Colour: Gold (black vinyl roof)
2 Door Coupe
1257 cc
First registered 1/8/73 (so should be valid for road tax exemption next year)
Mot: 4/7/13 - 4/7/14
Tax: just put 6 months on starting 1/9/13
My Vauxhall Viva SL, 1257cc, is up for sale mainly due to lack of use, there are some handbooks and paperwork to go with the car, its covered 91400 miles. I purchased the car about a year ago as I was looking for something vintage to run about in as a second car. Unfortunately with work commitments etc I have not got as much use out of the car as i would have liked, and it seems a shame for it to just sit doing nothing, plus I also have to pay for a permit to park it at my home.
In the time I have owned it, it has had a new front caliper, new pads, replacement gearbox, and a head gasket. It is apparent that the previous owner/s also kept on top of things and the rear axle, suspension looks to have been overhauled. It went through its MOT with no advisories, however there are a couple of little things needing attention, the main one being the screen wash switch which has disappeared inside the dash housing, but an easy enough fix. Its an old car so there is room for improvements, paint work could be better, and some new door/window seals wouldn't go a miss, however everything functions as it should (apart from the screen wash). It has 5 good tyres and a set of rostyle wheels. All in all it is quite an original car. There is also an 8 track cassette player currently housed in the car as can be seen in the pics.
Another point to mention is that the car has a tendency to run hot on long journeys – scooting around town is fine, on the motorway when you’re averaging a higher speed for a length of time it has a tendency to heat up. It has been suggested to me that this could be combated with a bigger radiator, however I don’t have the time to spend getting this investigated further.
My friend who has his own classic car workshop, has carried out some work on the car, and given it a good look over. Although the quality of the paintwork lets the car down a bit, scrubs up well enough and looks great out on the road, turning plenty of heads. Structurally its very sound, which it has to be said is probably more important, as rust can be an expensive thing to fix, and I didn't want a car that had been plated from back to front.
There is only a few bits of welding that appear to have ever been done:
1. a replacement front passenger wing at some point
2. a small patch on the front panel.
There was a small hole on the rear passenger quarter panel but I had repaired prior to last MOT but this is invisible. The floors, sills, cross members etc are all good and solid, and appear untouched. It has been liberally wax sealed underneath previously which has probably prevented rust ever getting a grasp. Chrome and brightwork all in reasonable condition, as is the interior trim, drivers seat has some wear, but on the whole not bad.
The car is by no means a perfect example however a great basis for a winter project, or leave it as is and just pick away at little things over time, an easy rolling resto. I was quite happy to drive it as is, but would have eventually gone down the restoration route.
I wish to be as honest as I can with the description, so that there are no nasty surprises for those who wish to come and view it. You must take into account the age of the car, however in saying that it drives fine and keeps up with modern traffic. This is cheap to run & maintain, qualifies for classic car insurance, and the bonus ball is that it’s going to be tax free next year.
The car is currently in Cumbernauld, just outside of Glasgow.
I can be contacted direct at: davidstone1980@gmail.com, or on 07525212830
Thanks for looking at my advert.
Price £1250 ono
