I’ve got a mk1 fiat punto, and I love it to bits. Mum bought it with inheritance and passed it on to me so it has a bit of sentimental value. I’ve done a massive amount of work on it, and ridiculously formed a bond with it due to those moments where you’ve been working on it for **** ages, cut/burnt yourself, struggled for days in the rain and dark, then it suddenly fires into life. I like it for its underpowered nature, simplicity and ability to swallow an incredible amount in the back with the seats down.

I find myself constantly working on it. It’s always got niggles and I can’t help but think I could spend the same amount of dosh on something I would love even more, and would be just as reliable (i.e. expect to have the odd breakdown every month or two). I’ve spent the last couple of days looking up morris minors as I love the styling, plus it’s rwd (not expecting to be able to kick into oversteer though!), and its got very little electronics. I understand that if you get one with a solid chassis then you’ll be alright, but other things will go wrong. Forget buying a knackered chassis, it’ll end up a cash pit.

Has anyone owned one, or a similarly aged classic and want to try and put me off? Can you fit a bike or 2 in the back (don’t mind taking wheels off).

I had a Moggy van, but that was in 1985. I thought about buying one again a few years later and was reminded that they were, essentially, a MK1 Marina, the main difference being that the Marina is a much better car. This alone was enough to put me off. Now, an old Landy with a turbo diesel engine transplant from something Japanese, well that’s always been tempting….

😯

Has anyone owned one, or a similarly aged classic and want to try and put me off?

I’d love a classic car, but only as a second car. There’s no way on earth I’d want to go back to that level of unreliability!

Dead easy to do your own servicing.
VED exempt.
Body panels replaceable with the aid of a couple of spanners/socket set, none of this spot welding..

We’ve got one in bits, Dad bought it at Uni and has kept it since, had it resprayed last year. Once it’s finished it’ll be lovely, but when that will be I have no idea.

Morris Minor saloons are tiny inside, its a tight fit just getting into the back seats so its gonna be hard fitting bikes in. if your not used to driving old cars its a bit of a shock to the system , drum brakes, skinny tyres, underpowerd engines, bouncy ride. Good fun once your used it but make sure you get a test drive before you buy as it may not be the car for you

rob – Member
Morris Minor saloons are tiny inside, its a tight fit just getting into the back seats so its gonna be hard fitting bikes in…

I’ve had a few and still hanker after another.

The 2 door is better IMO. The front seat folds right forward. I managed to get a whole Matchless 500 into mine. (A bit of assembly required afterwards).

They also handle better than any other cooking car of their era until the mini came in. I regularly used to get mine up on 2 wheels for fun (buggered the wheels though).

Simple to work on and loads of work room in the engine bay.

Pretty sturdy too. I wrote off a prototype Lotus Cortina by rear ending it with a Minor. The Minor was easily fixed once I separated the engine from the radiator. 🙂

I had one in the early 90’s. Unlike many other classics, I would say get hte latest one you can afford, I think the last ones were 1100’s. My one was a 998, which kept burning out exhaust valves, had no seatbelts, nor syncromesh on 1 and 2nd, was originally on crossply tyres, semaphoe indicators and a bit too slow.

Mind you, leave the lights on like I used to do a couple of times, and being able to swing a starting handle to get it going is a wondorous thing… The thing about a minor is that you can upgrade the brakes, gearbox, engine, and at least get it equipped for modern traffic conditions without too much expense.

They are fine to drive, fun, but not quick. My advice would be to drive it like you imagine it should be driven, ie sedately, and then its fine. RWD but as soon as you get “sporting” you get axle tramp, and the back won’t skid round, but the rear end starts to judder and skip around. No doubt you can do somehting abot that, but then your really driving outside the envelope of what the car was designed to do. But yes, rowing it along, no its 4 speed box, with that wonderful whine as you change up and down, in a captain of the ship seating position, knowing its a solid lump around you,its great.

Although if I wanted a small,cheap, tax exempt easy to work on car, that does handle, albeit in a slowish (in standard trim)fashion, I’d go for an MG Midget. Think engine similar toa mini 1275, but with a much nicer gearchange as the engine is longditundinal, and rwd on a short chassis, so it will oversteer in a controlled predictible fun fashion, can be upgraded with brakes, suspension, engine mods,and you sit so low that your really “in communication” with the car and the road. And if you need to take a bike, well, the bootlid will probably take a chrome rack for a bike.

Except very bad wet weather, My Midget was always a hoot to drive.

My mum had one in the late 70s. The wheel fell off once. And the wing. Cars have moved on (they had moved in the 70s come to think of it). God they were crap.

Jujuuk68 – Member
…but as soon as you get “sporting” you get axle tramp…

Relatively easy to fix if you want to drive it that way. There used to be a piece of kit for that job available in Oz – antitramp bars. Basically a rod clamped to the rear axle casing at one end to stop it trying to wind itself too far in the wrong direction. Makes a big difference.