Buying a oldie/classic

elexes

right time to get the story out
i was going to buy a jap import evo 6/7 but then a annoying friend went and bought a 944 porshe and a annoying other friend suddenly rembered to show me his stunning capri .

ive always loved old car's and old car shows since i was only little and never thought of buying one as i thought that they went up in price the older they got. seems i was wrong

basicly ive decided that before i decide on what to do for definate i should look at every posibility .

im looking to buy a capri Mk3. ive no ida how to tell if one is in good condition or where i should go looking to buy one .

is it just better to find one in the uk ? if so anyone know anywhere i should start looking for one ?

as for the maintence of it . at the moment im clueless about maintaining cars . ive never done it . usually im good at picking up on things but as said ive not done anything to cars becides add water and change wheels .. o and change lights . is it very costly to keep running ? what type of petrol do these take also ? can they run on Unleaded ? if not where do you get the Leaded replacement ?

i know theres 2 on carzone.ie but i just want to see what the other options are

Dades

elexes wrote:

is it just better to find one in the uk ? if so anyone know anywhere i should start looking for one?

Don't know much about Capris, but definitely worth at least checking out the UK before buying a car. Bear in mind you'll pay VRT on a Mk3 brought in from the UK.

Check out Classic Car Mart magazine for LOADS of UK cars. Its a monthly mag you can get in Easons or a few of the better stocked newsagents. If nothing else it's give you an idea what's about.

G'luck!

Con_316

elexes wrote:

right time to get the story out
i was going to buy a jap import evo 6/7 but then a annoying friend went and bought a 944 porshe and a annoying other friend suddenly rembered to show me his stunning capri .

ive always loved old car's and old car shows since i was only little and never thought of buying one as i thought that they went up in price the older they got. seems i was wrong

basicly ive decided that before i decide on what to do for definate i should look at every posibility .

im looking to buy a capri Mk3. ive no ida how to tell if one is in good condition or where i should go looking to buy one .

is it just better to find one in the uk ? if so anyone know anywhere i should start looking for one ?

as for the maintence of it . at the moment im clueless about maintaining cars . ive never done it . usually im good at picking up on things but as said ive not done anything to cars becides add water and change wheels .. o and change lights . is it very costly to keep running ? what type of petrol do these take also ? can they run on Unleaded ? if not where do you get the Leaded replacement ?

i know theres 2 on carzone.ie but i just want to see what the other options are

Late model Capri 2.0 and 2.8's usually run on unleaded just fine. Check out the Capri club of ireland website.
If you want to be totally sure about unleaded fuel, fit the cylinder head from a Late model 2litre sierra or granada that still had the 2litre "OHC" engine. (not the twin cam DOHC engine as it's different).
Capris can still be got easy enough. I think there's one or two in the buy and sell at moment, if you've time , england is easier to find good one.
Try the magazine "Classic Ford". It is available from easons and covers 50's to 80's fords. Lots of capri related stuff in tha tmag on a regular basis.
As for getting a capri, go for it, theyre great and they turn a few heads too.

Look out for:

whining or other noises from the gearbox and Diff,

juddering brakes or prop shaft,

Rust on back arches (unfortunataly about 70% of them have this but it's easily fixed as repair sections can be bought from the uk),

Check the suspension strut tops also

and:v: , the original interior for the "performance" models, like the 2.0-S, 3.0-S and "280" can be hard to replace. Especially The 3litre's optional "Tartan" pattern seats.

Capris are easy to work on because theyre really simple and there are loads of upgrades and accessories still available for them. Plus some great Uk specialists like Caprisport.

corktina

if I were you I would go for a mk2 3 litre. 1976 or before are classic status, much cheaper to import and tax and more or less the same car as a mk3....go for a 3.0S or ghia...i saw a beauty for sale in Cork last year for €5500..........most important ....check for rust....then , check some more and finally check for rust....:cool:

elexes

thanks for the advice . ill be taking it all with me .

ill be looking harder then the uk but some promising results never the less

kyote00

also worth getting a copy of Classic Ford magazine (in Easons) and check the
back catalog for capri issues....

Con_316

kyote00 wrote:

also worth getting a copy of Classic Ford magazine (in Easons) and check the
back catalog for capri issues....

Man i already said that.... but it is good advice

@OP: As corktina said MKII is practically same but you've then got those (IMO) horrible big rectangle lights

elexes

ive found one in the uk . its a 1980 FORD CAPRI 3.0 F 3dr Fastback

and if im not getting lied to its in perfect condition. its had 72k miles done on it and is looking like the main contender

ive two questions

1. the vrt calculator dosnt have a capri under the ford section . i cant find it . am i right in thinking that the goverment dosnt count 1980 as classic for vrt ? would i be better off ringing revenue ?

2. without waisting my time flying over there to get a look at it and sus it out whats the best way to get somone to look at the car and tell me any/all the work that is needed ?

JohnBoy

tax is gonna be steep , then again if you can afford an evo that's probably not that much of a concern, as has been said, mechanically they're simple, just rust is the issue.

you're best bet is to ring rosslare, not sure who in rosslare, maybe there's the head VRO down there or summat, but the vro people always seem to refer to rosslare as being the oracle or summat

elexes

i rang about the vrt . i was told they would have to get back to me ... bah . me thinks it would work out cheaper to build the car bit by bit .

hopfully they will ring back someday soonish .

manta mad

vrt on a 1980 capri will be around 550 euros if its in good nick.
but thats what the goverment gets out of us car lovers:mad:
if the car was not running & a bit banged up it would be around 300 euros,
they seem to have 3 price groups for cars & the conditions that they come in to them .
its just another way of screwing the motorist.:(

check out ebay motors , some nice capris on there & reasonably priced to.

dubtom

Your looking at a yearly tax bill of about 1400 euro for a 30L Capri, doesn't 42 quid a year sound nicer. Also insurence is available from 170 quid a year through the clubs if you own a classic. I would really consider a 76' down if I were you. buy your evo and get an older Capri.

elexes

indeed but finding a 76 is proving a problom ( am still looking ) . tho i think ive now said by by to the evo ida

if i had to spend 1500 on vrt tho id think nothing of it as long as it was worth it ( the car i mean )

50 on vrt is a lot nicer tho. when i saw it was a 1980 i thought it could of been mistaken

dubtom

elexes wrote:

indeed but finding a 76 is proving a problom ( am still looking ) . tho i think ive now said by by to the evo ida

if i had to spend 1500 on vrt tho id think nothing of it as long as it was worth it ( the car i mean )

50 on vrt is a lot nicer tho. when i saw it was a 1980 i thought it could of been mistaken

Well here's a start, http://www.classicperformanceford.com/ I bought my Mustang from these guys and they were genuine, serviced and greased the car as promised and delivered it to Holyhead,(at a reduced price) Pre 76' capri's are plentyfull in the UK and it's really not expensive to go have a look these days, as was said, check the classic mags, you will find loads of Capri's in them.

elexes

what year dose it have to be before getting counted as classic ? im guessing 76 as that would be 30 years from now ?

thats for that website btw they have one that looks a just as good if not better then the one i was looking at .

also how / where dose everyone store the car ? how did you get your mustang checked out before going over to buy it ? or did you travel over to look at it first ?

corktina

annual tax on a three litre is €1107 (may have gone up in budget...) VRT is 27% of market value here......as decided by the customs people....(VRLO?) wiyth a minimum of €315. (again may have increased in budget...)...

..go for a mk2 and put up with the square lights!!!!(road tax on 30 yrs old + is €42 (maybe was etc....:) ) VRT €50.......

Con_316

elexes wrote:

ive found one in the uk . its a 1980 FORD CAPRI 3.0 F 3dr Fastback

and if im not getting lied to its in perfect condition. its had 72k miles done on it and is looking like the main contender

ive two questions

1. the vrt calculator dosnt have a capri under the ford section . i cant find it . am i right in thinking that the goverment dosnt count 1980 as classic for vrt ? would i be better off ringing revenue ?

2. without waisting my time flying over there to get a look at it and sus it out whats the best way to get somone to look at the car and tell me any/all the work that is needed ?

ELEXES:
Go back through the posts a bit and i had posted some info on some of the key capri checks. I imported A'84 2.0-S and vrt was 450. Most companies that do classic insurance will consider any year of capri a classic because even the MKIII started out at the end of the 70s. I you buy it off a garage like the site someone posted earlier (good site, my uncle got a zephyr off there a year ago and had no problems) you've got more legal options regarding bringing it back to them if it not up to the standard they said.
Seriously, i may be going against the tide here by saying this, Get a MKIII with the four lights at the front. It's much better looking and you'll sell it easier if you ever want to. Those big rectangle mkII lights are horrible. interior Trim got better in the 80s. Consider a 2.8injection or a 2.0S as well as the 3.0. The 2.0's almost as fast and the 2.8 is faster and the engine's easier to fix because more parts around

dubtom

elexes wrote:

what year dose it have to be before getting counted as classic ? im guessing 76 as that would be 30 years from now ?

thats for that website btw they have one that looks a just as good if not better then the one i was looking at .

also how / where dose everyone store the car ? how did you get your mustang checked out before going over to buy it ? or did you travel over to look at it first ?

I went over and had a look and a drive,I basically checked it for bad rust, the engine was sweet, the interior spotless and it drove perfectly, I'm no expert on cars but i know if something is not right, it was a risk but worked out.
I certainly would not base your choice on whether the car has square lights or not, if you like the look of a car, it drives well, will hold or increase it's value should be what your choice is based on, then again you should also just buy it because it's what you have always wanted, thats what I did, you only live once.

Con_316

dubtom wrote:

I went over and had a look and a drive,I basically checked it for bad rust, the engine was sweet, the interior spotless and it drove perfectly, I'm no expert on cars but i know if something is not right, it was a risk but worked out.
I certainly would not base your choice on whether the car has square lights or not, if you like the look of a car, it drives well, will hold or increase it's value should be what your choice is based on, then again you should also just buy it because it's what you have always wanted, thats what I did, you only live once.

The lights in question put many people off buying a Capri MKII and mean if Elexes ever wants to sell it, it'll bre harder to sell and be worth a good bit less than a similar spec one with the 4 round lights.

PaulK_CCI

Con_316 wrote:

The lights in question put many people off buying a Capri MKII and mean if Elexes ever wants to sell it, it'll bre harder to sell and be worth a good bit less than a similar spec one with the 4 round lights.

eehm... you don't like the square headlights on a Capri series 2? How about this one: 1975 (so vrt exempt, tax exempt, nct exempt!!!!) Ford Capri II 2.3 V6 with just 92,000 original km's (57k miles) with French Market Double headlights instead of the square ones. The car is in excellent rust free condition because it spent all its life in the south of France. Good mechanics, prefect vinyl roof, never ever welded or needed any serious repairs. totally original. More pics available on request

[IMG]http://home.planet.nl/~kante333/temp/Capri IIGhia23_75_92Mkm_1.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://home.planet.nl/~kante333/temp/Capri IIGhia23_75_92Mkm_2.jpg[/IMG]

elexes

ye ive been looking at the cars and one thing i have started to notise is the square lights . your right they dont look nice but eh ! i wont be holding that against them.

also seen in the above poster that he got different lights put onto his mk2.

looks good . thanks for all the info im going to head to dublin monday find classic ford / classic car market and have a look there .

ive also been ringing a few friends in the uk to see if they could take some time off work to go look at a car or two for me . i think the aa do a checkup on cars if you pay them 140 euros . so i think ill be doing that before i decide to head over .

ill be making my final decision within the next two weeks id say. when i have ill make sure to post back .

dubtom

Good luck whatever you buy, Easons by the way stock all the classic mags.

Con_316

elexes wrote:

ye ive been looking at the cars and one thing i have started to notise is the square lights . your right they dont look nice but eh ! i wont be holding that against them.

also seen in the above poster that he got different lights put onto his mk2.

looks good . thanks for all the info im going to head to dublin monday find classic ford / classic car market and have a look there .

ive also been ringing a few friends in the uk to see if they could take some time off work to go look at a car or two for me . i think the aa do a checkup on cars if you pay them 140 euros . so i think ill be doing that before i decide to head over .

ill be making my final decision within the next two weeks id say. when i have ill make sure to post back .

Good luck with getting the car anyway. And yes, you can convert the MkII to a MKIII front, but, seeing as the mkII is no better than the the mkIII performance-wise (especially as the MKIII 2.8 is faster and the nicest spec came with this one) or spec wise, It'd be easier (and way cheaper!) to just buy a mkIII seeing as to convert the mkII you gotta get MKIII wings, grille, bonnet and rea lights. Plus labour , plus spraying.
Anyway, shur tis up to yourself. Hope you get a good one and make sure you Let us all know how you get on.

elexes

one last question .

i got talking to a dealer . not of classic cars but he told me that the hp on a 3.0 mk 2 would be about 86 now im no expert but for a 3.0 even built back in the 70's that dose seem to be very little ? i was thinking around the 130ish mark ? but i cant find anything on the net thats not a highly modified capri ?

ds20prefecture

elexes wrote:

i was thinking around the 130ish mark ? but i cant find anything on the net thats not a highly modified capri ?

When new, this engine's specification was 138bhp. Expect a bit less than that after 30 years, maybe 120bhp.

Con_316

elexes wrote:

one last question .

i got talking to a dealer . not of classic cars but he told me that the hp on a 3.0 mk 2 would be about 86 now im no expert but for a 3.0 even built back in the 70's that dose seem to be very little ? i was thinking around the 130ish mark ? but i cant find anything on the net thats not a highly modified capri ?

Ok Man heres the story, the 3 litre capri was rated at approx 134 bhp. These days a good 3 litre ford "essex" V6 will probably have 110 to 125 if it's spot on , but, it is a sweet engine and will feel more powerful. I dont think this guy knows what he's on about who told you 86 bhp. That 86bhp power sounds more like an escort mexico.

The 2litre "Pinto" 4 cylinder still can get 90 to 110 in ordinary ford spec tune.

A decent, but not perfect running 2.8 fuel injected "cologne" V6 (ford often used city names for their engines, others being "kent" and "Valencia") shoild have about 145bhp.

The essex 3litre can be tuned to make 250 bhp "easily" enough. The 2.8 V6 can be tuned safely to 280bhp with an old turbotechnics twin turbo kit or a new copy by a trusted tuner.

I'd advise not talking to that guy , rather talk to Caprisport, or the Capri club of ireland. Also, i really advise getting a copy of classic ford magazine. it has good , reliable info, and is THE source for old ford related tuning and performance info.

Sites : www.webeireann.net/capri That's the capri club site.
www.classicfordmag.co.uk Classic Ford magazine
www.caprisport.com "Caprisport" "club" where yuo join and can get good value upgrades and info also.

Con_316

ds20prefecture wrote:

When new, this engine's specification was 138bhp. Expect a bit less than that after 30 years, maybe 120bhp.

Aha got in ahead of me there. Very quick off the mark. Jaysus, for a citroen man you're good on fords

elexes

am doing i cant get to a easons till wed so im stuck till then . imagine i own a newsagents and ive to go to easons to get a mag the shame .. o well

thx for the info it just confused me when i was thinking that its the same as my 1.4 focus and drinks a lot more .

Con_316

elexes wrote:

am doing i cant get to a easons till wed so im stuck till then . imagine i own a newsagents and ive to go to easons to get a mag the shame .. o well

thx for the info it just confused me when i was thinking that its the same as my 1.4 focus and drinks a lot more .

No, no much better power than a focus. Although, dont expect good Mpg.... at all...
Maybe , if you buy a capri, either subscribe to the Classic ford mag, or get on to the publishers/ distributor to get them to send you a few copies, seeing as you own a newsagent.

Dun na nGal

anyone know where i'd get a 2lt engine for ascona berlina ?

Con_316

Dun na nGal wrote:

anyone know where i'd get a 2lt engine for ascona berlina ?

Hey man, None that i know of but there's a guy on boards, visits the classic forum, His handle's "Manta Mad". Id say you've a fair chance if you ask that guy. He's into mantas, and some have that engine.