The £280 Puma!

So, needing a cheap car for travelling to work and back - the search begun.
Always had a liking for the Puma and knew they could be had for a bargain price so that's where I focused my search. And up popped this beauty on eBay:







Located only 20 miles away, I stuck in a bid and actually lost out. The buyer didn't contact the seller so it was relisted. A quick email to the owner and a deal was done for the grand total of £280!
The car is a CAT C from a minor prang a couple of years back but that didn't worry me.
Not expecting much when I picked it up, I was pleasantly surprised to see stacks of old paper work and invoices going all the way back to when the car was only a year old! It had been sitting for a while but fired up straight away and ran lovely. So I hand over the cash and off I go....
Car was fine on the drive home but the n/s/f shock was knackered so I thought I'd freshen up things at the front......









New arms, anti roll bar links, shocks, top mounts, disc's and pads fitted on both sides.

Next up was a service:

Think it had been a while!!....



Spark plugs, pollen filter, air filter, oil & filter all done.
Coolant was also drained, system flushed, and new coolant added.

Wipers were useless so replaced them with aero ones:



Then gave it a little clean to remove years of tar build up:


(it was a lot worse than the photo shows)



Now runs and handles like a dream.

Next up is headlamp restoration, brake fluid change, and a serious interior clean. Previous owner had a couple of dogs and its not pretty in there!

Looks in good nick, what are the arches like?

They have some minor bubbling that hasn't broken through the paint yet, but I plan on getting some 206 front wings at some point and doing the repair myself.

Same here, I've got a project going on, albeit a little slow, but Mine needs a lot of welding underneath, I've never welded before.... :roll:

I've never welded before either, got to start somewhere though! Being a cheap run around that I didn't plan on doing anything to has suddenly turned into a project. But I want to keep cost to a minimum so it's time I learnt to weld :?

Nichols said:

I've never welded before either, got to start somewhere though!

Click to expand...

Starting on your own car is not a great idea.

Unless you are going to put in the long learning curve, there's 2 things in life best left to the experts - plastering and welding. Most other stuff ending in 'ing' usually falls into the 'How hard can it be?' category, but not those.

I'm not fussed as its only a project, I'm prepared to do some research and take advice, and give it a go

My wife's uncle is a welder...but in Leeds lol, miles away from me, here in Weymouth, but will ask him for some advice.

Frank said:

Nichols said:

I've never welded before either, got to start somewhere though!

Click to expand...

Starting on your own car is not a great idea.

Unless you are going to put in the long learning curve, there's 2 things in life best left to the experts - plastering and welding. Most other stuff ending in 'ing' usually falls into the 'How hard can it be?' category, but not those.

Click to expand...

Hmm, I see your point. I'm Just looking to keep costs to a minimum. I didn't plan on doing anything much to the car really, but now I can help wanting to return it to it's former glory!

Welding is like playing an instrument, once you get the first step you can do a lot, but not necessarily be an expert. It's best to buy some pieces of steel and just practice by welding them together. You never know you might make something useful whilst you're at it!

Once you start welding on cars that's it, you'll end up on the restoration route that never stops :grin:
2 tips for you though, always take the tank out and store it somewhere else and never use an angle grinder anywhere near glass.
Barry

Advice taken lol thanks. Love what you've done with your project

Managed to have a go at the headlights this evening. They were in a pretty sorry state but I'm happy with the results for now.
I plan to give the insides a good clean at some point and perhaps see if I can get a better result of the outsides.

One side done.......

:thumbs: