Seriously?

[Bob 1967]

[QUOTE=Othen;2898504].

When Steve finishes his garage this time next year the 145 Express will still be in the eBay classifieds

I think it will more likely to have become one with the ground it is stood on!
Regarding the 245s, I meant the early Round headlight models.

[Laird Scooby]

[QUOTE=Bob 1967;2898583]

Originally Posted by Othen

.

When Steve finishes his garage this time next year the 145 Express will still be in the eBay classifieds

I think it will more likely to have become one with the ground it is stood on!
Regarding the 245s, I meant the early Round headlight models.

I thought so Bob, the ones built from cheap Russian steel that suffered tinwormski.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Bob 1967

When Steve finishes his garage this time next year the 145 Express will still be in the eBay classifieds

I think it will more likely to have become one with the ground it is stood on!
Regarding the 245s, I meant the early Round headlight models.

I see your point there Bob, and I agree the 145 Express may have returned to the earth from whence it came by then . The seller (a classic car dealer) seems convinced it is worth £2,500, if he/she waits to get that price it may have become dust

[Othen]

This one looks quite nice if someone wanted a cheap runner to improve a bit:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166141520...Bk9SR5SGifaQYg

... the good points are that it is a 2.3 litre and a GLE (with leather seats that look a bit scabby). It has 6 months worth of MoT left.

On the downside: the speedometer was changed at 150,000 miles way back in 2008 and it has done 50,000 miles since, so it is no spring chicken. There was rust reported on the 2020 MoT failure - it passed the test just 4 days later, maybe it had some welding (which should be obvious) or perhaps an extra thick layer of underseal (which would also be obvious). It is a 1987 motor car, so it won't qualify for tax exemption for another 5 years.

I suppose for the price it would be okay if there was some evidence that the recent rust issues had been fixed properly rather than covered over. It would always be a high mileage car so it wouldn't be worth spending much on.

What do you think of that one Huskte?

[Moomoo]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166149170...Bk9SR_L3n6qRYg

Bit of an enigma!🤔

Could be one for the sportier gentleman.

[Othen]

Originally Posted by Moomoo

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166149170...Bk9SR_L3n6qRYg

Bit of an enigma!🤔

Could be one for the sportier gentleman.

I’d agree Andrew, an enigma.
Far too many jobs the seller didn’t get round to, and no provenance at all. I’d be surprised if it makes the starting price.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

This one looks quite nice if someone wanted a cheap runner to improve a bit:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166141520...Bk9SR5SGifaQYg

... the good points are that it is a 2.3 litre and a GLE (with leather seats that look a bit scabby). It has 6 months worth of MoT left.

On the downside: the speedometer was changed at 150,000 miles way back in 2008 and it has done 50,000 miles since, so it is no spring chicken. There was rust reported on the 2020 MoT failure - it passed the test just 4 days later, maybe it had some welding (which should be obvious) or perhaps an extra thick layer of underseal (which would also be obvious). It is a 1987 motor car, so it won't qualify for tax exemption for another 5 years.

I suppose for the price it would be okay if there was some evidence that the recent rust issues had been fixed properly rather than covered over. It would always be a high mileage car so it wouldn't be worth spending much on.

What do you think of that one Huskte?

The seats would no doubt come up fairly nicely just with cleaning and feeding, if the colour has completely gone then it can be returned usign one of the excellent kits around.
The car itself is generally in good condition (nice colour too, Blue-Green Metallic) and appears to have been well looked after. The two things that would put me off it are that it's a carb and has Pulsair from the look of it. Other than that, a good RR - Rolling Restoration - for someone who is capable.

Originally Posted by Moomoo

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/166149170...Bk9SR_L3n6qRYg

Bit of an enigma!🤔

Could be one for the sportier gentleman.

We're back to the ongoing conundrum of modifying a cooking motor into a road burner and the overall value of the car in general exceeded by the costs of the mods and the percieved value from the seller. If memory serves, the 240 Torslanda was a B200E (possibly B200F if late enough - would make the turbo conversion easier) with ~120bhp from the factory. Not capable of exerting enough G-forces under hard acceleration to topple that priceless antique the owner has just bought to sell on so ideal for that. The current owner has endowed it with a lot more than that and lowered it too. The engine appears to be a B230FK and he mentions an MBC in the listing to up the boost so easily capable of ~160-170bhp without any mods, the other mods will have boosted the 135bhp base-line figure for the B230FK to ~150bhp at a guess.

Someone will want it for whatever reasons but i doubt the opening bid price will be reached............

[Othen]

We are all in agreement Dave & Andrew.

Of the first one: The leather seats have been repaired (some rough stitches with a darning needle) on the driver's bolster (where else), which would never be better than 'sort of okay' even after a cleaned and feed. That isn't unusual for a 35 year old 200,000 mile motor car and wouldn't justify the cost of fixing it properly.



... and the second: You will both know my views on warming up cooking motor cars - it is almost always better to buy a faster one in the first place. This one seems like a bit of a bodge job to me. I nearly always think that warming up motors lowers rather than raises their value. If it had been a standard non-historic VWW with middling miles, a hit and miss maintenance record and lots of things the owner hadn't quite got round to fixing it might have made £2,500 to £3,000. Now I'd say that would be nearer 2 grand.

[Othen]

I keep an occasional eye on 740 saloon prices and noticed this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334897760184

... a garage find, having been 'lost' for 17 years. the seller probably bought it for a monkey, got it going and it has passed a MoT - he/she now wants £2,500, The vendor claims it has a FSH - I suppose if does if one ignores the 17 year gap in the middle . It looks like the seller has not filled the V5 to transfer it yet, so I rather suspect not much has been done to it: 20 year old cam belt, vee belts, oil, filter, battery (new electrons), tyres (new air) and so on.

I quite like it but £1,800 would probably be a fair price in view of the above. It would be a bit too young for me - a long way from being an historic vehicle .

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Othen

We are all in agreement Dave & Andrew.

Of the first one: The leather seats has been repaired (some rough stitches with a darning needle) on the driver's bolster (where else), which would never be better than 'sort of okay' even after a cleaned and feed. That isn't unusual for a 35 year old 200,000 mile motor car and wouldn't justify the cost of fixing it properly.

I missed the darning needle repair on the drivers bolster, my sewing skills aren't great by any stretch of the imagination but they're better than that!

If a passenger seat cover could be found it could be (probably) swapped or even a good drivers seat cover.

Originally Posted by Othen

I keep an occasional eye on 740 saloon prices and noticed this one:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334897760184

... a garage find, having been 'lost' for 17 years. the seller probably bought it for a monkey, got it going and it has passed a MoT - he/she now wants £2,500, The vendor claims it has a FSH - I suppose if does if one ignores the 17 year gap in the middle . It looks like the seller has not filled the V5 to transfer it yet, so I rather suspect not much has been done to it: 20 year old cam belt, vee belts, oil, filter, battery (new electrons), tyres (new air) and so on.

I quite like it but £1,800 would probably be a fair price in view of the above. It would be a bit too young for me - a long way from being an historic vehicle .

It's a B200E so is unlikely to sell quickly, very sluggish and thirsty compared to a B230E and prone to piston slap on #4 cylinder. Also has a blue interior, very nice but almost impossible to find used and even more difficult to find in good used condition.
It will as you point out need recommissioning if done properly, allow another grand for that and suddenly it's no longer the bargain it seems at first glance.