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Thread: 1985 Corona (Melb) - 2nd owner

  1. #1
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    Default 1985 Corona (Melb) - 2nd owner

    We bought this car for my #2 son about 5.5 years ago, from an old guy who'd had it since new. He was a smoker but that smell has gone now, and the one little burn mark in front of the driver's crotch on the seat disappeared when I found a replacement seat with the same fabric in good condition last year. It had about 220000km on it, and #2 did an extra 30000km (and drives like the old guy we got it from), whilst maintaining it reasonably well. After 1.5 years he passed it on to #3 son, who drove it in year 12, didn't check things like he ought to have, and had the engine blow up down at Phillip Island for schoolies. I found another engine, which came from an old grandma's auto car with 113000km down in Geelong that had got rusty and she'd been picked up having forgotten to register it. So the apprentice mechanic was wrecking it. I bought the engine for a few hundred bucks, the diff (as ours had a noisy wheel bearing) and the almost new radiator. By the time the engine, diff and much needed radiator were in the car, #3 son owed me $2500 as all the right things were done to the motor to make sure it would last - welch plugs, cam belt, water pump, fan belt & hoses, etc, etc - I always fix things or have them fixed properly, be they cars, bikes, whatever. I hate things breaking down, and I would be the one called if it did! So it then had a grandma motor (which runs beautifully and revs smoothly) in a grandpa car. Back when #2 son had it he had two people run into it very softly in parking areas (both when he was in it) and both times their insurance paid to repaint that end of the car, once the rear end and once the front, but both times only $1-2k total. #3 son drove the car for a year after school while he sat around drinking coffee, watching TV and waiting for the Army to take him in. He took it with him to Duntroon, but after 8 months got a girlfriend in Sydney and needed to keep driving up there every weekend off, or back down here to see us and his old mates. He wanted something more impressive for the GF and with cruise control for the long drives, so we did a deal where he got my wife's XR6 on gas and I got the Corona back. It interesting to note that neither #2 nor #3 (nor me) has ever been picked up by the cops in this car. Whenever any safety-related maintenance is recommended by my mechanic (I don't have a shed, I'm busy with a part time uni course, renovating the house and working full time) it's been done - brake hoses and other brake parts, whatever. When a mate of mine got rid of his ST141 wagon a few years ago whilst #3 was driving it, he gave me the mags that were on it, very tastefully painted grey centres and look very period-sympathetic in an understated way. A little wider than stock, I think it has 195 width tyres on now but could maybe go another cm on those rims.

    I really don't have space for it any more, though I like driving it occasionally. It needs some work for a RWC that I'm not able to afford, and don't have a shed to work on it (actually getting this out of the way will give space for the shed project).

    The bad: needs a variety of rubber bushes like the front sway bar ones. I have a set of rear link bushes here that I've never put in. It's been parked outside and the clear coat on the boot, roof and bonnet has flaked extensively. #3 son's mate backed his very early Corolla into it and it has a bend in the front bumper. Front carpet is worn. Radio is not original. Diff ratio is auto so it goes about 5% faster than it shows on the speedo (that might actually be positive for many people!). Needs to have the replacement left rear indicator plastic unit fitted (it's in the boot). As we all know there will always be more that a roadworthy test finds, but that's all that irritates me.

    The good (and this is why someone on this forum would want it): It's a nice straight bodied Corona with known history and no major damage in its past. Good basis for projects in many directions. Original interior in VGC. Close-ish to RWC in my opinion. Fantastic engine. Good looking wheels. The silver with a slight greenish tint looks very conservative/sleeper.

    It needs a quick wash before I take pics.

    I'd like $2000.

  2. #2
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    Default Re: 1985 Corona (Melb) - 2nd owner

    Bump. $850. I need the place it's sitting to build a shed!

    No idea about how I include pics on this forum - email me.

    Andrew

    Quote Originally Posted by wqlava1 View Post
    We bought this car for my #2 son about 5.5 years ago, from an old guy who'd had it since new. He was a smoker but that smell has gone now, and the one little burn mark in front of the driver's crotch on the seat disappeared when I found a replacement seat with the same fabric in good condition last year. It had about 220000km on it, and #2 did an extra 30000km (and drives like the old guy we got it from), whilst maintaining it reasonably well. After 1.5 years he passed it on to #3 son, who drove it in year 12, didn't check things like he ought to have, and had the engine blow up down at Phillip Island for schoolies. I found another engine, which came from an old grandma's auto car with 113000km down in Geelong that had got rusty and she'd been picked up having forgotten to register it. So the apprentice mechanic was wrecking it. I bought the engine for a few hundred bucks, the diff (as ours had a noisy wheel bearing) and the almost new radiator. By the time the engine, diff and much needed radiator were in the car, #3 son owed me $2500 as all the right things were done to the motor to make sure it would last - welch plugs, cam belt, water pump, fan belt & hoses, etc, etc - I always fix things or have them fixed properly, be they cars, bikes, whatever. I hate things breaking down, and I would be the one called if it did! So it then had a grandma motor (which runs beautifully and revs smoothly) in a grandpa car. Back when #2 son had it he had two people run into it very softly in parking areas (both when he was in it) and both times their insurance paid to repaint that end of the car, once the rear end and once the front, but both times only $1-2k total. #3 son drove the car for a year after school while he sat around drinking coffee, watching TV and waiting for the Army to take him in. He took it with him to Duntroon, but after 8 months got a girlfriend in Sydney and needed to keep driving up there every weekend off, or back down here to see us and his old mates. He wanted something more impressive for the GF and with cruise control for the long drives, so we did a deal where he got my wife's XR6 on gas and I got the Corona back. It interesting to note that neither #2 nor #3 (nor me) has ever been picked up by the cops in this car. Whenever any safety-related maintenance is recommended by my mechanic (I don't have a shed, I'm busy with a part time uni course, renovating the house and working full time) it's been done - brake hoses and other brake parts, whatever. When a mate of mine got rid of his ST141 wagon a few years ago whilst #3 was driving it, he gave me the mags that were on it, very tastefully painted grey centres and look very period-sympathetic in an understated way. A little wider than stock, I think it has 195 width tyres on now but could maybe go another cm on those rims.

    I really don't have space for it any more, though I like driving it occasionally. It needs some work for a RWC that I'm not able to afford, and don't have a shed to work on it (actually getting this out of the way will give space for the shed project).

    The bad: needs a variety of rubber bushes like the front sway bar ones. I have a set of rear link bushes here that I've never put in. It's been parked outside and the clear coat on the boot, roof and bonnet has flaked extensively. #3 son's mate backed his very early Corolla into it and it has a bend in the front bumper. Front carpet is worn. Radio is not original. Diff ratio is auto so it goes about 5% faster than it shows on the speedo (that might actually be positive for many people!). Needs to have the replacement left rear indicator plastic unit fitted (it's in the boot). As we all know there will always be more that a roadworthy test finds, but that's all that irritates me.

    The good (and this is why someone on this forum would want it): It's a nice straight bodied Corona with known history and no major damage in its past. Good basis for projects in many directions. Original interior in VGC. Close-ish to RWC in my opinion. Fantastic engine. Good looking wheels. The silver with a slight greenish tint looks very conservative/sleeper.

    It needs a quick wash before I take pics.

    I'd like $2000.

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