Thinking about the future (classic car to replace modernish campervan)

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chris667
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Thinking about the future (classic car to replace modernish campervan)

Post by chris667 »

Hello everyone. First post here. I'm considering becoming a Minor owner.
I currently own a Romahome, and a boring nondescript car. The Romahome's in great condition (I paid a lot of money to transfer it onto a new van a couple of years ago), but I don't get chance to go away in it as much as I'd like, and the tin worm is not kind to the Citroens it's based on. Perhaps it is time for it to find another owner. I also like the idea of a vehicle I understand mechanically and can fiddle around with at home. Most of my tools were stolen a few years ago, but I would be happy to acquire new ones and start doing my own work.
I am thinking about buying a car like a Minor and using it for daytrips, and adding a trailer and a tent or a tiny boat trailer for little outdoorsy trips. I've never owned a Morris Minor before, but I have owned an MGB, so I'm not a stranger to old British vehicles.
I've not decided yet, but:
Would I, my other half and my enormous dog fit in one comfortably?
Do you think £5k is a realistic budget for a solid one, or should I spend more?
Are there any sort of dealers or events near where I live in Derbyshire that I could go along to and maybe see a few?
ianmack
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Re: Thinking about the future (classic car to replace modernish campervan)

Post by ianmack »

Hello and welcome to the forum. Plenty of minor owners tow but the trailer needs to be pretty light if you are to keep up with the traffic. Comfort is largely a personal choice, some owners are happy with the standard seats while others prefer to fit modern ones. There are threads on here discussing preferred donor cars.

As to value I assume you will want a Traveller for your big dog. You can buy one for £5k but probably not a brilliant example. £5k buys a very nice saloon.

Quite a few Minors have been fitted with 1275 Sprite or Marina engines which are an improvement for towing.
SteveClem
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Re: Thinking about the future (classic car to replace modernish campervan)

Post by SteveClem »

We’re in Derbyshire. You’re very welcome to come and have a look at our cars. They’re not for sale but might give you an idea whether a Minor would suit you. We’ve got a saloon and a modified (1275) Trav.
Blaketon
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Re: Thinking about the future (classic car to replace modernish campervan)

Post by Blaketon »

A large dog would suggest a Traveller as the best option and I think £5000 would be a tad low to get a good one. To sum up, I'd say in good shape, a Traveller tends to command the highest price but a bad one commands the lowest price.

I have experience of the MGB GT (My mother has one and I have a V8 version) and I'd say that apart from the lack of four proper seats, the BGT is a good all rounder. In my case, I have the Traveller, the V8 and a Midget. You could say a car for all occasions (Well save for offroad/towing big stuff and if I was able to have a few more cars, a Series Land Rover would be high on the list - above any Ferrari). The Traveller is the most useful, the V8 the fastest (Even if you aren't flying, it's just so unstressed) and great on long trips, whilst the Midget is quite fast (It has over 100 bhp), handles very well and you can drop the roof (The V8 has Britax roof). My mothers car has a good mix (Doesn't win on any one thing, unless it shares the engine accessibility prize with the Minor) and if you were looking for just one car, I'd say it wins on aggregate. Both the Minor and BGT are easy to work on, there being plenty of room under the bonnet. Indeed, on the V8, only the exhaust manifolds are a tad tight (And the starter motor is behind the RH manifold).

The rubber bumper MGB is perhaps the best one to which to fit a tow bar and it has a really flexible engine. The tow bar, on the Traveller, fits very neatly between the rear bumpers.
ianmack
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Re: Thinking about the future (classic car to replace modernish campervan)

Post by ianmack »

I think the op’s enormous dog might not appreciate an MGB GT!
chris667
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Re: Thinking about the future (classic car to replace modernish campervan)

Post by chris667 »

Thanks everyone!

Blaketon - I loved my MGB GT, but I think my MG days are finished, for now. It's not practical for the three of us. I really only mentioned the B to say that I am not a stranger to fiddling with cars of that period.

I think a traveller would be the prime choice, but I realise now that I'm being rather ambitious with regards to price. There is one on Ebay not far from me at the minute, but looking at the pictures of it I reckon much of it is paint. I'd rather spend more to begin with and have something more honest. I was hoping to realise £7-9k from the Romahome (I'd be surprised if you could find one as good as it at any cost), then spending a bit less on something else and having enough left over to build a garage to store it in. I pay £30 a month to keep it in a dry barn over winter, but there's the ongoing cost of keeping that going and driving to it is very inconvenient. If I had a garage, I could do more of my own repairs as well as saving on the storage costs.

I will keep looking. I think a Minor would be the ideal, but I'd be very happy with, say, an old Rover, or something like an A60.

SteveClem - I'd love to meet up one day if you're OK doing that. I'll get in touch.
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