£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

[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

[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=...

[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

[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

[AceOfHearts]

Yep the p5b is still there, nice car but a bit old for my needs I think and also not up to the condition I am looking for.

The rolls was a beautiful car. A few more blemishes than I would like but don't know if I am being too picky with it. Massive presence though and has great interior. Truly a step up from anything I had had in before and a wonderful vehicle

[AceOfHearts]

Saw a beautiful XJS 4.0 today, really good daily driver condition (a few stone chips etc.) and it drove really well, smooth, very quiet and absolutely no squeeks, rattles or knocks.

The only thing turning me off was a small amount of rust on the lower arches but that looks as though it would clean up ok, and a small hole in the drivers side sill which I would need to weld up.

Much better than the last one I saw though and £1000 cheaper, not sure if i should hold out for a better one though or if this is realistically the best I can expect to find in my budget.

As i say it drove beautifully, looked great but just had a couple of minor body issues. The doors, bootlid, bonnet and all the floors were totally solid with no rust

ETA

Plus it was a fantastic purple colour

[AceOfHearts]

Going to see this at 1:00. Not sure whether I prefer the pre or post facelift models but it will be interesting to have a look at the manual version. The chap on the phone sounded very helpful though and he has owned the car for almost 20 years so should be interesting

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321378339074?ssPageName=...

[AceOfHearts]

AceOfHearts said:

Going to see this at 1:00. Not sure whether I prefer the pre or post facelift models but it will be interesting to have a look at the manual version. The chap on the phone sounded very helpful though and he has owned the car for almost 20 years so should be interesting

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/321378339074?ssPageName=...

/quote]

I bought it!

Strange really as it was the cheapest one I have seen and by far the cleanest. A couple of minor jobs that need doing but nothing I can't do myself. The main thing that struck me was how good the interior is as well, the leather is lovely and soft and not worn or cracked at all. It's really been cherished and I can't wait to pick it up. Just need to sell the subaru now.

Edited by AceOfHearts on Monday 5th May 14:41

[AceOfHearts]

Thanks everyone, here are a few pictures of my own. I hear the 3.6 is supposed to good as it is uncatalysed, and with the manual box it definitely has plenty of power. It has also recently had a new clutch which is lovely and light and I'm sure I have made the right choice to go for a manual.