs are quite recent and the pads have a bit of life left yet, I eventually found the locking wheelnut key after a tense 15 minutes searching every inch of the car so didn't have to look like a complete incompetent for once.  One test drive to confirm it was unlikely to explode, then a pleasant drive home where nothing came off or caught fire.  I've had worse days.

 

Also, Dollywobbler will be pleased to note that the naff, smeary aero blades which the car was wearing when I bought it have now been replaced with some proper Bosch ones, which not only look much less offensive but have also made a remarkable difference to visibility in the current appalling weather.  Close inspection revealed that both the original numberplates are pretty ropey so I've ordered a new pair off eBay.

 

Big thanks to Phill for the excellent service and the mugs of tea, highly recommended as ever.

[twosmoke300]

Additional points for anyone who guesses the non cat piss tarp challenge car in the background

[twosmoke300]

Nice to meet you again Phill and what a beaut that accord is . Really clean and tidy underneath . Obviously been well loved from day one.

You must have been freezing hanging around all morning while I farted about being distracted by other stuff .

[dollywobbler]

Ooh, look at you with your fancy ramps.

[twosmoke300]

4.5 ton 2 poster baby !

[twosmoke300]

Additional points for anyone who guesses the non cat piss tarp challenge car in the background

Here’s a clue - Red5 also has one on his driveway

[SiC]

As there no history, reckon that a previous owner may have used a local garage and paid cash in hand? Especially if it's been regularly serviced.

 

Finger crossed this will do you good service, unlike the Rover stuff screwing your R over.

[phil_lihp]

I think (although I have no real proof past the Cazana website's details) that it had one owner for most of its life who I suspect may have doted on it - I am only the 4th owner since 1995.  At some point in the last 2-3 years it has changed hands once or twice and I think whatever meticulous history it might have accumulated has disappeared then.  It has a tippex doodle on the cam cover showing the belt was changed about 12,000 miles and two years ago and its overall condition suggests it has been looked after very well until recently - the dreadful mismatched tyres and smashed wing mirrors together with all the rubbish strewn around the otherwise clean and tidy interior suggest recent neglect but not long term abuse.

 

Incidentally, if anyone wants a clue to the mystery car in the photo above, all I will say is it has possibly one of the most poorly finished interiors I have ever seen and popup headlights.  

[SiC]

MK1 MX5?

 

 

... Or is that a clamshell bonnet?

[twosmoke300]

Yes it is a clamshell

[Honey Badger]

This is almost a classy as the last Accord you drove down to twosome, looks like you have bagged a good one here Phil, we had one of these on the company fleet when I started my current job in 1997 it was still there 15 years later as the emergency hospital car as it was the last company car they actually brought before they switched to leasing.

 

Got scrapped in 2012 as it needed a new exhaust, it had about 40k miles on it,  complained like fuck that they didn't offer it out to the worker drones like they should have before they scrapped it.

[phil_lihp]

A little minor tinkering yesterday, the Accord's battery has always been a bit crap and has needed a lot of jump starts lately, Phil tested it and couldn't find a problem but it would only take a couple of days to discharge and I came out to it Friday night to find it completely dead, not even a tiny glow from the interior light.  I unplugged the Pioneer stereo after returning from Gaydon thinking that might be responsible but it obviously made no difference.

 

 

I chanced £12 on a meaty 500A Halfords battery from my local scrapyard, tested and guaranteed for a week (and they do honour returns/swaps), we'll see if that sorts it.  If not, I can look forward to some electrical drain hunting....yay.  I'm quietly confident, it's been discharging faster and faster over the last couple of weeks which does seem like a battery issue.

 

I picked up some cheap new numberplates for both vehicles last week off eBay, £11 for a pair of moderns for the Accord and £16 for some pressed aluminium ones for the van.  Yes, the van's plates were in fair condition, I've just made a rare indulgence in aesthetics.  Not to everyone's taste perhaps but Ilike them and they make it look a little less van-like, I'll keep the old ones for spare/trailer board use. 

 

 

I also noticed that the Hiace shows its Japanese origins quite clearly when the front plate is removed - had I thought about it, perhaps I should have ordered a square front plate to fit the recess properly.  Can't be sure it wouldn't just have looked a bit weird though.

 

 

The Accord was still wearing its original dealer plates which were adequate in daylight but were almost unreadable when reflecting in darkness, compared to shiny new ones they look pretty ropey but they've done very well.  I'll keep them with the car but the new ones are a big improvement.

 

 

I know some will mourn modern typeface and Euro logo on a 1995 car but it does the job and smartens it up no end. 

 

 

I treated it to a carwash with the hardest working Kosovans in Devon afterwards as it was caked in road salt, it looks spiffy now.  One new taillight bulb for the van and that was the end of that.  

 

I'm away in the van next weekend so need to sort the curtains out post-haste.  They were removed for finishing a few weeks ago and some of the fittings I used were pretty crap so a couple of evenings this week will be devoted to rehanging them properly.

[phil_lihp]

Since our visit to Gaydon last weekend, I have been thinking impure thoughts about acquiring some BL tat for a couple of months.  There's a BL day at Gaydon in a few months, plus PoL etc and I have never owned a product of our much-maligned motoring heritage.  The closest I've come is modern-ish Rovers and the ZR which don't really cut the mustard.  I am also experiencing peer pressure to get something more interesting to have a bit of fun with from a friend who really should know better.

 

It does tie in with a fancy I've been having for something older and more basic without power steering and electric gadgets, hence a renewed search for a cheap Seat Marbella but they're a rarity now.

 

Problem is, I have zero time, space or inclination for a project and anything pre-1990 seems to be relatively pricey now.  The usual paupers budget applies and something small would be best.  Metros don't really light my fire but I wouldn't entirely dismiss one, I'd like a Princess as I took OKK for a drive when philibusmo had it and loved the way it handled and rode but they're silly money now and I don't need another large car anyway.  I've not seen an 1100/1300 that wasn't usable and dirt cheap.  Minis, of course, are well out of budget although I'd like to try one, I've never even sat in one.

 

Dolomites etc. are too expensive too, there's a tidy 1300 near my office which is £3000 on the windscreen, which seems slightly daft money.  I suspect this is a serious case of budget/requirements does not equal reality but if I have missed something obvious I'm all ears.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Get a Maestro!!!

[dollywobbler]

Maestro certainly ticks a lot of boxes. Go Ledbury for extra oddball points (and a few less years of rot).

[mk2_craig]

Aye Maestro fo' sho'. How are those Ledbury jobs looked on by the BLARG clique? I bet you could pick one of those up for buttons and it might have a chance of still being reasonably structurally sound, with the added bonus of being super budget spec from new.

[phil_lihp]

Hadn't really considered a Maestro although I'd like a Montego Countryman (which doesn't really fulfill the brief).  I recall my parents having an A-reg Maestro 1.3 HL in the early 90s, its primary aim in life seemed to be to rust, overheat constantly and for the auto choke to cause endless grief until it was converted to manual.

 

I've just had a quick scan of eBay...have I been on another planet for the last few years?  I'm sure these cars were worthless not very long ago.

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1988-MG-Metro-1-3-MG-3dr/222740925861?hash=item33dc64cda5:g:o0MAAOSwZW5aR4l1

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROVER-MAESTRO-LEDBURY-CAR-very-rare-good-basis-for-a-great-restoration/183015710562?hash=item2a9c961f62:g:sewAAOSwFnxaWfC3

 

 

To me that Maestro should be scrap money, I'm obviously a bit out of touch!

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/austin-allegro-1978-1-5-full-mot-46000-miles/362206261502?hash=item54552cf0fe:g:kLoAAOSwQN5aUUDM

 

 

Yes, I'm being a little flippant with the Metro, it's a mega-low mileage MG so is not going to go for pennies but still, ouch.  Even the later K-series Rover jobs are going for four figure sums.  I do realise that the depths of one man's pockets do not dictate market demand, I'm just surprised how these cars have gone from worthless to decent money in just a few short years.  Never mind, I will keep looking.

[SiC]

They're retro yo'.

[SiC]

Shabby. But MOT'd.

 

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F202178887821

[RobT]

Even though Metro prices have gone up, that MG is being sold by a dealer at a mental price.

 

Boggo non minters can sometimes be had fairly cheaply, although the 998s are slow!

 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/998cc-metro-city-56k-miles-mot-may-18-ideal-classic-starter-car-/152867056019?hash=item2397962993%3Ag%3An3sAAOSwJ71aXKFE&nma=true&si=r8VHzsRxzqvZ0F61epJgR4JpZxI%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

And another

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mini-Metro/162758540023?hash=item25e52a3af7:g:4wkAAOSwh1paDb0U

[phil_lihp]

That Marina was reserve unmet, seems a little ambitious going above that considering the bent bonnet and giant hole in the boot.  Nonetheless, bidding up to £770 shows they have more value now than they did, alas.  Wouldn't turn down a 1.3 Coupe!

 

I think Metros and Maestros are likely to be my best bet, I'll keep an eye out,

[phil_lihp]

Obviously with a view to the above, this was inevitable.

 

 

Second time around for it and it made £223 last time though, which I'm not stretching to.  We'll see.  I have zero use for it but just look at that MOT history.  "Parts missing" 

 

As I'm away in the van for a couple of nights this weekend, for the first time since France, I finally managed to get around to properly fitting all the curtains using some dirt cheap Homebase net curtain wire and rawl plugs for the holes in the metalwork - I'd previously had issues with getting screws etc. to stay in properly.  The curtains are all home-made by my sister, not perhaps the material I would have chosen but they're custom made, very high quality materials and very thick and heavy so excellent for insulation.  I'm dead chuffed with them frankly and they compliment the slightly tatty 70s curtain pair I bought off eBay to close off the cab. 

 

 

She also made the bedspread by hand as a Christmas present, I love stuff like that, it's unique and represents months of hard work.  It's folded in half at the moment, it's huge and will cover the double bed when I get around to making the bed extension for that.

 

This is the first time I've had all the curtains properly fitted as the rears were still being made and I had nothing to cover the cab when I went away in it last time so was making do with sheets and gaffer tape.  This is a huge improvement and I'm very pleased with it so far.  It'll never be a high standard of fit and finish but it's now at the stage where I can do bits and pieces as and when I feel like it.  I was always keen to keep it usable for carrying bikes and crap, hence the sliding bed idea to keep the passenger side area clear.  It gets used for carting stuff around more than it does for sleeping in at the moment so it's ideal this way.

 

Next week it's having the knackered driver's seat replaced with a bargainous seat out of a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant - comfy, clean, height adjustable and £18 for the pair from a local chap who breaks Japanese cars.  This will mean I can go around corners without feeling like I'm going to fall off it, as the current one is missing quite a lot of foam from the door side.  It's also filthy, torn and is therefore hiding in shame under a seat cover.  The Galant seats look almost new, no idea what I'm doing with the passenger one though as I'm keeping the slightly cramped 2 seat bench on that side, there's nothing wrong with it and it's useful to have the option to carry a third passenger now and again.

[SiC]

£223 does seem a lot of cash for one without an MOT. But then it must have been yet another eBay time-waster. I've been suspecting that overbidding by eBay time wasters is what is helping push up old car values. People listing their car look at previous eBay sale prices and think mine must be worth at least that - despite it not being a realistic price as no-one actually bought it.

 

Its a shame that Dolly near you is so expensive. Saying that, as Mr Purplebargken said to me, looking at the photos it doesn't look to have had the best restoration and the rusty a-pillar looks to be inadequately repaired.

[phil_lihp]

Yes, I suspect there's quite a lot of paint on it hiding things although it seemed solid where it mattered.  Then again, it felt genuine enough, but I'd say to me his price is off by 50%, it's a £1500 car and no more.  Would help if they dried out the driver's footwell as well!

[SiC]

I totally agree. It seems insulting to offer half the value he's asking to a seller though!

[phil_lihp]

For anyone wondering what SiC means, I went to look at this tangerine masterpiece for him as it's only round the corner from my office.  

 

 

It's quite nice, solid in most of the right areas and had been recently restored but there was an inch of water in the driver's footwell and a couple of iffy looking repairs.  The interior, puddle aside, was very nice, mind and it looked pretty honest and straight overall as a simple way into a 1300 Dolomite but the price is a bit daft.

[SiC]

To nick one of your photos. This is the footwell!

 

 

You'd think he'd try removing that. Will make the interior smell lovely* if left too long.

[phil_lihp]

Funny thing was, it smelled fine - just a slight whiff of the typical 'old car' mustiness.  I don't think the puddle had been there long, they've had it up for sale for ages and the receptionist at the garage said it hasn't moved since Christmas.  They would probably take a strong offer on it now but I did go back in to tell her about the water in it, I suspect they just haven't been inside it for a few weeks to notice.

[Tickman]

£3,000 seems quite a bit for that Dolomite if it is a poor restoration, at least I know what to aim for selling the Toledo.

 

Good to see the van getting the use intended, campers are ace compared to tents.

[phil_lihp]

Oh for goodness sake.  What exactly am I supposed to do with that?

 

 

I don't even know if it runs.