So I’d advertised my rally car, and have now after several months got someone interested. But I’ve suddenly realised I’m having second thoughts.

It’s no fire breathing 4wd monster, it’s a humble 1360cc Peugot 205 XS, but I’ve had it since I was 18 (nearly 12 years now……) have built it and rebuilt in that time to a point where it’s pretty presentable and reliable. My Dad has had a fair bit of involvement too over the years, he bought it me as my 18th present basically as a standard car, and it’s evolved to where it is now, so I can go forest rallying with it, time and funds allowing. It would however be possible to almost mke it back into a standard(ish) road car again and use it as a classic at some point.

It’s worth about £3k, I don’t really need the money at the moment, but it is costing me a lot of money to store/tax/insure – circa £1800 a year without ever doing a rally. I would like to save some money in the next couple of years and sort out some sort of investment, property or otherwise, so it’s not likely to get rallied much, if at all.

I think I’ll regret selling it if I do, as I’ve had it so long, it’s been such a formative part of my life, it’s something Dad and I have done together, and rallying is/has been my passion for decades now.

Am I being soft in being emotionally attached to a car? I just know an awful lot of people who have always regretted selling their first car/rally car, and they probably needed the money at the time. Simple, reliable, cheap to run, basic, fun cars don’t really exist any more.

Keep it. Also this thread is useless without pics.

Keep it.

Sell it to some struggling young kid with dreams of being a rally driver.

Do what’s best for the car. It was meant to be driven.

Haven’t you seen Toy Story 3??

Surely you’d only ‘really’ miss it if you use it?

Go through the photos you ever taken over the years and get one or two framed and up on a wall – much more useful.

If you think you may use it in 10 years time, then keep it, but otherwise it’s jist going to be a cash sink of sentimentality

You’re either going to keep it for ever,or you’ll get rid of it. Ask your self which one it will be.The longer you keep it, the harder the parting will be.

If you use it, keep it, otherwise let it go.

We massively regret selling our Landy, especially as the bloke who bought it had zero mechanical sympathy and told me: “I just want something to run into the ground”. He has succeeded in doing that now as after four years of bad MOT issues the car is now on a SORN and it causes me quite a lot of pain to think of my Landy festering away unloved in a damp corner somewhere.

But the car had to go, it was costing a fortune just to sit outside the house and we needed the cash for a new condensing boiler, which has doubtless saved us money in the long run.

*Sniff*

Convert it back into a road car and start using it?

Ex 205 XS owner here – still easily the most fun I’ve had driving a car.

And another +1 for pics obviously.

if you’re not going to use it let it go. When I’ve had similar conundrums in the past I came to the conclusion that I was attached to the memories that the object allowed me to create and I’d still have those long after the object itself has gone.

I’d go with LittleNose’s plan, get some decent photo’s framed and sell the car on.

Have you seen how much old bangers go for these days?

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Keep it!

I’d personally let it go, yeah it’ll sting a bit, but firstly if you’re not careful your possessions will possess you, but more specifically.

I guess it’s got parts on it that not only wear out, but ‘time out’ too? If you don’t have the time and money to use it now, it’s more than likely going to end up going to seed until this poor rusty shell gets carted off one day.

At least being a rally car it’ll be used, let someone else have some fun in it.

Sell it and stick £1800 a year in a savings account – and if you want to start rallying again in 10 years time you’ll have a tidy sum to buy a new car.

but it is costing me a lot of money to store/tax/insure – circa £1800 a year

can you do anything about this?

bring the cost down and suddenly it’s a different prospect. Store it in a friendly farmers barn for £100 on SORN?

Have you seen how much old bangers go for these days?

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I had a great example of that exact model for 2 years between 1988 and 1990. Bought for £2500 and sold for £3500

Admittedly it had a bit more that 900 miles on it but still.

We massively regret selling our Landy, especially as the bloke who bought it had zero mechanical sympathy and told me: “I just want something to run into the ground”.

I know that that one massively hurt. Mainly because that’s at least the third time I’ve read the story on here 😉

I sold a mint vw beetle cabrio 12 years ago, best car i ve ever owned. Anyway, i bought a flat with it so although the bee0tle has probably trebled in price the flat has done really well. Its not that simple though, the car would hve needed to be stored, insured, serviced etc.

Still in touch with the buyer hes pampering it too. Classic cars s hould be used.

I’m working on the storage thing, that would make a big difference to the equation.

I just kind of think, as much as £3k is quite a bit of money, or at least enough to be useful for something else, hopefully in a few years it won’t seem like much money to me. I have an overriding feeling that one day I’ll wish I hadn’t sold it for the sake of three grand when I could still have the pleasure of looking at/driving it.

When I say it wouldn’t get used, I mean for full on stage rallying really, it still might get some road miles and autotests or similar.

yes those are 106 xsi wheels before anyone says anything, and no, they don’t look great, but they have my ‘MOT’ tyres on.

Go one better and donate it to a worthy cause who gets kids out of trouble by going rallying or something.

You could remain a benefactor and see it getting used and loved

How does your dad feel?

You could use it for hillclimbs or the occasional road rally. They do that down south eh?

I could use it for other disciplines, that is kind of the point of how I built it, it’s eligible for just about anything really, still has headlining and trim that can go back in etc.

nwmlarge – nice thought, but if it leaves my possesion, I’ll be wanting the money!

10mins after you sell it you’ll be desperate to take it out, doesn’t matter how long ago you last used it.

£1800 seems a lot! How much of that is storage cost? Having been in a similar boat. I see your options as;
-Cheaper storage, a laid up policy and sorn. (saves you £300ish+ I expect)
-As above but chance it with a wheel clamp and steering locked in such a way moving it ain’t easy and remove wheel rather than insure. (saves you £600ish+)
-Have it as your only vehicle, fall in love with it again it’s a great looking car and even without gti power they’re a total hoot as you already know.

Has been circa £100 a month for a workshop I’ve been renting, including electric, and water/use of the yard etc, friend of a friend. It’s a decent size, cheap for what it is really, or for a commercial enterprise, but still a lot mof money to keep a toy. The rest is insurance/tax/MOT/a few bits to keep it up together.

On the dating/life thing, stage rallying regulations are changing fairly constantly, roll cgae and fire extinguishers will be no good as new standards are coming in in the next 3 years, and the seats and harnesses are lifed for 5 years, harnesses already out of date now.

If I do sell it, I’ll have to have another project at some point, once I’ve got my own garage sorted and done some saving, so I do wonder if once I’ve got that underway my attachment will go. Whether that’s a car or a bike I don’t know…..

Well, after all that, I’ve sold it 😆

I had an offer on the table, I weighed it all up, and it’s going, so long as they turn up with the money……. I started this thread I think trying to justify keeping it, but in the end it had the opposite effect, by the time I’d written my previous post, I’d started changing my mind.

Ultimately the car is a compromise for competition after having used it for so long, I really want something stronger/newer/quicker if I go rallying again. And it’s too antisocial/uncomfortable on the road, plus, just pootling around in a rally car is bloody boring, and a waste. I’m gonna save as much as I can, see if I can increase the £3k somehow and see what comes along.

It’s going to a young lad in my motor club as his first rally car, so it’ll get another life. 😥

Should mention – my Dad’s fine with it, another project will probably come along, I’ll need his help on the two tractors I have to repair/restore, together with his collection of vintage kit, and helping him build his shepherd’s huts, so we’ll still be doing stuff together.

That’s the best outcome.

I sold all of my competition cars, I have a few grainy photos, some worse video and some intact but fading memories.

My appraoch is simple, if I wouldn’t go out and buy it today at what I can sell it for it’s time to sell. Over thirty years on I could pay someone to build any of the cars I had but have other interests in life now.

Well done, it’s the memories that are important not the objects.

Get some pro shots done before you sell it.

Can you imagine how excited the new owner is today?
Nice one.

and helping him build his shepherd’s huts, so we’ll still be doing stuff together.

I know a father and son team who can knock him up a nice chimney…..

Edukator – My appraoch is simple, if I wouldn’t go out and buy it today at what I can sell it for it’s time to sell.

I quite like that. I might get my Caddy van re-mapped now 😉

Was just about to say don’t sell it then scrolled down to realise you have!

My first car was a Mini that my dad got for me then helped me get it up and running. Loved that car but the engine blew up on it one too many times so it got parked up in the garage while I did college and university. I never had the money for a few years after that to fix it so in a moment of haste I sold it after a nasty breakup with an ex. Regretted it a few months later when I came into a few quid and my first thought was to get it running again 🙁

The only good thing to come out of it is that it is still on the road as it’s currently taxed and MOT’d! Haven’t seen it since a week after I sold it but if I do I’ll flag the driver down and dangle cash in front of them to get it back.

Funny you should say that, I may have a bare (rough but pretty solid) mini shell sat in the shed…..