What's wrong with Reliant Scimitars ?

What's wrong with Reliant Scimitars ?

Author
Discussion

mph

Original Poster:

2,316 posts

281 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
quotequote all
Saw a really nice Scimitar for sale at a car show last week. Genuine 38k miles, three owners and in very decent condition.
The chap was asking £3k for it which seemed cheap to me.

When I got home I had a quick trawl around the Internet and was surprised how little they seem to fetch.

I've always though they're a nice looking car but have never had much to do with them. Are they a bit rough and ready ?


Spunagain

754 posts

257 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
quotequote all
Tricky one
I think it is down to the looks. It is not the prettiest car in the world and I think the looks only really appeal to a "cultured" minority wink

I found mine abandoned in a motor club while working on the car I had at the time. After my 1st look at it my thoughts were "god that's ugly."
Next day I was taking a break from the work and had a closer look and thought "it does have a certain charm..."
3rd day, "I wonder who it belongs to?"

I traced the owner and bought what I thought was and engine-less rolling chassis for £300, it turned out that I also got a freshly rebuilt stage 2 engine, new SS manifolds and exhausts, new braking system and a new old stock overdrive gearbox.

My now wife and I rebuilt it and ran it for 5 years and 40k miles. We sold it for £1800 in 2002 as we had too many cars and I still regret it!

They are very civilised and quick but need constant care and fettling much like any 40 year old other classic.

They get very warm even with the windows down and the youth of today are spoiled with aircon which I suspect most do not have - mine didn't.

New passengers usually involuntarily swore the 1st time I opened the throttle!


Edited by Spunagain on Monday 23 May 13:51

ClaphamGT3

11,269 posts

242 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
quotequote all
The other issue is that a lot of them suffer from earthing problems that constantly flatten the battery.

My mother has one that she's had from new that gets used about twice a year now as it went through that vicious circle of having the battery discharge, so it got used less, so the battery was usually flat, so it got used even less so the battery was invariably flat, so it never got used.

Shame, as it was a pleasant old hector when well set up and, even with the auto box, rowed along quite nicely

Russwhitehouse

962 posts

130 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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My ex Father in law had one, GTE IIRC. Sounded great and went like the clappers, I loved it.

SamR380

725 posts

119 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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Stop talking them up, I'm looking to buy one!

Personally I think they look great, but my favourite colour is brown so what do I know?

ClaphamGT3

11,269 posts

242 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
quotequote all
SamR380 said:
Stop talking them up, I'm looking to buy one!

Personally I think they look great, but my favourite colour is brown so what do I know?
The garage that serviced my mother's back in the day used to have a chocolate brown courtesy car, registered TRY 979S

PaulGa

140 posts

253 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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The best Scimitar.....the GT Coupe (SE4A)....


Ali Chappussy

876 posts

144 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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One word, RELIANT! I suppose it harps back to the days when the Robin was such a joke.

Willhire89

1,327 posts

204 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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I had two SE5's in my twenties

They tend to sweat and suffer from damp issues as a result

They are a good bit heavier than the Capri which will out run one as in places the f/glass is 3/4" thick - I would not consider them quick as they are more of a GT

The engines are fairly lazy and unstressed but they love to get warm with the radiator hidden away and muffled by the spare.

The Laycock overdrives are fabulously heavy and need the oil level maintaining to work - mine often 'dropped out' due to leaky seals

Changing rear wheel bearing is the stuff of folklore - you need a serious press.

Overall mine were both regularly unreliable but always for a small Ford part costing about 30p.....I don't miss either of them.

Allan L

779 posts

104 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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I had an SE5a as my all-purpose road car in the 1980s, hoping it would be better than it was. It had a tried and tested Ford Essex engine with an underdeveloped cooling circuit which had the inlet manifold water jacket as its highest point, so it was difficult to fill. It had Triumph front suspension which was probably a bit near its limits and the big, heavy Salisbury rear axle I had learned to loath on my SP250s.
As Willhire89 says, some jobs are pretty difficult, but some (e.g. the oil-pump drive) were simple enough. It had a big fuel tank and seemed to need it!

Weirdhead

87 posts

104 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
quotequote all
[quote=Spunagain

New passengers usually involuntarily swore the 1st time I opened the throttle
[/quote]


You really to have a go in a cars car if you think a 40 year old reliant is fast

PositronicRay

26,957 posts

182 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
quotequote all
No-ones said it yet! whistle

eldar

21,614 posts

195 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
quotequote all
PositronicRay said:
No-ones said it yet! whistle
Catching fire as readily as a Zafira?

ClaphamGT3

11,269 posts

242 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
quotequote all
PositronicRay said:
No-ones said it yet! whistle
Has she still got one?

geeman237

1,228 posts

184 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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Beat me to it...

laugh
ClaphamGT3 said:
PositronicRay said:
No-ones said it yet! whistle
Has she still got one?

geeman237

1,228 posts

184 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
quotequote all
I've got a 1973 SE5a with a manual OD gearbox over here in the US. I'm going through it now after its been sitting in my garage for 3 years. It seems on a par with anything of that era but I will say the interior trim is a bit shoddy in the quality department. I'm working on the brakes, front suspension and checking the engine over and nothing has been too challenging so far with the exception of finding some errors in the previous owners handiwork. Parts supply seems pretty good.

I bought is sight unseen on E-Bay from a fellow Brit in New Jersey. I flew up and drove it back to South Carolina with a friend, partly down through the Appalachians. It managed the trip with no mishaps but it ran warm a few times. I was actually impressed with its handling and I'm looking forward to getting it back on the road this summer, well with the exception of the black vinyl interior in the 35 degree heat and humidity we have here. biglaugh

Mercky

642 posts

134 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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I dont think much of them really. I only drove one once and it seemed to me like a kit car. you need to be an enthusiast, an eccentric or Princess Anne
to own one. There, its been said.

Weslake-Monza

461 posts

182 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
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Nothing wrong with them that can't be sorted and for £3K you could spend a lot of money sorting them. In an ideal world you'd have a body laid up in carbon-fibre and have Weslake heads fitted to the Essex.

Skyedriver

17,661 posts

281 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
quotequote all
Mate's got a GTC with well over 200k miles on it.
Chassis eventually rot at the back
Front suspension struggles and needs regular rebuilds as it was designed for IIRC a TR
Interior quite cramped, you sit low with a high dash
Often thought of as a better option than a Stag

Oh and before the GTC he had a S5A for years, fitted a Rover V8 in it

Spunagain

754 posts

257 months

Monday 23rd May 2016
quotequote all
Weirdhead said:
You really to have a go in a cars car if you think a 40 year old reliant is fast
Check my profile wink

But in 1999 over 180hp in something weighing less than 1200kg, with a short ratio diff took off way faster than it looked like it should be able to! The v6 engine note added to the drama too.