Just wondering what the experiences are of folks on here who came to a point where they couldn't drive their Coop but also couldn't let it go.

How long was it SORNed for? And did you still take care of it even though it was off the road or did you just forget about it until the time came to sort it out?
Was getting it back on the road quick, easy and cheap(ish)? Or was it long, tough and expensive?

Are there any folks here who SORNed a Coop with the intention of getting it back on the road and then didn't either because they just changed their mind or couldn't for whatever reason?

In your experience is it possible to leave an ageing car like the Coop SORNed for so long that it ends up in such a condition that it might be better of just getting another one?

Thanks.

From memory when you SORN a vehicle now it's covered for 10 years so you don't have to do it annually and forget the way I used to leading to an £80.00 fine on each vehicle

Putting a Coupé or any other car into store is a very easy process, do you have dry storage or will it be parked outside in all weather?

One of mine (20VT) has been Sorned since 2007/2008 and kept outside unfortunately - but thats life.
The one thing that I did do was pressure wash the underside to remove all mud as I knew it will be off the road for some years and didnt want moisture sponges any more than I could get away with.

I should have put it under ventilated cover of some sort as the headlamp bumps have not faired well in the sun and will need refurbing, and indeed the ink black paint is also probably too mottled and powdery on the roof to be saveable by just polishing up again.

Keep the sunroof drain points and tubing path clear as well(if fitted)- it will save the mechanism and prevent water overflowing into the cabin from the roof.

I actually moved it a couple of hundred feet yesterday under its own steam, so its all still together - however I wouldnt want to trust the cambelt... and even moving it short distances at low revs is still a risk which hopefully I will get away with until such time as it returns to the road.


When it does go back on the road the very least that is going to happen is new cambelt, probably all brake pipes, refurbed brake calipers.. the discs were practically new and still look good so thats my only cost saving (not a lot!). Ohh new tyres as well because sidewalls are perished too much.



lesson through experience........ If you cant start the car due to the 'code' light not going out then try again without the other two keys for the car sitting on the same fob trying to speak to the transponder at the same time !
Also if your battery has been supercharged with a primitive charger whilst mothballed the battery voltage might be just too high for the ecu to operate the keycode logic and it gets confused. Try again with the main beams and rear demist on to see if that reduces the stored voltage enough to stabilise the electronics enough to start



SORN legals....
DVLA Last updated: 25 October 2016
Your SORN is automatically cancelled when you tax your vehicle again or it’s sold, scrapped or permanently exported.
You don’t need to renew a SORN.
Your vehicle must stay in the UK for your SORN to be valid.

I just Sorned my coupe yesterday for the first time in nearly 10 years of ownership. But I've got it in a heated garage and intend to do quite a bit of work on it over the winter. I don't think I could bring myself to leave it outside all winter and not use it.

I didn't drive mine for 11 months but couldn't SORN it so just kept paying the tax and insurance. Was worthless as the gearbox was knackered so didn't see the point in selling. I saved up then shipped it to Joe!

We SORNd Rosa for the 11 months she was with Joe, dead easy to Tax when we were ready to get her back on the road, all on-line.

I speak from alot of experience in saying theres nothing worse for a car than not using it.