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Mar 14, 2005 13:21:50 GMT
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Basically, my Amazon is going to need a lot of work for it's next MOT (due in late April). So far, it will need a repaired / new nearside outer sill, nearside front floor & underfloor outrigger, offside front inner wing repair section, possible repairs to offside footwell sides (behind lower part of the front wing) & the front section of the exhaust (the rest of the exhaust parted company with it on Sunday morning - it was very loud until I bodged it back together so that I could drive the 60 miles back to London, but that's another story!!).
The paint is shocking (very faded etc) as Rmad & Taity can confirm, & there's plenty of rust in the rear arches, door bottoms & front wings. It's always going to look scruffy (which I don't mind), but mechanically, it's great, and although the interior is scruffy, it's clean & patinated rather than dirty & neglected.
I don't have any workshop facilities, nor do I have the necessary skills or free time, so fixing it myself is not an option. There's a very good Amazon specialist not far from me, whom I know I can trust, who would probably be doing the work (so that's not an issue), but it's not going to be cheap...
Whilst most of friends don't criticise it, when it comes to spending maybe £700 sorting out a car that is basically worth only about £300 / 500 at the moment as it has only 1 months MOT left, I don't have much moral support!!
I'd much rather spend the money sorting out the Amazon than on buying a modern car (although a friend is about to sell a J plate Pug 205 diesel which does potentially appeal as a cheap runabout), as it's been in the family since I was 13, and it has loads of memories & sentimental value, but it's really a case of whether it's worth it. I'm going to get the exhaust sorted this week & also get them to quote for the welding at the same time, so that I have some advance warning for next month.....
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Mar 14, 2005 13:28:34 GMT
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Is £700 so much of a cross to bear for a car that you have such a long history with? Also, of you disposed of it and bought something else, how do you know that your new toy won't cost you just as much if not more....you see you know your Amazon inside and out, what's urgent and what's not. Fix it and it's £700 and that's that (for a while)... Buy yourself another car and there's a chance it could actually be a snotter. Imagine lobbing out £700 for it and it breaks down soon after costing you a whole heap more.... Amazon all the way!
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Mar 14, 2005 13:30:09 GMT
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Sort the Amazon.
Its the good thing to do.
Put it this way - getting the amazon sorted will let a good car live for another few years.
The tinfoil pug will rot away in a year or so.
*n
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Top grammar tips! Bought = purchased. Brought = relocated Lose = misplace/opposite of win. Loose = your mum
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Mar 14, 2005 13:37:47 GMT
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I was like that with the Volvo, but, I do know it's faults and can fix them as I go. I've spent more than its value over the 18 months I've had it, but I know it's going to be fine.
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Peugeot 307sw - Suzuki SV650S - MX5.
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Mar 14, 2005 14:52:56 GMT
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Cheers for the support guys! It's really much appreciated. Sadly, most of my friends just wouldn't understand (let alone be able to give much advice) unlike everyone here! The main issue is that it's going to need lots of bodywork over the next few years..... I can scrape the £700 or so (hoping it's going to be less, could be more, who knows?) for this year, and if I could afford it, I'd happily spend several thousand sorting out the body, which is what will probably need doing over the next few years anyway (so should last another 38 years!!), as old age and rust are finally catching up with it. However, I've seen worse rust on cars a fraction of it's age Part of the problem is explaining this to my girlfriend, who (although she doesn't dislike the car) sees it as a potential money pit, which I know it isn't! I'm also supposed to be saving up towards the deposit on a house - a big incentive being the potential for a garage / workshop / toybox! ;D
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Mar 14, 2005 15:12:10 GMT
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ye get the amazon sorted mate.
maybe its only worth a couple of hundred to most, but its clearly got sentimental value so get it sorted.
a lot of people wonder why i spend so much on my escort, as its only a 4 door etc, but they just don't get it ;D
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BigWig
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,101
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Mar 14, 2005 15:34:01 GMT
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Yep, get the amazon sorted, we had one when I was a kid, they are great ;D
E.g. my pug, ive sorted it right out now, new clutch, box, brakes, all sorts, and I know the car inside out, getting a new motor would be like going in blind folded.
Get the body sorted and put it on a set of minilites!
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Mar 14, 2005 16:22:30 GMT
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"quote hairnet"
I'm not paying nine pound for a pi$$!
[/quote]
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Mar 14, 2005 16:33:36 GMT
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Definitely sort the Amazon, even without the elements of romance/sentiment and history it makes sense. Once you add those factors it's a no-brainer.
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Mar 14, 2005 17:08:18 GMT
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Yes, definitely stick with the Amazon - make sure you get the repairs done to a standard, that they won't need re-doing in 12 months time. Ideally that the repairs form an early part of the more complete resto you say you have planned later on, therefore spending a bit more now may save you o/a in the long-run
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Ed
Part of things
Posts: 600
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Mar 14, 2005 17:12:47 GMT
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amazon without question! sweet motor!
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Davenger
Club Retro Rides Member
It's only metal
Posts: 7,272
Club RR Member Number: 140
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Dilemma.....Davenger
@dminifreak
Club Retro Rides Member 140
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Mar 14, 2005 17:13:26 GMT
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Keep telling yourself that it's a classic car and can only increase in value. Works a treat for me with my mini ;D Seriously though, it's not the kind of car you see on the road everyday, you have to save it from the scrapper. Plus it's really cool
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Dilemma.....BenzBoy
@benzboy
Club Retro Rides Member 7
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Mar 14, 2005 17:21:02 GMT
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Absolutely agree with everyone here! As Greenpeace say, save the Amazon!!! It will never depreciate, and with such a long family history, letting it go would be terrible. I know £700 is a lot of moo-lah, but it's gotta be worth it. I never mention my cars to people that don't understand - they just fill your head with negativity as they just don't get it. Most people I know think I have an old car because I can't afford a new one! ;D You can always rely on fellow R-R forummers to gee you up - I know I do!! ;D We understand!
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Panda Matt
Part of things
Datsun Owners Club Wannabe
Posts: 734
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Mar 14, 2005 19:04:42 GMT
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Do i need to add to the growing masses saying spend the cash, sort the volvo. Please, please make 100% sure you can trust the peeps doing it though (i trusted these guys)...
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Mar 14, 2005 21:46:37 GMT
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Mar 15, 2005 11:10:33 GMT
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Wow! Cheers for the further support! I'm feeling quite a lot better about this now thanks to you guys! The £700 I mentioned is purely a guess on my part, but even just that amount is a lot at the moment, especially as I've just had to renew my insurance last week (not cheap, through no fault of my own...) Basically, I'm a bit stressed about it all, and with the exhaust problems on Sunday (£130 +VAT for a new one - but hopefully just the downpipe needs replacing), I've been thinking a bit negatively about it all. Even if it turns out to need more spending than I can afford at the moment, I'm certainly not going to sell or scrap it as it's worth far to much to me. Any work done will be very much with the long term in mind (I'm sure that it could be given a quick patch up for a lot less to get it through the MOT, but it wouldn't last that long, nor would the repairs look neat either. You are a great help - it's much appreciated! Tony & Mr.Sigma - cheers for the pics! Where's this scrapyard? The body on the light blue one looks better than my car!! I'd love to get my hands on that shell, to remove the rear wings / quarter panels and various other bits for repair sections. The doors look decent too! The top tailgates on both cars look ok as well (but probably aren't....). The white one is definitely scrap (the holes just below the windscreen mean that the bulkhead is shot), but looks like it has plenty of good bits for spares, especially the rear bumper. I just might have to borrow a friends recovery truck.....
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Last Edit: Mar 15, 2005 11:11:25 GMT by Paul H
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BigWig
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,101
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Mar 15, 2005 14:52:25 GMT
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Minilites, minilites, minilites...
I don't care what anyone says, a big set will look the tits on an Amazon. End of!
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Mar 15, 2005 15:01:40 GMT
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*Waves the anti-minilite flag*
*n
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Top grammar tips! Bought = purchased. Brought = relocated Lose = misplace/opposite of win. Loose = your mum
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Mar 15, 2005 15:11:46 GMT
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No to Minilites! THINK MORE! Yes to these :
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Mar 15, 2005 15:18:44 GMT
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*Waves the anti-minilite flag* I have to agree with you, as I think that they are very cliched - the vast majority of old cars that have alloys fitted seem to have minilites.... I'd much prefer a set of '70s slot wolfraces, but the right offset, width and pcd for an Amazon seem to be as rare as poor quality wobbly children's play pony poo
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