Just starting out

[West Cork]

I am looking to enter ownership of a Classic Car and would appreciate any feedback and help.

I am looking to spend up to £10,000 and would like a car in excellent condition with low mileage and FSH. The car will be garaged and used on occasional weekends throughtout the year.

I do not intend to carry out any maintenance work myself . The car will be serviced by a specialist and maintained to the standard it was purchased for.

What car would you recommend ?

[TerryG]

What do you like? big, small, sports, saloon, estate, convertible, fast, cruiser, factory standard, customised, etc. £10,000 will buy quite a lot of classic car.

[rich.]

have you considered the jaguar xk8?

[West Cork]

Very open minded. Early research has come up with:
Triumph Spitfire
Volvo 1800
Jaguar XJS V12
Porsche 911SC

Willing to go up to £15,000 for the right car !

[In The Pit]

Very open minded. Early research has come up with:
Triumph Spitfire
Volvo 1800
Jaguar XJS V12
Porsche 911SC

Willing to go up to £15,000 for the right car !

As this will be your first classic then I would recommend what is often referred to as a 'starter classic' this phrase is normally used for a car that’s easy to own, easy to drive, reliable and cheap to run/repair and spares are fairly easy to come by. Also they are popular and have a good club backup think Morris Minor, Ford Cortina, Triumph Dolomite or Vauxhall Viva. This would give you a taste of classic ownership and you could then replace this with something more exotic a year or so later if you wish.

The problem is if you buy something that is known to be a troublesome model and expensive to run it could put you off classic ownership completely. For a first car I would forget the Jaguar or Porsche, the Triumph or Volvo would seem a better bet (but I know nothing about those models). Also if you pick a car that is almost extinct and doesn't have much of a following you can find yourself somewhat on your own when it comes to spares and guidance.

If you have a partner that you have to justify this purchase to they will not be too impressed if this car becomes a pit to burn money however buy the right car and you could have a very useful backup vehicle. My modern daily is an Audi A4 this is currently off the road yet again so my classic car is on daily duties its a 1978 Ford Escort 1300L MKII its totally standard and far more reliable than my current Audi (and the one before) this little Escort has got me out of trouble many a time.

When you decide what car you want read up as much as you can on it and join an owners club they will give you a lot of help and that’s often where the best cars are sold through. Choose the right car for you and you won't regret buying a classic car.

(this is a good topic and it may be worth featuring the question and some of the responses in the magazine as i'm sure many readers buy Practical Classics but have yet to actually own a classic car)

[tractorman]

From the above post's comments, the Spitfire is the obvious choice as it has almost as much support as Minors and MGBs. It shares many parts with the Herald and a good one is a nice car (if you can fit in it!). There are some over-priced Minors about (there's a traveller on eBay for £10K, but good ones are about for half that and cheap ones are money pits).

I think I'd go and check out a few different makes and models at specialist dealers if you aren't au fait with the cars you fancy. If you can at least drive one or two, you may be able to cross them off your list. It's OK for most of us - a budget of a quarter of yours (or less) means we have to buy what we can afford! Hence we buy money pits and learn a lot of new skills. If we had a £10K budget, we'd probably end up with six or eight money pits (I have two and looking for a third)!

[kevin]

what about a gt6 or tr6?

nice cars, very usable and fun?
decent spares availability and good owners clubs

kev

[Richard Moss]

Without wishing to be rude if you don't already have an idea of what you like, then you should not be buying any classic car just yet. Otherwise you are likely to end up with the wrong car.

[West Cork]

Thank you for your help !
I am in the very early stages of looking into the buying of a classic and certainly wont be making a decision until I have extensively researched and listened to advice from others with relevant experience.
I hope other members feel willing to contribute to this topic as I am sure that there are many other potential owners who would appreciate the advice being given !
I should point out that I am in my mid fifties with a 'dodgy' back so ease of access and comfort are further factors for consideration.
I look forward to further comments and recommendations !

[kevin]

Dodgy back would suggest something with plush seats, power steering and perhaps an auto box? Nice big rover or jag? Big farina?
Id go to as many classic shows / meets as i could and make an informed decision after viewing various cars.

Kev