‘It’s about saving money and bonding with your classic’
researching to find which parts are hard to get or cost silly money – and which outlets are the best sources for parts, new and used. Familiarise yourself with what issues should be avoided at all costs. Then always go and look at what you are buying. I know it’s something we should practice as well as preach, but there’s an element of risk here that needs a clear head and not some late night booze-fuelled bidding on ebay.
You can beat the system and the price rises. But there’s a small caveat – this isn’t actually about making money, it is about saving money and really bonding with your classic… which is what happens when you work on it.
Triumph Dolomite Sprint
To the same extent as pretty much everything else from their era, Dolomites rust – and the best opportunities to fulfil our brief here are for anyone who’s handy with welding kit. Don’t be overambitious, though – there are areas on a Dolomite that it’s best not to get involved with if you can help it. These would include the front bulkhead and A-pillar areas, along with the rear edge of the roof. If this is vinyl-covered – as are most Sprints – look closely for any signs of bubbling pushing up beneath this, which can be an early indicator of potentially very bad news.
Some outer panels like steel front wings are becoming very hard to find and therefore expensive (around £500 or more) so ideally look for a car whose issues are lower down – floors, sills and, almost inevitably, door skins. Panels are readily available at regular prices for these areas, but make sure the door shell itself isn’t too far gone or you’ll either be into complex repairs or looking for better secondhand base units. There’s still some fear around about the Sprint’s engine, but really, apart from some complexity around the 16-valve head, they are as simple as anything. Those fears can cause owners to bail on a car when they hear the start of rattles from the engine, though in truth it’s most likely to be just the timing chain and/or tensioner. It’s only a half-day job to replace the chain, so that provides another opportunity to add a bit of value to a car by doing a bit of spannering. Do beware of any of the usual signs of a blown head gasket. It may be just that, which isn’t too bad – but it could also mean corrosion in the head itself, as they are quite fussy about the quality and freshness of their coolant. Scruffy interiors are something to avoid, as it’s pretty hard to get replacement parts and materials apart from carpets. Otherwise, mechanically and electrically these cars are pretty straightforward. They are also supported by good clubs and specialists, so help is at hand. It’s also worth considering that a lot of market commentators think the Dolly Sprint is seriously undervalued at the moment. Take a quick look at prices being paid for the car’s old rivals like Escort RS2000S and you’ll see why. Such anomalies in value rarely last for long, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some kind correction soon, so it’s probably a good time to buy any Sprint.
SPECIFICATION Engine 1998cc/4-cyl/ohc Power 127bhp@5700rpm Torque 122lb ft@4500rpm Transmission 4-speed manual 0-60mph 8.7sec Top speed 115mph Fuel economy 24mpg
Peugeot 205 GTI
There’s a big opportunity with the 205 GTI because their prices are all over the place. Fully restored or low-milers can top £20k, but for anything else the prices seem to be chosen almost at random. In the last year I’ve seen 205s sell at one auction for £5k that were no better than the £1500 car at a sale the previous week. It’s a similar story in the classifieds.
What isn’t in dispute is that a car probably deserves the crown for greatest hot-hatch of its era remains a very good long-term bet – those values will stabilise soon and there will always be people who want the adrenaline rush they provide.
The other thing to know is that most people are currently chasing the 1.9 model – and paying a fat premium for them. This is plain daft as, in the real world, the 1.6 GTI is almost as good – there’s next to nothing in it. Well, someone had to say it. And I’ve driven plenty of 1.9s and owned two 1.6s – one new, one so down-at-heel and Mot-less that I was offered it for nothing. All it actually took was £200 and two weekends to sort it out and bag an MOT, then a while later I sold it for £600. Those were the days, although you can still achieve something similar but further up the financial scale now.
On the other hand, I am going to agree with the market and badmouth the convertible CTI version. Not exactly a bad car, but cheaper for good reasons – their floppy bodies and expensive roofs.
The good news about the 205 GTI is that they don’t tend to suffer badly from rust unless they have been crashed and repaired. The bad news is that quite a few have been crashed by those whose enjoyment exceeded their skill set. A sure giveaway that one has a bit of a past is poor panel gaps or alignment. It’s near-impossible to achieve Peugeot’s pretty tight factory-fit with the pattern panels available, so simply steer clear of any car that does not look right when you eyeball it down the sides.
There are plenty of 205 Gtis around at the moment that are in need of mechanical and trim work – and that’s exactly the kind of car we’d be looking for. Most of the different variants of seat material have now been reproduced – and freshly redone front seats on their own can totally transform a car’s value. Do you feel like getting handy with a sewing machine for a change?
SPECIFICATION Engine 1580cc/4-cyl/ohc Power 113bhp@6250rpm Torque 99lb ft@4000rpm Transmission 5-speed manual 0-60mph 8.9sec Top speed 121mph Fuel economy 39mpg
Austin 1300
The heading says Austin, but this section really applies to all the 1275cc versions of BMC’S ADO16 range. In fact you may be on even safer ground with some of the others, as the difference in values between good and bad cars is that much higher – up to double, say, for an MG 1300 or Riley Kestrel, and Austin 1300GTS are practically at exotic levels if you can find one. That allows quite a bit more budget to make a project car nice again – you could perhaps even run to a bit of paint.
Decades of low values and a propensity to rust has left really good examples of these cars very much in the minority. However, we can now weigh that against a growing demand for what are still extremely usable classics. Which means that now is a good time to right the bodges of the past.
Once again we are looking at rust repairs and perhaps removing old abominations like cover sills. It’s even quite common to find lots of rust in few-owner, low-mileage examples as they just weren’t well protected from new. This means you should never skimp on checks of any prospective purchase, even if it’s only done 30k and been garaged from new. On the upside, replacement panels and repair sections for stuff like wings are all available. However, new subframes are currently not, and front panels for all models are over £800, so take that into account when sizing up a potential purchase. You can almost ignore the condition of the running gear when buying one, as everything mechanical is so cheap and simple to fix – has anyone not rebuilt an A-series engine yet? It makes me wince now, but in pre-garage days we used to get the machining done and reassemble them at the side of the road.
There has been much worry in the past about future supply of the suspension’s hydrolastic displacers, but the 1100 Club can now re-hose them for a reasonable sum, and that’s the most common fail point. There is work being done on replacing displacer internals too.
You’ll struggle to find new interior trim, so aim for something good in this department unless the business of tracking down good secondhand stuff online appeals. Tyre supply was also tricky for a while, and some have been fitted with N-rated 12in trailer tyres, which makes them nasty to drive. You can now get Nankang T-rated tyres for something like £50 a corner, which make them drive properly.
SPECIFICATION Engine 1275cc/4-cyl/ohv Power 60bhp@5250rpm Torque 69lb ft@2500rpm Transmission 4-speed manual 0-60mph 17.3sec Top speed 87mph Fuel economy 35mpg
Morris Minor Traveller
I know exactly what happens to these when work starts to loom, as the last of the seven Minors I’ve owned was a Traveller – and, to my shame, I let it go cheaply because the wood was going to need doing soon and I didn’t want to tackle it. In my defence, I did have a combination of too many other projects and too little cash at the time, but the bottom line is that someone else got a fundamentally well-sorted car for a very nice price.
And adding new wood is the surest way to increase the value of a Traveller. It will take a little time and you need to work methodically, but isn’t massively difficult – set workshop skill level to ‘Medium’. You can buy each side ready assembled for £438, and the rear doors, if needed, are £210 each. Fit that lot and an otherwise sound car is suddenly worth at least £1500-£2000 more, because that’s the main buyers’ worry dealt with – and people will pay not to worry. It’s also true that your car will also drive much better, as you’ve put strength back into the structure – that wood’s not just for decoration, you know.
Buyers’ guides will always caution against rust, but in a Minor’s case if you’re getting the MIG out it’s all pretty straightforward and there are good panels available for all areas at affordable prices. It’s just another value-adding procedure. The areas that are harder to tackle, that you might want to steer clear of, are front chassis legs and A-pillars as they are long jobs with greater risk of alignment error affecting crucial parts.
Post-1962 Travellers are favoured, largely because these cars really need the 1098cc engine, being 112lb heavier than a two-door saloon with the same engine, and that’s before you’ve started filling that practical loadspace. How the 803cc-engined split-screen Travellers ever got anywhere is a mystery, but they are few and far between so probably off your radar anyway, though running gear swaps are very easy.
The market is always strong for sound and presentable Travellers, and they are on the rise at the moment along with Minor vans and pick-ups. The same cannot be said for those in need of work, so the gap to fill with your time and skills is everwidening. And even a fair number of resto-savvy enthusiasts who are happy to do metalwork can be put off by the idea of working with unfamiliar wood instead of steel. You can take advantage of that.
SPECIFICATION Engine 1098cc/4-cyl/ohv Power 48bhp@5100rpm Torque 60lb ft@2500rpm Transmission 4-speed manual 0-60mph
24.8sec Top speed 77mph Fuel economy 38mpg
Citroën ID/DS
A DS will need a bit more initial outlay than the other cars here, but as PC’S James Walshe discovered, there are still relative bargains to be had, and if you buy right the rewards can be much greater – there’s a temptingly large gap between projects and good cars. However, ‘greater’ also applies to the risks, so a Citroën DS or its less complicated (but cheaper and less exciting) ID brother is not a car to buy on a whim, or for a first project.
Do lots of research, which James says should include talking to one of the Citroën Car Club’s very helpful DS experts. Or as he succinctly put it: ‘Going it alone without expert advice and support will ruin the car, your finances and your life!’ So, best to start your search by joining the club – they may even be able to help you track down a suitable project.
There are plenty of plus points – even beyond the major one of owning a DS in the first place. Growing interest in these cars means most parts are now plentiful, with good specialist backing. There’s also a steady stream of fairly sound project cars coming in from Europe. But don’t judge a DS by its outward appearance. Those outer panels are all easy to remove, while the real rust – which they are prone to – is usually beneath, often in awkward places, and the extent of that can make or break whether a particular car is viable. Either way, being able to weld competently is a major advantage when tackling one of these.
Cars that have been unused for a long time can also store up lots of problems and expense in the hydraulic systems, so better if you can to find a car that is up and running, but down on its luck in other ways. Those hydraulics also rely on a large network of pipes, which corrode. As the high-pressure side operates at 2400psi, leaks quickly become apparent. To check, set the suspension to ‘High’ and take a look underneath at the condition of pipes.
It is only £250 for the main ‘loom’ of pipes, but replacing them can be a long and grubby job.
You’ll always find a ready market for a decent quality DS when the time comes to sell, but on the other hand, once you have a good one you may not actually be able to bring yourself part with it.
SPECIFICATION (DS21) Engine 2175cc/4-cyl/ohv Power 105bhp@5500rpm Torque 121lb ft@3000rpm Transmission 4-speed manual 0-60mph 15.2sec Top speed 109mph Fuel economy 25mpg
‘With a DS the rewards can be greater, but so are the risks’