Older cars

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Thu 21 Mar 2013 15:15
Older cars - barney100
I've been taking notice of older cars recently....w reg and before and the majority seem to be German to me. May just be this area and you do see many older other makes. Anyone else drive an oldie as I do?
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Thu 21 Mar 2013 15:48
Older cars - madf

Son drives a W Yaris. Lots around.

There is a H registered Ford Capri 2.8 passes me reguarly. And a J reg Lexus 400... with slight rust on wheelarches. All the old MBs have rusted away. Car parks used to have 2-3 old MB 300Ds - now vanishing.

Lots of Corollas and early Pajeros/Landcruiser/LandRovers.

The odd mid 1990s Golf and Polo. Lots of MR2s and MX5s from the 1990s. The odd BMW 7 series looking shabby and a few 90s 5 series BMWs -which manage to look quite smart.

And lots of Corsas among the baseball cap brigade. And Novas.

Edit

Neignbour drives an immaculate # MB 3.0 E series - petrol. Not very far tho.

# As in immaculate repsray, retrim, new wheels/exhaust /cylinder head etc..

Edited by madf on 21/03/2013 at 15:50

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Thu 21 Mar 2013 16:24
Older cars - gordonbennet

Just collected my 96 MB coupe from my indy following MOT test and full service, needed a patch of welding and a serpentine belt idler this year which at 17 years i'm not complaining about, we've had her 10 years.

3.2 24v auto running on LPG costs about the same to run as a medium Diesel rep mobile still goes like hell and has a real slush box auto to boot for driving pleasure, so despite my often hankering after something else i can see this old girl and me continuing our relationship for a good while yet.

My sis still runs our old '93 Volvo 940 td estate, it refuses to corrode or break down, it gets abused rotten and no care since she took it off us, she jump starts her Volvo artic with it when the thing goes flat, even the 24v surge fails to worry the old girl, yes we've kicked ourselves times and back over selling it on..;)

Not terribly impressed with the newer cars with rare exceptions, if we do buy newish it will probably be either Japanese or a Dacia Duster.

edit, lovely older lady round the corner still drives her R plate Toyota Starlet, looks new and sounds fine.

Edited by gordonbennet on 21/03/2013 at 16:25

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Thu 21 Mar 2013 17:41
Older cars - Bobbin Threadbare

I see a J-reg MX-5 with the flippy headlights most days, and a L-reg Saab 9000 each morning on my way to work. Neighbour has a M-reg Micra. I see a lot of late 90s/early 00s Yarises and Corollas about. Another neighbour of mine has a C-reg (1983?) Ferrari which I think is a Mondial.

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Thu 21 Mar 2013 17:42
Older cars - Andrew-T

Oldies? W-reg? R-reg? Come on chaps, be reasonable, they're just well run-in. I've just got back in my G-reg 205 from the MoT test for our 08 Pug (wife driving). Not a spot of rust anywhere (OK, it lives under cover) and it starts after doing nothing for 2 months, cos there's no electronic flummery to run the battery down.

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Thu 21 Mar 2013 19:23
Older cars - daveyjp
I regularly see an N reg (1975?) Cortina Mk3 at our daughter's school. Not perfect, but its still running!
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Thu 21 Mar 2013 20:01
Older cars - Trilogy

I regularly see a c.1991 Citroen AX GT 'H' reg. That must be pretty rare.

Also, I have a client with a 'M' reg BMW 520i. It has done 239,000 miles. He could afford to change it but finds it very comfortable, believes it should do 250,000 before he changes and doesn't want to waste ££ resulting in depreciation.

Edited by Trilogy on 21/03/2013 at 20:07

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Thu 21 Mar 2013 20:04
Older cars - corax

I see plenty of E36 3 series BMW's around, not so many E30's. Some E34 5series. Not so many old Audi's. I don't think Audi make it easy for people to run their older cars on a budget, because they don't budge on parts prices. Some Mk2 Golfs. Never see a Mk3 - they rusted something rotten.

The odd Merc 190E, W124.

Lot's of Volvo estates 740/940. The occasional 850. Lot's of phase 1 V70's. And sometimes the odd 240.

As mentioned above Toyota MR2's, Yarises, Corolla's, Landcruisers. Nissan Micra's (indestructible). Skylines, Almera's.

Someone used to go past me on the way to work in a Mk1 Ford Granada. I don't see him anymore but I do see a Triumph Herald on the same route, same time so it's probably the same guy :)

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Thu 21 Mar 2013 22:02
Older cars - Bobbin Threadbare

Oldies? W-reg? R-reg? Come on chaps, be reasonable, they're just well run-in.

That is old to me!

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Fri 22 Mar 2013 07:56
Older cars - TeeCee

You're still not there.

Up until 2004 I was running a '77 MGB as my daily commute.

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Fri 22 Mar 2013 09:33
Older cars - Sam49

Tons of 10-15 yr old Mk I Toyota Avenses (plural of Avensis??) racing round near me - plenty of taxis and family cars too. I just traded in mine - W -reg. Did around 17,000 a year in it - really great, tough car. I got another Avensis....

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Fri 22 Mar 2013 09:44
Older cars - TeeCee

Actually, following that up, I was opted out of the company car scheme at the time and had the thing insured for business use.

Occasionally the HR types would attempt to follow up on some recent bit of nanny-state government and ask for the servicing records. I'd just tell 'em what it was, that I did it all myself and offer them a selection of parts invoices.

You could see their mental processes overload, just before they gave up and went away.

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Fri 22 Mar 2013 09:57
Older cars - daveyjp
I know someone who also runs a late 1970s MG on a daily basis, but he admits the only original body part is the dashboard!

Every other panel has been renewed over that last 30 odd years, but it is now better built than when it left the factory.
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Fri 22 Mar 2013 13:49
Older cars - madf
I know someone who also runs a late 1970s MG on a daily basis, but he admits the only original body part is the dashboard! Every other panel has been renewed over that last 30 odd years, but it is now better built than when it left the factory.

I recall seeing MGB bodyshells lying outside the factories in body in white - unpainted , no dip coat just a brushed on coat of heavy oi.

They were rusty before they were painted..

Needless to say, I never ever owned one.. horrible to drive in town, gutless. Did I mention they rusted? They did.. something about being left out in the rain without any paint on.....

Edited by madf on 22/03/2013 at 13:50

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Sat 23 Mar 2013 11:06
Older cars - balleballe

The only old card I see commonly on the road are:

Hondas (accords), Volvos and Mercs with the occasional Toyota.

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Sat 23 Mar 2013 21:19
Older cars - SteveLee

Plenty of Mk1 Mondeos still going strong.

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Sun 24 Mar 2013 14:04
Older cars - madf

1956 Wolsley 1500 resplendent in rust passes often...

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Sun 24 Mar 2013 14:58
Older cars - Ernied

Just had my 1996 55K miles Corolla tested. One advisory - a tyre a bit thin, the tester said had advise something as a straight pass wouldn't fit well with 'statistics' .

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Sun 24 Mar 2013 16:06
Older cars - Alby Back

My dad bought a Volvo 144 new in 1972. He ran it for two years and traded it in against a new one as he'd done 65,000 miles. I've seen it floating about over the years and as recently as 18 months ago. Still looked alright. In fact there's a part of me which would like to buy it should I ever see it for sale. Not entirely sure what I'd do with it though.

Edited by Alby Back on 24/03/2013 at 16:12

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Wed 27 Mar 2013 22:30
Older cars - John F
I've been taking notice of older cars recently....w reg and before......

My TR7 convertible is V reg - that's suffix, not prefix. Never been off the road, never been 'restored', still runs perfectly. A much under-rated car from Canley [as opposed to the earlier rust buckets from Speke].

My S [prefix] reg galvanised 30v Audi A6 was a much better choice than the equivalent E series Merc...as another poster has mentioned they have mostly rotted away or had terminally large mechanical bills.

I'm just glad there are folks out there whose companies buy them lovely cars and then write them down at 25% a year so people like me can buy them at 4yrs old and only lose £1000 a year in depreciation.

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Thu 28 Mar 2013 09:27
Older cars - barney100

Mercedes owners club have many older examples of many types of Merecedes. I have a W CLK with 145k on the clock and I've done nothing to it it in 4 years except routine servicing and a PSE pump. No rust ....touch wood.... and I know quite a few people with cars including E classes of my car's vintage in good condition too. You hear plenty of bad stories about Audis on this site so they aren't perfect. I had a C class that developed a few rust spots round the wheel arches and although the car was 8 years old it was all done free by their bodyshop.

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Thu 28 Mar 2013 16:29
Older cars - Ed V

I know of a 1972 (41 years old) Porsche 911. Indy service apparently, and rare that he gets a large bill.

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