3200 bought for spares. A good idea?

[elephant4009]

Just bought a 3200 from a dealer in Washington with the intention of using it as a donor car for my other two. Dreadfully disappointing as I was assured by the seller that the engine was sound. It was not, it is incredibly tappety.
I thought that this was the way forward to keep on top of the cost of spares but perhaps not. It has been off the road since late 2019 when the owner spent just over £20,000 on it at Graypaul. I paid £6000 for it. Have I been a fool?

 

[MRichards]

The fool was the previous owner.

 

[RichTaps]

There’s 6k worth of bits on it - seems like a good deal.

it amazes me that people spend that sum of money at a dealer for a (at best) 10k car.

 

[Kiwibrit]

See my 4200 sale recently.. Sometimes it's about enjoying the moment and moving on. I bought a GC.

My only stipulation in selling was that the new owner was a genuine fan out to have some enjoyment. I am sure already that I succeeded. If he makes money or doesn't lose, then all the better as far as I am concerned.

 

[DLax69]

There’s 6k worth of bits on it - seems like a good deal.

it amazes me that people spend that sum of money at a dealer for a (at best) 10k car.

+1 on this...

 

[happydaze]

What would make it really good, would be you never need any of the bits off it...

 

[lozcb]

What would make it really good, would be you never need any of the bits off it...

And find a kilo,of white powder neatly wrapped behind the carpets in the boot

 

[DLax69]

What would make it really good, would be you never need any of the bits off it...

...like a talisman.

 

[lozcb]

...like a talisman.

Personally i would go into the paperweight supply business

 

[DLax69]

F

Personally i would go into the paperweight supply business

Feeling better, Loz?

 

[lozcb]

Na , hence the stupid o clock get up, started some antibiotics yesterday maybe in a day or two things should kick in , gonna pop down river side and enjoy the quiet stills of the river and early morning sunrise over a few coffees

 

[DLax69]

Na , hence the stupid o clock get up, started some antibiotics yesterday maybe in a day or two things should kick in , gonna pop down river side and enjoy the quiet stills of the river and early morning sunrise over a few coffees

Afraid of that...cheers...

 

[elephant4009]

My main 3200 is currently off the road because I left the engine running to defrost it, went to the toilet & came back to a overheated disaster with no compression. It also needed a new rear boomerang & two lower front arms. Now, the new car, which incidentally does run ( I drove it back from Newcastle) was fitted with all new suspension in 18/19 so it can supply the arms & light. Just disappointed it won't be supplying the engine at the moment.
There's also something depressing about having a progressively deteriorating hulk hanging around.
Still, as Happydaze said, perhaps now that I have it, I'll never ever ever need any parts again, because my other cars will never need them.
I really must prune my fleet. Two non running 3200 & a 4200 simply won't do. Time to say goodbye to the 4200 I think. Funny thing is, I'm down in Duxford today for the Aroc meet & I'm in my **** Saab.

 

[urquattrogus]

At duxford today too (my car on the right)





Stick with it!

 

[conaero]

There’s 6k worth of bits on it - seems like a good deal.

it amazes me that people spend that sum of money at a dealer for a (at best) 10k car.

We see it at ours regularly where the owners are very attached to their cars and spend near or over its value.

Is that wrong, of course not if it means something.

Bedsides we would all be divorced if that was the method of thinking

 

[Motorsport3]

There’s 6k worth of bits on it - seems like a good deal.

it amazes me that people spend that sum of money at a dealer for a (at best) 10k car.

There is a counter argument there, that ultimately you won't have a robust 20yr old car if you constraint the money spent by the Webuyanycar valuation level.

If the prior owner thought that he was £10k away from a robust 3200 in my view he didn't take necessarily the wrong decision. In this example evidently it was much more than that and lost interest.

 

[MarkMas]

It's not ridiculous (IMHO) to spend more than the value of the car on repairs (don't read this @conaero ) if (a) the car values themselves are ridiculously low (b) you like the car and (c) you plan to keep it for a while. But I don't understand these people who buy something, spend a lot of money and then just sell it on for what they paid in the first place.

 

[MarkMas]

If I were mechanically competent, I would buy a bad QPV for the parts. But it makes no sense for me, because I would have to keep it in Hampshire and pay Matt to swap the bits over!

 

[conaero]

Yeah, luckily we already have that spares car in our car park for you

 

[davy83]

the suspension parts are worth having for sure. Perhaps you could make the engine a small project and strip and rebuild it, a solid 3200 engine is money well spent in my mind you would sell that easily. List the bits you really dont need? Or to save you looking at the rusting hulk strip all the good bits off it and scrap the rest?