GTi6-PJL
Post #1
(I've been meaning to post this for a while. Apologies it's a wall of text!)After owning a Jaguar X-Type 2.2 for over 18 months, I decided that I wanted to change it for something a bit more sporty. I can't fault the Jag as a long distance mile muncher, but given I have a short commute (and there happens to be some good back roads close to me) I figured that a hot hatch would fit the bill nicely, and bridge the gap that was left when I sold my Fiesta 1.25 back in 2012 (I still regret selling to this day, but that's another story).
It was around this time that a friend was on the hunt for a new car, and he ended up with a (admittedly modified) 306 GTi. After going out for a passenger ride in it (and being rather impressed) I set about sorting some day insurance out so I could legally take it for a spin. £35 later and sitting behind the wheel I could tell that this just felt right - it felt remarkably similar to the Fiesta, but had the power that it was sorely lacking. It gave me feel and feedback that modern machinery lacks. The hunt, it seemed, was on! Scouring eBay, Pistonheads & AutoTrader for the one wasn't an easy task - most were either too far away, too ropey or far too expensive, but I wasn't going to give up hope!
Eventually I found this one on eBay. Starting bid of £600, in Moonstone (one of my preferred colour choices), with a shade under 69,000 miles, service history since 2003 (better than none!) and a distinctly average looking seat cover on the drivers seat (take a guess why!). Drawback being it was SORN and would need to be brought home on a low loader (not a problem as a family friend has one that we could borrow). After firing off a few messages back and forth to the owner, I checked the MOT history and ran a data check - all clear, which was a relief. Seeing no bids on it 2 days before the end of the auction I decided to be a bit naughty and make the buyer an offer of £600 cash, which he declined and said £700, provided I collected it that Saturday - we tentatively agreed, provided the car was as described. Cue a 7am start with my dad and I fuelled by Red Bull to Birmingham. On arrival it didn't look too bad - a few parking dings and a front bumper that was cracked (and bodged together badly!), but nothing that you don't expect on a 13 year old car. After chatting to the owner and starting the engine, it didn't sound all that fresh - not like a sewing machine, but there was a slight tap, which we used to our advantage! Taking the seat cover off confirmed my fears - one shot drivers seat. At this point I was beginning to think it had been a wasted trip, but after some haggling (using the seat condition & engine tap as a bargaining chip, by convincing the seller it was either the crankshaft or a camshaft - there's no law against using Jedi mind tricks when buying a car!) we eventually agreed on £650 cash. While the seller was sorting the paperwork I was subtly informed that the tap sounded like a sticky tappet (given the car hadn't been run for a while this made sense, and was massive relief!) Cue another long drive from Birmingham back to Essex. Once home I read through the history and found it was complete from day 1 - it had been a lease car and the history was there, along with the second owners receipt, and a wad of history. On further perusal it seems that sadly the belt had let go in 2006 at just over 48k, but the head had been "sorted" (it still taps though) and valves had been replaced - this came to £1k on its own.
Mine, all mine!
Doesnt look bad from a distance!Soon after purchasing the car I ended up ordering a complete service kit from CarParts4Less, consisting of new air, fuel, oil and pollen filters, a new aux belt, a new cambelt kit (136 tooth - thanks to the guys on here for the advice), 6 litres of Total Quartz 9000 5w40 from eBay, NGK plugs and a billet crank pulley from Carl at CG Cars (thanks for this!).
Fast forward to April (unfortunately my dad had a heart attack back in December '13 which ended up becoming a quadruple heart bypass) which meant the revival had to go on the back burner. I got it dropped off at my mechanic's workshop and asked him to fit all the parts, plus give it a pre-MOT check over. Given that it hasn't been on the road since 2012 there was inevitably going to be some parts that were far beyond their use by date. Turns out I wasn't wrong on that front! It ended up needing 2 new suspension springs (old ones had snapped), new brakes (to be fair the old ones looked like they were off the Titanic), 2 new wishbones, a CV boot kit as the old one had a gaping hole in it and a few sundries.
The MOT was passed with only 3 advisories - both side indicators apparently "faded" and an issue with the manifold clamp on the exhaust, so I ordered a genuine Pug manifold to cat fitting kit and fitted it, and decided not to touch the indicators as they looked perfectly fine to me. Funnily enough the MOT's since haven't muttered anything (not that I believe MOT testers have to put advisories on cars to meet their quota, but I digress).
I also managed to source a good condition 6 interior on eBay for £62. Fortunately the bolsters had been re-done by the previous owner, so the socket set came out and the shot driver's seat was replaced.
Out with the old...
And in with the new(er). The bolsters do look like they're an awful colour match in the photos, but in the flesh it's barely indistinguishable.
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2000 W Phase 3 Moonstone.
Posted 13th May 2016 at 20:32
Up on the ramp, while fitting the handbrake cable.
Yep, that's broken!
Bodge-tastic!
Old V New
All fitted.
I thought my wallet felt a bit light!
- I'm hoping the weather will hold up over the weekend so I can give it a good wash & polish.