Went to see a magenta red sapph today at ford fair on hopes to buy
But for one that was described as very good condition

I'm after a mint sapph that is described as mint and is mint when you turn up

My question is : is there any about that are mint or in very good condition
Or am I barking up wrong tree to find one

 

They'll be one out there mate but as usual with unusual cars it'll take months and lots of travelling up and down the country. I wish I had travelled far and wide as I bought the first one I saw which was local and I've not been happy in 10 years with it as it's costing more than a minter to do up lol. I wish I had waited and searched as to buy another is miles out of my reach now

 

some peoples idea of what they claimed is a minter or very good condition can be way off the mark. I visited a car described as very good condition only to find it had a continuous band of rust right around the bottom edge of every panel and up around the a pillars and windscreen. very good condition for a car that had must have been parked in a canal I suppose! worse thing was the guy was actually taken aback when I said it was no more than a Ł300 banger and claimed I was just a timewaster that wasn't really wanting the car anyway!

 

I've got decent amount coming on the sale of my focus

But this guy wanted 13k for a car I would need to spend 3-4K to get it to that sort of price in first place

 

surprised your going back for one of these fella thought you left the taxis behind you and I got your message btw

 

Recent events in my life have put me were I want a taxis again but it won't be a daily like the black one was
I've got a dirty 1 series bmw diesel as my daily

 

Mint,.......... not sure why anyone uses this word as it means nothing when describing the condition of an item.
And if someone describes something to me as mint I would instantly expect it to be poor condition

 

Ahhhh the amount of times ive heard people say the car there selling is mint and when you go and see it its a donkey.

 

Hi Glenn, I agree with you 100%. A lot of peoples idea of what is mint is completely different to mine.Also these days with all the things that can be altered in photos its easy to make something look much better than it really is.
For dean9595 to find a truly mint original condition Sapphire will be hard. I think a restored one may be a way to get one especially when its had a full underside job done as well.
I like to think my original condition 2wd Saff is one of the cleanest modified ones around but there is no way I would describe it as mint.You have to have total confidence and the proof to back it up before you use the word "mint" in my opinion.

 

Thing is a lot of saffs have been chopped about modded and crashed over the years as they have been seen as the cheap cosworth you can buy and abuse lol.
Now 3drs are out of reach everyone seems to be looking for saffs and the really good ones are iver not for sale or too much money. So people are left with what's left

 

I think you are right, there seems to be only 2 types left now, the dog rough 10+ owners ones which have never had an owner who gave a shit about it or the enthusiast long term owned ones which are usually not for sale or are now worth big money.

 

i didn't consider the escos you bought mint and it was a damn site cleaner than a lot of the others out there.

 

I'm selling mine.it's very very good.

 

A1 condition describes the above.

Mint usually has a hole in it and called a polo.

 

Lee noooooo you can't

Cars a stunner and a credit to you

If I was in the market for a saff and had the funds yours would be the 1st I would come to view

 

Ill be selling my saff to get a mk2 frs soon once I have finished it lol and I would describe my car as a very straight usable modified car

 

Mint means as good as the day it left the factory. I was a Dinky Toy collector & mint/ boxed meant just that. The same misuse of the word happened in the toy collector world it was buyer beware. I see lots of Cosworths go through MAD & have yet to see a mint one or even close to that. Mine is good because its been maintained regardless of cost & always garaged its a B1 at best & not even close to mint. Anything over factory Miles & it cant be mint.


mint

Expression used in The North Of England meaning good

Ah, thats well mint!

 

the one you just got?

 

Had it a year now,done 500 miles in it,I was thinking of selling to buy a Subaru but selling to fund a house now.
Prob be listing it tonight or tomorrow.

 

Off your rocker Lee lol

 

Don't think any 30 year old performance car could be described as mint unless it's been rebuilt nut and bolt concourse, best thing to do is just go have a look at ones that interest you and buy on condition that suits you best or failing that build your own from a good shell.
You can go buy a 20k miles car and it will still break every time you drive it no matter the condition.

 

There is a very very nice white 2wd just came up for sale on RSOC forum with less than 30k on it. Not cheap but then the best ones never are I guess?

There are good ones out there but very hard to find now. I almost think the really nice ones don't need to be advertised as they sell themselves.

Lee's 2wd above is a stunner. Had a good look round it at Knockhill earlier in the year.

Would never describe mine as mint condition but I like to think of it as a very nice, useable and presentable car.

 

I am laughing at all this chat about appropriate use of the word "mint". As someone said, one person's mint is another person's shed. You never know until you see the car and that's all you can do really, just go and look at them. You might have to look at several, but that's what happens when you are trying to buy a car that's the best part of 30 years old. If you want a specific model of car that's three years old, it's easy to find a tidy one. When it's 30 years old, you will have to look at a lot of crap before you find a good one.

An interesting topic I think though. I found myself thinking this as I was wondering around Ford Fair on Sunday. There were some gorgeous cars there; beautifully restored with shining undersides but, would I actually want to own something like that? I find myself thinking no. I'd rather have something that I can use and enjoy. I'd be quite happy with something that's had a few owners and got a few miles under it's belt. I wouldn't want a show queen that I felt guilty for driving. I'd rather have a nice useable example that I could drive and have fun with, rather than an ornament to polish.

They were built for driving and enjoying, not polishing and keeping in a carcoon. Give me a Q plate EsCos with a shady history over a low mileage minter any day. Different strokes for different folks though.

 

I agree with the above there, I'd get much more enjoyment owning a Q plate escos that a boggo standard low miler. I could never own a standard cossie it would be sold with a few weeks cause I'd be that bored.

Concourse is nice to look at and I like things done right but I'd be the same as Lee and end up selling as its too good to use.

 

I guess it depends on what your idea of "mint" is? To some people it would be concourse condition with only a handful of miles on the clock, to others it will be as long as the thing isn't falling apart from rust then that's mint. If I were in the market I'd be asking to see as many pictures of the car as possible, maybe even get it on a ramp so I could see underneath. As long as its all solid and doesn't boil over on a test drive I'd be happy, but some others would want more. Hard to gauge a word without having a set standard for it.

 

As i have said so many times mileage means nothing.
I have seen many over the years and the low miles cars can be more hassle.
Buy on condition rust is a big factor and shit repair work.
Make sure it has its original body parts correct lights mouldings etc.
Engines can be rebuilt but body work can be and expensive game and a lottery depending on who is doing it.

 

This is true. Mine had only done 38,000 miles when I bought it and had been used to mot and back only for 10 years. Thing was riddled with problems for years after. I've replaced most stuff on the car and stuff still needs doing 9 years later. It's rust free mind which is good

 

All yours needs is those drivers doors sorting and a repaint in moonstone will make it a great deal better

 

 

Well said, I find a car that's used regularly are often better than ones that have been sat around for long periods of time. As long as parts are replaced as they wear, and they are bought up to correct temperature before hard use, I see no problem having a good few miles on the clock.

 

 

^^ Mint!

 

No its not. It is A1 condition better than ford intended.

Somebody please buy this car. Lee has done a fantastic job and it is worth very top end money. Ideal for collector or someone who will have it as a show car.
Don't miss out on a great 80's icon...

 

I know I was only joking. It is very nice.

 

Yeah i know lol

 

That's right it'd be a completely different car with that done. Shame it's so expensive. I had saved up the money for the respray 3 years ago, sold my mk2 Astra gte and both my Greenlane scramblers, my beaver tail transit
And e36 m3 replica in order to re do the whole car top to bottom and then before I was gonna book it in my Missus uttered those money sapping words "I'm pregnant" lol. 3 years on and I'm just about able to service the thing and living wage packet to wage packet. I wouldn't change It for the world and it can sit in the garage until maybe one day I have the funds to do something with it. I'll just keep starting it up and taking it for a spin every once in a while to keep her in trim.

 

Thats fair enough. Kids take a lot of time and money trust me i know

 

I rented mine out as rent boys ! why pay out when they can earn lol

 

I had to read it twice Jay, fist up it sounded like you had used it for "rent boys " to use!!!!!!!!!

 

Fist up sounds wrong.....