Viewing a TII

[Kron]

I\'m going to view a 89 (December) TII at the end of the week, 150k with 37k on rebuilt engine. The bit which put me off a little was when I went for more info and was told they\'ve done less than 100 miles in the last 2 years, I believe they\'ve been the owners for the last 7 years and the car has had 4 owners in total.

Aparently the car has been garaged and the underside is totally spotless and never had any welding, The last MOT had some very minor failures.

Anyone have any wise words of advise on potential problems to look for or signs of something that should be walked away from?

[FD3SNuttah]

just check for the usual make sure it actually HAS had a rebuild.. im sure theres a FAQ on what to look for.

[Iwan]

I\'m going to view a 89 (December) TII at the end of the week, 150k with 37k on rebuilt engine. The bit which put me off a little was when I went for more info and was told they\'ve done less than 100 miles in the last 2 years, I believe they\'ve been the owners for the last 7 years and the car has had 4 owners in total.

Aparently the car has been garaged and the underside is totally spotless and never had any welding, The last MOT had some very minor failures.

Anyone have any wise words of advise on potential problems to look for or signs of something that should be walked away from?

nice to see more FC- fans ^^

ok here is my advice:

- check the condition of the power-steering cooling line (in front of the car, just look from the front of the bumper, you should see s-formed line in front od the oil cooler). This lines are known for beeing rusty and leaking....
- check for the condition of the exhaust- System
- check for oily diff.
- check the space wehre the spare tire is located in. Put the spare tire out, and check for rust unter the tire.
- check for clean hetch- water drain holes. Them should be clear and not jammed.
- check the suspension
- check for rust just unter the hinges.
- check for rust on rear wheel arches.
- check the gearbox and the sync- rings or abnormal noises in 5th- gear.
- check the sunroof for rust and freely working condition (the roof should not stuck when opening or closing)

REgards
Iwan

[sadgoth]

Check for RUST! the OEM side skirts can hide a variety of sins!
Otherwise have a compression test.
At that age, with that mileage some of the bushes will be shot, with 150k the turbo may be on its way out unless that has been rebuilt.

It all comes down to cost, what price is it up for?
How much have you got put aside for remedial work?

[Kron]

I\'d expect to get the car for around £900 and I have budgeted 2k in reserve for remedial.

[grinder]

£900 BARGAIN-TASTIC

1 - make sure it starts from hot and cold
2 - start it and remove the rad cap - check for LOTS of bubbles - sign of coolant seal failure
3 - check the spare wheel well
4 - really check the underside for rust - its a killer

at that price - if its that bad - then you could break it for spares for more

cheap though if its been rebuilt !

[sadgoth]

with £2k for bits n pieces on top of what looks like a tidy car you should have an absolute gem and still have a good bit left over - sounds like a good plan if you check all of the above points and have an idea on prices for things like the bushes, maybe shocks and I\'d say get a price on a turbo rebuild (or call RX Motors and see if Tim has a low mileage TII turbo lying around gathering dust)

[grinder]

Mark ,

oohhh youve become a full member ... coool

anyways... what happens when the turbo lets go ??

does it take the engine with it - or does it depend on what side fails ?

its just that mine has 106K on it - and a bit of play on the rear and not sure what to do about it ??

sorry for the hijack

stu

[sadgoth]

Hi Stu!

Yeah I noticed that Lisa had changed my status yesterday (paypal take forever to clear!)

I\'m not sure on the turbo, in theory if the compressor wheel shatters bits will fly into the housings and there is a good chance that will take a seal or two with it! Thing is I doubt that the compressor wheel would just shatter, more likely that the bearings would wear to the point the the turbine just doesn\'t spin up and you get slippage which would result in loads of smoke and not a lot of power!

[tsh]

I guess that when the turbo fails, the most likely effect is loss of balance of the exhaust side (heavier, and more heat loading) which then leads to bearing failure. Once the bearings go, it\'s lots of smoke at idle....

I do have a spare turbo though if anyone feels the need to part with £150...

Back on the main thread, rust between the floor and inner sills - it must be there, you\'ve just not found it yet   :chat

Sean

[Kron]

Well I wen\'t down there to view it today...

There is a very small patch of rust on the sunroof panel and thats it, There was no rust whatsoever in the spare wheel well. The inner wheel arches are fine.

The underside is really in excellent condition (its been dry stored for the last two years) the inner sills are very good compared to other TII\'s I\'ve seen. A new clutch was fitted at the same time the engine was replaced with a rebuilt and reconditioned item, The turbo was also reconditioned.

The radiator needs flushing as it was a bit murky but there were no excessive air bubbles. The last MOT needed 2 new front lower wishbone bushes a wiper blade and a new rubber mount on the exhaust.

It needs a little time spent on it but I was quite impressed overall, The only negative was that the MOT is up in 3 months time.

With a bit of bartering I managed to get the car in the end for £750!

I pick it up next week.

[grinder]

thats SUPERB matey

glad to see you got one sorted - might see more than 7 FC\'s at rotorstock this year then  !!

sounds a bloody good price though - the turbo recon and clutch would stand you between 400 - 500

now you get to do what all FC owners do .... look for cheapo parts

just out of interest - where did you see the car for sale - i keep seeing people getting cheap FC\'s but i can never find them

[FD3SNuttah]

now that is a bargain!! well done matey - the car looks fantastic,

[t2rew]

now you get to do what all FC owners do .... look for cheapo parts

not ALL..

[grinder]

not ALL..

OK .... most of us then