Marinas? plzthxbai.

[RedSparrow]

I actually think Marinas are much better looking than Minors... 1.8TC saloon for me please, or an estate. Or an Ital. Fuck it.

 

Totally. I am probably in the tiny minority but I think they're bloody handsome looking cars.

[Felly Magic]

Don't go for a 1300 estate whatever you do. Drove a V reg one, and bloody hell was it slow, with a dreadful gearbox

[C1am]

I owned the pinnacle of Marina/Ital engineering, a 2.0 HLS Auto. They don't handle - I managed to spin it once doing a really low speed u-turn, but the seats were comfy, and it was a nice drive.  

[MrDuke]

Mr Duke, I have nothing useful to add but if you do get one please please please can I sit in it? Please?

 

Oh hell yeah, in fact I can totally envisage some Astra/Marina swappage occurring.

 

Actually, that's a whole new Shitefest activity - throw your car-keys in the fruit-bowl, and whoever pulls them out............ gets to drive your car. Phwooaarrrr!!!

[Bamboocarman]

You better do it quick before there's another increase in scene tax....Hopes of me getting a cheap one as WBD have been dashed to the stony ground and I will have to kill my Minor in briny roadwash instead.

Agreed, very true; buy now before prices get daft, like wots happening to Metro asking prices; don't prevaricate buy now! Does that help your indecision??

[Felly Magic]

Marinas are starting to go daft price wise, I've seen an early red un up at six fucking grand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[MrDuke]

I'm puzzled by that - why would Marina prices soar? As far as Joe Public is concerned, they're utterly crap and TG says so - and even among the 'classic' fraternity they're hardly showpieces. I always had the impression they're one of the models that the majority of UK car 'buffs' would like to forget, along with Ambassadors.

[danthecapriman]

Another Marina lover here! I'd love to have one, or an Ital. Ideally an estate but a saloon would be just as good. One's on my bucket list.

 

My Grandad had one of the original ones, bought it brand new in Cyprus in the early 70's when he was working with the RAF. He loved it but stacked it into a road sign on a bend at high speed after a good night out at the Cyprus wine festival! This wasn't long before the Turkish invasion in 1974 so drink driving wasn't the sore subject it is now! He survived with few injuries in spite of the poor old Marina's front end being pretty much sliced in two.

 

My uncle had an S reg saloon aswell. Bought as a used car in the early 80's and he went all over the country in it. It had well over 200k miles on it when it eventually died of terminal rust issues.

 

Who gives a shit about questionable handling and all that other bollocks! Get one bought!

[Bamboocarman]

I'm puzzled by that - why would Marina prices soar? As far as Joe Public is concerned, they're utterly crap and TG says so - and even among the 'classic' fraternity they're hardly showpieces. I always had the impression they're one of the models that the majority of UK car 'buffs' would like to forget, along with Ambassadors.

Puzzling, yes; it's scene tax mesmerisation. Been happening quite a bit over the last couple of years with various unlikely stuff, part of the Joe Public 'if it's old, it's worth a mint' mentality.

[danthecapriman]

Could it possibly be something to do with the ridiculous prices of similar age Escorts? Maybe the Escorts are so expensive now they are becoming out of reach to a lot of people so they start looking for an alternative for less £. That's bound to start making prices rise? Maybe stuff like Avengers will start picking up a bit aswell?

[NorfolkNWeigh]

When I was a kid in Birmingham ,there used to be loads of these around, usually yellow. I thought they were impossibly glitzy with their fancy Lhd and whitewall tyres, looking back it must have been because they couldn't sell them in the US,so let employees buy them for peanuts.

[wuvvum]

danthecapriman, on 10 Dec 2014 - 11:10 PM, said:danthecapriman, on 10 Dec 2014 - 11:10 PM, said:

Maybe stuff like Avengers will start picking up a bit aswell?

What, you mean like this one?

 

 

Recently fully restored, allegedly...

 

 

I bought one almost identical to this for £150 about 10 years ago.

[oman5]

I'm old enough to have owned several marinas and Itals back when they were still common and worthless, the kind of default banger you'd buy when there weren't any 250 quid cortinas in the local paper that day.

 

Marina 1.3s are a bit undergunned in the power stakes. The later A+ engined Itals are hugely better in this regard, they'll get well into the 90s if you can stand the din.

1.8 B series cars are pretty sprightly and you can engine rape an Mgb for its twin carb setup and overdrive box.

1.7 and 2.0 o series are also a reasonably quick car and not bad on fuel either

 

Handling wise? Well yes, there is quite a bit of turning the wheel to go around a corner only to have the car plough on in a straight line, if you try and drive it like a RWD escort. They just won't do it. Don't forget though, these were trundling about on skinny little 155/165 13 tyres, they are better on wider wheels with decent rubber. You can also change the front shocks from lever arm to telescopic which helps, late Itals were so equipped.

 

The only vices I seem to remember common to all of them, was that all the manual gearboxes are too weak and early wear was to be expected, when cold it probably won't go into first without going into second beforehand, the clutch WILL judder on take off, and also it's absolutely vital to keep the front trunnions well greased very regularly or the whole lot had a habit of collapsing at inopportune moments.

Normal rust checks apply, sills, floors, arches, wings.

 

In service they tended to be pretty reliable, there isn't that much to go wrong after all. Any that have survived this long will be from those odd occasions when properly built ones escaped from the factory. It did happen!

 

I'd have another in a heartbeat. Quick enough, 1.3s will do 40 mpg, easy to work on and it's something a bit different. Easily capable of everyday use.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I've had loads of these, they drive like a sink and are bloody shite to be honest. But fun shite, which always starts in a morning and the heaters in em are alright - I say BUY

[Noel Tidybeard]

as for handling (say this quietly) the mk3 cortina wasnt much better if the old road test are to be believed

[Junkman]

Be careful, though...

 

[rml2345]

Oh hell yeah, in fact I can totally envisage some Astra/Marina swappage occurring.

 

Actually, that's a whole new Shitefest activity - throw your car-keys in the fruit-bowl, and whoever pulls them out............ gets to drive your car. Phwooaarrrr!!!

We did quite a lot of that at SF '14. Except that we didn't have a fruit bowl.

or fruit.

Or a bowl.

I say buy a Marina as they look like quite a jolly conveyance. 1.8 TC coupe for me PLZ.

[trigger]

One day I'd like to see a post or thread about Marinas and not have to put up with piano jokes and images.

[DVee8]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CORGI-VANGUARD-1-43-HIDDEN-TREASURE-MORRIS-MARINA-IN-BLASE-ORANGE-WITH-RUST-/181590742122?pt=UK_ToysGames_DiecastVehicles_DiecastVehicles_JN&hash=item2a47a6d46a

 

[RedSparrow]

One day I'd like to see a post or thread about Marinas and not have to put up with piano jokes and images.

 

Oh there are too many highly original comedians on here for that.

[alf892]

I had a couple of these in the early 80s........both 1300 coupes and loved them! Great looking car in my opinion.

 

I had the first one for about 3 years and even loved it enough to buy a new wing - never got it painted though. I actually chose to run then rather than Escorts.

 

It always started in the morning too...........much to the surprise of neighbours who would be out trying to coax their new mk3 Escorts into life.

 

In those days every MoT was an adventure just to see how much welding would be needed.

 

Front trunions are no really a problem as long as you grease occasionally and they are very easy to do anyway.

 

It went well enough too..........at the time. Getting around corners was just a question of being prepared to hang on and adjust course as required.

[Bren]

I remember walking home from school one day in the 1980's. - an orange marina van trundled past us only to stop quickly with accompanying noise - a trunnion had gone.

 

Embarrassed driver had to deal with his vehicle in middle of road and dozens of piss taking children.

[seth]

I thought you might be that Seth  how are you mate?

 

Sorry to confirm your suspicions - I am 'that Seth'.  Doing good ta.

 

Before drifting wildly off topic into a personal conversation I suppose I'd best post a photo of my mum's Marina in around 1990.

 

[steve_earwig]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/CORGI-VANGUARD-1-43-HIDDEN-TREASURE-MORRIS-MARINA-IN-BLASE-ORANGE-WITH-RUST-/181590742122?pt=UK_ToysGames_DiecastVehicles_DiecastVehicles_JN&hash=item2a47a6d46a

Oh my lord, is shite really that popular now? There's even a "dumped" mk1 Transit. What next, a DS with stick on puddle of hydraulic fluid? The mind boggles.

 

I drove quite a few Marinas and Itals when they weren't shite and I can't remember any problems with the transmission, hopeless understeer yes (hello lamp post) but, compared to the Rav, the gearchange was perfect. I think the 1.3s also came with 145 tyres, I'm sure I remember "upgrading" one to 155s. Oh, and rust in quite youthful cars, not where you'd expect it either, e.g. headlamp panel and a fuel tank urinating petrol out through a pin hole in the filler neck.

 

Would I want another one for the nostalgia? Good god no.

[cort16]

I'd like a Van or maybe a TC Coupe but the rest especially the series two ones really aren't for me.

[panhard65]

I had a few vans back in the 80's and they really were good fun. Mainly because they were so cheap you could drive them flat out and just bounce off the scenery as required. I never understood the love for Escorts they were crap compared to the good old BL tat. I had an Ital camper a couple of years ago and would of kept it except the seats in the camper conversion were dreadful. They are certainly a better buy than an Escort now as the prices are still sensible and you will find any that made it this far would of been well looked after.

[danthecapriman]

Somehow I'd forgotten about the van version. Not seen one for ages.

My mate had one. He worked as store man at British Rail and decided to repaint it at the cost of BR! He brush painted it in BR railfreight grey which stopped it rusting as the paint was so thick and good quality compared to the original BL paint.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Late ShItals had telescopic shocks on the front and they handled and drove quite well - certainly a big improvement that BL made just as production was about to end.  

[Rocket88]

Suspension dates back to when God was in shorts.................Front lever arms are always bolloxed, and re-con ones last about 300 yards. Conversion to conventional shocks does make a hell of a difference.

[mercrocker]

I will vouch for the shox thing.  Lever arms are crap, everything you buy "recon" is just topped up with fluid and slapped with the hammerite stick.   The appalling indictment on BMC is that my 1955 Cowley has thumping great telly shox with aircooling fins, torsion bars and steering rack.   They replaced that with the Farina - all steering box and hand-clapping lever arms and only went back to tellys on the Morris thirty years after the Cowley!    My Cowley drives loads better than any Farina or Marina I can remember driving.   If I was in the market for a Marina (and I might be...) it would be 1275 Ital for me.