What is the Best Classic Car to buy in Ireland

Morlock

Hi all , I never bought a classic car before and I need to leverage any of you guys for your experience on this , I am looking for at car that is a realistic car here in Ireland , we have crap weather most of the time, I don't have a dry storage area to park it in, so it outside covered in a drive way.

I have always wanted one from the list
(a) A Ford Capri
(b) Ford Cortina Mark 3
(c) Ford Granada mk1 coupe

I want to know what big regrets you have found while owning a Classic ? or are there any big problems , is it all just fun

johnos1984

If you have no storage for keeping the car and servicing the car in I just wouldn't get one. While I love classic cars they need constant attention

MugMugs

Would you not be better asking The Classic Cars forum?

I'd go for the Capri hands down. Awesome machines...

johnos1984

MugMugs wrote: »

I'd go for the Capri hands down. Awesome machines...

I wouldn't go for any of them. Too common. The point of a classic car is to have something different to everything else. Most of the classics scene is filled with Fords

MugMugs

johnos1984 wrote: »

I wouldn't go for any of them. Too common. The point of a classic car is to have something different to everything else. Most of the classics scene is filled with Fords

I couldn't care less if it's classic or not. I've wanted to drive my very own Capri, Wear Aviators, Listen to Creedence and smoke fags with the sun shining and windows open since I was sucking on a teat.

I was born in the wrong era

johnos1984

MugMugs wrote: »

I couldn't care less if it's classic or not. I've wanted to drive my very own Capri, Wear Aviators, Listen to Creedence and smoke fags with the sun shining and windows open since I was sucking on a teat.

pretty much what I did in the SD1 on a Saturday

MugMugs

johnos1984 wrote: »

pretty much what I did in the SD1 on a Saturday

Thought you sold that?

johnos1984

MugMugs wrote: »

johnos1984 wrote: »

pretty much what I did in the SD1 on a Saturday

Thought you sold that?

Hence why I referred to it in the past tense lol

MugMugs

johnos1984 wrote: »

Hence why I referred to it in the past tense lol

missed the a in "....on a Saturday"

Fords from that era will be fond of rusting.

colm_mcm

Moved to Classic Cars, duplicate thread binned

johnos1984

RoverJames wrote: »

Fords from that era will be fond of rusting.

Everything from that era rusts it's just a matter of how much and where

johnos1984

johnos1984 wrote: »

Everything from that era rusts it's just a matter of how much and where

I reckon the fords would rust more than the likes of a 70s or early 80s Merc , I am aware that cars from that era are prone to rusting.

johnos1984

RoverJames wrote: »

johnos1984 wrote: »

Everything from that era rusts it's just a matter of how much and where

I reckon the fords would rust more than the likes of a 70s or early 80s Merc , I am aware that cars from that era are prone to rusting.

Merc panels are fine but underneath they can disintegrate badly

carchaeologist

If you like it buy it, don't buy a car because you think it might fit in with a certain crowd or look 'cool'.
None of my cars are particularly desirable but I don't care! **** the begrudgers!:D
I'd have much more time for a diehard enthusiast running a ratty Morris Marina on peanuts to give an example than a guy with say a mint Porsche and a bucket of cash to run it that only comes out on dry days.

Blue850

Looking at the OP's list, how about a Reliant Scimitar, fibreglass bodywork, Ford mechanicals.

Tigger

tomorrow i'll be taking the bimmer to work
she's at least 170bhp and thats a big straight six bhp not weak ass bhp
20mpg tax an insurance are practically free
makes me happy



am i biased? too right i am
but we all are; buy what you like

argosy2006

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mercedes-Benz-300sd-Turbo-diesel-1979-/130674917383?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item1e6cd50007

better off buying over seas
Who go halfs with me on this

shawnee

Tigger wrote: »

tomorrow i'll be taking the bimmer to work
she's at least 170bhp and thats a big straight six bhp not weak ass bhp
20mpg tax an insurance are practically free
makes me happy



am i biased? too right i am
but we all are; buy what you like

Beatiful car and the economics aren't bad either ,,enjoy it

Pdfile

i'd of thought older vw are the best to buuy as their popular but then again their are Alot of choices...

and as time goes on it makes me mad that im not currently either fixing or driving anything really classic but theirs nothing unique enough up as ill need to upgrade Very soon...

Henry Ford III

Blue850 wrote: »

Looking at the OP's list, how about a Reliant Scimitar, fibreglass bodywork, Ford mechanicals.

Chassis rusts and they have dicky electrics. The Essex v6 is great though.

dr.fuzzenstein

Classic cars and parked in the drive will only result in a heap of rust.
Thousands of people bought classic cars from the UK, brought them over here and parked them in the drive. They have all disappeared, they where not sold or crushed, they simply rusted away.
OP, if you don't have a garage to put it, any pre mid 80's car is not a good idea. Probably better off from the 90's onward.
Classic cars usually don't get used a lot, especially during the winter and having one parked outside during that time is just asking for trouble, not only bodywork, but fragile electrics too.

shagman

Henry Ford III wrote: »

Chassis rusts and they have dicky electrics. The Essex v6 is great though.

Better the chassis than the whole car though.

dr.fuzzenstein

shagman wrote: »

Better the chassis than the whole car though.

Not really sure there.
Some cars with separate chassis can look A1 on the outside, but the chassis can be rotten underneath. Very bad, not safe.
I would go for a tatty looking car with a good chassis anytime.

dr.fuzzenstein

shawnee wrote: »

Beatiful car and the economics aren't bad either ,,enjoy it

20 mpg not that bad?:eek: What would you consider bad?;)

Morlock

carchaeologist wrote: »

If you like it buy it, don't buy a car because you think it might fit in with a certain crowd or look 'cool'.
None of my cars are particularly desirable but I don't care! **** the begrudgers!:D
I'd have much more time for a diehard enthusiast running a ratty Morris Marina on peanuts to give an example than a guy with say a mint Porsche and a bucket of cash to run it that only comes out on dry days.

Valid point , I would be in the same vain, I will buy what I want , and the rest can buy a car Everyone has,

davoxx

buy the best looking car that you can afford to maintain. and enjoy it!!

don't worry about being rare, unique ... etc
who want's to be the only guy who owns a car that handles like a wheelbarrow?

Capri

Morlock wrote: »

Valid point , I would be in the same vain, I will buy what I want , and the rest can buy a car Everyone has,

Despite my name, (owned xx Capris over the years ), I'm now a Merc man. They're easy to fix (IME) and the old ones are semi ok. A W124 is a nice everyday yoke and you can get parts from Otto on the Belgard rd ( he has a W116 himself ). Despite the Capri being 'the car you always promised yourself' (ad) I'd say most people prefer to promise themselves a Merc ( 'O Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz' - Janis Joplin :cool:)

2cv

Capri wrote: »

Despite my name, (owned xx Capris 2CV's over the years ), I'm now a Merc man.

:-)

dr.fuzzenstein

Capri wrote: »

Despite my name, (owned xx Capris over the years ), I'm now a Merc man. They're easy to fix (IME) and the old ones are semi ok. A W124 is a nice everyday yoke and you can get parts from Otto on the Belgard rd ( he has a W116 himself ). Despite the Capri being 'the car you always promised yourself' (ad) I'd say most people prefer to promise themselves a Merc ( 'O Lord won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz' - Janis Joplin :cool:)

I had two W123's in my life. Great yokes, huge and comfy, like driving a big sofa.

Big Nasty

There's no best classic to buy OP - buy for yourself, buy something you really, really like and will look back at with admiration every time you walk away from the car.

Capri

2cv wrote: »

:-)

sorry 2CV - owned quite a few of them as well :rolleyes: - forget when I stopped counting my 'bargain purchases' but 2CV's were well represented (+ 1 Dyane )

Rudy Jakma

All depends on what you want and what for. And on your budget.
My current classic is a 1975 DAF. No, not a truck or a bus, a car.
It is powered by a 1.3 Renault engine, similar to the one that went into the Renault 5.
There are still sources for parts for this now rare classic. For engine parts (e.g. filters, plugs etc.) I just specify the R5.
Pro: It runs well and is reliable enough. The body needs occasional attention. Most cars are not built to last more than 7 years. When you buy something 35 years old, or older and: still going, then you may assume that it probably has received better than average maintenance over the years but even so, count on regular work to keep it in shape.
The choice will depend on what you want, your budget and, more importantly: what happens to be available for the right price.
Unless of course you are able and willing to spend fortunes on rare classics. But I am only talking about cars that once graced the street in front of some proud, middle- class owner's home, the envy of his (sorry, rarely her) neighbours.
If you do not need the car for daily transport, by all means select something a bit flashy. A boy's dream still remembered and suddenly available. But be careful: Many (including myself) got blinkered when we found the car that in our younger years was out of reach - totally - and now is up for sale for a price that you can just about afford now that your children have grown up.
Often these cars present problems that even a thorough test drive will not reveal.
So if you are looking for something that will give you a bit of fun and will remain affordable - and will not totally deplete your bank account, forcing a premature sale for next to nothing a short while after - then go for something modest and with technology that will allow you to locate spares. The older British cars have a lot of commonality, Austin - Morris became BMC Leyland and the A and B engines were used in many cars of the period, be it MG, Morris Minor, Austin A30, even Standard.
Then there were Fords. The old Anglias were common as muck.
Rover, less so but even so, parts are usually available.
For all classics: Enquire first with a local club. Some models had specific weaknesses that experts in the club will find if you engage them.
My own DAF has a peculiar automatic gear called "Variomatic". It transmits engine power through a system with belts and pulleys with varying diameter. It first came out in a small 600 cc car in 1959 but eventually DAF threw in the towel: they were too small to maintain a world-wide sales effort with corresponding dealer back-up. The automatic gear, an absolute jewel in it's day, made the car very suitable for the elderly so young people would not be seen dead in one. But they still have an acceleration that will make other road users gasp with surprise when moving off from traffic lights, especially if side-by-side on a dual carriageway.
The belt-and-pulley gears allow the car to travel nearly as fast in reverse as forward and many surviving examples were eventually finished off in "demolition races" in reverse. Even though DAF cars are now very rare, spares back-up is good and they do not fetch big money.
This was my rationale for buying a DAF, the reason for buying a classic is usually very cheap tax and insurance.
So what are the cons?
I have buried them in the above but mainly: Expect problems associated with ageing components.
Expect rust and stay on top of anti-rust treatment.
A classic in general needs more regular maintenance.
If it requires restoration: Unless the car is a rare classic like a Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost, a Bugatti, a Bentley 4.5 litre or other exotic car, you can pour a fortune into it and never will get even a fraction back. So unless you have money to spare, or want to own and use the car for a long time NEVER ever buy a car that needs a lot of work. Worse, you will soon discover during the process that other areas will have to be tackled as well. Many classic cars become a bottomless money pit.
My personal advise is: Accept that you may not be able to find the EXACT car of your dreams, or at least not for a price that is reasonable, and instead allow a compromise between it and a reasonably-priced and working car that once sold in the hundreds of thousands so that spares are still cheaply available.

Capri86

I miss my Capri. Was my every day runaround for over 2 years. Always brought a smile to my face. But without dry storage I watched as it suffered badly over those years. I couldn't keep on top of the work so it had to move on.

deckie27

I've been running classics daily for years now
I would not go for a UK (or ex) car unless it was restored properly or has a galvanised body. Over
90% of UK classics i've seen turn out to be rotten.

Don't mind people when they say don't get a classic if you don't have a garage to store and work on it. I've nine It would be nice but I know loads of people running classics with no indoor facilities. Classics if looked after should be no more unreliable that modern cars. In a lot of cases you will get more warning of problems gonna happen instead on it stopping on the road.

Kenny Logins

deckie27 wrote: »

I've been running classics daily for years now
I would not go for a UK (or ex) car unless it was restored properly or has a galvanised body. Over
90% of UK classics i've seen turn out to be rotten.

90% of mine were from UK, only one was ****.

deckie27

Kenny Logins wrote: »

90% of mine were from UK, only one was ****.

Feck of Kenny. You haven't both 10 classics from the UK.

Kenny Logins

deckie27 wrote: »

Feck of Kenny. You haven't both 10 classics from the UK.

No, just 5. I lied about the 90%.

Thinkingaboutit

johnos1984 wrote: »

If you have no storage for keeping the car and servicing the car in I just wouldn't get one. While I love classic cars they need constant attention

There are older classics that get zinc primer, and there are enough cars old enough for classic insurance which were galvanised property in a non botched, non Italian way, say a Toyota Celica from the 90s or a Toyota Carina (even the older ones were rust free, say a Carina II from 1985) or a Honda NSX from the same era. Also a cover will suffice if a car is not too old. Hillman Avengers were good at avoiding rust, better than say FIAT Miafioris:D.

Kenny Logins

deckie27 wrote: »

Feck of Kenny. You haven't both 10 classics from the UK.

Just thinking, we've had a very similar car history -GT, wrong 'un, oval, westy and 924.. :pac:

shawnee

The choices are simple , buy one in Ireland which has been wrecked from potholes or bad roads and generally hasn't been looked after , alternatively buy one from UK that has service history (unknown in Ireland) and perhaps has been driven in UK where they look after the roads. This includes salting them when frosty . Personally I would examine the underside of the car and if it is not damaged would definitely buy UK.:P

deckie27

Kenny Logins wrote: »

Just thinking, we've had a very similar car history -GT, wrong 'un, oval, westy and 924.. :pac:

Yip
With the Westy been identical

Silvera

I've always liked Opel Manta B's (1975-1988 model)

w124man

deckie27 wrote: »

Classics if looked after should be no more unreliable that modern cars.

Emmm ..... really? :eek:

deckie27

w124man wrote: »

Emmm ..... really? :eek:

We'll in my experience of vw's and a Porsche 924


Edit
PS.
I'm only realising this is an old thread.

Capri

deckie27 wrote: »

We'll in my experience of vw's and a Porsche 924


Edit
PS.
I'm only realising this is an old thread.

:P:P

Could be a 'classic' thread :P:P:P:P

w124man

deckie27 wrote: »

We'll in my experience of vw's and a Porsche 924


Edit
PS.
I'm only realising this is an old thread.

So a thirty year old Golf would do 60,000 miles in a year with only regular servicing?

:eek:

kev1.3s

Kenny Logins wrote: »

90% of mine were from UK, only one was ****.

You rode those odds pretty well.

I don't tend to listen to people who tell you that if you don't have a garage don't get a classic, a garage is a luxury a lot of people can't afford and that doesn't mean you should be excluded from classic car ownership but it would be advisable to find storage for the winter months if possible.

deckie27

w124man wrote: »

So a thirty year old Golf would do 60,000 miles in a year with only regular servicing?

:eek:

Ok

It probably won't but people don't buy classics even in daily use it they intend to do 60000 miles a year

w124man

deckie27 wrote: »

Ok

It probably won't but people don't buy classics even in daily use it they intend to do 60000 miles a year

Yeah I know. Just pushing .....

Buy a Merc, VW, Porsche or a Toyota!

newmug

I have the same idea as the OP. I want a daily run-around car, but not one that will rob me with tax and insurance, and also one that looks cool! So I was thinking of buying a W123 or W124. They'd be modern enough to compete with newer cars, still considered to be high-end cars, and cheap to tax and insure. Am I right in saying it counts as a classic after 20 years, ie 1993?

One thing that wrecks my head though, is the mileage. No car I've looked at yet has honest mileage. How can someone stand there and tell you that in its 23 years of life, this car has only done half the mileage of a 10 year-younger car? I do about 10k miles a year, that means a 23 year old car should have about 230,000miles on the clock. I think the highest I've seen was 160,000. How do they turn back the clock? Is it just that the car has done 1 million miles and gone right the way round again?