Car advice is needed.

"Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder" (pabuuu4) 01/03/2014 at 19:23 • Filed to: None

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My quest to buy my first car continues!

I have sent an email to the seller of a Opel Kadett 1.3 (1983).

It looks bad: painted by hand matte grey/dark blueish, and has steelies all around, painted a mix of pink/purple. Interior looks okay.

Front it has 2 winter tires, summer tires in the back.

But it has a APK (safety inspection) date of 01/2015, so that is good.

it supposedly just had a ´opel 18 points test´ from the dealer, and it passed.

I do not know if the car has any rust, I asked him that.

The good thing about this car: it is 600 euro.

I could use the money I save to fix it up a bit.

another good thing about this car is that I could modify it (tasteful and safely of course) without being afraid of messing it up.

So far I found what I would do to it if I got it:

Imagine this car in the colors stated above:

I would paint it like this:

lower it, I checked, lowered springs cost 115 euro for this car.

Add a hella rear spoiler, 25 euro.

Louvres like this, around 120 euro.

And finally, Alley cats Rallye rims, painted yellow or white maybe. The ones I see for sale are 450 euro with tires. NPOCP?

What do you think? worth it?

dogisbadob > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder 01/03/2014 at 19:27

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I think the keyhole on that side of the door handle is fucking awesome.

Also, just get whatever you can afford. ANY car is the best first car!

DollaMoneyAve > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder 01/03/2014 at 19:32

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Get something you wouldn't mind putting a few dents, dings, and scratches on. Don't put too much thought into the mods until well after you've bought the car. Chances are there are things you will be forced to buy before you can buy the things you actually want.

N/A POWAAAHH > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder 01/03/2014 at 19:38

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Sounds like a good deal. No trying to be a dick here, but isn't there a meme floating around about buying cars and putting on wheels that cost as much as the car..

Steve in Manhattan > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder 01/03/2014 at 19:46

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Take the car to your own mechanic and have him go through it. And ask for the receipt for that 18 pt test.

duurtlang > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder 01/03/2014 at 19:52

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Whatever you do, do not drive on two summer and two winter tires. The difference in grip, especially when it's slippery, is quite dangerous.

About the mods; don't get ahead of yourself. Drive it as is (except the tires and other safety related items) for a while, and only when you're sure you like the car and the car is in a good enough condition you should start thinking about modifications.

It seems like your budget is low, so spending a lot of your budget on modifications when you're not sure if you even like the car or if it isn't a rusty and/or unreliable POS would be unwise.

Ramblin Rover - The Vivisector of Solihull > duurtlang 01/03/2014 at 20:02

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I'd second this. The car sounds like an excellent starter, but until it's been "shaken out", it's best to reserve money for any "just in case" repairs, which there will likely be a few of. Nothing worse than a modded car that can't drive. On the other hand, if the car is solid, the money's on hand for mods as needed.

Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder > duurtlang 01/03/2014 at 20:14

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Thank you, I always appreciate advice!

your point about the tires is noted, it already seemed strange to me.

The mods were just ideas I had, but if I do get this car, that hella spoiler is happening!

My budget is around 1200-1300 euro, and this car is way below that, so I have some money to fix it up.

These Kadetts seem to be pretty strong cars, and there is an active community around for parts and modifying.

davedave1111 > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder 01/03/2014 at 20:20

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What country are you in? €600 isn't a terrible price for an old Kadett, but it's not like there's nothing else around for the money. You ought to be able to find something 20 years younger for that kind of price, and although it might not be as cool, it will undoubtedly be a lot safer.

Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder > davedave1111 01/03/2014 at 20:23

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I am in The Netherlands, and I am specificaly looking for cars older than 26 years because they are much cheaper with road taxes etc, they are considered oldtimers.

lucky's pepper > N/A POWAAAHH 01/03/2014 at 20:31

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Whatever you do, please, for the love of God, DO NOT STICK A RIDICULOUS SPOILER ON IT!!!!

On a more serious note, spend your money making the car safe and spend some time learning how to do basic maintenance (if you don't already know how). I assume it's a manual transmission so (once you ensure the car is road worthy) drive the crap out of it and enjoy it while saving for the next, better car.

duurtlang > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder 01/03/2014 at 20:31

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I'm sure they're strong cars, but you might hate driving it after a while. I wouldn't known, there's only one way to find out (try it). These Kadetts might be 'strong' cars in general, this specific one might not be. Rust is an issue with these cars as well. Again, there's only one way to find out. Just drive it around for a few months. Mods like that spoiler are cheap and can be resold easily, so I don't see any harm in buying one of those early.

duurtlang > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder 01/03/2014 at 20:42

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Regulations have changed, 26-40 year olds are only cheaper if you take them off the road ('schorsen') at least 3 months a year in December-February! If you won't you'll pay full price! At second thought that's not entirely true as older cars weigh less and thus require less (weight based) road tax than newer cars of the same size which weigh more.

Still, my old mk2 Golf that was (and is) less than 25 years old cost me €19 a month in road tax last year. As a completely random example, a Peugeot 106 will cost that €19 a month as well and a 306 will be at about €30 a month or so. That's peanuts. Get a 26+ year old car because you consider them cool, but don't get one to save money because they won't save you money. You'll probably need to spend more on repairs on these older cars.

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder 01/03/2014 at 20:54

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I was prepared to go negative but after reading your post I like the vision. I'm sure the car will have problems but you will work through them and make a nice ride out of it. Your vision may change but that would be okay.

By the way, I'm not a fan of the spoiler. But that's just me.

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder 01/03/2014 at 20:58

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That's just what you'll look like after you buy the car. Another thought, if you buy the car you need to restage this with you and your new purchase.

davedave1111 > Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder 01/03/2014 at 21:13

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From what I've heard, you lot are changing the rules on oldtimer road tax anyway - as Duurtlang's pointed out, I see. I'm not sure I agree with him that you'll pay more in repairs, though, because it depends on the car.

I don't know if you get cheaper classic/oldtimer insurance as a first-time driver, or if it's a lot more expensive if you don't. Over here classic car insurance is a hell of a lot cheaper, but you can't get it under 25 years old normally.

Pabuuu, JDM car enthusiast & Italian parts hoarder > duurtlang 01/04/2014 at 11:27

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The 3 month break doesn't matter much to me, we can park it on our own terrain, in a garage even. When I get my license, I can't drive without an experienced driver next to me, so I don't really need a car, it is just for fun.

19 euro is still double the money than what I will pay max for an oldtimer. I can drive a big, full-size american oldtimer (26 years) for half the money you drive your golf.

Oldtimer insurance is also much cheaper.

Repair costs maybe higher, but I think they even each other out.