Nearing The End Of The Road For My Car

[Gayno]

did you replace the arches?

Yep, had them done in 2011. Same place Mart had his done and his are much worse, so I can see where mine will end up in the not too distant future.

[prelude91]

Why on earth are the rear arches so susceptible to rust? After having them replaced so recently, for them to be going again seems premature.

[mercutio]

get it done properly with the replacement panels

[lewd lude lover]

@prelude91: they were done by a noddy that has some history on here with a couple of people. not a cowboy as such just not as good as he could be.

Adam, stop being a ladyfart and drive it for another couple years (unless the electrics is a massive job)

Any car worth its salt takes 6-900 a year to keep in good nick. What gives?

[prelude91]

oh dear, keep me away from the noddy, but I still maintain, 4's and 5g's seem so much more susceptible to tinworm than the older 3g's, I suspect. And by 6-900, I guess you mean pence, lll, not pounds!! Apart from the major work this last year, she is 23 years old, after all, my 3g has cost pocket money each year. But I also agree, spend money on something you know, not throw thousands at a newer car, and buy someone else's problems

[wurlycorner]

3gs are equally susceptible, just in some less visible areas than 4g's.

What are the electric problems? They're well cheap things to sort!

[Confused]

I cheaped out when I had the car resprayed by leaving it to someone else to look at the arches, and you have also taken it to someone who obviously hasn't done the job properly (as Mart's have also gone in the same way, it's not just yours)

The original arches lasted ~170,000 miles and 10 years before they began to bubble through, these replacements have taken less, because the job wasn't done as well as they should have been for both me, and you.

Give it a year or two to see how these Polish replacement panels fair on other people's cars, and then decide whether to go down that route.

Electrical issues are simple to sort - what are they?

And the central part of the exhaust is mild steel, most of which has been on there for ~220,000 miles. The bit of L200 rear bumper just before the back box has been on there since ~160,000 miles and 2006.

[bb1boy]

No Gayno, no.

You don't give up on a white 'Lude.

[Senninha]

Adam,

Reading your post, it could well have been myself writing it, expressing my own feelings for my Lude. ('96 4th gen VTEC)

Everyone on this forum appreciates how precious these cars are (whatever version model) and are equally mindful, naturally, their Ludes are getting older and by consequence need more attention to parts, bodywork etc.

I've owned my Lude for almost nine years and it is dearly precious to me. It looks like new, recently waxed, however, the age is still there and as the months and years pass I know the time is nearing when I will have to let it go. (If I could garage it I would, but doen't have the space.) It will be a huge wrench to to part with it and to which I fully sympathise with your situation and feelings.

Ultimately only you can make the decision; either to keep spending perhaps more money keeping a precious older car on the road or buying something newer and less sentimental, yet saving on costs.

I wouldn't want to be in your shoes but expect I will be in the not too distant future.

[bennyboy]

I do sympathise, and I guess many lude owners get to the 'what is it worth to ME' stage.

Can I make one suggestion about this though:

I'll be honest, an S2000 is top of my list at the moment, which seems to be the natural progression of the lude owner!!

Drive one first.

You may find that a even a few K spent on a lude might give you more smiles than at LEAST a few K on a used S. Just IMO.