Why did you buy a Sigma, Galant or Lancer?

[75wagon]

There has been a bit of discussion recently about what our cars are worth, or should be worth compared to other cars available from the same era. So I thought I'd do a poll to work out why people buy them. Just because I'm curious.
If you choose option six please leave a small description of why.
I hope everybody gets on this one and give some feedback.

Edit: Poll now removed results below.

This was a poll that ran for a 10 days with interesting results........
Poll ended at Sun Oct 11, 2009 6:36 pm
1. you purposely looked for one 24% [ 10 ]
2. because it was cheap 21% [ 9 ] Thought this would've score higher, but glad it didn't...
3. found one by accident 19% [ 8 ]
4. because of ease of modification etc... 2% [ 1 ]
5. hand-me-down from a family member 10% [ 4 ]
6. other 24% [ 10 ]
Total votes : 42

Thanks for everyone's participation in the poll.........

[75wagon]

Personally, I looked for mine. I spent 9 years looking for the right one......

[13bsigma]

my first car was i GJ sigma wagon that never got going except to the wreckers.

my first proper car. . .

a friend was selling his bros mint VS commo. and one night while drunk in the rain he thought he was good enough to fish tail an injected manual V6 power when all he was used to was carby 2.6. didn't end well. commo written off and innocent parked car writted off too. so he had to sell his car and i was so impressed with the daily burnouts after tafe that he and i did that i couldn't let anyone else buy it. so i did. a mint GJ red Scorpion $1400. i went through 26 tires with that car and the diff and gearbox held firm all the way.

I re built the motor, lowered, webbered, injected, then webbered again. . many fond memorys of that car. my first car, Reliable red. called that cos you could always rely on her to break down lol. but always breakages you could fix on the side of the road though. lol

then i was hooked

Thats my storey

[metaldrift]

first car i ever owned at 14 was a GH sigma sedan, extractors and big exhaust, wrote it off 2 weeks after getting my p's doing 70 sideways into a kurb. Had a few different cars since but finally founf another GH and have had it for last 4 years now. Love em'!

[75wagon]

I had a Torana with a 161 2.6 in it. Couldn't understand why one day when I dragged 2 1.3 corollas off at the lights that they beat me. Sold it 2 weeks later and bought a Datsun 1200 coupe. Fitted a 1400 motor and then broke everything , was fast though (I thought). Got sick of fixing it. A mate took it for a drive and it came back with the front chassis rail bent with the suspension drooping.
Then I was left sitting on my front verandah with a trading post, no money, and desperately looking for a car as I had to go on holidays the next day. An Lb lancer Hatch rally car with twin webers (or so it sounded), then cruised past my house. I thought 'I wonder if there are any of those for sale?' There was. $1000 later and I had one. It was a shitter, plenty of rust and bent as. I fixed it up a little bit, not much. Flogged the arse out of it for 2 years and it never failed me.
After the Datsun this was heaven.
I was hooked.
Mitsubishi's for me from now on, and 18 years later here I am.

[81GL]

First had a GE as a paddock hack to learn to drive in; Which I now regret, damn that car was in top condition when I first got it. Was rather young, so you live and learn.

Then a year before turning 18 (read - p plates), there was a GH GL for sale (- hence the user name ) a couple blocks down, and conveniently passed it every day on the way to school: so that was it. Had to have it.
Used that for a couple years and then stripped it back ready for some fun (current status of the car lol).

So with the GH resting up for a while, was in the need for a new daily. Brought the GD from a member from here sight un-seen, what a buy, stock as a rock and in a fairly neat condition (Thanks for not wrecking her Spac! - not sure if he is registered again though...). And everyone knows what happens next, the car that you swear to your self you will leave alone as daily transport....

...and the story continues

Nick.

[camB]

When I bought mine (in 1991) the only things I had to choose from (cost being a factor) were Geminis (TD/TE) or older Corollas and I just happened to come across the SIgma. It revved like buggery and had a bit more room than the other cars so I bought one.
It's only with the years that I've become (my wife says strangely) attached to it.

[77galantv6]

i had grown up pretty much living at a mate of mines pkace and the galant was his old man's.

i had always lent a hand with anything that needed to be done to it and then helped on the last engine conversion.

when he fell ill last year he had to sell it and he wanted someone that he knew could take care of it to buy it...

i had always loved it so basically handed him the cash before he even asked me.

he still comes round and checks on the car and talks about it and offers ideas or where he's seen parts etc

don't think i could ever sell it because 1 it would break my heart and 2 it would cetainly break his

[DVSGAL]

I was 15 and was offered 3 galant wagons for free...lol
But my mum had a sherwood green GC wagon when I was little and I was madly in love with it, when she traded it in for a nissan pintara wagon, I cracked it locked myself in my room for days!
So when I was offered the 3 wagons for free, I said hell yes!!!

[cheaterparts]

I bought my GE sigma about 14 years ago for $ 1000 reg+roady for a cheap run around
it was a 1850 4speed and was fairly clean and tidy
a couple of years later I picked up a 2.6 GH 5 speed again reg/roady so the GE got pentioned off
I 1999 a couple of mates slimed me into hillclimbs so the sigma became a CAMS log booked race car ( IPRA ) that year running a 2Lt astron 5 speed which was upgraded to a 2.6 a couple of years later
the car had quite good results hillclimbing - best being Aust hillclimb champ 2004 for 2001 - 3000 Improved Production
here it is 10 years on from then the car is still a work in progress
hopefully the car will be out next season with some new bits in the engine ( more power )
and while thats running get a 4g61 turbo engine reddy for it

I also ran a GH sigma in autocross then a cordia - both cars are gone now

[Paddles]

i had a couple of gh wagons as second cars while doing up my old magna then had my triton ute which i still have today, but had always wanted a scorpion, i all of a sudden got offered a full sigma turbo setup for 300 bucks so i had to have it, this was before i knew to much about them, so once i bought them i needed a car to put it in, so i found 2 scorps at a local wreckers which i was going to fix one up and wreck the other, the night before it was heading off to be painted, the red one i have now popped up locally for 400 bucks with 8 months rego but no motor so i grabbed that and put my turbo 2.6 in it, the other 2 from wreckers which i still have today, one became donor car for respray and the other is the spare shell for later on. i have had about 6 sigma wrecks in last couple of years, just for parts in the shed, have about 2 of everything. lol. since owning the scorpion and playing with the original sigma turbo setup, i started wanting a sigma turbo if one turned up, then last year no.17 turned up locally over the hill from me, thanks to evl-076 he saw it in the paper and told me about it and i bought the next day. thats about my story in a brief paragraph.

[tubby]

my first car was a '80 gh scorp. I wanted one but was a bit strapped for cash, after four or five months of looking one came up on trading post three streets away from my house for like $900 on gas boght it that day. on my way to the airport one morning a taxi driver T boned me at 60 clicks, new door bit of hammering looked like shit still worked tho, taxis insurance paid me $850 sweet. got me through my first year of my apprenticeship and got 400 clicks on the highway for $20.
then a valve went and I didnt know how to fix it, so I got rid of it then bought a "reliable" fuel efficient car. a calibra, biggest mistake of my entire life. as soon as it was paid off sold it to a wrecker appreciated the fact theat it was crushed. tried to forget the six grand it cost me.... bought another scorp lesson learned.

[sigtool]

My First was suzuki swift i promtly burnt it to the ground (shed fire it sucked alot)
then was given a gh sedan from a friend who lost thier licence i was reluctant but it grew on me
i had a lot of fun with that car got a weber and a fat cannon had big wheel and over time a bunch of different colour panels at pionts and i still have in the padock a little worse for wear it would be still a daily drive if it hadn't got real rust BAD.
i then hunted down a gh turbo and now i have 3




cheers

[84GSR]

My first one was a GJ wagon that I bought because I needed a car. The second one I bought off the side of the road,the black GK GSR I drive now.

[tandanus]

My first GA (Harriet) was given to me by my GF. Then I bought another for parts. Then I bought more Galant parts and GH parts and so on. Now the shed is full.
T.

[GC75]

Bought the gc due to the shape love it.

Sigma bought for efi which was drifted into a tree lol

[boyracer]

Father was into 4potters had escorts, rallied a 1600 la lancer.
Says the Japs make/made the best stuff now we have a few
Lancers and Galants.

[A112H]

My first car way back in 1989 was a GB fitted with a 2.0 and 5 spd
Moved away for a few years and had a few Falcons
In about 1995 I bought a 1979 GH Scorpion 2.6 5 spd, while driving the Scorpion around I spotted a '73 LA Lancer coupe for sale in the hills, I grabbed it and started the transfer of the 2.6, 5spd and Scorpion alloys over to the Lancer.
While both cars were off the road I found a mint as GE Wagon for a run around.
When the Lancer was finished I sold the Wagon and Scorpion shell.
The Lancer would do 4th gear stand stills, lol. After about 6 months the chassis was twisted to hell and I sold it to a mate who put the running gear in his GA Sedan.
Then I bought a GC Sedan for a run around, had that for about 2 years.
When the GC died I bought a L200 tray top for knocking around and went looking for my Coupe.
Found my Coupe in 2004 for $750 and stuck it in the shed to "fix it up a bit" it is still in the shed waiting, lol
Sold the L200 and bought a 2000 VR-4 Galant.
Bought a GN ( I think) Sigma for the 2.6, 5spd and seats. Shell was taken by Billsy on here.
Bought a 1997 TE Magna V6 5spd for knocking around in and thats where I am now after selling the VR-4.

[davenq]

Why did I buy "the" Galant.......'cos it's Sunfire yellow .....no I bought it as a "toy" and to save it from having a 308 jammed into it and turned into a burnout pig.....I am still working out what I want to do ,..but years ago a bloke had a turboed 2.6 in his galant as a burnout car .....out of curiosity he wondered what it would do on the quarter ?....12.8's was the answer ...

and in the back of my mind I always thought (light car....bit of h.p. ..... hmmmmmmm) if the opportunity came up ...(It has...and I have)
.
.previous cars..........................grab a beer and we'll discuss a lifetime of Aussie Chryslers...with a ford and a veedub and a beemer thrown in.....I have never owned a holden....not that I don't like them It's just I had other cars...

[Sigmaproject]

I picked mine up in 2001 for $400 to use as a work truck while my Tonner had gas heads fitted.

Then it become a manual driver training car for a stepdaughter who didnt want to get her license in an auto. I told her she could have it , but she bought a Torana instead.

A panel beater mate replaced the lower front guards that were pretty rusty. Couldnt give it away so I bought a Scorp that had a turbo system fitted, did the swapover of the turbo bits, did the suspension, the brakes , and here we are in 2009 and I still have it.

[DanTurboLancer]

My cousins Husband and his father did a ground up rebuild on a Sigma, Full Velour Interior
After market Cruise control.

Rebuilt 2L, and 5Speed, resrayed by them a nice red, it was a nice little stocker.

Anyway He was finished at Uni and my sister was starting uni so he sold it to her.

She drove it for awhile until a guy ran up the back of it.

I straightened most of it out for her, the Tow bar took most of the brunt, but that has sent the pressure through the Chassis, and a small dent above the Drivers rear door, and a dent in the panel above driver's side rear wheel.

She got an insurance pay out, but was too worried to drive the car again, so i took it off her hands


Here i am removing dent.
yes this was taken from actual video footage where i put the Snatch strap a touch too high on the tree.
looks funny, hurt my chest abit haha.




Good mates of mine (brothers) had a LC lancer and a Galant Coupe as rally cars.
After talking with them about upgrades, they put me onto the Sigma Turbo motor.

As luck would have it within a couple of weeks i found one in the good old Trading post!


i dropped it into the Sig, and didnt have to change ANYTHING

drove it for awhile until i ripped the External oil cooler off rallying
and needed to rebuild the motor.

While The motor was out, i started looking at the Chassis and wasnt happy with it.
My mates (the brothers) were talking about the Lightest Mitsubishi you could find was the
LA Lancer and the 2Litre Turbo was the biggest motor you could put in it...


id never even seen a LA Lancer before, then while still waiting for the motor rebuild, here was one one the side of the road for sale, only 5 minutes from my place.

Picked it up for $500






Started off mild, ended up wild.

then went in to see my Dad in town and got pulled over
(fortunately wasnt doing anything stupid)
And they cancelled the rego on me until i got the car passed for Engineering.

Money was short, so it sat in the drive way for a couple of months...
Couple of months became 3 years.

Rust had set in when i removed the panels.....



So i had a loan for a rebuild on a rusty 4 door... and then a mate put me onto Carpoint

LA Lancer 2 door online... and the rest is history

[GC75]

dan thats epic

[13bsigma]

bahahahahaa.

had to call the girlfriend in to share my laughter lol. that lloks heaps funny LOLOLOLLOLOLLOLOOLOLOLO

[75wagon]

Hey Dan, do you still have the 4 door lancer?
just curious............

[DanTurboLancer]

No mate I actually tried to give it away and no one on here was interested or was too far away to bother, so i stripped every panel
(Every thing is the same except doors)
And most of the interior and had it taken away...

Yet another car to goto the scrap yard and crushed that could have been a good project if someone had the time and alittle bit of cash...

Wish i could have kept it for a rally car but simply didnt have the room.

[75wagon]

Yeah, I've let some good cars go, and let some good ones pass me by purely because I didn't have the room to put them. I still miss my old GB and my biggest mistake, letting go of my LB lancer hatch.

[woops]

I had multiple reasons for buying my different cars.

Firstly i bought my gn sigma wagon off my sister because it was only $1000 and in perfect condition. Then after a few years after a blown auto gearbox it became more of a project then a cheap reliable car. Installed a 2L starion turbo in and then things just got a bit carried away. Due to the sigma being off the road for so long i looked about for a galant or lancer as a daily to become a project after the sigma was finished.

I was drawn to them for their upgrade potential and their power to weight potential and looked for one for about a year or two in the right condition. Found a perfect no rust perfect interior nanna spec gb 4 door galant for $1325 with a RWC and this car has been the most reliable car I've ever had. 2 years and only had to put in a couple of hundred for replacing some suspension components.

Finally after a long time of looking a gc galant coupe came up locally for $800 in average condition but with plenty of potential. It came with a few performance parts such as front and rear whiteline swaybars, 2L twincarb gto engine, kmac strut tops, tacho dash and a few other bits and pieces to make things a little easier to make it a project. It came up at the right price and place so i grabbed it as a future all out project instead of butchering the GB.

[wheelnut]

i always had datsuns and a mate and i decided to do the camp quality bash in 99 out looking for a car a mate said his grandad was getting rid of a galant. went and had a look gd 1.6 auto got it for free because it had a blown head gasket, ended up 2ltr 5speed commodore disc brake limo rear green strut front full cage etc. went 4000ks without missing a beat on the roughest roads known to man only to get totaled going to get tyres on it by an old bloke in a sonata. got paid market value by insurance company $1500.tried wrecking it out no-one wanted anything so off to scrap it went because i had blown all my coin building it. a few years later i bought my gb because i always wanted the early shape. still spewing i tossed all the good gear out of the first one. now got a gj and a gn siggy to go with it. along with the other projects.

[boyracer]

We could have had a A73 Lancer but Stealth is selling it, going OS.

[TR11KY]

was a datsun boy and loved the 1600/510 i started in and wanted a 1200ute bad. Then when i moved to nsw i got given a $50 wrecked gn wagon with some rego on it. Replace some panels and gave it some tree treetment as seen page prior and seh ran well until rego ran out.

By chance a guy at my work was selling an N/A worked GH with fats in the old school style. Thing was actually really quick. Started taking vp,vr, vs commy's to school in it and fell in love with the effect it had on the other drivers. They hated that id beaten them in and old sigma...

Then i found the sigma turbo model. I simply had to have one it was the apittamy of shock value and the element of it being the first production turbo in oz had me sold right away. I waited patiently until 445 became available went to budaberg and got it. yeah i paid too much probably but i was stoked to have my piece of history. Its been a long haul with it coz of how run down it got, but im still chipping away.

The icing on the cake for me was the #500 though. In nambour bids starting at $300 i knew i could get it back even though in pieces. I bid up for around $700 and won it at $350. needless to say i wasted no time picking it up and bringing it back to hiding. Its a restoration and i hope to show my son the passion sigma/galant/lancer owners feel. As DRSGMA always says - "with sigmas its personal".