Jasper
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 09:35 AM |
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New 'fun' car suggestions please ....
So the Rover Mini has to go, it's giving me a bad back as I can't get the standard seat back far enough and the steering with the fat
wheels is too heavy. I could modify it but it will kill it's resale value.
So, once it's been welded up (a 10 year old car and it failed on 5 major rusty bits underneath - good British build quality  ) it's
gonna be sold.
So I'll be in the market for another second car. Budget is £2k ish as I need the rest of the £££ to redo the driveway!), it needs to be able to
be left in a car park all day and used fairly regularly, so no completely open cars, I would actually prefer a tin-top.
Over 15 years old so it has class car insurance (preferably pre-1972 so no tax!!), small enough to go in my single garage and leave me a bit of room
to work around it.
Reasonable fuel economy, a body that wont need constant attention with rust. Fun and nippy to drive and relatively cheap to upgrade and improve.
Can be fwd or rwd.
So far the only car I've thought about is another Mini, but an older cheaper one that I can mess about (put proper seats in and small wheels so
no more back trouble) with and that's already had the bodywork sorted.
Ideas?
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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mcerd1
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 09:44 AM |
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Scimitar SE5 
pre 72
GRP body
4343mm long
1638mm wide
1321mm high
coil overs all round as standard
front: double wishbone
rear: 4 bar + watts linkage
all simple bits with some tunning options (including various cheap engine swaps - seen cossie 24v, omega V6 and diesels)
[Edited on 9/9/2010 by mcerd1]
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iank
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 09:51 AM |
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Going to be hard finding a 15 year old metal classic that's fairly immune to rust.
Scimitar would be a bit big for a single garage methinks and not really 'nippy' but is otherwise a good choice.
For me the Pug 205 would be the obvious choice with a 1.6 GTi (IMO).
Going kit/fibreglass you've got
GTM Rossa Mk1, Mk2 or K3 with hardtops
Midas Bronze or Gold
Mini Minus
Another thought might be a MX5 with a hard-top (probably need to stretch the budget by £500 to get a reasonable one)
[Edited on 9/9/10 by iank]
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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Jasper
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 09:52 AM |
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Can't believe I'll get a good one of those for £2k will I??
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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jimgiblett
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 09:52 AM |
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Not asking much are you :-)
A few come to mind:-
Reliant Scimitar (poss pre 73)
MX5
Mk1 Golf GTi (poss Cabrio)
- Jim
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iank
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 09:54 AM |
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or Porsche 924, iirc they're galv bodies.
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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Jasper
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 09:55 AM |
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Jim - what I REALLY want is your Alfa
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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jimgiblett
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 09:56 AM |
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Scimitar with a granada cossie engine will make it nippy. A fairly straight forward conversion apparently.
Compared with modern cars Scimitars are quite narrow.
A friend of mine pick up a nice MX5 for <£1500 complete with hard top.
- Jim
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Jasper
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 09:56 AM |
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MX5 might be an option, and the wife would drive it. Bit of a girls car though, and how is it for upgrades??
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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jimgiblett
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 10:00 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Jasper
Jim - what I REALLY want is your Alfa
The poor girl looks a bit sorry with the interior and engine out. She is going under the knife next week 
Hopefully she will be making a debut at the Laon Montee Historique next year.
- Jim
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jimgiblett
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 10:02 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Jasper
MX5 might be an option, and the wife would drive it. Bit of a girls car though, and how is it for upgrades??
A hoot to drive and upgrades are as deep as your wallet. Have alook at Flyin Miata
http://www.flyinmiata.com/
- Jim
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Jasper
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 10:02 AM |
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Cool, shout if you need another pair of hands for anything, I'm around in the evening 
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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jimgiblett
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 10:06 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Jasper
Cool, shout if you need another pair of hands for anything, I'm around in the evening
Will do (thanks for the offer). I am scratching my head on the engine mounts at the moment but I have a plan.
- Jim
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stevebubs
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 10:11 AM |
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Suzuki Cappuccino
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mcerd1
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 10:14 AM |
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ok this one isn't a pre 72, but you should have a read anyway:
scimitar engine swap
and if the wife wants to drive you can always look into adding the eletric power steering (on almost any old car)
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Jasper
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 10:43 AM |
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Like the idea of the Scimitar, but there's no way I've got the time or inclination for a big engine swap job.
It would be good if it could be used on the odd track day, so maybe the MX5 with some upgrades....
924 worries me with the price of parts.
GTM's worth a look....
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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nick205
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 10:45 AM |
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For me it would be a 205 GTI 1.6 or 1.9 but probably a 1.6.
- better than most of it's peers on corrosion
- solid appreciating values for tidy ones
- plenty to choose from
- you'll find a good one for £2k
- cheap to run and repair
- fit's in your garage
- great to drive and comfortable
- practical for 4 adults and luggage
what more do you want...?
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coozer
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 10:48 AM |
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Sure i saw a Scimitar with a BMW 525 TD in it a while back.
That would be quite good in my book....
1972 V8 Jago
1980 Z750
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Jasper
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 10:49 AM |
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Yeah - I had a 1.9 about 9 years ago and loved it, worth looking at again as well.
So why the 1.6 not the 1.9?
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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Benzine
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 11:06 AM |
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Volvo 66
Hillman Imp
Austin 7
The mental gymnastics a landlord will employ to justify immoral actions is clinically fascinating. Just because something is legal doesn't make
it moral.
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dazzx10r
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 11:11 AM |
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What about a VW Corrado? go for the 2.0 16v, 150bhp and sublime handling, or if your wallet could stretch to it a 2.9 VR6, superb engine 190bhp, but
expensive to tune. The 16v is a fair bit lighter so gives better handling and can be tuned to about 170bhp.
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iank
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 11:34 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Jasper
Yeah - I had a 1.9 about 9 years ago and loved it, worth looking at again as well.
So why the 1.6 not the 1.9?
Performance difference is negligible on the road, but the 1.6 revs more freely, feels more nippy and the gear ratios are closer overall a better A/B
road car.
1.9 is better for motorway work though.
924 parts aren't too expensive, certainly you don't pay the 911 premium. Have a poke around
http://www.porscheshop.co.uk/acatalog/porsche_924_mechanical_parts.html to have a compare to others.
[Edited on 9/9/10 by iank]
--
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level, then beat you with experience.
Anonymous
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mcerd1
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 11:49 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Benzine
Hillman Imp
you've got to love the Imp 
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dhutch
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 12:09 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by iank
or Porsche 924, iirc they're galv bodies.
Saw a track/road prep'ed 1987 (good date, given im 23) 944 for sale for £2800 which a
part of me was very interested in.
quote:
Originally posted by dazzx10r
What about a VW Corrado?
Or that.
Else my other soft spot is for a Mitsi Legnum.
Daniel
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Jasper
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| posted on 9/9/10 at 12:25 PM |
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Imp too small, Legnum too much like my Beemer.
Quite like the idea of a 924 or 944 ...
If you're not living life on the edge you're taking up too much room.
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