Opinions please

[scooters]

For 5k you should get a nice manual twin plenum vitesse SD1 or for less money and more retroness this cracking and seriously rare SD1 3500 v8-S. Sa-weet.

Get rid of the rubbing strips, the chrome trim and re-paint the bumpers black and it'll be stock as a rock.

 

http://www.roversd1club.net/carsforsale/current1.asp

 

Like this

 

 

ooerr...that gives me a semi!

[cort16]

I've pondered over raiding the piggy bank for that v8-s many times.

[Cavcraft]

Jag just shaded the P6 though either would be nice. Scimitars seem ok but the others are different animals. Best to drive would surely be the Jag/Daimler (analagies of favourite armchairs are bang on) though you'd want a 4.0 auto with full leather imho.

[Pete-M]

I went for the XJ6, but only because I've been using my Jag today and enjoyed it immensely.

 

Not had a Scimitar - or even driven one - but I've had an S3 and a P6B.

 

Different types of car really. The Jag is more capable when it comes to cornering and handling, but the P6B has a different charm and a V8 one will give any S3 XJ6 a run for its money when acceleration is needed. They're both superb wafters and good in town (Provided the P6 doesn't boil its floatbowls). P6B rides very well.

 

P6B if it's a Series 2 with box leather has better seats, but the recline mechanism is normally worn when means resetting the backrest quite often. P6 also has opening 1/4 lights all round and pretty decent ventilation but they do get warm by the transmission tunnel. Check under the back seat and around the de-dion tube, inner / outer / middle sills and bulkhead for rot. Easy to hide, pain to fix. If you go for a P6B get one with power steering, it's a bit lighter than ideal but it's a lot easier around town with it. Nicer steering wheel on PAS ones, too.

 

Set up correctly and not driven mentally a P6B auto will do 17-18 in town and around 23-24 on a run. S is slightly worse in town, a bit better on A roads and about the same on the motorway. SD1 five speed conversion is a good one as with a Vitesse box they'll do about 30 on a motorway run.

[Owain-328i]

P5 V8 would get my vote

[outlaw118]

Hmmm...

Not a fan of the P6 Rover to be honest, P5 or SD1 for me, can't really explain it, they've just never really appealed. And to be honest, they're a bit "mainstream cl***ic".

Jaaaaaaaaaaag, well, having driven a Daimler Double Six, I can coonfirm that they are lovely, comfy and I think. cool. However, they are ruinously thirsty, rust like bastards, and you will be a target for the less scrupulous of the banger community, especially if you buy a manual.

Thats why I voted for the Scimitar, it's more scarce/rare, less to rust - obviously chassis etc, and fibreglass has it's own issues, the Essex V6 is easy to fix, and still in decent supply - as is the Cologne, obviously. get a nice one and Mrs Scooters can pretend to be Princess Anne.

Others on MY hypothetical list:

Triumph 2500S

Ford Zodiac/Mk1 Granny

Humber Hawk/Snipe

Austin 3 litre/Westminster

 

I could go on, but thankfully my tea's ready....

[Guest]

Mk1 Granny

 

Now the £5k spend has come into it I was just going to suggest this. Allright like the others they can rust but they are

Comfy

Reliable

Easy to get parts for

Easy to resell - looked after you will make money on the resale.

 

Auto's will be the most common I expect - but the same go's for the Jags etc and that 3.0 engine still sounds good.

[Craig the Princess]

If you want ruinous expense may I suggest sir tries this for £3,995.00 or best offer.

 

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1976-ROLLS-ROYCE-BLUE-SILVER-SHADOW-1-/250845956924?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item3a67958b3c

[barefoot]

Cat amongst the pigeons...

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Daimler-Double-Si ... 1811wt_937

Mrs. Scooters will well thank me for this as its just in budget!

 

apologies for not knowing how to post the pic with the link

[Guest]

An offer should get this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1977-FORD-GRANADA ... 0707709925?

 

£4.750

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C234036

 

£1.895 - little work needed (loads of change too!)

http://www.affordableclassics.co.uk/car ... hp?start=8

[Pete-M]

Cat amongst the pigeons...

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Daimler-Double-Si ... 1811wt_937

Mrs. Scooters will well thank me for this as its just in budget!

 

apologies for not knowing how to post the pic with the link

 

 

Ooooh, it's got the Kent alloys too. I like those, although for that money I'd be finding the nicest XJR available and enjoying it.

 

As for the Mk1 Granny, other than that bloody annoying prop vibration they often suffer from, a 3.0 Ghia would be a class choice, preferably in black, but that brown one is frickin' gorgeous.

[scooters]

Cat amongst the pigeons...

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Daimler-Double-Si ... 1811wt_937

Mrs. Scooters will well thank me for this as its just in budget!

 

apologies for not knowing how to post the pic with the link

 

 

Ooooh, it's got the Kent alloys too. I like those, although for that money I'd be finding the nicest XJR available and enjoying it.

 

As for the Mk1 Granny, other than that bloody annoying prop vibration they often suffer from, a 3.0 Ghia would be a class choice, preferably in black, but that brown one is frickin' gorgeous.

 

 

Just splurted hot love custard all over my laptop! That is fucking gorgeous.

[eddyramrod]

We can pontificate all we like, and you know we will, but it's your choice, Scooters. Pick something you really like the look of. From your original trio of options, I notice several people have offered other suggestions. Mine is a bit left-field perhaps: Detroit. Almost anything you can buy for five grand will give you that irreplaceable V8 soundtrack, all the space you could dream of inside, plenty of luxury gadgets, guaranteed attention everywhere you go and Jag-ish fuel consumption. Older models are relatively simple, OHV, RWD, body-on-chassis. This:

...is a 1962 Cadillac, which cost me three grand three years ago. I could park right outside my local post office and it would take me 20 minutes to get inside... Smaller models are available, especially if you're prepared to look at more modern cars, and once you've adjusted to LHD they will fit anywhere a Volvo 740 will go. I know, I've done it.

 

If you're determined to stick to your original options, I'd say Jag/Daimler. You get a two-ton limo that you can hustle along country lanes like a getaway car (I know, I've done that too ) and classic insurance to boot. And for that price I'd expect a bloody nice one.

[stormee]

An offer should get this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1977-FORD-GRANADA ... 0707709925?

 

 

??? A 3.0GL with vinyl roof and full leather and automatic? That must be the only one in the entire world! Anybody else would have ordered a Ghia. This GL must have been even more expensive than a standard Ghia.

[wackywacerwill]

Buy Scim add v8, job done.

[CreepingJesus]

Without wishing to cause offence; a considered £5k purchase of a bona fide classic is hardly Autoshite, now, is it?

One one side, there's the Classic Club; and on the other there's buying a succession of interesting heaps to get you around, which is Club Shite.

But I wouldn't knock an idea without offering some alternative. Surely Futureshite is The Third Way? There's lots of more recent luxury land yachts which could be bought for a couple of grand. Spend the rest perfecting, and more importantly, ultra rustproofing the thing; use it sparingly for weekend jaunts, tuck it away over winter, and it should last decades without much trouble.

Then, in about 2031, it will be the cool retro rarity owned for decades by some old bloke. Investment realised, if desired. Problem solved.

[scooters]

your point is a valid one but half decent XJ6's and P6's can be picked up for a lot less than 5 grand - that is the all in budget including insurance etc and I would be surprised if I would have to spend any more than 3k - 2k up the sleeve for any major issues as all 3 marques can be money pits.

 

I do believe that the XJ6 still qualifies as autoshite because it is at the bottom of the market and will be for some time yet and still has a wiff of the carpet warehouse owner about it. IMHO P6 falls more into the accepted classic bracket. If I was lookinjg for a classic then a Riley RMB or a P5 or Imperial would be a choice..

 

It's a fine balance between daily practicality, comparitive rarity and a hobby for the wekend...the first of that criteria means leaning towards the future classic rather than an established one..

 

I am also considering XJ40's I have had several and I really like them - very capable cars and a lot cheaper to run than the Mk3 - however, I am no auto electrician and the thought of fixing a knackered EFI fills me with dread - carbs a much better option. But I would consider a pre 1991 one. £2k should buy a minter

 

XJ300s are also an option but it will be a long time before these become a rare sight and part of the project is vanity in having a rare car.

 

There have been some very interesting ideas here

[cort16]

Buy that SD1 v8-S and an Avantime. Result.

[Cavcraft]

The way XJ40 prices have been recently about £1.18 should get you a minter. They're getting thin on the ground now and still don't seem to make much money. In fact there's a lad on Retro-Rides who's selling one quite cheap though it does appear to have the nasty cloth (or half leather) trim.

[CreepingJesus]

Buy that SD1 v8-S and an Avantime. Result.

 

Funnily enough, that's the sort of thing I had in mind. Rare oddities like that and the Vel Satis. I did a bit of digging on early VW Phaetons, but they're not quite at that level yet. Soon...

[dollywobbler]

There's a £4k Avantime on Retro-Rides at the moment. Nice colour and it's the 2-litre, so much less of a nightmare and just as ridiculous in the looks stakes.

 

Not taken by the £4k Brown Bentley on LPG I posted on the Ebay thread then? What could possibly go wrong?

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

...I am also considering XJ40's I have had several and I really like them - very capable cars and a lot cheaper to run than the Mk3 - however, I am no auto electrician and the thought of fixing a knackered EFI fills me with dread - carbs a much better option. But I would consider a pre 1991 one. £2k should buy a minter

 

XJ300s are also an option but it will be a long time before these become a rare sight and part of the project is vanity in having a rare car.

 

There have been some very interesting ideas here

I think its a good idea to have a look round for an XJ40, they are so rediculously underrated and you know you like them. £2,000 really would buy a seriously good one; you couldn't spend your £5k budget on one car.

My car is fairly late (a '92 registered '93 model) and has been unbelievably reliable - it really never goes wrong. It has rusted, but then it isn't worth £2k. I don't think the fuel injection on a good car will give you any problems.

Realistically, the X300 is a better car, but they're so much less charming and are more plasticky inside.

 

The way XJ40 prices have been recently about £1.18 should get you a minter. They're getting thin on the ground now and still don't seem to make much money. In fact there's a lad on Retro-Rides who's selling one quite cheap though it does appear to have the nasty cloth (or half leather) trim.

XJ40s are really stupidly cheap now as the XJ6 on Retro Rides demonstrates. The guy just can't seem to sell it at any price and it just goes down and down. £535 for a car with 10 months MOT is really not a lot. It doesn't look a bad old thing, though hardly mint.

 

I love the XJ40 so I don't get it, but I think a lot of people don't like them very much - and there is an all pervasive myth that they are catastrophically unreliable. It's not true, all but the first cars are very durable other than rust. They still get roasted on forums though, even on here.

 

The poor old XJ40 : my God, they're so shite they're too shite for Autoshite!!

[Rhythm Thief]

OT, but ... nice to see you back Scooters!

[Pete-M]

I have to say, the X300 does seem to be a much better thing than the XJ40 ever was when it comes to actually working.

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

I have to say, the X300 does seem to be a much better thing than the XJ40 ever was when it comes to actually working.

 

They do have that reputation, but my later XJ40 has been so reliable over its 19 years it would be hard to better it. Other later XJ40s I know of seem pretty good too. The forums are not filled with lame duck half-dead 'Forties somehow crawling around.

 

The X300 seems to be slightly more rust resistant, but neither is exactly great nor completely dire; They're terrible examples of both and good examples of both and either car is a bargain at the moment.

[dollywobbler]

That XJ40 seems insane for the money! A tenth of the budget? Get it bought!

[AnthonyG]

There is a buyers guide for those in one of the recent C&SCs. They reckon a nice P5B is £15k which made me slightly depressed. I can't understand them being three times the value of the nicest P6 but whatever....

 

 

Bollocks to that. They are talking to upper crust classic car dealers who won't get out of bed for cars that worth less than £10K, not real people. A six pot P5 should be well within scooters budget, for a start.

[scooters]

love p5s....if I can find a nice un

 

XJ40s I have had include:

 

4.0l Jar Sov

4.0 Daimler Sov

early 3.4 (?)Daimler Sov

Daimler Double Six

 

I would have another 4.0 Daimler Sov like a shot - same spec as the DD6 without the ludicrously complex and expensive mechanics

[scooters]

3.2 of course

 

had a look at the one on RR - price is about right the problem is that it is a 3.2 with the 1/2 leather interior...Jag turned out hundreds in this low spec for company directors. Whilst there is nothoing wrong with it for about 1200 you can get one with the 4.0lt Daimler Spec which includes all this has PLUS full leather interior, lambswool carpets, sheepskin rugs, reading lights and the ever so necessary walnut champagne tables in the back. If going down the XJ40 route then it HAS to be over the top opulance - the DD6 I had and the D Sov were Rolls like in their luxury whereas the cloth interiored low spec Jag 3.2 is essentially a normal car rather than a mobile gentleman's club....if you want a normal car get an XJ300

 

 

having said that I have owned these with 4lt, 3.2 and 6lt V12 and the 3.2 does shift the big car along ok except it is a bit more thirsty than the 4.0 and is under a bit of stress...when ,married to the excellent suspension these cars have it is a cracker for belting along A roads - my second fastest A702 time was posted in the 3.2 Daimler XJ40 - quicker than the 535i cos of the suspension....the Daimler also had the dictator spec.

 

A mate of mine worked for Jag in the 1980's and he said that the XJ40 line split into 2 at the finishing and fitting stage - main line was for Jags - but the Daimlers went down the hand built route and have a much higher level of finish and attention to detail. Funnily enough modern punters prefer the round lights of the Jag rather than the rectangles of the Daimler - I -refer the rectangles but it eans that often the higher spec Daimler is cheaper than the jag! - you can always fit round ones if you want so I don't get the fuss

 

 

geting the horn for an XJ40 again!!! might have to resurrect my XJ40 forum membership!

[Magnificent Rustbucket]

3.2 of course

 

had a look at the one on RR - price is about right the problem is that it is a 3.2 with the 1/2 leather interior...Jag turned out hundreds in this low spec for company directors. Whilst there is nothoing wrong with it for about 1200 you can get one with the 4.0lt Daimler Spec which includes all this has PLUS full leather interior, lambswool carpets, sheepskin rugs, reading lights and the ever so necessary walnut champagne tables in the back. If going down the XJ40 route then it HAS to be over the top opulance - the DD6 I had and the D Sov were Rolls like in their luxury whereas the cloth interiored low spec Jag 3.2 is essentially a normal car rather than a mobile gentleman's club....if you want a normal car get an XJ300

 

 

having said that I have owned these with 4lt, 3.2 and 6lt V12 and the 3.2 does shift the big car along ok except it is a bit more thirsty than the 4.0 and is under a bit of stress...when ,married to the excellent suspension these cars have it is a cracker for belting along A roads - my second fastest A702 time was posted in the 3.2 Daimler XJ40 - quicker than the 535i cos of the suspension....the Daimler also had the dictator spec.

 

A mate of mine worked for Jag in the 1980's and he said that the XJ40 line split into 2 at the finishing and fitting stage - main line was for Jags - but the Daimlers went down the hand built route and have a much higher level of finish and attention to detail. Funnily enough modern punters prefer the round lights of the Jag rather than the rectangles of the Daimler - I -refer the rectangles but it eans that often the higher spec Daimler is cheaper than the jag! - you can always fit round ones if you want so I don't get the fuss

 

 

geting the horn for an XJ40 again!!! might have to resurrect my XJ40 forum membership!

Ha ha! Yes you will. Your old 4 litre Soverereign is still owned by the XJ40.com member who bought it and is in fine shape, and I heard your Daimler Double Six is now in Finland where it underwent an extensive restoration. Before you bought that DD6 I was briefly tempted by it because it was so cheap. I chickened out, leaving it to braver fools ...I mean enthusiasts... and I am kind of glad I did. It turned out to be a bit too "needy" IIRC, but then it is a V12 and they're like that when they're £800 (then, less ££s now).

 

You're right about the model to go for; it is definately the 4 litre Daimler. I have a 3.2 Sovereign and though it has a lovely sweet engine it lacks torque at times and that matters on a luxury car which is close to two tonnes. My 3.2 isn't tragically gutless like the Merc 260E I once had the misfortune to drive up a hill, but the 4 litre is fast and effortless.

 

The Daimler interior is lovely too; they're few cars better, particularly with the Autolux leather. Pictures of your old DD6 are still up on Jag-lovers, so here is what you've been missing!

 

 

If you can't find a Daimler in the right condition, the Sovereign is far nicer than the bog standard XJ6. My '93 has extra leather on it and I think it is a nice place to be and feels lots more than the £750 it is no doubt worth...