This is the sad and reluctant sale of Little Jimi the Scimi.

Jimi has been with me for over four years and we have had a great time but, as I now have other allegiences and Jimi is being neglected, he has to go.

Jimi was rebuilt by his previous owner on a new galvanised chassis around 2000 and consequently, given his plastic/fibreglass body, he is virtually rustproof. He has proved to be very reliable up until I left him standing for some months and since starting him up again he has shown some faults.

These are:

A tendancy to leak water - I think the radiator is at fault here.

When hot he does smoke a little and consensus of opinion believes this to be the valve guide seals. This is likely as the engine sounds okay and certainly runs well with no expensive noises.

The speedo has ceased to work - I don't know why this is, I haven't looked as I just use a sat nav instead.

The starter motor needs new brushes as sometimes it doesn't engage.

The radio and clock have developed a mystery fault - probably a bad earth which is very common on Reliants but both did work fine before. I suspect the electric arial.

There is a creak on the suspension - this was there when I bought the car and was sorted with a liberal application of oil so the same should work again. The MOT man assures me there is nothing wrong with the suspension.

Other faults are:

The hood has a couple of rips and repairs but I use the hood in all weathers and it doesn't let the rain in but it does look a bit tatty.

In 2006, poor Little Jimi was attacked by a boy racer who thought he could get a six foot car through a five foot six gap. He couldn't. The insurance company declared Jimi a Category C write off but I bought him back. During the whole procedure, the car was never off the road and the damage was minimal but the estimate was a staggering £1500 pounds, Actually most of the damage polished out leaving a couple of chips out of the paint at the rear off side quarter and some slight scratches. I have done the obligtory vehicle identity check and have had no problems with insuring him since.

I replaced the steering rack recently and have just discovered that the indicators no longer cancel. This probably means the steering shaft needs to be repositioned as I must have put it back in the wrong place. If I get time I may sort this out.

This all sounds like a disaster but really he requires time (which I don't have) rather than money spent on him so it's time I listed the. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GOOD BITS

Engine (apart from smoke), gearbox and differential are all good.

Tyres are quite good and the spare is new and unused although the wheels themselves could use some tidying.

Electric windows and pop up headlights all work. The electric mirrors work when they are in the mood.

Interior is fairly good considering the year and use that it's had. There is a seam coming apart on both seats but I do have a spare passenger seat. Carpets are good.

The car is great fun to drive and I have made regular trips from Somerset to Yorkshire as well as relying on Jimi for daily transport up to last year when I became a born again biker. I also now need a bigger car so have bought a Saab 900 convertible. It's not as much fun as Jimi and it uses a lot more petrol but it is more practical for my needs.

There is a factory hardtop with a sunroof that comes with the car.

Although he is perfectly drivable, you may want to consider towing or trailer due to the water leak.

I think I've undersold his qualities in this ad but I've tried to be as honest as possible.

Cash on collection is probably best.