Hi everyone, thought I'd re-introduce myself! Apologies in advance for the length of this post.
I recently bought my 3rd Coupe, a 1997 steel grey 20vt, it's a mini project as there's plenty that needs sorting, but it'll be my weekend/good weather car so I can take my time and fix stuff as and when time/funds allow.
Always knew I'd be back in the driving seat of a Coupe one day, and with prices looking like going up, I thought I'd better take the plunge. It's very true what you read on here, you will always hanker after another when you leave the fold.
When I started looking, I was going to buy a forum car with history for around £2000. I ended up buying an unseen, untried ebay special, with precious little history, a boot load of spares including a set of alloys and powerflow exhaust, on the other side of the country for £700.
Sometimes I think there should be a drunk button on ebay! So I made the trip to just inside the M25 from Cardiff and proceeded to drive it home. Which is when the fun began.
On the way home I was making mental list of the things that needed doing: Thermostat gone, tractor sounding engine, chav level 5 dump valve, boosting too low, oil temp gauge not working, wobbly wheel, stiff gear change, the list goes on. Then, when I was 50 yards from home - snap - gearstick looser than ITV lunchtimes! No gears, stuck in the petrol station. Pushed it home and cried a little.
Made the decision to call in the experts, so arranged with Countrycruising to get her trailered to FCSS and given a thorough going over. I must say that Joe was excellent, every silly question I had was dealt with in the most professional way. Joe gave the car a health check, engine good, body ok, chassis not so ok, it could be a good one with work!
A plan was agreed and Joe set about sorting the most pressing matters engine wise and gave me a big(ish) list of the jobs that need doing next, namely some welding to the boot floor, inner arches and a suspension refresh. Then I'll need to sort the paintwork.
The low boost issue and non working oil temp gauge are still present unfortunately, but will get started on these over the next few weeks.
In all I've pretty much blown the original budget when the repairs, insurance and travel expenses have been accounted for, but I couldn't care less, and will spend more once I can.
As with all things Coupe though, once I got back from FCSS the bonnet cable snapped when I went to check the oil.
It's as if the car knows.
I owe Joe (and his wife) a massive thank you for helping me at every turn, I cant recommend them highly enough. If you're considering having some work done, get to FCSS!
Here's a few pics of as she stands now, I'll see you in the technical help and parts wanted sections soon.
