Negative cost transport ?
Discussion
Is an inexpensive rot free classic such as this negative cost fun ?
https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/1970-morris-mi...
https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/1970-morris-mi...
If you use it as everyday transport it will devalue fast.
I ran a Morris minor as a daily driver for 10 years then kept it as an everyday driver for commuting 10 mile in the summer for the next 10 years. It cost good money to buy, £3000 as it was a show winning car when we bought it. It was defiantly not cost free, but it was far cheaper than any modern hatchback that was replaced every 3 years. It had a total of 6 new wings, lots of welding over the years, but very few mechanical repairs. It covered about 110k miles in that time. It sold as a nice running example for £1000. But be realistic and remember you are going to want a comfortable modern car as well if you want to travel further than 30 miles on a snowy winters day, or even a rainy summers day.
I ran a Morris minor as a daily driver for 10 years then kept it as an everyday driver for commuting 10 mile in the summer for the next 10 years. It cost good money to buy, £3000 as it was a show winning car when we bought it. It was defiantly not cost free, but it was far cheaper than any modern hatchback that was replaced every 3 years. It had a total of 6 new wings, lots of welding over the years, but very few mechanical repairs. It covered about 110k miles in that time. It sold as a nice running example for £1000. But be realistic and remember you are going to want a comfortable modern car as well if you want to travel further than 30 miles on a snowy winters day, or even a rainy summers day.
That certainly looks like a nice one. Quite unusual to see a four door. If it is actually rust free its a rare thing though... No photos of underneath... The sills need very thorough checking or assume they are rotted out, same with the floors and spring hangers, A-posts, front 'chassis' rails. front crossmember etc etc...
It does look promising though, if the underneath is good. Everything mechanical is available and simple to work on. I ran Moggies as dailies for years and would happily do it again. Dead cheap to run, very reliable and just good fun to drive. They just need regular care and maintenance.
They are fine in the snow... Must be the thin tyres.
It does look promising though, if the underneath is good. Everything mechanical is available and simple to work on. I ran Moggies as dailies for years and would happily do it again. Dead cheap to run, very reliable and just good fun to drive. They just need regular care and maintenance.
They are fine in the snow... Must be the thin tyres.
All cars if used daily will depreciate, this is a fact of life. You will be able to minimise this by keeping it in tip top condition but it will take a lot of work.
Old cars rust, doesn't matter what you do they rust, this will be expensive to fix. Old cars wear out far quicker than modern cars. Old cars have poor lights, wipers and demisters making winter use not quite as much fun as it could be.
Be realistic, modern cars are far better than 1960's cars. if you are used to modern cars a winter using a Morris minor will put you off for life.
Then again a dry spring day and a trip out in a classic will be a very nice way to waste petrol.
That's enough. I am now off out in my 50 year old Land Rover.
Old cars rust, doesn't matter what you do they rust, this will be expensive to fix. Old cars wear out far quicker than modern cars. Old cars have poor lights, wipers and demisters making winter use not quite as much fun as it could be.
Be realistic, modern cars are far better than 1960's cars. if you are used to modern cars a winter using a Morris minor will put you off for life.
Then again a dry spring day and a trip out in a classic will be a very nice way to waste petrol.
That's enough. I am now off out in my 50 year old Land Rover.
ChrisW. said:
Is an inexpensive rot free classic such as this negative cost fun ?
https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/1970-morris-mi...
There is no such thing, at least not in car world. Why obsess about money? Fun is fun. Fun is worth paying for. https://collectingcars.com/for-sale/1970-morris-mi...
biggbn said:
Thinking similar, I can vt my Mini in 6 months and a guy local to me is selling a lovely looking Volvo Amazon for @5k, no road tax, bullet proof mechanicals, good fun, and surely depreciation proof...
That sounds pretty cheap for one of these. Good luck with it - photos needed!ARHarh said:
Old cars rust, doesn't matter what you do they rust, this will be expensive to fix. Old cars wear out far quicker than modern cars. Old cars have poor lights, wipers and demisters making winter use not quite as much fun as it could be.
Be realistic, modern cars are far better than 1960's cars. if you are used to modern cars a winter using a Morris minor will put you off for life.
Then again a dry spring day and a trip out in a classic will be a very nice way to waste petrol.
Yes to the rust certainly. I have a Capri (clean tidy but not a show winner) , it's updated with EFi and is utterly reliable and has decent economy for a tweaked Pinto. Starts immediately even after weeks unused in the garage.Be realistic, modern cars are far better than 1960's cars. if you are used to modern cars a winter using a Morris minor will put you off for life.
Then again a dry spring day and a trip out in a classic will be a very nice way to waste petrol.
I COULD use it as a daily but 2-3 winters would have the body falling off. Lights are actually quite good, seats comfy, suspension harsh, heating ok.
Modern cars have indeed come a long way, Electric is a quantum leap. My boring 13 mile each way commute on mostly urban roads is just much nicer in an EV than anything with an engine. I use the Capri if the weather is good but rarely more than once a week. It's probably better than a Morris Minor.
Cheapest transport is a reliable shed. My neighbour used to have a valueless battered 1.2 Micra auto that she didn't give an arse about, the thing just kept going. I recently had a Saab that ran fine for 4 years with only minimal servicing. Am not sure about negative cost though. The EV costs buttons to fuel, but a fortune to buy.
But what if it's as good underneath as it is on top ?
Isn't that what seems to make this one so special ?
I'm not suggesting it would be a daily ... but they aren't making them any more and all the bits are available --- so long as you can find a good one off which to hang any bits you may need ?
Isn't that what seems to make this one so special ?
I'm not suggesting it would be a daily ... but they aren't making them any more and all the bits are available --- so long as you can find a good one off which to hang any bits you may need ?
Cheapest transport for a daily is a modern-ish shed. I run a 2011 diesel Fiestavan that is rough around the edges but reliable, returns 60-65mpg, cheap to insure, reasonable to tax.
Neither of my cheap-ish classics are nearly as cheap to run if I do significant miles in them:
Mk2 escort 1.1 - yes tax is free and insurance is even cheaper than the fiesta, and it is great fun to drive. But only manages 35mpg and I am certain it will rust to pieces if used in anything more than the occasional wet day. Mechanically quite reliable and very easy to fix.
Peugeot 104 - a bit cheaper to tax than the fiesta, insurance again is cheaper, less rust prone than the escort and does a bit better getting 40-45mpg. Mechanically some bits are a headwreck... suitcase engine.
Neither of my cheap-ish classics are nearly as cheap to run if I do significant miles in them:
Mk2 escort 1.1 - yes tax is free and insurance is even cheaper than the fiesta, and it is great fun to drive. But only manages 35mpg and I am certain it will rust to pieces if used in anything more than the occasional wet day. Mechanically quite reliable and very easy to fix.
Peugeot 104 - a bit cheaper to tax than the fiesta, insurance again is cheaper, less rust prone than the escort and does a bit better getting 40-45mpg. Mechanically some bits are a headwreck... suitcase engine.
Having had a few years experience of running old cars. I rarely run anything less than 10 years old, and have done since I passed my test in 1981.
I have owned 2 cars less than 3 years old in that time. A Metro turbo and a cavalier sri 16v. Both cost far too much in my mind.
The cheap to run cars I have owned are the ones you not expect. Cheapest so far is my present 2006 Lexus RX400h with 140k on the clock. Had it 4 years and it has only broken or worn out a couple of bits which were easy to fix cost free or cheap on parts. This last year between MOTs (18 months due to covid) it covered 8k miles and only had an oil change, didn't even get any advisories on the MOT.
The jag xjs I owned for 5 years also cost very little in repairs during those years.
A jag x type diesel owned for 3 years and went from 135k to 180k miles also cost nothing more than consumables.
The costly ones have been my present 2007 MX5 even though it is not a great cost. It has needed calliper rebuilds, new cat, new exhaust manifold, new thermostat and numerous pads and disks due to sticking callipers. And A jag xkr which just ate suspension bushes.
All the classics I have owned have needed more spending on them, and i have owned a few over the years. Numerous old minis always rusting, mg midget rust again, triumph gt6 new diff and brakes, morris minor, new engine and suspension plus plenty of rust and paint (did own and use it for 20 years though)
My advice if you want cheap to run cars is by a good well looked after 10 year old car and learn to fix it your self, and don't even contemplate fixing stuff that does not need fixing to keep it usable. Or buy and old classic that looks better if it has some battle scars, old land rovers are great for this. Tough cheap on parts, but horrible to drive.
I have never owned something I would class as unreliable though, and have only been towed home once in all those years, that was due to destroyed diff on a gt6.
Another good tip is to always have one more car than you need, therefore you will not be caught out haveing to repair a car at 11pm on a winters night so you can get to work the next day.
I have owned 2 cars less than 3 years old in that time. A Metro turbo and a cavalier sri 16v. Both cost far too much in my mind.
The cheap to run cars I have owned are the ones you not expect. Cheapest so far is my present 2006 Lexus RX400h with 140k on the clock. Had it 4 years and it has only broken or worn out a couple of bits which were easy to fix cost free or cheap on parts. This last year between MOTs (18 months due to covid) it covered 8k miles and only had an oil change, didn't even get any advisories on the MOT.
The jag xjs I owned for 5 years also cost very little in repairs during those years.
A jag x type diesel owned for 3 years and went from 135k to 180k miles also cost nothing more than consumables.
The costly ones have been my present 2007 MX5 even though it is not a great cost. It has needed calliper rebuilds, new cat, new exhaust manifold, new thermostat and numerous pads and disks due to sticking callipers. And A jag xkr which just ate suspension bushes.
All the classics I have owned have needed more spending on them, and i have owned a few over the years. Numerous old minis always rusting, mg midget rust again, triumph gt6 new diff and brakes, morris minor, new engine and suspension plus plenty of rust and paint (did own and use it for 20 years though)
My advice if you want cheap to run cars is by a good well looked after 10 year old car and learn to fix it your self, and don't even contemplate fixing stuff that does not need fixing to keep it usable. Or buy and old classic that looks better if it has some battle scars, old land rovers are great for this. Tough cheap on parts, but horrible to drive.
I have never owned something I would class as unreliable though, and have only been towed home once in all those years, that was due to destroyed diff on a gt6.
Another good tip is to always have one more car than you need, therefore you will not be caught out haveing to repair a car at 11pm on a winters night so you can get to work the next day.
Breadvan72 said:
I enjoy driving old Land Rovers. It is an experience. Landies are no longer cheap.
Couldn't agree more. As my brother in law says "its like a tractor only not quite as fast or comfortable"Mine in the hills, had it 10 years and its normally the car I go for first, if its less than 30 miles. It only cost £1450 but it didn't look that nice then.
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