Sold Dollywobbler's Starlet - £SOLD

[loserone]

On set.

[Jim Bell]

Did he make you stand outside in the snow like an unpaid intern?

[vulgalour]

I see what you did there.

[loserone]

I'm sitting in my nice warm heated seats!

[dollywobbler]

Sorry for no update. Many technology fails today, and a zillion YouTube comments about the Invacar to cope with. Will do the traditional post-caper report when I get home. Like we did in the olden days when everything was amazing.

[dollywobbler]

Let's get this up to date. After a welcome brew with Mo, Loserone, Mrs Loserone and the little Loserones, we waved goodbye to Mo, then jumped in the Losermobile (which has a flat six engine and many buttons) and Lexus to deliver said barge. With that done, we then went underground and bought the Starlet. I'd already bought it, from a chap called sid. By email. Turned out he was as nice a bloke as I'd hoped.

 

We went to Tynemouth to take photos, which I haven't got online yet. So, here's one from last night, while we were getting some grub.

 

Driving a car with barely legal front tyres, that you're not used to, on snow, was an interesting experience. Loserone was kind enough to put me up for the night. So I had a lovely night's kip.

 

This morning, I brushed off the snow and at 9am, departed. A few minutes later, my sat nav had taken me here.

 

I somehow didn't get stuck, and may have accidentally* driven some way with the handbrake on. OMG SNOW DRIFT YO.

 

I had a brief pause at Wetherby Services, which stocks wiper blades. 18" ones only. That's the size of the passenger one, but having driven almost blind for several miles, it's still an improvement. Some hours later, I arrived in Welshpool - one hit from Wetherby.

 

A short distance later, I re-met a lovely chequer-plated Transit that I'd overtaken on the A55. S-reg friends.

 

The A44 near my home was closed, so I diverted north, came down the coast road (no snow at all) and then drove up from Aberystwyth. Things got interesting.

 

Managed to get through, with plenty of wheelspin and throttle feathering. HOME!

 

Pretty knackered to be honest, but the Starlet took it all in its stride. £400 paid, MOT runs out 12th April. I think it'll need a pair of tyres at least, and some exhaust fettling as it's a bit farty. I like it.

[dollywobbler]

Have just learnt that the village is now entirely blocked in by snow drifts and abandoned vehicles. Little Starlet did well!

[GrumpiusMaximus]

Have just learnt that the village is now entirely blocked in by snow drifts and abandoned vehicles. Little Starlet did well!

 

Well done mate.  That looks like a fantastic stablemate for the Nippa!

[Broadsword]

Brave work getting through all that weather with bad tyres and wipers. Looking forward to seeing a video of it, I know literally nothing about Starlets other than it was the predecessor to my first car, the Yaris.

[madrat]

Much better than the Yaris

[GrumpyCat]

Looks ace that, well done for getting it home in the weather.

 

Liking the alloys too, presumably they were an option as I think only the SR came with alloys of a different design. Are they 13"?  

 

They are great cars, the only negative i've found is fuel economy could be better.

[egg]

What trim level is it?

[loserone]

I reckon this was a bit of a bargain, it looks excellent and should scrub up well.

 

I'll add that anyone thinking Mr Wobbler's job is an easy one should have seen him struggling in a pay and display car park in Tynemouth trying to live stream a storm , or still thrashing out responses to twitter, facebook and YouTube at 10PM after a 330mile day, despite the best efforts of a toddler with his tractor, before crashing at a strangers' house hundreds of miles from home, the day after driving 30 miles in a flipping invacar.

 

Mega respect.

[dollywobbler]

What trim level is it?

 

I have no idea. I thought the alloys were Fiat at first, so I'm not sure they're part of whatever trim level it claims to be. 1.3 manual three-door, but with power steering and metallic paint. 

 

 

I reckon this was a bit of a bargain, it looks excellent and should scrub up well.

 

I'll add that anyone thinking Mr Wobbler's job is an easy one should have seen him struggling in a pay and display car park in Tynemouth trying to live stream a storm , or still thrashing out responses to twitter, facebook and YouTube at 10PM after a 330mile day, despite the best efforts of a toddler with his tractor, before crashing at a strangers' house hundreds of miles from home, the day after driving 30 miles in a flipping invacar.

 

Mega respect.

 

Sodding technology! Still haven't got to the bottom of why the Live Streaming now doesn't work. Was a pleasure to stop over though. Sorry I was so boring and phone-obsessed!

[madrat]

The reason it stopped working is because it could, there is never a reason for these things, just another of the things that are "there to make your life easier" doing the complete opposite.

[loserone]

Divn't be silly. You retain your place on my (unpublished) "celebrities you'd like to have round for tea" list.

[dollywobbler]

Video.

[egg]

These are the trim levels on Parkers:

 

Standard Trim

Sol

Solida

S

SR

GLS

 

Not bASe or 'Sol' - so one of the other four!

 

Edit, SR and GLS have electric windows, down to two...

 

Metallic paint an option on the S, so I'm going to declare on that.

[Liggle]

I had a Paseo which had similar running gear and was based on a starlet, faultlessly reliable! The little 4EFE engine in these is perky too, I had the 5EFE in the Paseo which was a little lazier.

 

Good buy!

[HMC]

Top buyage! Didn't trigger have a sporty black one of these a few years back?

[GrumpyCat]

These are the trim levels on Parkers:

 

Standard Trim

Sol

Solida

S

SR

GLS

 

Not bASe or 'Sol' - so one of the other four!

 

It's an S, the same as mine. Basically bASe but with power steering.

 

Anyone have a brochure to hand so we can identify the alloys? I've seen them on a few Starlets of differing trim, so probably just an option that was available.

[adw1977]

I have a brochure:

 

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm8GxPta

[Spottedlaurel]

Looks like a good little car, hopefully the '90s Toyota build quality is present and correct.

 

Wheels appear to be similar to this SX:

 

1998 Toyota Starlet SX by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

For a car sold in relatively limited numbers there were a lot of trim levels. As well as the SX pictured above I can also think of Sportif and CD in addition to egg's list.

 

This S appears to be wearing Yaris wheels:

 

1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 S by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

But I think these trims are standard:

 

1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 S by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Alternatively, what about a set of 3-spokes?

 

1996 Toyota Starlet CD by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Perhaps it's best to go super-basic, as they did in France:

 

Toyota Starlet (90 Series) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

[loserone]

Cor, nailbiting last few miles!

[GrumpyCat]

I have a brochure:

 

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm8GxPta

 

Very interesting, thank you.

 

Looks like the 13" Momo alloys were offered as the dealer fit option then.

[GrumpyCat]

Cor, nailbiting last few miles!

 

Indeed, my ringpiece would have been biting chunks out of the upholstery there.

[Guest]

We had one for a while, great wee car. If I remember it was an "S" with power steering but nothing else.Never put a foot wrong, and was really nippy around town. Also remember the rear brakes are a strange set up with a big horseshoe spring..

 

 

Here it was parked next to a Yaris...

[blakey79]

When the time comes to move this on, please let me know.

As previously mentioned I had a starlet sportif when I was 19, and that car won so many traffic lights wars, and kept its own against friends chariots.

[dollywobbler]

How do you pronounce Cerulean then? What an odd colour name.

 

I can confirm that the two-speaker stereo is UTTER SHITE. It seems to struggle to find reception pretty much anywhere and makes the most horrible noise. Now, this is my biggest challenge. One thing I'll definitely miss from the Lexus is the music system. So, how do I replicate it? I want subby bass and crisp everything else. Cassette player a bonus as I'm not up with this modern tech, and CDs are a pain in the arse.

[Ghosty]

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