Cheap Deltas - A Route To Bankruptcy?
Discussion
I'm in the market for a new smoker and have seen a few Delta HFs and Integrales under £2500, now that to me looks like a whole world of fun and motorsport heritage for not a lot of cash.
Am I being too optimistic in thinking that something like this will give me weekend fun without being a complete shed?
Fuel economy and upkeep costs aren't too critical to me but I need the car to work when I want it to.
Am I being too optimistic in thinking that something like this will give me weekend fun without being a complete shed?
Fuel economy and upkeep costs aren't too critical to me but I need the car to work when I want it to.
Someone who knows more about Integrales can chime in, but I'll get the ball rolling with something that I do know: a 4x4 HF Turbo is not an Integrale without flared arches...
The Integrale has 3 diffs, whereas the 4x4 has 2...
Integrale has a hotter engine, i.e. different cams and probably different pistons / rods...
Integrale has more powerful brakes and more expensive suspension...
If you're not worried about running costs, you've chosen the right car! Keeping a genuine Integrale in tip-top fettle is never going to be cheap, unless you can do the work yourself.
Condition of bodywork is going to be a serious issue with earlier Deltas - very much a car to run a magnet over.
A gap seems to have opened up in the Integrale market in the last couple of years, i.e. later models with FSH have appreciated, whereas higher mileage examples without known histories are nose-diving in a big way... I think you can take a hint from the values that a car without a fully documented history is likely to cost a considerable amount more to run than a car with plenty of paperwork.
One thing I do know about Integrales is that the transmission is relatively sophisticated and it will cost an awesome amount of money to repair if it goes wrong.
I know the engines well and I wouldn't get too worried about problems there; they're rugged and spares are plentiful.
My concerns on a bargain Integrale would be structural, i.e. corrosion, and the condition of the transmission / diff.
I read a comment at this group recently where someone told another member that he should set fire to fifty pound notes instead of buying a £40K Ferrari, i.e. buy the most expensive you can afford as a cheaper car is certainly likely to cost you much more long-term - I can't see an Integrale being much different in all honesty. Unless you have a degree in engineering, my suggestion would be to buy the finest example possible to your wallet.
The Integrale has 3 diffs, whereas the 4x4 has 2...
Integrale has a hotter engine, i.e. different cams and probably different pistons / rods...
Integrale has more powerful brakes and more expensive suspension...
If you're not worried about running costs, you've chosen the right car! Keeping a genuine Integrale in tip-top fettle is never going to be cheap, unless you can do the work yourself.
Condition of bodywork is going to be a serious issue with earlier Deltas - very much a car to run a magnet over.
A gap seems to have opened up in the Integrale market in the last couple of years, i.e. later models with FSH have appreciated, whereas higher mileage examples without known histories are nose-diving in a big way... I think you can take a hint from the values that a car without a fully documented history is likely to cost a considerable amount more to run than a car with plenty of paperwork.
One thing I do know about Integrales is that the transmission is relatively sophisticated and it will cost an awesome amount of money to repair if it goes wrong.
I know the engines well and I wouldn't get too worried about problems there; they're rugged and spares are plentiful.
My concerns on a bargain Integrale would be structural, i.e. corrosion, and the condition of the transmission / diff.
I read a comment at this group recently where someone told another member that he should set fire to fifty pound notes instead of buying a £40K Ferrari, i.e. buy the most expensive you can afford as a cheaper car is certainly likely to cost you much more long-term - I can't see an Integrale being much different in all honesty. Unless you have a degree in engineering, my suggestion would be to buy the finest example possible to your wallet.
markmullen said:
I'm in the market for a new smoker and have seen a few Delta HFs and Integrales under £2500, now that to me looks like a whole world of fun and motorsport heritage for not a lot of cash.
Am I being too optimistic in thinking that something like this will give me weekend fun without being a complete shed?
Fuel economy and upkeep costs aren't too critical to me but I need the car to work when I want it to.
Am I being too optimistic in thinking that something like this will give me weekend fun without being a complete shed?
Fuel economy and upkeep costs aren't too critical to me but I need the car to work when I want it to.
tried it twice a few years ago. i would reccomend against it. theres no such thing as a cheap lancia, just ones you pay less for in the first instance.
that said i also had a delta gtie which cost me 1050 12 years ago, and that was ace and hardly went wrong at all. hardly.
so, in summary: cheap things are cheap for a reason.
sorry
Gassing Station | Alfa Romeo, Fiat & Lancia | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff