Nostalgia attack, can buy back my favourite car I sold

[Mr Footlong]

Hi guys

This week someone contacted me out of the blue saying that they had the opportunity to buy an Impreza STI that I used to own (sold 2008) and had been heavily modified. He wanted to know if I knew anything about the car.

I flooded him with all the tech details, all the work I carried out, history etc and he was blown away. I always, always regretted selling "Fluffy" (link in sig, had to for personal reasons, broke up with the personal reason and moved her out less than a month after selling Fluffy ) and think about that car frequently.

The guy came back to me and said that he never went to see her as the block has developed a bottom end rattle. Not good but the price is IMO. The same buyer that bought her from me almost 5 years ago for £8.5k, is selling her for £3k or nearest offer! Now, I have no idea whether or not I should call him up or just remember the car as she was. At a stretch I can buy her, sit for a while then get a full rebuild done but should I?

What on earth am I going to do with 4 cars and still no house? I have never been the most sensible chap though so not to fussed regarding house purchasing this year .

Nick.

[brn7y]

Have you done the man math?

[Mr Footlong]

What is the man math? If I want it I buy it and worry about it later, always have done. If the rest of her is how it left me then I have no problem with slapping another 500bhp lump in there down the road and it would be far smoother than the 3 year trial & error route I went with her the first time.

Was thinking that I would picker her up, plonk her on my parents driveway for the rest of the year then start work on her early next year, I have really missed having a car that I want to work on and isn't too complicated for my noggin/attention span. Still haven't bit the bullet and called the seller, trolling various Scooby forums trying to find info since she left my ownership first. The fact that he wanted to change the gear knob for a skull one worried me enough!

[chunky79]

Don't think I could ever go back to an old car as it might not ever be as good as it felt. But saying that £3k!!! What does madam say?????

[Mr Footlong]

Madam is rolling her eyes but understands and unlike you poor sods, what I say still goes currently. I am expecting that the guy will have mullered her but that could actually be good closure on one of the biggest mistakes I had to make.

I told madam that if she could cope with losing another 7mpg or so, I could sell both the S3, the Cupra, get Fluffy rebuilt totally (beyond my original specs) and hand her the keys, she didn't seem to mind that strangely enough. The bonus is that her parents would go ape sh!t and I hate them so winner winner?

[chunky79]

Best go and have a look then stretch. I would walk away though even with 1% doubt.

[brn7y]

What is the man math?

[Ian_C]

Man maths. I'm keeping my 205 forever - bought for peanuts, the longer I keep it, the more and more its worth, I have a garage which is 205 sized so its not taking up any room as no other car will fit in there....

(lets not mention the thousands and thousands spent maintaining it.....)

[Mr Footlong]

Thanks.

Spoken to the guy that I bought her off and none of the customizations I did to her have been removed. Engine is going to need replacing, no two ways about it as he has put another 30k on it and the little ends sound like they are acting up. He has been quoted 2.5k to re-bore it out but I said don't be stupid as she was re-bored to 2.2-2.3 in my time, there is no more else to scrape out of there safely.

His ad claims 3.4 0-60 and 180 top speed which I don't believe as he is running my old map, which was a bit under 4 but not 3.4 and I never got over 160-70 on the speedo and she was out of legs on the JDM gearing.

Anyhoo, he is asking only £3k due to the engine work needed and I would offer less, feel like my child that I was forced to give up for adoption had come back home and would get her sorted properly as everything is peanuts compared to this German stuff.

Arranged to go see her tomorrow after a lunch date. I am expecting her to be battered and in a way that would be a good thing as it would give me closure on those 3 years of my life I spent tinkering with her. Worst case, I own car number 4!

Not a great pic, but fairly recent from the current owner:

[Mr V10]

You've mentioned Fluffy a few times on the forum and how much you've missed her, I'm pleased you have the opportunity to own her again, you will only kick yourself and regret it if you don't. Sounds to me like the S3 never really hit the spot, and at £3k, it's a no brainer. Get it bought, then take me out in it as I've always been ignorant towards Scoobies, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious.

[chunky79]

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't bi-curious.

Is this you ''coming out'' at last Amar?

[Mr Footlong]

Lol Dunc. Amar, the S3 was never for me, I never drive it at all really, madam is soooo fussy about her driving position and makes a huge song and dance over adjusting everything back after I have been in it. It was a present for darling really and originally I was going to sell the Cupra but it is just so bonkers to drive that I didn't have the heart to, until now perhaps. You should go out in a well sorted one Amar, they are TERRIFIC all round A-B weapons, without the Go-Kart rawness of the Evos.

I figure with Shopp and his BumW fun/track car, Bam getting something along those lines ones day, I have to do things properly and show them how "Jap Crap" rolls when done right. Have already been making enquiries about an EJ25 closed deck block, boring out to 2.6/7 and going from there. An Impreza tuning specialist opened up 10 minutes away from me about a month after I sold her!

I think a 6 speed box may be in order too but he claims to have just had a "grade 4 competition clutch" fitted (probably awful), whatever that is so I may just burn through that first (I did a clutch every 8-10k miles on average on her previously and current owner has done 2 in 30k)

I think I am going to just sell the Cupra and put funds towards this beast, don't think I can sit on her, I will want to get her running sooner rather that later. Soooooooo excited but expecting the worst later. Can't believe I will get my plate back too, will have K1 WTF, C2 EVL and L3 FEK, it is the sad little things that make me happy

[Shoppinit]

5 years is a very long time in modded Scooby years. Have a look to see if it's in acceptable condition.

If it seems OK then negotiate hard. Try not to jump up and down too much and giggle like a schoolgirl when haggling - it might weaken your bargaining position.

He's going to have real difficulty selling a car with engine problems. It's gonna cost a fair what to get a new top-spec lump in there...

[Mr Footlong]

I've had a few so I am expecting that time may not have been kind to her but thanks . He claims that everything I did to the car still works, but I immediately picked out that something was up with the defi link system from the photo. The mechanics he has been using unplugged the control system as alarm noises kept going off. Yes, that would be the warning limits that you can program in and get reset every time you disconnect the battery, sound like a bunch of monkeys....

I am expecting to have to drop at least 5-6k on a decent block, just wondering what state the Garrett is in on her. Thing is that with the engine all fettled, this thing whoops the 6 on anything bar top end speed (being 600kg lighter helps but takes a while to build boost), so it might satisfy my need for more power again and stop me planning on getting a C6 to add to the stable next year, yet another total money pit that will be.

Still can't believe that his guys were recommending boring out an already partially failed and previously re-bored block.

[Mr Footlong]

Just to add, I am thinking of offering 2.5-2.7k but I should really go see what is out there for haggling purposes....