Thanks to all who sent advice on what to look out for when viewing stored cars.
The pointers were very useful and helped when I went to look at the car.
As it was I never got as far as looking at the detailed bits of the cars
workings as the car was a definite AVOID AT ALL COSTS kind of car.....
It was a 1970 Roadster which was up for 3,000 UKP, at this price I expected the
car to be OK - The PO said it was in good nick and had brilliant paint work and
all it needed were the seats repaired or replaced. I Drove 25 miles to see it
and when I got there I thought my prayers had been answered - from a distance
it
looked absolutely fabulous - bright red, wire wheels, new hood, chrome grille
etc etc !! I thought this is it - my Roadster is here !!
Closer inspection however revealed a very sad story - The DPO was a paint
sprayer by trade and that accounted for the totally fantastic paint job, sadly
in all other departments the car was a dog. Open the bonnet and the engine
looked like something out of a very old garbage truck, very nasty - checked the
engine no?s and it was not the original - and numbers did not match the
18GB-U-H/xxxx style so was a bit suspect. The whole engine bay (including
radiator and heater fan) had been sprayed with underseal - yes the black tarry
stuff - really horrible.
To the interior - seats were beyond repair - the roof mechanism was broken/bent
the soft top was a cheap and nasty one - ill fitting and very thin and tacky
looking - carpets rotten - battery box was empty - a single battery was in the
boot not fixed down and the wires were poked through the rear bulkhead and the
hole sealed with GREASE !! Yes really !!
All dash and console bits were sprayed (very badly) with matt black paint and
looked awful - none of the switches worked - steering column was loose - and
the
ignition keyhole was not fixed in tightly and just turned on it?s own without
staring the car !! Having tightened it and turned the key no ignition lights
or
anything else came on although one extra turn started the car so I assume the
ignition light did not work either !! The car was a really sad sight - a
beautiful car wasted.
My estimation of the situation is that the car was an 800 pound wreck that
someone had bought and sprayed with fifty pounds worth of paint and put a cheap
plastic hood on and is now passing it off as a 3k car.
I think the generally accepted advice is if a car has a tatty interior + engine
but a new paint job be wary - it probably hides a few sins.... Anyway isn?t
paint the last thing you do ?
Anyway - went to an MG garage in the afternoon and looked at some really
gorgeous cars so my faith is restored and I'm feeling better now - the search
goes on however for MY Roadster - it's out there somewhere - queue X-files
music.
Thanks again.. Kevin.
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/^^^^^\
/___-___\ Kevin.Phillips@tidv.dti.gov.uk
(o (===) o)
|_~~~~~~~_| '62 Morris Minor ?xx MGB Roaster (very soon)
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P.S.. If any UK MG?ers reading this know of a RHD - Chrome Bumpered Roadster
with Overdrive sub 4,000 pounds please e-mail me details... Cheers
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