BXProject

[stu]

Advice please!

I reckon my insurance claim is going to take some time to clear up, so I've been casting about on ebay for a cheap runabout just to get me going in the meantime. And I do mean cheap - I want to pay £50-£100 for something with maybe three months MoT and tax left on it. When I've finished with it I'll stick it back on the 'bay.

Something in the s***h East would be nice.

It also needs to be capable of motorway runs; nothing toooo crappy like Metros etc.

Any thoughts?

(I have done this before, incidentally - the best one was my bargain GSA bought from Stinkwheel Matt which gave me six months excellent service for £120 before the end. The way I see it: you can't hire a car for that price.)

[David]

When you're looking for a motah for under £100 with rent and ticket, you can't really be picky about what it is. eBay search for anything under £100 will bring up stuff from various manufacturers, so you can then take your pick from what's there.

It's a shame it's not a couple of weeks time, as I'd have a spare BX I'd be able to lend you for the duration.

[stu]

It's amazing what's out there, if you're lucky!

I bid on a 1989 Passat MoT'd 'til April. It went for £103 in the end - which I would have paid, if I'd been there at the end of the auction.

The ebay search doesn't seem to work properly if you don't put any words in the search box, which makes it difficult to search for anything under £100. It just seems to return everything in the category (ie cars).

[mnde]

Hi Stu,

I've just been having an eBay surf for you. Not all the cars below are serious suggestions, I was having a bit of fun - based on some of the cars you've owned in the past


Cheap, decent handling, comfortable...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1990-PEUGEOT-205- ... 0150245599

How about this for money-to-metal ratio:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1987-VOLVO-240-GL ... 0151969938

How about this, the choice of champions!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1995-VAUXHALL-CAV ... 0149526031

Ohyes! No pics but I like the sound of this one

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1980-FORD-CAPRI-L ... 0153430332

David, look away now (also fwded to Chris Salter)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1980-TALBOT-HORIZ ... 0153660974

Another big barge. It's got MOT!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1987-VOLVO-740-GL ... 0152239817

OMG!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1977-HONDA-CIVIC- ... 0149966387

This one's rather interesting actually, in the spirit of the Passat you just missed:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vauxhall-MK-1-Car ... 0150638541


I'll post this now, but I'm gonna look some more, it's fun!

Mark.

[stu]

It's oddly addictive, isn't it!

[stu]

Having actually looked at mnde's suggestions:

Mark, you are INSANE!

[David]

Some of those are FANTASTIC!

The Carlton in particular looks like a great car. I've no doubt it will go for a lot more than £100.

The Horizon. Oh dear god the Horizon. The Talbot Horizon taught me many things: It taught me about body roll, It taught me about comedy french wiring, but the main thing it taught me about was welding, and a shitload of it too. There are so many known rot points on a Horizon that you might as well just buy a welder and a supply of sheet steel at the same time as you buy the car. I welded TONNES of steel into the seven (yes, fucking seven of the bastards) Horizon's I had many years ago. They were all diabolically rotten cars. I think I had most variants of engine/gearbox (except the 1.1... that truly was shit) and anything I didn't own I certainly drove.

Learned to drive in one. Crashed on on the M3 and closed the motorway for several hours (not my fault I hasten to add), repaired many of them, and STILL have parts for them in my garage.

Would I have another? If someone could find me a 1984 Horizon 1.9D with 5speed box and "Pullman" trim, then maybe, yes.

I'd still rather have the Carlton.

[mnde]

I'm glad you approve David. The more I look at the Carlton, the more I like. And somehow the old Honda Civic grabs me too. TBH the Capri sounds like a potential sleeper

And so we go on:

Yeah baby!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Ford-Sierra-1983_ ... 0152925176

Oh my good god! I quite like this....

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1980-FORD-ESCORT- ... 0162724830

Last one, I know it's a bit far away and needs a bit of work, but where would you find another?? Forwarded to CS

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Peugeot-304SL-Est ... 0150371433

Quote Stu: "Mark you're INSANE"

Yeah, don't you just love it

God I really need to work for a classic car mag and buy all kinds of old junk...................

Mark.

EDIT: Chris just sent me this one he found. Typical Chris car. It's only in Hove, and if you pushed the boat out, it could be yours too, although I'm not sure what K would say

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0152240747

MOTed and taxed until May 08!

[Way2go]

EDIT: Chris just sent me this one he found. Typical Chris car. It's only in Hove, and if you pushed the boat out, it could be yours too, although I'm not sure what K would say

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll? ... 0152240747

MOTed and taxed until May 08!

An Austin Maxi! I remember the hype that surrounded this car - used to be described as a "Ton-Up Double Bed" as the seats can be adjusted flat in line.

[docchevron132]

The Talbot Horizon taught me many things:

I welded TONNES of steel into the seven (yes, fucking seven of the bastards) Horizon's I had many years ago. They were all diabolically rotten cars. I

hhmm, it may have taught you many things, but it didn't teach you to give up after one!!
Your a masochist mate!!!

[mickey taker]

I love maxis one of the first proper hatchbacks ,
(I suppose the A40 Farina was the first real hatchback and the radford minis but they were custom built )



and they said it would never catch on

[PiLsY.]

The sunbeam was a hell of a car though. Went like shit off a shovel. You're right about the rot though. Could feel a breeze inside mine at anything over 20mph from the holes in the bulkhead corners .

[stu]

An Austin Maxi! Smile I remember the hype that surrounded this car - used to be described as a "Ton-Up Double Bed" as the seats can be adjusted flat in line.

I remain convinced that my first girlfriend was conceived in a Maxi.

Mark, I really like the look of the Civic too It doesn't really fulfil the brief of being capable of covering about 600 motorway miles in the next two weeks though...

[PiLsY.]

Mate, that meteor is practically rape if you get it for £150. Nobody's likely to bid on it now. Stick with what you know you like, you know can do what you want it to and what you know you can afford to run would be my advice.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1990-CITROEN-BX-1 ... dZViewItem

That's as mint a BX as you are ever likely to find by my eye.

You could even pick it up stratford weekend, and come back in convoy with me, vanny and billy, spend the weekend at stratford and let doc and vanny look it over, get absolutely arseholed on saturday night then off you go back home on Sunday in a mint BX. How can that possibly be in any way a bad plan? Sometimes I surprise myself with my own genius you know

[Vanny]

i'd be more than happy to run you arround as well, just jump on the train to the 'pool can even put you up if you want to come up early!

[stu]

I might bid £151 just to piss him off

[PiLsY.]

He has to go one better .








Not a bad idea that actually.....

[PiLsY.]

Like I said on the BXC topic, If I didn't have 3 already, or even if I could store a fourth I'd be bidding. That's a one in a million find for £150. Its got to be in good running order to get the MOT, anything else can be looked at in stratford once you've had a drive of it to find any faults (if there even are any) and you get shepherded there anyway. Fair enough you have to tax it, but thats literally a running cost anyway. You'll save your money in tax by xmas over the fuel you'd have to shove in an XM, or to be honest most other cars you'll find that cheap.

[Vanny]

you'll probably make a lot of money back when and if you come to sell it too!

[stu]

'tis tempting!

I *really* won't be able to make it to Stratford though, got far too much on that weekend.