Does it stay or does it go?

[duncan23]

I bought a '76 Beta Spyder back in the autumn. I had moved house and got a garage so almost immediately I went out and bought a project!

I have got it to run, and fixed one or 2 other things, but there are still some fairly major issues. They can be fixed with either a chunk of time of a chunk of money. The problem is that I will be moving house again in the summer, and this time I won't have a garage. Hence my dilema.

Can I keep a Beta Spyder outside through a UK winter? Can I leave it on the street? Has anyone here done that?
I'm worried that it will corrode in front of my eyes, and that the roof/hood will leak and it will corrode twice as fast because it will go from the outside in and from the inside out. I'm also worried that I will have to spend a fortune at the garage to keep it roadworthy, and I just can't afford to do that. And I don't want to put a lot of effort, and a reasonable amount of money into getting it roadworthy and then watch it fall apart.

On the other hand, I don't want to get rid before I have even driven it, and I would so prefer to keep it and get rid of my Micra.

What do you guys think?
Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Duncan

PS I don't drive to work, so it's not like I'm going to put a huge milage on it - whatever car I have will only get used a couple of times a week. If that makes any difference?

[Pope1]

Duncan,

I have been going though a similar exercise myself. Here are my thoughts for what they're worth:

1. Last winter was the first I've spent in the UK in 16 years. Initially I could not conceive of having a limited use car but having seen the amount of salt used on the roads, I've changed my tune. I'm going to limit my use to 6 months of the year when there isn't salt around.

2. Having spent years restoring mine on a part-time basis, a garage is a must-have for me. Unfortunately, it's also a must for my daily driver so I'm going to do everything possible to try and locate affordable garage space to rent in my area.

[Jim Keller]

Do you need a garage for a Beta?.........as the old saying goes......On a quiet morning, you can hear a Beta rusting in the morning dew! ;D ....I would have to say, yes, it has to have a garage or it will deteriorate very quickly, mainly due to it's age, as in the case of a very nice no rust 82 Zagato I restored for a guy, I bought the car back a little more than a year and a half later and was unable to save it because he left it sit outside in a parking lot next to a busy street were there was traffic, rain, sun, wind and lots of winter salt used. The seats and rest of interior were completely destroyed and molded by the moisture, the top was shrunk, the body panels all broken out in rust holes etc, etc, etc......Oh yea, and it had one of those storage containers they use on ships to load onto semis for shipping drop on it's butt in a tornado in the same parking lot. :D had it been properly cared for and stored in a garage, it would still be a super sweet ride!

[Pope1]

Just to emphasise Jim's point, here's a picture from my gallery.

http://lancisti.net/mkportal/modules/gallery2/index.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=16701

It was a car that I bought for spares and left outside for too long before I could salvage the parts. It ended up with about 3 inches of water inside and all manner of horrible things. A garage is a must.

[badboyboogzy]

on another note i just had a look thru you album pope and that vx looks fanbloodytastic it makes remember why i love betas your inyerior is simple and elegant and the exterior pops but not to loud and the engine well volumex nuff said
bbb

[Pope1]

Not wishing to hijack this thread, many thanks for the compliments. I've just shipped it back to the UK (as I'm relocating) and I hope I can get the remaining niggles and issues sorted out in its first few months there.

[badboyboogzy]

back to the issue at hand i say if you can keep it because the more on the road the beta i always say and as far as keeping a micra well hmmm let me see no i cant say that on this illustrius website but if it were me drive the micra dayly and fix the beta get a storage or if you have a shed already use it leave the micra outside if someone steals it insurence money fix the lancia i beleive that all alancias should have at least a good red hot go at being fixed unless they are was pointed out earlier in such bad shape the fixing it is just not an option and when you say you need a big chunk of change to fix it how much are we talking ive spent 14000 od give or take a grand and havent done the exterior or the interior or the dash rewire yet so i still need to doo all the upholstry and door trims and then do the rust and get her painted and im still looking at about another
5-10000 bucks to get all that done if i have someone do it about half if i do it myself needless to say im learning how to sow and panel beat as well as a crash corse in welding but when shes finished money or not it will be my baby and i will know what was done and how and will derive immense pleasre from driving down the coast in a nearconcorse lancia beta that i am pretty much garrenteed not to pull up next to at the lights and if i did well we would see who tuned their car better they are a fantastic car with a look that is as unusual as it s is commen and it is buetiful but not a barbie doll it is a car that the ladies like and the guys get confused by it is a lancia beta in all its vareints and it is a CLASSIC and that i all i have to say keep it winstoon chill and savour the diy journey so many of us undertake with the knowledge that one day you will drive a pristine little gem around the city or country and peoplw will look and some will stare and say " ohh whats that i like thet car" rejoin the ranks of launcesti lunatics across the world and let our bid for world domination start
opps sorry im rambling now

in short keep it, fix it, enjoy it, theres not alot like it that produces the same feeling and emotion as it

bbb

[duncan23]

It wouldn't be major money to fix the Beta (maybe £1000 to get it on the road, £2000 to make it presentable). Just that it's in short supply at the moment and I'm still paying off the rediculous amount of student debt I have. If I were to sell after spending that money I probably wouldn't get it back - the market value is pretty low really. That's not my main issue anyway, it's really about whether I could keep it outside or not. There is no chance of getting a garage in Oxford - most houses just don't have one, so the DIY option is not really a possibility.
I won't scrap it, it's too good for that, but I think I'm gonna have to sell it. While I'd love to keep it, I would rather see it go to a good home than rust away in front of me.
I'm gonna sort out some pictures and stuff and post it up on here.
Thanks to everyone for their honest replies.
Cheers
Duncan