First car: 1970 Morris Minor 1000
Discussion
Hey guys, its felt like an lifetime but I finally passed my test in march 3 months after turning 17 (1st attempt, 11 minors!)
Now everyone would expect a 17 year old lad to go out an buy the standard 106 or fiesta (I have no qualms against these cars, solid first cars), tart it up, fit a banging exhaust and then buy dodgy insurance.
But im abitweird
crazy different and have always lived with old, British metal rusting around me.
So it was onto moneysupermarket to get quotes on some old British metal; mini's, maxi's, allegros, metro's, rover 213's and hillman imps!
After many an upsetting afternoon it was discovered the mini was the only one I was anywhere close to insuring (£1400)
It was decided i pay the insurance and my parents buy the car as an 'investment'; I can afford to drive this year and still have enough for next year, the car appreciates; everyone wins! (yeah, right
) I understand some people may find offence with my parents buying me a car, but they know how much driving means to me and I only started working last summer.
After missing out on a mini that was very similar to my dads on ebay by 2 seconds (luckily) in feb I was horrified to find the insurance had shot up to £1800! I was F
ED! a tantrum was had and other roads where looked for, but I couldn't find reasonable insurance with anyone and I was even ready to sit out driving for a year!
Step forward Footman james and the Morris minor owners club.
The cheap classic insurance game was alive in late 2011 with minis and mgbs and the such being insured by young'uns for cheap, this was until feb 2012 when they found abit too many buried in trees and ditches for their liking.
The only survivor of the chop was the quaint morris minor; I have to be honest 50's and 60's cars aren't my thing; im all about 70's and 80's cars (opel manta i400 is my dream car) but low weight, skinny tyres and rwd sounded good to me!
After loosing a few on ebay I spotted the one: NTK 287J. 'Fully' restored, 1098 engine, black interior, 12 month mot with no advisorys and resprayed in my favourite colour; white. All looked wonderful when we had a look in person and she was won (by a last ditch bid through my dads phone) for £1720
if only i knew what id let myself in for
a week later she was delivered and she looked glorious: (hope these work)
its in there somewhere
£20 was knocked off the price because the fuel sender was broken!
got a quote off FJ: £754 third party f & T or £1180 fully comp! both of these prices include my dad added on and the fact you get free breakdown and a free month breakdown in europe!
The £500 excess on the fully comp made me go for third party f&T (thanks to Dave Youngs btw, dont know if hes on here, but hes been nothing but helpful!)
The car was taxed (for free) and we were ready for me to pass! it was only driven once in the 2 weeks before my test, the fuel pump conked out when we were going up the hill and the brakes pulled slightly to the left but she seemed good to dad
Judgement day was here; my driving test.
little rant here; skip this paragraph if you don't care about driving tests or are from the DSA :haha:
The test was too easy. Its ridiculous how much being allowed to operate a potentially fatal vehicle depends on 1.luck 2.if someone pissed in the inspectors cornflakes that morning.
I did nothing to prove I could control a vehicle in adverse conditions, not even drizzle or dark.
I did nothing to show how I would react in an emergency.
I did nothing to show I could park correctly around other traffic.
Its no wonder young drivers are always having accidents when I can drive awfully for 35 minutes yet still pass.
The whole system needs to be restructured into a 4 day course (bike test style)
here you would need to prove your skill in all kinds of environments, a skid pan, a road at night, a simulated car park and a good country road could do this, your driving could be filmed and then judged by a few driving experts.
Yes it would cost more and take more time but I am sure insurance would lower dramatically and so would deaths, yes you cant stop young over-exuberance but you can train them to understand the car more and how to act when they are being too over-exuberant.
Rant over.
Jumping from a 11 plate diesel fiesta into a morris minor was one of the shocks of my life, I was all over the place and it was like learning to drive again! but 3 days of scaring dad and I had it kinda nailed
From here on I was on my own control with no mature guidance and didn't it feel good
Few pics from one of the best weeks of my life:
This included driving at 3 in the morning just for the fun and nearly crashing on a hidden tight 90 right on 'nut bush lane' and finding what was and still is my favourite driving road:
http://goo.gl/maps/KBEC
hopefully I will find even better soon!
after that first week the car decided the honeymoon was over and it has broken down weekly since.
this includes in order of date;
The fuel pump (while having a lady friend in the passenger seat)
The fuel pump again (while about to pick up lady friend)
The gearbox selector popped out in a multistory
the carb was running horridly rich
it blew a condenser
it blew another condenser
it melted the points
the head gasket blew (blamed on me, wasn't me)
the half shaft decided it wanted to become something else and blew up, taking the diff with it.(now this was probably me, wet roundabouts are amazing :P)
Then while replacing said half shaft, we discovered the plate holding the front mount of the rear o/s leaf spring had rusted away; meaning the suspension was not attached and had probably been like this for a while.
This rust was hidden with underseal and undercarpet insulation, the bd!
So im writing this while the car is sat on the drive feeling sorry for itself while we wait for a new mount.
god I miss driving
I would do a review but my other driving experience is a ford fiesta, a vauxhall astra and only the steering of a mg metro turbo
(couldn't reach the pedals when I was 7)
All I can say is its alot more satisfying to drive than the moderns.
I'll end this essay with some more pics and the promise my future posts will be nowhere near as long and tedious, im not too good at it.
Now everyone would expect a 17 year old lad to go out an buy the standard 106 or fiesta (I have no qualms against these cars, solid first cars), tart it up, fit a banging exhaust and then buy dodgy insurance.
But im abit
So it was onto moneysupermarket to get quotes on some old British metal; mini's, maxi's, allegros, metro's, rover 213's and hillman imps!
After many an upsetting afternoon it was discovered the mini was the only one I was anywhere close to insuring (£1400)
It was decided i pay the insurance and my parents buy the car as an 'investment'; I can afford to drive this year and still have enough for next year, the car appreciates; everyone wins! (yeah, right
) I understand some people may find offence with my parents buying me a car, but they know how much driving means to me and I only started working last summer.After missing out on a mini that was very similar to my dads on ebay by 2 seconds (luckily) in feb I was horrified to find the insurance had shot up to £1800! I was F
ED! a tantrum was had and other roads where looked for, but I couldn't find reasonable insurance with anyone and I was even ready to sit out driving for a year!Step forward Footman james and the Morris minor owners club.
The cheap classic insurance game was alive in late 2011 with minis and mgbs and the such being insured by young'uns for cheap, this was until feb 2012 when they found abit too many buried in trees and ditches for their liking.
The only survivor of the chop was the quaint morris minor; I have to be honest 50's and 60's cars aren't my thing; im all about 70's and 80's cars (opel manta i400 is my dream car) but low weight, skinny tyres and rwd sounded good to me!
After loosing a few on ebay I spotted the one: NTK 287J. 'Fully' restored, 1098 engine, black interior, 12 month mot with no advisorys and resprayed in my favourite colour; white. All looked wonderful when we had a look in person and she was won (by a last ditch bid through my dads phone) for £1720
if only i knew what id let myself in fora week later she was delivered and she looked glorious: (hope these work)
its in there somewhere
£20 was knocked off the price because the fuel sender was broken!
got a quote off FJ: £754 third party f & T or £1180 fully comp! both of these prices include my dad added on and the fact you get free breakdown and a free month breakdown in europe!
The £500 excess on the fully comp made me go for third party f&T (thanks to Dave Youngs btw, dont know if hes on here, but hes been nothing but helpful!)
The car was taxed (for free)
and we were ready for me to pass! it was only driven once in the 2 weeks before my test, the fuel pump conked out when we were going up the hill and the brakes pulled slightly to the left but she seemed good to dad Judgement day was here; my driving test.
little rant here; skip this paragraph if you don't care about driving tests or are from the DSA :haha:
The test was too easy. Its ridiculous how much being allowed to operate a potentially fatal vehicle depends on 1.luck 2.if someone pissed in the inspectors cornflakes that morning.
I did nothing to prove I could control a vehicle in adverse conditions, not even drizzle or dark.
I did nothing to show how I would react in an emergency.
I did nothing to show I could park correctly around other traffic.
Its no wonder young drivers are always having accidents when I can drive awfully for 35 minutes yet still pass.
The whole system needs to be restructured into a 4 day course (bike test style)
here you would need to prove your skill in all kinds of environments, a skid pan, a road at night, a simulated car park and a good country road could do this, your driving could be filmed and then judged by a few driving experts.
Yes it would cost more and take more time but I am sure insurance would lower dramatically and so would deaths, yes you cant stop young over-exuberance but you can train them to understand the car more and how to act when they are being too over-exuberant.
Rant over.
Jumping from a 11 plate diesel fiesta into a morris minor was one of the shocks of my life, I was all over the place and it was like learning to drive again! but 3 days of scaring dad and I had it kinda nailed
From here on I was on my own control with no mature guidance and didn't it feel good
Few pics from one of the best weeks of my life:
This included driving at 3 in the morning just for the fun and nearly crashing on a hidden tight 90 right on 'nut bush lane'
and finding what was and still is my favourite driving road:http://goo.gl/maps/KBEC
hopefully I will find even better soon!
after that first week the car decided the honeymoon was over and it has broken down weekly since.
this includes in order of date;
The fuel pump (while having a lady friend in the passenger seat)
The fuel pump again (while about to pick up lady friend)
The gearbox selector popped out in a multistory
the carb was running horridly rich
it blew a condenser
it blew another condenser
it melted the points
the head gasket blew (blamed on me, wasn't me)
the half shaft decided it wanted to become something else and blew up, taking the diff with it.(now this was probably me, wet roundabouts are amazing :P)
Then while replacing said half shaft, we discovered the plate holding the front mount of the rear o/s leaf spring had rusted away; meaning the suspension was not attached and had probably been like this for a while.
This rust was hidden with underseal and undercarpet insulation, the b
d!So im writing this while the car is sat on the drive feeling sorry for itself while we wait for a new mount.
god I miss driving
I would do a review but my other driving experience is a ford fiesta, a vauxhall astra and only the steering of a mg metro turbo
(couldn't reach the pedals when I was 7)All I can say is its alot more satisfying to drive than the moderns.
I'll end this essay with some more pics and the promise my future posts will be nowhere near as long and tedious, im not too good at it.
John Boy 616 said:
Nice car and what not, nothing wrong with the left field choice. Just a quick question, if the driving test is so easy etc how did you get 11 minors?
Because the nerves got to me and I drove like a cretin!Il admit I should of failed, think about 6 of the minors was for not completely stopping for junctions (they were clear) and being a little impatient. The other 6 was from crossing white lines, going through some amber lights and trying to pull up to a roundabout in 5th.
OP- congratulations, lovely car.
One thing though- old cars take some care and maintenance to stay in fine fettle. Without the attention they'll break consistently. Drop the 'blame the car' attitude and take some responsability for maintenance. A few of the problems you've found could've been discovered at an earlier stage before they ultimately failed.
One thing though- old cars take some care and maintenance to stay in fine fettle. Without the attention they'll break consistently. Drop the 'blame the car' attitude and take some responsability for maintenance. A few of the problems you've found could've been discovered at an earlier stage before they ultimately failed.
HustleRussell said:
OP- congratulations, lovely car.
One thing though- old cars take some care and maintenance to stay in fine fettle. Without the attention they'll break consistently. Drop the 'blame the car' attitude and take some responsability for maintenance. A few of the problems you've found could've been discovered at an earlier stage before they ultimately failed.
Fair point, The car is maintained as much as me and dad can keep on top of, all gets greased, fluids checked etc but it never gets as much as it should I know.One thing though- old cars take some care and maintenance to stay in fine fettle. Without the attention they'll break consistently. Drop the 'blame the car' attitude and take some responsability for maintenance. A few of the problems you've found could've been discovered at an earlier stage before they ultimately failed.
The new condenser lasting 9 days was annoying though
, shes running electronic ignition and a spin on filter now, improving little by little.SomeMinorTrouble said:
Fair point, The car is maintained as much as me and dad can keep on top of, all gets greased, fluids checked etc but it never gets as much as it should I know.
The new condenser lasting 9 days was annoying though, shes running electronic ignition and a spin on filter now, improving little by little.
Our generation didn't grow up with carburettors and points ignition so it isn't second nature. I think my Caterham was recovered or limped home half a dozen times in the first year before I realised that I needed to check, tune and adjust things regularly. No reason that an old car should be inherently unreliable so hopefully you'll gain some confidence in it once the teething troubles are ironed out.The new condenser lasting 9 days was annoying though
, shes running electronic ignition and a spin on filter now, improving little by little.P.S. I love 80s styling too, just bought an E34 BMW which is fantastically 80s but technologically not so far from a modern car!
Best thread in Readers' Cars. Your honest, deeply rooted enthusiasm shows through and I look forward to following the progress on your car and driving career.
The Minor will never set the world alight but I'm sure you'll get more smiles per gallon than most people on here. My first car was a classic mini but in retrospect one of these would've been a better choice - much closer to the size of a modern car, much easier to work on and RWD to teach me how to drive.
Going back to what you said about the driving test, I'm one who sympathises with your viewpoint - the driving test is too easy. However, asking lads to display their skills on skid pan will only give them a sense of self-confidence in their own ability, that they won't be able to replicate in real life. As fun as skid pans are, a low speed, low grip, controlled environment and a mind focused on anticipation of the slide makes catching one child's play, but I don't fancy my chances in real life. Think about driving at night, taking a 'sweeper' at NSL speeds, you miss a diesel spill, the kerb is inches away. Would you walk away? Better not to get into that situation in the first place...
The Minor will never set the world alight but I'm sure you'll get more smiles per gallon than most people on here. My first car was a classic mini but in retrospect one of these would've been a better choice - much closer to the size of a modern car, much easier to work on and RWD to teach me how to drive.
Going back to what you said about the driving test, I'm one who sympathises with your viewpoint - the driving test is too easy. However, asking lads to display their skills on skid pan will only give them a sense of self-confidence in their own ability, that they won't be able to replicate in real life. As fun as skid pans are, a low speed, low grip, controlled environment and a mind focused on anticipation of the slide makes catching one child's play, but I don't fancy my chances in real life. Think about driving at night, taking a 'sweeper' at NSL speeds, you miss a diesel spill, the kerb is inches away. Would you walk away? Better not to get into that situation in the first place...
HustleRussell said:
Our generation didn't grow up with carburettors and points ignition so it isn't second nature. I think my Caterham was recovered or limped home half a dozen times in the first year before I realised that I needed to check, tune and adjust things regularly. No reason that an old car should be inherently unreliable so hopefully you'll gain some confidence in it once the teething troubles are ironed out.
P.S. I love 80s styling too, just bought an E34 BMW which is fantastically 80s but technologically not so far from a modern car!
Thats the problem with all these modern cars that 'work' noone gets to learn how to maintain a car! P.S. I love 80s styling too, just bought an E34 BMW which is fantastically 80s but technologically not so far from a modern car!
break downs are just part of interesting car ownership i guess but with some work i can hopefully get some decent mileage out of it soon.mmm 80s BMW
have you got a thread up on it?Synchromesh said:
Best thread in Readers' Cars. Your honest, deeply rooted enthusiasm shows through and I look forward to following the progress on your car and driving career.
The Minor will never set the world alight but I'm sure you'll get more smiles per gallon than most people on here. My first car was a classic mini but in retrospect one of these would've been a better choice - much closer to the size of a modern car, much easier to work on and RWD to teach me how to drive.
Going back to what you said about the driving test, I'm one who sympathises with your viewpoint - the driving test is too easy. However, asking lads to display their skills on skid pan will only give them a sense of self-confidence in their own ability, that they won't be able to replicate in real life. As fun as skid pans are, a low speed, low grip, controlled environment and a mind focused on anticipation of the slide makes catching one child's play, but I don't fancy my chances in real life. Think about driving at night, taking a 'sweeper' at NSL speeds, you miss a diesel spill, the kerb is inches away. Would you walk away? Better not to get into that situation in the first place...
The best!? long way off that but thankyou and I look forward to sharing it with you guys.The Minor will never set the world alight but I'm sure you'll get more smiles per gallon than most people on here. My first car was a classic mini but in retrospect one of these would've been a better choice - much closer to the size of a modern car, much easier to work on and RWD to teach me how to drive.
Going back to what you said about the driving test, I'm one who sympathises with your viewpoint - the driving test is too easy. However, asking lads to display their skills on skid pan will only give them a sense of self-confidence in their own ability, that they won't be able to replicate in real life. As fun as skid pans are, a low speed, low grip, controlled environment and a mind focused on anticipation of the slide makes catching one child's play, but I don't fancy my chances in real life. Think about driving at night, taking a 'sweeper' at NSL speeds, you miss a diesel spill, the kerb is inches away. Would you walk away? Better not to get into that situation in the first place...
I don't mind the low power, it keeps me out of trouble and makes everything happen a little slower
but shes great fun and its worth it just for how happy it makes others!maybe one of them cars with the little caster wheels would be a better choice as they are fwd, seeing as everyone drives a fwd these days
and that example shows why night driving needs to be worked on, people need to learn to spot hazards and be proactive but a diesel spill at nsl speed would take out many keen drivers aswell as young ones!
Lovely car and enjoyable read, (apart from the bit about your parents being younger than me lol) thanks 
Btw you forgot point 3 on whether the examiner passes you, survival. Took my test as a yoof on a Fri 13th in an Oxford estate dripping rust and I'm sure this is what won it for me.
Btw you forgot point 3 on whether the examiner passes you, survival. Took my test as a yoof on a Fri 13th in an Oxford estate dripping rust and I'm sure this is what won it for me.
Cheers guys
@sticks. making it back alive means you pass, good plan
afraid that doesnt work these days, I couldn't take my test in my car because it "did not have correct head restraints"
@huntsman ive used bull motif for most parts, dont know why! will try esm soon, have a member on the mmoc ym page who works there which is handy! the fuel pump has had new points fitted and a new diaphragm too, so hopefully I wont need to invest in a better one too soon
@rudecherub It was an alien experience at first but im glad i have a car that can really improve my driving, I learnt to heel and toe in a week! done abit of oppo, abit of left foot braking (tried it in my instructors car, he wasn't too happy after he nearly headbutted the dashboard)but always trying to improve and moving onto double declutching soon
may seem trivial but ive been told h&t saves wear on the gearbox too, which is my excuse
@sticks. making it back alive means you pass, good plan
afraid that doesnt work these days, I couldn't take my test in my car because it "did not have correct head restraints"
@huntsman ive used bull motif for most parts, dont know why! will try esm soon, have a member on the mmoc ym page who works there which is handy! the fuel pump has had new points fitted and a new diaphragm too, so hopefully I wont need to invest in a better one too soon
@rudecherub It was an alien experience at first but im glad i have a car that can really improve my driving, I learnt to heel and toe in a week! done abit of oppo, abit of left foot braking (tried it in my instructors car, he wasn't too happy after he nearly headbutted the dashboard
)but always trying to improve and moving onto double declutching soonmay seem trivial but ive been told h&t saves wear on the gearbox too, which is my excuse
SomeMinorTrouble said:
Cheers guys
@sticks. making it back alive means you pass, good plan
afraid that doesnt work these days, I couldn't take my test in my car because it "did not have correct head restraints"
@huntsman ive used bull motif for most parts, dont know why! will try esm soon, have a member on the mmoc ym page who works there which is handy! the fuel pump has had new points fitted and a new diaphragm too, so hopefully I wont need to invest in a better one too soon
@rudecherub It was an alien experience at first but im glad i have a car that can really improve my driving, I learnt to heel and toe in a week! done abit of oppo, abit of left foot braking (tried it in my instructors car, he wasn't too happy after he nearly headbutted the dashboard)but always trying to improve and moving onto double declutching soon
may seem trivial but ive been told h&t saves wear on the gearbox too, which is my excuse
I didn't but I know a couple of folks who cut their teeth this way with a Moggie. As well as Tiff Needell and Rowan Atkinson@sticks. making it back alive means you pass, good plan
afraid that doesnt work these days, I couldn't take my test in my car because it "did not have correct head restraints"
@huntsman ive used bull motif for most parts, dont know why! will try esm soon, have a member on the mmoc ym page who works there which is handy! the fuel pump has had new points fitted and a new diaphragm too, so hopefully I wont need to invest in a better one too soon
@rudecherub It was an alien experience at first but im glad i have a car that can really improve my driving, I learnt to heel and toe in a week! done abit of oppo, abit of left foot braking (tried it in my instructors car, he wasn't too happy after he nearly headbutted the dashboard
)but always trying to improve and moving onto double declutching soonmay seem trivial but ive been told h&t saves wear on the gearbox too, which is my excuse
I worked for My dad on't farm, so wages went unpaid but magically transform into a first car. Which was either a boggo MkIII Escort, or a Triumph GT6...
I really think the lack of driver aids is a useful place to start. You learn as you say to steer into a skid now, I guess on a wet road, probably after a bit of a dry spell...
This teaches you what to do when the white stuff falls out the sky, skills that moderns dial out the experience, but in ten years when you've several hundred horses under your right foot it helps.
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