Finding & running an old timer but what?
Discussion
I don't like new cars really; too much electronics; not enough feedback at the wheel; too little character.
I'd love something that's really well built from a world before everything went electric and electronic on cars.
An affordable underdog.
Something that is within easy reach financially.
Something like these perhaps.
I'd love to see some more suggestions along these lines.
A bit more sporty
I'd love something that's really well built from a world before everything went electric and electronic on cars.
An affordable underdog.
Something that is within easy reach financially.
Something like these perhaps.
I'd love to see some more suggestions along these lines.
A bit more sporty
I don't think you are alone.
There are an ever growing number of us who desire to shun modern cars and all their built in tricks to ensure we must spend £000's every year at a dealers so as to keep it working.
For me there are two key criteria:
1: Choose a car which was built in sufficient numbers in more than one market so that there is still an easy supply of parts. Chasing elusive replacement parts can kill the pleasure of running the car.
2: Choose a car which is easy to modify with a simple things such as modern seating, suspension, brakes, drivetrain and maybe room to add a cage for some safety.
My current preference is an E9 BMW, something like the CSi.
There are an ever growing number of us who desire to shun modern cars and all their built in tricks to ensure we must spend £000's every year at a dealers so as to keep it working.
For me there are two key criteria:
1: Choose a car which was built in sufficient numbers in more than one market so that there is still an easy supply of parts. Chasing elusive replacement parts can kill the pleasure of running the car.
2: Choose a car which is easy to modify with a simple things such as modern seating, suspension, brakes, drivetrain and maybe room to add a cage for some safety.
My current preference is an E9 BMW, something like the CSi.
Toaster Pilot said:
What's the minimum amount of money you can realistically buy a tax and MOT exempt car for that actually works well enough to use? 
how long is a piece of string...There's no real set prices for cars like these.
You might get lucky, you might not... either way your going to have to factor in some general repair and maintenance work.
At least it will probably be work you can do yourself
Toaster Pilot said:
What's the minimum amount of money you can realistically buy a tax and MOT exempt car for that actually works well enough to use?
Well, a Landy is going to cost bugger all and you can keep it going and upgrade it to your hearts content with very little money and no need to visit a garage.It has to be the pinnacle for this exercise. If you want to cruise in more comfort and spped then the Rangie is perfect but pre-72 values have gone mental in recent years.
One of the problems with British cars versus German and Japanese from that era is that all the British firms are now gone so there is no factory support. With the German and Jap cars the firms are still going and they support the owner's clubs etc and parts tend to be easier to source. There also seem to be more of the cars remaining which means more small businesses existing to support them.
Generally, I would head to the Hun and look at old Mercs, VWs or Audis ahead of ex British Leyland products. Sadly.
Censorious said:
I'd love something that's really well built from a world before everything went electric and electronic on cars.
How are you defining well built? A old car (with 20+ years of wear) will need a lot more maintenance than a new car.If you had a time machine a could bring a new car from the 1970s into 2014 I think you'll be shocked at just how badly its built.
ks sake....DonkeyApple said:
Well, a Landy is going to cost bugger all and you can keep it going and upgrade it to your hearts content with very little money and no need to visit a garage.
It has to be the pinnacle for this exercise. If you want to cruise in more comfort and spped then the Rangie is perfect but pre-72 values have gone mental in recent years.
One of the problems with British cars versus German and Japanese from that era is that all the British firms are now gone so there is no factory support. With the German and Jap cars the firms are still going and they support the owner's clubs etc and parts tend to be easier to source. There also seem to be more of the cars remaining which means more small businesses existing to support them.
Generally, I would head to the Hun and look at old Mercs, VWs or Audis ahead of ex British Leyland products. Sadly.
Don't think this is the case at all. Can you buy a brand new body shell for a Honda S800 or an Opel Kadette? There is massive support for 60's and 70's MG, Triumph, Mini, Land Rover and Jaguar in the UK. It has to be the pinnacle for this exercise. If you want to cruise in more comfort and spped then the Rangie is perfect but pre-72 values have gone mental in recent years.
One of the problems with British cars versus German and Japanese from that era is that all the British firms are now gone so there is no factory support. With the German and Jap cars the firms are still going and they support the owner's clubs etc and parts tend to be easier to source. There also seem to be more of the cars remaining which means more small businesses existing to support them.
Generally, I would head to the Hun and look at old Mercs, VWs or Audis ahead of ex British Leyland products. Sadly.
Pretty much everything that is more than 20-30 years old rusts like crazy, including everything the OP has posted.
If you want an old car for normal, regular use but is also going to last long term, you need a properly restored car that has had all rust removed and proper rustproofing done (e.g. zinc prime undercoat or whatever it's called; dinitrol in all cavaties etc). Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before you get landed with big body restoration bills.
If you are only going to use the car sparingly in the dry and keep it in a dry garage, of course an old unrestored car is going to last much, much longer, so the imperative to have a restored car doesn't apply.
Look for cars that have had bare metal restorations or in the case of some BL stuff, a new heritage shell (they might all be a bit small for what you're after).
If you want an old car for normal, regular use but is also going to last long term, you need a properly restored car that has had all rust removed and proper rustproofing done (e.g. zinc prime undercoat or whatever it's called; dinitrol in all cavaties etc). Otherwise, it's just a matter of time before you get landed with big body restoration bills.
If you are only going to use the car sparingly in the dry and keep it in a dry garage, of course an old unrestored car is going to last much, much longer, so the imperative to have a restored car doesn't apply.
Look for cars that have had bare metal restorations or in the case of some BL stuff, a new heritage shell (they might all be a bit small for what you're after).
That Granada fastback is lovely. 3.0 Ghia please in "The Sweeney" brown. Think the OP should just end the search there and go and restore one.
And then build a dehumidified climate-controlled garage.
And also buy a Mk1 Focus 1.6 as a not too complicated, good to drive, reliable daily..
And then build a dehumidified climate-controlled garage.
And also buy a Mk1 Focus 1.6 as a not too complicated, good to drive, reliable daily..
There are a few factors to consider:
OP;
Do you have access to a garage? Some classics can live outside fairly happily, other require a bit more cosseting.
Are you handy with the spanners? A classic will inevitably require more maintenance and/or tinkering time than a modern car (garage access will also help with this: it’s not much fun lying under a car when it’s pissing down with rain...)
Do you do a lot of long journeys? Again, some cars will be better suited to this than others. I wouldn’t want to do a 50 mile a day motorway commute in certain classics as they were never designed for prolonged high speed runs.
If you do decide to go for it;good luck and fair play to you! I’ve been thinking for a while now that there is bound to be a backlash against over-sized and over-complicated modern cars.
If I were you, I’d decide what car to go for (got to be the Amazon, shirley?) and join up with owners clubs and forums etc. You’ll get a good idea of what to look for, what goes wrong with your chosen steed and you might even find a well cared for example up for sale. You might also want to have a look in ‘classic cars & yesterdays heroes’ on PH as the classic daily question comes up fairly often.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: IMO there is nothing more satisfying than driving a well cherished classic car to work amongst a sea of dull grey diesel identikit cars driven by their dull grey owners... especially if you can surprise said cars with your turn of speed!
OP;
Do you have access to a garage? Some classics can live outside fairly happily, other require a bit more cosseting.
Are you handy with the spanners? A classic will inevitably require more maintenance and/or tinkering time than a modern car (garage access will also help with this: it’s not much fun lying under a car when it’s pissing down with rain...)
Do you do a lot of long journeys? Again, some cars will be better suited to this than others. I wouldn’t want to do a 50 mile a day motorway commute in certain classics as they were never designed for prolonged high speed runs.
If you do decide to go for it;good luck and fair play to you! I’ve been thinking for a while now that there is bound to be a backlash against over-sized and over-complicated modern cars.
If I were you, I’d decide what car to go for (got to be the Amazon, shirley?
) and join up with owners clubs and forums etc. You’ll get a good idea of what to look for, what goes wrong with your chosen steed and you might even find a well cared for example up for sale. You might also want to have a look in ‘classic cars & yesterdays heroes’ on PH as the classic daily question comes up fairly often.I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: IMO there is nothing more satisfying than driving a well cherished classic car to work amongst a sea of dull grey diesel identikit cars driven by their dull grey owners... especially if you can surprise said cars with your turn of speed!
plasticpig said:
DonkeyApple said:
Well, a Landy is going to cost bugger all and you can keep it going and upgrade it to your hearts content with very little money and no need to visit a garage.
It has to be the pinnacle for this exercise. If you want to cruise in more comfort and spped then the Rangie is perfect but pre-72 values have gone mental in recent years.
One of the problems with British cars versus German and Japanese from that era is that all the British firms are now gone so there is no factory support. With the German and Jap cars the firms are still going and they support the owner's clubs etc and parts tend to be easier to source. There also seem to be more of the cars remaining which means more small businesses existing to support them.
Generally, I would head to the Hun and look at old Mercs, VWs or Audis ahead of ex British Leyland products. Sadly.
Don't think this is the case at all. Can you buy a brand new body shell for a Honda S800 or an Opel Kadette? There is massive support for 60's and 70's MG, Triumph, Mini, Land Rover and Jaguar in the UK. It has to be the pinnacle for this exercise. If you want to cruise in more comfort and spped then the Rangie is perfect but pre-72 values have gone mental in recent years.
One of the problems with British cars versus German and Japanese from that era is that all the British firms are now gone so there is no factory support. With the German and Jap cars the firms are still going and they support the owner's clubs etc and parts tend to be easier to source. There also seem to be more of the cars remaining which means more small businesses existing to support them.
Generally, I would head to the Hun and look at old Mercs, VWs or Audis ahead of ex British Leyland products. Sadly.
My general remarks were based more on the type of car that the OP posted pictures of, which the German equivs seem to have an easier supply of parts and upgrades.
A Mini is like a Landy, very easy to keep going for as long as Trigger kept his broom working, but MG's and Triumphs are quite costly now. XJs are pretty cheap still but to be honest with all BL products you really need to start with a a body off full metalwork resto as a base if you intend to keep the car for a long enough period to make the exercise viable.
Thanks folks, some good replies and ideas there.
One car that ticks most boxes other than I desire a 4 box saloon (ideally) would be one of these. I've owned one before and although mine had a poorly repaired body it was a hoot to drive, cheap to repair and rarely went wrong. It was quite capable of trips up and down the motorways too and I did cover some long distances in it. They don't rust, spares are also not an issue and the weak areas of the chassis (outriggers) are easy to obtain (fitting is rather more of a chore!
One car that ticks most boxes other than I desire a 4 box saloon (ideally) would be one of these. I've owned one before and although mine had a poorly repaired body it was a hoot to drive, cheap to repair and rarely went wrong. It was quite capable of trips up and down the motorways too and I did cover some long distances in it. They don't rust, spares are also not an issue and the weak areas of the chassis (outriggers) are easy to obtain (fitting is rather more of a chore!
I did exactly what the OP is thinking about and after a lot of research concluded;
1) you need a fully restored car to start with, and one converted to run on unleaded fuel
2) sports cars are out, simply too impractical
3) the sensible choice is a rep mobile from back in the day, I chose a 1968 mk2 Ford Cortina 1600e, as there are plenty to choose from and parts and relatively easy to come across
Now look beyond the rose tinted glasses;
1) buying a fully restored car is not cheap
2) it will also be in such good condition that you won't want to ruin it by driving it through the winter/salt issues so you will need a run about and somewhere to store it
3) old cars are unrefined and slow..... Long journeys can be tedious
However, the rewards are high, you can tinker with the car and driving it on the right day is brilliant. Jumping into to it to run to the local generic supermarket is a pain.
S
1) you need a fully restored car to start with, and one converted to run on unleaded fuel
2) sports cars are out, simply too impractical
3) the sensible choice is a rep mobile from back in the day, I chose a 1968 mk2 Ford Cortina 1600e, as there are plenty to choose from and parts and relatively easy to come across
Now look beyond the rose tinted glasses;
1) buying a fully restored car is not cheap
2) it will also be in such good condition that you won't want to ruin it by driving it through the winter/salt issues so you will need a run about and somewhere to store it
3) old cars are unrefined and slow..... Long journeys can be tedious
However, the rewards are high, you can tinker with the car and driving it on the right day is brilliant. Jumping into to it to run to the local generic supermarket is a pain.
S
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