The tax exempt limit used to come into effect when a car was 25 years old, but back in the 90's this was changed, and it now only applies to vehicles registered before 1st Jan 1973…

I'm not a petrolhead – i don't get excited about cars, but that Citroen DS is just amazing! Guess they're fetching good money these days though 😕

Don't be mad, just over £2k will buy you a serious car, and far newer, and the tax is less than £200 anyway.

http://www.vcars.co.uk/used-cars/cardetails.php?t=autoexposure&u=141066

I've one like this 🙂

Practical Classics mag (I think) has a section where it gives a mini review of each make and model of old cars giving you a typical cost, performance, economy, but more importantly availability of mechanicals and bodywork.

MGs and Aircooled VWs have just about every nut and bolt available, remanufactured or improved, so some of the imconviences of older cars can be ironed out (and probably will have been by previous owners), with others though you might struggle to keep the car on the road routinely if you are constantly on the hunt for spares and service items.

The main issue with anything 30 years old, or even 10 years old…. have you looked at new cars recently? Go into say a Peugeot a show room and open all the doors on one of their cars, look at the thickness of the sills, and pillars, the big triangulated braces around the bases of the doors. New cars are tanks, heavy and rock solid, now look at all the pics that have been posted, with their lovely slender pillars and panoramic glass. That golf will weigh as much as any car it passes on the roads today. These days in an old car you are the crumple zone.

I used to drive an old MG, and it is great fun, the savings in tax and insurance though are insignificant, if you are driving daily then although parts and servicing can be cheap, the wait to get stuff, usually by mail order, means you can be off the road for a week or more for work that would be an afternoon with something more contemporary. I don't own a car at the moment, but if I was to buy one self preservation would lead me to the newest car my money can buy, not the oldest.

zedsdead – love that Bonnie! I'm considering selling my Hinckley triumph (ST1050) and getting an original one – probably a T140, or maybe a Trident.

That Ciroen DS!!!! Best looking car ever built?

Easy to work on, reliable as long as you maintain it, and like Trigger's broom all parts are easily replaceable.

So far I'd say the Fiat 127/128 or up it to a 131. or maybe….

My dad had one for years, great fun, easy to work on, and pretty nippy when modded. Now has one of these (imp based, so mechanically very similar), point for anyone that can name the make/model without cheating!

It's a Clan Crusader. Early 70's?

parkesie – my first car was one of those in silver – same year.

rolled it off a road and down a bank within 6 months of passing my test in 1984. was lucky to get away with it really 🙁

I tend to think every odd-ball kit car from the 70's is a Clan Crusader to be honest 😳 (except the Bond Bug)

yer i had an imp and a clan – both with electronic fuel injection!

yer mk1 golf best bet

not sure if anyones burst your bubble yet but here's my costs so far after having the same thoughs.

September – 1975 MG midget £3700 (i.e. top dollar, its as good as they get, regulalry gets admired and commented on)

October – £300 for rebuilding the brakes

November – fuel guage failed, still havenet sorted the problem

December – electrics have failed, car wont start

January – paranoia spreading about driving it on salty roads

Febuary – I've been on the busses for 3 months now and thinking of buying a toyota.

Still pay road tax as well, it's only free pre '73 ~IIRC 🙁

Valve stem seals?

"Down side is it burns a lot of oil!"

does the crank case breather vent to the air box for the carbs or straight to atmosphere?

Driving an old car doesn't need to be expensive. My old 1975 Saab 99 was my daily driver for two years and, other than an oil and filter change every 6000 miles, it needed bugger all doing to it. Same with the wife's 96V4. All we did to both was fit electronic ignition, 'cos points are a pain. The 99 in particular is very easy to drive and feels and handles like a more modern car. The non-turbo version is extremely over-engineered and will go on forever (the turbo models are pretty tough too to be honest, but it helps if you can weld as they were all made from crap steel). I certainly had no qualms about jumping in it and driving a few hundred miles non-stop. Just treated it like any other car. Wish I'd kept it now… 😥

Get one like mine!

CLASSIC CARS ARE NOT CHEAP

But they are as fun as hell and you grow very attached to them. It will open up a whole new world.

I highly recommend the MG, you can fix anything with a spanner, hell thats how BL put them together. You can always get parts and they are so much fun to drive!

I used to put my 224 in the back of my Porsche 944, quite easily. the top of the rear seats folds down to give you a large flat boot area. Lots of fun too.

Considering the strength and integrity of older cars, while windscreen pillars may have been slimmer, the steel was often thicker. Going back to the Minor, when mine got rear-ended, it was a Triumph Dolomite that hit it. The Dolly was completely smashed in at the front, both front wheels pointing in different directions. The Moggy, on the other hand, was still perfectly driveable, the only reason it was written off was because it had a hand-painted finish when I bought it, and I was saving for a respray. If that had been done, the insurance would have paid for a repair. I'm pretty sure that a Moggy is as strong if not stronger than a lot of newer cars, and is certainly as reliable as anything out there. The fact that you can build an entire new car from spares shows that, whereas a lot of lovely old cars, like Imps, Heralds, Citroën DS, etc, are a real struggle when more obscure spares are concerned. Travellers, on the other hand, while great for carrying stuff, are are entirely reliant on the integrity of the timber frame. Once that goes, the back end falls off, and new timber costs around £6-800, IIRC. I'd love another split-screen Moggy, I really miss that little car…