Retro cars - suggestions and advice

[MagnusTS]

I'm looking for a new car. Thought I'd try and get something with a bit of character this time. I love the boxy looks of cars from late 80s and 90s.

I know next to nothing about car mechanics, so it can't be a project or high maintenance. It wouldn't need to be a daily runner, but maybe a weekend run-around. And I am a little strapped for cash, so it would have to be cheap. So I'm after something that is reasonably reliable, retro stylish, and very cheap,

At the moment I am looking at Mk4 Golfs and BMW 318i from early 90s for about 900 quid. Any other suggestions or advice gratefully received. Thanks!

 

[Sadfield]

Like the 3 series BMWs, particularly the Tourer.

How about driving around like an italian hitman in a late 80s Merc CE, probably bomb proof. Capiche?

Review

EDIT: Ignore, they've rocketed in value.

 

[Gunge]

Straight off I thought 'Saab 900 Turbo', but I've no idea what they go for, these days.

 

[terrym]

Presumably you have considered the risks of buying a 20 or 30 year old car. Although they are simpler to repair since electronics had not yet become an important feature of car design, repairs to age related components are more likely. Big old status cars may be fine when they are running, but when they go wrong they cost lots to repair. And my view is that older cars are generally less reliable, based on my own ownership of cars for 50 years.
I am not sure whether you currently own a car, but you if you don't be aware that garages charge lots, my main dealer charges £120 per hour although there are others who charge less. And there is only so much work you can do at home if you have limited technical skills.
Modern cars not have the allure of an old car but on a tight budget they might offer a better option.
So your final decision may be whether its heart or head that rules your next move.
Hope you make the right choice.

 

[MagnusTS]

Straight off I thought 'Saab 900 Turbo', but I've no idea what they go for, these days.

Yep, good suggestion. They were on my list, but have started to go up in price recently.

 

[MagnusTS]

Presumably you have considered the risks of buying a 20 or 30 year old car. Although they are simpler to repair since electronics had not yet become an important feature of car design, repairs to age related components are more likely. Big old status cars may be fine when they are running, but when they go wrong they cost lots to repair. And my view is that older cars are generally less reliable, based on my own ownership of cars for 50 years.
I am not sure whether you currently own a car, but you if you don't be aware that garages charge lots, my main dealer charges �£120 per hour although there are others who charge less. And there is only so much work you can do at home if you have limited technical skills.
Modern cars not have the allure of an old car but on a tight budget they might offer a better option.
So your final decision may be whether its heart or head that rules your next move.
Hope you make the right choice.

Yes, good advice, thanks. I agree, definitely a risk.

I just got rid of a car we had on PCP. We were paying over 300 a month for it. I reckon if I get a sub 1k car, the money I am saving from not paying the PCP will pay for a lot of garage work. We do have another new car, so would not be stuck without transport if (when) we had problems with the banger, I mean classic.

 

[MagnusTS]

How about driving around like an italian hitman in a late 80s Merc CE, probably bomb proof. Capiche?

Una bella macchina !

 

[RLGMIlson]

Austin maestro

A gorgeous vehicle

 

[chub1]

Rust,rust,rust:thumb:
so many of the 'older' cars were literaly rust buckets.
I had two Anglia 105E's,loved both but boy were they rust jobs and pretty unreliable.Even had two Nissan's in the 80's and they were equally as bad.

 

[Saisonator]

Lancia Delta HF Turbo for me, always wanted one, still do.
The main reason stopping me now is not having a garage to park it in.

 

[Cwrw666]

Yes, good advice, thanks. I agree, definitely a risk.

I just got rid of a car we had on PCP. We were paying over 300 a month for it. I reckon if I get a sub 1k car, the money I am saving from not paying the PCP will pay for a lot of garage work. We do have another new car, so would not be stuck without transport if (when) we had problems with the banger, I mean classic.

If you buy a sub £1K car you're basically just going to drive it until it's first major breakdown. Then straight to the scrappy.
If you do pay to have it fixed it could be literally days til the next one.

We usually buy new or nearly new then drive it until it's scrap. Always a hard decision but basically when all the repairs needed add up close to it's value it's time to let go...

 

[aj65]

I have had both old and new cars... recently sold a Stag, I can honestly say having an old car is far cheaper to repair. Last time I had a newish car ( Volkswagen Touareg ) it cost me £570 for some obscure electrical part. The Mercedes I had E320 had no end of glitchy electrical faults.
I used to have a Mercedes 230ce w123 model and can say it was one of the best cars I owned ... basic electrics and built like a tank. I’m pretty sure you can pick the saloons up reasonably cheap.. and it won’t lose any value when you sell it.

 

[Saisonator]

If you buy the right one then you get zero depreciation, maybe even go up in value.
Plus if it's not your daily runner and you are interested in mechanics, you can do some of the work on it yourself in your own time.
Old cars are far more simple to work on.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

If you are going to run an old car it is going to need maintenance unless you can find one that has done very low mileage i would get one that was as common as muck so there are thousands on scrap yards therefore getting hold of parts is never going to be a problem.

 

[simon12]

I just got back from Cuba and saw these

1 to consider is old jags go cheap.

 

[simon12]

Sorry pics didn't work before

 

[Dexter101]

From my limited experience messing around with cars with a mechanic friend for what you are looking for and at that price range look for:

Body condition- rust and paint are really expensive to fix and time consuming. Solid, clean shell is vital

Simplicity- don't go for anything that was cutting edge or unique, you want a reliable mass produced engine with a good reputation.

good second hand parts market- a lot of older cars have a good following and owners clubs can help you with spares, recommendations for garages etc.

I had a 2.0 1993 Calibra a year or so ago, lovely car and bought it for the same reason as you. However life changes and it just wasn't practical. (3 door calibra not really suitable for baby seat.

My friend who is a mechanic is currently restoring a Astra GTE and has recently sold his Vauxhall Nova GSI for over 3 times the amount he paid for it.

I am a big fan of Hondas so something like a Prelude would be a good bet and at their time, a very nice car. Reliable but can be prone to rot.

Or something like a VW Corrado

 

[Gerryjo]

Austin maestro

A gorgeous vehicle

Seriously!!!!!

Sent from my ALE-L21 using Tapatalk

 

[terrym]

Sorry pics didn't work before

And then of course there are similar vehicles in Cuba at the other end of the spectrum. I wonder if its still there since I took the photo in 2009?

 

[VW911]

Older VW's have such a huge following, that there are loads of companies selling spares.
The downside is that they are usually quite expensive to buy in the first place...