ok here we go: Want to buy a Montego in Switzerland, need some tech advise

[Guest]

Hi everyone

After reading through many technical posts here as well as the FAQ's I've still some questions.

I would like to buy a Montego here in Swtizerland, the ad does not look too good, but I'll still go inspect the car next Saturday.

Ad: http://www.autoscout24.ch/de/d/austi...p%3d10%26r%3d5

I'll check the usual things, such as rust, sealings, screen, lights, engine (oil, water, etc.) but I'm not a mechanic. My mechanic says restoring the car could be anything between 50 and 50000 swiss francs ;-) No chance to tell without inspecting the car of course.

So my questions are:
-is there a buyer's guide somewhere?
-What are the most obvious parts to look at?
-what are Montego-specific parts to look at?
-where do I find the chassis number?

And, how hard/easy is it to find spares such as:
-suspension parts?
-Windscreen- and other windows?
-electric windows parts?
-engine parts such as headgasket, cooler, hoses, water- and fuelpump, alternator etc.?
-exhaust, cat
-head-/tail lights
-interior parts
-badges and stickers

From the pictures I see in the ad I guess it will be a shed. The car most probabely sat under a tree for the last couple of years... After speaking to the seller I'm not very positiv, trying to translate it to english:
'hay, mi name iss ZICO. No, car doss not hav papper, cann organisse papper next tuesday, plise cal again'
So I'm guessing he is asking his friends in Albania to print new papers or whatever...

Any help and inputs much appreciated!

Thanks :-)

[Nick RS]

Hello zlx
That car looks very good to me from pictures. One of the common things you see with these is that the dashboard panel above the instruments warps with age and starts to lift. This one hasn't done that which to me says it has probably been stored inside and not under a tree.

There is a buyers guide on this site hidden in the classified section Here. The bodywork is the main thing to look at, especially the sills near to the rear arches. Your car looks very good in that respect. Again the buyers guide covers most of what you need to know.

There should be a chassis plate on the front body panel when looking at the engine, or possibly on the b post on the drivers side, you'll see it when you open the door. You should also find it on the front suspension turret under the bonnet on the other side of the car, this time it is stamped into the metal.

As for parts it does vary a lot. You'll find lamps, electrical bits, ECUs, gaskets, and suspension parts OK to find, though you will probably get most of them in the UK. Body panels and interior fittings are much harder to find but do come up from time to time. There are members on this forum who will sell things if they have them, you just need to ask - anyone got a fuel filler neck by the way?, can't get those. There are quite a few Montegos and Maestros in France so you may find some spare parts there too.

It looks like you have a fuel injected 2.0i Mayfair to look at which I don't remember here in the UK. The colour looks like Moonraker Blue and the interior is Prussian Blue - nice car. I hope you get it.

Nick

[Jeff Turbo]

Hi everyone

After reading through many technical posts here as well as the FAQ's I've still some questions.

I would like to buy a Montego here in Swtizerland, the ad does not look too good, but I'll still go inspect the car next Saturday.

Ad: http://www.autoscout24.ch/de/d/austi...p%3d10%26r%3d5

I'll check the usual things, such as rust, sealings, screen, lights, engine (oil, water, etc.) but I'm not a mechanic. My mechanic says restoring the car could be anything between 50 and 50000 swiss francs ;-) No chance to tell without inspecting the car of course.

So my questions are:
-is there a buyer's guide somewhere?
-What are the most obvious parts to look at?
-what are Montego-specific parts to look at?
-where do I find the chassis number?

And, how hard/easy is it to find spares such as:
-suspension parts?
-Windscreen- and other windows?
-electric windows parts?
-engine parts such as headgasket, cooler, hoses, water- and fuelpump, alternator etc.?
-exhaust, cat
-head-/tail lights
-interior parts
-badges and stickers

From the pictures I see in the ad I guess it will be a shed. The car most probabely sat under a tree for the last couple of years... After speaking to the seller I'm not very positiv, trying to translate it to english:
'hay, mi name iss ZICO. No, car doss not hav papper, cann organisse papper next tuesday, plise cal again'
So I'm guessing he is asking his friends in Albania to print new papers or whatever...

Any help and inputs much appreciated!

Thanks :-)

That's an early O series engine. Water pump, headgasket cam belt etc are all available from England. However a cambelt tensioner is not available but you can adapt one from a Ford Pinto engine.
Chassis number will either be on the B post or on one of the inner front wings in the engine bay.
The car will not have a cat, exhausts are available as are all wheel bearings and brake cylinders.
Windscreens are available but in this country have to be ordered.
Front and rear lights are easily available, headlining can be re-covered.
Bonnet, doors and boot lids are becoming rare but bumpers are available.
Springs and dampers etc are readily available here. Replacement rear arches again are available but sills are very hard to find.
All of these parts are in England but parts in switzerland would be quite rare I imagine so you would have to expect high postage charges

[Guest]

ok thanks so far for your tipps :-) Yes, I imagine that parts in Switzerland would be difficult to get, and Switzerland is not in the EU. But I live near the german border, so I could order parts in Enlgand and have them shipped to a german address and pick them up there.

Thanks for the buyer's guide link and your help!

keep finger's crossed, will let you know next weekend how bad it was ;-)