Hi Everyone.
I am a new member to your superb forum.
Thought I would list a few of my 'Avantime' experiences and if any of you have any thoughts or info to give, that would be great.
First the story BEFORE I bought my Avantime.
I have always liked the Avantime, simply because it is so unusual. I love unusual vehicles. I cannot see any desire to own any of the most popular cars Audi, BMW, Merc etc.
In 2020 whilst we were 'enjoying' the lockdown, I needed some thing to keep me alive. I can't stand sitting around watching TV or similar. So, Me and my son decided that we should buy a fun car and use it for family days out etc. But what car shall we get. (You are now all thinking "yeah, yeah, he bought an Avantime) You would be wrong.
We decided to buy a car that was voted the UK's ugliest car. Anybody guess what it is/was.
Yes, it was the poor Fiat Multipla. So, we started looking in earnest for a suitable 'project'
Well, as always we found two. Which one do you buy when you have two. Well, obvious eh!
BOTH!
So we had two Fiat Multiplas from different locations in the country. Found out they were both registered on the same day, at the same dealers, not far from where we live!!!! Bizarre.
But what the hell has this got to do with the Avantime I hear you ask??
We needed parts for these cars, and we found a guy in Lincolnshire who was breaking one. He was a very nice guy and asked us to pop over to his place and take any parts we needed as he was about to scrap his car. Well, we did just that.
On the way to his house about a mile from where he lived was a superb Avantime parked outside a house. WOW. I think that was the first time I had knowingly seen one in the flesh. So, we stopped and looked at it a few times as we went to this guys house quite a bit. That meant we then started looking up Avantimes on the net, you tube etc.
I'd like one of them, I said. Get one then came the flippant reply from my son who isn't paying for it.
I looked and saw one on ebay (fatal) I bid on it, thinking I would be outbid.
I wasn't.
I won it.
Oh dear, my wife was in hospital at the time so I was able to do things with out being shouted at. (fatal)
Oh dear, I think I have just bought an Avantime.
So long story short I paid for a recovery guy to deliver the car to my house.
Here it is.
Comments
Wish I still had them.
If you still have the same issue, try reducing the image file size.
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Tried to upload my smallest picture
Tried another small picture
Wow this is hard
Well, as this poor car has not run since 2016 (expiry date of the last MOT) I decided it must have
1 New timing belt kit
2 Water pump
3 Alternator,
4 Starter
5 Full service oils etc
6 Auto box oil change
7 New tyres
8 Subframe removal, and clean up
9 Any other job that rears it's head whilst I am underneath
10 Internal blowers do not work, so I need to check why
11 Clean the leather
12 Get the 'Grande air' working (got to be the main reason for owning an Avantime)
13 Drive and enjoy meeting as many of you as I can.
So, the journey is about to start. If any of you recognise my car, or know of any things that it has had done, or where it has been, please let me know as it would be great to put the picture of it together.
It looks as if it has been loved and cherished. All the tyres are the same make (Pirelli) It has been fitted with drilled brake discs front and rear, and what looks like 'green' brake pads. It has a new stainless exhaust. So, somebody has spent money on her. I would like to know why it hasn't been used, was there a serious fault, or did the owner not use it for some other reason.
Anyway. I will keep you up to date as I go, with pictures (ha ha ah) and text.
This is where we came up against a wall.
I started the engine, run very smoothly, BUT!!!!! There was a huge pall of smoke billowing up from the rear of the engine. Had to turn the engine off (naturally) and moving underneath I saw that (it appears) there is a major oil leak from the rear bank. Probably cam box as well as cam cover. I will have a good look once the engine has been removed.
Still have trouble with pics!
Still have trouble with pics!