Hi again! As i said in my intro post, I live just outside Warsaw in Poland. As you are all aware, the 126 is both common and cheap out here, with only the very best concours level examples going for silly money, but that's not what I'm here for
I only recently got driving (I blame a life spent on nuclear submarines..not my own personal laziness.....oh no!) and got myself a little Peugeot 206 CC as a fun little car with a bit of practicality. However...it is frustrating beyond belief to do any work on, with the ECU being beyond tempramental, cost cutting measures galore (hello rear torsion beam suspension) and the list goes on.
It was always a dream of mine to have a classic car that I could 'tinker' away on in the evenings, and I now find myself with both the space and to an extent the financial resources to do so. Whilst I guess the ultimate dream would be something like an early MG, we have the problem with those over here that you guys do in the UK with the 126...reasonable examples are crazy money and the majority have the steering wheel on the wrong side!
So, in a nutshell, this is what I would be...hoping for i guess, from my potential Maluch ownership and I would kindly ask your opinions as to whether you think it would be what I'm looking for.
I want a car that is easy to work on to allow both me and my 8 year old son to work on the car in our garage and both learn about how they work and how to fix them when they go wrong. I personally would like to learn some new skills such as some basic welding skills. I would like to be able to afford the various parts that I would need both on an occasional and regular basis (this is already researched and parts here are just stupidly cheap). I would like a car that is simple enough to work on that I can build my confidence to tackle more difficult jobs slowly but steadily. Finally (I think!) I would like a car that has at least some options open with regards to improving/customising etc. I'm not in any way, shape or form looking at shoving a fireblade engine in or anything like that...more the type of sympathetic modernisation and improvement that I read about in Gadge's (and others) restoration posts.
So...is the Maluch the answer to my woes??!! Answers on a postcard please!
Thank you very much for any help or advice you can give me, not only from me but from my ever patient and understanding girlfriend who is getting tired of my moaning about the Peugeot!!