Acomplete newbie wanting some daycent advice

dazey

I lust after several classic cars ...maybe the types shout unashamedly 'I don't know about classic cars'. But aesthetically I melt. I wouldn't mind an MG Midget or a mini, just not a clubman.

When I look at new cars I just grimmace and think about how many superb classic cars could have been bought. Sigh ... :rolleyes:

Anywho my biggest obstacle standing in the way of me buying one of these beauties is not knowing that much about cars except how to drive them

Now the main worry is that they will break down every two minutes. It takes me an hour to get to work every morning. Any pointers??

jimbobjones40

Really the most important advice I think you need at this stage is either:

Bring someone with specialist knowledge about the particular model your interested in as it's very important that they know the problem areas of each model.

Or if your willing to invest that little bit extra and buy from a dealer (like myself ) and get a warranty. Most classic car dealers can source whatever make and model you want.

Bigus

You need to start with one as a second car at least, so you won't be depending on it.

Unless you can tinker with them its not going to be economically viable unless a friendly mechanic lives next door.

What you don't see in internet pictures is Classic's can
Smell of damp,
Be rotten where you can't see Rot
Structurally dangerous
Have bad brakes
Bad in a crash
Easy to steal withoout a key
Unreliable
Have poor sound systems

And could be reffered to by some people as SCRAP, possibly correctly

So dive in and enjoy its like an apartment in spain it will bring you joy on the day you buy and more on the day you get rid of it .

mountai

As you admit you know nothing about cars,then expecting to get a classic for everyday use,is being naive IMHO. I would also suggest that any car you might buy, would have a current NCT, or, if a recent import, then an MOT.Bigus"s suggestion makes a lot of sense to me.

firefly08

Anywho my biggest obstacle standing in the way of me buying one of these beauties is not knowing that much about cars except how to drive them

The question is, are you prepared to overcome that obstacle? If you're willing to learn and get your hands oily then there is no reason not to go for it. But I'd be very reluctant to own an old car and be relying on someone else completely to maintain it!

I'd take Bigus's advice and make it a 2nd car for the time being at least. Then start doing simple maintenance jobs yourself, and building a collection of tools as you go. The good news is that a lot of older cars are simpler in design, and there is no warranty to maintain, so you can learn to do a lot yourself that you wouldn't do on a new car.

Justjens

Bigus wrote: »

What you don't see in internet pictures is Classic's can
Smell of damp,
Be rotten where you can't see Rot
Structurally dangerous
Have bad brakes
Bad in a crash
Easy to steal withoout a key
Unreliable
Have poor sound systems

And have sh!te heaters

Go with Bigus's advice and have one as a second car, otherwise you will be late for work, frequently

RobAMerc

I would echo everything above, however I would suggest an MX5 - its already a classic in all but age, it's brilliant and it shouldn't give much trouble if you buy a good one.

saabsaab

Hi,

I have owned several classics as daily drivers over the years. If you buy right they are not unreliable. My modern car is less reliable that any classic I had. Having said that I was able to service the classic myself (easy if you have a yard/space to do so). My recommendations would be, in no particular order, Rover P6 (£1,000 to £3,000), MGB GT same money, VW beetle a bit more. Bring a mechanic to give a good look over and get MOT if from UK.

dharn

So dive in and enjoy its like an apartment in spain it will bring you joy on the day you buy and more on the day you get rid of it .[/QUOTE]

love that part of your advice