CRAZYDAVE Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1978-OPEL-MANTA-2-DR-COUPE-SR-BERLINETTA-ONLY-39K-MILES-V-ORIGINAL-SUPERB-AUTO-/230994346266?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item35c856011a Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapierdave Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 (edited) This car was up for discussion last year when it was up for sale on the channel islands for £2995 +VAT. The dealer in Gloucester who currently has it up for sale probably needs around £3500 for the car to break even, hence his price of £4995. Is it worth £4995, probably not but it is a very nice original car. If it was on ebay under an auction i believe it would not exceed £4000. However i'd still like to add it to my collection & its only just up the road Edited June 6, 2013 by Rapierdave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavtastic Posted June 6, 2013 Share Posted June 6, 2013 I agree - I was tempted to go at fetch it for £2995. I have an uncle who lives in The Channel Islands. My idea was that he buys the car as a resident payes no VAT on purchase and then after a month gives it to me for free. Obviously I give him £2995 trouble is he is 82 and didn't want any hassle. No Christmas card to him this year then! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapierdave Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 I went to see this Manta today as its just up the road from where i live. So here are my thoughts & opinions on its condition. It appears to be a genuine time warp Manta in a very good unrestored condition. The interior is in virtually as new condition with no sun damage or fading anywhere, the electric windows work correctly as do the headlamp wash wipers. The vinyl roof is perfect, the paintwork is generally good but with a few stone chips & marks that have been amateurishly touched in, the bumpers & chrome is very good, doors, boot lid & bonnet show no signs of rust on the seams, underneath the car is in remarkable condition with all the usual Manta rust areas in good solid condition. Swan necks look good. Rear arches are good with no signs of bodged repairs. The engine started first time & no smoke blew out of the back when i let it idle for a while so the valve stem seals seem good. The engine ran quietly & a new radiator appears to have been recently fitted. I did not take it for a test drive but she moved forward ok using the auto box & there were no signs of any oil leaks on the floor when i moved her. MOT is until February 2014 & there are no advisories. Car was first registered on Guernsey in May 1978 so would be on an "S" reg if re registered on the UK mainland, there is a pretty comprehensive service history with the car and the mileage of 39,000 seems genuine. Ok so what are the bad points The paint on the nearside rear wing is a slightly different shade of white, i believe this may have been historical minor accident damage possibly. The engine bay needs detailing & cleaning & someone has painted (badly with Dulux) around the battery area,although i would say its probably not rotten, same with the washer bottle area. Some of the paint around the nosecone is getting thin due to previous polishing. The Rostyles have been sprayed in Steel Grey & need repainting in Silver & Black for originality Someone has sprayed a white plastic type paint in the wheel arches in an attempt to "tart" the car up for sale but i don't believe the paint is hiding any rusty panels. In conclusion i believe this is a rare "B" in time warp condition, Now that i have seen it in the flesh i believe that £4000 is its top value & if anyone goes to see it with a serious view to buying it i believe the dealer would be prepared to accept that price. If i had the money i would definitely buy it to save it from the modders & yes i would keep it as an automatic as there are so few of these original chrome bumpered "B's" left. Any one fancy a whip round so i can buy it Here are a few pics i took today. & here's a link to the dealers web site http://www.countyclassics.net/Car_Sales/Manta-Automatic-211.aspx 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gt/e paul Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 very nice and lovely it is too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony g Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 Good service from Dave there. Thanks Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTREA Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 (edited) Great write up, would be nice if all eBay cars had such indepth descriptions! Car looks / sounds fantastic, yet somewhat strangely for a car of this ilk let down by such dodgy touches as the over spray underneath which could so easily have been fixed up (even now) Edited June 8, 2013 by GTREA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapierdave Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Thanks for the kind comments guys, after seeing the car yesterday & thinking about it i made the dealer an offer this morning & paid a deposit which he accepted & the car is being delivered to me on Thursday next week My plans for it will be to stick it in the garage & start working on it with a view to taxing & insuring & registering it on UK plates in 2014. Once i get it & have had a good look under the battery & washer bottle i will post up some more pics in the project section of all the things i find wrong that need doing 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manta again Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Amazing, it seems you have the makings of a very fine collection of Opel's. I trust the garaging can accommodate another new member. With the quality of the cars you have it might be time to start thinking about opening up to the public to raise funds to keep them all going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony g Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 Nice one Dave Remind me to not ask you to look at any cars for me in case you buy them lol. Seriously though its good to see it go to a good home, looking forward to the next pics. Tony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rapierdave Posted June 8, 2013 Share Posted June 8, 2013 (edited) Luckily i have a garage large enough to accommodate them all. I had no intention of buying the "B" i was on holiday on Friday & got bored so went out for a drive in the recently purchased Ascona to take a look at the Manta which originally last year had been for sale on Guernsey. I did the write up in the hope that someone in the club might be interested in buying it. The car was attracting interest from Ireland & rather foolishly i decided today that i wanted to keep it on the mainland plus once i had done the write up & looked at my pics i thought sod it how often these days do you get an unrestored "B" on chrome bumpers come up for sale in generally outstanding condition. My plan is to run the Ascona until the tax runs out at the end of October, SGH the copper bronze "B" is going to be sorned from end of July & probably will go to the back of the garage for the next two years, it needs a bit of work on the passenger side arch & passenger door replaced. I used to run two classics per season hence the reason the Scone & SGH are taxed but its getting to dear to do that now. If i had the room & the money & i don't ! I would consider adding a GTE or 1.8 hatch to my collection they are seriously undervalued at the moment. I look on my cars as my hobby / reliving my youth but also as an investment, as long as they're looked after & kept under cover then hopefully i won't lose money on them if i ever had to sell them due to unforeseen circumstances. Roll on Billing, i cant wait Edited June 8, 2013 by Rapierdave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRAZYDAVE Posted June 9, 2013 Author Share Posted June 9, 2013 Great write up Rapierdave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scribe of Lincoln Posted June 11, 2013 Share Posted June 11, 2013 Glad this has gone to a good home, Look forward to seeing it at Billing sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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