2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by Noel »

Good spots.

The replaced front door speakers are fine, but they don't appear to have any covers on them, which is a bit untidy on a 16 grand car.

Another thing is its got original spec Goodyear NCT2 tyres (from what I can see). This would be great for a concourse entry, but I don't believe Goodyear have made the NCT in that size since the mid 1990s at the latest, so the tyres on it must be at about 25 years old and irrespective of tread depth are going to be some years past their best.

The main point here, is that this is exactly the car you want as long as it is (like I said) what it says it is (which perhaps it is not).
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by Jasonmarie »

Just thinking there is a 280 on gumtree at £17k I have not looked at the advert but I would say a better investment only thing them 15” wheels do give the car a hard ride .

Or I think I am right go for a 40 year Capri say a nice 3.0s and get free car tax .

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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by sheff »

Jasonmarie wrote:For 16k you can get better as there is history with this car as I viewed it some years ago ( rust ) was a big issue also they have removed the after market pedals also put aftermarket speakers in also I guess it must of been resprayed at the front but the car still carries the washer Jet front bumper also there was something about the mileage was wrong .
Sorry but I would not touch this one .

Keep looking as they are out there
If you look at the MOT history it failed one year for rust on the seat belt anchorage point. Might be worth looking at others that have not had a history of rust. Sometimes earlier Capri's are less susceptible to rust issues.
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by tejb1 »

I was in a similar position to you a couple of years ago and though I have a 1.6 I'd still say go for it...

Yes, you may need to keep a bit of money to one side if it needs welding come MoT time, but a modern car would have similar costs for obscure parts fitted because the computer says it needs one!

Keep on top of anything which may need doing - this forum is great for that, there's plenty of very experienced folk who are willing to help. The specialist suppliers are very accommodating too. I adopt a cautious approach, replacing things when they show signs of starting to fail - eg put a new battery on last year, could have got maybe another few months out the old one, but that way I'm not going to be stranded... I also keep a selection of parts and tools in the boot, as whilst you can still get service parts, some places will only do them next day. Again things like tyres aren't always on the major places systems, but you can source online reasonably quickly. Find a good little motor factors and you'll be sorted for parts, better than relying on eurocraparts etc.

Ideally you would have a decent service history with the car which would give you an idea of what work has been done, how long since things were last replaced. You can look up the MoT history online. Not only does this show what it's failed on but I think it gives a good insight into the previous owner. If every year there are half a dozen failures on easy things, followed by a pass, how much care have they given the rest of the car if they wait until it fails to see to things?

If you live in London then I assume that you're not using the car every day to get to work etc. Again for me the Capri is definitely for enjoyment most the time... It gets me to work when I'm on weekend shifts, and goes to the supermarket from time to time, but most of the use is in summer for fun - so whilst it's the only car I have, it is used like a second car.

Oh one thing regarding the children, make sure the car you're looking at has rear belts - some don't, but they can be retrofitted.

Buy a quality steering lock, ideally disklok. It'll prevent theft unless they have an angle grinder and are willing to draw attention to themselves, or a low loader, but realistically it'll put off all but the most determined theives.
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by pbar »

sheff wrote:
Would I use it as a daily driver? No way! Its far too good
Neil, nooooooooo! :D That's one of those comments I always think just doesn't make sense, a car is too good to drive? It's like when you apply for a job and you are told that you are over qualified. What?! So you want someone who is barely qualified to do it then?

Surely the comment should be the car is just too bad to drive when it's an absolute wreck and a danger, how can one be too good to drive?

I know the point you are making is that it should be preserved and looked after in such a way to keep it's condition. But it will be in the scrapyard one day anyway, as we will be soon also unfortunately, it would be a shame to miss out on the enjoyment now.

I respect your thoughts of course, as always, just being light hearted :)
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by Peter-S »

Holeshot wrote:

If I'm not being rude/nosey; Peter -S, what part of Kent do you live in?
I'm in Lewisham and you may be fairly close-by?
About as far away as possible in Kent - down in Ramsgate, so not that helpful but we might be able to sort something out.
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by Holeshot »


I'm overwhelmed with the support for my situations: once again, thanks guys!

Thanks for the input Jasonmarie, Noel & Sheff:
Interesting observatiopns on the £16k car in Hildenborough. I wonder what the rust issues were/are and how much further they spread.
I'm learning by the minute about these beauties.
Were the bumper jet washers not meant to be on the 'Special'? TBH, I hadn't even noticed that til you pointed it out!
The lesson here seems to be that a picture paints a thousand words, but doesn't tell the whole story!

I gave the £17k Brooklands seller a ring and he's a very straightforward nice guy. Real enthusiast - pity it's so far north, but still, maybe worth a look.....have to speak to the missus.
A bit more than my budget but maybe negotiable as a private seller. Seems open to offers.

Tejb1 - thanks for the encouragement.
Won't be a commuter car. More of a 'take the kids to swimmming/danceclasses' etc once or twice a week at most, and then out on a saturady or sunday for a few miles to the park/exhibition etc - all the above in London. Then maybe once a month, out to the coutry to the inlaws(75miles) and every 3 months to S.Wales to my dads (145miles). All tots up to about 3000miles per year.

Peter-S..... Well, you never know, maybe we'll take a jaunt out to Ramsgate one day. Stranger things have happened!!
Would be nice see your pride and joy one day and chew the fat. Cheers though :)

Thanks again fellas!
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by -JC- »

FWIW, I used my capri as a daily driver for about 12 years. Was fine for me, but I don't have kids. I think it's plenty roomy enough really, although I think I'd want something with 4 doors if I was using the back seat a lot. I only started having problems with my capri when it stopped being in daily use. With regular use, maintenance and servicing, it should be plenty reliable enough.
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by Holeshot »

Good Point -JC-
Sometimes light regular use can be better than none.
TBH, we're so used to clambering into small/awkward cars that the kids will think nothing of 2 door coupes.
The real pain was when they were babies and you had to put the rearfacing baby seats through a 2 door....aaaaargh!
Now we just open the door and they get in and buckle up all by themselves......just like real people do!!

PS. Love the Alfa! :cool:
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by sheff »

pbar wrote:
sheff wrote:
Would I use it as a daily driver? No way! Its far too good
Neil, nooooooooo! :D That's one of those comments I always think just doesn't make sense, a car is too good to drive? It's like when you apply for a job and you are told that you are over qualified. What?! So you want someone who is barely qualified to do it then?

Surely the comment should be the car is just too bad to drive when it's an absolute wreck and a danger, how can one be too good to drive?

I know the point you are making is that it should be preserved and looked after in such a way to keep it's condition. But it will be in the scrapyard one day anyway, as we will be soon also unfortunately, it would be a shame to miss out on the enjoyment now.

I respect your thoughts of course, as always, just being light hearted :)
I know what you're saying Paul and I know you well enough to not be offended :) .... I agree all Capri's need to be driven to get the full enjoyment of ownership and I wouldn't advocate never driving it.

When I was young I would drive my Capri in rain, snow and ice and lived to tell the tale. Infact me and my mates still talk about the close shaves we had in the 2.8 and a few other fast Fords I had back then. The roads are full of people in a rush now, on their phones and not really paying attention to the road. I would rather be sat in something full of the latest safety features when I'm doing the daily run to work, trips to the shops and ferrying the family around. Then at the weekend when the suns out and the road is dry, I can enjoy the Capri which transports me back to being twenty again (without any close shaves thanks) :D

I thought running a Mk2 Golf through the winter would be ok. FWD, good brakes and brilliant grip in the wet. The reality was I spent most of the winter, wet and freezing cold working on it outside :( While the Capri sat in the garage staying dry and not getting any use. So now's the time for me to get a modern, boringly reliable car that I use as a daily and wash it once a year. And have more time to enjoy my Capri, when the sun finally shows itself :D
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by Jasonmarie »

Just one quick note your in lewisham so no worrys about getting the Capri serviced as Tickover Dartford are just down the road , when I got mine I just gave it to them and said tell me the bad or good news . Thank good I was ok with just a few small issues .
They are always booked up but I phoned last week and have booked mine in already for April . There is also Martin of Capri Gear who is up in Lincolnshire and don’t think he has ever said I don’t have that part and everything I have asked for it’s with me the nextday . Also I am a member of the Capri club International who also have new and old spares and you get a monthly magazine as a member and they have a meet up 2-3 times a year .
So your in a good place if anything needs doing .

Also if your going to look at any Capri in the country somebody will be near by who may be over to come and have a look with you .
Then there’s this very good forum who have so much experience on Capris i learn something every week on here .

So hope to see that nice Capri doing the retro look around London , talking London now the emission thing has come in the Capri will be £10 a day I think . But you will know more then me on that .
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by tejb1 »

At present the ULEZ is in the congestion charge zone only, during operating hours. You'd need to be slightly insane anyway to drive in that area in the middle of the week!

There is talk of expansion in 2019. Are you inside the South Circ? Vehicles over 40 years old are, however, exempt.
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by pbar »

sheff wrote:
I know what you're saying Paul and I know you well enough to not be offended :) .... I agree all Capri's need to be driven to get the full enjoyment of ownership and I wouldn't advocate never driving it.

When I was young I would drive my Capri in rain, snow and ice and lived to tell the tale. Infact me and my mates still talk about the close shaves we had in the 2.8 and a few other fast Fords I had back then. The roads are full of people in a rush now, on their phones and not really paying attention to the road. I would rather be sat in something full of the latest safety features when I'm doing the daily run to work, trips to the shops and ferrying the family around. Then at the weekend when the suns out and the road is dry, I can enjoy the Capri which transports me back to being twenty again (without any close shaves thanks) :D

I thought running a Mk2 Golf through the winter would be ok. FWD, good brakes and brilliant grip in the wet. The reality was I spent most of the winter, wet and freezing cold working on it outside :( While the Capri sat in the garage staying dry and not getting any use. So now's the time for me to get a modern, boringly reliable car that I use as a daily and wash it once a year. And have more time to enjoy my Capri, when the sun finally shows itself :D
Reading that Neil, it sounds like you have found your perfect balance of Capri ownership/taking care of it/driving it. It is a dilemma isn't it, I'm constantly arguing with myself, I haven't found that balance, I just want to get out there and have fun (which I do), but the other voice is telling me to keep the ever increasing in value, getting rarer, parts harder to find, aging classic car, standing safely in the warm and dry. But then I'm well aware of the quickly passing years and the need for enjoyment. See, told you I argue with myself!

As our cars get older I can see us all driving them less. And that's a shame really. I want to get out there more.
Last edited by pbar on Fri Feb 09, 2018 7:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by pbar »

-JC- wrote:I only started having problems with my capri when it stopped being in daily use.
There's a lot to be said for that, I've heard similar stories of people having trouble with cars that are not often driven. Cars, of any age, just don't like to be stood still.
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by Holeshot »

tejb1 wrote:At present the ULEZ is in the congestion charge zone only, during operating hours. You'd need to be slightly insane anyway to drive in that area in the middle of the week!

There is talk of expansion in 2019. Are you inside the South Circ? Vehicles over 40 years old are, however, exempt.

Good point about the ULEZ.
It was partly because of this that I sold my Land Rover which gets charged for going in the ULEZ. I take it as a given that they'll extend the zone as I know they can't resist the income from extending it to the current LEZ which I do actually fall within.
I've just checked and a 2.8i won't be penalised in the ULEZ at the moment which suggests that it will be OK if they extend it to Greater London.
Not that I don't trust them to start including all other sorts of random categories!
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by -JC- »

Holeshot wrote:PS. Love the Alfa! :cool:
Me too, but being an Alfa, of course means that it's currently not working :crying:. Timing chain has slipped, so apparently an engine out job, and £2,500 :crying:. Capri is an easier fix so doing that first :D
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by Holeshot »

-JC- wrote:
Holeshot wrote:PS. Love the Alfa! :cool:
Me too, but being an Alfa, of course means that it's currently not working :crying:. Timing chain has slipped, so apparently an engine out job, and £2,500 :crying:. Capri is an easier fix so doing that first :D
There's irony for you....
Modern car less reliable than classic car shock!

Still lovely cars tho :cool:
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by Holeshot »

I've come across a lovely 2.8i pre Special model, the one with 5 speed, pepperpot wheels and velour Recaros.
Does that have Limited Slip Diff and should it be priced lower than a Special?

Forgive my ignorance :)
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by andyd »

Holeshot wrote:I've come across a lovely 2.8i pre Special model, the one with 5 speed, pepperpot wheels and velour Recaros.
Does that have Limited Slip Diff and should it be priced lower than a Special?

Forgive my ignorance :)
No LSD, and as with most models prices will probably be dependent on condition and mileage......
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Re: 2.8i as a family car/daily driver?

Post by Noel »

I'm not sure there's a huge premium for the specials with the half-leather interior and the LSD, overall condition, bodywork and mileage kind of over-arches things like that.
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