£4k - £5k Classic for Motorway commute

[AceOfHearts]

I chop and change cars often (very indecisive). I tend to buy a boring but sensible car, get bored then buy a classic, run the classic for 6 months, feel sorry for myself and get something 'sensible' again.

Classics I have used as my daily driver:
1959 Hillman Minx - Loved the style, but just too slow and noisy for my commute (still miss it)
1980 MGB - Was orange, going rusty, and not really comfortable enough

Cars I get bored of quickly:
Diesel Ford Mondeo
Subaru Legacy (my current daily driver, great for what it does but just doesn't make me excited)

This time I feel like spending more money, getting something really good and hopefully 'click' with. I have already found this with my toy car (TVR Chimaera) and motorbike (Royal Enfield), so just my comfy car to go

Ideally I like 50's 60's and 70's cars, but is there anything that would suit my needs for a daily commuter? So far i have though of an older Jaguar XJ, Rover P5 or maybe Volvo Amazon?

Other things that tickle my fancy would be to wait a while, double my budget and get a Rolls Royce, but my other half thinks that would be ridiculous

Is there an older, stylish classic that meets the need of a comfortable, quiet, modern day commuter, or am I just day dreaming?

ETA

I also like the look of the Reliant Scimitar, but honestly don't know a lot about them

Edited by AceOfHearts on Tuesday 22 April 22:18

[johnfm]

This

Lovely cars for the motorway or anywhere.

[//j17]

I used to use my Triumph 2.5 for a 80 mile commute around the M25 every day.

Plenty of power and torque to keep up with modern traffic and nice comfy seats and a good cooling system for the traffic jams!

Only real down-side is MPG, which was mid-20s.

[HumbleJim]

How about.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/used-cars/p...

But I think for my money I would look for a P5 or P6 Rover.

[V8 FOU]

There's Bentley turbo R in the classifieds somewhere on LPG for £6K.
Perfect motorway car and good economy on LPG.

[standardman]

2.8i Capri ?

[ADP68]

unless you're mechanically minded, the Bentley is quite expensive to service. I have a Silver Shadow and know people with the Turbo R.

[AceOfHearts]

Bentley is a nice shout, and apart from parts prices maintenance should be Ok as I do everything myself.

Capri might be a bit too 'sporty', but I will admit to having never been in one.

Porsche is nice but complicated, will have to do some more research into them

The Mercedes really doesn't float my boat at all

[StangGT]

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C478241

[Lowtimer]

AceOfHearts said:

Bentley is a nice shout, and apart from parts prices maintenance should be Ok as I do everything myself.

Capri might be a bit too 'sporty', but I will admit to having never been in one.

Porsche is nice but complicated, will have to do some more research into them

The Mercedes really doesn't float my boat at all

The 928 is a lovely thing to behold, and to drive when everything's working, but all the fuel, maintenance and eventual restoration bills are about twice what you get from a 944. And a £4k 928 is way too cheap for safety unless you are a total 928 expert. A very good, near mint normally-aspirated 944 can be had for your budget, though, and is a good motorway machine.

[spoodler]

Something to bear in mind is that the older classics will have been designed before the advent of motorways; most will have low gearing and a three or four speed gearbox. A P6 with a five speed, or a Triumph 2.5 with overdrive will be much more suitable than a straight four speed. Most non five speed or small engine cars will probably not fulfil the role you have in mind.
When my other half had a nasty bike accident I bought a Mk2 Triumph 2000 auto', it handled the commute between Swindon and Stoke Mandeville several times a week for a year, it was almost 100% reliable, the other half was comfortable despite her injuries; it had an excellent heater, wipers, lights etc., the interior was a pleasant place to be, twas an entertaining drive and it returned nearly forty to the gallon (gentle driving on mainly A and B roads). If I needed a car for distances I wouldn't hesitate to buy another; I would look for a manual/overdrive version this time tho'.
A mate recently sold a Bentley similar to the one mentioned as he figured if he had to sit in traffic, he may as well sit there in comfort. After eighteen months he sold it having concluded that it cost him an extra twelve thousand pound to own over his usual Jaguars... he now drives a late model MX5...

[Furyblade_Lee]

A nice Saab 900 turbo.In black or grey.

[RenesisEvo]

A small haggle might get you into this, bit later than you asked but for motorway work, it will be faultless.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C484503#

[AceOfHearts]

Great suggestions, I love Saab 900's, and the Merc is great, although i am not sure if i fancy another soft top.

Top of the list so far is a Bentley Turbo R and LPG it. My current car is LPG converted and i find it a great way to save money. Been reading up a lot about the Bentleys as well and they sound like a fantastic way to get around. Will have to take one for a drive when the time comes to look to buy

[AceOfHearts]

Going to a car dealer tomorrow who has some interesting cars to look around

I know earlier I said I wasn't taken by that mercedes, but the brown one here looks gorgeous

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190982438345?ssPageName=...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191055108987?ssPageName=...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191055108989?ssPageName=...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/191053991870?ssPageName=...

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/190983629643?ssPageName=...

[truck71]

The sec is the winner I reckon.

[jason61c]

Hands down it is.

[AceOfHearts]

What makes them such a good choice? Honestly I don't know much about them and can't seem to find much info online apart from that everyone loves them

[truck71]

Style. Plus old Mercs really get under your skin by over delivering, the build quality, the ride- they feel expensive which they were when bought new. This is the pre-bling era of Mercs, engineered rather than marketed.

[AceOfHearts]

Well I've just got to the dealer (sitting here now waiting for the guy to turn up) but on the phone he said the merc sold last week

Still a couple of interesting bits to look around but a bit disappointing. Will definitely go have a look at one though at some point