I've been Tangoed!

[trigger]

At last after all the drama of the previous few weeks with the crash and stuff I've at last had some good news and a spot of mojo restoration.

 

As most of you might know i went today to have a look at a 1972 Opel Kadett 1.2 that i saw online for sale, I was a bit nervous as to what to expect so i thought it was best not to get my hopes up to much and see what happens.

 

After the 1 1/2 hour drive to Herts to got to the farm where the car was stored, The owner, a very nice older man with a real passion for older cars (he said that he's owned 121 cars inculding a Lea Francis, Bristol 400, some strange 1972 Fairthorpe based on a Herald that looks like a fiberglass beach buggy and a Opel GT), He made us a cup of tea and show me the massive amount of paperwork for it, I mean lots, all the mots from new, service book, original ebay advert from when he bought it which lists everything that was done on it, Owners manual, you name it, it's got it.

 

Then he led let us out to his barn, It was under cover next to a 1963 Corvette Stingray with the twin rear window , This Kadett was mint, I mean show condition, It's been resprayed at some point to a high standard, everything undersealed and wax oiled the lot, it was like new.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice hey, The inside of the boot is like new with no dodgy patches are repairs and the interior is also spotless apart from that the original radio blows a fuse when turned on.

 

 

It's only done 68000 miles and it really drives like it to.

 

he's even gave me a box full of spares for it as well which is handy, I haven't looked yet to see what there is but it looks like head gaskets, brake cylinders and door rubbers.

 

 

The only thing i can see that needs doing is that one of hte little 1/4 light windows in the front passenger door has been broken at some point and replaces with perspex so I'll need a new glass for it.

 

It's tax exempt and moted until May 2011, He even went down on the price a little, £1800 can't be bad? Can't wait until i pick it up tomorrow!

[warren t claim]

I wish we had a cloud 9 emoticon!

[cms206]

Nice one fella, that looks a real sweetie

[dollywobbler]

Nice work! A top purchase.

 

Is this Mrs Trig saying "uh oh, my dress is never going to go with this car!"

[boobydoo]

Ooh, I felt a little something in the trouser area looking at that! Lovely!!

[greengartside]

+1001

 

That's a real honey of a car! Me likey that a lot. You gonna keep the white on black plates on it or you putting the (original?) yellow white/black combo?

[trigger]

Nice work! A top purchase.

 

Is this Mrs Trig saying "uh oh, my dress is never going to go with this car!"

Knowing her, quite likely!, It was her telling me to go for it, She was grinning away on the test drive, she said that I'd be a utter fool if i didn't buy it!, Top lass isn't she!

 

+1001

 

That's a real honey of a car! Me likey that a lot. You gonna keep the white on black plates on it or you putting the (original?) yellow white/black combo?

I can't decide yet, As you can see the original plates come with the car, There's also some dodgy German ones, the last owner orders the black & white ones and the German style ones turned up instead.

[RedSparrow]

Nice work!

Got to be the best one in the country?

[trigger]

Nice work!

Got to be the best one in the country?

It's got to be the only one in the country? I can't find any more British ones on google?, I'd be interested to find out.

[trigger]

This is the guy I'm buying this car off's old Fairthorpe (Showed me a photo of it), He said it was a Tripper.

 

 

Edit - in fact here it is on good old AS!, He had it printed on his mug!

 

http://www.autoshite.com/forum/viewtopi ... dedc25492a

[eddyramrod]

Sweet little car! Well found sir. I'd keep the black plates on it, they are correct for a 1972 motor. OR: drive around with the German-style plates, keep the black ones for the shows.

 

One of my lecturers at Tech had one of these, but that was 34 years ago, and it was beige...

 

Tripper, of course, I was trying to remember the name... something a bit different in the beach-buggy line. I suppose they were trying to use what they knew (Triumph bits) when everyone else was chopping up Beetles.

[Cavcraft]

F*ck me, that's ACE! I hope you plan on taking it to a few shows, you'll get loads of attention with that.

[Cheggers]

Cracking car!! - Well done Trig

[trigger]

That's the plan Billy, It will be garaged during the week and used at weekends for shows and pottering about.

 

I hope it will be a head turned, I bet it will turn more heads then any £100k+ Ferrari!

[pogweasel]

That really does look very lovely!

[ashmicro]

That is superb, Trig. You deserve a bit of good fortune after the last wee while. A1.

[r.welfare]

What a cracker! Glad you were pleased with it.

 

Loving the fake wood (or is it real?) round the instruments - my Rekord was similar.

 

I'm sure there must be more out there, but you can rest assured that you will get a lot of attention at shows with that.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

That is a beautiful car!

[barrett]

[HillmanImp]

Thats a lovely car. Good find.

[Torsten2001]

It's absolutely gorgeous! I reckon a pair of pressed ally reflective plates would set it off, black & silver may be right but that type face isn't!

[trigger]

It does have the orginal number plates still so i might fit them back on, I'm not sure about the B&W one's myself as they look a bit new to me.

[TagoraSX]

Very, very nice and worth every penny.

 

Nice to see an unmolested original car now and again.

[dollywobbler]

It does have the orginal number plates still so i might fit them back on, I'm not sure about the B&W one's myself as they look a bit new to me.

That's probably a good call. I personally loved the way my ol' P6 V8 looked with it's entirely correct black digits on yellow/white background. People do tend to go a bit crazy for white on black.

[michiel]

Wonderful and what a colour! I think over here that would have had an asking price of over 3000 euro...

 

Here's one I spotted a while back, great colour as well:

 

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[Spiny Norman]

What an absolutely delightful looking wee car!

 

Much envy.

[trigger]

Thank you everyone for the cool comments, Michiel you might become my unofficial international ebay buyer as there are more parts in Holland then over here and my Dutch is rubbish! (I don't even know one word!).

 

I've just gone through the box of spares and there loads of stuff there, Clutches, Brand new original boxed lamps, Chrome light trim, Brakes shoes and cylinders, Head sets etc so i should be ok although i do need the n/s quarter light window glass for the passenger door.

[eddyramrod]

although i do need the n/s quarter light window glass for the passenger door.

...Which will of course be the Driver's door on Dutchbay!

[michiel]

 

There's even a dedicated B-club here...

 

http://www.kadett-b.nl/hkbc/home.php

 

I'll have a look at the local ebay soon to see what's available.

 

Edit: here's a trilingual parts firm, might be useful:

 

http://www.opel-classic-parts.com/

[myglaren]

It is very similar to one I had some years ago, same colour but I think mine was older. Jamie Lee Curtiss drove one in "Perfect".

Love the huge clock, when many cars didn't have one or a microscopic one if there was. IIRC mine had a similarly sized rev counter - God only knows why

 

I went to buy mine for £80 but when I got there the clutch had failed so he dropped the price to £40. We were going to tow it back but I crawled underneath to see what I might find and discovered the clutch cable had popped off the fork. Reseated it and drove away, adjusted it up when I got home and no more trouble from it. Had it for several years and I don't know why it went, did thousands of trouble free miles in it anyway.

 

Excellent purchase trigger, hope you will be very happy together.