my car NOW NOT for sale or part ex plus cash-UPDATE

iputthebootin · Jul 8, 2009

Added links to the pics as i couldnt get them to display in the original post.

iputthebootin · Jul 8, 2009

Right after much deliberating i have had to decide to put my car 85 lux up for sale.
After buying it at the end of last august my father has been working like a trojan to get it finished but due to health issues he can no longer put the time into it and i have neither the skills or time to do it.
The story- bought the car at the end of last august with 12 months MOT on it and since then it has been dry stored in my fathers garage and has covered about 10 miles. It is started daily and everything switched on and off to keep everything free.
When i bought it the guy had attempted to fit a turbo bumper on it which still needs fitting correctly as he had only attached it with cable ties!!!!
It also had no nose panel but i have since bought one which also needs fitting but is complete with badge. Has also had new bonnet and bonnet struts. I also have the correct paint for the bumper to be sprayed.
It has had new plugs, new distributer cap, new air filter and two weeks ago all the belts and rollers which i have reciepts for were replaced but will need retensioning obviously when it has done some miles. It also has new power steering adjuster bolt and drop link bushes replaced ready for next MOT.
The engine itself runs sweet as a nut, starts first time without hesitation every time. Oil pressure is as it should be
It has 111,000 miles on it and has service history book upto 97,000 miles.
It has also had new electric window motors on both sides as they sounded tired and the windows work perfectly now. Sunroof works perfectly too and the sunroof bag is present in the boot and is nice clean condition. All dials work fine, cargo cover is present and pulls out and retracts as it should.
Interior is quite tidy in beige and brown pinstripe but the seats have the usual fault where the vinyl has started to come away from the cloth but the seats are very clean. Carpets in the cabin and the boot are also clean and spare wheel(cookie cutter i think)is present. All door locks work fine.
I have also fitted brand new 6x4 speakers which sound much better than the blaupunkt ones but i have those if you want them. New upgraded kenwood stereo but i would like to keep that unless someone wants to pay extra for it.
Overall we have tried to put this car back to how it should be in nice condition and it is almost there apart from the bumper and nose panel and will be a cheap fix now if someone has the time to do it . It still has some MOT left on it and i am happy for anyone to come and look over it. I have a pile of reciepts that can be viewed also that shows what has been spent in the last 11 months. Plus spare nose panel, bonnet and few other bits and pieces.
Ideally i want around £900 for it but i would be willing to do a swap and pay around an extra £700 on top for a 944 that doesnt require any work, that i can just get in and drive and not worry about having to do anything to it.
Any questionsor anything i have missed or if you wish to view please call 07806 688472. im in birmingham.
Pics to follow shortly.
shaun

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craig2105 · Jul 8, 2009

Shaun - are you sure about selling up? Reading all the things you've done so far, and what's left to do, it sounds like you're 98% there. Surely your Â£700 (and presumably not that much any way) would be better spent getting someone to sort out the bumper for you, then you're on the road? Craig

iputthebootin · Jul 8, 2009

I know what you mean craig but ive been relying on my father to get the majority done and he has worked damn hard but hasnt been well lately so cant carry on and i dont have the time or the patience to do it myself. If i get someone to do it its extra hassle and im impatient to be out in a 44 before the summer ends. I had a go at trying to get the nose panel and bumper on but its a pain and trying to get things aligned isnt as easy as it looks. Im sure if i take it to a dealer its gonna cost an arm and a leg.

944 man · Jul 8, 2009

The dash is clean. The trick will be finding someone who appreciates whats good about the car.

iputthebootin · Jul 8, 2009

Just as a side note obviously with this not being the original bumper the fit isnt straightforward but out of curiosity what are the fabrications that need to be made to accomodate the turbo bumper and also what fixing brackets are required as there is nothing with this bumper. Any diagrams of the fixings and brackets would be helpful as if i have no joy selling i will have to explore whether i keep it and get it sorted.

pauljmcnulty · Jul 8, 2009

Just as a side note obviously with this not being the original bumper the fit isnt straightforward

It might never fit properly, and IMO will always look wrong and devalue a Lux. [8|] Why not get a bodyshop to fit a standard PU and bumper, easily available for very little money.

iputthebootin · Jul 8, 2009

You could be right paul. What sort of price would i be looking at to buy a standard bumper and what exactly do i need to buy. Are the standard lux bumpers all one piece or two pieces. If it was an easy enough avenue to go down i would do it. Anyone have any fixing diagrams showing brackets etc?

random hero · Jul 8, 2009

To refit the standard bumper you are going to need 2 new wings as yours have been shaped to fit the turbo bumper.To fit the turbo bumper you need the metal backing,2 main brackets and by the looks of it a new badge panel and headlight lids !!

tref · Jul 8, 2009

I would agree with Paul, I'd rather see a good lux than a good Lux with a Turbo front... Unfortunately, your car appears to have proper Turbo/S2 wings fitted, so you would have to change teh wings back as well. Is teh front PU broken in the middle, or is it an aftermaret one manufactured like that? Since it isn't going to be "right" no matter what you do, I would be inclined to find a body shop that will "make it fit" with decent bracketry to suit. I wouldn't have thought it would cost the Â£700 to get that done. More importantly, dependant on their waiting list, once they take it in and start work on it, I reckon it would be less than a week before you get it back, all shiny and red!

iputthebootin · Jul 8, 2009

Random hero, bloody hell this gets worse. So mine has wings to fit the turbo bumper is that correct? So im going to have to persevere with the turbo front or buy two new wings? Also are the badge panels and headlight lids different shapes on the turbo to the lux? This might be why they dont line up correctly then right? This is a real headache!!

craig2105 · Jul 8, 2009

Where are you Shaun? I'm sure someone on here can suggest a good Indie or reasonable bodyshop that'll sort it out for you. It's worth finding an hour or two to visit a couple of places and see what they say - got to be a load less hassle than trying to sell up. Believe me, if you think you've got little time for compelting the car, wait til you deal with all the timewasters that'll bid you bottom money for it. And then not turn up.[

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random hero · Jul 8, 2009

Yes the lux model has a straighter badge panel ,the turbo is more curved and follows the line of the bumper.Yours either has turbo wings or standard wings that have had the corners cut/folded to fit.

944 man · Jul 8, 2009

They are different yes. The 951 badge panel and lamp covers both extend further towards the front of the car. Do you have the correct alloy bumper and mounts? Dont worry if not s they can be bought for Â£30. Simon

iputthebootin · Jul 8, 2009

Craig im in Birmingham so any recomendations would be gratefully recieved. Random hero thanks for that info, might explain a lot. Simon i dont have any fixing brackets of note with it, just the bare fibreglass and a couple of ramshackle home made jobs that the prev owner had fashioned. He had also cut the middle of the bumper to try and make it fit. I would like to keep the car as my father has worked so hard on it and i just looked to see what Â£1500 quid would buy me and the truth is not alot to be honest. Maybe a new turbo bumper and nose panel and all the necessary fixings is the way forward?

JamesO · Jul 8, 2009

If the turbo wings are rot free selling them may well offset the cost of the correct front end as I understand rot free turbo wings are hard to come by 2nd hand.

iputthebootin · Jul 8, 2009

I think i would rather just get the correct nose panel and fixing brackets rather than replacing wings as well to be honest.

pauljmcnulty · Jul 8, 2009

Sorry, I thought the PU was an aftermarket one designed to fit Lux wings. In which case, they don't fit and you're better off reverting to original. Â£1500 would have bought you my Lux last week, but it did need a few things doing and was realistically going to be a Â£2K car. They all are. I'd still suggest that ripping all the silly bits off the front and making it a good early Lux will be cheaper than buying another one that will have other sosts looming! Are we sure that the wings are either butchered to fit, or later style?

tref · Jul 8, 2009

The Lux wings are flat along the bottom , and curve up on the front, the S2 wings curve up along the side... the pictures above are either S2 wings, or butchered early wings.

iputthebootin · Jul 8, 2009

I dont know to be honest paul, im no expert in the differences in the models when it comes to wings and panels etc. I think if im working on the premise that they are butchered to fit im gonna stick with the turbo bumper and see if i can lay my hands on a turbo nose panel as after looking at the pics i took it could well explain why the nose panel on it at the moment wouldnt fit and also why the prev owner cut the bumper to make it fit around the nose panel.