Should I write this off?

[JohnL]

I've got an elderly MR2 Mk1, which I bought for a couple of hundred last year. It's great to drive and is, err was, in great condition mechanically and I was preparing to deal with all the rust.

But recently the problems have grown, and now I have to deal with:
Burst cylinder head gasket;
Clutch beginning to slip;
Tracking/balance out;
Unrepairable crack in the windscreen;
Major rust on two wheel arches, minor rust on the other two, bits of surface rust here and there everywhere else;
Carpet coming up, very shabby, could do with being replaced;
Seats worn (due to 168k miles), could do with being replaced;
Errr ... that's all!

It's got an MOT till September - if I hadn't burst the head gasket I'd have considered running it till then then scrap it, using a roll of duck tape every month to keep it together ...

But I like it a lot ... there's nothing there that's beyond my ability to fix myself, execpt maybe the windscreen, but it'll take a lot of time and effort. Time to bite the reality bullet and stick it on Ebay for "spares or repair, just a few minor faults"
I'd probably get a hundred, maybe two, for it as it is from someone wanting parts. If all of the above were put right it might be worth £1k tops.

Would anyone, in this circumstance, actually suggets that I try to fix it? Even as I type I'm thinking, just get rid of it, and put all the energy into creating some real money to buy a TVR with!

[sparkey]

I'd get rid. As soon as you start the work listed above you'll discover lots more stuff that you don't presently know about, but that will also need fixing if you're doig a proper job, and you'll end up spending thousand.

(Speaking from experience of restoring several cars in similar condition)

S.

[AlunR]

Would anyone, in this circumstance, actually suggets that I try to fix it? Even as I type I'm thinking, just get rid of it, and put all the energy into creating some real money to buy a TVR with!

Just got to similar point with the missus Mini - The main thing s to ask yourself is a) will it be worth what I spent at the end (if not sell it for spares and buy a replacement with the cash) and b) the other bit you covered - can I make more money by putting the nose to the grindstone!

Sounds like it won't get much better even with all your hard work mate. Jap cars tend to do that. My mum's celica was bulletproof til 114K then EVERYTHING went wrong one by one...

[deltaf]

Sell it complete for spares. Somebody will probably take it off your hands for a few squids(enthusiasts).

[CraigAlsop]

Keep it (for spares) & buy another one

[JohnL]

Mmm, think it's time to say bye-bye. My wife wouldn't be happy about two heaps of sh!te cluttering up the garage/drive until I got around to bodging the two into one. Meantime it's served it's primary purpose of getting her used to the idea of a two seat sportscar in the garage

Any offers for a decent red o/s/f wing, a nearly new rear exhaust box, and 4 reasonable tyres, with the remains of the rest of an MR2 thrown in?

[incorrigible]

I agree with Craig, for ~£500 you could get another car and very low running costs for the next year, with all those spares

And, of course, I know someone who's got one for sale mail me through my profile if you're interested

[plipton]

Try selling it to a breaker - that way they'll take it off your hands for cash, save you the hassle of dumping it, others will be able to keep theirs going for a reasonable cost and no poor unsuspecting sod buys a pile of poo (and comes looking for you late at night ).

Makes sense!

[incorrigible]

Don't think it does plipton, breaker will want £20 and the V5 just for you to leave it there

[mikes]

Probably best to bin it. I wanted to buy one last year, but they all go rusty really quickly and although they handle great, to be honest they're not really fast enough (Mk 1s).

Someone'll buy it for spares.

[JohnL]

Yeah I can do without the visit in the middle of the night - I'll just make sure that the unsuspecting sod has fair idea of what he's buying (or it'll blow up before it's gone 50 miles!)

Incorrigible would your contact like to buy mine to fix his/hers?

[plipton]

incorrigible said: Don't think it does plipton, breaker will want £20 and the V5 just for you to leave it there

I sold a bike to a mate a few years ago. He got taken out by a SMIDSY on a roundabout a week later and sold the wreck to a breaker...


...wait for it...



...and you know what really pi55ed me off...



...jammy ba5tard...




...for £100 more than he paid me!

[incorrigible]

JohnL said: Incorrigible, would your contact like to buy mine to fix his/hers?

Unlikely, his is OK, (gearbox on last legs IIRC) but bodywork fine (got 12 months MOT too), he's just trading up (needs something faster after driving my Tiv )

[JohnL]

Incorrigible, you've got mail