The £650 Puma

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Well Lee, I bit the bullet today and put a letter through the door to see if I can't join your "Free MG/Rover Club". It's looking quite sorry for itself. Not been MOT'd for a couple of years - or moved it would appear.

 
Oooo! Nightfire red I think! Looks lovely! Any evidence of crippling rust?

Fingers crossed - look at it this way, it they say yes, you've a new project, which is exciting. If they say no, you've avoided another rusty bucket of heartbreak and pain! :lol:
 
The Arch Bishop said:
[post]351924[/post]I remembered that tuonokid had been making nice noises about a program called Forescan

I got my Forescan out once...
 
evilrob said:
[post]352195[/post]
The Arch Bishop said:
[post]351924[/post]I remembered that tuonokid had been making nice noises about a program called Forescan

I got my Forescan out once...
Do you know, I saw that spelling error last week and left it there wondering if I could troll you out of hiding! :grin:
 
The Arch Bishop said:
[post]352176[/post] Oooo! Nightfire red I think! Looks lovely! Any evidence of crippling rust

It looks remarkably solid, the old boy used to polish the hell out of it, shame it's just been left to sit. One tyre is flat and the bonnet is open a crack as if someone has tried to start it in the distant past. Absolutely covered in tree sap and moss.

Will keep you posted!
 
XAF said:
The Arch Bishop said:
[post]352176[/post] Oooo! Nightfire red I think! Looks lovely! Any evidence of crippling rust

It looks remarkably solid, the old boy used to polish the hell out of it, shame it's just been left to sit. One tyre is flat and the bonnet is open a crack as if someone has tried to start it in the distant past. Absolutely covered in tree sap and moss.

Will keep you posted!
Sounds like it could be quite a good one to save then! Looking forward to hearing more.
 
Ok, need the help and sage advice of the Puma collective....

Basically, my question is "When is it time to admit defeat and cut your losses?"

I've really had it with Jegger. Over the last 6 years, he's needed a constant flow of cash to keep on the road and pleasant to drive and, to be fair, I've never got everything working all at the same time.

Welding, painting, all of the suspension, the whole cooling system, the power steering, the air conditioning system, exhausts, trim, gearbox and clutch and much, much more....

My current fault list is as follows;

1. The handling is broken - reasons unknown but possibly just geometry.
2. The VCT solenoid is stuck - may be able to recover it who knows...
3. The rear beam bushes are gone again.
4. The rear wheel spacers both need replacing - a small bit broke away after a gentle prod.
5. Needs the cambelt doing.
6. The seatbelt pretensioner fault means that I can't get an MOT for it - I've tried everything now but it simply won't be fixed even by fitting resistors in their place.
7. Rear brake lines look decidedly dodgy.
8. A myriad of other little issues that I just can't be bothered with any longer.

I haven't the cash to keep pouring liberally into a car that is worth not a lot done up, and not having it to drive over the last few months has just compounded my frustration.

So basically, should I call time and sell it for spares and repairs for a few hundred pounds, or persevere knowing where my previous perseverance has gotten me? :-(

Sad times.
 
Ooohh. That is a quandary.

I guess it comes down to the emotional bond you have with Jegger, as in reality there is no financial sense whatsoever in fixing it. But then there rarely is any sense in cars. It's always heart over head.

Personally, you've ploughed so much time, effort and money into it, it'd be a tragedy to allow him to be scrapped. As long as he's structurally sound then that's a bonus. Brake lines are a doddle. I'll even make some
up for you if you like, VCT could be fixed when doing the cambelt - not pleasent or cheap admittedly.

What's you heart saying?
 
It would be a great shame to lose jeggar. I have enjoyed reading your thread over the past couple of years and just wish I had the wherewithal on mechanics that you have.

But how about outsourcing the frustration and getting a trusted garage to sort out the most irritating stuff e.g. pre-tensioner, cam belt and VCT? With a bit of investment it should be sorted for the next few years. Who knows maybe 10 years time it may be worth a few quid, especially if there is no tin worm. Or if you had to sell her I would hope that someone on project puma would snap her up

Will
 
I just don't know. Outsourcing means money and that's in short supply at the moment. The pretensioners were 'sorted' by the garage last year to get it through the MOT, and they couldn't exactly tell me what worked in the end, just that it stopped flashing so they flung it through the MOT as quickly as possible while it was out!

It's worth naff all and will always be worth naff all, as it's over 100k on the clock and has had an obvious respray. Pumas are only ever going to command half decent money if they are low mileage and original. Jegger's a trigger's broom of a car!

I think if it had ever worked properly at some point (braked, steered, gone), then I'd think differently. It has fought me every step of the way. Some cars feel like they want to be saved. This one not so much.
 
Hi Lee
I understand your pain as it's been a fight over the years. If it's not a daily driver and it's not a bad shell so you can take your time with it it might be worth saving. If it's in anyway rotten and full of all those problems probably best to cut your losses and then get another low mileage one :)
Barry
 
The shell is (very) sound enough Barry, it's just my patience running out. It's not a daily driver, but I find it frustrating with it skulking down the driveway and refusing any attempts to resurrect it.

It's overflowing with new or nearly new bits, but no matter how much money I fling down the pit, it's never quite fixed! If I could sort the airbag light and get an MOT on the flipping thing, then it might just raise interest again, but it doesn't seem interested in being fixed no matter how many bits or bodges I throw at it.

Hurrumph.
 
Hi Lee
Look on the positive side, how much has it learned you about mechanics and electrics. You're right though at 15 years old or over they are getting temperamental and contrary to the cars I'm used to work on are quite complicated. At the end of the day Lee there's only you to make the decision.
Barry
 
Hi Lee

It really would be a shame to end this, but I can totally understand where you are coming from.
Yes, it can be very frustrating fixing one problem just for another to rear its ugly head and there never seems to be an end to it all but I think that seems to be a trait with the Puma.
I'm a very determined & persistent person by nature and don't give up on something easily, but even I feel there is no end to some things and do wonder when its all going to get sorted!

The Puma has a sound body/structure... That for me would make it a keeper. I'd prefer to fix the mechanical parts which I can do myself than have to shell out several hundred for the more specialist work e.g. welding.

You say your rear bushes have gone again... if that is the case, would there be an alignment issue with the rear beam/mounts? If you've got weird handling issues and the rear bushes don't last long, I would be looking at the back end.

I've got an internal wiring loom although it's age/origins are unknown, but it did come from a trusted member on here so it's not 'dodgy' as it were.
If you need any electrical bits or wiring to throw on your car even to test/prove circuits give me shout. I can either send you bits over or drop the whole lot down to you... I'm probably never going to use it.
The loom may or may not have an ABS module, I don't know as I've not really looked for one on there. If it has I'll throw you the part number....

If you need a hand with anything I'm more than happy to come over with a boot full of tools, you're not that far away from me.

Tony
 
Cheers all - I'm going to have a good hard think about it. The missus is uneasy about me chucking it back in (surprising) and the kids looked horrified (they generally look horrified at everything).

Hopefully, I'll finish fixing the MGF today and the Subaru is off to get fixed on Thursday (turbo up-pipe issues) so I can move on to Jegger once again. I think the strain of having three cars all being varying levels of broken has put the strain on a little in the last couple of weeks. Hoping to get my mojo back soon.

Thanks again for the support - the reason to be involved in a good forum! :thumbs:
 
It is always very diffcuilt (and TBH not very smart) to advise someone else what he should be doing with HIS money. So I am going to try to put on some light from other angle, perhaps.
The way I see it, you have already payed for your car and invested in it (quite a lot, be it money or effort or time). The shell is sound, which is becoming a rare thing these days.
You still have some problems with your car and you feel like you have taken a blind alley with it. Is it possible just to store it somewhere and forget about it for a year or so? It won't fall apart during that period and then you would perhaps find some new motivation for it? As it is now (inoperable to an extent) it won't bring you any money in case of selling it.
I am not trying to persuade you one way or another, I am just trying to give you my opinion on the matter; you might regret your terminal decision in a year or so, and if you after that time still have the car you can try doing something about it. If you get rid of it, that will be the end...
Just my 2c
 
I'm not happy seeing dead cars down the driveway - that's the simple truth! I've seen old chaps with rotting heaps refusing to sell them even though there's no chance of them ever being able to fix them up again. I find that quite sad ultimately.

Regardless, I've come to a conclusion or plan of sorts. Will see if it pans out before making any decisions.

Cheers for your advice and support everyone!
 
Dear Lee,

I think you should get naked and press yourself against Jegger. I also think I should join you both.

Kthxbai,
Rob
 

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