Aspiring motorist

PeadarofAodh

Hi there,
Not sure if this is in the wrong forum but I'll blast away! I have no experience of driving, am 20 years old and up until now have been getting around on a bike. Over the last couple of weeks I've been toying around with an old Mercedes SLK that's been rotting away outside the family home for the last 9 years without moving. Having no experience of engines, getting a completely seized up 3.8 litre going is pretty much an impossibility, but the last couple of weeks has got me interested.

I was thinking about buying a functional banger that I could toy with but that would also be practical for getting around. Where would people suggest I start? Are particular models more suitable, eg: cheaper spare parts, more reliable, less complex etc?

Many thanks

seamus

I may be shot for saying this here, but if you're interested in tinkering about with old bangers and getting to know engines, then perhaps get yourself an old Vespa, with a view to doing it up.
Bikes on the whole are less complicated than cars and easier to tinker with - you and a mate could probably remove and replace a bike engine on your own, whereas a car engine is way harder. The sheer number of components and wiring in a car also makes it more complex.

I say a vespa, because there are tonnes of people out there who can help you with advice and tonnes of new and customised parts around. You should be able to pick up a wrecked one for next to nothing and fix it up good and proper.
Also, tinkering about with a four-stroke bike engine will give you the basics and the expertise you can rely on if/when you move onto a car engine. They're bigger and a little more complex, but the fundamentals are the same.

PeadarofAodh

I'd be getting the car for it's use as well as to play with so would rather not get a scooter - i'd just use my bike if that were the case. When I say banger I don't mean really old banger, just something that's cheap and reliable - like a ford escort or the like

Esel

seamus, Vespa use 2-stroke engines, no?

Cionád

Whats your budget OP?

How about an old Almera http://www.carzone.ie/used-cars/Nissan/Almera/1.4-GX/1020562/

Reliable and the engine is handy to tinker about with. I have a diesel one

Steve

^^+1

how much do you want to spend?

It's most definitely a buyers market now so you should have no problem picking up a bargain.

PeadarofAodh

I've actually found a '72 MG BGT for ~€1800 which I'd be very interested in - me and a mate going halves on it so it should be good fun! Anyone have any experience of working on something like this? Any suggestions?

I saw there's an AA service where they go and check the car out, report any faults with it. Considering the car's not in Dublin I thought this would be a good option?

Tails142

You say you wanna fix it up with a view to using it... have you looked into how much your insurance will be on a 3.8 with a provisional =D and 1.4k road tax a year too

seamus

esel wrote: »

seamus, Vespa use 2-stroke engines, no?

Some are 4-stroke afaik, haven't looked much into it.

PeadarofAodh

Tails142 wrote: »

You say you wanna fix it up with a view to using it... have you looked into how much your insurance will be on a 3.8 with a provisional =D and 1.4k road tax a year too

Yes. I do hope to be able to use it. As far as I know it's a 1.8, I don't plan on driving it until I have a full licence. You'll also find that as a classic car it's exempt from road tax...=D

The Real B-man

Motorbike Forum lads

Get something Japanese to mess around on like a old civic or starlet, micra

PeadarofAodh

Think I'm fixed on my old MG plan, old cars look so much nicer! (More hassle I know, but that part doesn't bother me!)

Eoin

PeadarofAodh wrote: »

Think I'm fixed on my old MG plan, old cars look so much nicer! (More hassle I know, but that part doesn't bother me!)

Check out the classic cars forum as well so. You may have problems insuring a classic at your age. Although insurance has gone down considerably for young males in the last 5 years or so, getting insured on anything could be the most expensive part of your plan. Get quotes before you look at any cars.