I bought this hatch at an online auction about 18 months ago, it was on a farm about an hour's drive away. We went out in the 82 and took an array of tools with me to expect the unexpected, but apart from a dud battery and a sticky lifter it drove home ok. It looked like it had been parked in a hedge for a few months, so the look on the face of "she who must be obeyed" was, memorable. Equally, the look from my 14yr old lad was ... mmmm, you mean we're actually going to drive this home ? ... Oh ye who have little faith. They couldn't see the injected motor in pretty good condition, the 2 stage coolant fan, the good body, the wind up windows, a driveable collection of some good spare parts. I could see past the novelty of a leaking clutch master cylinder and the fake fog lamps. They can be forgiven, they're yet to be infected with Pasitis.
Both the 84 and 87 must have been got at by lazy mechanics as the cardboard shrouds were missing. In mid summer, the fan on the 84 ran for pretty much the entire 3 hour journey home. So I bought some clear acrylic sheet from the hardware store and made replacements (using the 82's for patterns). With the shrouds in place, the fan obviously only runs when it needs to, so the life of the battery and alternator have returned to normal. It's not resto' quality but it works.
