1986 505 Cat dead, control arms rusted badly should i junk it

[themcguire]

My 1986 505 STI is close to dead.     It runs,  the AC works

but given the report from the mechanic that the control arms are dangerously rusted I am afraid to drive it.   The CAT rattles and I find it is not even a peugeot cat and is welded in.

I am so sad to see it go but I no longer have the health or money to repair it.    I do not have the space to store it.

Should I junk it or what.     Looking for ideas

 

[Goce]

It's a difficult decision to proceed or to give up on a car, but your cars repairs are small, by control arms i presume you mean trailing arms (the back control arms), because front ones are cast steel and are indestructible, the trailing arms is something that is easy to replace, they are healed with two bolt to the chassis and is a sacrificial part that's often changed, and not that difficult to source, the cat if it passes emissions don't worry about it, could be a loose heat shield. The only question is do you want to keep the car.

[andrethx]

sorry to hear about your difficulties, as goce pointed out the things wrong with your car sound fix-able, even if you aren't the one who will be doing it. if you are not up to fixing the car (financially and/or health-wise), you might be able to sell it to an enthusiast. you probably won't get very much but you'll certainly get more than if you scrap it. *what* you get for it will depend on the rest of the car and your location...i seem to recall you said you are in New Jersey? aside from the usual avenues for selling one's car -- craigslist, eBay, the yahoo group (peugeot-l) here and in the Facebook group, you could let the peugeot specialists in your area know that you are looking to sell...IIRC you mentioned you deal with brian holm? you should talk to him if you haven't already, he can give you an idea of the repair costs you'd be looking at and might be able to broker a sale if you decide to go that route.

andre

[themcguire]

Thanks guys for the replies.    

1st off   I am in Las Vegas, NV now.   Moved here over 2 years ago.    

I did not mention that a local mechanic tells me that the rear brake calipers need replacement.   Brian Holm tells me its best to rebuild them .    He also said that it must be done carefully to maintain the hand brake functionality.   The paint was bad so I covered the car with flat black plasti-dip.   

I really do not want to junk the car.    It runs so there are many parts that can be used.    Do you know of anyone here in the South west that is looking for a parts car ?