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Old 22-03-2015, 10:05 PM   #1
Brij
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Vic
Car: BA Astina,
Posts: 8
Looong time lurker

Hi all.

Grew up lusting after small, guttsy European hot numbers, especially Italian Lancias. Of course fairly hard to find good, "economically" priced ones in Australia suitable for use as a daily driver.
Enter the Astina. Whilst it might not have as much "character" (is that a word we use to justify inperfections?), at least it was different to the more common Jap hatches.

Went looking for a BG SP back in about 2005 but could only find city cars with over 250k km on them for what I considered big dollars. Ended up settling for a KF Laser S, with the "big block" 1.8l donk and only 110k km on it for half the price of a BG SP.
In 10 years the wife has managed to clock up another 220k km on it with remarkably little maintenance. A clutch, a couple of brake pads, an elcheapo ebay radiator because it was cheaper than getting a tank put on the old one. Even got 8 years and 200k km out of the battery I put in it when we got it.

But.....it is now getting very smokey and the paint has gone "2 tone" courtesy of the Australian sun. So I have been looking around for a BA V6.

And thanks to White V6 on here we now have a fairly rugged '94 model that cost us $300.

Trailered it home from Melbourne due to no drive. Just finished putting a clutch in it today and it goes quite well.

Now time to fix all the rest of the stuff - slight misalignment of the front panels (RHS headlight doesn't fit properly, fenders tight on the bonnet), radiator looks like the right one but looks to be about 20mm to wide, including the fans that almost bolt up, clear coat is peeling on most of the panels, every panel has managed to have some minor damage to it, airconditioning condensor is missing, air filter box has been replaced by a pod (assume box was damaged from what ever crash has caused the condensor to be removed and radiator to be replaced), plastic cam covers broken (same crash?), all the vacuum lines on the engine are brittle as and need replacing, lots of plastic under body splash guards etc are broken or missing, drivers seat as torn fabric on a side bolster.........

But all in all I can't complain for a $300 car.

Now that I have it mobile I need to get it in for a roadworthy inspection to see if it is worth spending money on!!

Peter
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