Seems we bought a lemon
Had a second MOT under our ownership on Thursday and other than a front tyre it only failed on corrosion to rear of drivers sill. Fine, not a massive issue. Last I looked I knew there were bubbles but it was solid, a few patches and it would be fine.
Took it to the workshop yesterday and set to it...apparently not fine. Outer sill was held by sealant, peeling that off the inner crumbled away by itself, the (?) rear of the floor that meets the sills disintegrates without much effort, as did the lower edges of the rear arch tub. I certainly wasn't confident to drive it back home with corrosion so close to the suspension mount so had to call a favour on a friend with a trailer.
I'm a little shocked to be honest, I knew they liked to rust in the sills and arches but this makes the Mini and Viva full rebuilds look like mint examples! And now in a bit of a sticky situation with regards to funds having just agreed to buy a house...
I haven't poked the passenger side too much yet but It looks and feels a lot more solid, although still requires a bit of work (was an advisory). I'm pretty sure the drivers has been patched with metal on top of rust in the not too distant past, which would explain why it's gone from a few bubbles to a full-blown gaping chasm in a little over 12 months.
Any opinions on the below are welcome. If we can get it repaired minus paint for £500ish I think it might be worth it to keep the car for another few years at least to get our moneys worth. Mechanically it's brilliant and great fun. If not I think our only option will be to break it to recover costs and scrap what's left of the shell.
Had a second MOT under our ownership on Thursday and other than a front tyre it only failed on corrosion to rear of drivers sill. Fine, not a massive issue. Last I looked I knew there were bubbles but it was solid, a few patches and it would be fine.
Took it to the workshop yesterday and set to it...apparently not fine. Outer sill was held by sealant, peeling that off the inner crumbled away by itself, the (?) rear of the floor that meets the sills disintegrates without much effort, as did the lower edges of the rear arch tub. I certainly wasn't confident to drive it back home with corrosion so close to the suspension mount so had to call a favour on a friend with a trailer.
I'm a little shocked to be honest, I knew they liked to rust in the sills and arches but this makes the Mini and Viva full rebuilds look like mint examples! And now in a bit of a sticky situation with regards to funds having just agreed to buy a house...
I haven't poked the passenger side too much yet but It looks and feels a lot more solid, although still requires a bit of work (was an advisory). I'm pretty sure the drivers has been patched with metal on top of rust in the not too distant past, which would explain why it's gone from a few bubbles to a full-blown gaping chasm in a little over 12 months.
Any opinions on the below are welcome. If we can get it repaired minus paint for £500ish I think it might be worth it to keep the car for another few years at least to get our moneys worth. Mechanically it's brilliant and great fun. If not I think our only option will be to break it to recover costs and scrap what's left of the shell.