The cost of motoring… (classic car content)

you’re not impressing me.

I love it even more now…! 😉

Summink like this, I’d say fair enough, ‘cos it’s well tasty.

This is what I’d fancy

A W123 is classic all day long. Much better than a boring Minor or MG. Every flat cap wearing pensioner wants or has one of them.

Id love something like this.. i think it just scrapes in as classic age.

Diversity in tastes is great. Early Celicas do it for me

Probably in relation to the era you were a kid in too.. Can remember my dad getting me a poster from the local dealership for my bedroom, the ones they would use in the showrooms like A0 or some ridiculous size.

S’like VW camper vayn owners; rave on about them, even though they know within themselves, that buying a modern vayn would be a far less unpleasant and considerably cheaper experience….

Wrong in every count. I had a ’72 bay for 3 years and I’ve been regretting selling it for about the last 12. 🙁 Absolutely no question the best, most useful, comfiest vehicle I’ve ever owned. No they don’t do ‘speed’ or ‘handling’ but who cares when you can stop where you like, have a cuppa, and go to bed for the night? The ride is very comfy and they’re suprisingly quiet (Maily becasue the engine is miles behind you) and very well made.
“cheaper?” Nope. The only real expense is fuel. Insurance is dirt cheap, tax is free, resale value is going UP not DOWN, parts readily available at cheap prices, and easy to fit yourself with 2 spanners and a screwdriver. £10 for an oil change…..

Of all the cars I’ve ever driven, or even sat in, it’s the only one I want back.

Anybody know where KPL 712K is?

whats the W123 like for reliability and rust?

the merc I have at the moment is terrible

My mother in NZ drives around in a (let me get this right) 1935 Morris 8. Its very cool, but yes quite slow and drafty. I’ll figure out how to post a pic.

My dad collects and restores Wollesleys. Last time I was back we went wine tasting in the Wairarapa in his 6/90, he always parks it right out the front you feel like a film star getting out. People take pictures. of course, it only has to live up to warrant standards of the year of registration, but my mum makes him put seatbelts and some fuel cut out safety switches etc.

Its a fun way to cruise about the place, almost makes driving a car fun. And I don’t get carsick in the back due to the slow cornering.

jools182, when the world is destroyed in a thermonuclear explosion, the only things to survive will be cockroaches, Keith Richards and W123 Mercs.

Jagger would too but, according to The Sun, has a willy too small.

whats the W123 like for reliability and rust?

Heavily overengineered and likely to last forever. Somehow things slipped big time in the 90s and 00s.

I love mk1 Escorts. And Elans. And Austin Healeys. And the 356 even though it’s just a posh Beetle.

Grew up with a petrol head dad that didn’t help:

Stag V8 with spoked wheels
3 x Audi Quattro uRs (sort of classic)
2 x mk1 Golf GTis
Ferrari 308GT4
Porsche 928 GT
2 x Porsche 924 Turbos (a bit gay TBH)
A bay window VW Camper

And many many more…

Thing is Fred a reaaly good open top se280 like that will cost you about £100,000 whereas a w123 is only a couple of grand.

Anybody know where KPL 712K is?

its not taxed or insured so I guess it’s dead. Thing is, that’s the big expense, keeping a van like that away from the tinworm.

One day, one day:

Hmm.. previous cars..

I don’t think any of the cars my parents had before their current one are still on the road.

I think perhaps one of my previous cars is.

its not taxed or insured so I guess it’s dead. Thing is, that’s the big expense, keeping a van like that away from the tinworm.

🙁

It was solid as hell when I sold it…… Long time ago now though.

when I win the lottery

Nice old Morris, good to see any classics used regularly but stay on top of the maintenance. Dont see many around any more or old beetles for that matter and they were both the most popular ‘old’ car on the road when I was younger.

Also look after it during the winter though or it will go grotty really quickly.

surf-mat – my old man had two ur Quattros (sadly, only the 10v models). Nearly swapped the last for a Cossie RS500, but then needed the cash and went for a plain Audi 100.

Only, this 100 (in its hideous metallic apple green paint) wasn’t that *ordinary*. I grew up near Banbury, and the old man bought his Quattros from Dave Sutton in Daventry. As in the people who used to prep the works rally Quattros in the ’80s.

That old, plain, uninspiring 100 was one of the fastet cars he ever owned.

Ourman – I like his style!

Dad had two plain 20v ones then a full Treser converted one – 80s tastic!

He also had a Ford P100 pick up (Cortina style) with a 400bhp V8 under the bonnet. It looked almost 100% stock apart from the fatter rear tyres 😈

And then a stock looking BBR Racing Shogun (the boxy SWB shape) tuned to almost 300bhp.

I have since always loved “sleepers!”

That 100 sounds dead cool. A bit like the mk2 CL Golf I’ve seen in gold with stock steel wheels and a VR6 engine…

Anybody know where KPL 712K is?
its not taxed or insured so I guess it’s dead. Thing is, that’s the big expense, keeping a van like that away from the tinworm.

Where can you check? I’d like to see if any of my old motors are still running

This is mine:

It is currently my only car but the engine has fubared its piston rings. I drove 150 miles to go biking and back last weekend and it used 4 litres of oil!

askmid.com lets you check the insurance

http://motinfo.direct.gov.uk/internet/jsp/ECSID-Internet-Status-Request.jsp check the mot

car tax status here -> http://www.taxdisc.direct.gov.uk/EvlPortalApp/application?origin=vnav_bar.jsp&event=bea.portal.framework.internal.refresh&pageid=Vehicle+Enquiry

My old ‘stage 1’ tuned MGB which is definitely coming out of hibernation for next summer after a year ‘resting’. Now departed GS650 Suzuki in the background. Sorely tempted to flog it for something along the lines of what Zedsdead has, which is bloody lovely.

That W123 Merc…did they do an estate ?
Would make an ideal bike carrier.

That W123 Merc…did they do an estate ?
Would make an ideal bike carrier.

They did. It does.

I have toyed with the idea of running a classic as everyday, but always thought better of it. I’ve co-owned a few American classics, 1966 Ford Thunderbird, 1956 Desoto Fireflite Sedan, 1967 Ford Mustang Convertible.

Morris Traveller, great bike carrier, either with a roof rack or in the back.

Car my neice had for her wedding last year. The lad that
drives it laughs at his mates, in their Novers and Corsas with their £2,000 plus a year insurance bills.
No VED, cheap insurance, on the down side, no seat belts.

Yes I have been drinking, no I can’t find a better photo just now, yes W123’s are classics – especially when they’re estates!

Love them! 😀

All great cars, til you have an accident! I wouldn’t want a son of mine driving one as a daily driver.

Hairychested – Member
That W123 Merc…did they do an estate ?
Would make an ideal bike carrier.

They did. It does.

I took mine to a “bring what you have” car show at a pub in Wiltshire the other day and a chap turned up in a limo-estate W123. Awesome car!
image link here!

cynic-al – why oh why would you sell that… so nice.

if i had the cash, this is probably the sweetest lookin’ car…

Just for Fred 😡
[/url]
Summer on the Chase[/url] by Richard Munro[/url], on Flickr

she no longer has the plastic bit and is driving a bit ropy. I need to redo the points and give her a good tune, probably put her away for the winter too.

This is mine, bought it a few months ago… my first car!!!

check out the DH bike + hardtail i got in the back!!!

got this one for sale too!!!

I’ve just sold my 96 993 – hadn’t planned to but a nice man approached me and offered a moonbeams price. Who was I to deny him ? Decided to go whole hog and see if I could flog my s3 at same time. All came off and I’m now into an RS4 wagon which was my all time ultimate wagon. Rock on.

@ anotherdeadhero and nickc

good choice!

lottery win first car will be a Guilia GTA, and probably a Fulvia for general duties

one day, one day….

Col – every nice. Not a classic yet but probably will be. How does it compare to the 993?