Where have all the old cars gone?

An interesting article on those motoring legends now sadly gone…

telegraph.co.uk/motoring/cla … ional.html

My dad had a fair few cars in the 80’s and 90’s, including a couple of Lada Riva’s, Citroen GSA Pallas, Nissan Sunny and an earlier Datsun, and Peugeot 505. I remember when I was younger our next door neighbour bought a brand new Sierra and I thought it looked really modern! :laughing:

One of my mates’ dad had a brown Cortina and again for the time they were good, and are fetching quite a bit on eBay now.

A scarp yard near me for long enough had an old Lotus Esprit stacked up in their yard. That never went for crushing all the time I lived near there, I guess even they couldn’t part with it!

Some of the stuff coming out then was crap, as most on here can appreciate, nonetheless, good times :laughing:

Talking of “old” cars, i’ve got a 1966 Morris Mini :smiley:

It’s not exactly original though, it has an 1100 superbike engine in the back from a Honda Blackbird :laughing:

In general real classics don’t get that title by accident.There’s a difference between ‘classic’ cars and just old poverty spec cars.Anything with 6 or more cylinders,rwd and in which the manufacturer has at least made an effort to provide value for money is a good start point and that applies even in the case of old BLMC or Ford products.

youtube.com/watch?v=ExTrCblwAhs

youtube.com/watch?v=acYBRboM34g

youtube.com/watch?v=NjnoJtVfacM

I know “classics” per se are well sought after, I’m wondering where the run of the mill but- nonetheless-interesting stuff has gone. To the highway in the sky I fear.

A mates dad had a montego van, when we went to beavers we used to get a lift in the back clinging onto the preformed holes in the bodywork :laughing:

I remember my dad hired a transit back when we were younger, as all five of us needed to go in it to my grandparents who lived away, we sat in the back in plastic garden chairs :laughing: :open_mouth:

Top fun.

I wonder if the fact that cars are full of electronics and have been for 20 odd years mean that bangers cant be fixed or bodged in the old way.I havent seen a Sierra for a long time now.

I think the introduction of unleaded fuel for petrol engines and fuel injection instead of carburetors put paid to a lot of the older stuff, plus the emission test. The older stuff was more prone to rust, but not as hard to fix,as the modern stuff with computers and electronics etc.

The thing is, out of all of the cars I have owned, when they have variously gone wrong, there was only one occasion when I couldn’t have fixed it and that was because I don’t own a welder. All the other problems including gaskets, hubs, belts, springs and servicing, are doable, and I have tackled some of these (the main reason for not doing so is because I couldn’t be arsed and ended up paying a man to do it for me :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: ).

These cars have varied in age and mileage and all except one have been “modern” cars with fuel injection. When I started doing my own work, and I’m no mechanic and don’t even own a garage :laughing: , I realised that the idea that modern cars can’t be worked on is not true, for the majority of the time.

First car beetle, second was my dad’s old company car, 2 litre cortina gl estate. By far the fastest car the world has ever seen. Book speed was 110 and mpg of 21, my mate had a twiddle with it, I slapped a K&N on it, and never got less than 27 mpg. Once achieved 140 in it (on my own privately owned autobahn) Lime green metallic with a black vinyl roof and Capri Laser alloys. ■■■■ fine thing.

But after I wrote it off, oops. I got a mk2 ■■■■■■ with a stage 2 1740 in it, mated to a standard 1300 gearbox, then one of the last Granadas, 2.3 lx with a 5 speed box. Bag of spanners, but still probably my favourite car. Even though I still say to this day that I’d still have Tina if it hadn’t been for that blow-out/wall combination.

Granada made way for a Capri, then daughter came along as did a Citroen BX 14, which went like the clappers, and then a 1.8 lx Sierra CVH hatch in wedgewood blue that had no guts whatsoever but would return 55mpg all day long.

To an extent it takes more dedication to keep a mundane everyday car such as a marina on the road than a e type jag as you know the jag will keep going up in value and even the less desirable series 3 v12 models make very good money.
If you decide to rebuild a Morris marina it’s going to cost more than it’s ever going to be worth. But you may want to as it brings back memory’s of going on family holidays in the 70s your legs been blistered from your skin touching the plastic seats that had been heated to a temperature you could fry eggs on by the blazing 70s summer sun and sitting in a lay-by eating luncheon meat sandwiches washed down with cresta while waiting for the rac to fix the pile of crap.
If I had the cash I’d love either a Fiat 132 or a mark5 cortina 2.3 ghia as they are cars that I spent many happy childhood journeys in. Try finding a fiat 132 though

kr79:
To an extent it takes more dedication to keep a mundane everyday car such as a marina on the road than a e type jag as you know the jag will keep going up in value and even the less desirable series 3 v12 models make very good money.
If you decide to rebuild a Morris marina it’s going to cost more than it’s ever going to be worth. But you may want to as it brings back memory’s of going on family holidays in the 70s your legs been blistered from your skin touching the plastic seats that had been heated to a temperature you could fry eggs on by the blazing 70s summer sun and sitting in a lay-by eating luncheon meat sandwiches washed down with cresta while waiting for the rac to fix the pile of crap.
If I had the cash I’d love either a Fiat 132 or a mark5 cortina 2.3 ghia as they are cars that I spent many happy childhood journeys in. Try finding a fiat 132 though

also nearly everything you might ever need for for an older jag will still be available as most parts will be remanufactured by specialists now,same with mg’s and mini’s(there isnt much you cant buy for an old mini,even brand new british motor heritage bodyshells).
sold my old mini last year and have regretted it ever since.keep looking at getting another but the prices for decent ones with a proper high spec ( genuine 100+ bhp) are rocketing!! hope i can get another eventually,i’ve owned about a dozen,this is the first time i’ve not had one since i was sixteen,and i’m forty now!!

After many, many years of motor biking I am considering selling the bike and buying a car but one that will be a hobby as well and a mini was one of the cars I was thinking of, along with a MG TF ( wife would prefer a midget) and a Smart for 2 since I found out the 84 bhp model can be remapped to 100 bhp.
By the way I know about the TF’s head gasket problems still fancy one though.

knight2:
After many, many years of motor biking I am considering selling the bike and buying a car but one that will be a hobby as well and a mini was one of the cars I was thinking of, along with a MG TF ( wife would prefer a midget) and a Smart for 2 since I found out the 84 bhp model can be remapped to 100 bhp.
By the way I know about the TF’s head gasket problems still fancy one though.

Can’t go wrong with a mini very simple wee yokes and very easy and cheap to get parts for

knight2:
After many, many years of motor biking I am considering selling the bike and buying a car but one that will be a hobby as well and a mini was one of the cars I was thinking of, along with a MG TF ( wife would prefer a midget) and a Smart for 2 since I found out the 84 bhp model can be remapped to 100 bhp.
By the way I know about the TF’s head gasket problems still fancy one though.

Early mx5 a good choice cheap good fun and very good supourt for parts and modifying

Thanks for the replies, this is a big thing for me after all these years as a biker. I should have mentioned as all our holidays have been touring on the bike what ever I buy we may take touring in Europe.

The reason the Lotus Esprit was never crushed is probably because there isn’t much of a market for crushed fibreglass!

LOTUS=lots of trouble usually serious!

I’d love a 2 door Avenger. Bet there’s none left.

Off to eBay now

EDIT. Only one 4 door on there, nice but not 6.5k nice

DVLA has a link, ‘‘How many are left’’, maybe you can find a 2 door avenger or plymouth cricket!!!

I know what you’re gonna say-----just google plymouth cricket!

knight2:
Thanks for the replies, this is a big thing for me after all these years as a biker. I should have mentioned as all our holidays have been touring on the bike what ever I buy we may take touring in Europe.

How much are you looking to spend and what type of car