need some help on this!

[nova_geezer]

I have just looked at a nova for a sale. It is a 1.4SRi K plate.

It looked a minter until i drove it.
Well could some one tell me if this is serious and how much to get right.
1:- When driving the steering wheel was pulling left then right and was shaking all over quite seriously. If i let go of the steering wheel the car would go to the left then the right quite quickly.

2:- where the vinylt strip goes along the side of the car at the end near the rear wheel arech it was bubling badly with rust at the bottom which was really crumbling. The inside was quite crumbly aswell. Is this easy to sort out. How much am i looking at taking it to a body shop for this rust repair. It may need a new rear panel am i right?

3:- Last of all. When i sat in the car and revved up, once the revvs had falled say from 3000, 4000 revs it sounded like there was fluid bubbling in the engine, oil maybe, or petrol. But only when i revved the car or stated it up. When looking in the engine bay everythin was ok, But around the engine block there was fresh oil. I undone the cap and there was like a white gunk, but not too much, the rest was clean. I was told this would be the head gasket has gone.

Brake pedal seems far too soft, then hardens up near bottom of floor. And accelerator pedal is really hard and seems near to the right of the car where the arch is. Is this right.

What would someone recommend me do. I wan a minter to do up. Not a car that i will be spending loadsa money on before i even get a chance to get a set of wheels for etc.

Other than that there is no rust on arches etc.

cheers for anyones time who has read this.

James.

[jim sri]

it sounds like it is not a minter. the head gasket if you do it yourself will cost about ?50-?60 in parts iirc and will take you the best part of a day to fix(extra if head needs skimming-?30 ish). ive never had to do a rear arch or had a bodyshop done, ur best to ring round some local places before purchasing. with regards to the steering prob, u'd prob be best off taking a mechanic with you to look at the car to deem whether it is safe or not, without looking at/driving the car myself its hard to tell what the exact prob is. hope this helps a bit. :|

[ade]

I say leave it.

The arch will prob need welding - if crumbling at the bottom section could need chassis checking. Mine was crumbled bad but chassis was ok however cockpit was comprimised (theres a rubber seal that runs round the arches) - I removed it and fibreglassed both arches) - was respraying whole car anyway but had to struip both arches right back - bodyshop'll charge you about ?300+ to do properly (full derust and seal+spray)

Sludge in oil would indicate possible head gasket prob coupled with fresh oil and bubbing noise...check water level (?50 diy or ?200+ garage job - I was charged ?350 once!).

Brakes need bleeding by sounds of it or new discs/pads

Steering could be number of things - shagged suspension (judder), tracking (car pulling), wheel balance (judder), brakes binding/seized (car pulling), track rod ends (judder when braking or at about 50mph), steering rack/column etc...
jack it up and wobble wheels - if they move up n down or down trackrods...

Has it been in a smash? (check edges of panels for spray overlap and gaps in wings to doors) sounds like it may have been (?)

Accelerator pedal being too close to the arch - mines about 3cm away - nova pedals are pretty close.

how much does he want for it?

I'd pay ?500 tops! (if your no mechanic youre looking at ?500+ to right most of it)


Ade
:roll:

[Ben (lurk75)]

Walk away, i never even rad all the problems.
There is nothing wrong with each of the problems but put them all together and youve got one problem- the car.

It is too much money for a car that needs to be fixed.

You will find one just be patient.

[novarally9999]

or it could have been stuffed at some point, with ref to pulling left and right.

It sounds more like scrap value

[tonydry]

its been crashed i had a 205 the same it will prob need to go on a jig could be very exspensive so i wouldent bother there plenty ov cars out there for a decent price

[mark_GSi]

walk away m8ty

i went 2 c a clio 16 for my g/f and everytime u braked hard i juddered like mad, warped discs i thought, asked the bloke and he said "oh its the pads, need changing m8" uuummm NO the discs r warped m8

walked away and found a nice 1 bout 3 weeks l8r and brought it :-)

[whitey]

Yeah but id have just used that to knock the price down massively! That one isnt really a biggie is it!

Remember you can knock price sown lots if you look like you know what ur doin!

Start the engine, turn lights, heater, EVERYTHING on basically and watch it dim! Then say alternator or battery is on the way out possibly there, that would cost me between ?50 to ?100! LOL

Just dont do that to someone who knows what they on about!

[mowgli]

I thought that all Novas had rusty arches

The head Gasket is most probably gone

the pulling is because the tracking is toe out a lot. this could be accident damage, worn bushes or one too many kerbs, which could be the reason for the wobble.

offer a very low bid and see what happens.

[Chris LR]

Don't just walk away, run.

Rust under vynal is a huge problem, Head Gasket is serious and so is the steerign wheel.

My car had all these problems (and more) and it's not likely to see the light of day for a good few months yet.

[mikeoxford]

how much is it?

[jim sri]

head gasket isnt too serious as long as the head isnt warped, but even then im sure a 2nd hand head for one of these isnt gunna set you back too much. if you fixed the head gasket&the tracking, as long as it had tax/mot u'd have yourself a cheap(??) runaround.

[ade]

whatever you decide - sound confident, list the issues youve recorded and how much it will cost to fix them to make car "mot worthy" and use this to knock down price. Take along a "m8" for support.

Ade


On reflection ?250 tops

[mikeoxford]

Take along a "m8" for support.Ade

or a dad hey aragorn!?

his dad tried knocking me down on gearbox, cam carirrer cam etc ;) i gave way a lil bit

later find out he bought some other stuff off dicko (i think?) the same day and knocked him down too!

his dads a legend 8)

[_JH_]

if its got all five alloys left give ?25 for the aluminium. alternatively, pay all your lifesavings into this 'minter'

to be honest, each symptom could be one of a number of problems, no-one on here can really diagnose it over the internet, you have to be there and see for yourself. some smaller problems may be obvious from what your saying, but you may not have explained yourself properly anyway. as someone above said, run away (from the car that is, your folks would miss you if you did a bunk from home)

[GSiLuvver]

Let me guess, this is the first Nova you've looked at right? Take most peoples advice on this web page and walk away. Never ever buy the first car you look at (unless you're certain its a gem!). Just say to the owner, thanks very much but I'll let you know. Then move on and look at another one for sale.

The beauty about Novas is that there are plenty of them about, so you are bound to come across another one for sale sooner or later. Patience James my boy - patience!!