Bringing cars back from the dead*

[Bobthebeard]

Just been musing, and realised that I have saved a few over the years that I have been on here..... Cars that were broken, unloved or not financially worth fixing. Most of them are still around, mostly on here, some I still use and drive thankfully. At a cost of course. A bit like running an animal rescue it becomes a labour of love. Mrs Beard has oft tutted and questioned the amounts of cash spent on the chod but in general she is understanding and gets to drive an array of shite. The point of this? There isn't one really. Am preaching to the converted I suppose. Any one else so inclined? Just fixing cars to keep them alive? Never made a profit on any of them but they are still around. 

[MikeR]

I think my old shite started  with a a 1989  240 Volvo , had it for 10 years and it drunk like a fish , and did and fixed everything , despite a new set of rear axle bushes every 6 months .....

and then I got a Micra ...... F ing brill   as opposed to a Meriva which was F ing shite

and the Focus ,,, F ing fantastic ....

[bigfella2]

I am definitely in this category, I very rarely buy any cars that 'work'. My method of buying a car is by searching for 'spares or repair'.

Don't do it for the reason that I buy it cheap fix it and sell it on, I get great satisfaction from fixing something that is essentially fucked, then repairing it myself and future proofing it by swapping all the tired worn parts and also learning/researching how different cars are put together in the process.

By doing it this way I can rest comfortable that it should be relatively trouble free for quite a while. Out of the last four cars I have bought, three needed a new engine. Love changing engines for some obscure reason.

[lanciamatt]

Yes I do it all time, bought more unloved lancias and gave them another go on the road. 

[Lord Sterling]

Its just nice sometimes to be able to save them. Yeah they probably cost more than thier "worth" but you can't put a price on happiness. Not gonna happen.

I suppose its a bit like going out with a bird you'd been after for a while. When she's finally relented, you go out, have a bit of fun together, invest a bit of time and money but eventually you might part ways or you may not.

[Uncle Jimmy]

Shirley that is a major function of the shitter's disease, buying some wierd/unloved/fucked in motor, spending far too much time and money on it and selling it at a loss. 

Trouble is time and not having enough of it, I'm really enjoying working on my Saab again now but it is very much a personal endeavour, I'm not sure that many people really understand why we do it.

[DodgyBastard]

This shagged old van

Replaced the bumpers, doors, tailgate, front struts, rear axle/subframe, lights front and rear,  did loads of welding including new rear arches, sills etc. Bought from here and sold on here, didn't really make any money on it.

 

 

 

I bought this one at auction after the original owner died and it was left to the family to dispose of.

Carried out some small areas of welding and got it through a test, it has since expired and is currently parked up awaiting some remedial work.

[Split_Pin]

I've never bought a car with the intention of selling on.

I saved an old Megane from being scrapped, realised it was decent, got the belts changed and a few other bits, ran it without issue for a couple of years and it's still going wherever it is now.

The roffle Audi had no MOT, no history but I submitted it the same day I collected it, it passed and after running it for a few months I got the belts changed and serviced it and now its good for a long while yet (hopefully).

I've never made a profit on any car and don't intend to.

[DodgyBastard]

 

I saved this one from being broken for spares, spent loads of time and money getting it through an mot, did a fair bit of welding, replaced the brakes and clutch and sold it on eBay at a loss a few months later when I had found something else I fancied.

[Six-cylinder]

Shiteknight must have been at the top of his game when he saved a strangers car from destruction in Edinburgh!

[DodgyBastard]

 

Bought this from a scrapyard in Paisley for £200, spent a weekend welding the rear inner and outer arches, got it through a test and used it for a few months, sold it on at a loss.

[DodgyBastard]

3 minutes ago, Six-cylinder said:

Shiteknight must have been at the top of his game when he saved a strangers car from destruction in Edinburgh!

 

What ever happened to the award for "best thread" for the Visa?

[DodgyBastard]

Bought this old beast which had been off the road a few years.

 

 

 

 

mot'd it and briefly thought about selling it in 2017 but decided against it and still have it and use it regularly.

[DodgyBastard]

 

Hoping to bring this one back from the dead, it's an Audi 80 CD 5S, been off the road a good few years, owner died and left it in bits so spent the last wee while trying to get it all back together, I instantly regretted selling my other Audi 80 so when this popped up for sale locally I went and bought it. It's only on 26k miles and has the rare 1.9 carbed 5 cylinder engine and an automatic gearbox. I think it might be good to waft around in.

[Six-cylinder]

1 hour ago, DodgyBastard said:

 

Hoping to bring this one back from the dead, it's an Audi 80 CD 5S, been off the road a good few years, owner died and left it in bits so spent the last wee while trying to get it all back together, I instantly regretted selling my other Audi 80 so when this popped up for sale locally I went and bought it. It's only on 26k miles and has the rare 1.9 carbed 5 cylinder engine and an automatic gearbox. I think it might be good to waft around in.

That is lovley.

[DodgyBastard]

I hope I can bring this one back from the dead.

 

I have a pair of front wings for it and a front bumper, it's solid underneath but requires a couple of patches in the bed, a pair of front driveshafts, a service and a damn good clean. Whether I'll ever get around to it I don't really know.

[DodgyBastard]

 

 

Another one I'm hoping to save, I'll be happy when it's in a roadworthy condition, I'm not too bothered with how shonky it looks but I don't think I'll ever make my money back on it. If I think I can make a profit on something I will usually try but most of the time I buy cars that I like the look of, spend too much time, effort and money getting them roadworthy before getting bored and selling them on at a loss. On the odd occasion I get lucky and buy something cheap, do very little and sell it on at a profit but most of the time if I factored in the time spent on them at what you'd pay a professional to weld them up then I'd really be making fuck all.

 

[dome]

I've saved a fair few from getting scrapped in the last few years.

Sometimes done for profit

Fusion

Auris

Sometimes because it was the cheapest way to get a car I wanted

Clio 182

Civic Type R

Exploder

MR2 (X2)

Sometimes just because I was bored

Freelander

 

[DodgyBastard]

2 minutes ago, dome said:

I've saved a fair few from getting scrapped in the last few years.

Sometimes done for profit

 

 

 

Tsk tsk... can't be seen to be making a profit around here. People will start talking. Next thing you know, you'll be getting discussed at meetings where they'll moan that you just lurk here waiting for cheap cars to appear to buy and sell on at a profit...

no? Just me then?

[Uncle Jimmy]

Good lord, nobody here ever makes a profit on anything, Autoshite is now a socially responsible, whole earth, socialist endeavour, profit is evil

[dieselassist]

...a couple of years ago i had a few grand after selling my mk1 caddy (also brought back from the dead) n I wanted a useable t25 'as rust free as I could find... well the search produced many rusty or bodged up, or mechanically tired t25's - rotten front n rear floors; stinking carpets n horrid inner furnishing's; frilly sills n side panels/riveted thin galvanised ontop with masses of filler... much diesel was used, and many days were wasted...

...till I got a call from a few mates who were spending a day roadtripping looking for parts, n visiting yards n stopped in a car hoarders in Carlow/Wicklow border; one that was 'just a shell on wheels- and didn't look too bad... in yr man's old horse paddock a few years... "

I thought it was worth a look, so chugged the disco up one Saturday with wheels n an A frame... I paid the man, but realised after a few hrs this was no viable A frame  prospect the 100miles home...

...Long story short; It took a further 2 trips, to bring it home; seller was having a few 'issues' n having already paid for it; I thought it might all turn sour so I unbolted its 2 front doors n rear hatch (rear hatch was/is rotten) and the front bumper so I might get something for my money should it all go arse over tit...

Got it scooped up with their teleforks n onto the trailer n  home n it had some rust issues but not hugely rotten in comparison to the ones complete n running I looked at previously - someone hacked the rear engine inspection hatch surround...

Its an on going project n Im 60% on with its welding; most of the time has been spent accumulating all its missings bits- full loom, sliding doors, gearbox, sump etc - ive broken 1x rusty panel van with another lad - so 50% of a donor (we had paid for that panel van in mayo- an ex UK stealth camper; the chap was a surfer but we had to wait while his Kiwi mate moved out of the van as he was living in it- 6 months later it was delivered) also broke a few other vans to get the necessary bits and a 98 vento 1y 1.9D which will provide its engine, and managed to pick out the remains of a westfalia interior out of a dead LHD german t25... also picked up - at 10pm on a windswept rainy winters night - a donor 1.6JX t25 motor that was in a scrap merchants bin in Kerry after he posted an ad selling 'NGINS@ DUNNO WOT TYPE' on done deal... it's a long road with no turn in it!!

[Flat4]

Don't think I saved it from the scrappy but I've spent £1700 on the Granvia so far and it still isn't MOT'd yet. Unlikely to ever get that back as it's done over 240,000 miles now. Still going strong tho, touch wood and I'm looking forward to having it back again coz it's proven very reliable. Don't mind spending money on them when you know they're good and you're going to keep them.

[DodgyBastard]

This one was scrapped 6 months ago, I bought it a couple of weeks ago and had the work carried out to get it through an mot, I did consider selling it but have changed my mind for the moment. seems a shame not to get some use out of a car I just wasted money on getting roadworthy.

[DodgyBastard]

There's a fair few cars that I never managed to save including

Lancia Beta I got from Scooters, at the time I didn't have the time, space or money to do anything with it so passed it on to someone else. I've no idea what became of it.

FSO 125P - in reality it was too far gone for my abilities and wallet, I soon abandoned that one.

 

It was fucked!

 

Another pair that got away, both swapped for other cars.

 

 

 

 

[dieselassist]

...I got confused there with you recent name change again. it looks like a nice old mk3 Polo saloon that; they are hard to buy here; theres a Polish garage here - Dublin based -that buys up all the cheap mk3 Polo's - a mate of mine's girlfriend had one on her land ; they had it bought within 3 hours... the mk2's seem to languish on the classifieds for months in comparison...

[dieselassist]

....heres another one I saved from the dead; chap I bought it from was welding up another mk1 derby for a client but burnt its carpet so he bought this one, for its carpets from another mutual mate's aul lad who was having jip from the council/EPA as he had a few cars parked in his back garden for 12 years;... this one had a 'dealer blow over' back in the day- which saved it, as vw derby's have really thin paint; anyways I got it n did all the welding needed (full bulkhead) n as other stuff came into the unit it got weeled into the back corner- juts needs some reassembly now- ie everything...

...this may be going as a lad is interested in it the  'air fix kit' lot... another car ive raped a few donor car for panels- shell itself (ahem) wasn't too bad)... I may still finish it as its now a really solid shell...

[sierraman]

I can’t think I’ve saved anything... I’ve read too many times on here about spending hundreds on something and then selling it for a crippling loss to some crack heads for 30p who blew it up. 

 

Thinking back over the years there’s been a few I could have saved with a few weekends work but in reality cars are cheap enough to not to need spending several weekends bent double inside a wheelarch pulling a gearbox off. Only the other day I spotted a Focus 2.0 Diesel up with 9 months test, ran fine etc for £350. Looked perfectly tidy as well. But then I’m practicing Bangernomics here, I’ve not owned anything rare or in any way desirable. 

[bramz7]

Probably the only car I made a concentrated effort on to buy and get a test on it, just because it would have likely gone to the oval if I hadn't bought it. 

Bought for £250, MOT cost £400 or so and I made a pretty big loss. Ghosty obviously spent far more on it after he bought it off me, but it was nearly banger fodder.

 

[New POD]

38 minutes ago, sierraman said:

I can’t think I’ve saved anything... I’ve read too many times on here about spending hundreds on something and then selling it for a crippling loss to some crack heads for 30p who blew it up. 

 

Thinking back over the years there’s been a few I could have saved with a few weekends work but in reality cars are cheap enough to not to need spending several weekends bent double inside a wheelarch pulling a gearbox off. Only the other day I spotted a Focus 2.0 Diesel up with 9 months test, ran fine etc for £350. Looked perfectly tidy as well. But then I’m practicing Bangernomics here, I’ve not owned anything rare or in any way desirable. 

These £350 cars, all of a sudden become rare, and suddenly are worth £3500.

 

2 million cars are scrapped every year.  So that Deisel focus will one day be the exact spec that someone in the mk1 focus owners club is searching for. 

For every Lightbulbfun searching for a three wheeler there's a bloke looking for a 2 door 1.3 automatic beige mk2 cavalier with terracotta interior. To compliment his 3 door hatch from Mexico, that badged Chevy Monza and runs on methanol. 

20 years ago value with mot ? £200.

15 years ago £200.

14 ears ago £500

13 ears ago £800

12 years ago £1000

Now £4000? 

[sierraman]

Everyone says this though. “If only if kept that Mk2 RS2000 I had in 1985.. “. How realistic is it that that would happen? 

 

I had a Sierra when they were bangers, from recollection I sold mine in 2006 for £30. If I’d kept it it would have been worth say £1,500 now. But only after I’d spent a small mortgage keeping in rustfree. I’m probably the worst one for this but I’ll buy something and run it until something serious goes, scrap it and start again.