COOL CLASSIC CAR SPOTTERS POST! (Vol 3)
Discussion
It’s not so much really mileage that buyers are interested in - it’s the condition - and especially interior condition. There are cars with 50,000 on with better kept interiors than those with 10,000. That’s not too much of a measurable thing though - whereas mileage is. It’s there on the odometer. And of course, once you drive it and enjoy it - on a low mileage car, it’s value falls accordingly.
bolidemichael said:
Cars benefit from being driven, not least because minor issue can be spotted before major ones develop.
Several years ago, there was a thread on ferrarichat where 330 GTC owners were discussing / winging about their cars’ diva-ish fragility plus frequent, and alarmingly costly, repairs. All were garage queens, driven for only a few hundred miles annually during high days and holidays.
And there was a post by an ex-USAF pilot who’d bought a used 330 while stationed in Germany during the mid-70s.
While in Europe he used the car as his daily and for road trips with his wife, then shipped it back to the US when he retired.
Contrary to the other 330 owners, he’d never had any breakdowns nor big bills nor rebuilds.
The car had only ever needed servicing as per OEM schedule plus replacement of normal consumables such as tyres, discs / pads, plugs, carb overhauls, etc.
His ‘secret’?
When he returned to the US he continued to use the 330 as his daily – at the then-time of writing its mileage was >170k.
NGK210 said:
Several years ago, there was a thread on ferrarichat where 330 GTC owners were discussing / winging about their cars diva-ish fragility plus frequent, and alarmingly costly, repairs.
All were garage queens, driven for only a few hundred miles annually during high days and holidays.
And there was a post by an ex-USAF pilot who d bought a used 330 while stationed in Germany during the mid-70s.
While in Europe he used the car as his daily and for road trips with his wife, then shipped it back to the US when he retired.
Contrary to the other 330 owners, he d never had any breakdowns nor big bills nor rebuilds.
The car had only ever needed servicing as per OEM schedule plus replacement of normal consumables such as tyres, discs / pads, plugs, carb overhauls, etc.
His secret ?
When he returned to the US he continued to use the 330 as his daily at the then-time of writing its mileage was >170k.
There's much truth in this. But...All were garage queens, driven for only a few hundred miles annually during high days and holidays.
And there was a post by an ex-USAF pilot who d bought a used 330 while stationed in Germany during the mid-70s.
While in Europe he used the car as his daily and for road trips with his wife, then shipped it back to the US when he retired.
Contrary to the other 330 owners, he d never had any breakdowns nor big bills nor rebuilds.
The car had only ever needed servicing as per OEM schedule plus replacement of normal consumables such as tyres, discs / pads, plugs, carb overhauls, etc.
His secret ?
When he returned to the US he continued to use the 330 as his daily at the then-time of writing its mileage was >170k.
The expectation gap between the ex-USAF serviceman and "asset owners" is considerable.
While the former would accept a rattle or squeak here or there, a whiff of smoke on start-up, an odd stone chip or two or maybe some of the electrics being a bit dodgy, the end goal was always a reliable car that could be driven to the shops, the latter would expect everything to be as near perfect as possible, and wouldn't shy away from spending their hard-earned to achieve it. That would involve spending money on things the former wouldn't even notice.
johnpsanderson said:
A nice birthday treat to spot this parked up at work today. At first glance I thought it was a mk1 Cavalier; and I haven t zoomed in on the photo to be sure but I now wondering if it s actually a big Peugeot (508 or something like that?)
There wasn't a huge amount of difference in the styling of the MkII Cavalier and the Carlton in that period, but it definitely looks more "Carlton" to me. I had a 1982 Cortina estate as my first car. I preferred the styling of Fords over Vauxhalls, up until I switched allegiance to Vauxhall when I traded in a 1988 Escort and bought a 1993 Cavalier. johnpsanderson said:
A nice birthday treat to spot this parked up at work today. At first glance I thought it was a mk1 Cavalier; and I haven t zoomed in on the photo to be sure but I now wondering if it s actually a big Peugeot (508 or something like that?)
It's a Carlton. The cavalier was about 10% smaller and FWD. This looks like a fairly basic 1.8 Carlton.A Peugeot 508 Estate looks like this:
...and was launched about 4 decades later. I think you're confusing that with a 505:
With the Sud and the Golf , a benchmark in small car progress . I only drove one , but I remember its outstanding refinement, great seats, willing little flat four and wonderful ride . And we were pumping out Marinas and Vivas at the time . One of the few UK small cars to set new standards , albeit a few years earlier, was the outstanding BMC ADO 16 - one of which , in Riley guise, was my first car.
Edited by coppice on Saturday 10th January 11:59
wjs1968 said:
Cool survivor GS break
I have a picture taken of my dad's beige GS estate taken at the seaside in August 1975 when he first bought it. Registration JMK17P. Edited by wjs1968 on Friday 9th January 21:27
Edited by wjs1968 on Friday 9th January 21:38
For obvious embarassing reasons i'm not posting up a picture of a 9 year old me standing next to it.
Turbobanana said:
johnpsanderson said:
Well done - impressive level of commitment! Looks like a good one and I bet it's a useful, practical tool as well.wjs1968 said:
Wonderful cars. A GS was our family’s daily, so I learnt how to drive in a metallic café au lait hued 1220 Club.
One day a mechanic from the dealer dropped ours off after a service, and needed a lift back to the local town. I volunteered to drive the return leg.
As we entered the lanes, he asked: “Want me to show you how to drive a GS?”
“OK…”
They actually had very good anti-dive geometry, and very good brakes. So the trick was 911-style braking in a straight line. If you braked while turning, a GS leaned like a 2CV.
He demo’d by braking hard and alarmingly late for a ‘90-right’, came off the brakes, and then got on the power just before turn-in.
At which point the hydropneumatic suspension gave a wee shimmy, levelled out and he then powered into and through the corner with eye-popping haste, all the while the bodyshell stayed spookily flat / level.
Thereafter, I had a lot of B-road fun in that GS
Edited by NGK210 on Saturday 10th January 19:21
The ZA and ZB Magnettes were designed by Gerald Palmer who, in 1936, drove a car of his own design to MG at Abingdon to show Cecil Kimber. Kimber arranged for Palmer to be taken on at the Drawing Office in Cowley where he later led the design of the MG Y-type.
The third and fourth Magnettes were not ZC and ZD, but MkIII and MkIV and were styled by Farina.
The third and fourth Magnettes were not ZC and ZD, but MkIII and MkIV and were styled by Farina.
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