I’m done with vintage cars - not
Discussion
crankedup said:
Certainly the lower mid range cars that I have enjoyed are inexpensive to insure, my Austin is fully insured for the year for £100 on a 1000 mile policy. Zero road tax of course, bonus. The Austin is steel bodied but still has timber elements to it, but certainly no longer timber frame. Maintenance is a doddle or so I’m told 
I can do the easy stuff oil changing, plugs, air filter clean, and generally fiddle with it. Brakes are simple linings on steel shoes within the brake hubs. If you know your steam you will have no problem with a vintage or post vintage car. I am a huge steam traction fan, I’ve even driven one once, well I played at steering it!! great fun and memorable.
As virtually all body and chassis is fully on display and not hidden from view it’s easy to spot any rust or rot. Austin and Morris are the easiest to run as the clubs provide great spares back up. Side valve engines are lot less powerful than OHV as you would expect.
I would suggest attend a few rallies and chat with the owners on site about their cars.
Thanks, just reading back through the thread and realised my reply must have gone unsent so apologies for the delay! I can do the easy stuff oil changing, plugs, air filter clean, and generally fiddle with it. Brakes are simple linings on steel shoes within the brake hubs. If you know your steam you will have no problem with a vintage or post vintage car. I am a huge steam traction fan, I’ve even driven one once, well I played at steering it!! great fun and memorable.As virtually all body and chassis is fully on display and not hidden from view it’s easy to spot any rust or rot. Austin and Morris are the easiest to run as the clubs provide great spares back up. Side valve engines are lot less powerful than OHV as you would expect.
I would suggest attend a few rallies and chat with the owners on site about their cars.
Very interesting reading, there is ofcause nothing wrong with timber and a material I guess, and you can I'm sure have plenty of grief with bodywork with or without it.
We have a steam narrowboat which my grand built for his retirement launched 1991 when I was 4, and off the back of that I've been doing vintage canal boating now for years nearly half my life, but in the last couple of years I've been working my way into the traction engine crowd. Managed a couple of days steering a friend's roller which was excellent. Met over a shared ownership of a greyhound at the Liegh Arms/Action Bridge, an end of year rally (north cheshire) where boats and engines can meet together.
You say rust is hard to hide, which has to be a good thing, having been looking at E34 540s. How important is the condition in the cars value? Clearly always desirable! Is engine trouble reasonably obviously to pick up for instance? Damage is presumably expensive fast?
I would be looking for something to use and enjoy rather than and an 'investment' or to keep covered up, but also not to get my fingers burnt too much on the learning curve!
Daniel
dhutch said:
crankedup said:
Certainly the lower mid range cars that I have enjoyed are inexpensive to insure, my Austin is fully insured for the year for £100 on a 1000 mile policy. Zero road tax of course, bonus. The Austin is steel bodied but still has timber elements to it, but certainly no longer timber frame. Maintenance is a doddle or so I’m told I can do the easy stuff oil changing, plugs, air filter clean, and generally fiddle with it. Brakes are simple linings on steel shoes within the brake hubs. If you know your steam you will have no problem with a vintage or post vintage car. I am a huge steam traction fan, I’ve even driven one once, well I played at steering it!! great fun and memorable.
As virtually all body and chassis is fully on display and not hidden from view it’s easy to spot any rust or rot. Austin and Morris are the easiest to run as the clubs provide great spares back up. Side valve engines are lot less powerful than OHV as you would expect.
I would suggest attend a few rallies and chat with the owners on site about their cars.
Thanks, just reading back through the thread and realised my reply must have gone unsent so apologies for the delay! I can do the easy stuff oil changing, plugs, air filter clean, and generally fiddle with it. Brakes are simple linings on steel shoes within the brake hubs. If you know your steam you will have no problem with a vintage or post vintage car. I am a huge steam traction fan, I’ve even driven one once, well I played at steering it!! great fun and memorable.As virtually all body and chassis is fully on display and not hidden from view it’s easy to spot any rust or rot. Austin and Morris are the easiest to run as the clubs provide great spares back up. Side valve engines are lot less powerful than OHV as you would expect.
I would suggest attend a few rallies and chat with the owners on site about their cars.
Very interesting reading, there is ofcause nothing wrong with timber and a material I guess, and you can I'm sure have plenty of grief with bodywork with or without it.
We have a steam narrowboat which my grand built for his retirement launched 1991 when I was 4, and off the back of that I've been doing vintage canal boating now for years nearly half my life, but in the last couple of years I've been working my way into the traction engine crowd. Managed a couple of days steering a friend's roller which was excellent. Met over a shared ownership of a greyhound at the Liegh Arms/Action Bridge, an end of year rally (north cheshire) where boats and engines can meet together.
You say rust is hard to hide, which has to be a good thing, having been looking at E34 540s. How important is the condition in the cars value? Clearly always desirable! Is engine trouble reasonably obviously to pick up for instance? Damage is presumably expensive fast?
I would be looking for something to use and enjoy rather than and an 'investment' or to keep covered up, but also not to get my fingers burnt too much on the learning curve!
Daniel
Norfolk broads is so close by to me and I can easily imagine a few weeks on board.Over the years I have had enjoyed a wide variety of ‘ mid market’ vintage cars. I just loved to experience the different manufacturers and car styles and look back at them all fondly. I have not lost money on any thus far, I see it as money spent on maintenance easily compensated against any capital loss on car.
My suggestion on purchase would be to look at the choice that Austin’s offer. Forget the image of Austin’s of the 1970s, pre war Austin’s are very well built, a brilliant supporting club(s) really good cars in a wide range from the Austin seven to Austin 20hp.Open tourer, two seater sports, saloons,
Have a look at classiccarsforsale.co.uk and see under the sub section Austin to get a feel of prices.
Parts are easy and plentiful at affordable prices via one or more of the clubs and/or independent dealers. Club members are always enthusiastic and helpful. Good magazine each month I find is
‘The Automobile’
Hope this is helpful.
lowdrag said:
Perfect, hugely more capable than your earlier choice. Proper long-legged tourer quite happy keeping up with modern traffic, full synchromesh and half decent brakes.Oh, and you get lovely Lucas P100’s.
These, plus Derby Bentley and Lagonda LG45 and V12 Saloons are highly undervalued, wonderful things. They’re generally nicer and more capable than Bugatti Type 57’s and look at what they go for.
RichB said:
ndeed, and how do you prevent the mascot being nicked! 
Yes the mascot is a Lalique and its called Crysis. I like mascots and this is one of the best imho and I like the absurdity of having it on an Austin 7. Although it is an "art" car.
Its a special based on a 1934 chassis and the bodywork was made some years ago . I had a professional valet chap polish it and it took 31/2 weeks! It now gets cleaned with metal polish but not as regularly as it should.
I do not leave the car with the mascot unless in a safe place so have a replacement Boyce temp gauge as it just screws off.
The mount is an engineering marvel made by a very clever friend of mine as its twists away so you can open the bonnets. The mascot was made for top end cars in the '30s and these had huge radiators and caps so it was not an issue but on a little Austin it was a big problem.
orangeLP400 said:
orangeLP400 said:
Yes the mascot is a Lalique and its called Crysis. I like mascots and this is one of the best imho and I like the absurdity of having it on an Austin 7. 
Although it is an "art" car.
Its a special based on a 1934 chassis and the bodywork was made some years ago .
Mr Tidy said:
It must be really relaxing to trundle around in something pre-war focussing on the journey instead of getting to the destination.
I've often thought about getting an Austin 7 Ulster special type thing. Which is far from being the slowest pre-war around but is like a snail in comparison to modern cars, and that has always put me off. When leaving a VSCC rally or trial there's always that journey home where you, and about 10 other cars, are stuck behind some pre-war car, until they pull over to let everyone by. I don't think I'd enjoy driving slowly and having a stack of cars following every time I went out. aeropilot said:
lowdrag said:
Indeed, that's lovely.....I'd give it garage room 
wl606 said:
I've often thought about getting an Austin 7 Ulster special type thing. Which is far from being the slowest pre-war around but is like a snail in comparison to modern cars, and that has always put me off. When leaving a VSCC rally or trial there's always that journey home where you, and about 10 other cars, are stuck behind some pre-war car, until they pull over to let everyone by. I don't think I'd enjoy driving slowly and having a stack of cars following every time I went out.
If you are going to go slowly you may as well get a pre-Great War car such as this! (45 m.p.h. max but a comfortable 35-40 all day)
then you can take your revenge on the caravans and horse boxes that otherwise get in your way and you can enjoy that . . .
Edited by Allan L on Thursday 22 October 12:29
dhutch said:
orangeLP400 said:
orangeLP400 said:
Yes the mascot is a Lalique and its called Crysis. I like mascots and this is one of the best imho and I like the absurdity of having it on an Austin 7. Although it is an "art" car.
Its a special based on a 1934 chassis and the bodywork was made some years ago .
crankedup said:
Steam narrowboat!! Norfolk broads is so close by to me and I can easily imagine a few weeks on board.
Over the years I have had enjoyed a wide variety of ‘ mid market’ vintage cars. I just loved to experience the different manufacturers and car styles and look back at them all fondly. I have not lost money on any thus far, I see it as money spent on maintenance easily compensated against any capital loss on car.
My suggestion on purchase would be to look at the choice that Austin’s offer. Forget the image of Austin’s of the 1970s, pre war Austin’s are very well built, a brilliant supporting club(s) really good cars in a wide range from the Austin seven to Austin 20hp.Open tourer, two seater sports, saloons,
Have a look at classiccarsforsale.co.uk and see under the sub section Austin to get a feel of prices.
Parts are easy and plentiful at affordable prices via one or more of the clubs and/or independent dealers. Club members are always enthusiastic and helpful. Good magazine each month I find is
‘The Automobile’
Hope this is helpful.
Yeah, it's a bit of a daft boat, but a lot of fun, and in more normal times, a great way to spend a weekend with friends. Norfolk broads is so close by to me and I can easily imagine a few weeks on board.Over the years I have had enjoyed a wide variety of ‘ mid market’ vintage cars. I just loved to experience the different manufacturers and car styles and look back at them all fondly. I have not lost money on any thus far, I see it as money spent on maintenance easily compensated against any capital loss on car.
My suggestion on purchase would be to look at the choice that Austin’s offer. Forget the image of Austin’s of the 1970s, pre war Austin’s are very well built, a brilliant supporting club(s) really good cars in a wide range from the Austin seven to Austin 20hp.Open tourer, two seater sports, saloons,
Have a look at classiccarsforsale.co.uk and see under the sub section Austin to get a feel of prices.
Parts are easy and plentiful at affordable prices via one or more of the clubs and/or independent dealers. Club members are always enthusiastic and helpful. Good magazine each month I find is
‘The Automobile’
Hope this is helpful.
I tend to keep things a long time (had the westfield 12 years) but also think it might be quite fun to do as you have and get to have a wider experience, which would include starting with a car in reasonable shape rather than getting emotionally attached to a project!
Not at all hung up on Austin/Morris' reputation from the BL days, well before my time and obviously not really the same company.
Friends of mine have recently bought a Morris Isis and a deep royal blue, and another a Austin 7 Ruby, although with Covid I've seen neither in the flesh as yet.
I've been paging through 'Car and Classic' so will have look at 'Classic Cars for Sale@ as well.
Lots of Austin and Morris examples, more than enough to choose from. Also some Humber/Standard/Riley offers? And the odd Ford/Citroen/Peugeot although often LHD which doesn't appeal so much.
I think the budget is around £8-12 which appears enough to get a nice 1930s era car, if not a 1920s Derby Bentley quite yet.
Quite enjoy the cars that are an interesting colour bodywork and interior, blues, greens, reds.
Unsure if we're looking for a convertible or hard top. Four/five seats I think as we have the kitcar for 2seater fun.
Daniel
wl606 said:
Mr Tidy said:
It must be really relaxing to trundle around in something pre-war focussing on the journey instead of getting to the destination.
I've often thought about getting an Austin 7 Ulster special type thing. Which is far from being the slowest pre-war around but is like a snail in comparison to modern cars, and that has always put me off. When leaving a VSCC rally or trial there's always that journey home where you, and about 10 other cars, are stuck behind some pre-war car, until they pull over to let everyone by. I don't think I'd enjoy driving slowly and having a stack of cars following every time I went out. Lily the Pink said:
No mention of pre-war Rileys yet ? Lovely engine, often with a pre-selector box. Some very stylish 4/6-light saloons like the Kestrel.
IIRC Riley were another Company that used the Meadows engines? I did enjoy a Bayliss Thomas open tourer with one of their engines, great engine it was too.
Riley, another great British car, full of quality and broad range of models.
Allan L said:
wl606 said:
I've often thought about getting an Austin 7 Ulster special type thing. Which is far from being the slowest pre-war around but is like a snail in comparison to modern cars, and that has always put me off. When leaving a VSCC rally or trial there's always that journey home where you, and about 10 other cars, are stuck behind some pre-war car, until they pull over to let everyone by. I don't think I'd enjoy driving slowly and having a stack of cars following every time I went out.
If you are going to go slowly you may as well get a pre-Great War car such as this! (45 m.p.h. max but a comfortable 35-40 all day)then you can take your revenge on the caravans and horse boxes that otherwise get in your way and you can enjoy that . . .
Edited by Allan L on Thursday 22 October 12:29
crankedup said:
IIRC Riley were another Company that used the Meadows engines? I did enjoy a Bayliss Thomas
open tourer with one of their engines, great engine it was too.
Riley, another great British car, full of quality and broad range of models.
Riley made their own engines, even in the Veteran period.open tourer with one of their engines, great engine it was too.
Riley, another great British car, full of quality and broad range of models.
Vintage Lea-Francis used Meadows engines as did a few Frazer Nash (of which some 200% survive).
crankedup said:
For me, despite the allure, the veterans are a step to far, mainly because I would be concerned about the financial upkeep. At some stage I must try and blag a ride out in one, just for the sheer experience of what I’m missing.
That 1912 Mors is too modern to be a Veteran and although King Edward VII died in1910 we refer to cars of the post-1904/pre-1920 period as Edwardian.Right you lot - there are some beautiful cars on here and I want in.
Plan for next spring is to have a go at selling the Saab. I'm 20 years into ownership and it'll be hard to part with it, but it doesn't get used as much as it should and Mrs Banana refuses to move house to allow me a double garage, so storage is at a premium. A Saab 900 Convertible is 15ft long, so it occupies the whole of the garage.
I have been looking lustfully at cars from the 1930s. My reasoning is I'd like something that makes people think "old car" but also they are generally smaller, allowing more storage in the garage. I can fix a few bits with hammers and swear words, so the simplicity of 30s cars appeals. I don't really want an Austin 7 - something more like a 10 or 12hp looks about right. Budget will be 4 figures, rather than 5 (or 6!).
Any thoughts / suggestions / warnings I need to know about?
Thanks hugely.
Plan for next spring is to have a go at selling the Saab. I'm 20 years into ownership and it'll be hard to part with it, but it doesn't get used as much as it should and Mrs Banana refuses to move house to allow me a double garage, so storage is at a premium. A Saab 900 Convertible is 15ft long, so it occupies the whole of the garage.
I have been looking lustfully at cars from the 1930s. My reasoning is I'd like something that makes people think "old car" but also they are generally smaller, allowing more storage in the garage. I can fix a few bits with hammers and swear words, so the simplicity of 30s cars appeals. I don't really want an Austin 7 - something more like a 10 or 12hp looks about right. Budget will be 4 figures, rather than 5 (or 6!).
Any thoughts / suggestions / warnings I need to know about?
Thanks hugely.
Turbobanana said:
Right you lot - there are some beautiful cars on here and I want in.
Plan for next spring is to have a go at selling the Saab. I'm 20 years into ownership and it'll be hard to part with it, but it doesn't get used as much as it should and Mrs Banana refuses to move house to allow me a double garage, so storage is at a premium. A Saab 900 Convertible is 15ft long, so it occupies the whole of the garage.
I have been looking lustfully at cars from the 1930s. My reasoning is I'd like something that makes people think "old car" but also they are generally smaller, allowing more storage in the garage. I can fix a few bits with hammers and swear words, so the simplicity of 30s cars appeals. I don't really want an Austin 7 - something more like a 10 or 12hp looks about right. Budget will be 4 figures, rather than 5 (or 6!).
Any thoughts / suggestions / warnings I need to know about?
Thanks hugely.
For someone who clearly isn't mainstream with your love of Saabs - although you may have to become turbobubblegum....Plan for next spring is to have a go at selling the Saab. I'm 20 years into ownership and it'll be hard to part with it, but it doesn't get used as much as it should and Mrs Banana refuses to move house to allow me a double garage, so storage is at a premium. A Saab 900 Convertible is 15ft long, so it occupies the whole of the garage.
I have been looking lustfully at cars from the 1930s. My reasoning is I'd like something that makes people think "old car" but also they are generally smaller, allowing more storage in the garage. I can fix a few bits with hammers and swear words, so the simplicity of 30s cars appeals. I don't really want an Austin 7 - something more like a 10 or 12hp looks about right. Budget will be 4 figures, rather than 5 (or 6!).
Any thoughts / suggestions / warnings I need to know about?
Thanks hugely.
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1229642
AMGSee55 said:
For someone who clearly isn't mainstream with your love of Saabs - although you may have to become turbobubblegum....
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1229642
That looks fantastic. Well I'm not too keen on the colours, but the rest of the car is greathttps://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1229642
AMGSee55 said:
For someone who clearly isn't mainstream with your love of Saabs - although you may have to become turbobubblegum....
https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1229642
Now that, quite literally, is what I'm talking about. https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1229642
Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff