Despite salvage prices remaining high, there are still golden nuggets found – if you’re lucky.
Another Suzuki Celerio and again, category S recorded as the photos show, offside sill and doors were damaged but I was unsure about that rear bumper. Had the impact compressed into the boot floor to verify that category S marker or was it the sill ? Hard to determine from images alone, so I set my hammer price at £1400 because the previous Celerio was bought for £1200 including auction costs – despite needing another £400 to repair.
Surprisingly, the bid price went at £1000 with £222 added as auction costs have increased since my last purchase. PF66 was registered in November 2016 so almost a 17 plate – it had a short MOT with only front tyre advisories. As the fork-lift lowered our Suzuki, there was nothing perturbing – additional denting aside and that rear impact hadn’t crumpled any of the structure so happy days, moreover discovering the manual and stamped service book on the passenger seat. Two keys too so good news although the interior reeked of tobacco with ominous stains and lots of sand around the cabin – good job I bought my seat cover.
After adding fuel (our car was on reserve), I checked fluid levels and brakes to find that it drove smoothly – more than our white Celerio that has steel wheels. Our black SZ3 model has alloy wheels and would you believe… air conditioning that didn’t seem that effective during the heatwave of late July.
Back home with kettle boiled, phillips head/10mm bolts were removed to access the inside of the rear bumper and steaming water was poured on the plastic before I pushed the kink out with the palm of my hand. With success so far, door panels were removed to pry out dents yet the rear door corner was difficult to access due to its structural integrity. Some thinking time later, I tried pushing the dents out with a flat head screwdriver through the door drainholes and it did work ! Some dents remain where the steel has been stretched and happily, no parts replaced – yet !
The front headlight lugs had been broken so off it went for surgery with bits kept in the shed used to brace a plastic bracket that had snapped. DVLA information showed that the previous owner hadn’t owned the car for that long and previously, I suspect, it had been cared for as the stamped service book indicated. Two sessions of jet washing with T-Cut and polish to remove blemishes and our Celerio looked very different. I spent more time cleaning the interior and exterior than those other repairs. For the interior, vacuuming and wiping the inside did make a difference although it still smelt – even the MOT tester mentioned the stench. I found that carpet cleaner applied to a brush freshened up the seats dramatically and kitchen cleaner with a lemon scent when diluted with water and sprayed everywhere reduced those nasty nifs.
With MOT passed yet one advisory, it’s time to sell but what a smooth, cheap project to do with only £30 spent on fuel, £20 on insurance and £40 for the MOT.
Needlessly to say, I’m looking for another project – another Celerio !
Words are copyright of Sotiris Vassiliou
August 2022
