Having had a rant on the Flavia Berlina thread I'll get it off my chest here. Its a personal view, something I've come to over time.
"if we go that far we will have spent well in excess of what she will be worth"
That only makes sense (or not...) if you do the work and then sell it. It will be most worthwhile if you and your family (and friends) enjoy and appreciate the car all the more for it being in better cosmetic condition, use it all the more, keep it for many full and happy years. There's no need to go crazy with it: door skins, machine polish (and spray can touch ins where it goes through), interior all the same colour? It could be a full respray and having proven the mechanicals and proven you like and enjoy and will use it why not? Perhaps there's a colour combination you'd prefer?
I got "stuck" with the same logic with a scruffy Fiat 124 Coupe I had. It will be no surprise that women think about money differently and Sara's view was that if I wanted her to go in it then ripped and stained seats needed to be improved, and if she was going to be seen in it then all the same colour blue would be a start. If we were going to keep it and use it then it needed that money spent and it would be well spent. I just couldn't put money into that car and it went out on a couple of extended loans before being sold to a friend of a friend. He's a friend of mine now and was in touch just last week. She tried the "but any modern car depreciates so what's the difference" but something held me back. "We don't keep a budget of restaurants and hotels" (double income no kids - ahh....) didn't do it.
Twenty years on a scruffy Flavia Sport - and the budget is the same as "beers" and "days out" and "staycation" and "meeting up with friends" and parts are the same as "books and picture"s and it is most certainly not run on a balance sheet basis and hours and money are not going to be tracked. I still feel ill remembering some of the Aurelia totals so - for me - I just can't add it up.
If you just can't bring yourself to spend on it, and we can't all point at expensive Fulvia Berlinas (Sedans?) and persuade you its worth more than you think, then how about buying Richards Fulvia Zagato with his Berlina (Sedan?) back as a part-ex? If that doesn't appeal (low seat, no room in the back, small boot, lack of gravitas, bit flash, poor view, worry about parking it in town) then that rather tells how much you appreciate the space and usability and CHARM of the car you have there...
On the other hand that Zagato is one of the good ones and could provide very smart day to day Fulvia motoring while being "as good as money in the bank" with great scope for capital gains. Less useful as a taxi but longer legs for touring. Four speed and all the other S1 delights as well.
David
