For those interested in old cars.

[boxbrownie]

2 minutes ago, stewartingram said:

I learnt to drive in one of those (off road), got my provisional, booked the test, and passed 1st time after 6 official lessons and 6 weeks!

After first cleaning off the pterodactyl poop 🤣

[jcredfer]

5 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

After first cleaning off the pterodactyl poop 🤣

I learnt to drive in one of those (off road), got my provisional, booked the test, and passed 1st time after 6 official lessons and 6 weeks!

Did the same with Dad's Morris Oxford, but in Devon, where the weather negated the need for the Dino poop rinses. {That and that none stick, bulbous shape!}

 

[boxbrownie]

9 minutes ago, jcredfer said:

I learnt to drive in one of those (off road), got my provisional, booked the test, and passed 1st time after 6 official lessons and 6 weeks!

Did the same with Dad's Morris Oxford, but in Devon, where the weather negated the need for the Dino poop rinses. {That and that none stick, bulbous shape!}

 

Devon though, you’d have to clear the wheel arches of dung first 😉

[jcredfer]

13 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

Devon though, you’d have to clear the wheel arches of dung first 😉

 

True, but saved the expense of Skid Pad training...

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by jcredfer

[Dunsignalling]

9 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

Devon though, you’d have to clear the wheel arches of dung first 😉

Back in the day, a layer of solidified cowsh1t was all that held half the cars round here together....

 

John

Edited August 28, 2022 by Dunsignalling

[boxbrownie]

3 hours ago, Dunsignalling said:

Back in the day, a layer of solidified cowsh1t was all that held half the cars round here together....

 

John

Natures underseal😆 

[Rugd1022]

A couple of quaint compilation of TV adverts...

 

 

 

 

Edited August 28, 2022 by Rugd1022

[Rugd1022]

This just in from Goodwood, my mate's down there with the '69 Mk2 Cooper I sold to him back in 2010...

 

[boxbrownie]

2 hours ago, Rugd1022 said:

This just in from Goodwood, my mate's down there with the '69 Mk2 Cooper I sold to him back in 2010...

 

That’s really nice, old English or what was the other colour option?   I forget now.

[boxbrownie]

Are they G800 tyres?   I love these piccies, really makes the memory work.

[boxbrownie]

Damn’it I really want an “S” again,  not sure I’d get in and out but a few measures of gin and Prosecco (don’t blame me we have visitors this weekend) makes me search the sales posts 😆

[Rugd1022]

17 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

That’s really nice, old English or what was the other colour option?   I forget now.

 

No, it's Snowberry White, less creamy than OEW and a standard colour on the Mk2s.

 

The tyres - they're from Blockley but I'll ask Kevin the owner exactly what they are 😉.

 

I've been a bit naughty this week - a mate has decided to splash out with one of his pensions and blag a really nice old motor, I keep steering him towards Jensen Interceptors, his resistance is weakening.... 😆

[alastairq]

34 minutes ago, Rugd1022 said:

a mate has decided to splash out with one of his pensions and blag a really nice old motor,

 A really good idea...a wise choice will see better returns than any sort of investment or savings account...and more fun to boot.  in fact, any old-vehicle choice would do.

 

OEW?

My Dellow had been repainted [at some point in the past 70-odd years] OEW. [original colour, red...and I still find traces of the original red here & there on the car]

When I came to tarting up some of the battered paintwork, imagine my annoyance at finding out there were three or four shades of ''Old English White'' to be had, in aerosol form [Carplan, mainly].

 

So I now have half a dozen or more cans of OEW, only two of which match the Dellow's OEW!   Still, the others will do for painting under the mudguards......along with some cream undercoat from Re-paint!    [ I liked Re-paint...meant I didn't have to fork out for spraying gear, or learn yet another skill, for occasional use.]

The undersides of the front mudguards, which are flared for mud protection on trials, are fairly obviously in view, but get splattered and stoned quite easily.

[Northmoor]

9 minutes ago, alastairq said:

 A really good idea...a wise choice will see better returns than any sort of investment or savings account...and more fun to boot.  in fact, any old-vehicle choice would do.

Of please don't repeat that old chestnut, we don't want even more "investors" to get into classic cars so that they can keep them in air-conditioned garages and never drive them....  Also bear in mind that as RPI is about 9%, the car would need to increase in value by that much in the next 12 months just to hold its value.  Your friend might be about two years too late if he thinks he could make money now.

 

I do find a lot of old car owners who claim to have made so much on their purchases, never seem to count the cost of maintenance, repair (they are often the ones who do very little themselves), storage, insurance etc., which all needs to be deducted from their "profit".

[Dunsignalling]

1 hour ago, Northmoor said:

Of please don't repeat that old chestnut, we don't want even more "investors" to get into classic cars so that they can keep them in air-conditioned garages and never drive them....  Also bear in mind that as RPI is about 9%, the car would need to increase in value by that much in the nTransylvanian Car Wasdext 12 months just to hold its value.  Your friend might be about two years too late if he thinks he could make money now.

 

I do find a lot of old car owners who claim to have made so much on their purchases, never seem to count the cost of maintenance, repair (they are often the ones who do very little themselves), storage, insurance etc., which all needs to be deducted from their "profit".

 

Also, there are vague rumours circulating that the cost of running an air-conditioned garage can be expected to rise a little in the near future.....😀

 

I shan't believe it until it gets at least a passing mention on the 6 o'clock news, though.🤬

 

John

 

(who has just finished cleaning the fiddly corners of his "future classic" that Vlad's lads at the Transylvanian Car Wash inevitably missed while doing a big clean on Saturday. Very impressed - they missed a lot less than any such emporium has previously).

Edited August 29, 2022 by Dunsignalling

[Rugd1022]

My mate will be buying something nice to drive and enjoy the ownership experience, he's not interested in values, perceived or otherwise!

 

I'm just the same, whenever we go to car shows such as the huge gatherings at the NEC, we don't think about the price tags or insurance valuations, we just look at the cars wondering what they're actually like to own and drive, be it a humble Mini based kit car or a 'high end' classic Bentley Continental Flying Spur. Talking of which, I don't half fancy this one...

 

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1488373

 

 

 

It doesn't matter that I can't afford it and probably never will, just knowing that it exists and that I want one is enough. On the rare occasions that such cars are spotted out in the wild, I don't think ''flash b*sta*d, he must have more money than sense'', I think ''fair play to you, what a beautiful car''.

 

 

[Dunsignalling]

12 minutes ago, Rugd1022 said:

My mate will be buying something nice to drive and enjoy the ownership experience, he's not interested in values, perceived or otherwise!

 

I'm just the same, whenever we go to car shows such as the huge gatherings at the NEC, we don't think about the price tags or insurance valuations, we just look at the cars wondering what they're actually like to own and drive, be it a humble Mini based kit car or a 'high end' classic Bentley Continental Flying Spur. Talking of which, I don't half fancy this one...

 

https://www.carandclassic.com/car/C1488373

 

 

 

It doesn't matter that I can't afford it and probably never will, just knowing that it exists and that I want one is enough. On the rare occasions that such cars are spotted out in the wild, I don't think ''flash b*sta*d, he must have more money than sense'', I think ''fair play to you, what a beautiful car''.

 

 

People who ensure the survival of such beauties deserve our admiration for using their money so wisely, even if it is deeply tinged with envy and covetousness!

 

The two-door coupes are even nicer though. I had the pleasure of following one for a few miles down the A303/A30 last Wednesday.  

 

John

Edited August 29, 2022 by Dunsignalling

[alastairq]

2 hours ago, Northmoor said:

Of please don't repeat that old chestnut, we don't want even more "investors" to get into classic cars so that they can keep them in air-conditioned garages and never drive them....  Also bear in mind that as RPI is about 9%, the car would need to increase in value by that much in the next 12 months just to hold its value.  Your friend might be about two years too late if he thinks he could make money now.

 Erm, not a chestnut, if done for the right reasons.

I wasn't suggesting buying a high end classic car as a means of investing money.

But, rather, buying and using a lower end classic car, keeping it in reasonable nick, and being selective with what one buys, can actually yield a better return for more modest sums, than sticking the lot in some sort of financial account on drawing that pension. [I'm thinking of 10 , or 20 grand sums, rather than the two hundred grand some some seem lucky enough to get their grubbies on.]

No need for airconned garages, or plastic bubbles.

 

[As an example, I have a '67 Mustang...I purchased it for a reasonable sum, in reasonable order. OK, so I've done a bit of mechanical work on it, the shell being very sound indeed. But most of that work has been in the 'hobby' category.

But, look at the marketplace for reasonable Mustangs? Even 6 cylinder cars?

Plus, the spares situation is really good.  I expect to see my money back, and then some, when, or if, I flog it.]

 

 Another car I'd look at, personally, [although currently unlikely]...Is an Armstrong Siddeley Whitley.

Not overly expensive market for them, in useable condition.

But pleasantly comfortable, and polish up nicely.

{ I suggested the Whitley over the later Sapphires, purely from a size and economy viewpoint]

 

There are not many moderns that still hold their value, plus!

 

I'm not talking show queens, or trailer princesses....or Ferraris that could be purchased and locked away.

 

My Dellow didn't cost an arm & a leg, even with re-importing it....but I shall easily see more than twice my outlay [which came from a pension], such is the marketplace at present.

Not that I'm planning to flog it, any time soon....

Some of the more mainstream 'classics' I would not bother with....Morris Minors, for example, [or similar] ? Excellent cars for usage, but not a type to dump a load of money on....Same with the MGB...Again, an excellent user-car, good spares, lots of backup if one can't be bothered finding out how what one has got, works...and how to mend it. But not a type to hide funds in.

But, I know where there's a nice Buckler Mk10!  That won't lose money, to my way of thinking....but one needs to be shorter than 5 foot 11 to get into it.

It's about being selective, rather than just 'going out to see what's there'.........

 

 

[Northmoor]

40 minutes ago, alastairq said:

But, rather, buying and using a lower end classic car, keeping it in reasonable nick, and being selective with what one buys, can actually yield a better return for more modest sums, than sticking the lot in some sort of financial account on drawing that pension. [I'm thinking of 10 , or 20 grand sums, rather than the two hundred grand some some seem lucky enough to get their grubbies on.]

 

Ah, then I can see we are clearly talking about very different things; £10-20k isn't what I would consider a "modest sum" to spend on anything, certainly not on what is essentially, a toy.  I don't resent you doing it though if that is what you can afford, I'm sure you earned every penny of it!  But it's almost an order of magnitude greater than I could consider spending on a classic.

 

My sort of classic is at the Morris Minor end of things, although I agree they are a money pit if serious work is needed.  As for the MGB (lorry engine-powered sports cars....) my neighbour bought one for about £16k, did loads of work on it (mostly himself) and sold it for £24k.  But I suspect he was an exception.

[MJI]

It is odd watching car values change.

 

A car you could buy for a few quid in 2000-2010 is now worth thousands.

 

My current car is going UP in value after a heavy drop 5 years ago.

 

Current resale would be roughly what I paid 9 years ago.

[alastairq]

19 hours ago, Northmoor said:

Ah, then I can see we are clearly talking about very different things; £10-20k isn't what I would consider a "modest sum" to spend on anything, certainly not on what is essentially, a toy.  I don't resent you doing it though if that is what you can afford, I'm sure you earned every penny of it!  But it's almost an order of magnitude greater than I could consider spending on a classic.

I really was trying to give a present-day ball-park figure. Hopefully based on a modest reality?

My lump sums were nothing like those figures [Civil Servants in the lower orders don't really get as much as the populist media would have one think]!

 

The Dellow came about from a childhood desire to have one....stayed with me all those years....even to being a member of the owners group, on the off chance.

The opportunity arose to get one, providing I was prepared to take a reasonable gamble. It paid off.

Not that obtaining a Dellow, sight unseen, was that much of a gamble really. As standard, they used Ford [sidevalve] running gear, etc..so mechanically there were very few things to be afraid of..all basic parts being cheaply obtainable [not as cheap as when they were new, and current, however].

The structure is chrome moly steel tube [WW2 rocket bodies]..with ally paneling. As long as that looked straight, the rest underneath really didn't matter, as it was unlikely to be as it was when it left the factory anyway...the nature of the beast with cars built for the enthusiasts market, and  motor sport.

I didn't get it as an investment, although it has with the passage of time, become what might appear to be an investment.

The Mustang? Well, I had another lump sum, which I wanted to use , but not lose, so to speak.

 

When I retired, I went out looking for an old car that would please me to use.

MGBGTs were first on the list.....looking at the cheaper end of the MGBGT market....A 'user' rather than a spit n polish garage job [I didn't, and still don't, have  a 'garage in the accepted sense..merely a Dancover tent [portable garage] and a  posh car port!]

The Mustang caught my attention before it was even advertised...and I had just about enough floating cash to consider it...it cost far more than I was prepared to spend, at the time, on an old car...So in many ways it was a leap in the dark for me. I don't like spending a right lot on transport...

But, having ummed and arred and relying on a good mate who was skilled in old vehicles [a mechanic by trade too]...plus the vendor, a reputable dealer , guaranteed I would at least get my money back if I couldn't get on with it.....I really had nothing to lose....so I bought it.

Yup, I have spent a bit of money on it, getting it to run to my satisfaction....but I expected that. Research paid off handsomely, however....and it's fettling costs have really been quite good. Especially the service one can get from the USA.

I quite like it now, after 5 years.....it  still leaks [the power steering, a factory option, being the main culprit, despite rebuilding!]  but it is nice to drive, being an auto.

However, it was an unintentional purchase....so to speak.....I could have purchased a new Dacia Sandero and had change to spare......but I didn't.

I have stuck with the two dailies I have had for years now...one petrol, one diesel, to handle my usual running about chores. [Both 4x4s, originally purchased for towing reasons]

During lockdown I SORNed them and just used the Dellow or the Mustang for the essential journeys.  Saved a load on tax, for sure.

 

But, I won't lose my original 'investment' of cash on the Mustang...prices have in general gone up much more than equivalent interest rates......and , being an old  Mustang, there is a ready & willing market out there for them.

Hence why I would suggest, if there's some cash to use, being selective about what one looks at with old cars...but not discount the idea altogether.

 

A certain rarity helps, as does a certain 'cache'........Solidity, helps too, and useability..Which is why I mentioned the Armstrong Siddeley Whitley. [Older styling, but benefited from updated mechanicals]   Rare enough and not gucci enough to attract the casual moneyed punter...but always having a ready market if a change is sought.

 

The problem I see with the likes of MGBs [  just used as an example as being popular and commonplace] is, there will be rather a lot of cobbled up motors out there, sometimes for silly money too.

Many have been purchased as a 'nice classic car to have in one's garage'....'Values' being apparently based on how much an owner has paid out to fettle their 'nice classic car'? Which really is an unrealistic view to take.

Best to buy, in my view, from an enthusiast...rather than  a typical punter.

 

 

[PhilJ W]

[Hobby]

Looking at the bottom of the rear wing it's lucky they didn't put "No Rust"!

[Dunsignalling]

Spotted this little beauty at Bishops Lydeard station car park, earlier. Restored but not overdone and at least some original chrome, I think. Judging by the mirrors and aerial, it sees regular use.

 

Not really my era, but I tentatively identified it as a Rover 14 (P2). 

 

Probably post-war (I think the wheels changed from perforated to plain). Wild guess 1947. 

 

How close have I got?

 

Just a nice car with an air of authenticity about it....

 

John

Edited August 31, 2022 by Dunsignalling

[Moxy]

35 minutes ago, Dunsignalling said:

Spotted this little beauty at Bishops Lydeard station car park, earlier. Restored but not overdone and at least some original chrome, I think. Judging by the mirrors and aerial, it sees regular use.

 

Not really my era, but I tentatively identified it as a Rover 14 (P2). 

 

Probably post-war (I think the wheels changed from perforated to plain). Wild guess 1947. 

 

How close have I got?

 

Just a nice car with an air of authenticity about it....

 

John

 

DVLA lists it as 1949, but if it is a Rover 14, the last ones were built in 1948, it was replaced by the Rover 75 model in 1949.

 

Sorry that  doesn't really answer your question.   It might be 1947/48 built Rover 14, not registered until 1949, or it might be a very early Rover 75.

 

I agree, it's a very nice car, whatever model it is!