Help!

[Chives]

My dad needs a car ,if it helps he likes classic cars , eg ford capri , ford cosworth RS.

Needs to be under £1000 , cheap to run and maintain.doesnt need to be pratical. everything I have shown him , MX-5's ect he doesnt like .

 

[Chives]

I have told him this , he wont listen. he seems to have his heart set on a ford capri.

 

[Chives]

***** sake , he has just gone and bid £1050 on a ford capri that looks like it needs a lot of work done. what an idiot he is.

 

[Chives]

Classic Vehicle, thats cheap to run for under 1k !!!? hmmmmm

I didnt say it needs to be a classic car , all I said is that he likes classic cars..

 

[Chives]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300404451220
I'm just hoping he doesnt win the auction.

 

[Chives]

So he's bid on a car with 5days left its already over 1k but he only wants to spend less than 1k.

What?

Yes I know , the man is a fool. he is usually sensible with money but this car is just going to be a money pit if he gets his hands on it.

 

[Chives]

My Manta has been exceedingly cheap to run. In fact at the moment it probably only owes me £50 more than the Mondeo did over a similar timescale. You do need to know one end of a spanner from the other of course.

This Capri is a bit over budget but looks about right for the money:
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C127942/

Cheers I have just emailed that link along to him .
And with regards to that other link I posted , yeh I can see that now , was looking at another link he sent me.

 

[Chives]

Meh I suggest some of the cars from this thread and all I get is I dont want ****** this and ****** that shouted at me , great way to speak to someone isnt it. Anyway further suggestions appreciated.

 

[Chives]

My advice would be let him get on with it.

My first thought . quite simply he doesnt have enough cash to run it , I have tried telling him this but he wont listen . how much do these cost to run?

 

[Chives]

However much they cost to run, according to you he can't afford it

If the costs are bad (which I suspect for such a old car they are..)

 

[Chives]

Insurance - I do not know your father's circumstances so I cannot comment. I can insure a 2.8 Capri for about £200 fully comprehensive.

Tax - £190 a year (going up again soon I think)

Fuel - Anywhere between 20 and 35mpg really, depending on engine choice and how heavy your right foot is.

Tyres - £35 to £50 a corner.

General service parts, suspension consumables - no more or less than any other generic 80s/90s Ford.

The Capri was never an inherently unreliable car, there isn't a huge amount to go wrong with it really. They are very easy to maintain at home on the driveway or in your garage. What you need to be aware of is that the components will be older and more prone to failure than those on a younger car. This is counterbalanced by the low cost and simplicity of rectifying these issues when parts fail.

What is expensive is repairing the structure of the car and keeping it in good condition. This summer I need to put the Manta on axle stands, strip back the floor to bare metal, inject the cavities with Dinitrol/Dynax wax, and then repaint it entirely with chassis paint followed by a layer of Stonechip, followed by a layer of underseal. It will take me about a weekend or so to do this at an enjoyable pace., depending on drying times.
I dread to think what the cost of such work would be at any sort of garage, even though it isn't "difficult" work.

If your dad is not prepared to get his hands dirty then yes, a classic car of any sort will cost a lot to run because you'll have it in the local garage every time the lighting earths get corroded or it develops a misfire from a blocked fuel filter or dodgy rotor arm. If he knows basic mechanics then there isn't any reason for a popular classic like the Capri to be expensive to look after.

Great information , sent it on to him . Thanks a lot.