usedcarg guide Here’s our regular used car of the month feature, in which we focus on the pros and cons of buying a particular model on the secondhand market. It’s all here: the car’s history, its style, the kind of drivers it will appeal to, which variant of the model is the best one to go for, what is likely to go wrong and how much you’ll have to pay for the car itself, spare parts, servicing and those insurance premiums.

U S E D

C A R

O F

T H E

M O N T H

Photographs: James Mann

L A N C I A INTEGRALE They’ve excitement and verve aplenty but need an expert to spot the potential nightmares The merest sight of a Lancia Integrale is enough to set most fans salivating and it’s all too easy to buy one purely on impulse – don’t. Integrales are a unique breed, requiring specialist knowledge to find a good one. Buy them solely on condition and seek a real expert to vet any potential purchase. As the meanest of the readily accessible homologation specials, even early eight-valvers gave a turbo-induced 185bhp. With a rallybred four-wheel-drive set-up and five World Championship wins, the Integrale has always had a keen following and is currently so sought-after that dealers are forced to look to Italy or Germany to supply demand in Britain. W H I C H

M O D E L

The first and cheapest Integrale was the eightvalver, emerging in February ’88 at £15,455. Shy away from any Delta HF Turbo 4WDs tarted up as faux-Integrales. Prices for genuine

132 February 1997 Top Gear

early ’Grales start at £3,500-£4,000, but buying on condition is vital. Expect to pay up to £7,500 for proper stuff in a private sale, with the trade asking at least a grand more. The 16-valve model followed in September ’89 with a power hike on the 1,995cc turbocharged four up to 196bhp, plus seven-inch wide alloys, beefier brakes and a swap to a rear-wheel-drive bias – the eight-valve had a 56 per cent front/44 per cent rear split. Hence, many end up buried backwards in ditches and there’s a greater danger of buying a write-off. Prices for the best ones are currently around £10,000 to £13,000, with high mileage (therefore high maintenance) cars starting at £8,000. The Evoluziones, arriving in January ’92, were the sexiest of the bunch with a further power boost to 210bhp, a bulging bonnet, equally-sized headlamps and wider wheelarches accommodating ABS-equipped brakes. The track was increased too, improving handling,

and an adjustable roof spoiler was added to the tailgate, largely for the pose. Distinguishing between the three Evo models is tricky, although the Evo II is usually associated with the addition of a catalytic converter and larger 16-inch alloys. A couple of the very last ’94 micro-miles M-reg cars are still with dealers, marked up at £27,000-£28,000. However, sensible money for a pristine Evo I is £15-19k, with Evo IIs now commanding £19-24k. All Integrales came as left-hookers – beware right-hand conversions which often used the slower steering rack from the Delta HF Turbo. T R A U M A S

The Integrale isn’t a cheap car to buy or own and examples offered at low prices invariably whiff of trouble. Stolen or stuffed cars are the biggest nightmares and cloning is common – always run an HPI check before buying. Most will have taken minor knocks, so expect some

R A L L Y

G O O D

B U Y

R A L L Y

G O O D B Y E

I N F O B U Y

The Integrale holds its

Check the Recaro front

price well and it could

seat edges for wear

well be a classic car of

and tear in the trim.

the future, but value

Also check the glove-

depends on condition

box lid for warping

The adjustable spoiler

Cars driven hard will

was added mostly for

have damage to the

looks but is the mark of

low front spoiler, plus

the Evoluzione with

broken/cracked lights

higher spec and prices

and chipped paintwork

Originality is important

Clutches that have had

– check factory seams

to endure standing-

and paintwork. Though

starts at high revs and

some of these points need a trained eye

Cherished cars with service history Cars with low mileage – rec maximum 50k Cars serviced every 9k miles minimum Monza red best, greens and blues also popular Buy in summer, sell in winter A V O I D

Plain white cars Steer clear of anything rallied Silly money dealer cars HF Turbos disguised as eight-valves, 16-valves disguised as Evos Clones or write-offs Anything without provenance or proof of paid-up import duties High milers

loads of town driving may only last 30k or so

C O S T

A full service history is

The interiors were a bit

everything. Regular

flimsy even when new.

services at 9k miles

Check all the gauges,

Thanks to 1st GTI in Kew (0181 392 2005) for the loan of their Integrale Prices from John Whalley Ltd (01279 654181)

and oil changes every

touched-up paintwork or a swapped wing. But when Evos have an off it’s usually a big one – to the extent that very few of the original UKregistered cars are still on the road. Check carefully for non-factory welding seams and excessive overspray, or inexplicable welds along the sills or under the headlining. Don’t buy anything that has been butchered or shows the slightest signs of chassis damage. Terminal rust, like that found on earlier Lancias, is unlikely and cars showing much rot will have been unloved, with drain holes allowed to clog up and stone chips left exposed. Check for rust, though, by pulling back the windscreen rubber and searching for scabbing around the edges. Also check around the sunroof and where the tops of the rear doors scrape against the roof. Interiors were less than solid, even from new. So look for warped glovebox lids, rips in the alcantara trim covering the Recaro front seats

the electric windows

3k show a loved car

and the central locking

Water-cooled turbos on

Tyre-wear on the inside

the powerful engines

of the wheel can point

can last for over 100k

to misaligned tracking

miles on 16-valvers

or the four-wheel drive

and later models

Prices only for cars in very good condition 88E 8-valve 95k £5,450 89F 8-valve 85k £7,100 90G 16-valve 75k £8,850 91H 16-valve 50k £11,195 91H 16-valve 95k £8,050 92J Evo I 45k £12,650 92J Evo I 70k £10,295 93K Evo II 30k £15,800 94L Evo III 20k £17,700 P A R T S

being out of kilter

and ensure that the electric windows, central locking and all gauges work as they should. Expect cars that have covered 60-70k miles to be ready for a suspension rebuild. If the car pulls to one side under acceleration or braking, the shockers and rubber bushes front and rear will need replacing. Likewise check the brakes, with extra attention paid to warping or obvious wear of the front discs. Mechanically, the Integrale’s Achilles heel is the cambelt. Lancia recommended a replacement cycle of 60,000 miles, but, actually, 16valves and Evos need a change at 25,000 – ask for evidence that it has. On eight-valves the cambelt will last 48,000 miles before needing a change. Clutches also tend to go twang, sometimes lasting only 25,000 miles if regularly revved high on standing-starts. Also check for holes in the exhaust and for dings to the cat. Turbos are strong and it’s hard to predict when they’re going to fail, but allow £450

(plus fitting) for a replacement. Turbos on the eight-valvers can last an average of 60-70,000 miles. The water-cooled turbos in the 16valvers and all later models can be expected to last over 100,000 miles. 16-valves have a tendency to burn oil and some cars have problems with faulty dipsticks, leading to a danger of the engine being run dry. If it doesn’t completely seize, it’s likely that new crankshafts will be needed – the only tell-tale sign may be a slight misfiring, so avoid anything that doesn’t sound right. Chipped cars are a risky buy. There is some argument for tweaks in the ECU if done well with new head gaskets and gearbox strengtheners, but if carried out badly, they can result in more vices than a Jackie Collins novel: resale values, engine life, driveability and the car’s originality can all be sacrificed. After all, a standard Integrale is fun enough without loads of unnecessary meddling ■

(Prices for a ’93K Evolution II, plus VAT) Front Shocker £115.36 Front Brake Pads £71.98 Front Disc £106.72 Exhaust Back Box £141.46 Alternator £268.17 Front Bearing £28.92 S E R V I C E

(Prices include all parts, labour and VAT) 9,000 miles £107 18,000 miles £257.50 27,000 miles £113.50 36,000 miles £278 cambelt change £250 clutch swap £550 I N S

All models

G R P

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