Not really, but Polo’s, Golfs, Civics and Nissan’s small cars would be the best bet – small size would be the thing to look for as the engines were not as sophisticated back then. Avoid diesels of the era as they are essentially just tractor engines!

Rysz.

Tax Exempt!

Your Mrs’ 30th?

As above, small engined cars of the time, few are “cool” today, but Fiat 500 eq (126?) was quite cute, Hillman Imps too old.

I doubt mpg would get much over 35 but I am not an expert.

My mum got a Fiesta around then 😎

Tax exempt is 1971 no?

there are some here

Ebay suggests Minis, Dolomites and MGBGTs are the majority of the survivors, unless you want to go upmarket.

hairy, I don’t doubt it, you did ask for econmic-al though!

Either MGB (GT if you want ‘practical’).

Or ford.

Both will hold their ‘value’ or even apreciate, but be prepared for any savings from that to be eaten up by maintenance and fuel.

Add to that handling, brakes and crash testing were *cough* not upto modern standards.

Get a sierra, the engine, g’box and diff are worth more as kit car parts (especialy if sold together with a V5 or equivalent and are the originals off the car) than the whole car! 2l versions had stronger driveshafts (especialy uefull in a kit car). And if you keep it a while parts are peanuts and engines simple to work on.

seriously – see this alot on landrover forums – save 200 quid a year – spend 2000 a year keeping the vehicle on the road – WHY !

ireland must be different to uk – its pre 1973 in the uk for tax exepmt

and your not honestly thinking of running a car daily that you do no annual test on – ive seen some of your previous car related posts – your going to be in a ditch when your car fails catastrophically ….

WORST REASONS EVER to get a 30 year old car. Im sure these rules are to ensure that classics dont get scrapped and are appreciated by classic car nuts who drive them a couple of times a year and cherrish them.

If it’s still alive now, it’ll probably survive a bit longer.

I’d go for Merc, Volvo or Saab. Possibly Toyota.

I’d not drive a car that old. I’ve seen the crash test results.

In Eire a car from 1980 would be liable for an annual test according to this.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/travel_and_recreation/vehicle_standards/national_car_test.html

You’ll have to go older than 1980 if you want to be exempt, or moe to Craggy Island.

please for the love of god dont put the kids in it …..

i still dont understand what you will save on not doing an annual test other that potentially driving a rotbox – tbh the tax i can understand them no charging but the no mot thing is just stupidity of the highest level.

I’ll be honest, if you have a car that is 20+ years old, I wouldn’t generally rely on it for a daily driver.
If the bodywork isn’t rotten, lots of other stuff will screw up.
Fuel economy on older cars is probably poo, as they will be carbs and without a proper tune up they’ll be lumpy as ****.
Given the choice I’d get a 10 yo jap car. It’ll have fuel injection, decent i.e. non rotten bodywork, parts still widely available.

In a Morris Minor – most people – just the once 🙁

Not really, on a motorbike you tend to slide allong and if your unlucky hit something hard (see motoGP crashes, they often walk away after binning it at 200mph).

A Morris will pre-date collapsible steering colums so it’ll just impale you above 20mph.

Saying that my parents were hit by a sleeping driver whilst in a traveler, they survived.

They were then turned into the filling in a transit and armco sandwich in an MGB, the front wheel ended up in the passenger footwell and my dad was left holding a steering wheel folded into a figure of 8 he’d gripped it so hard!

How soon we forget……….window winders, 4 gears, drum brakes, manual chokes, vinyl roofs.

I’d pay the tax 😕