Inherited Mk1 - Too far gone?
Discussion
Hi everyone, my Dad died from covid in 2022 and one of many cars he had was a Mk1 Monaco thats been sat in a garage since 2012. Everything else he had has either been sold or scrapped apart from this which I kept hold of. Its pretty rusty and I know its never going to be worth whatever it costs to repair but the question is, is it too far gone to even bother? Its a 1.6 90 bhp. Theres obviously a sentimental aspect to how I feel about the car although he only drove it a few months to be honest. When I found it in a rented lockup it still had his hat on the passenger seat where he'd left it. Im happy to do the mechanical side of things.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2dVbbsBoUiYn46Sr7
https://photos.app.goo.gl/2dVbbsBoUiYn46Sr7
Looks like its gone in all the usual places really and although its repairable it will depend what you want to spend on it.
Depending where you are in the country there are one or two specialists such as the MX5 restorer, wont be a cheap project though and you could be looking at £2k plus just to sort the structure out.
Makes more sense to find another good solid car but I do understand if it has sentimental value to you.
Money no object get it restored and enjoy it.
Depending where you are in the country there are one or two specialists such as the MX5 restorer, wont be a cheap project though and you could be looking at £2k plus just to sort the structure out.
Makes more sense to find another good solid car but I do understand if it has sentimental value to you.
Money no object get it restored and enjoy it.
I think interesting is not the word most people would use.
Disorganised, messy, with a touch of hoarding would be more accurate.
The mini bonnet ? Spot the dent from a cab crew pick up truck which was parked in front and we assume reversed over the mini.
I managed to find a replacement on gumtree in the correct colour for less than the price of the paint, and decided to repurpose the dented one as storage. I reckon a 5S exercise would deem whatever is lost in it, surplus to requirements.
Disorganised, messy, with a touch of hoarding would be more accurate.
The mini bonnet ? Spot the dent from a cab crew pick up truck which was parked in front and we assume reversed over the mini.
I managed to find a replacement on gumtree in the correct colour for less than the price of the paint, and decided to repurpose the dented one as storage. I reckon a 5S exercise would deem whatever is lost in it, surplus to requirements.
I think, to me, there are 2 routes to go with the car.
Either a full, basically open cheque book restoration on the basis of sentimentality...or, I am afraid, scrap it.
Some may argue things like just get the arches/ sills done and through an MOT, but then you end up with a car which you have spent multiple £k's on, with two very clean, painted sides, but an older scratched/ faded bonnet and a slightly dull looking soft top which is mismatched and not overly pleasing to the eye.
You are then in the realms of a full respray and a new hood and then the seats/ interior looks tired and worn and are mismatched to the condition of the body, so you set about all of this spending even more £k's to remedy this, only for the MOT tester to advice that basically a full underside restoration is needed due to lots of suspension components being covered in corrosion.
I hope you can see what I am saying and I'm not coming across as a pessimist, just someone who wants you to go in with your eyes open, should you wish to do so. Others will disagree with what I am saying, I am sure and it is up to you what to do.
Either a full, basically open cheque book restoration on the basis of sentimentality...or, I am afraid, scrap it.
Some may argue things like just get the arches/ sills done and through an MOT, but then you end up with a car which you have spent multiple £k's on, with two very clean, painted sides, but an older scratched/ faded bonnet and a slightly dull looking soft top which is mismatched and not overly pleasing to the eye.
You are then in the realms of a full respray and a new hood and then the seats/ interior looks tired and worn and are mismatched to the condition of the body, so you set about all of this spending even more £k's to remedy this, only for the MOT tester to advice that basically a full underside restoration is needed due to lots of suspension components being covered in corrosion.
I hope you can see what I am saying and I'm not coming across as a pessimist, just someone who wants you to go in with your eyes open, should you wish to do so. Others will disagree with what I am saying, I am sure and it is up to you what to do.
MattsCar said:
I think, to me, there are 2 routes to go with the car.
Either a full, basically open cheque book restoration on the basis of sentimentality...or, I am afraid, scrap it.
Some may argue things like just get the arches/ sills done and through an MOT, but then you end up with a car which you have spent multiple £k's on, with two very clean, painted sides, but an older scratched/ faded bonnet and a slightly dull looking soft top which is mismatched and not overly pleasing to the eye.
You are then in the realms of a full respray and a new hood and then the seats/ interior looks tired and worn and are mismatched to the condition of the body, so you set about all of this spending even more £k's to remedy this, only for the MOT tester to advice that basically a full underside restoration is needed due to lots of suspension components being covered in corrosion.
I hope you can see what I am saying and I'm not coming across as a pessimist, just someone who wants you to go in with your eyes open, should you wish to do so. Others will disagree with what I am saying, I am sure and it is up to you what to do.
I think youre right as to be fair, thats partly why Ive put off dealing with it... difficult decision. Ill see what the opinion is with CC Sparkes when I finally get her on the ramp there and make a decision from there I think.Either a full, basically open cheque book restoration on the basis of sentimentality...or, I am afraid, scrap it.
Some may argue things like just get the arches/ sills done and through an MOT, but then you end up with a car which you have spent multiple £k's on, with two very clean, painted sides, but an older scratched/ faded bonnet and a slightly dull looking soft top which is mismatched and not overly pleasing to the eye.
You are then in the realms of a full respray and a new hood and then the seats/ interior looks tired and worn and are mismatched to the condition of the body, so you set about all of this spending even more £k's to remedy this, only for the MOT tester to advice that basically a full underside restoration is needed due to lots of suspension components being covered in corrosion.
I hope you can see what I am saying and I'm not coming across as a pessimist, just someone who wants you to go in with your eyes open, should you wish to do so. Others will disagree with what I am saying, I am sure and it is up to you what to do.
Here is an option for you...
Pull off all the aftermarket parts, the wheels, the side mirrors, the gear knob, the steering wheel, the seats. Those little personal details, the place where your dad sat and connected with.
Get them all refurbished, the leather restored etc and then go and buy a fantastic MK1 MX5 in the same colour (£5k will see you doing very well) and transfer the parts and get the same stripes on the front.
Basically a replica, with the spirit of your dad onboard.
ETA, I appreciate that there is a certain attachment to the car, but having looked at the pictures, I would not spend any money on trailering it anywhere for a quote. I can tell you that you will need at least £15k of work for it to pass an MOT.
Pull off all the aftermarket parts, the wheels, the side mirrors, the gear knob, the steering wheel, the seats. Those little personal details, the place where your dad sat and connected with.
Get them all refurbished, the leather restored etc and then go and buy a fantastic MK1 MX5 in the same colour (£5k will see you doing very well) and transfer the parts and get the same stripes on the front.
Basically a replica, with the spirit of your dad onboard.
ETA, I appreciate that there is a certain attachment to the car, but having looked at the pictures, I would not spend any money on trailering it anywhere for a quote. I can tell you that you will need at least £15k of work for it to pass an MOT.
Edited by MattsCar on Friday 10th April 22:05
Ironically I did a nice Monza resto a couple of years ago, the starting point was a bit more solid in fairness, I've also done many that are worse.
Restoring most (don't take this the wrong way) low value classics is usually a labour of love rather than a smart financial decision, an average mx5 restoration these days is running at 3k upwards and many end up being well above that figure. A tidy mx5 that isn't one of the few models that demands a premium is 3-5k on average.
But it's not your dad's car. Only you can make the decision how important that is to you.
By the way this isn't me touring for work. I'm more or less solely taking in smaller jobs, servicing and the like now, I've still got a backlog of work and when it's gone I've got plenty of our own cars to work through, I doubt I'll turn all resto work away but it will very much be one in and one out.
Restoring most (don't take this the wrong way) low value classics is usually a labour of love rather than a smart financial decision, an average mx5 restoration these days is running at 3k upwards and many end up being well above that figure. A tidy mx5 that isn't one of the few models that demands a premium is 3-5k on average.
But it's not your dad's car. Only you can make the decision how important that is to you.
By the way this isn't me touring for work. I'm more or less solely taking in smaller jobs, servicing and the like now, I've still got a backlog of work and when it's gone I've got plenty of our own cars to work through, I doubt I'll turn all resto work away but it will very much be one in and one out.
If you really want your dad's car specifically, restore it, but it will be a lot of work.
I think the idea of moving the "dad-specific" bits to a good car is a great suggestion, though if you want his number plate, may be a good idea to check first if it can be transferred off.
My Grandfather's personal plate was on my Grandmother's car, which I took hold of after she died - unfortunately it was in a right state (parked in a barn, which burned down around it), so I had to engage in an act of advanced bloodymindedness to get it to minimum-viable MOT passing status in order to re-tax it and transfer the plate off to give to my brother.
But I'm glad I was stubborn enough to do it.
I think the idea of moving the "dad-specific" bits to a good car is a great suggestion, though if you want his number plate, may be a good idea to check first if it can be transferred off.
My Grandfather's personal plate was on my Grandmother's car, which I took hold of after she died - unfortunately it was in a right state (parked in a barn, which burned down around it), so I had to engage in an act of advanced bloodymindedness to get it to minimum-viable MOT passing status in order to re-tax it and transfer the plate off to give to my brother.
But I'm glad I was stubborn enough to do it.
MattsCar said:
Here is an option for you...
Pull off all the aftermarket parts, the wheels, the side mirrors, the gear knob, the steering wheel, the seats. Those little personal details, the place where your dad sat and connected with.
Get them all refurbished, the leather restored etc and then go and buy a fantastic MK1 MX5 in the same colour (£5k will see you doing very well) and transfer the parts and get the same stripes on the front.
Basically a replica, with the spirit of your dad onboard.
ETA, I appreciate that there is a certain attachment to the car, but having looked at the pictures, I would not spend any money on trailering it anywhere for a quote. I can tell you that you will need at least £15k of work for it to pass an MOT.
Thats a really lovely idea Matt, thank you for the suggestion. Do you really think it would be £15k to restore the bodywork? That would be obviously be beyond too much to undertake.Pull off all the aftermarket parts, the wheels, the side mirrors, the gear knob, the steering wheel, the seats. Those little personal details, the place where your dad sat and connected with.
Get them all refurbished, the leather restored etc and then go and buy a fantastic MK1 MX5 in the same colour (£5k will see you doing very well) and transfer the parts and get the same stripes on the front.
Basically a replica, with the spirit of your dad onboard.
ETA, I appreciate that there is a certain attachment to the car, but having looked at the pictures, I would not spend any money on trailering it anywhere for a quote. I can tell you that you will need at least £15k of work for it to pass an MOT.
Edited by MattsCar on Friday 10th April 22:05
I think if Im not restoring I would probably sell as is for whatever its worth but still want to explore the option and see whats possible. Its worth the trailerling fee just to know what Im dealing with. When I know more I will report back here!
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to reply and offer advice, its all very much appreciated.
Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to reply and offer advice, its all very much appreciated.
wildoliver said:
Ironically I did a nice Monza resto a couple of years ago, the starting point was a bit more solid in fairness, I've also done many that are worse.
Restoring most (don't take this the wrong way) low value classics is usually a labour of love rather than a smart financial decision, an average mx5 restoration these days is running at 3k upwards and many end up being well above that figure. A tidy mx5 that isn't one of the few models that demands a premium is 3-5k on average.
But it's not your dad's car. Only you can make the decision how important that is to you.
By the way this isn't me touring for work. I'm more or less solely taking in smaller jobs, servicing and the like now, I've still got a backlog of work and when it's gone I've got plenty of our own cars to work through, I doubt I'll turn all resto work away but it will very much be one in and one out.
OP, for what it is worth WildOliver ^^^^^^^ did a full job on my Mk1 a few years back. To be honest it started with tackling some scabby sill, nd he cut it back, and more was found, and cut it back etc…. The car I had owned for c.25yrs, so the sentimental value there was strong. I / we / he went and added a few other mods, stiffenening, coilovers at the time. Restoring most (don't take this the wrong way) low value classics is usually a labour of love rather than a smart financial decision, an average mx5 restoration these days is running at 3k upwards and many end up being well above that figure. A tidy mx5 that isn't one of the few models that demands a premium is 3-5k on average.
But it's not your dad's car. Only you can make the decision how important that is to you.
By the way this isn't me touring for work. I'm more or less solely taking in smaller jobs, servicing and the like now, I've still got a backlog of work and when it's gone I've got plenty of our own cars to work through, I doubt I'll turn all resto work away but it will very much be one in and one out.
It was not the quickest of projects, but I got the car back to use (again
) as a wedding car….. in my head, the work/ project was c. £3k (probablymore in RL) but there you go, and in return I now have a MX5 I just hoon around in and still get great smiles and enjoyment.
Might be worth reaching out to him ^^^ hand over the car and expect to see it back ‘whenever’.
My car came back solid, but paint was not perfect - and known with transparency before hand that it is not the stregth of Oli.
(I still have the crate engine bought and paid for at Rocketeer, and will hopefully sending Triggers Broom there in the next 9months for its next lease of life. Their ‘resto prices’ do scare me though and I am hoping that due to all the above, the there is not too much restoration to do, so I will need to see how it lands.)
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