Should I buy this exxie?

S

Simy

Low Mileage
There is a '77 X1/9 for sale in my area, I thought the engine was rebuilt (I was misinformed) but it was just tuned.
Heres the notcable good and noticable bad:

The good:
-Body panels are there, repaired, or whole parts
-Engine seems strong
-Clutch grabs twords the bottom
-Tires have tred left, and I didnt notice any cracks (eg dry rot)
-Said the brakes are good (but also said he didnt trust them for freeway speeds), they worked... what can I say?
-New starter
-Frame intact, bad rust not present, or fixed.
-Targa top is ok
-Top part of engine bay is fairly clean

The bad:
-Some minor body trim is missing
-Needs a paint job (mis-matched rear boot cover (is this the correct phrase? or is it stil considerd a 'trunk lid' ?)
-Trottle cable sticks, fairly forcefull foot lifting can get the engine to slow down.
-Leaks transmission fluid. (slight dripping from seals)
-Timing/adjustments are out of wack, timing done 'by ear', self-flooded when tryied to start.
-Choke needed to be manually activated
-Interior isnt trashed, but isnt good. (I didnt look under the fluffy seat covers)
-Heater core leaks, owner removed the bypass as well. so it leaks now.
-Front boot with targa in gets caught on the front middle under the front piece (without targa, it works ok, but still very close)
-Spedo/odometer cable missing
-parking brake cable missing


Overall I like it, and dont mind putting in the work but when I responded to the ad for $1,350 I figured the engine/transmission was solid as this was the impression I was given, however after a closer look only the engine is 'ok' and the transmission needs to be pulled, and at the very least have the seals replaced.

But when I got done looking at the car, and was tallying up everything, its much more work then I had thought, I dont mind putting in the work but what should I offer for the car?

I was thinking originally with the engine/tranny in good condition, and just the interor/exterior work, maybe $1000 tops, but with the work ahead of me I'm thinking half that, where as my BF is thinking around $750, $800 tops.

What do you guys think? Low end value with things having normal wear and tear but in good condition is about $3k however its got quite a bit to get to that point....
 
Actually those values are pretty...

inflated in the real world , with these cars. Is there any rust around the windshield base, or around the strut towers? The rust will be your major enemy on X 1/9s. I am positive you can get any part you might need for the car from the vendors here, and all of the advice on how to fix any particular issue, as well. Your $750-$800 would be more realistic than the sellers price. Did you take any pics of the car? That always helps us give you a more accurate analysis. Check the floorboards out, as well. These also tended to rust in the side pockets of the rear trunk. All of these items, with the exception of the strut towers seem to be repairable. It all depends on how big of a project you are willing to take on.
 
It sounds about the same average condition as mine, which I paid $800 for. Looking back sometimes I feel I shouldn't have paid that much (owner was originally asking $1600) and I now have less than $1500 in it but, have a solid daily driver with new tires, brakes (not including calipers), and hydraulics all the way around.
 
Simy said:
There is a '77 X1/9 for sale in my area, I thought the engine was rebuilt (I was misinformed) but it was just tuned.
Heres the notcable good and noticable bad:

The good:
-Body panels are there, repaired, or whole parts
-Engine seems strong
-Clutch grabs twords the bottom
-Tires have tred left, and I didnt notice any cracks (eg dry rot)
-Said the brakes are good (but also said he didnt trust them for freeway speeds), they worked... what can I say?
-New starter
-Frame intact, bad rust not present, or fixed.
-Targa top is ok
-Top part of engine bay is fairly clean

The bad:
-Some minor body trim is missing
-Needs a paint job (mis-matched rear boot cover (is this the correct phrase? or is it stil considerd a 'trunk lid' ?)
-Trottle cable sticks, fairly forcefull foot lifting can get the engine to slow down.
-Leaks transmission fluid. (slight dripping from seals)
-Timing/adjustments are out of wack, timing done 'by ear', self-flooded when tryied to start.
-Choke needed to be manually activated
-Interior isnt trashed, but isnt good. (I didnt look under the fluffy seat covers)
-Heater core leaks, owner removed the bypass as well. so it leaks now.
-Front boot with targa in gets caught on the front middle under the front piece (without targa, it works ok, but still very close)
-Spedo/odometer cable missing
-parking brake cable missing


Overall I like it, and dont mind putting in the work but when I responded to the ad for $1,350 I figured the engine/transmission was solid as this was the impression I was given, however after a closer look only the engine is 'ok' and the transmission needs to be pulled, and at the very least have the seals replaced.

But when I got done looking at the car, and was tallying up everything, its much more work then I had thought, I dont mind putting in the work but what should I offer for the car?

I was thinking originally with the engine/tranny in good condition, and just the interor/exterior work, maybe $1000 tops, but with the work ahead of me I'm thinking half that, where as my BF is thinking around $750, $800 tops.

What do you guys think? Low end value with things having normal wear and tear but in good condition is about $3k however its got quite a bit to get to that point....
Click to expand...
well on a 77 it should be a 4spd, so the inboard boots need to be replaced or the shift shaft seal
and i probablly wouldnt pay more than 700 for it even though some of the body has been repaired, the car is not perfect and you are probablly going to dump in a lot more money to get it to a state where you can drive it normally
 
Roomate says: strut towers are fine, but the front is all fiberglass'ed and needs to be re-repaired/fixed (there was 7'th and 8'th graders working on this car as a project...)

normal rust around the windows on the outside, and the front end, the underside isnt rusted through, the floor boards had rust but looked like just holes, fenderwells, and on the front. frame is good though.


end of roomate talking :p

He had one of these lil beuaties, although its gona take me awhile to get used to sitting on the ground again.

as far as the floorboards they were repaird, and he put tar on them, to help prevent it from getting worse i guess.... seems iffy to me on that one... I assume I'll just have to redo half of the work (and no I dont mind, have a second car, just hate to drive that truck I use it for work)
 
So you guys are staying at most $700? as in less is appropriate, or as in more is me geting ripped off? I'm trying to get the people who know this car more then me, pin down a price for me.
 
Hi Simy

My advice, keep looking. :) You can probably find a nicer example than what you are looking at. The car you describe sounds more like a rolling parts car than a road worthy X. I realize you can put some work into it and you said you were willing to do so, but I truly think you can find a better starting point for $1000 - $1500. The extra money paid upfront would probably even out with the cost to get this particular X rolling.

Just my 2 cents worth of advise. I avoid buying Xs with considerable rust or questionable body repairs.
 
I prefer to pay for a large portion with hard work and dedication it tends to be easier for me to work on a car, then work somewhere else trying to save up money :)


I dont mind looking later for body panels later, I know I'm screwy, but it would take me quite awhile with this other project I have to save up more then $1000. At a time. If it wasnt for my roomate helping I probibly couldnt afford to work on one of these cars in the first place, lol.
 
OK then Simy.

If you want a project to work on, go for it. I haven't seen the car, but based on your description I would say $700 is the most you should pay.

Start the bidding low... and good luck!! :)
 
Again, I am confident that all of the parts you may need

are accessible here. Several excellent vendors that are extremely knowledgeable and helpful, as well as reasonably priced. Matt Brannon at Midwest X 1/9, for example will more than likely have any used body panel you could need, as well as most every bit or trim piece. We will all be very happy to push you to the right source for your needs. You should see some of the cars that have been brought back to life by enthusiasts in this group. Amazes me every time I see progress pics.
 
I have infact looked at a couple of them so far, and may look for every one in the near future, espically if I start this project.
 
throttle cable sticking.

Although I agree this sounds more like a great parts car, The throttle cable sticking is most likely the pedal assembly not the cable. Easy fix with most penetrates and/or a good soaking


odie
 
Most of the problems dont worry me too much except rust. So long as the engine doesnt need to be torn down, I dont have the tools or a workspace to do such work right now.

After seeing what has been said and after reading the buying guide, I'll have to give it another once over looking for rust.
 
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