Help needed with shite car dilemma

[Heidel_Kakao]

Hi I am in a bit of a quandry with my car situation and thought I would share it with you knowledgable and wise shiters

 

Basically I want to change the Mazda 323 estate I have for something else. Since it got broken into at the start of the year I have kind of lost all enthusiasm for it and cannot be bothered to sort out the issues with it.

 

I am hoping that a new shite purchase will restart my mojo a bit along with the better weather now that we are getting closer to summer I am still planning to go the Netherlands J-tin meet so any replacement needs to be Japanese and retro.

 

This has caught my eye and I am tempted to have a punt on it and replace the 323 with it. It's around 30 miles from Birmingham so pretty close.

 

If I won the Lancer I would have to get shot of the 323 straight away as I cannot afford to keep two cars on the road at the same time with my crappy finances So I would probably put 323 on E-bay straight away and describe it honestly and accurately listing all it's faults, which are;

*Break in damage = door lock, ignition lock, steering wheel surround

*Running like a bag of nails, very rich and with a misfire when cold

*Tax expires end of this month

*Damaged spare tyre.

 

The good things about it are

*MOT till september

*low milage

*very tidy interior

*rust free and I waxoyled and undersealed after I got it

 

My worry is how much I will get for the 323 on Ebay as it is, I paid £400 for it last September and would be prepared to take a hit on it but I cannot really afford to lose too much.

 

I also have a second dilemma in the shape of a 1978 Viva that has been sitting on my moms drive needing a starter motor. I stopped using it after the Retro Rides show last August. The MOT on it expires in April and it will probably pass another with a bit of TLC. I could get rid of the 323 and start using it again but it's not Japanese so I cannot take it to the Netherlands meet.

 

Here is a shot of the 323 before I started neglecting it

And here is the Viva, again before I neglected it

 

Any thoughts, suggestions, offers to buy the 323 from me etc gratefully received

[Mat.T]

swap for my 323??? :lol:Your 323 is mint condition and wouldnt need much work to get very nice. Lancer does look ok but still has crusty arches, if i were you i'd spend the little money getting the 323 problems sorted running properly etc. Get some use out of it then think about selling.....or give it to me (and the viva)

[Guest]

Can understand the loss of enthusiasm, I had the same thing on my Cuore. I swear it is cursed, even the most basic job on it will turn into a nightmare. Got it on the road now and I'm a bit happier for it, but to be honest it still causes me pain sometimes.I'd be very wary of that Lancer to be honest - I must admit I fancy it, but it would require a lot of effort to make it "right". It has a little rust as is, it has been owned by someone who has near-definitely thrashed the guts out of it and you'd really want to change the tyres for proper sized ones as I imagine it will have lethal handling the way it is now. Sounds like you want something decent to start with!I must admit I'm pretty fond of your 323. I can't take it at such short notice, but if you're selling it in future months I could be interested, especially if I've sold the Cuore by then.Therefore, my recommendation: Tax it up again, sort the running issues and leave the rest of it for now. Use it until something really special appears on eBay and then see if any of us on here or OJC want it!

[scrappylad]

I think you should keep the 323 Estate as it is a super (C 53WPR?) looking car and if you don't fix it who else is going to? Too rare to let it go further downhill. You''ll get next nothing to for it as it stands either.The Colt is a rare piece of shite indeed, but who the hell wants to take on a car thats been abused for DRIFTIN purposes? Not me for one anyway.Fix up & sell the Viva. You're not using it anyway & it is very saleable. Renew your enthusiasm for your Mazda and get it fixed up.You'll then have a car for your J-tin thing & you'll also have a car that you can easily sell when you want to change it. You'll also have more cash.

[reallyloud]

I'd go along with the consensus - the Colt, nice as it is will be another headache - not a really a car that you'd be able to use unless you have experience of dealing with Lancers and the potential issues. The 323, is a neat little car and worth persisting in it - get up to scratch and enjoy it.

[Mr Lobster]

I'll go along with DC, get the Mazda fixed, maybe that will restore your enthusiasm, maybe not but either way it'll be worth more and easier to sell if you still want rid of it.As nice as the Colt could be, I can't imaging it'll be particularly 'gr8' at the moment as the previous owner does seem to have abused it mercilessly.Probably GR8 4 CAUSIN ARSEACHE N DRIFTIN

[AnthonyG]

Unless you can find another Mazda 323 freak, you will struggle to get much money back on it at all. I would bite the bullet and fix the Mazda, (if you want to sell it, it might benefit from a new MOT). Fix and sell the Viva with an MOT, to the average retro/classic fan it is more desirable than the Mazda.That Colt on the 'bay looks sh*gged out TBH.

[Mash]

Yep, I'd hang on to the 323. Looks a nice car, practical and fairly scarce.The Lancer would be a wonderful talking point - I can't remember the last time I saw a non-turbo one. If I could find a nice one I'd definitley have one.This one though has been completely bollocksed in my opinion. Thrashed, drifted neglected, whatever. Complete waste and would take a fair bit of time to sort. Worth getting for a hundred quid and spending time and money on but not as a short term project.That's what I think anyway!

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I'm seeing a conflict on your Mazda between: 'Lost all enthusiasm and cant be arsed to sort it out' and 'can't afford to take too much of a hit on it'.... if you bought it in a usable condition with a long MOT, you'll end up taking quite a hit if you don't sort it out.I think you should bite the bullet and get it sorted, if you don't it will get perilously close to banger/export fodder if bayed, and i'm sure you dont want that to happen on your watch.That colt is cool like and i don't think it will be trashed, its current nob head owner has probably given it some abuse but it looks like it was cherished before he intervened, and anyway those old tanks will take some proper hammer without it doing any damage, specially with a punk-ass 1.4 ohv engine.I think you should do your duty to the Maz and keep it out the hands of the J-trashing kekkers! they are ace those old Mazwagonz.

[Guest]

I've been having a long think about this - if you do decide to sell your 323, please don't punt it on eBay without asking me first. I'm getting rid of my Cuore TR-XX once I've finished sorting the issues on it (as to be honest it doesn't appeal to me as much as my other motors). So if your car has an MOT and would drive back to Wakefield OK, I'm interested.If anyone else seriously wants it, take priority over me as it wouldn't be ideal for me. But if no one does and I've got the cash/space at the time, I'll take custody.

[Heidel_Kakao]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I think I will try and have a tinker with the Maz and sort out the running issues.If I can get the Viva through another MOT and sell it that should give me a bit of extra cash if I do decide to change the 323 for something else.That colt may look a bit unloved but that may be better for me as I always seem to buy tidy cars that then get worse in my "care", at least If I bought the lancer it would probably only get better Thanks for the offer Hirst, your dedication to saving OJC deserves a medal or something

[Jazzy Jeff]

I've been umming and ahhing (if those are even words) over that Gorgeous Lancer for ages. I really really fancy it, Chocolate Brown Grandad J-Tin, it's a dream! But I'm so put off by the thought that it has been thrashed to bits that it shall have to pass, I do so hope it gets saved though.Car Selling tip, if you have been DRIFTIN seven bells out of your motor, it's best not to let everyone and his wife know when your selling it that it has been slid around wet car parks for fun.