Just sorned my coupe and fear this is the beginning of the end of my 8 years of coupe ownership

Just bought a 1999 Ford Fiesta that is immaculate and cost just £300 so decided to SORN the coupe as the tax is due to run out end of the month as it needs some serious spending. Clutch needs replacing and cambelt has done well over 100k miles so is more than overdue. Then there is the manifold that has been cracked since I bought the car and the fact that it has the dreaded Scottie paint peel going on.

In the last year my priorities have changed and I just cannot justify the expense to get this car looking smart again. For the moment I will keep it covered and consider my options. I may find a boring hatch to be unbearable, or use it to bide my time until I have some cash again.

I have given myself a year to sort the car, so it will either be ready for next years Brooklands meet or will be gone

Tis a sad day.

Sat times Bockers, but as you say your priorities have changed.

The last time I drove my coupe was on 26th November - 6 months ago! and I'm finding it hard to remember what it was like. She's is 90% in pieces and looking very sorry for herself but it will be very sad to see her go.

It's just a car bockers! You had 8 glorious years with her, so look back on those with rose-tinted specs. Nothing is forever.

It's a sad day indeed

You're not a million miles from me, and I'm willing to lend a hand if you decide to do some of the mechanical stuff later in the year(s).

I'm quite good with the spanners but can't spray paint. That said if you want your paintwork to look like it's been put on with a roller then I'm your man.

I wish someone had offered me this

Mine's been sat for 9 months. I'd given up on getting her sorted but a bout of sunshine and I hope to have her better than ever by the end of the week.

Break it down into little jobs and get cracking. You'd be surprised at the cost you can do things for if you're not in a rush.

+1

Sad day, but I'm sure it won't last long!

yeah +1 on that

Mine sat for 9 months whilst I weighed everything up, then I broke it & made more money from the break that I would have got fully working on-the-road, taxed & MOT'd

but..

It enabled me to buy a replacement Coupe straight away

I can't really justify it either - I'm supposed to be doing my house up - that I've been in now for 2.5 years & have only done one room

oh well..

Get it sorted Bockers

If you do get used to that Fiesta you'll wonder what's hit you next time you go in a coop! I SORN'ed mine over winter and used the Punto. And you do get used to it but when I got the coop on the road again I vowed to myself I wouldn't be doing any of that sorning again. Twas fantastic.

Then someone clobbered it and it got written off but hey ho

Sort it out John.

Its a long way for me to get round to your place to give you a clip round the ear.

I think there's an urge that increases every day that you haven't driven the Coupe.
You'll feel a lot different when you've been starved of it for a couple of months.
The expense of a clutch, a set of belts and a bit of manifold welding won't bankrupt you.

Mine needs a manifold, belts and it's leaking oil/coolant. There's a grand already But I can't sell it. Don't be silly Bockers!

We don't want to have to change your forum name to bonkers now do we?

What !!! I thought you bought the mintest of mint Matt ?

So did I It wasn't leaking until the second week I knew the cambelt needed doing. You can't tell a manifold is bust on a warm car either (could have come loose I guess). I haven't even drove it since I bought her in December, Just tucked it away in the garage. Bit of a b*gger but hey, it's a coop, right?

I hope it's not going to eventually succumb to the same fate as the Sprinty did Matt

Fear not! I was a bit younger and less wise then. This one will see the open road again or I'll eat my hat! Sorry for the hijack Bockers. Sorry, Bonkers

Bonkers indeed I think...

Give me a break here matt. That is a plus manifold and as far as I know they are not prone to breaking. It had nothing wrong with it when I owned it as far as I was aware so perhaps it just needs tightening. I can say with total certainty that it was not leaking coolant when I owned it. As for oil I never had any dripping or material oil loss either. It looses a bit around the filter that dries around that area but its minor can be blasted off at service time and is no more than most coupe loose from that area. Its not enough to call a leak.

I was totally open about it being four years since the belts were done.

I haven't blamed you for any of the faults Mr Cooper, the manifold may have just came loose on the drive home. It's not really noticeable save for a puff of smoke and a (small) ticking from cold. I don't recall the car leaking oil or coolant on the drive home either. I've probably just been unlucky. In any case, in happy with the car and don't have a problem.

OK, fair enough and sorry for going off on one at you, it isnt justified reading the thread again.

When you effectively said "I thought I'd bought a nice car as well" I took that as implying that perhaps it was not so nice as it had been made out (i.e. by me to you at the point of sale).

That's probably me just reading in something that's not there and reading the thread over again I see that's probably the case - you don't explicitly say anything about me. However, its open forum where (I hope) people, even those who don't like me, recognise that I play a straight bat at all times. I therefore wanted to have my £0.02 worth.

If you like, PM me about the oil leak and coolant loss.

Steve

I think we can wrap this up now then! sorry Bockers

That's it! That's the answer!


Get some Scotts Green vinyl stuff and wrap the roof!

Couldn't be worse than what it is

I saw a smartcar ont he motorway the other day looked like Patch had detailed it.Apart from the windows and lights It was completely covered in turf (artificial I guess) That might work - a turf roof