Best sub 3k all year round classic- no garage?
Discussion
Having become thoroughly miffed with the current "Daily" BMW's that myself and the OH have, I'm looking at putting my old e30 320i on the road again.
However, I'll still need a daily for the good lady.
Requirements:
1. Fixed head coupe/saloon (she's restoring a mk1 golf cab for summer fun)
2. Cheap to insure, based on 10,000 miles per year
3. Should be exceptionally reliable if maintained correctly- IE Everything works, all of the time. (her shifts can start early morning/finish late at night)
4. Good spares /owners club network- access to info
5. 35mpg+ on Motorway at 60mph
6. Run happily on Unleaded (e.g. readily available conversion or able to cope without modification)
7. Fun to drive, potentially on long runs (e.g. Applecross/Skye/Switzerland etc)
So far, She likes the MGB GT, based on a day's hire of a roadster earlier this year, which she drove all day happily
can you good folks recommend some others?
thanks
However, I'll still need a daily for the good lady.
Requirements:
1. Fixed head coupe/saloon (she's restoring a mk1 golf cab for summer fun)
2. Cheap to insure, based on 10,000 miles per year
3. Should be exceptionally reliable if maintained correctly- IE Everything works, all of the time. (her shifts can start early morning/finish late at night)
4. Good spares /owners club network- access to info
5. 35mpg+ on Motorway at 60mph
6. Run happily on Unleaded (e.g. readily available conversion or able to cope without modification)
7. Fun to drive, potentially on long runs (e.g. Applecross/Skye/Switzerland etc)
So far, She likes the MGB GT, based on a day's hire of a roadster earlier this year, which she drove all day happily
can you good folks recommend some others?
thanks
"100% reliability" is difficult, even on a very well looked after car for 2 reasons (in my opinion).
1) most classics were not 100% reliable when new.
2) it can be difficult to look after / spot every fault that might become a reliability issue because some items are damaged by age and 40 years is a long time. Rubber perishes and electrical connectors become brittle and snap off, for example. There is only a degree to how you can manage this with frequent maintenance.
Often people talk about reliability are worrying about running a big end or blowing head gaskets. Actually a loose connection on the starter or a bit of rubber blocking a jet will do an equally good job of stopping your girlfriend coming home on a cold, wet night after an long shift, in my experience.
However, don't let that put you off! MGBs are a great start with brilliant club and specialist support and should fit your bill very well. Triumph Vitesse too (and its easy to get at all those bit of rubber and electrical connectors with that brilliant bonnet).
If reliability was my first priority then I would go Japanese followed by German but that would depend on how you define “classic”.
1) most classics were not 100% reliable when new.
2) it can be difficult to look after / spot every fault that might become a reliability issue because some items are damaged by age and 40 years is a long time. Rubber perishes and electrical connectors become brittle and snap off, for example. There is only a degree to how you can manage this with frequent maintenance.
Often people talk about reliability are worrying about running a big end or blowing head gaskets. Actually a loose connection on the starter or a bit of rubber blocking a jet will do an equally good job of stopping your girlfriend coming home on a cold, wet night after an long shift, in my experience.
However, don't let that put you off! MGBs are a great start with brilliant club and specialist support and should fit your bill very well. Triumph Vitesse too (and its easy to get at all those bit of rubber and electrical connectors with that brilliant bonnet).
If reliability was my first priority then I would go Japanese followed by German but that would depend on how you define “classic”.
noclue said:
Saab 900i everytime!
interesting, but it'd have to be a turbo! I dont know how she'd get on with it, good suggestion though..Shoestringracer said:
"100% reliability" is difficult, even on a very well looked after car for 2 reasons (in my opinion).
1) most classics were not 100% reliable when new.
2) it can be difficult to look after / spot every fault that might become a reliability issue because some items are damaged by age and 40 years is a long time. Rubber perishes and electrical connectors become brittle and snap off, for example. There is only a degree to how you can manage this with frequent maintenance.
Agreed- I class reliability as "ability to avoid me having to drag myself out my pit to go sort the car in the pissing rain"1) most classics were not 100% reliable when new.
2) it can be difficult to look after / spot every fault that might become a reliability issue because some items are damaged by age and 40 years is a long time. Rubber perishes and electrical connectors become brittle and snap off, for example. There is only a degree to how you can manage this with frequent maintenance.
I know from experience that new cars, middle aged cars (current dailys are 1994/7) can all break down, and it can be simple things.
Got the RAC cover, so not too bad- just the less to fix the better- esp as if its easy to resolve. Vitesse is a good shout
thanks
320touring said:
Agreed- I class reliability as "ability to avoid me having to drag myself out my pit to go sort the car in the pissing rain"
This is what AA (other recovery operators are available) membership is for 
, although the last time I called them the man in a van admitted that I probably knew more about points and condenser ignition than he did as he hadn't seen a set of points in years. (this turned out to be true, I correctly diagnosed the problem, he didn't, not that it mattered as he wasn't carrying a rotor arm for a Lucas 25D4 distributor anyway, so I went home on the back of a lorry)I won't recommend an Imp (my normal default recommendation, as I like them and have used one as a 12,000 mile/year daily driver in the past, back when I didn't have a garage) as they have Lucas distributors and the Chinese rotor arms you can get these days (albeit in Lucas / intermotor / etc packaging) are shocking and obviously made in a factory where they don't know that insulation that actually insulates for more than 200 miles of use is needed in HT electrics.
//j17 said:
I'm tempted to suggest a Triumph 2000 but 35MPG would be a struggle - more like 25
But do drive thoroughly more 'modern' to a lot of other classics. Mk1 and 2's can both be Tax Exempt too I've just seen that the MPG requirements were relevant to 60mph on a Motorway and I wouldn't say 30+ isn't achievable, especially with the Overdrive box. Dad gets ~30 out of his 2.5S at 70mph
HebdenHedgehog said:
Given her proposed summer wheels, how about a matching early GTi or Scirroco? Only one owners club, reliable enough (probably), swappable parts (maybe), etc etc
If there was a tintop mk1 GTI she'd never see it- I'd be out in it all the time.her Gti vert is having lots of new bits added so should be great to drive- but I think she'd like something different to swap between.
A little over budget (£45k - but I was so surprised to see one in classifieds I had to share it) but how about an Amphicar - http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...
//j17 said:
A little over budget (£45k - but I was so surprised to see one in classifieds I had to share it) but how about an Amphicar - http://classifieds.pistonheads.com/classifieds/use...
Good call. Does anyone else remember a TV detective detective series featuring one of these? set in in the Channel Islands I belive.AtticusFinch said:
Good call. Does anyone else remember a TV detective detective series featuring one of these? set in in the Channel Islands I belive.
Wrong car old chap !!I'm ex Jersey
Affordable turbo classic..... sub £150-00 insurance...
Quick... reliable...good looking ....room for 2+2...+ shopping/camping equiptment/lots of stuff !
Has to be a MK 3 TOYOTA SUPRA....As long as the service history is immaculate and the head gasket has been done....including a skim...
If you want a good old lugger....Volvo V70......(I am biased on all counts !!)
Maybe a NISSAN SKYLINE.... I pay £ 115-00 f/c !!
Edited by digger the goat on Tuesday 18th December 19:04
digger the goat said:
AtticusFinch said:
Good call. Does anyone else remember a TV detective detective series featuring one of these? set in in the Channel Islands I belive.
Wrong car old chap !!I'm ex Jersey
Edited by digger the goat on Tuesday 18th December 19:04
Okay maybe not the Channel Islands (I was young at the time). Sam Kydd as Orlando O'Connor in Crane.
Edited by AtticusFinch on Wednesday 19th December 08:56
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