Reliant, Scimitar GTE, any good?

CamperMan

I have my eye on a Scimitar GTE, are they any good, any of you own one?

corktina

yeah great donor car fro a Cortina..overdrive gearbox too usually...

carchaeologist

corktina wrote: »

yeah great donor car fro a Cortina..overdrive gearbox too usually...

Snap,i was gonna say capri though..:p

CamperMan

are you trying to say that they are only suitable as donors for cortina's & capri's

carchaeologist

Just joking,they arent really my favourite car.They have fibreglass bodies and ford running gear,so i would imagine it would be easy to run and maintain.

CamperMan

i want something cheap, easy to maintain, comfortable, quick, ... it's a toss up between one of these or an mg b gt.....

superboy

I feckin LOVE these!!! Great bargain IMO, for what they are. Mechanical issues not really present as they are"powered by Ford." Some bits (esp trim) are hard to come by. Chassis condition is crucial. (So climb under it!!!) other than that check the body for crazing/cracks before you part with cash.
Good Luck with the purchase!!!!:)

CamperMan

I don't spend big money on classic cars, less than 2k a time, I buy them just for the fun of it, nice to drive and easy to fix, I have a range rover classic and an mg midget

Whosbetter?

Range Rover classic, nice. Often thought about buying one o them.

CamperMan

Whosbetter? wrote: »

Range Rover classic, nice. Often thought about buying one o them.

ye, I have always liked them, love the V8 ones but they drink petrol like a pisshead in a brewery so I have the 200 TDi one

corktina

i was joshing too...I kin love em, saw one in 1968 in the showroom and drooled all over the showroom window.....check the chassis carefully in case of rot...

macplaxton

A nice car for the money. Beware of the dogs out there.

bo-bo

cracking car, used to own one myself - an se6a.

all the above advice is sound - make sure the o/d unit works though, its a few hundred euro a pop to replace.

electrics can be a problem due to poor earthing, trunions need regular greasing and window seals are a bit of a problem to get hold of.

my personal preference is for the essex engined variants rather than the later cologne models.

you can find great support at http://www.scimitarweb.com

best of luck

Max_Damage

Doesn't some guy on here have one? I think his name is 'Shagman' or something.

S.I.R

CamperMan wrote: »

i want something cheap, easy to maintain, comfortable, quick, ... it's a toss up between one of these or an mg b gt.....

get the gte, dont waste your time with a rusty mg :rolleyes:

corktina

S.I.R wrote: »

get the gte, dont waste your time with a rusty mg :rolleyes:

dead right...quote from Friends " How cool are we!"

dutchcat

S.I.R wrote: »

get the gte, dont waste your time with a rusty mg :rolleyes:

+1 MG [more grief]

S.I.R

literally just after getting a text of a mate/dealer....


if your looking for british classics germany/north france is a Very safe bet... he'll be going over next weekend to grab a capri so AFAIK its goingto be 1k less then british prices ( 2kish less then irish )


Grab em while their cheap boys and girls. ( wait.... girls don't drive classics )

Run_to_da_hills

Avoid them in black,

They could easily be mistaken for a hearse.

CamperMan

is it a big job to fix a faulty overdrive on one of these?

CamperMan

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Avoid them in black,

They could easily be mistaken for a hearse.

they look nothing like a hearse.. not even in black.. now... I would not mind the one shown in the above pic... very nice.

this one is the one I want but slightly out of my budget.. £3400 ono



what about this one on PistonHeads for £1500??

dutchcat

forgot how much i liked these cars,think im gonna get me one,now look what u started:pac:.......diggin out practical classics

Run_to_da_hills

dutchcat wrote: »

forgot how much i liked these cars,think im gonna get me one,now look what u started:pac:.......diggin out practical classics

Do you remember that one in Myrtle park in the 80ies, I used to get a lift into tech in it.

CamperMan

unfortunately after counting all my loose change up and contacting the seller of this fine Scimitar.... it's sold! :mad:



Not fussed on the red one, the later ones look far better.....

dutchcat

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

Do you remember that one in Myrtle park in the 80ies, I used to get a lift into tech in it.

remember it well, he had 2 of them greedy git:pac:

dutchcat

CamperMan wrote: »

unfortunately after counting all my loose change up and contacting the seller of this fine Scimitar.... it's sold! :mad:



Not fussed on the red one, the later ones look far better.....

theres a few on evil bay at the mo

CamperMan

look at the state of this one on ebay

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=250364179733

S.I.R

CamperMan wrote: »

unfortunately after counting all my loose change up and contacting the seller of this fine Scimitar.... it's sold! :mad:



Not fussed on the red one, the later ones look far better.....

them ford wheels look rather well on it also...

just needs a slightly darker interior...

Nice rpactical motor either way...

will pick one up in the years to come should the oppertunity arrise ( and they normally do )

MercMad

Ford wheels ??

Where ?

MorrisCooper

Kevin O'Riordan near Fermoy, Co. Cork is a bit of a guru on them and has several at his garage. He's also into stuff like early Saab turbos and Citroen XMs

I can PM you his number if you want to talk Scimitars with him.

Billy

Blue850

Anyone else think they should have made the rear side windows bigger, continue line the from the front windows more horizontally

CamperMan

Blue850 wrote: »

Anyone else think they should have made the rear side windows bigger, continue line the from the front windows more horizontally

NO!!... I like the design of these, the sides look good and so does the front, the only thing that spoils it, it the big glass tailgate..

carchaeologist

CamperMan wrote: »

NO!!... I like the design of these, the sides look good and so does the front, the only thing that spoils it, it the big glass tailgate..

I just cant make myself like them whatever way i look at them,the styling doesnt sit at all right in my eyes.

CamperMan

carchaeologist wrote: »

I just cant make myself like them whatever way i look at them,the styling doesnt sit at all right in my eyes.

obviously there are cars out there that make you drool, but I can't afford those sorts of cars... (Aston Martin, Porsche, Maserati, De Tomaso, Alfa Romeo....) , this was made by the same crowd that made the awful 3 wheeler, so coming from them, the Scimitar is pretty good... I prefer the design of this over a Ford Capri, Opel Manta or a similar type of sports/hatch of that period....

Max_Damage

carchaeologist wrote: »

I just cant make myself like them whatever way i look at them,the styling doesnt sit at all right in my eyes.

To be honest, they do look better than Reliant's other sick creations:

carchaeologist

Max_Damage wrote: »

To be honest, they do look better than Reliant's other sick creations:

Ha,yes indeed!:D

macplaxton

CamperMan wrote: »

this was made by the same crowd that made the awful 3 wheeler,

Max_Damage wrote: »

To be honest, they do look better than Reliant's other sick creations:

carchaeologist wrote: »

Ha,yes indeed!:D

Right youse three, outside, NOW!

carchaeologist

macplaxton wrote: »

Right youse three, outside, NOW!

:oJust joking,my old man would kill me for dissing the three wheeler,he had a Regal van many moons ago,and the mother turned it up on its side ah la the mr Bean programmes when she was learning to drive...:p
It was very similar to this one..

carchaeologist

Sorry for thread hijacking,but iv just looked down through that guys flickr album and saw this....:eek::(

How sad is that....:(

CamperMan

carchaeologist wrote: »

Sorry for thread hijacking,but iv just looked down through that guys flickr album and saw this....:eek::(

How sad is that....:(

not sad at all... it's hilarious

Kevin_Herron

HAHAHAHA!!!
Brilliant!

A friend of mine was a mechanic in the Corporation back in the 80's (some of you may remember the corporation had these vans) and was called out to a break down somewhere in the city centre.
As far as I remember they went out in a bin lorry, couldnt solve the problem on the side of the road so they decided to tow the 3 wheeler back to the garage.
When the lads got into the bin lorry they decided to have a bit of craic with the lad steering the Reliant behind them and proceeded to drive like lunatics around town just to frighten him!

Eventually there were cars flashing lights beeping horns and pedestrians with jaws on the ground pointing at them.
They pulled over and found the Reliant on its side!
They had pulled it along for ages without realising! Some sight.

CamperMan

Kevin_Herron wrote: »

HAHAHAHA!!!
Brilliant!

A friend of mine was a mechanic in the Corporation back in the 80's (some of you may remember the corporation had these vans) and was called out to a break down somewhere in the city centre.
As far as I remember they went out in a bin lorry, couldnt solve the problem on the side of the road so they decided to tow the 3 wheeler back to the garage.
When the lads got into the bin lorry they decided to have a bit of craic with the lad steering the Reliant behind them and proceeded to drive like lunatics around town just to frighten him!

Eventually there were cars flashing lights beeping horns and pedestrians with jaws on the ground pointing at them.
They pulled over and found the Reliant on its side!
They had pulled it along for ages without realising! Some sight.

you don't even need to be towed by a garbage truck to get one of these things on their sides... have you driven one.. I tried one and never again....

how did we end up talking about these sh!tters.... back to the Scimitar... I have one now, getting it on Sunday.

CamperMan

carchaeologist wrote: »

Sorry for thread hijacking,but iv just looked down through that guys flickr album and saw this....:eek::(

How sad is that....:(

I wonder how much the insurance paid out on that................ £1?

Kevin_Herron

CamperMan wrote: »

you don't even need to be towed by a garbage truck to get one of these things on their sides... have you driven one.. I tried one and never again....

how did we end up talking about these sh!tters.... back to the Scimitar... I have one now, getting it on Sunday.

Never driven one, I've driven a Bond Bug, cant imagine they are much different!!

macplaxton

carchaeologist wrote: »

Sorry for thread hijacking,but iv just looked down through that guys flickr album and saw this....:eek::(

How sad is that....:(

Elvis was (still is) very gutted about the incident. A lot of time and effort went into restoring that Supervan III. (and featured in a book on restoring Reliant Regals)

Back to Scimitars or should I say older vehicles in general (and especially if they have GRP bodies). Make sure the fuel lines and connectors are kept in A1 condition, as fires can turn your pride and joy into a charred wreck in a few minutes.

CamperMan wrote: »

I wonder how much the insurance paid out on that................ £1?

£3000, actually.

carchaeologist

Kevin_Herron wrote: »

.
They pulled over and found the Reliant on its side!
They had pulled it along for ages without realising! Some sight.

No thats something i would like to see a pic of!!:p:p

Max_Damage

carchaeologist wrote: »

Sorry for thread hijacking,but iv just looked down through that guys flickr album and saw this....:eek::(

How sad is that....:(

The vehicle details for UWX 875L are:

Date of Liability 01 03 2009
Date of First Registration 04 01 1973
Year of Manufacture 1972
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 700CC
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type Petrol
Export Marker Not Applicable
Vehicle Status Licence Not Due
Vehicle Colour TURQUOISE
Vehicle Type Approval null

Still has 2 months tax left on it!

CamperMan

carchaeologist wrote: »

No thats something i would like to see a pic of!!:p:p

Max_Damage

My cousin has an '84 Reliant Rialto, and the engine bay caught fire not long ago after a leak in the petrol line, causing petrol to go all over the exhaust manifold. Luckily he put the fire out just in time before it burnt the whole car to the ground (and the shed it was in too).

What exactly caused that blue Regal to go up in flames?

EDIT: Nevermind, I found the article.

carchaeologist

Max_Damage wrote: »

What exactly caused that blue Regal to go up in flames?

I think it was petrol too...

carchaeologist

macplaxton wrote: »

Elvis was (still is) very gutted about the incident. A lot of time and effort went into restoring that Supervan III.

I bet it did,thats why i said it was sad,reliant or not it was still a car that took lots of time and effort to make as good as it was.
Just read this.. http://www.3wheelers.com/uwx875l21a.html