Just got my xr3i back tonight after having a full respray and some welding work done and other bits.

Driving it home and it cut out. It was the fuel cut off thing in the boot failed. So i bypassed it with some wire and it runs fine now (do i need another or will the wire do for now?)

Just spent around £2.5k on having all the work done and still have to put a new rad in and other bits Mot, tax etc!

Sometimes like tonight i just wonder is it really worth all the money and expense?

Does anyone else feel like this..?

Will put up pics after its had a good clean and stops raining lol

 

yes me all the time but then when the bad thing are put right and im out driving and its working i love it!!

 

Bit late to wonder what the point is after you've waxed £2500 on cleaning up an XR3i isn't it mate... at the very least, you're locked in to finishing the project IMO.


Cheers,
Grant

 

ive only had my cozzy a few weeks and even now i still think about getting something a bit more modern.
the cozzy doesnt need anything doing to it at all runs and drives perfect but my old impreza drove alot nicer and can be picked up for half the price just about.

 

Old icons always need a lil cash injection mate part of the joy of owning them. The pleasure of driving them and the head turning they make is worth the £££ ??

 

Years ago i got my cortina back from a full repaint and the next door neighbour drove into it within 2hrs of getting it home

Steve

 

Its just one of those days I think.

I no ive spent alot but im only the 2nd owner and there isnt much you can fault the car on as the pics will show!

I do love driving it and the looks and comments it gets so i guess i'll just have to finish it off and enjoy it!

 

Its a Ford. It is inevitable that it will cut out, not start, run hot, leak oil etc etc. Part of the charm.

 

Yeh ive felt pissed off a few times.What im pissed off now with my car is rust is starting to appear on rhe osr wheel arch after 3 years of it having a full respray and rear repair arches put in.


I havent washed or polished it in weeks now cause the weather is just shit all the time.


There old fords so they need a bit of tlc.

Theres nothing wrong with owning xr3i,s.mate.Keep your chin up and think once the faulty bits are repaired it will be all ok.

 

Be very careful that the wire you have used is the correct gauge, to handle the current of the pump, secondly yes, thats why it's there in the first place .

It's just the way things go, at the end of the day they are old cars so invariably they are going time and money spent on them to keep them on the road, same as any old car does.

Martin

 

Ebay is full of part finished projects that are "90% complete" with the usual "no spare time" or "no place to store" excuses. Whenever I see them I can tell it's just someone that's started something but has gotten so fed up looking at it and spending money on it that they just want shot of it. Look at the amount of people that start resto threads then disappear after a couple of posts. If you're doing a major project you need to have a certain attitude to be able to see it through to the end. My car is an XR3i and I too have spent about £2.5k on getting it where it is now. It sat in my garage for the last six months doing nothing and it's only in the last few weeks I've shown it some interest again and it's only now I realise how close I'd got to finishing it when I gave up on it before. Is it not better to have something to show for all your effort and cash instead of selling/breaking it and buying a boring new motor?

 

I feel your pain mate,iv been building my van for about 3 yrs now
had it mot & tax now for a while.

iv drove it 4 times now & 2 times it has broke down &the tax runs out soon

belive or not i added up every penny spent on it the other night
( i know its sad but kept a diary of everything iv spent)

grand sum of £4,313 & no where near finished

i would'nt get near that if i broke it for bits.

 

i no were ur coming from i spent 600quid on powdercoating load bits for my car and marked every bit in some way or had cut it up to make it fit my shell i did a full respray on it and its marked on every panel throw being in storage for a while ,i dont even wana add up the money i spent on it and its not even a 1/4 done lol

 

Steve mate that is just pure bad luck!

 

Its only money at the end of the day.You cant take it with you when your gone.

 

Glad to see im not the only one!

I always think nobody ever makes there money back on a car.

I have enjoyed building it and buying bit etc. Its always been reliable and havnt broke down really bad as in not able to fix it. Altenater went and fuel switch but that could go on any car thats 21 years old i suppose?

Im sure when its done to how I want i'll feel different! It just seems its hassle and expense in my life thats there through choice and money ad stress could be halved if i sold it but don't think i could bring myself to do it

 

Its a fact of life that older cars will need a bit more looking after but its no shame to them really.

An example for me was a mate who went from an Evo 5 to a 2wd Sapphire, he totally abused the Evo and it mainly took the abuse but then the Cossie didnt and he was raging lol, I mind he picked me up in it when he got it and was hitting the limiter in 1st and 2nd, I knew the car would have a hard/short life!!

I tend to enjoy the older stuff in the summer and then get summat modern for the winter which I think gives me the best of both worlds - i've been through it all, snapped clutch cables, exhausts falling off, wheel bearings collapsing and its bloody frustrating at the time but part of old Ford ownership sometimes!

 

I would be quesioning why you would spend £2.5k on a respray on an XR3I to be honest mate......

Either way its an old car and it will break down time to time...most of us just get used to it and have the AA card in the ashtray so easier to find

 

i've been asking myself the same question lately - as found rust in my saff which is now going to delay the cossie conversion for a bit longer

oh well, at least i took it to the guy who did the metal work originally so it will be sorted properly

 

Any car thats not modern is silly to run as your 1st mode of transport. Old Ford are worse than average & will be a money pit. You must have goals to work towards or its a waste of time & effort. Ive had mine over 15 years yet i still have things to aim for. I see so many lads & there projects fail to make the finishing line, its so sad to see. If i wanted an old Ford just to charge around in i would have sold it years ago cos lets admit it they are just old Dagenham dustbins.

 

I think 'is it worth it' every time I even see my Mrs at the moment....she is driving me potty.

 

i've had my current ford for nearly eight years now, wouldn't get rid of it TBH, neither would the misses let me het rid of it.
it's been a big money pit for me and to be fair not really been able to enjoy it due to one thing or another, but when it all comes together it's worth every minute and pound spent.
talking of which, need to fit replacement alternator :blub:

 

Get them pics up mate. Would like to see it.

 

I had a 1967 mg-b-gt as my main car for 6-7 years spent lots putting a v8 in there ,had all the nay sayer say Id never do ,not worth it etc.... well I did do it and lots of fun it was too! was it worth it ? money wise in many ways no but for fun, a good challenge ,and great memorys yes worth every penny .

 

the truth is if you sell it and bu something a bit more modern if that breaks down it wont be a cheap fix like a ford / my mate had a series 2 running 190bhp everyday for work etc was perfect the gearbox let go he paid 80quid and put in a ib5 gearbox[ bit better ] drove it for 3 years and after giving up on it because it was heavy on fuel he sold it and bought a bmw he said its boring but its nice to drive so took that work 6months and now its in a garage for a gearbox and costing him 1250quid!!!!! another problem he had was the turbo failing i didnt even ask how much that cost to repair etc your car will turn heads, cheap to fix and cheap on parts most things you could do your self ... other cars will drive better but if that breaks down your gonna tink what was the point of selling the xr3 lol

 

I've spent about 3.5k in the past few weeks on basically the roof of a silver rs1600i,as everything below the roof is Donald ducked.
Some of that I'll get back as I bought a s1 to break to get bits but I almost cut it in half today,totally stripped it to a bare shell to get it shotblasted and it needs everything.
But I remembered I have wanted this car for years and it means something to me so I'm going to forget about it for a while till I find the love again!

 

My car went away yesterday and when it got driven away i missed it straight away and thought this is how i would feel if i sold it.

Just spent a bit getting it mapped.It needs a few more daft little things which i will sort out.Oh and my hand brake cable has bloody snapped too lol.

 

Some people may think spending that on a xr3i is stupid but tbh i can't afford a turbo or cossie yet and always have liked the 3i's as they are getting rare now!

Ive seen corsas and saxo that have had alot more spent on them!!

Ive had full respray inside boot and bay aswell
New boot floor and battery tray
All new gaskets
Altenator
Radiator
Thermastat
Bearings
Cambelt and waterpump
Clutch
Wheels done in white

List goes on. Still have interior to do, engine rebuild and underneath to do.

The thing that really annoys me is that i have no garage to keep it in

 

At the end of the day its properly your hobby so dont worry about it.Some.people spend there money on fags or beer we spend it on our cars.I wouldnt like to think how much ive spent on mine.I bet ive spent over a grand on it this year.

Some people dont wanna have modern cars im quiet happy in my 20 year old cossie lol.

 

It is a hobby. I got the car for £200 and its the cleanest mk4 ive seen floorpans NO rust at all sill, arches wings are all MINT! Just the battery tray and boot floor due to the rear lights leaking!

Ive been doing abit today to try and get motivated! Start for an hour or so then get fed up!

Putting off doing the radiator but it needs doing!

Whats the best way to take it out, take bumper off and out that way or bring it up past manifold?

Last time i put it in manifold was off so was easy. I really don't want to take that off!

 

yep, youll eventually reach the point when youll think why the fuck am i spending so much time and money on a shonky old banger.
then youll give up and break it for parts.

 

Can't see me breaking it even if it is worth more that way!

 

i think when we own an older ford we see beyond the money side of things and look at the pride part of it.after all the hard work we do on our cars we can stand back n say 'yeah ive done this'.keep on it fella it will be worth it in the end

 

Get sone pics posted of your car mate.

I have felt really down about my car but since its been mapped im in love again.It makes we wanna go and give the car a good wash.No wait on it will only rain soon,ahhh fook it.

 

Well said.I get more pride out of driving my car too.I love driving my car i just wish we had better roads in this shite counrty.

 

Yeah I will stick at it and get it to how I want!

I will put some pics up as soon as I get chance to give it a good clean!

 

Just keep on looking after it mate.They are a icon of a cat if you ask me. Most car mad people know what a xr3i looks like.

 

I wouldn't give a shit what other people think about you spending £2.5k on it mate. As Glenn has already said some people spend way more than £2.5k on fags and booze every year and have bugger all to show for it apart from possibly cancer and a fat gut. At least you will have something that you can be proud of. You will get some on here that will slate you for spending that sort of money on an "XR3i" but they probably waste just as much money on other things. If it's what you want to do with your money then fair play to you .

 

Cheers lads!

 

Well i spent most of yesterday (sunday) morning clay barring the car and gavi it a wash.Its the first time ive washed it in weeks.

Ive woke up this morning(monday)looked out of the window and shock its been raining again.


What a waste of time.