At Last!

At last i am to be an X1/9 owner again! Hope to pick up a 1990 GF in great condition with only 28,000 miles (Genuine) this Saturday. A stack load of history & MOTs.
As it's now winter , can anyone give me some advice on storing the car over winter, (it will be garaged)? Would i be advised to start & run her round the block every couple of weeks or not?

Cheers

Nah, no need to run it,if its kept in a dry damp free enviroment. Jack the car up and put on blocks,increase tyre pressures,up to say 35psi. Fill fuel tank to the brim to prevent condensation in the tank,make sure there's plenty anti freeze in it.leave the handbrake off and take the battery out and trickle charge it every so often,or get a battery manitor type charger.

Also a good idea to strip the brakes and use copious amounts of copperease,and spray everything, and I mean EVERYTHING with WD40.
I do this every year,and can confidently take the car for a trouble free blast the first time the sun peeks over the horizon in the spring when those damn gritters have finished their demolition runs....

Why store it run it all year done mine no harm. ( Touch wood )...

SALT :twisted:


You may as well pour battery acid all over your car.

Thanks guys, Tiff, I've never stripped the brakes on anything, sounds too much for my limited ability. I can assure you it won't be out in the grit or salt! I will WD everything though.
I know its not a great time to buy but couldn't pass up the chance to buy a decent one!
Looking forward to April when i will no doubt be calling in for advice/help at every turn, i am however keen to get my hands dirty within reason!

Cheers, Nige

Glad to hear you finally got sorted Nige!!

Agree the big danger is salt, but for us in the South theres not so much of it as up in Scotland so certainly nothing wrong with taking it out on a crisp dry winter's morning with the top down to blow out a few cobwebs!

Anyway believe me once you've driven it a few times you'll be hooked again as you re-live the old memories, you won't be able to resist driving it throughout the winter!

Cheers,
Jim.

Best plan, get the bug again, put the good one away,and buy a wreck thats just about clinging to an MOT certificate,and enjoy 4wheel drifting at 15MPH!!

Thanks Jim, that is what i'd really like to do, i know i wont be able to resist getting her out for a quick spin when dry & salt free! Tiff, if you knew the amount of trouble i had convincing the wife that i needed to have a 2 seater sports car at 38 years of age , when the stairs carpet really needs doing instead, you would see how me asking to get another X would end in tears (mine)! She is half Italian though so i just laid on the, "all things Italian are sexy, beautiful etc.etc. I thinks thats what won her over! I've told her that she is on the insurance so when she drives her she''ll want one of her own!

Cheers,
Nige

Any tips on how to change the antifreeze would be appreciated. At least driving it in winter it helps keep the engine cool (or cool it down quicker when it won't start!) :lol:

You should not have said anything to the wife as if you compare her to the x19 she will know it could cost a fortune your heart ha ha