Disappointed in my williams

[dimma]

Found out today that the williams I bought 3 years ago isn't what I that it was.i bought it and parked it in the corner of my garage for 3 years,now I've taken it out to mot it and have discovered that it's had a complete passenger side put on it.its had quarter panel,sill,passenger door,front panel,passenger suspension and front inner guard has had work.i new when I bought it that the door had been changed but never noticed the rest.main reason I bought it was I thought it was a good straight car and also has absolutely no rust.

[Danno]

Has it been in a bad smash at some point? or has the rust got to it big time? It's a fair amount of work that, certainly won't have been cheap for someone.

[dimma]

Yeah I would say it's had a bad smash on passenger side from front to back.

[16v_paddy]

If it's been fixed & if it looked good enough for you to buy it, I'd be happy as a pig in shit. Plenty of other cars have been scrapped that needed a hell of a lot less work than yours

[dimma]

How much would this affect the value of it?

[Justin..]

Maybe it was done because of rust?

[Danno]

Has it been recorded as a write off - cat d/c ?

[dimma]

Maybe it was done because of rust?
Wasn't because of rust,it's because of accident damage.the whole car is rust free,I've sort of lost interest in the car now.

[james_valver]

I'll buy it

[16v_paddy]

Has it been recorded as a write off - cat d/c ?

Not really relevant in any way shape or form on these cars nowadays though

[dimma]

I've no idea if it's recorded,I thought I had a good genuine original williams.if I decide to sell,I'll post it up here.

[Yanoo_]

Drive your Willy mate, don't look her...

[Crossers]

Am I missing something? So what if it's had a scrape/bump? If it's been repaired and it's good and true, it's just a story in the cars life. Hundreds of cars are bumped and repaired good as new every day. If it's been repaired badly then I'll have it that you're upset. If it's been repaired well...then what's the issue?

Stick with it pal. If you get rid, you'll regret it. I did!

Paul

[Wobba]

Some people will say it isn't 'original paint', so it's less valuable, but the average buyer looking for a good condition Williams will not be concerned and nor would I be. Also, most cars eventually need bodywork doing anyway...

I would agree to some extent with Paddy about the Cat C/D stuff, but I think it can put some buyers off due to their ignorance of what this actually means.

[16v_paddy]

My comment on the cat C/D is based more on the value that was at 1 point very very low but values have gone up significantly over the years so the criteria for write off's in the past don't really apply anymore

[walters300]

If its been repaired properly it shouldn't be an issue, if not improve the repair to exact specification, any car that is used as a run of the mill commuter as these were will have poor paintwork after 20 years unless stored in a garage / kept out of sunlight/ not driven in harsh conditions.
I can't think of more than 5 cars across 1,2 and 3 I've seen in recent years that are original mint condition, any car can be restored to as new condition if you put in the time to source parts and research the correct spec for visual appearance of each aspect.
Very disappointing I can appreciate and drains enthusiasm but a step by step plan could get it perfect, I think anyone who has gone about a full restoration would agree paying top money for an original straight immaculate car with low milage is far better, its unreal how much money can be sent on a Williams and its too late by the time you notice:upset2:

[MG1980]

Sorry to hear that buddy, but I'm with Paddy and Wobbs. If it's well repaired, looks spot on and drives true, you have no issue. If it was a '1' with 20k on the clock, maybe, but I'm guessing its not. I would always do an inspection report before buying as car. They cost a fiver for a comprehensive one and show up any recorded damage!

[Ayli Carper]

The biggest trouble may be if you see one driving down the road in ten years' time and it breaks your heart you sold it when you see how much they cost then.

But personally I have still NEVER seen another one, so that may not be a problem.

[dimma]

I've now been driving it for the past 2 months,after it sitting for three years.its drives brilliant with now faults at all.its amazing how well it's going,it's going 100%.if it has a respray it would be perfect.