Trophy Recommission

[Seag182]

Hi, long story short a neighbour in my street has a Clio Trophy that has the bumper off, a quick MOT check shows that this particular Trophy hasn't been MOT'd since 2014, sits on roughly 75k miles and is only 2 previous owners.
IF i was able to convince my neighbour to part ways what would this Trophy be worth, assuming it's going to need ALOT of spending to get it road worthy?

 

[Patrick Bateman]

I can't really offer much input on this so apologies for digressing but...a car like this being kept off the road for 9 years is criminal.

You owe it to the car to just steal it.

 

[NickReilly063]

Hi

Depends how original the car is and if all the correct parts are present - however with it being stood for that length of time I’d say most things will need recommissioning which will be a costly process and with some parts hard to find a lengthy one too.

In my view a completed T to a good standard with 75k on would be worth around 15k - could be even more if you go totally bonkers with the restoration.

Only my view - however there are a lot more experienced owners on the site that could advise you better than me.

 

[NickReilly063]

I posted this car before which is parked up a few miles from my work - the chap is in the Army I was told.

It’s been sat there for years and was last Mot’d @ 49k - I really wouldn’t want to start recommissioning it as I think the costs would totally get out of control having just been sat there rusting away for all that time -

So on paper it sounds great to find a 49k car but some are just too far gone to get back to life.

I think I’ll pass by it in the morning just to have another look as it was November 21 when I went.

 

[photo_ed]

Given previous performance of so-called 'barn finds' when they come to market, I reckon the fella could actually be onto something with this ivy clad low mileage example...

 

[NickReilly063]

I’ll take you to see it Ed next time your over - we can post a note though his letter box with a low ball offer on it.

 

[photo_ed]

I’ll take you to see it Ed next time your over - we can post a note though his letter box with a low ball offer on it.

Cool.

I'll bring over a couple of sacks of genuine barn dust, the chap might be interested in it...

 

[IRK]

At a minimum, you'll need to recomission / service the following to get it back on the road assuming that it's been sat for that long:

- Major service with belts etc, all fluids, hoses, sparks, battery, mounts plus a little for contingency £1500
- Sachs and suspension rebuild with new springs, rear cup shocks, bushes and mounts with an alignment £1500
- Decent tyres £400 minimum
- Discs and pads all round plus inevitable caliper and handbrake issues £600 (they really don't like standing)
- Misc items like wiper blades, bulbs, MOT etc say £100

That's around £4k before we get to things like potentially replacing the exhaust, issues underneath such as rotten sills, bad brake lines and other mechanical bits that may need attention. But it largely depends on how it's been stored for the majority of the time off the road.

You could be looking at a small fortune for cosmetic work, again depending on how it has been stored. It might just need a little refresh costing a few hundred quid, or it may need replacement panels, a respray, wheel refurb, glass, lights, interior parts etc costing thousands.

 

[NickReilly063]

I posted this car before which is parked up a few miles from my work - the chap is in the Army I was told.

It’s been sat there for years and was last Mot’d @ 49k - I really wouldn’t want to start recommissioning it as I think the costs would totally get out of control having just been sat there rusting away for all that time -

So on paper it sounds great to find a 49k car but some are just too far gone to get back to life.

I think I’ll pass by it in the morning just to have another look as it was November 21 when I went.

View attachment 32283

It's now gone - let's see if / when it pops up ???

 

[Rich135]

At a minimum, you'll need to recomission / service the following to get it back on the road assuming that it's been sat for that long:

- Major service with belts etc, all fluids, hoses, sparks, battery, mounts plus a little for contingency £1500
- Sachs and suspension rebuild with new springs, rear cup shocks, bushes and mounts with an alignment £1500
- Decent tyres £400 minimum
- Discs and pads all round plus inevitable caliper and handbrake issues £600 (they really don't like standing)
- Misc items like wiper blades, bulbs, MOT etc say £100

That's around £4k before we get to things like potentially replacing the exhaust, issues underneath such as rotten sills, bad brake lines and other mechanical bits that may need attention. But it largely depends on how it's been stored for the majority of the time off the road.

You could be looking at a small fortune for cosmetic work, again depending on how it has been stored. It might just need a little refresh costing a few hundred quid, or it may need replacement panels, a respray, wheel refurb, glass, lights, interior parts etc costing thousands.

I think this hits the nail on the head. So maybe it's worth £5k max?? But you would want to check all of the Trophy parts are there, like sachs dampers, Recaro seats, wheels etc.

 

[GazTwo]

I posted this car before which is parked up a few miles from my work - the chap is in the Army I was told.

It’s been sat there for years and was last Mot’d @ 49k - I really wouldn’t want to start recommissioning it as I think the costs would totally get out of control having just been sat there rusting away for all that time -

So on paper it sounds great to find a 49k car but some are just too far gone to get back to life.

I think I’ll pass by it in the morning just to have another look as it was November 21 when I went.

What Nick said. If anyone remembers #148 on eBay in November 2021 which was a "one owner" 31,000mile car and reached £15k on eBay, I viewed that car the week we all got sent home for COVID and the car was like it had been parked in the sea.

It had been very badly stored in a damp barn from what I was told, the underneath was terrible and would have needed a ton of work.

#WD40saveslifes!

 

[NickReilly063]

Recommisioning these little Beauties can really get out of hand very quickly - even if you have a Great support network around you like I did -

Having just looked at my speadsheet for No63 I've already sent £8051 - if I was not in the trade Gods knows have much it would have cost - thousands more in my view.

Question is have much was it worth as a 1 owner - 830000 mile car before I started it - never painted but missing it's Sach's -

 

[GazTwo]

Love a spreadsheet Nick, I've just checked mine and I spent £5.5k doing my 172 Cup, £1,800 of that was a brand new set of wheels from RPD, tyres and some work at the bodyshop which was "mates rates" but the rest was suspension, bushes, powdercoating, brake lines etc etc.....

All the spannering was done by myself so I had zero labour costs apart from the £600 at the bodyshop....it soon adds up.

 

[photo_ed]

I think this hits the nail on the head. So maybe it's worth £5k max?? But you would want to check all of the Trophy parts are there, like sachs dampers, Recaro seats, wheels etc.

I'll echo @GazTwo here, I think you'd be very lucky to get hold of a Trophy for £5k now, even one requiring recommissioning. We've seen some poor cars go for some eyebrow raising amounts in the last few years. What things are worth is all pretty subjective from both buyer and seller point of view. I've also learnt over the years that restoring cars (properly) is very rarely a profitable exercise because as @NickReilly063 points out, even the simplest things can, and do, escalate, it obviously helps a lot if you can save the labour costs by doing all or most of the works yourself. If it's recommisioning to keep, use and enjoy, that's another matter, just be careful never to add it all up because then you'll realise you're never going to get back what you put in (unless you bought a Ferrari 250 GTO for peanuts in the early '70's)...

 

[NickReilly063]

I've read the story Ed by Nick Mason on how much he paid for his GTO - even he said it was a lot at the time - I seen it sideways on the grass driven by his Mrs at FOS - no way my wife or daughter ( or daughters husband ) would be getting there hands on the keys.

When John Surtees walked out of Ferrari in the 60's he could have taken anything there for free ????

 

[photo_ed]

I've read the story Ed by Nick Mason on how much he paid for his GTO - even he said it was a lot at the time - I seen it sideways on the grass driven by his Mrs at FOS - no way my wife or daughter ( or daughters husband ) would be getting there hands on the keys.

When John Surtees walked out of Ferrari in the 60's he could have taken anything there for free ????

Haha! I quite like to see cars of that ilk being exercised as they were intended, even on the lockstops on the grass at Goodwood whoever's at the helm..

Conversely, it's actually my better half forbidding me to drive the old Mini on the doorhandles on the track these days, fair play I suppose as technically it is her car.. (eta: I'm just the mechanic...)

 

[Rich135]

My wife has just called to say can she use the Trophy as our son is borrowing her car.... what should I say?!?!

 

[NickReilly063]

Ask her to check the code's on her Driving Licence to see if she's passed to drive a Hot Hatch Rich - if not it's a No ???

I can drive with a trailer on the back even though I've no idea how to - age thing.

 

[Rich135]

Haha, thanks Nick, I will see what her licence says ;-)

 

[Titan]

In me experience (admittedly limited...) I think when it comes down to it, to restore a car properly now is just
a never ending hole for money.
Even more so when that restoration needs what are now some very rare and hard to get, ie expensive parts
to do the car right.

Even with the huge price increases over the last few years, you would be very lucky to make anything
approaching a profit if you sell it.
In most cases, unless you have something exotic like a RS500 Cosworth!!

After getting a lot of work done on two cars over the last few years, I have learned one thing.....
Never again.

But then again I am completely useless when it comes to doing anything mechanical myself