What classic car i getr for £2500?

[The Old Bloke Next Door]

https://www.classiccarsforsale.co.uk/austin/maxi/114471

 

Ticks all your box's + £2k change for improvement or a turbo diesel conversion.

[Doctormop]

I'm going to poke the stick into a Hornet's nest here but if you want something durable and fun to drive before prices go stupid £2500 would buy the best Bini Cooper around.

Maybe not the dream but early un-messed  with cars low mileage not many owners well serviced types will never be cheaper and are actually quite likeable as a fun car yet practical for the family too.

Older tat in decent condition won't get any cheaper; look at what can be fun to drive/own that will never depreciate (much)

[vulgalour]

I don't even like them** and I cannot disagree with Doctormop.

 

 

 

**the car, not the shiter, to avoid confusion.

[Mrcento]

B3 Passat.

 

A car i'm keeping an eye out for, always liked them, but not only are they now few and far between, the ones left are getting VW scened and priced to match.

 

There's the odd decent, useable, solid one still popping up for 800-1500 but already seeing ones being put up for 3-4k

 

VW scene tax obviously applied on them.

 

I'm going to poke the stick into a Hornet's nest here but if you want something durable and fun to drive before prices go stupid £2500 would buy the best Bini Cooper around.

Maybe not the dream but early un-messed  with cars low mileage not many owners well serviced types will never be cheaper and are actually quite likeable as a fun car yet practical for the family too.

Older tat in decent condition won't get any cheaper; look at what can be fun to drive/own that will never depreciate (much)

 

£2.5k can drop into decently useable cooper S money. I've seen tidyish ones as low as £1700. IMO they're the ones to go for because they're the ones that'll die off the fastest and be worth the most soonest.

[Sudsprint]

Original shape Saab 900

[chadders]

You can still find something at that price id be thinking 70s BL.

 

I dont want to put a downer on it but if close to the sea then rust is a major issue, after moving to about a mile from the North Cornwall coast coming from inland I have given up and bought a carcoon. Things that dont rust inland soon dissolve by the sea, ive got a Record vice that ive had for over 30 years in all sorts of damp garages and it never rusted till I moved here.

After the sucess of this winter storing a car in a carcoon im hoping to get another for a long term stored car I have thats also rusting now.

Would love to get one for the Princess as well but cant justify the cost.

Seconded for the rust issue. I live about 1/2 mile from the sea and anything that can rust will rust.

I'd go for something galvanised unless I wanted to spend every summer fixing the bodywork.

Even stored in a gated carport with reasonable ventilation things rust - the salt in the air gets everywhere then gets on them as condensation.

[egg]

Maybe, frame the question the other way round - what car do I want? What does it need to do? And hope you have the budget to match the answers!

[Angrydicky]

The advert for that Sandglow Maxi is at least a year old, the car now belongs to a mate in Kent.

[anonymous user]

What you need is something with a fibreglass body and galvanized chassis, so a later Scimitar SS1.

[Rocket88]

Worth considering that fact that anything 40 years old probably save you at least £300 per annum on tax and MOT................

[LightBulbFun]

What you need is something with a fibreglass body and galvanized chassis, so a later Scimitar SS1.

 

Worth considering that fact that anything 40 years old probably save you at least £300 per annum on tax and MOT................

 

and yet everyone looks at me funny when I go chasing after invacars 

 

(well they dont have galvanized chassis I dont think, but whatever steel they used/they rust proofed em with must of been bloody good stuff going by how well TWC/TPA have fared sitting in a damp field for the last 16-15 years)

[SiC]

Hi! Owner of the Six here!

 

It's a proper waft-o-barge, drives lovely and is very low mileage (17k I think? Will check on Monday).

 

The engine is a straight six, as the name implies, and is connected to an automatic gearbox with a dash mounted gear selector.

 

2227cc with 110bhp from the factory and the kick-down on the auto box is impressive for the time it was made. It's -not- a sports car, but it will suprise people wanting to get around you at the lights.

 

I'll be brutally honest. Mechanically and electrically it's fantastic. The body is crusty in the places you would expect it, bottoms of doors mostly, but would not take much work to put right if you're really bothered about it.

 

I can get some pics when I'm at the unit on Monday if you're seriously interested. It's worth 3k any day of the week for the mileage alone.

This car looks lovely and I'm desperately trying to ignore any mention of it. Especially not until I've moved house.

[Marm Toastsmith]

Herald.

[brandersnatch]

I think he's got several.

.

Of every car ever made

 

 

One’s too many, ten’s not enough!

[skoda_fan]

Hi! Owner of the Six here!

 

It's a proper waft-o-barge, drives lovely and is very low mileage (17k I think? Will check on Monday).

 

The engine is a straight six, as the name implies, and is connected to an automatic gearbox with a dash mounted gear selector.

 

2227cc with 110bhp from the factory and the kick-down on the auto box is impressive for the time it was made. It's -not- a sports car, but it will suprise people wanting to get around you at the lights.

 

I'll be brutally honest. Mechanically and electrically it's fantastic. The body is crusty in the places you would expect it, bottoms of doors mostly, but would not take much work to put right if you're really bothered about it.

 

I can get some pics when I'm at the unit on Monday if you're seriously interested. It's worth 3k any day of the week for the mileage alone.

I'd say your dilemma is sorted right there. A mate of mine had one of these and to this day it's the most comfortable car I've been in, bar none. It's like wafting along in your favourite armchair. It seemed to have endless power, too....at least it did to me as a laddo compared to anything else at the time. Got to be worth the asking price if only for the mileage. Plus your friends will be fascinated as I was seeing you flick around with the auto selector right at the end of the dash.

[pshome]

sorry for the late entry, 2500£ is about the going price for a Tagora GLS in good nick with no issues in France or Germany.

[Captain Furious]

Friend of mine has just picked up an absolute pearler of a Montego for £1200, it’s properly mint

 

I think he got a deal because he knew the seller but surely there are more around well within the £2.5k budget.

[GeordieInExile]

I'm going to poke the stick into a Hornet's nest here but if you want something durable and fun to drive before prices go stupid £2500 would buy the best Bini Cooper around.

Maybe not the dream but early un-messed with cars low mileage not many owners well serviced types will never be cheaper and are actually quite likeable as a fun car yet practical for the family too.

Older tat in decent condition won't get any cheaper; look at what can be fun to drive/own that will never depreciate (much)

Would £2.5k get you into a good Cooper S? Because they are ace.

[barrett]

Maybe, frame the question the other way round - what car do I want? What does it need to do? And hope you have the budget to match the answers!

As usual, I agree with Mr Oeuf. But, also as usual, I'm gonna be less polite about it.

 

I don't understand the 'what will £x buy me?' mentality at all. I have never had money in my pocket and gone looking for 'an classic car' just for the sake of it. In fact, I think all my motoring purchases have been the result of either really wanting a specific type of car and actively searching until I found an example I could live with, or seeing a specific car for sale and deciding I couldn't live without it, and then working out how to get the money to buy it.

 

I'd say 90% of the appeal of an old car is its condition. It's difficult to believe, but I have seen MGBs, Austin A50s and even Armstrong Siddeleys that I desperately wanted to have because they were in such nice condition. I reckon if you go into a car purchase with a set amount of money but no other real criteria you will likely end up with a real horror (I dunno, maybe you have impeccable taste, but lots of otherwise sane people end up with horrid cars). Why not look around at models of car you like, and then work out how likely you are to find one close to your budget? If there's something you love but can't afford, just save for a little longer. FWIW £2500 is loads of money for somebody like me, and the choice of old cars in that price range is enormous. I don't see the point of buying something just because you have some money, rather than because it's something you love.

 

 

Alternatively, I'd be buying a tatty, original paint Peugeot 404 saloon, which is surely the best 'real world' cla**ic car out there

[25v6turbo]

Sorry for late reply,i have been taking note of the cars listed and have taken onboard the comments still searching although I have found something I like and under my budget,but I don,t want to give to much away incase I loose it,should know more about it later today when my Dad has spoken to the seller again....

[purplebargeken]

Mate in Cov is selling one of his Big Triumph saloons. Baby blue, tidy overall but a repair section (provided) will need to be let in to the O/S front wheel arch. Fruity exhaust and minilites or similar. Would myself if I had the monies.

[SiC]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F173777377692

^^ sorted.

 

Be quick or no doubt someone else on here will buy it! (I'm looking at you, the Six-Cylinder Clan )

[Mrs6C]

As some have said, what is it that you like and what do you want to do with it? If it's something a bit different that you can enjoy with the family and do some social events and rallies with a good owners' group, then plenty of BL, Volvo, BMW, Mercedes, VAG, Saab and Citroen/Peugeot cars from the 1980s and 1990s are within your price range and will have a decent amount of modern conveniences without dissolving at the first sight of rain. Eastern European cars are quirky and different and within price too. If they are over 20 years old then there's a good chance you will get classic insurance.

 

Get a copy of Classic Car Weekly and/or Classic Car Buyer and see what kinds of prices are involved. Think there is a back page for sub-£1000 cars. Of course there are lots of great cars available at a great price here on AS, which for a great buying experience cannot be beaten. That's three lots of 'great' in one sentence!

[Six-cylinder]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F173777377692

^^ sorted.

 

Be quick or no doubt someone else on here will buy it! (I'm looking at you, the Six-Cylinder Clan )

 

Remember we are just embarking on the VP1500 project!

[MikeKnight]

No worries about feeling the Six is a bit much, the price is mostly because of the extremely low mileage which is backed up by the online MOT history.

 

I couldn't get to the workshop today to take any pics anyway as the Range Rover P38 I've just got back on the road and passed an MOT with decided it was going to piss coolant everywhere.. from somewhere I can't see. Likely the rear coolant pipes which are steel and corrode for fun. Urgh.

[Snipes]

[Jazoli]

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Nice wheels, shame about the rest of it....

[Guest Hooli]

I'm confused by people mentioning bmw 0.5 series & french things as classics. Classics were good cars in their day & are now old but still good cars.

 

I do agree with the idea that you know what car you want & then see if you can afford it though.