My delivery docket states colour as Le Mans Red.

 

There is a bit of fading on the bonnet and roof, which I feel a light buff will get rid of. For a 20 year old red car I reckon it has faired well.

Almost every paint job from the 80's is crap.

 

A leaky water pump happens on any car, it is the sign of a failed pump seal.

Almost every paint job from the 80's is crap.

 

Agreed, but you tend to notice it more on the reds. Doesn't help with the SX/GTis that basically half of them are red, and the other half are white (which isn't as noticeable from a distance), and the tiny minority are a gunmetal grey that already looks like a very faded black.

Toyota's red paint from the 80s and early 90s was terrible for fading and crows-feet...

 

The weird thing Ian is the red paint on my old AE71 centre red, was heavily oxidised as the norm, but there was not one hint of crowsfeet on any panel. My uncle was in the paint industry at that time and recalls that there were issues with paint due to composition whilst manufacturing etc, which was raised by consumers later on..

I figured I had to put up with the colour since the only SX's I have seen are either red or white.

 

I wasn't even looking for one when I bought it anyway - it was one of those cars you HAVE to buy just because it is so good.

Agreed, but you tend to notice it more on the reds. Doesn't help with the SX/GTis that basically half of them are red, and the other half are white (which isn't as noticeable from a distance), and the tiny minority are a gunmetal grey that already looks like a very faded black.

You mean the grey mine is? I wouldn't describe it as looking like a very faded black personally...

 

 

Chris, some of the potential issues are really easy to check for, such as CV joints, mine will need attention soonish, so I can demonstrate how they sound when cornering if they'll need attention mate.

Edited March 6, 201115 yr by TroysRollaSX

You mean the grey mine is? I wouldn't describe it as looking like a very faded black personally...

 

That's because you know it's grey :P

I personally have seen some shitty black paint jobs fade that badly, so your average Joe Bloe on the street who mightn't know that the Series 2 SX/GTi came out in a (fairly rare) gunmetal colour could quite easily mistake it for a faded black paint-job, especially if the rest of the car isn't particularly neat.

A white one will probably be my weapon of choice, my current daily is red and I don't want two red cars. Plus it would make sourcing replacement panels somewhat easier, while E90 rolla's in any spec are dime a dozen.

 

With crusty/brittle interior plastics, are there OEM/Aftermarket replacement items, or is the only option to find non crusty/brittle items at the wreckers/ebay/etc?

A white one will probably be my weapon of choice, my current daily is red and I don't want two red cars. Plus it would make sourcing replacement panels somewhat easier, while E90 rolla's in any spec are dime a dozen.

 

With crusty/brittle interior plastics, are there OEM/Aftermarket replacement items, or is the only option to find non crusty/brittle items at the wreckers/ebay/etc?

Any luck yet mate?