4 seat convertible classic?

RobAMerc

Helping a friend choose a classic, anyone any thoughts on what would be a desirable 4 seater drop head classic ?

Not keen on the Stag or Herald suggested so far.

Anything else ? Affordable is the only other prerequisite.

Ta Rob

Dades

Have thought about this since the arrival of my nipper!

My SL (107) has a fairly decent back seat. An older Merc might have bigger space in the back, like a 280 SE or something. Undoubtedly over budget tho!

Newer, but a BMW E30 has plenty of room...

tc20

classic as in over 30?

Triumph - is it the Dolly or the Herald (or maybe both) that had drop-top versions?

Beetles - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1066815.htm

or something more modern -

Audi - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/903084.htm

Saab 900 - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/1053238.htm

Blue850

A Mk1 Golf, early ones are over 30 years old

Dades

tc20 wrote: »

Audi - http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/903084.htm

Yum! Love that.

gfwd

E21 BMW 3 series?

I wonder how long it'll be before someone mentions some type of Merc. :rolleyes:

Dades

gfwd wrote: »

I wonder how long it'll be before someone mentions some type of Merc. :rolleyes:

If you actually read the thread you'd see it took about 19 minutes.

Merl1n

A posche 911 has rear seats

starbelgrade

You can beat the Jaguar XJS Convertible V12 Four Seater Convertible for sheer style...

PaulK_CCI

If you have a huge budget at your disposal :
- Mercedes W111 series
- Jensen Interceptor
- Roller - Bentley
- Citroen DS Convertible..

Interesting alternative and slightly 'cheaper' options, although most will also be well into the 10k+:
- Peugeot 504 Convertible !!!
- Beetle Convertible
- Ford Mustang convertible, and a lot other sixties/seventies American classics
- Fiat made a few lovely convertibles in the fifites and sixties
- BMW 2002 Bauer, although technically this is a Targa
- Saab 900 Convertible (though not tax free in Ireland yet)

Dades

starbelgrade wrote: »

You can beat the Jaguar XJS Convertible V12 Four Seater Convertible for sheer style...

I was in the back of one of those recently, although the rear seats are aesthetically pleasing - there ain't much in the way of legroom! Still better than most others, though.

RobAMerc

thanks for the replies lads - but would need to be 30+ yo and half decent to drive - beetle = no no !

Rob

gfwd

If you actually read the thread you'd see it took about 19 minutes.

Oops, sorry. Must 'actually' read more carefully next time.

chiefwiggum

mk 1 golf is great to drive ..hard to find one over 30 thats not stupid money though...heres mine

RobAMerc

chiefwiggum wrote: »

mk 1 golf is great to drive ..hard to find one over 30 thats not stupid money though...heres mine

Absolute beauty - I know the Golf would be a hoot I am a big fan of the MK1 GTI - but the 30+ ones would be a little more sedate.

The Lancia Flamina would be one I can think of but I could never recommend a Lancia having experience with one before myself.

PaulK_CCI

when you mention Lancia Flaminia, which by the way is a very rare, and thus very expensive car, I can't help re-suggesting the Peugeot 504 Convertible, because in my mind this is a very pretty and very practical car, combining the rugged reliabile running gear of the Peugeot 504 (the nr 2 choice of export to the African countries, because it's such a rugged and reliable car) with the beauty of a Pininfarina design... And it's a fairly well proportioned fout seater, for a convertible...
Just to jog the memory, here's one currently for sale here in Holland for around 12k....

G Luxel

A Cadillac Eldorado convertible up to 1976.........and again from 1983, maybe the Allante ,but Eldorados are very large and have an 8.2 litre engine.....

Ballykine43

Great post. Can't help feling Robamerc is playing here and really setting us a challenge.
30 year old and affordable convertible 4 seater, and he begins by wiping out the Herald and Stag, probably the commonest and most affordable survivors of the era. Then the Beetle. So we are moving into rare territory. Early Golf... hardly affordable, but possibly too sedate. Morris Minor wasn't lighting many bulbs. American /affordable? And the Mercs didn't seem to excite him either. Ralf Nader had been doing too much shouting about the dangers of convertibles and almost killed the concept. Apart from that the UK and world generally were deep in recession, there was an oil crisis. People were buying basics and the UK manufacturers were going to the wall, producing beauties like the Marina and Allegro. (But almost unbelievably Crayfords did an Allegro convertible for big bucks!)

Saab who apparently sold more convertibles than anyone else in this part of the world only launched the 900 in the 80s

Convertibles beyond that become a rarity from this part of the world. A few Astras or Escorts. Some even older Rootes group like the Sunbeam Rapier, even older Ford Consuls, but if theMk 1 Golf was rated sedate these are in a deep sleep.
Early BMW targa tops didn't get a response either.

Other continentals are rare here.
Not much left. Although something like the convertible 1960s Skoda convertible that you can rent by the day in Prague might have a strange attraction.

Excitement, and barely affordable but a bit rare ... Morgan 4x4 (and its not a jeep).

Available, affordable and with a bit of go.. Triumph Vitesse Mk2 -95bhp straight 6.

Come on Robamerc, give us a clue, what's nearest so far.

RobAMerc

well said -

BMW 2002 would defo get a shout in.
The Peugeot 504 is a beaut also and worth considering although I am sure they are fairly rare at this point.
Golf I have looked in to before there are a few about that will hit 30 in the next year or so - so not totally out of the picture. Found a lovely one on gumtree believe it or not and cheap.
Yank tank - no thanks.

Your right, I am hard to please alright ! But you've twiddled my interest with the Vitesse, its a little less sedate than the Herald at least.

btw the Morgan is called a 4/4 - not 4*4, this may stop the confusion ( I have an interest, my soon to be born son is going to be named after it ) ( not 4/4 )

peasant

I know, you said no Beetle ...but as a cabrio is a bit of a "fun" vehicle anyway, why not go "off the wall" ?



http://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/showDetails.html?id=117448215&__lp=1&scopeId=C&sortOption.sortBy=price.consumerGrossEuro&sortOption.sortOrder=ASCENDING&makeModelVariant1.makeId=25200&makeModelVariant1.modelId=2&makeModelVariant1.searchInFreetext=false&makeModelVariant2.searchInFreetext=false&makeModelVariant3.searchInFreetext=false&vehicleCategory=Car&segment=Car&maxFirstRegistrationDate=1975-12-31&minPrice=5000&maxPrice=10001&siteId=GERMANY&negativeFeatures=EXPORT&damageUnrepaired=NO_DAMAGE_UNREPAIRED&export=NO_EXPORT&customerIdsAsString=&categories=Cabrio&lang=en&pageNumber=1

and if that hasn't put you off yet, you could take it one further

http://suchen.mobile.de/fahrzeuge/showDetails.html?id=38437809&__lp=1&scopeId=C&sortOption.sortBy=price.consumerGrossEuro&sortOption.sortOrder=ASCENDING&makeModelVariant1.makeId=24200&makeModelVariant1.modelId=1&makeModelVariant1.searchInFreetext=false&makeModelVariant2.searchInFreetext=false&makeModelVariant3.searchInFreetext=false&vehicleCategory=Car&segment=Car&maxFirstRegistrationDate=1975-12-31&minPrice=5000&maxPrice=10001&siteId=GERMANY&negativeFeatures=EXPORT&damageUnrepaired=NO_DAMAGE_UNREPAIRED&export=NO_EXPORT&customerIdsAsString=&categories=Cabrio&lang=en&pageNumber=1

Johnboy Mac

As already mentioned, a R107 Mercedes SL seems a very obvious candidate.

1971-'80 came with 3.5/3.8/4.5 & 5.0lt versions all with lovely V8's (the 500SL was early '80 iirc, so not 30 just yet). I think there may been a 2.8 (280) too. Good to very good range in price from sort of £6-12K stg and more for the later 300/500's from approx '85-'86 on. Great build quality excellent auto boxes, the same for engines and plenty of style.
Just beware of Rust.
Another plus point, there always seems to be a ready market and prices have been on the increase in recent years (top notch late cars making £30K plus), so that should be good news when time comes to sell.

Good luck.

MercMad

Johnboy Mac wrote: »

As already mentioned, a R107 Mercedes SL seems a very obvious candidate.

1971-'80 came with 3.5/3.8/4.5 & 5.0lt versions all with lovely V8's (the 500SL was early '80 iirc, so not 30 just yet). I think there may been a 2.8 (280) too. Good to very good range in price from sort of £6-12K stg and more for the later 300/500's from approx '85-'86 on. Great build quality excellent auto boxes, the same for engines and plenty of style.
Just beware of Rust.
Another plus point, there always seems to be a ready market and prices have been on the increase in recent years (top notch late cars making £30K plus), so that should be good news when time comes to sell.

Good luck.

................but a W107 SL is not really a 4 seater though. You could fit kids into the back but not if the were over 8 years of age. also most W107's do not even have the rear seat option fitted, just a cargo space.

Mmmm its a tough choice, and I'm not sure of the earlier suggestions and cant be bothered to re-read but I'll shout the obvious ones, Beetle,Minor,BMW '02,BMW E21,Pug 304/504,Golf, 2CV ??

We really were short on drop tops in the 70's, would a targa/T-bar do ?

Anan1

RobAMerc wrote: »

The Lancia Flamina would be one I can think of but I could never recommend a Lancia having experience with one before myself.

How about a Flavia? Lancia engineering was top-notch in the 60s, a good one should be a pleasure to own.

http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-page.php/carno/61892

RobAMerc

peasant - thanks - but I meant a bit of fun to drive - my mates not in the game of providing fun for others to point and laugh !

The R107 would be a bit small - the rear seats are a bit of a joke to be fair.

RobAMerc

Anan1 wrote: »

How about a Flavia? Lancia engineering was top-notch in the 60s, a good one should be a pleasure to own.

http://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/classic-car-page.php/carno/61892

A serious contender if it was for myself ( I nearly bought one to restore a few years back ) - I just cannot recommend a Lancia to a friend - that is a wound I have that won't heal quickly.

Blitzkrieger

4 seats and 4 doors.

Don't let the fact that they're called suicide doors put you off putting kids in the back

shagman

Reliant GTC???
Started in 1980 so you'd have to wait a while before re-registering / importing.



http://www.sporting-reliants.com/Scimitar%20SE8b.htm

RobAMerc

shagman wrote: »

Reliant GTC???
Started in 1980 so you'd have to wait a while before re-registering / importing.

Didn't even know they existed to be honest ! Good call.

Anyone know what they are like to drive ?

V6 means it will make the right noises at least !

Anan1

RobAMerc wrote: »

A serious contender if it was for myself ( I nearly bought one to restore a few years back ) - I just cannot recommend a Lancia to a friend - that is a wound I have that won't heal quickly.

Sometimes it helps to talk about these things?

Johnboy Mac

RobAMerc wrote: »

The R107 would be a bit small - the rear seats are a bit of a joke to be fair.

Yeah, true. I thought kids were orignially mentioned somewhere in the post. Anyway I reckon you have your work cut out to the right car i.e 30+ years old within a reasonable budget. If your willing to go down the L/H/D route it may open more possibilities. Maybe a Yank tank.

Kevin_Herron

RobAMerc wrote: »

A serious contender if it was for myself ( I nearly bought one to restore a few years back ) - I just cannot recommend a Lancia to a friend - that is a wound I have that won't heal quickly.

As a Lancia owner myself I would highly recommend them, although all cars of this era would have their shortcomings.

I think something more mainstream would suit such as Mercedes or alternatively I'd go American.
They are not overly expensive to buy, cheap to maintain, very reliable, drive well etc.
And wont cost you a fortune to buy parts which are readily available.

Ballykine43

Robamerc
The Morgan I was suggesting is a four seater. Friend has one. He tells me the 4, 4-4, and 4/4 were normally two seaters but from time to time Morgan made four seater versions and put an extra 4 on the tail to signify a four seater. In the new lineup if is simply a Morgan 4 seater. No sane father would put his child in it. It is definitely not sedate. 15K would get a decent one.

shagman

I have a 72 SE5a (GTE estate) which was my daily driver. Lot's of torque and a sporty drive, the later version SE6 which the GTC is based on is more of a motorway than a backroads car as it's little bigger. Ford engine + fibreglass body means maintenance is relatively straightforward and the parts suppliers are excellant. Do some research and if you like what you see buy through the club (RSSOC).

http://www.scimitarweb.com/

http://www.scimitarweb.com/links/index.php

RobAMerc wrote: »

Didn't even know they existed to be honest ! Good call.

Anyone know what they are like to drive ?

V6 means it will make the right noises at least !

RobAMerc

Anan1 wrote: »

Sometimes it helps to talk about these things?

Kevin_Herron wrote: »

As a Lancia owner myself I would highly recommend them, although all cars of this era would have their shortcomings.

Don't get me wrong - I am wild about Lancia - (well up till recent monstrosities anyway). But I had a Fulvia some years back which took every penny I earned - chewed it up and came back for more ( to be fair most mechanics were baffled by it - they were light years from the Fiestas they were used to )

Ballykine43 wrote: »

Robamerc
The Morgan I was suggesting is a four seater. Friend has one. He tells me the 4, 4-4, and 4/4 were normally two seaters but from time to time Morgan made four seater versions and put an extra 4 on the tail to signify a four seater. In the new lineup if is simply a Morgan 4 seater. No sane father would put his child in it. It is definitely not sedate. 15K would get a decent one.

Thanks for the info - I must read up a bit more on them.

NEVCC

I came across this and at £850 its hard to pass. Mind you I’m going to have to sell some before I can get any more .
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C98365/

Blue850

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C19851/

RobAMerc

NEVCC wrote: »

I came across this and at £850 its hard to pass. Mind you I’m going to have to sell some before I can get any more .
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C98365/

A much cleaner looking one than that went on ebay for €1900 last week. Unfortunately its only a 2 seater though.
They does seem to be a few of them about and if I was buying one for the missus I can't imagine a car that says French Chic more - but alas it need 4 seats and a bit of chest hair ( brings us back to the Stag again doesn't it )

PaulK_CCI

RobAMerc wrote: »

A much cleaner looking one than that went on ebay for €1900 last week. Unfortunately its only a 2 seater though.
They does seem to be a few of them about and if I was buying one for the missus I can't imagine a car that says French Chic more - but alas it need 4 seats and a bit of chest hair ( brings us back to the Stag again doesn't it )

or a 504 !!!!

Blue850

This what you need, one of the dozen or so Crayford W123s. There was one on carzone a couple of years ago for about €10k, wonder where it is now?

MercMad

Blue850 wrote: »

This what you need, one of the dozen or so Crayford W123s. There was one on carzone a couple of years ago for about €10k, wonder where it is now?

.................I saw it at .......emm, Terenure I think it was, cant quite recall. It was around the time it was on Carzone, not sure if the seller or buyer had it.

It wasn't that impressive, certainly not Mercedes design and build and would be okay for hotter climes where only occasional showers occured.Not really a useable classic in this country IMO and it appeared to need quite a few rubber trims and seals which of course are made from unobtainium !

blarneyone

old series Landy ..... Can take it to 7 seater no bother... An a V8 can fair shift.... Just don't go near any corners... Haha

lu1980

i go for the bmw e30 top

Ballykine43

lu1980 wrote: »

i go for the bmw e30 top

Three years yet to make it a 30+.

Did you buy yet Rob-a Merc?

You know you want a Stag. Especially when very good Stags are selling at well lowered prices and runners are very affordable.

We have a few folk in the club here (not me) who are seriously considering selling.