General Sad news

[Elred]

Dear All
New to the forum but not to barchettas , had my beloved red b for 17 years but she has now sadly failed her MOT and I have to make a big decision and wanted the opinion of those with the knowledge and understanding of the emotions that go with owning such a car .
She failed on expected bits and pieces all fixable , brake pads , tyres , CV gaitor , usual airbag issue (we just remove warning light bulb ) and that has worked for years . But the horrid bit , was her floor , she has holes from water ingress , she needs a new floorpan , my garage could do it and have made tentative enquires with DTR too . But my wonderful mechanic whom I trust implicitly, has now said we have got to the crux point ,people get to with classic cars . This is now no longer nudge through the MOT but time to restore her , make her a second car and keep garaged when not using her . I would love to do exactly all that but can not .
So I am considering very seriously for the first time in 17years finding her a new owner who can do these things , maybe a mechanic, welder , enthusiast with a garage or workshop that could do what I can not . And buying a new car . As much as I love my b , never driven a car that comes close to the fun I have had with her , there are times a new car that does not need ice scraping from the inside before you can drive and Water issues , does seem appealing on certain days ! ?
So any thoughts from barchetta folk about floor pans and the decision point are welcome , plus any prospective new owners or ideas where to find one equally welcome .
Many thanks all
{Goes away crying ?}

 

[gar074]

Such a sad (and saddening) post. I'm sure we all feel your pain.

The hard truth is that an ageing B is not a good all-seasons car, because the rot can quickly set in. If the floor's that bad, what's the betting that the rear inner panels will be on their last legs, too? Fixable, yes, at a price, but having fixed it, would you then want to carry on using it in the same way as you have been? If you can't keep it as a fair-weather-only second vehicle, you're going to end up throwing even more money at it, just to keep the rot at bay. If it's otherwise in good condition mechanically, and the body is in good nick, it might be an attractive project for someone to take on, although I'd imagine that the welding will drive down the price that it'll fetch. (I've been looking at an Alfa GT 3.2 that needs its sills welding, and it's going for buttons, despite their rarity). Having said that, I doubt it makes financial sense to have the welding done and then trying to sell it (others may have a different view on that). What's undeniably true is that it would be a great shame for a much-loved B (as yours clearly is) to be broken for parts. They are getting rarer by the day, and the prices are beginning to climb.

Can't you get a cheap runabout for the winter months, beg some garage space to overwinter the B, and hang on to it?

 

[Dave-M]

Feeling your pain, but this hasn't happened overnight, unfortunately Barchetta's require constant attention regards care and upkeep. The mechanical parts of the car are fairly bomb proof, but unfortunately the Barchetta's ability to keep the rain out is not good.
Removing the rot is not an impossible task, if you can do it yourself that's the way to go, or find someone who has an interest and desire to carry out the repairs, I'm sure DTR would do this but at a cost. If you haven't a garage to keep it in all this would be an on going task, best you could do is get a hard top that might keep out the rain.

 

[Elred]

Thank you both for your informed and heartfelt messages ,along with My excellent mechanics advice too,I have decided I have no choice but to part with my beloved b . ??

So I will be posting her on this site and elsewhere to sale . If anyone knows someone who wants a red 96 , needing work for MOT , please let me know .

Wishing you all many happy times driving , what I will always consider the best car out there !

 

[Noideadave]

Really sorry to hear. The dreaded tinworm can take over i'm afraid. I just got rid of another patch underneath yesterday .I hope you get a buyer who can fix her and not scrap her. Good look.