Well sir now you have laid down the gauntlet
if you go for the usual suspects MGB etc you will potentially be dissapointed as you sound like you need something spirited so this may be a wild card but dont discount it they are
good fun
reliable (add caveat)
sporty
appreciating albeit glacially at the moment :wink:
easily flipped(no not that way) :mrgreen:
here goes
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2117623.htm
Unfortunately, a £2k budget and having the car live outside means that anything resembling a "classic" is out. £2k would buy you a picture of something decent, but otherwise it's a passport to despair and further expenditure. Lots of both.
Sorry, but if I only had that sort of budget I'd forget about it and buy another watch. You know it makes sense.
Regards
Ian
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
Disagree!Originally Posted by Backward point
Plenty of good stuff already suggested - Saab 900, Audi coupe, VW Corrado, Mazda MX5 - also the Toyota MR2, several 80s hot hatches, crikey even an Alfa GTV/Spider for something different :)
Ok, go for it.
Then in 12 months' time, come back and tell me that I was wrong.
It's not my money or grief. :wink:
Having done the modifying/rebuilding/race engineer thing many times, I know that the most valuable thing that you can own is a garage where you can park the thing, shut the door and walk away from it for a few days when it's done something else which defies your attempts to find a solution. A £2k budget is an entry pass to a rollercoaster ride of disillusion and heartbreak. And many of the cars which you have suggested - certainly the Italian ones - will dissolve over a winter spent outside. And/or their electrics will expire. Completely.
I'd be interested to hear what you decide to do.
Regards
Ian
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
^^^^^
What's will all the negativity? That's three seriously black posts you've now written on this topic :?
Experience. I just wouldn't want to see anybody ruin their life by entering into this kind of commitment without knowing the potential pitfalls. We're supposed to be helping each other here, and the OP asked for advice.
Anyway. On a brighter note, how's the Carlton, David? Now that does qualify as a modern classic!
Regards
Ian
Although no trees were harmed during the creation of this post, a large number of electrons were greatly inconvenienced.
Carlton is a blast Ian, thanks for asking. The analogue speedo tripped past the 38K mark yesterday, it doesn't get much more retro! Needs a couple minor issues sorted and a service to ensure all is dandy, I don't see much to worry about for the next year or couple thousand miles.
Your points (based on experience i.e. the best kind) are of course entirely valid, but I just think words such as trauma, disillusion, heartbreak and "ruin their life" are a bit strong LOL. We're talking a couple grand on a car here, not the vacuum that is a woman! :lol:
Would be my first choice :DDisagree!
Plenty of good stuff already suggested - Saab 900, Audi coupe, VW Corrado, Mazda MX5 - also the Toyota MR2, several 80s hot hatches, crikey even an Alfa GTV/Spider for something different :)
Not a wild card at all sir :wink: I love the Saab 900S, always have, so it is defo an option. I loved the restoration of the 900S on Wheeler Dealers with Mike Brewer and Ed China.
Thats why I love getting your suggestions; you remember all those corkers that you have long forgotten about.
I also appreciate the honestly from the guys who have had to work and spend fortunes of keeping their cars on the road.
Yes; the VW Corrado has definetly has become one that I will be looking at. Also seen an old Sirrocco, going to consider it as well.
yep a G60 VW Corrado would be my punt!
At that budget point I would say a Saab 900 Turbo 16 S.... you can get a nice one at that age, they are fun to drive, practical and pretty reliable.
They can live outside without dissolving too much as well.
At £2k and an every day classic car, my list would be;
Nissan 200SX (Rear wheel drive, turbocharged and reliable)
VW Corrado (great handling)
Saab 900 16S Turbo coupe
Renault Clio Williams (the non-limited edition)
BMW 328 Coupe
Fiat Coupe 20V Turbo
A £2k Porsche is a recipie for disaster. As an example of the way that old cars can eat money, I had a W124 Mercedes E320 a couple of years ago, it was a full service history car (130k miles) and these are regarded as one of the best built and most reliable cars from the 1990s. In a 12 month period I had repair bills of over £3.5k...
I used to have a 45 mile commute (that's each way) and used an MGB for a year and a half and a 924S (same as the first two 944s but slightly faster, and in my eyes better looking!) for a further year. If I were you I'd buy an MX5 and experience probably the best handling car money can buy, with reasonable performance, roof down for when it's not raining or snowing and excellent reliability. They're inexpensive to repair if anything does go wrong and it's Japanese, so it will hardly ever go wrong. I wouldn't recommend using a 944 or 924S as my every day car for short distances.
"A man of little significance"
Not exactly a classic, but I'd recommend a Calibra as a retro car.
Easily available for under £2k.
I had a 1990 C20XE 16v, 4 seats, great heaters, wipers and lights, massive load space with the rear seats down. Handles well, 35 mpg easily achievable without having to drive slowly. Get an early one (pre ecotec) and decat it.
The only problem is finding one that hasn't been owned by a boy racer, or the rear arches haven't been bodged.
Edit - Mon dieu !, how could I forget the little monster I've got rusting away in my lockup in Wiltshire. Now as rare as a rare thing, and with similar looks to the 924, my poor mans Jap TVR. Its a first generation Mazda RX7 with a 3.5L Rover V8 engine. Mine isn't for sale, but there are a few around with V8 conversions, I wouldn't buy one fitted with a wankel :lol:
Pic nicked from ebay
Get one like this, great fun car, Honda CRX Vtec:
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2050287.htm
The old saying "One mans treasure is another mans trash" is so right when discussing old cars.
I'd only listen to recommendations from people who have actually owned the cars they're recommending. Not dreamers who read classic car magazines :D
My friend had one of these, it was falling apart, you could see the ground through a hole in the floor.
Feck it was quick and it really did scare the pants out of me when he floored it. It was crazy :shock:
Any of the above would do, starting to really like the Corrado a very nice looking machine. Although my eyes always get drawin to the twin headlights of the Beamer.
[quote=Guz]My friend had one of these, it was falling apart, you could see the ground through a hole in the floor.
Feck it was quick and it really did scare the pants out of me when he floored it. It was crazy :shock:
Any of the above would do, starting to really like the Corrado a very nice looking machine. Although my eyes always get drawin to the twin headlights of the Beamer.[/quote:xjryd7mc]
Yes there are rust buckets around. The one I had had no rust at all. Well, I replaced the rear arches and sunroof. To be frank, I spent a fortune on itand it was in mint condition.
Sold it for £3.5k. It was sold within a few day of advertising it.
Really miss it :(
Peugeot 205 GTI 1.9
End of.
Saab 900 sounds great but I owned one between 1997 and 2000, gave it to my brother who then scrapped it a year later. Even then it was pretty common to see serious rust going on around the wheel arches and rear quarters. My own car needed patching in 98. I can also recall spending well over a grand a year on fixing the thing even though I did a lot of the work my self. I know Ian sounds very negative but to be brutally honest a lot of these cars are just to old now and will either be complete dogs at the cheap end or garage queens for decent ones which would be criminal to ruin by using as a DD.
I might have a love of front engined Porsche but again I would never recommend a friend of mine to waste their money on a bargain basement 944 these days. These will eat a lot of money and require some serious maintenance that unless one is extremely lucky will add up to several times the value of the car over a few years. Even before building my S2 into a race car I had bills totaling about £14K over 10 years or so, then spent the same again rebuilding it from the ground up into a race car. I know there are plenty of vocal enthusiasts that say otherwise but always watch the agenda these guys have and if one sticks around watch how many and how often new owners pop up on forums complaining about a huge list of problems only to drop away a few months later having given up. 944 or 968 great cars but I couldn't recommend relying on one as a DD just to old, track car perfect, weekend car OK, comfortable fun GT very good.
I have a SD1 sat on my drive (2600 straight six) if you stay off the V8's you could buy the best for a grand, If you must have a V8 then £2000 wil sort you as long as you steer clear of Vitesse's.
Cortina Mk2 1600E.
Will run forever as long as you garage it to slow down the rust.
You can take the whole engine apart with a 1/2" socket and a screwdriver (well almost!)
Takes me back to my youth in the 70s - until it was written off by a milk float (seriously) at 2.30 in the morning outside Kings Cross (don't ask).
Depends on your budget and knowledge of car maintainence IMHO. I ran a Fiat X19 for 5 years, used it every day on occaision without any serious problems but tin worm is an issue (see http://www.tz-uk.com/forum/viewtopic...&sd=a&start=45 for pic and tell me it wasn't worth the £250 I paid for it, ok plus new head gasket, took me 3000 miles round Europe too). I have also had a Porsche 924, VW cab and Lotus talbot, as long as you are prepared to be hands on, then no problems at all (sometimes :D ), particularly with the Porsche.
A friend of mine had a Porsche 944 turbo, he bought a less than perfect example and produced a very nice car over the course of 6 months. He then sold it and now runs a nice Merc 190 Cosworth every day.
I enjoy the hands on approach, hench I have always had a Fiat in my life since passing my test :D but I would love an Elise, but then I enjoy the harsh driving experience.
There is a guy in Sheffield who has driven a Morgan "flatrad" since new - 1950's, been rebuilt twice that I know of, although not seen him recently. I also know a guy who, until recently used to take a Morgan through a carwash with the roof down every weekend in a poncho!!! Morgan drivers are a different breed.. I should know, my old man has one, he brought me home from hospital when I was born with no roof on, my Mum said the nurse gave him a right old b*ll*cking! :D
Id probably go German if reliability is a major issue though.... dont tell anyone I said that! :lol:
good call. or what about an Audi Quattro?
Got the last on your list and I couldn't love it more! As long as you buy a good one then they are fantastic. PM me if you want buyers guide etc. - The Sprint Blue ones are the fastest though! :D
All this talk and only one mention of an Alfa Romeo. Classic and Alfa are synonymous for sure whether it is something older like a Day of the Jackal 2600 or a GTV/Spider which is probably more affordable. Either way you get style by the bucket load and despite all the bad press, there are few cars you love more when you get over the disappointment of a breakdown and get it back moving again!
Have to admit to being an alfa fan, I had a red 147 Twin spark year 2000. You can see it on google satellite maps and alos my old toyota celica 1.8 ST.
Yes Love the fiat coupe also, a friend in the trade has a yellow one he has offered to me. So many decisions, but I bet ya I'm going to end up with a 5 series BMW of some description or maybe not :lol:
The wife's car going through MOT on Tuesday and then straight up for sale to raise funds. It's a 2003 Citroen 2.0 litre HDi Xsara, we are the second owners. 100k miles with service history so should sell fast enough..can't wait :lol:
I owned 2 Alfas in the 80s, first was a white Alfasud 1.3 Ti I loved that car and have never had a car since which handles as well, it had totally neutral handling ie no over steer or understeer however mad yoiu got with it. Problem was of course the body work!!!!. I jacked the car up once to change the wheel, The jacking point was solid but the body work it attached to was rotten, when the jack was extended all I got was a large lump under the carpet where the jack came through. It was only about 5 years old, repaired and sold it, 2 weeks later the owner came back with engine in bits,,, snapped cam belt.
Not put off I went on and bought a Alfasub 1.5Ti, another great car and in black, low mileage and fast, Kept this for 13 months until it holed a piston on the motorway, 2 weeks after a full service!!!!
I still love them and one day I will get another when I,m not driving around in a pipe and slippers rep mobile.
OK, completely different direction, but still a v8...
Range Rover p38 4.6ltr HSE (late 90's) - I've a 96 'P' plate - In fairness not a classic, but a much better bet than the mark 1 RR classic.
Great every day car (although I only use it at weekends), loads of toys, comfortable, practical (well in a load lugging way), sporty-ish (well it rumbles), loads of easily obtainable spares - The kids love it, the dogs love, I love it, the wife quite likes it !
OK, a bit thirsty, but at 10 miles a day it's not going to break the bank and the road tax ic cheaper than the wife's Renault Scenic.
And winter's coming...
Anyway, just a thought and only a tad over your budget.
OK guys, finally pulled the trigger .......
Had to rule out sports coupe 2+2, cos I need to pick my 3 year old up from nursery
So I mentioned to my friend who has an Immaculate 1993 Mercedes 190E 1.8litre Auto, full service history. That I was definitely going to pull the trigger and he offered me his :shock:
Never thought he would part with it, can't wait. Collect it tomorrow and will post some pictures up then :D :D
It's silver ........ :lol:
Good solid cars and one of the last well built mercs... well done and enjoy.OK guys, finally pulled the trigger .......
Had to rule out sports coupe 2+2, cos I need to pick my 3 year old up from nursery
So I mentioned to my friend who has an Immaculate 1993 Mercedes 190E 1.8litre Auto, full service history. That I was definitely going to pull the trigger and he offered me his :shock:
Never thought he would part with it, can't wait. Collect it tomorrow and will post some pictures up then :D :D
It's silver ........ :lol:
^^^
What he said! :D
+1Good solid cars and one of the last well built mercs... well done and enjoy.OK guys, finally pulled the trigger .......
Had to rule out sports coupe 2+2, cos I need to pick my 3 year old up from nursery
So I mentioned to my friend who has an Immaculate 1993 Mercedes 190E 1.8litre Auto, full service history. That I was definitely going to pull the trigger and he offered me his :shock:
Never thought he would part with it, can't wait. Collect it tomorrow and will post some pictures up then :D :D
It's silver ........ :lol:
They are bullet proof. Post some pictures when you get the motor :)
OK guys....here are 2 quick and dirty pictures. Family duties are getting in my way on Sundays :lol:
Apologies for the shadows, I have the car in the driveway and the sun is beating down creating glare
I promise to get some better ones up this week.
Then I guess a DAF 55 or a Volvo 66 would be equally infra dig ?Hi Guys,
I think I'm approaching my mid life crisis (I'm 38)
Pretty open to ideas, but I'm not after a morris minor type of classic, if you get my drift.
For me, it would have to be a Rover model P4, aka Rover 90, 100, 105, et subs. The "poor man's Rolls-Royce", much beloved by farmers, IIRC.
I had 3 in succession, incredible posing value for a pauper like me.
That's a beauty :wink:Then I guess a DAF 55 or a Volvo 66 would be equally infra dig ?Hi Guys,
I think I'm approaching my mid life crisis (I'm 38)
Pretty open to ideas, but I'm not after a morris minor type of classic, if you get my drift.
For me, it would have to be a Rover model P4, aka Rover 90, 100, 105, et subs. The "poor man's Rolls-Royce", much beloved by farmers, IIRC.
I had 3 in succession, incredible posing value for a pauper like me.
And believe or not I actually seen one of these every Sunday morning at 9:45am as I head out on my road bicycle to join up with my club mates. The driver has always put me in mind of a farmer for some strange reason :shock:
I had the joy of sitting right behind one of these for 100 miles a couple months ago - my old man picked up his mate's one from the bodyshop - I was the 'escort vehicle' LOL. The old gal sat at 80 nae problems :D
Looks tidy, good colour scheme! But get the AA badge off pronto, it screams 'doddery old c**t' :lol:
Looks in excellent condition... Well done. I would think about getting rid of the wheel arch trims as they can capture water behind and rot out the arches.OK guys....here are 2 quick and dirty pictures. Family duties are getting in my way on Sundays :lol:
Apologies for the shadows, I have the car in the driveway and the sun is beating down creating glare
I promise to get some better ones up this week.
Jesus, it's got a tacky irish private plate and stick on wheel arches and a "spoiler" :shock:
It's definately a classic alright :D
Nice motor.
It would have originally had orange indicators.
I wonder why they have been replaced? Anyway, personally I think they look better with the orange ones so I'd change them. Also loose the Arch trims as somone else said.
I got the original orange ones with the car :wink:
I kinda like the 'Bling' Arch trims :lol:
I really like that!!! Looks great and bet its pretty comfortable as well. How much would that set you back then? (Constantly 'researching' these things in case I ever get the ££ to go and splash out). Had lots of classic car failures in the past (when I was much younger) - VW Beetle; Spitfire; Lancia Fulvia... loved the Fulvia but unfortunately never really got it going despite spending loads of time and money on it. Time was plentiful in those days, cash sadly not!OK, completely different direction, but still a v8...
Range Rover p38 4.6ltr HSE (late 90's) - I've a 96 'P' plate - In fairness not a classic, but a much better bet than the mark 1 RR classic.
Great every day car (although I only use it at weekends), loads of toys, comfortable, practical (well in a load lugging way), sporty-ish (well it rumbles), loads of easily obtainable spares - The kids love it, the dogs love, I love it, the wife quite likes it !
OK, a bit thirsty, but at 10 miles a day it's not going to break the bank and the road tax ic cheaper than the wife's Renault Scenic.
And winter's coming...
Anyway, just a thought and only a tad over your budget.
But one day... I blame Wheeler Dealers for re-awakening the sleeping classic car beast in men of a certain age. 8)
Any knowledge of why they were fitted? They tend to be used to hide bubbling (or rot) :wink:
Worth spending some time on here -
http://forums.mercedesclub.org.uk/
When I was running an old Merc it was an invaluable source of information and saved me a great deal of tine and money when I was chasing problems.
Nice S2!
A 944 S2 ist a good choice and a good car!
I have own myself 3 years a S2, without problems.
The S2 has a lot of power and that from low RPM to the red end.
I have sold the car this year, however, I miss the good old Transaxle Porsche...
Sorry for my bad english!
Looks great Corto. Now though just imagine what it would be like if 3 times as stiff, 200 Kg lighter and way noisier :D . It has cost me a small fortune to build my race/track car but it was well worth it. The thing is fully road legal and unlike a lot of race cars, throughout it looks and feels like a neat straight car. Very tempted to just drive it around on the road for the hell of it 8) .
Classic race and track cars is definitely the future of the classic car IMHO.
Haven't paid much attention to this thread recently but I've just thought of a cheap, reliable, sporty future classic that fits the bill
Gets the :thumbright: from me definitely.
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