Practically Classics Forum

hi guys my name is darren from essex uk i am looking for my first classic to rebuild or restore i am a mechanic by trade but never found the time until now but have a question which classic car is the best to start with as i do not want to spend years trying to find the parts , i want something thats cheap and easy to obtain parts for for a first project any help appreciated been thinking about a mini

welcome!! ive had lots of minis in the past, they don't seem to be cheap any more.. have you thought about the austin 1100/1300 range? much more comfy to drive & so much cheaper

looked at hundreds just cannot make me mind up its gonna be a long one so no rush may even start from just a shell and go from there

You could get a morris minor instead(not that I'm biased). Every part is available off the shelf including a new shell if you desire. RWD fun, simple mechanicals, an very active owners club. You can even fit a V8 in to one if you want a bit more go. You can get one with an MOT for a grand to have some fun before you break it down for a restoration or £400 will get you something complete that runs but needs lots of work.

Wet roundabouts are more fun in a morris minor even the 998cc version than almost any other car.

TerryG wrote:....Wet roundabouts are more fun in a morris minor even the 998cc version than almost any other car.

...apart from a Volvo 244GLT that is!

Darren, much as I love minis, I'm with Terry here. I've had a sidevalve one (slowest thing in the world but made from noticeably thicker steel than the later cars), a 948 (which bizarrely came with an A35 van engine of 848 cc capacity in place of its 948) and a couple of 1098s and although the 1098's torque makes it the most useable as a daily ride, the 948 is sweeter and perfectly pleasant in its own way.
Yes, mini parts are freely available too, but the Minor's shell is much less complex and as Terry's V8 idea suggests; there are many more ways to modify a Minor if that's your thing.

But as you haven't come to this with a rigid, preconceived idea of what you need, my idea in these circumstances would be to look at, test drive and poke in about at a good selection of cars of different makes and models, then buy whatever gives you the best condition for your cash at the time, combined with spares availability. Meeting these criteria you might also consider something from the blue oval. Most folk own at least one Ford in their lifetime and it may as well be an old one.

Good luck!

I suspect that, as usual, you'll get as many different suggestions as there different members on the forum!

Perhaps an idea of what you want to do with the car after you've restored it would help you choose the perfect one. A Spitfire is a handy sporty machine if you don't want to take two or three children in it - a Land Rover is a PITA for those travelling a distance (ie more than a mile) to shows etc.

While I am not a fan of the Minor (we had three when I was a child and all needed a lot of maintenance!), there are things like Heralds and Beetles of similar age that are well supported. I agree about avoiding Minis too - they are over priced these days and, IMHO, awkward to work on (I have a bonnet catch grove in my head thanks to Minis!) and enjoy rusting in hidden spaces.

There again, you may be more interested in newer stuff - Novas and Fiestas etc. Spares may not be so easy for them (scrappage has taken a lot of the potential donor cars). There's a lad down the road with a Mitsubishi Starion which he is slowly restoring. Finding parts for it is rather difficult and he almost buys Starion stuff when he sees it: just in case he will need it later on!

Reshelling is fraught with danger these days thanks to the DVLA; the points system makes things rather difficult, with little traps set to catch you out!

thanks guys great ideas i love the idea of fords as to be honest thats all i have ever had since i started driving if i look back i could kick myself for some of the cars i got rid of including when i was 20 a genuine avo rs escort mk1 that i swapped for an austin princess lol the engine had blown in the escort anyways lol. also scrapped a a humber sceptre a singer gazelle two years ago that were found in undergrowth at bottom of my garden , and metro kensington which was in mint condition apart from head gasket.
what i would like is a mk3 cortina but spares seem rare and even cars that are way close to being a pile of dust command to high a price i like the mk1 and mk2 xr2s .maybe i should look at the moggy never really looked at them .
the car would be just for a hobby really and maybe do some shows etc i did rebuild a for fiesta pop plus years ago from a burnt out shell and have done land rovers but they are not really restoration cars more tonka toys ya fix everything with a hammer

If you are looking at Fords, how about a MK1 Fiesta. They are a giggle to drive even as a 1.0.

yeah they are fun had a super sport and a xr2 sadly in hindsight should have kept them all but how many of us can say that nearly all of us lol, the other idea was to buy a future classic as they can be bought for next to nothing i have toyed with restoring my focus lx as the body work is really as new but will it ever reach classic status before i do

It's all down to personal preference. I have a MK1 2.0 focus, I would never conceder restoring it (it has car park dings on every panel) but you never know. with an LX I would be more inclined to up-spec and drive it every day rather than something with manual steering, brakes and windows which is more for weekend fun.
You could get the best of both and find a MK1 fiesta then transplant the focus running gear in to it.