I’m looking to potentially join the fold with a really early mk2.
It’s £750, had some welding done, 12 months ticket with no advisories (did fail on welding on seat belt anchorage on both sides, been repaired) It’s a 1.8 S.
I’ve only got some small ramps to take with me and a boroscope, the seller doesn’t know about the condition of the chassis rails. Should I be able to see enough of the rails like this? I may try and drop the front of the splash guard for access.
Other faults are drivers window won’t go down.
Both doors don’t lock.
Revs fluctuating on idle.
Bit rough all round.
Had new brakes and calipers all round.
Opinions sought overall etc but mainly in if I could get a good look at the chassis rails like this.
I think the only way to gain access to the chassis rails is to remove the bumper.
If the splash guard is taken off, assume at least one stud snaps off. Up to you how you reconcile that with the seller. Personally, I would use your best long screwdriver, and pry a bit between the splashguard and rail, particularly around the anti-roll bar mountings, and listen for crunching. The car has loads of problems by the sounds of it, so I doubt you are paying £750 for it, and at banger money, you are taking a bit of a punt.
You can get a mobile phone down to take a pic of the inner part of front chassis rail drivers side from the engine bay. (don’t drop it😁) Passenger side has all the airbox gubbins preventing that though.
One Mk2 I inspected I at first put my hand down and felt along the rail, I brought out an handful of rust, no need for the phone pic.
I would concentrate on inspecting the rear arches/sill area underneath too at these points and all along the sills under the car first. If the condition of these make you want to walk away then you can bet the front rails are shot.
Just my opinion.
Thanks. It had the a bit done on the rear. I’ve got a boroscope already with a long flexible lead and a few inch screen so I don’t really need the mobile phone.
The things said are backing up what I thought.
I only want to really run it for the 12 months ticket.
At this money and condition it isn’t worth bothering doing any welding for me.
I’ll have a good feel and look with the scope and see what it shows.
I’d bet every £750 Mk2, whether the chassis rails look rust or not from the inside, is rusty inside. Rust from the inside out, so boroscope inspection is probably not going to achieve much.
Was the welding done at the rear, or covered in filler? As I understand it, the MOT tester is not allowed to poke with a screwdriver and can only visually inspect or feel with bare hands. I guess quite easy to stuff with newspaper and cover over with filler and paint. Get it through an MOT, but won’t last a month.
Just seems strange to me that someone would spend money on a proper repair to sills and not bother with fixing things like door locks etc.
£750 is not a lot of money… especially for something with 12 months MOT. So if hood and things you need to be good are adequate, and the other faults are fixable then has to be worth a punt.
And as above, if you start asking to remove panels and so on, I would not be surprised if you get told “No” on the basis that you could damage something. You could be cheeky and make a lower offer if you are not allowed to ‘dig’.
Also, if you do start digging, it needs to be on the basis that you are buying unless the digging reveals something shocking.
But again, at £750, if the thing runs and has an MOT and the condition generally seems legal and sound you cant really go wrong. Drive it ten miles and have to scrap it, you won’t lose much money on it.
Interesting to hear that you’re only planning to run the car for the years ticket. That was my plan too. Then I drove mine and fell in love
Four and a half years and many,many £s later and she still thrills me every time I drive her.
I didn’t even intend having my mk2.5 for a year, bought it with a lot of rust, but a years MOT for £900. I had the intention to break it and turn into a kit car, just bought a road legal one to check everything I needed for the kit was working.
Fell in love with it, but could not justify the cost to weld it up for another MOT so sold it with six weeks MOT left to a chap who was able to get the welding done cheap, for £700.
Was immediately replaced with my NC which is intended to be with me for a few years.
