I need help, I really do....

He should just be thankful he didn't have to push it all the way ;-)

Sorry. I seem to misunderstand something here.

He paid how much for an Estelle without an MOT?

If there's one thing the Italians can put all there engineering expertise into it's a fuse...

I was gonna ask the same, i guess my outlook is dodgy cos it displays as 3 figures

"The car had been garaged for 10 years, had done 800 miles since new and hadn't even had it's first dealer service done"

£800 seems like a pretty good price to me !

SteveH raved thus:

:: It's a 155 2.0TS Lusso. 120k miles on it, good history and superb :: condition..... apart from the wiper motor which burned itself out :: when the arms became entangled after one made a bid for freedom on :: the motorway. Ooops.

Reliable as ever :)

Must be some sort of far east font, it even looks like a pound symbol here. And that can't be right.

;)

But I expect it's a good runner, despite no MoT, that was the way they were. They'd always pass the MoT, the garage would say "nothing this year". You'd say "are you sure?" and "How long have you been an MoT inspector" but they'd insist on it being fine.

Then you'd take off the plates and leave it in Wallingford, and tell the wife it's been nicked. After a lot of evasion, before you could start looking for a replacement, she'd call the insurers and they'd drop another one off the back of a trailer "can't I have the money instead?" "What money".

You couldn't even fill it with diesel and expect the engine to go wrong. You could ram it into walls, it wouldn't even dent. You could lend it to Fifth Gear and they'd bring it back just as it was when it left.

Yep. As long as they had peasant grade running maintenance, no matter how disgusting looking they got, they would always pass. Mechanics is the key here not cosmetics.

Keep the engine timing checked and the carb adjusted, change the oil every 5k and make sure it has proper coolant, and the coolant is properly bled of air and they would just keep on plugging along.

That si whay I want another one, but maybe a nice 136 rapid with a 5 speed box.

When perfectly tidy, although much higher mileage versions of the same car are given away free in cornflake packets, £800 is, let's say, a tad optimistic.

Would have been if I'd taken a rubber mallet to the wiper arm before attempting to use them.... that was all that _was_ wrong, until I cocked things up.

In article , snipped-for-privacy@italiancar.co.uk spouted forth into uk.rec.cars.modifications...

Good ones are fetching more than some of your Alfas now. Cabrios are fetching even more.

Saw a 120G Rapid Cabrio (thats 1.2 4 speed gearbox) with years tax and ticket, probabley somewhere arround an A plate. 40,000 miles, but paper work to confirm it was the 3rd Rapid Cab brought into the UK by the then Skoda GB company (Pre-VW). Sold for £2400.

You have to ask why, ffs!

Drove a Rapid 136 a few years back - only a few years old and immaculate. Up for less than a grand at the time. It was fun, but the interior was absolutely horrible, plus it was very agricultural.

God help us if this kind of s**te is now considered an 'appreciating classic'

But you can buy an actual car for that kind of money!

Made it into the Practical Classics top 100.

Because as you say, fun, but agricultural. You can keep one running with enthusiasm while you learn your mechanical prowess.

Some classics cost a Mortgage to buy and while they may be very practical to own after that, until you reach master mechanic status you wouldn't want to try to fix it your self.

On an old rear engined Skoda, almost every thing is doable at home, especially if you have DIY presses and pullers. you can pull the engine and box out on a trolley jack. The brakes work well, and the car can pass and british speed limit. Plus later parts will fit earlier cars, so you can improve an older one without going outside the Marque.

They aren't the ultimate practical classic, but they are good enough one to start in, and get a taste for something that isn't a Mondeo or Vectra as a daily driver. Lets face it, they are bigger than a mini, but better looking than a Landcrab or Austin 1100/1300 cheaper to buy than an A30/35/40 and don't rust as badly as old Alfa/Lancia/Fiats but were designed by italians. All the electrics are Czech branded, but licensed UK designs, so if a rare part goes wrong, "hairy old man at the classic brit breakers" will probably be able to pull you something off the shelf to match.

A practical classic is something you can love and care for, but drive everyday no matter what the weather.

Eh ?

How is £800 optimistic, for a car with 800 miles on the clock ? Assuming it wasn't shafted from being stood so long, it was clearly a bargain.

That is exactley it. He has several other as daily/fun drivers. This one will be a low mileage trailored show car.=20

The other lowest mileage one belongs to the dad of another club member,=20 late 80's model 130LSE. Has done 1300 miles since new. Again it only=20 gets driven for MOTs now, as his dad has moved onto a Fabia, but with 8=20 other rear engined cars in the family, they couldn't bear to part with=20 it.

--=20 The poster formerly known as Skodapilot.

Steve. I'll give you a hint. most of the guys feature on this page are in their mid 30's or younger. Some are a little older like Graham, but he thinks like a 12 year old.

they are popular well loved cars, and don't have the snobbery attached=20 like other marques with the level of history that Skoda/L&K have.

--=20 The poster formerly known as Skodapilot.

Hint: It's a Skoda Estelle. Worth significantly less than bugger-all.

Many people would say that about any eighties italian car except Masers, Ferraris and Lambos.

Even making such nasty jibes as "Is there enough metal on there to weigh in" and "Our book doesn't give the current price for rust".