I bought a 2005 Impreza about 8 years ago.
Probs worth now what I paid for it then. Maybe a few pounds more even!
That is an absolute first for me, after mostly taking a bath on all cars for the last 20years!
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Try finding a 22b for less than 200k even with Ryan Giggs having on3
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A friend had a 22B which cost him around £40k at the time. I had a P1, which I sold far too cheaply.
It's just a matter of time...
I was offered a 1977 930 just before Christmas.A UK car, about 70k miles, last owner for 30 odd years.
Needed a couple of grand detailing it, but otherwise in lovely condition. Interior was pretty much perfect. I even has a chance to look around underneath and couldn’t see any rust. The seller was looking for 100k which I thought was a bargain given that the only other 77 930 for sale was an ex Canadian supplied car at £170k.
Unfortunately the wife said NO!
Whoever does not know how to hit the nail on the head should be asked not to hit it at all.
Friedrich Nietzsche
Looking at currently advertised prices that does seem like a very good deal. I haven't looked in a while, but it definitely seems that the numbers asked in the UK have moved quite a bit higher from last year, with a lot less stock. Not a single 1989 car aside from two no-miles LEs at stratospheric prices.
I always wonder where these cars go as at most events I go to mine is the only 930. Even at Porsche specific festivals there is maybe one or two others.
"Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action."
'Populism, the last refuge of a Tory scoundrel'.
Game changing is 100% correct- I was well used to driving ‘quick’ cars I remember at the time thinking how fast can it be, feck me the jolt after the Turbo Lag was something else. The joys of blowing away Cossies, GTI’s, still brings a smile to my face, the look of I’ve just been left for dead by an estate car was legendary…. I cut my teeth in the Trade dealing with S/RS performance Audi offerings, the RS2 will always be up there in my all time favourite list.
New series of Wheeler Dealers on Discovery.
Practically a scrapper Dolomite Sprint 6k!
Yet to see what they get when they finish
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My dad had one when they first came out ( which I got to drive) . My Aunt had one also. Our one survived 2 years to be traded in for an XJ6,, Her one didn't - big style! The engine turned itself into an ingot of alloy scrap (The 16v single cam engine was great when it worked but like the Stag V8 could get a bit iffy when over-warm. )
I would love a good one... but would always have a worry that it wasn't
JP
Last edited by stiglet; 21st March 2023 at 21:27. Reason: I cannot spell
When Stiglet Jr No1 came along I persuaded Mrs S to sell her 18k mile immaculate 1.6 GTI for 2.5k because housing a pram and /or a car seat was problematic . 29 years on I am not quite sure if she has forgiven me ...
At the time I had a guards red 3.2 Carrera - and the 205 was generally more fun to drive
interesting thread....
i think ICE cars will become purely for hobbyists in the future.
Just like horses are now. (ie they were a means of transport in 1900 and then by 1930 only kept as a hobby, due to the car becoming the 'new' horse)
it's inevitable that the green lobby will have every new car powered with electricy by 2040.
(i think the 2030 date currently set will get pushed back as the infrastructure and grid won't be able to cope with new sales of solely electric vehicles by 2030, and there seems to be a bit of pushback against electric cars currently brewing up, alongside their relative perceived overpricing for what is essentially a metal box with 4 washing machine motors !!)
however the share of electric vehicles sold will steadily increase as the tax benefits are a huge incentive for companies and employees to run them.
Regarding the values of classics, it's difficult to tell long term how they will perform, as one factor to be considered is the future availability of fuel
if the supply of fuel is massively reduced, and its price rockets then cars will become nothing more than static display pieces, which is bound to affect their value, as they are rather large to store compared to other investment assets like paintings, watches, coins, stamps, wine, whisky etc etc etc.
One good sign is Porsche have currently started producing synthetic fuels, which are initially going to be used to power the Global Porsche Cup race series cars.
if fuel remains readily available then the values are likely to appreciate as classics, and all ICE cars become rarer.
On the positive side, the classic car market GDP is in the multi billions so any government quashing that market would be cutting it's revenue generation. thus cutting fuel availability would not seem to be a logical political choice.
one potential problem seems that the 'young' of today appear to be less interested in cars than older generations were.
Therefore if the buying market shrinks, then so does the demand.
However classics have a pull factor as they have SOUL and CHARACTER. no matter if it's a Reliant Robin or a Lambo Miura
in my opinion that can't be said about the vast majority of the homogenous modern cars, be they ICE or electric.
i think that factor has fuelled the current interest, and resultant boom in classic cars.
also of course linked with the desire to stand out, is the nostalgia factor, ie the Countach Athena poster (or Cosworth etc) on the teenagers bedroom wall.
I think the appreciation in value is a bonus if it comes, but should not be the motivation when buying a classic car.
I think most people who buy Classic cars buy with their heart certainly not their heads. With the fast Fords Bonanza passed, it will be down to the next batch of more modern cars to shine. I purchased my TR6 with a bit of both, and keeping it in very much the condition i bought it in the value is retained. I use it all year round but it never goes out if its wet or any chance of rain. Prices of all the really good cars have strengthened over the past three years or so, and that trend will continue i think.
I love keeping it tip top even underneath and the engine bay, I even polish the copper brake pipes.
I like yellow cars too...
and unusual ones. (only 3 Mk1's like this in the UK i'm aware of)
Last edited by ChronoPantera; 26th March 2023 at 22:31.
I met Paul (Hilly 10) once for a watch deal a few years ago, surprising how we share similar interests! I owned a TR6 between 2000 and 2010, mine was a really nice example, but Paul's takes it to the next level and must be a concours contender. Bright yellow is an ideal colour for the TR6, very popular back in the 70s and still looks good on the right car. Can`t understand the modern fashion for drab flat grey cars, never looked good back in the 50s and 60s and definitely doesn`t look good now.
Having spent today sorting out 'the watch from hell' (a long story, a job I should've avoided, far too stressful) I`m planning to spend tomorrow working on the MGB, haven`t touched it for over a week. I don't usually mix 'spanners days' with watch days, if I break that rule it's watches first followed by car work, never the other way around, my hands need a night's sleep to readjust and re-programme!
After fiddling with watches, sometimes it feels good to get a decent sized tool in my hand again
I love TR6's, probably my favourite British sports car (alongside a 1960's TVR Griffith V8), and that car of Paul's looks in absolutely stunning condition, and yellow really suits it.
Nice to see a car that looks as good underneath as it does on top !!
mind you I like MGB's too !! especially early chrome bumper ones. Many years ago i had a maroon rubber bumpered convertible, which was great fun on a nice day with sunshine and the wind in your hair !!
Regarding watches, i'm going to have to get a new set of tools to work on them !!
i need to get a cheap automatic movement watch to start my journey on, and some magnifying glasses !!
i can fully understand needing time between the 2 genres of engineering, as you could sneeze and blow a load of the watch components on the floor !! Certainly no need for a torque wrench i feel !!
I visited a friend of mine earlier, and he's got an orange Bond bug he's rebuilding, and he's having a total nightmare trying to get the cylinder head off the aluminimium Reliant Rialto engine, (as it needs the gasket changing)
The steel head studs, which run throught the Ali block and inside the Ali head, have suffered from chronic electrolytic corrosion, and basically the head has welded itself to the studs.
it's so tight he's built a lever jig and attached it to the head to try and aid him pry it off, but it's actually taken him 2 days to move it 10mm and if anything it's got tighter since it's started moving.
he's going to have to take the engine out, which is not easy in itself, (as they're tightly wedged into the fibreglass body), and use a porta-power on it i think. a frustrating 2 days for him. Still apart from that the car is starting to look uptogether, and will certainly be a lot of fun, as long as heep keeps it on 3 wheels !!
(I remember that hilarious TOP Gear episode when Clarkson rolled a Rialto about 10 times in his 'test' drive)
PS the underside of my yellow car is in fairly good condition too, but not quite upto Paul's TR !!
underside yellow 1.jpg
underside yellow2.jpg
I spent some time thrashing the pants off an Evo VI Mäkinen back when it was new and it was magnificent. It remains to this day the only car that's made me sweat to drive and I'd have one in a flash, if I could afford it. I spent some time in an Evo VIII too but it wasn't as hardcore as the VI.
I've not driven a Nissan GT-R though! I know a couple of people with them though, one's a professional racing driver who drives his properly and the other is so worried about how much it's worth he doesn't drive it at all.
The NSX is a car I've lusted after since I saw one in a Honda showroom in Bournemouth in about 1992 and again I missed the boat on buying one. I did borrow one for 10 days back in 2004 and take it to Le Mans.
Now I just enjoy driving my MX-5 with individual throttle bodies and am a happy man. It sounds almost as good as the NSX too! Almost...
"A man of little significance"
Ahh....the joys of classic car ownership!
I bought my MGB in 2015 from a (now defunct) restoration firm in the Leeds area. It's fair to say they made a pigs arse of the car, considering it's an original rust-free ex USA shell it should've been a walk in the park to get it right but they didn`t. I've spent the last few years getting it sorted properly and one of the final 'to do' jobs is to repaint the Rostyle wheels properly.
Devil's always in the detail. These wheels were produced in 2 slightly different versions (1970-74 and 74-79) with a 5mm difference in offset. Prior to taking the wheels for blasting and powder coating I thought it prudent to check the offset to ensure they all match up, not fussy which size they are provided they're all alike............you can see where this is going!
Sods law has struck again, I have 2 of each offset. I made up a device to check and that confirms that they're not a set.
2 options: spare will match one size or the other so I could source 1 second-hand wheel and stick to my plan. Second option (path of least resistance) is to order a set of Minilite replica alloys, which are readily available at around £350/set. Getting the Rostyles right was going to cost £200 that includes powder-coating in silver then painting the black bits myself with the aid of die-cut masks available from the Owners Club, a tricky job to get right.
I can`t be bothered fannying around with the Rostyles even though I prefer them so I`ve opted for the Minilite replica alloys, similar to the ones on Hilly 10's TR6. We're nearing the end of March and it's time to get the car running again and start driving the bloody thing! Might sort the Rostyles out in future as a project and refit them.....but it ain't happening now!
I like classics to look exactly how I remember them back in the day, 70s chrome bumper MGBs ran on Rostyles, very few had wire wheels and occasionally you'd see one with after-market alloys such as Wolfrace or Revolution. Minilites were a rare sight but the modern replicas are popular and suit the car, so that's what mine will get.
Happy days. I need to whip the cylinder head off again too and sort out an issue with valve stem oil seals......that's another saga. In the meantime I`ll accept the increased oil consumption and whisp of blue smoke on start-up.
Here's a pic taken 3 years ago to prove the car does exist and isn`t an 'imaginary friend'
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 27th March 2023 at 12:49.
Staggered set up like a modern BMW? If you haven't noticed then nobody will....but once you know...you know!
Interesting on the Rostyles, in my head it was always the wire wheels for them. Never been too close to the classics, but always in my mind's eye.
Friend had a square wheel arched midget on wires when we were 17; driving that vs a 'modern at the time' Fiesta mk2 was an amazingly scary experience especially at night with the candles lit as headlights.
Loved the noise and the smell though, amazing.
Interesting perspective, Fiesta mk2 compared to a modern Fiesta is basic, but compared to an MG Midget it's positively modern! Between 1982 and 85 I totally rebuilt a 1968 MGB GT and built an uprated engine for it. My everyday car was an Opel Manta 1.8 which felt modern (at the time) compared to the MG, performance was similar but the driving experience was totally different. Nowadays the Manta would feel basic compared to a modern, and the MG would feel like something from motoring's dark ages!
As for wire wheels, they look great on certain cars but they can be an absolute pain to live with. Hit a pothole and a wheel can be knocked out of true, truing them up is a skilled art and not something to be attempted at home. Getting them balanced correctly is difficult, very few tyre dealers have the right equipment to set the wheel up on the balancing machine.
I briefly (very briefly) toyed with the idea of converting my current MG to wires but soon came to my senses. It's costly, to do itv properly involves swapping the rear axle casing, and I know how troublesome they can be..........but they do look nice!
The Manta had a very good chassis/suspension, I bought my 1.8 from a village between Hull and the coast, drove it back to Wakefield on a nice sunny evening and was pleasantly surprised how well it drove, a far better drive than its rival from Ford, the 2.0 Capri (owned one of those too).
Unfortunately, for no obvious reason, my Manta blew its head gasket at 37000 miles. I fondly recall taking the head off in the driveway on a cold November day, garage was full with the MGB GT. The water pump acted as the cam belt tensioner and I must’ve over- tensioned the belt because a few weeks later the water pump bearing failed. A combination of 20-something youthful exuberance and the simplicity of the cars turned these mishaps into nothing more than minor inconvenience, a day with the spanners and all was sorted. I look at modern cars and I wouldn’t know where to start without some hard thinking, with the older cars you lifted the bonnet and everything was fairly obvious.
That’s the thing with all modern cars now Paul plug them in, a computer performs a diagnostic report, then more often then not just replace a part. With the TR6 I know the car inside and out and nine times out of ten spot any faults by ear or a fifteen minute visual check around the car. I like that aspect of classic cars.
The secret is to do the opposite of whatever i do.
VX220, Evora and M2 all sold at the bottom of the market
In saying that my cars would rarely ever become silly money as i only buy them to use them....the issue with buying a car as an investment is that it means you can't really use the car as that kills the value.
Yes if the price of pristine XXXX goes up it might drag up the prices of non-pristine examples but my experience is that it doesn't drag them up as much as you'd like.
Nice to see other Skyline owners here, even if they are ex-owners
I have an R33 GTR and have owned pretty much every other modern version of a Skyline
I’ve had both R33 and R34 GTR’s . Will have to try and dig out some pics.
Bought the 34 for £30k, sold it for £32k about 2 years later after spending probably £7-8k on maintenance and upgrades. What a car though…. Did my first track day at Brands Hatch in it . Dread to think what it would be worth now
Would love to see photos if possible! If yourself or nick67 were ever on the GTR forum in the U.K. we may have spoken on there. Been a member since 2003!
I use to own 1 of the 3 U.K. EV1 Yellow R34 GTR’s, it’s over in Germany now and been trying to buy it back for a while
Drain pipes for exhausts, jumpers for goal posts, ah those were the days
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Hahaha!
I had a Blitz Nur Spec exhaust on one of my old Imprezas that was so loud I couldn’t start the car in the garage as it would make the entire street shake . I used to push it out and roll it down the road before getting in and starting it
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Yep, I was on the GTR forum back in the day and scoobynet as I was a big impreza fan, had 5 different variants over the years . Wish I’d kept them all !!
Managed to dig out the following….
Did my first and last track day in the 34. Always wanted to do more but life gets in the way!!
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I was there too! There was a pic for a magazine, I chose not to be in it but my father and brother are. If I recall you sat in the boot of a 33 with Tim right for the JUN dyno run? Such a small world