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Ditto on avoiding a series 3 Landrover. I wouldn't say that they are a pain to work on. You need about 3 different spanners, a big hammer & a bin to put the Haynes manual in as it's always wrong, but they are awful to drive. Really not a pleasant experience at all & the diesel ones are slower than walking. Are they really that bad to drive? I've been a passenger in many Land Rovers (Series II's and III's) and they don't seem that bad from a passenger point of view. Granted there noisy, but other than that it was comfy enough.
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Sorry to keep carrying on the anti LandRover theme but an early series model wouldnt be a wise idea in my honest opinion. many don't have servo assisted brakes, they all have VERY heavy steering and the turning circle the size of the moon, along with a massive thirst for fuel and not much speed. All in all it doesnt add up to a great experience for an inexperienced driver. Series LandRovers are great! but only if you really like LandRovers! All Landys are extremely fun offroad and have good on road presence so not much gets in your way but if you want one for the sake of it get a defender with power steering. They are also dirt cheap to insure. I do really like Land Rovers, always been one of my favourite cars. I think they would just drink to much though. Like you say though insurance is dirt cheap, I can get £1400 with Adrian Flux on a Series III. As new driver you want something small and nippy that is easy to drive and will flatter your (to start with) limited talent, you also want something economical because trust me you will do millions of miles after passing! if it was my choice I would go for an imp or something like a mk1 fiesta or early nova. Spitfire will be fun but 2 seats will get inconvenient quickly. Fiesta's and Novas are both too boring for my liking, just seem like normal cars. I guess Imps are too, but there older and more unusual with engine layout and body shape. £2000 you will get a lot of choice to be honest! Look at a few to get the feel of the car you want and don't dive straight in, get something thats right because you want to be driving it not having to do sills or arches etc 3 months into ownership. Yeah, I'll probably take my mate with me who knows a thing or two about classic cars when I'm looking at them.
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non car savy people an Imp will just look like an old banger/classic of not much interest. Whilst a spitfire is an elegant open top sports car. I'd be inclined to disagree, my Imp has always got a lot of positive attention, loads of admiring looks. One woman even came up to me and said 'wow your car is so cool, do you mind taking me home in it?' At petrol stations i've had the same, people telling me how 'cool' it is. Parked outside a pub a couple of young people came out to talk about it, then you get the 'I used to own one of those' or 'I passed my driving test in one' from the older people, who appreciate that its another old car on the road. I can honestly say in 6 years I could count the negative comments on one hand. Excluding the jokes from people I know Well I've been conducting a little survey, not terribly scientific but still. I've showed a few of my mates some videos and pictures of the Imp. 90%, said things like urgh it's old, looks dated etc.. then two seemed to like it, one said "It's pretty good actually." and the other one said it's "quality" after showing him a video of a tuned up one.
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I'd say buy the imp, you obviously like them and want one and we should all strive to achive what we want. Not to mention you can't really go too far wrong with one and you can always sell it for similar money if you change your mind. Or if you're hankering after some off road action why not look at suzuki jeeps, cheap to insure, good mpg, four seats some of them are rag tops etc. Or don a shell suit and buy a vitara fat boy . Couldn't buy any off road that wasn't a Land Rover. Just feels like rip off. Sorry I know that's pathetic, just the way I am lol. I think the Imp is the most sensible option of the four mentioned, but it lacks some panache. Any other recommendations? I can't find anything else I like, Triumph Heralds are too expensive, I don't like 80s "Classics".
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I like your approach. Personally, I think you're money will go further with an Imp. In what way do you think it'll go further?
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Prob worth going to see some things, maybe there's some RR'ers near you who'd show you round their motors? Or some sort of classic car club, local shows etc for ideas. Landy, easy to work on but lots needing maintenance. Meant as off-road utility truck, not designed for road manners. 17-20mpg. Noisy inside. 2 seats up front, back seats not the most secure things in the world safety wise. Hence going 3 up front in mine (it's a lightweight anyway). Parts mostly dirt cheap, insurance usually cheap. Of the above, the Imp sounds good though. Yeah, Imps seems most sensible I agree. Just not sure about it's image. I'm looking for other things to consider, but I can't really think of anything that fits the bill.
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In what way do you think it'll go further? In that you should be able to buy a good, honest one with that sort of budget. Spending £2000 on a Spitfire could get you a good car or just a tarted up scrapper.
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gazwad
Part of things
Posts: 202
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a 2 seater car is a good idea for a first car as it means you won't always have to taxi your mates about everywhere!
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£2k should get a decent Herald, a mate sold his for £1200 and there was nothing wrong with it at all. We nearly bought a rather nice convertible at auction that went for a grand too. Just needed the hood sorting out, all else was excellent.
Lots of choice of all sorts for £2k really. Re Imps, have you seen the ones in Readers Rides, some cool stuff in there.
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'66 Amazon <-> '94 LS400 <-> '86 Suzuki 1135 EFE
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Nathan
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 5,649
Club RR Member Number: 1
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Considering carsNathan
@bgtmidget7476
Club Retro Rides Member 1
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a 2 seater car is a good idea for a first car as it means you won't always have to taxi your mates about everywhere! Amen.....My First car was a MG Midget. I would say the IMP they are qwerky and look amazing, Spitfire's are nice but if it were my money the IMP would be the winner.
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Zapp Brannigan
Part of things
She's built like a steakhouse but she handles like a bistro!
Posts: 423
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Like for like, Heralds are cheaper than Spitfires, but I personally wouldn't recommend either for £2000 (well maybe the Herald). As has already been said, £2K for a Spitfire is a gamble; you might get a good one, or you might end up with a nice looking car that's a POS underneath (I had one just like that!). Another option is an MG Midget, but that's the same problem, they're often full of rust for that kind of money(had one of those too - my first car when I was 17).
Other options to consider are Austin/Morris 11/1300, Austin A35, Austin A40, Singer Gazelle/Sunbeam Rapier/Hilman Minx, the list goes on.....
Personally I'd go for the Imp. My brother had one some years ago and they are great fun and don't tend to be as rusty as other British contemporaries.
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Agreed, £2000 would get you a lovely (hardtop) Herald...or even a nice (hardtop) Vitesse. If you want a convertible version though, it's a similar story to the Spit - look out for the good looking heaps.
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depends on what you want? does have to be tax exempt? how old are you? there is so many cars for you to have. look on ebay see what takes your fancy?
at the end of the day, for a classic/historic car you cant look at the price of spares/parts. if what something easy and classic honestly nothing better than a triumph 13/60, they are with in budget (and tax exempt), loads of spares (check out rimmer bros website), 1.3 rwd, great fun.
well theres my 2p worth
liam
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1976 Triumph Dolomite - Modifing Slowly
Panda Performance and Classic
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In what way do you think it'll go further? In that you should be able to buy a good, honest one with that sort of budget. Spending £2000 on a Spitfire could get you a good car or just a tarted up scrapper. Yeah I guess. The thing putting me off the Spitfire is the insurance is going to cost £1700 per annum.
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a 2 seater car is a good idea for a first car as it means you won't always have to taxi your mates about everywhere! Hadn't really though of it like that? My theory was that I'd be able to take my mates with my on "days out" and go to places further afield with more friends.
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£2k should get a decent Herald, a mate sold his for £1200 and there was nothing wrong with it at all. We nearly bought a rather nice convertible at auction that went for a grand too. Just needed the hood sorting out, all else was excellent. Lots of choice of all sorts for £2k really. Re Imps, have you seen the ones in Readers Rides, some cool stuff in there. How do Heralds compare with Imps? I know there bigger. But do they handle as well etc?
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Like for like, Heralds are cheaper than Spitfires, but I personally wouldn't recommend either for £2000 (well maybe the Herald). As has already been said, £2K for a Spitfire is a gamble; you might get a good one, or you might end up with a nice looking car that's a POS underneath (I had one just like that!). Another option is an MG Midget, but that's the same problem, they're often full of rust for that kind of money(had one of those too - my first car when I was 17). Other options to consider are Austin/Morris 11/1300, Austin A35, Austin A40, Singer Gazelle/Sunbeam Rapier/Hilman Minx, the list goes on..... Personally I'd go for the Imp. My brother had one some years ago and they are great fun and don't tend to be as rusty as other British contemporaries. Imps seems like a winner. Just been looking at some 13/60s. I don't like the look of them as much as Imps. But I like that fact they have a larger boot, more room for passengers in the back, and the possibility of having a convertible. But how do they compare with an Imp in other ways? They're only slightly more to insure. How do they handle, how quick are they etc?
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Agreed, £2000 would get you a lovely (hardtop) Herald...or even a nice (hardtop) Vitesse. If you want a convertible version though, it's a similar story to the Spit - look out for the good looking heaps. I'm liking the convertible Heralds, four seats, and a convertible, and the car looks alright, although not as nice as an Imp imo. But what are they like to drive compared with an Imp?
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depends on what you want? does have to be tax exempt? how old are you? there is so many cars for you to have. look on ebay see what takes your fancy? at the end of the day, for a classic/historic car you cant look at the price of spares/parts. if what something easy and classic honestly nothing better than a triumph 13/60, they are with in budget (and tax exempt), loads of spares (check out rimmer bros website), 1.3 rwd, great fun. well theres my 2p worth liam Well my ideal car would be a sporty/nice handling four seater convertible car that looks good, or can look good with some simple mods (new wheels, lowering etc.) that also has a fairly small engine (for economy reasons) and is cheap to insure. I'm 17 at the moment, but I'll be 18 when I get the car in a few months. Car doesn't have to be tax exempt, but if it is I guess that's a financial bonus.
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Davenger
Club Retro Rides Member
It's only metal
Posts: 7,272
Club RR Member Number: 140
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Considering carsDavenger
@dminifreak
Club Retro Rides Member 140
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I'm gonna be really predictable and suggest buying a HIllman Avenger. £2000 will buy you an amazingly good one
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