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The seller says the car runs, but I have no idea how well yet? It seems to have been off the road for some time though, so I'm guessing it must have some issues. I'd have liked to keep it turbo'd but what's the cheapest/easiest option?

I suppose it depends how far he got with it... has he ever had it on the road since doing the turbo conversion? If the conversion is incomplete it might be easier to drop a standard n/a 12a in instead. Taking off ecu's can have knock on affects on all sort of things ..... I don't get why he didn't lift the engine and ecus from Tools car and drop it all into the white car complete..... worries me slightly.

Thanks for the info guys. I offered the seller £500 which he declined. I just think it needs so much work and has been off the road for 10 months. I don't know what value you'd put on it, but I would rather spend a bit more on buying one that's on the road with current MOT.

This was the mail from the seller, incase any of you are interested?

There is a little rust around the drivers side wiper which just needs rubbing down and spraying will take a picture for you tomorrow and a few bubbles by the drivers side valance apart from that very little. I bought the car from Nottingham and drove it home to south wales with no problems in September 2012. The MOT ran out in April 2013 and due to renting out my last property and purchasing a new one I have not had time to do anything with the car. The guy I bought it off had changed the engine and this is the turbo version. It starts first time every time and this proves tips are fine as normally have trouble starting when cold. The exhaust is fine but last time I drove it just around the block I did find that the brakes were binding due to lack of use. The interior is in very good condition also & the condensation is due to the car just standing and the current weather being so cold. To be totally honest I would like to keep the car but the MRS is nagging me to get rid of it due to neglecting it due to working on the house all the time. I paid £1800 for the car which I thought was a bargain at the time as will be a collectors item as not many of them left. There is currently a red one for sale on ebay which is totally in mint condition for £7995 which a year newer. There is a lot of paper work with the car with receipts that go back years to keep the car in prestige condition it just a shame I have not got the time to enjoy the car to its full potential as it turns heads everywhere that I went in it !!!

Amazing how a daft price can become a sellers benchmark.....as if a buyer only knew that and nothing else.

The sad thing is, if the seller clings to the idea that his car is work ££££'s, it'll just never sell. No matter what he says he paid for it, it only stayed on the road for 6 months and has sat ever since. Any car that's sat outside for 10 months is going to need some recommissioning, plus any issues that stopped it being used in the first place. He mentions the brakes and some corrosion, but there's nothing like standing idle to rot an exhaust and any rubber seals in clutch cylinders etc.

Obviously it's this chaps car and he can ask whatever he likes though. I just think he needs to be a bit more realistic about its value, if he really wants to sell. I know what he says he paid, but you need to cut your losses sometimes. Hopefully he'll keep and restore it himself otherwise?

codge wrote:Amazing how a daft price can become a sellers benchmark.....as if a buyer only knew that and nothing else.

absolutely right.... it's the glass roof syndrome all over again isn't it?
That red car wasn't worth £4500, never mind the ludicrous price he's got it up for now.
Going back to this white car, it's a real shame because 4 years ago when I had a good look around it, it was a very nice car but as Mark says, it's now an un-mot'd project and as such is probably worth around £750 at most. Just cause it starts first time is no guarantee of the tips being fine. My old black elford turbo had low compression on the rear rotor and was a fantastic starter..... who's to say what the chrome is like in those 12at housings.... unless it's been taken apart and checked or compression tested I'd take claims about the apex seals/ engine condition with a pinch of salt.

Mark-e21 wrote:Thanks for the info guys. I offered the seller £500 which he declined. I just think it needs so much work and has been off the road for 10 months. I don't know what value you'd put on it

I would tell you to walk as well. Hard to say what a good price is without checking the motor.

ian65 wrote:I don't get why he didn't lift the engine and ecus from Tools car and drop it all into the white car complete

He did mate. He got a complete front cut effectively. I removed it complete and kept the rad and oil cooler. He took the complete motor and turbo box. All loom, ECUs, sensors everything.

Mark-e21 wrote:This was the mail from the seller, incase any of you are interested?

It starts first time every time and this proves tips are fine as normally have trouble starting when cold.

This should say starts fine when HOT, not cold. Cold starting is irrelevant as a judge of engine condition.

ian65 wrote: Who's to say what the chrome is like in those 12at housings.... unless it's been taken apart and checked or compression tested I'd take claims about the apex seals/ engine condition with a pinch of salt.

And this is one reason why I've bought a proper Mazda comp tester. If the motor's good, you'll know. If not, walk away or get it for a price you can live with knowing what a rebuilkd will cost in time and money.

TOOL wrote:

Mark-e21 wrote:

ian65 wrote:I don't get why he didn't lift the engine and ecus from Tools car and drop it all into the white car complete

He did mate. He got a complete front cut effectively. I removed it complete and kept the rad and oil cooler. He took the complete motor and turbo box. All loom, ECUs, sensors everything.

his advert states that he'd removed the emission control ecu, etc .... these were all on the your car when we started to strip it...... it was factory original so is he saying he removed all the emission control stuff that was on the original engine or that he's taken the emission stuff off the 12at engine..... if he's done a straight lift and drop then fair enough, if not, what has he done? I'd buy the car but only as a project and at the right money.

Oh right, iirc, there's one ECU for fueling and another for emissions control. He must have removed one. I did give it to him though.

I've decided to give up on the white car. The seller obviously values it far higher than I do and it'll just work out too expensive once I include MOT and tax.

Anyway, within a few minutes of making that decision, I get an email with a price on the blue car on Car and Classic. It wants some bits of bodywork but it's on the road, taxed, tested and ready to rock. All it needs, to get it looking how I'd like, is lowering and some dished alloys. If anyone can help with either please shout!?

Before I commit though, I am going to see a 1978 LHD car tomorrow. It's only half an hour down the road, so it would be silly not to. It has lots of choice bits fitted and could be a bit special. I imagined the seller might have been on here? Anyway, I'll keep you all in the loop.

So how low can I go, without causing major headaches? What are the widest wheel/tyre combos? Is that rubber rear spoiler a pig to remove and would bungs do to fill the holes, till the bodywork gets properly sorted?