Im thinking of buying a Reliant SS1 next winter as I owned a Reliant Rialto before and for what it was, it was superb and my local reliant specialist is the type that has died out for the most part ( his prices and customer service is second to none and he will stand and have a chat to you about anything, plus he knows the cars so well its a little scary ).
My question is, has anyone owned or driven one and what are they like?
I dont fancy the Turbo one as the insurance is a little high, but the 1300/1600 ones have Ford engines so should be simple to service etc..
There are three on Ebay at the moment and nobody seems to be bidding very high for them - is it lack of knowledge on what they are etc or are they cheap cars for a reason?
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Read this guy's site:
homepage.ntlworld.com/phil.wormald/index.htm
They are cheap because they have not aged too well - he has documented a complete restoration, and his work on the chassis suggests they all need the full body-off treatment by now. Paying for that to be done is simply not viable in terms of the value when restored.
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But would make a more viable than usual DIY restoration project for someone with a barn.
Never liked the styling of that one myself although the V6 Scimitars were OK looking and went well. Much loved by owners I believe. In her youth the Princess Royal was nicked for speeding in hers several times, and I saw her at it once on the elevated section of the M4 heading out of town.
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they were never a loved car from day one,suggest you have a drive of one before you buy.
They all seemed to be "painted" ghastly white as well.
Why not buy a nice toyota mr2 ?
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Why not buy a nice toyota mr2 ?
Because most mk1 MR2's are more rust than they are metal and those that aren't are stupidly priced.
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That red one on E-bay with the XR3 engine seems tidy enough...
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i saw 2 mint ones last year (should have bought them but not my cuppa really) both under a grand its the shopping about that gets you bargains for oddballs, local paper, local garages that cant value older stuff and also autotrader,i do agree i saw one on an internet site the other night and he wanted £3500 to start.
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Oh dear a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.
I have one sitting on the drive, needing a sill. Pre late 1985 they had non-galvanised chassis & they do rust. Unfortunately a rusted sill to do properly means a body off job, hence Phils site you talk of. Later ones are galvanised & don't rust.
If you want a restoration project then yes early ones are cheap (mine is up for grabs if you're looking for a project!).
Yup the looks are an acquired taste BUT they go well & handle brilliantly, they are very good to drive with none of the inbuilt problems like cooling that the V6 cars had. It's an unleaded XR2 engine, sierra box & diff, escort rear brakes & Metro fronts. it has a cross between a space frame & a backbone chassis. Not quick, if you want quick then buy a 1800ti Turbo which was the fastest Reliant ever built. Cheap insurance (not the turbo) & mostly cheap bits with good spares support, lots of knowledge on the web & in the clubs.
Mine has a new hood, battery & rebuilt engine with new clutch, but the drivers sill is more hole than metal.
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A Toyota MR2 has pricey insurance and it doesnt have the local specialist support that the Reliant has.
Do they have any build quality problems? My Rialto didnt but I was told that it varied over the years. Im guessing a 1985 onwards would be a good idea to start with.
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there are 2 for sale on autotrader (national) a white one and a green one have you considered these?
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