Rt132 Liftback

[altezzaclub]

I'm in Orange, in from Sydney, and I drive up to the farm in Walcha where Steve lives to build the rally car. He was a Rona nut so there are half a dozen on the farm, but then rallying took over. This was his road car, in one of the farm sheds now-

 

 

See how you go, if the body is reasonable you can handle all the mechanicals.

[LittleRedSpirit]

I'm in Brisbane.

 

I think the point of me telling you to try and buy the car for cash and not give away the Festiva is so that you can have a car that's on the road and known to get you to and from work without any issues. You will want to take the rona off the road for a few days here and there while you are working on it. If its unregistered now it will need a rwc which it may need work to achieve, and as such if you don't have the Festiva, shit as it is, you may not be able to get to work or be able to drive around and gather the parts you need to speedily fix the rona.

 

There is a much nice rt132 on gumtree for $300 more asking price. A few hundred extra on the right car up front will save you thousands in restoration later. The hardest thing for you to fix will be the body, as it is for most people. You can just bog it up but you will be in a much worse position in 5 years time. Id look for something thats got a straight body and chrome, as the mechanical stuff can come from any one of a few models if need be, but the body and chrome is pretty unique for the most part to the rt132. Plus with your knowledge base increasing as time goes by and you progress through your apprenticeship, you will find the mechainicals a bit easier to manage.

 

So to summarise, I would not be chasing that car with any force. Its got at least a half dozen rust holes right through it, who knows whats hiding underneath some bog somewhere. The rear bumper is ʞ©$ɟed, the car itself isnt great. Its got 300 plus ks and no service history.

 

I think if it had a good body, paint and chrome, the same mileage but a good service history and minimal rust you might find its worth 2-3 grand as a maximum. Its not a valuable car, you're not getting a special deal at the terms you've described. If you want it, you can buy it, its your decision of course, but don't pay for a sentimental attachment.

 

I personally would maybe offer the $400 cash and then see what he says, if he looks like wanting your Festiva as well and wont negotiate just walk and tell him you're happy to wait for one with a better body to come along. He will probably beg you to take it, if he doesn't he's kinda stupid I think. People don't just up and sell classic cars that are in good order for a few hundred bucks. Id be wanting to drive it for long enough to establish the quality of the diff and gearbox and engine before making any further additions to an offer. That means getting it warm, looking in the radiator for bubbles. Does it have coolant and demin water or is it just filled with tap water? Are the tyres in date? What are the rack boots and the tie rod ends like? Does the diff or gearbox leak? Compression test? What's the date on the leads? Plugs? Belts? Hoses? Think it through, you will end up doing a lot of work, which if you think about it is going to push your purchase price up over another couple of thousand by the time its on the road. Id almost call the car you're looking at a parts car to wreck and not a driver.

 

Ive bought 2 ra40 liftbacks in recent years and both were $150 and one was a bit nicer than your rona there.

Edited December 26, 2014 by LittleRedSpirit

[FlavouredMilk]

The main problem is that I'm off the road at the moment anyway, the Festiva doesn't travel either. So cars at a greater distance are really unobtainable and I'm not looking to spend a lot. This deal is seeming more and more so a bad idea. You know what you're talking about and I know that it's all quite true.

 

The Festy is worth more than his car anyway. If I could sell that first I'd easily have enough to chase something better.

[LittleRedSpirit]

That's a better idea. If you end up buying it I think that's fine if you can get it cheap and don't mind welding it up and fixing the paint, but I'm thinking that if you want an rt132 you should consider a nicer body as that's what you can't fix too easy. If the Festiva is off the road too then its probably worth less than the rona as it has no classic value whatsoever. Zero collectability. Any registered car with a rwc would have to be worth at least a grand just due to it being useful to someone. Without rego and rwc for sale the Festiva has lost its most desirable trait and its really just whatever you could get for the parts.

Edited December 27, 2014 by LittleRedSpirit

[altezzaclub]

Any registered car with a rwc would have to be worth at least a grand just due to it being useful to someone. Without rego and rwc for sale the Festiva has lost its most desirable trait and its really just whatever you could get for the parts.

 

I'm amazed that so many pople can't see that. As soon as you lose rego on a car it is basically worthless, the extra $1000 to register it just blows away the under-$1000 cars.

 

So seeing you aready have a project car in the Festiva, keep looking around for a nicer RT132 while you fix the Festy up. There's nothing worse than having more and more dead cars half-finished lying around.

[FlavouredMilk]

Oh, sorry. I worded that wrong. The Festiva's registered, still has 7 months. I just can't drive right now....

[altezzaclub]

Ah, OK, so its a good time to get stuck into a project that is off the road.

 

Well, see what's for sale and pick the best one. In Aussie you have to travel to get good cars, the rustfree ones are usually inland somewhere. Maybe someone on here can go and take a preliminary look at one for you.

[LittleRedSpirit]

Goddamn it man, the point is that it needs a blue slip rwc to sell which is quite stringent. If you cannot take it as it is and sell it registered with an official change of registration then its much of a muchness. Fix it up for rwc, put it up for sale for $1500 and see how you go. You will need the rwc, which is something a non running car wont get with or without residual rego. Off to the wreckers you go, this week for festiva bits, and keep an eye out for a better condition vintage Toyota body while you're out and about.