Inherited a B1

The older generation of passats, do you have some tech help for us....

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Arsonist
still on the production line
Posts: 10
Joined: Tue Oct 20, 2015 7:25 pm
Passat model: B1

Inherited a B1

Post by Arsonist »

Hello well endowed motorheads!

So I've sort of just inherited a B1 estate from my great aunt. She is still alive but her garage is being cleared and it was going to the scrappy otherwise, so I said I would have it. It's a 1979 VW Passat Estate, 1.6 petrol.

It's a car I'd seen a few years ago and loved it. It's not been out the garage since 1996, and to quote a good friend who regularly buys and does up retro cars, 'I've never seen a classic car in such good condition.' My great uncle took VERY good care of it.

I know almost nothing about cars so thought here might be a good place to get started. Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

The bodywork, as far as I can tell, is in mint condition - not a scratch or hint of rust anywhere - you can even still see the original factory paint in the wheel arches where my great uncle power washed it after every journey, so mud and dirt never sat there. Now here lies the problem.

The engine doesn't start (friend reckon it was the ignition points, supposedly an easy fix?) The brakes also don't work, and the clutch and gears felt very odd like they might need work. He seemed confident nothing was insurmountable though.

Now I live 300 miles from said car in a rented house, albeit with a large rear drive where it could sit. I estimate I can get it here for about 200 quid.

My issue is; I don't know if I'd be able to fix it properly. As I said, I really don't know much about cars, and don't have any tools. I'd obviously be happy to get some tools though, and I've bought the Haynes and owners manual which I'm waiting for delivery from the states. It's this one - please tell me I bought the right one! :P http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0856 ... ge_o00_s00

I've always wanted to be a bit more know-how with cars (many of my friends are into them). Is this something I can realistically get going? Also, would it be bad if I kept it at the rear of the house under a car cover? Don't really want rust settling in before it even runs!

Has anyone been in a similar situation?

Thanks for reading :)

Arsonist

(Sorry for the terrible photos; will get some better ones when I next get down to London).

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