Can't make up my mind - any advice welcome

[MsEditor]

Hey everyone...

Pretty new to the forum and although I have browsed quite a bit I haven't posted much before.

I wondered what you lot would do if you were in my position??

I bought a Mitsubishi GTO TT about five years ago. I immediately fell in love with the car and saved like crazy to get one. After selling my Nissan 200sx and lots of hard work I finally had enough cash to buy a decent one and it was one of the happiest moments as I'm sure you will all appreciate.

I drove the car as my everyday car for three years and everytime I got in the drivers seat it made me smile.

Sadly the cost of running the car became more expensive and other big events in my life took priority... so I took the car off the road and she has been sat in the garage ever since.

She needs some work to put her back on the road to her former glory. I had a blow out and by the time I stopped the rim had done at least a full circuit on the road and is quite badly scratched - I could refurb the wheels rather than buying new alloys.

Some idiot pulled out in front of my on a roundabout and although the damage is small there is a split on the front bumper - I have been told to fill and respray it rather than buying a new bumper...

As she has been sat for quite a while there is no Tax or MOT on the car - she hasn't been driven since the last full MOT so getting that done wouldn't be difficult.

And of course she needs a damn good service...

So here is my issue - I have wanted to put her back on the road for ages but financially with three kids and other responsibilities its just proving harder and harder.

I know I won't get much for her as she stands but I also know that if I do the work (although I can't afford it at the moment) then I won't want to give her up! Although driving her daily again is not an option due to the dogs, kids blaa blaa

Do I sell her as is? Do I get her back on the road and sell her? Do I keep her in the gagrage in the hope that one day I will either be able to drive her again or her value increase so that I can a least get a half decent amount for her?

In some ways I want someone to have the fun with her that I have had but in others I just can't bare to see her go!

What would you do??

Thanks in advance

[Econ]

Sod the kids and dog and keep the car lol

If you really do need to sell then its always better to do the work. You will get a lot more money for her at very little expense.

[Prince]

I think the big question is...do you need the money?

If I was you I'd do the work over time as a project, then at some point it will be ready to take out again.

[billyo]

I dont think youd get much for it if you had it in perfect condition. Why not tune it up for economy and run it anyway. How much work does it need? The longer it is left the more it will deteriorate.

[MsEditor]

Thanks for the replies..

To put it back on the road it would need a good service - tax and MOT - the other stuff is cosmetic and that is only the wheels and small split in the bumper...

I guess I'm nervous that I will spend even more on her and then one day when I have to sell her it will be a car no-one wants anymore - I see even the mint ones aren't fetching that much nowadays. So I'm not sure if I should get out now so to speak!

I have needed the money before and managed to keep hold of her and although things are tight right now I'm sure I can get through Christmas etc and manage to keep her in the garage

What I don't know is when I will be able to do the work and as you say how much more work will she needs by that time when it does eventually come around.

To be honest if someone made me an offer now I may well take it if I thought they would put her back on the road and get some fun out of her - I know I could probably make more money if I was to break the car but I just couldn't bare it !!!

[turbonutter69]

Originally Posted by MsEditor

To be honest if someone made me an offer now I may well take it if I thought they would put her back on the road and get some fun out of her - I know I could probably make more money if I was to break the car but I just couldn't bare it !!!

How does 10 bob an a conker sound?

[MsEditor]

Laughs - depends on the conker? How many games have you won with it?

I'm liking the advice and definitely leaning towards the sod the kids and dogs and spending some cash on her over the next 6 months and getting her back on the road for the summer

I best start saving because between the car and bikes I'm going to need a lot of baby/dog sitting

Thanks for the help everyone

[turbonutter69]

Originally Posted by MsEditor

Laughs - depends on the conker? How many games have you won with it?

I'm liking the advice and definitely leaning towards the sod the kids and dogs and spending some cash on her over the next 6 months and getting her back on the road for the summer

I best start saving because between the car and bikes I'm going to need a lot of baby/dog sitting

Thanks for the help everyone

lol Mate its a champion conker round these parts.
I'd keep it mate spend bits on it at a time. You'll get there in the end mate.

[waynne]

Id definately try and keep the car going if I were you. You clearly have an emotional attachment to the car. You can probably improve the fuel economy just by running the engine warmer with a thermostat with a higher rating.

Run some redex through it regularly and this should help keep everything in top condition. See what the MOT says it needs. Tax will be better on the older cars that are not Co2 rated and I'm sure that they will become collectable.

For the bumper see if you can get one from a breakers yard? They are quite easy to fit. Don't be afraid to have a go yourself.

[pgarner]

sell the kids and the dogs their bount to be worth something. Unfortunatly id say you wouldnt get much for the car as theres no tax or mot. most people wont even look at it as theres no promise that itll pass through.

keep it and do it up yourself just think whatll happen when the kids grow up and youll have money to go out and blast it around.

sorry for the delay not been at home since sunday morning

[Country Bumpkin]

Hi Shell,

I can assure you that 'tuning for economy' is not an option available on these motors.
You can add after market components to make the most out of the fuel but for what it costs you would need to use the car for long journeys only, and be prepared to wait two to three years before getting your money back in return for component/economy.
Driven carefully, a GTO T.T. can return around 28 m.p.g. on a run. Around Town is another ball game. The problem is actually driving one with enough boredom to return any decent fuel economy, it just doesn't happen.
Get out on an open road and drive like a granny ! Yeah right.
Redex ? No ! Have the injectors serviced properly and be done with it. We have had stock injectors flow tested and they can be out by as much as 25%, they need proper servicing. If we rebuild a customers standard engine the injectors are always serviced as part of the rebuild. They should even be included in the major 54,000 mile service.
Good examples of these cars still sell for a decent price, but they must be in top order. E-bay has decimated the market in many ways because most of the GTO's sold on there are complete and utter trash ready for the scrapyard. What happens then is that someone upgrades from a Corsa/other chav mobile, because they think they're getting a bargain, a 150 + m.p.h. car for £1500/£2500. The reality is that they are buying a car that someone else hasn't been able to afford to maintain and they will most likely be following in the same footsteps.
Good parts for these cars are not cheap, cheap parts don't work. £99 brakes don't stop a 1.75 tonne supercar at 150 m.p.h. Worn suspension won't get it round the bend properly, over £1K's worth will. Cheap tyres won't keep it on the road, expensive ones will. Cheap oil will crucify the engine, Silkolene Pro-S 10/50 won't. The list is endless but i see people invest their savings into heaps of junk every week, some realise their mistake, others ignore advice on what parts to replace and the car ends up on e-bay yet again .
What happens then is that someone will test drive it and say that it doesn't stop, doesn't handle etc and the whole GTO marque is crap, this extends to the pub and various other pubs and lo and behold, GTO's aren't worth buying.

If you keep it, do the right bits, spend on the right bits but doing it cheap, it will never ever happen.
By the way, the above wasn't aimed at you, it's a generalisation of how i see this car and why it's undervalued in the market.
Good luck with your deciscion. CB/mark@sumiyaka

[MsEditor]

Originally Posted by Country Bumpkin

Hi Shell,

I can assure you that 'tuning for economy' is not an option available on these motors.
You can add after market components to make the most out of the fuel but for what it costs you would need to use the car for long journeys only, and be prepared to wait two to three years before getting your money back in return for component/economy.
Driven carefully, a GTO T.T. can return around 28 m.p.g. on a run. Around Town is another ball game. The problem is actually driving one with enough boredom to return any decent fuel economy, it just doesn't happen.
Get out on an open road and drive like a granny ! Yeah right.
Redex ? No ! Have the injectors serviced properly and be done with it. We have had stock injectors flow tested and they can be out by as much as 25%, they need proper servicing. If we rebuild a customers standard engine the injectors are always serviced as part of the rebuild. They should even be included in the major 54,000 mile service.
Good examples of these cars still sell for a decent price, but they must be in top order. E-bay has decimated the market in many ways because most of the GTO's sold on there are complete and utter trash ready for the scrapyard. What happens then is that someone upgrades from a Corsa/other chav mobile, because they think they're getting a bargain, a 150 + m.p.h. car for £1500/£2500. The reality is that they are buying a car that someone else hasn't been able to afford to maintain and they will most likely be following in the same footsteps.
Good parts for these cars are not cheap, cheap parts don't work. £99 brakes don't stop a 1.75 tonne supercar at 150 m.p.h. Worn suspension won't get it round the bend properly, over £1K's worth will. Cheap tyres won't keep it on the road, expensive ones will. Cheap oil will crucify the engine, Silkolene Pro-S 10/50 won't. The list is endless but i see people invest their savings into heaps of junk every week, some realise their mistake, others ignore advice on what parts to replace and the car ends up on e-bay yet again .
What happens then is that someone will test drive it and say that it doesn't stop, doesn't handle etc and the whole GTO marque is crap, this extends to the pub and various other pubs and lo and behold, GTO's aren't worth buying.

If you keep it, do the right bits, spend on the right bits but doing it cheap, it will never ever happen.
By the way, the above wasn't aimed at you, it's a generalisation of how i see this car and why it's undervalued in the market.
Good luck with your deciscion. CB/mark@sumiyaka

I agree with you 100% and I have seen this happen while I have been the proud owner of one of these cars.. There are quite a few mods on the car already with no expense spared - suspension - exhaust etc etc

I always used less fuel on a good run but picking the kids up and going to the supermarket, forget it! That never really bothered me as I have always owned thirsty cars. When my finances took a turn for the worse I took her off the road rather than drive her into the ground!

At the moment I don't have the spare cash to do everything properly so rather than do it cheaply I have left her in the garage. I think I could only let her go if I knew the new owner was going to do everything that she needs, the right way! I wouldn't sell my car to someone who wants to upgrade from their chav ride! Not only because I don't want to see her driven into the ground but also their is a real danger with these cars... they are fast and not an easy drive... you have to really know the beast and be confidant that you can control it before you really open her up!

I made the mistake of putting cheap tyres on once... I had them off again and replaced as soon as I could as the handling of the car was lost.

It doesn't cost me anything to store her so for the moment that is where she will stay until I can spend the right money on her! another option that came to mind and certainly doesn't make economic sense is to get my race license (one day) and take her on the track - obviously getting her race tuned would cost a fortune but its something I have always wanted to do.

Thanks for all your advice everyone - for now my baby is staying where she is until I can put a breath of new life back into her

[timmy]

hi iam timmy just sell it cars/ will not go up in price for a long time yet

[HDi fun]

If you can get it in a taxed & MoT'd state you will find someone who fancies a project yet will pay enough to save you the bother of doing all the work.

[squidplumbob]

i have a gto tt and i know what you mean about running costs but if you sold it what would you get to give you the smile factor.
take your time and do it up when you have the time and the money.

[MsEditor]

Tax and MOT isn't a big issue really - it will go through an MOT no probs...

I know that the price of these cars will stay at the bottom end for some time really but one thing I do wonder is whether they will ever become a classic??

I remember driving round in a MK 1 Mexico... can't believe how much they go for now

At the moment I drive a practical car Audi A4 estate although I did have to buy the Turbo sport model ! it carries the kids, dogs and pulls the trailer with dirt bikes. I also have a street bike so get some enjoyment from that. Having said that it doesn't make up for not driving the GTO - I would love to be driving that again as well....

What can I say, I'm a typical women and just want it all

[waynne]

Swap a years worth of takeaways for the money to run the GTO! You'll be fitter, healthier and have a great car. Just tell the kids they can't have things because of the "credit crunch" as well.