Discussion
Recently sold my MG"B" and wanted another classic to play with.....
Stumbled acros an absolutely mint 1984 Austin Metro 1.0 City. Bog basic, the list of what it hasn't got is longer than what it has got but it's 1 owner from new with full history and 62000 miles. Myself and the dearly beloved fell in love with the little horror and after a certain amount of badgering of the dealer (ex Austin Rover main dealer, now Mazda) who had had it in his showroom for the past three years, it was ours for four or five hundred quid (it's a long story about the price).
Just fully serviced it and poured (sprayed actually) one and a half gallons of Waxoyl into every nook and cranny.
Anyway, am I mad to keep spending money on the bloody thing?
Just bought a brand new plastic corner bumper as the old one was scraped a bit and having a very good dent man spend an inordinate amount of time taking all the little dinks and dents out of its flanks, now getting a new windscreen fitted tomorrow as the old one has a chip in it.
I can't quite fathom what I'm doing as I've spent quite a bit on a car that is, realistically, worthless and I keep on trying to make it better and better.
Opinions please.
Stumbled acros an absolutely mint 1984 Austin Metro 1.0 City. Bog basic, the list of what it hasn't got is longer than what it has got but it's 1 owner from new with full history and 62000 miles. Myself and the dearly beloved fell in love with the little horror and after a certain amount of badgering of the dealer (ex Austin Rover main dealer, now Mazda) who had had it in his showroom for the past three years, it was ours for four or five hundred quid (it's a long story about the price).
Just fully serviced it and poured (sprayed actually) one and a half gallons of Waxoyl into every nook and cranny.
Anyway, am I mad to keep spending money on the bloody thing?
Just bought a brand new plastic corner bumper as the old one was scraped a bit and having a very good dent man spend an inordinate amount of time taking all the little dinks and dents out of its flanks, now getting a new windscreen fitted tomorrow as the old one has a chip in it.
I can't quite fathom what I'm doing as I've spent quite a bit on a car that is, realistically, worthless and I keep on trying to make it better and better.
Opinions please.
I must admit to being pleasantly surprised by the split re mad v not mad (or mad but worthy).
Now I can admit that not only have I polished it to within an inch of its life, but I've also spent days (really) polishing inside the bonnet, boot and doors. Also, just resprayed a tiny patch INSIDE a rear wheel arch as a bit of paint had flaked off!
I feel quite mentally ill at the thought of the money and time I'm spending on this little car and I look at it and just love it a bit more every time I discover some other naff item.....
When servicing it I found that its got points and a condencer - I smiled and went and found the feeler gauges. I was sure at 1984 it would at least have electronic ignition, and then I had to play with the carb as a vacuum pipe was missing and upseting the mixture.
I've booked it into a classic car show in a couple of weeks, we'll see how the purists take to this object of derision in their midst!
Now I can admit that not only have I polished it to within an inch of its life, but I've also spent days (really) polishing inside the bonnet, boot and doors. Also, just resprayed a tiny patch INSIDE a rear wheel arch as a bit of paint had flaked off!
I feel quite mentally ill at the thought of the money and time I'm spending on this little car and I look at it and just love it a bit more every time I discover some other naff item.....
When servicing it I found that its got points and a condencer - I smiled and went and found the feeler gauges. I was sure at 1984 it would at least have electronic ignition, and then I had to play with the carb as a vacuum pipe was missing and upseting the mixture.
I've booked it into a classic car show in a couple of weeks, we'll see how the purists take to this object of derision in their midst!
Xtriple129 said:
Now I can admit that not only have I polished it to within an inch of its life, but I've also spent days (really) polishing inside the bonnet, boot and doors. Also, just resprayed a tiny patch INSIDE a rear wheel arch as a bit of paint had flaked off!
Pictures please!
Fair play to you. Not long after I passed my test in 91, my mum purchased a 1.0 89 city x in silver and I drove all over the country in that car. I thought it was great fun at the time and I loved the massively over engineered 4 pot vented front brakes which would stop it on its nose!
I have very fond memories of that car even though I couldn't go back to one now.
It's a part of motoring history now, and like someone above said, it's not just the performance vehicles of the day which should be preserved.
Richard
I have very fond memories of that car even though I couldn't go back to one now.
It's a part of motoring history now, and like someone above said, it's not just the performance vehicles of the day which should be preserved.
Richard
Six Fiend said:
You're completely and utterly insane, and all the better for it dear chap 
Totally agree, but also completely understand. You can pay more for a tax disc these days.Well done for not letting the "little horror" rot away into obscurity. You must truly have petrol in your veins to do such a thing, your missus too.
ETA: The above pics have just made me think how long it has been since I saw a Metro in the wild. I genuinely have no idea when last that was. On the plus side, it also made me remember the 1,000 year old lady pottering about in an M-reg (suffix era for the benefit of those much younger than I) bilious yellow Mini Clubman that looked box-fresh. She wasn't hanging about either, unlike the majority of folk.
Edited by Zwoelf on Thursday 30th June 23:59
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff