Just been to view an 80.. advice needed please

[caferaca]

Hi,

I've been lurking on here a while, looking for the right 80 to come along and wonder what all your thoughts are on one I've just been to look at..

It's a '94 VX auto, 150k miles. 15 owners. The guy has had it 5 years, maintained it himself, drives it to Turkey every year with his family, where it gets a full service, all fluids changed etc. He has MOT's until 2006, a manual and no other paperwork, no receipts. The truck looks a bit cosmetically tatty, a few dents here and there, lacquer coming off in places, tire tread is low, alloys need reconditioning, tear in drivers seat, rear tailgate starting to go, but generally looks fairly honest.. He has serviced the front windows and they seem ok. Underneath I can't see any rust, and the engine bay is very clean. He has a full handmade alu rack to go with it he's including. Asking £4,800.

So I took it for a test drive. Now the worrying bit, smoke on startup from cold. He says it goes away when its warmed up. What do you make of that? He said it uses a litre of oil on his trip to Turkey, which he also said is normal?. And also mentioned his mechanic mate had the head off and all was good, but is why the smoke? I took it around the block and it drove nice, gearbox changed fine etc. I didn't try the low ratio but he said it worked. It has the locker switch and selected it, but no light came on (isn't that supposed to happen?). Overall I like it, but the smoke issue has alarm bells going. I stuck my nose in it and it smells of diesel as opposed to oil. Hard to describe to colour. not white smoke, dark and has a bit of a blue tinge to it. Either way its sounds like money.

what do you reckon easy fix, worth taking a punt, or avoid at all costs ! ?















Cheers for your help
Rick

 

[Paul_Humphreys]

I would say it was over priced. 15 owners, even for its age is a lot. Mile is an L reg, I have had it 4 1/2 years and I am the 4th owner.

 

[clivehorridge]

I think the engine bay looks too clean to be any guide to how it's been mainained. It is a lot of owners 15. Mine's a '95 and I'm the third. Still mine was knocked about and not serviced properly and I paid 5k for it (mainly 'cos they're hard to find here) so what advice can I give?

 

[Chris]

I'd say that from your description, it sounds like an L plate Cruiser. Pretty middle of the road. There are better and there are certainly worse. Now at £4800 it's way too much really. But prices are so variable at times and sometimes they'll make that much all day long, as daft as it sounds. But put it this way, I wouldn't pay that for it. Not withstanding, it needs some work too.

Smoke? Quite normal. By that I don't mean it's how it should be, but most (no not all before you lot start ) smoke like that. It's a commercial engine at the end of it all, not a highly refined car engine. No one bats an eyelid at a smoky lorry, but if it's a smoky car we all walk away. Well, it's a lorry engine! It may well benefit from new injectors I guess. Mine used to smoke and when I swapped the injectors, it cured it. Now it didn't go any better or use less fuel, but it stopped it smoking. My current one does it.

There is very little on an 80 that can't be fixed, fairly easily. Depends on your skill level or thickness of your wallet. Plenty of help on here for you. But unless he'll come down til it starts with a 3, I wouldn't bother.

Chris

 

[Jon Wildsmith]

oil usage sounds very high? Mine on 177k miles hasn't used any oil in the last 7k (the miles I've put on it so far). I get a puff of smoke when I start it then pretty much clear. They are a pretty dirty engine in terms of smoke and emissions but combined with the oil usage I'd say it sounds a bit tired and expect to spend some money on a rebuild in the end if it's to be a keeper.

 

[Chris]

Agree with Jon, but oil usage isn't always due to it burning and it's worth looking for leaks as a source of oil loss. Now to be fair it looks pretty dry under there but as the engine bay is so clean, it may be that the underside has been steam cleaned removing any traces of oil leaving the engine.

Mine smokes as I said, but it doesn't use any oil at all.

Again, unless this starts with a 3 I wouldn't even consider it.

Chris

 

[joinerman]

Puff of smoke on start up on mine & i have never had to top up oil in the last 40k, i'd be walking away from that one, quickly.

 

[Olazz]

Caferaca, I've got a '92 12v 80 and mine certainly smokes on startup... if fact it smokes generally as it's an agricultural motor and not a highly tuned modern diesel. However in 8000km of recent travel, I used ZERO oil, and I do mean zero!

Now I don't have any oil leaks on my truck; if the one your looking at has a very very clean motor, but it's using that much oil, I'd be a little suspicious.... and only as I have my own truck it judge it by.

It may just be losing oil through a leak somewhere. 15 owners does seem rather a lot... maybe its a Friday afternoon car.

Agree with the others on here.. 4.8K is a tad heavy on price.

 

[Chris]

And it's not just 15 owners in nearly 20 years, it's had the last owner for 5 years, so it really has been passed around 14 owners in about as many years. I bet the V5 is dizzy. It's a bit unusual.

Hey JM, not had to top the oil up in 40k - I presume that you do change it at 6k?

If it's been in there for 40k, that'd be some kinda record.

Chris

 

[karl webster]

All good points made above.

Whenever i buy a truck id personally rarther it be dirty underneath and under the bonnet. As said a clean egine bay like that could have had a number of leaks covered up. One of my questions would be ,For what reason would any person take the head off anything if the car was running fine?? I also dont know what he was thinking telling you that. Would that make me buy a truck?? Nope,it would make me ask questions as to why it was taken off.What were they looking for etc etc.

Karl

Ps,i have a nice petrol/gas 80. Alot newer and cheaper and cheaper to run than that one

 

[Roger Fairclough]

Blue smoke is oil.

Lot of owners.

Lot of money.

You need to check that everything works, incl. diff locks. Anything that is suspicious is reason to drop price. Go back with this notion.

"If price doesn't reflect condition, I will walk away"

Be ruled by the head, not the heart.

There are others out there.

Roger

 

[caferaca]

Good advice Gents. My head says leave it. I don't really want to be spending any more money than the purchase price initially. Just a pain there aren't that many about in good nick that I can find..

 

[Cptsideways]

With that many owners it WILL have been clocked several times over - Guaranteed, however its too much anyway

 

[eatapeach]

Good advice Gents. My head says leave it. I don't really want to be spending any more money than the purchase price initially. Just a pain there aren't that many about in good nick that I can find..

PM me -I may be able to help

 

[ctiley]

Sounds like a leaky injector/s, a dose of injector cleaner or two may clean them up, or an injector service or exchange would possibly fix it. The injectors would have dribbled a little fuel whilst the engine was standing. Too much can wash the bores clean of oil and cause premature wear of the bore. I'd be looking for a another vehicle or lowering the price considerably. Don't know about your price - I'm in Australia.

 

[frank rabbets]

With using oil it's either been to Mars and back or there is a serious problem with the engine. Oil leaking goes a real long way and I think you would see it blown back on the bulkhead or underneath. These engines are stunningly expensive to rebuild.

Frank

 

[Michael A S]

Walk away unless you can get a lot of spondoolicks off the price and you have time and/or money to get it rebuilt. My 95 Diesel at 168,000 uses no oil at all, icluding on a fast 1500 mile trip to Spain with some offroading. Tiny blue puff on startup but thats it. But I do change the oil every 5 or 6 thou. If it is based anywhere near Chesham....run away fast.

 

[Chris]

Check the date guys. This thread has moss growing on it.

November?

Chris

 

[Gav Peter]

2012