Practically Classics Forum

Thanks for all the advice chaps, unfortunately I just missed a couple of car shows in this area over the last month or so but will look out for others to see what I can shoe horn myself into.
I do like the look of the dolomite & herald, not so keen on the newer stuff.

Any other classic that anyone can think of?

What area are you in, I'm sure that there are car shows and meets that we know of which
might have been not posted in the mags

Sheringham in North Norfolk.

transit crewbus?

natdawson wrote: Any other classic that anyone can think of?

Have you considered the Rover 800? In particular the 827 model with the Honda engine and gearbox so is super-reliable, big, comfortable and pretty economical. I took one of mine for a 200 mile trip on sunday and returned 34mpg - slightly disappointing but that's down to a slightly blowy exhaust.
There is an excellent club back up (rover800.info) and one of the members is very tall and can fit into an 800, with legroom in the back for offspring if needed.

Now would be an excellent time to buy as prices are just starting to go up, look after it well and you will almost certainly make a profit when you sell it - if you sell it!

Alternatively if you want something a bit smaller, consider a Triumph Acclaim - very nippy, able to run unleaded, reliable Honda base, economical and again, likely to go up in value.

Rover 800, yes, very roomy but anyone with more than a 31" inseam would struggle to drive an Acclaim without bending their legs and there's no real legroom in the back. Shame really, they're a very pleasant retro motor in every other way. I tried out a very tidy Hondamatic ("Triomatic") version recently and discovered its painful absence of legroom for myself. Damned shame, it was otherwise such a likeable wee car.

(A Dolomite engine was designed to run low octane, unleaded petrol right from the start of Saab 99 production as Californians liked their 99s).

Volvo 940 Estate. Huge with tons of room inside, easy to maintain, parts easily available. Never seen one with much rust. If they were any bigger National Express would operate them!

Mk X Jag?

Make sure that it still has the Camel hair overcoat and box of Cuban cigars that came as standard when new though

Truiumph 2000 / 2500, simple rugged mechanics, good to drive, we ran one for a couple of years, never missed a beat, put it on lpg and it will be cheaper than a diesel to run.

Kevin

Rover 800s are cursed with a lack of headroom - I am 6ft tall and have a slightly longer than average back and my head brushes the sunroof aperture. That's why, despite being a huge fan of them, I didn't mention them.

The XJ40 has better headroom, though, thanks to a lower seating position.