Inherited car - what to do!

Arsonist · 20 Oct 2015 at 18:22

Hi well endowed motor heads!

Apologies for length! Also apologies for how dirty it is!

So I've sort of inherited a car from my great aunt. She is still alive but her garage is being cleared and she's said (via my uncle who will deal with paperwork) that I can have it if I want, for free. It's a 1979 VW Passat Estate, 1.6 petrol.

It's a car I'd seen a few years ago and loved it. It's not been out the garage since 1996, and to quote a good friend who regularly buys and does up retro cars, 'I've never seen a classic car in such good condition.' My great uncle took VERY good care of it.

EDIT - Just to clarify. I LOVE this car, plus slightly feel like I have a duty to get it going again for my great uncle (who died 5 years ago).

The bodywork is in mint condition - not a scratch or hint of rust anywhere - you can even still see the original factory paint in the wheel arches where my great uncle power washed it after every journey, so mud and dirt never sat there. Now here lies the problem.

I know nothing about cars.

The engine doesn't start (friend reckon it was the ignition points, supposedly an easy fix). The brakes also don't work, and the clutch and gears felt very odd like they might need work. He seemed confident nothing was insurmountable though.

Now I live 300 miles from said car in a rented house, albeit with a large rear drive where it could sit. I estimate I can get it here for about 200 quid.

My issue is; I don't know if I'd be able to fix it properly. As I said, I really don't know much about cars, and don't have any tools. I'd obviously be happy to get some tools, the Haynes and owners manual and learn what I could though.

Is this something I might be able to put in a garage and ask them to get it going again, or would I be stung like I'd just stuck my johnson into a bees nest and given it the Ron Jeremy treatment? I wouldn't really want to spend more than about £1000 on repair bills.

Alternatively, maybe get a garage to just get the engine going, and hope that I have more luck looking as less 'complex' brakes and clutch etc?

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

I'm at a loss as to what to do!

CapitalOne · 20 Oct 2015 at 18:23

Put it up for sale on RetroRides?

Diddums · 20 Oct 2015 at 18:24

KW coilovers, slam it, stretched tyres on 15s, phat subs in the boot and stickerbomb it.

Did I miss anything?

Or preferrably just keep it nice and fresh as it's still a lovely car for its age.

Begbie · 20 Oct 2015 at 18:24

Take it, learn, get it working and drive it

I'd love a project like that, it looks awesome.

Also don't turn it into some stupid euro crap thing!

rodenal · 20 Oct 2015 at 18:29

That looks cool (well, old random car cool)

Definitely need to get it running again -would your friend be able to help you learn?

Arsonist · 20 Oct 2015 at 18:33

rodenal said:
That looks cool (well, old random car cool)

Definitely need to get it running again -would your friend be able to help you learn?

Unfortunately not; he lives 250 miles away from me, although he would be willing to listen to me swear down the phone regularly and offer advice.

Basically I'm wondering if it's possible for someone with zero car knowledge (me) to actually take something on like this, or do I suck it up and get it into a garage to someone with the know how?

OhEsEcks · 20 Oct 2015 at 18:35

It would be a shame to take it out of a garage, only for it to then sit on a drive way. It's in that condition now because it's had someone put a lot of work into keeping it tidy, and keeping it out of the elements. There's a reason very few of them are left (that haven't either rotted away or been butchered by the stance crowd).

Diddums · 20 Oct 2015 at 18:40

Arsonist said:
Unfortunately not; he lives 250 miles away from me, although he would be willing to listen to me swear down the phone regularly and offer advice.

Basically I'm wondering if it's possible for someone with zero car knowledge (me) to actually take something on like this, or do I suck it up and get it into a garage to someone with the know how?

How adept are you with a set of screwdrivers, spanners and a socket set? Cars of that era are about as sophisticated as a bicycle, and there are loads of helpful people all over the internet who love fixing stuff like that and will be more than happy to help out.

Personally I'd already be cleaning it and getting it ready to roll.

Start off with a new battery and spark plugs and go from there. You'll probably have to take off the carb and clean it out as well, just make sure you take loads of photos and remember what settings were what ie. idle screws and whatnot. Replace the oil and filter, air filter and give it a start.

It's a great car to learn with, no complicated electronics, no OBD nonsense or laptop required, just good old petrol & spark.

Pity I don't have the means to accommodate it now, I'd happily take it off your hands and turn it in to an evil sleeper

xs2man · 20 Oct 2015 at 18:43

I'd be tempted to try getting it to a garage near where it is to at least get it started and sort the brakes and MOT it. No point in spending hundreds of pounds getting it to you (£200 seems VERY cheap to transport it 300 miles), if it's going to end up costing you more than the £1000 budget you have give. (Although I would up that budget, considerably. These are rare cars, and in very good, original condition, it COULD be worth approaching 5 figures).

At least if the garage gets it roadworthy, you can drive it home and start tinkering with it. Sure, you will have missed out on the brakes and the starting issue, but I'm sure there will be plenty more to do. Even if it's just detailing it to within an inch of its life.

EDIT: Scratch that, the above sounds like a MUCH better idea. If you can do it where the car is. Changing plugs, leads battery and oil / filter can easily be done in a few hours, even with little mechanical knowledge. And would be a great place to start. If that fails, then I'd try getting to a local garage first before shifting it hundreds of miles to sit outside in a driveway to rust away while there is always something better to do.

Begbie · 20 Oct 2015 at 18:45

Exactly, these things aren't complicated. If it was running before it was stored, I doubt it needs much doing to get it working. Plus that sense of accomplishment will be great.

Might be worth replacing the fuel filter too.

I'd get a nice heavy duty car cover for it if you're keeping it on a drive though.

Brakes on modern cars are simple to replace, I doubt there too hard on this either. Not sure what kind of setup this uses? Drums?

acemastr · 20 Oct 2015 at 18:46

Replace gaskets, tires, hoses, give it a big service and see if it starts!

(don't try to start it until you've done the service, oil will be useless, as will the fuel and most likely all hoses)

geekman · 20 Oct 2015 at 18:53

I'd normally say don't do it as you don't have any experience, but I recently took apart and replaced various things in my MK2 MR2 and it was actually not that difficult, even for a talentless moron like me, as it's an old, simple car.

The engine has since blown up in my MR2 which may be beyond my skill level, but I'm tempted to have a go.

Arsonist · 20 Oct 2015 at 18:56

xs2man said:
If you can do it where the car is. Changing plugs, leads battery and oil / filter can easily be done in a few hours, even with little mechanical knowledge. And would be a great place to start.

Some awesome advice here already guys, thanks so much. As for the above - the garage it currently sits in is being cleared out imminently, hence the rush to get it sorted now. If I don't take it, it's getting scrapped! My current issue is being so damn far away (5 hour drive) and being so busy in the next month, which is crunch time. Also not got huge amounts of cash to throw at it; I don't want this to bankrupt me!

Nasher · 20 Oct 2015 at 19:29

I bet someone would pay good money for it as it is. But you should fix it up and use it

It will go tax free in about 4 years time (which will also increase it's value) and insurance will be next to nothing.

Jano · 20 Oct 2015 at 19:49

You can't let that get scrapped, my old man had one when I was growing up, its the first car I remember and will always be a favourite. If you don't mind me asking, where abouts is it?

xs2man · 20 Oct 2015 at 19:50

Arsonist said:
Some awesome advice here already guys, thanks so much. As for the above - the garage it currently sits in is being cleared out imminently, hence the rush to get it sorted now. If I don't take it, it's getting scrapped! My current issue is being so damn far away (5 hour drive) and being so busy in the next month, which is crunch time. Also not got huge amounts of cash to throw at it; I don't want this to bankrupt me!

Fair enough. Then I suppose if you can get it to you for £200, that's a bargain, and well worth doing. As mentioned, invest in a good quality car cover, and that'll help at least.

Arsonist · 20 Oct 2015 at 19:57

Jano said:
You can't let that get scrapped, my old man had one when I was growing up, its the first car I remember and will always be a favourite. If you don't mind me asking, where abouts is it?

It's near Croydon, so actually only 220 miles from me which is less than I though.

sigma · 20 Oct 2015 at 20:27

OhEsEcks said:
It would be a shame to take it out of a garage, only for it to then sit on a drive way. It's in that condition now because it's had someone put a lot of work into keeping it tidy, and keeping it out of the elements. There's a reason very few of them are left (that haven't either rotted away or been butchered by the stance crowd).

As above, really. I'd want to put some underseal on it before letting it out in the elements but it sounds like there isn't much time for that. Is there nobody you know who might have some spare space? Maybe look to rent a garage off someone?

Engine will probably be pretty easy to get going unless you have elec/fueling issues, but even then I guess they're quite simple cars.

Seized brake calipers would be my biggest gripe for getting it moving from where it is.

I reckon you should get it towed, find somewhere to store it and then have a go yourself. Storage costs should cover labour costs and hopefully parts won't cost too much, neither should tools. Working on cars isn't really that hard, just need the time, space and tools!

Jano · 20 Oct 2015 at 20:32

Shame it's not a little closer to me otherwise I would have tried to help out. Could you not head down there for a weekend and give it a go yourself to see if you can get it going, or does it need to be moved right now?

OhEsEcks · 20 Oct 2015 at 20:37

Whatever you do, just don't let them scrap it if you can't do anything with it. Have them post on local VW facebook groups or something so someone else can save it. They have a car that's original, straight, rust free, one of just a few left, tax exempt in a few years, someone within the dub scene will have it right quick.