Have you ever had the pleasure of an old banger?

[Night Train]

My first old banger was my first car, a 1972 Ford Escort Mk1.
Then followed a chain of old bangers until I got my current car from new.

The best old banger, in my eyes, is a Land Rover series 2, 2A or 3. So long as the engine is serviced and the chassis is in good condition then all the little knocks, dints and scratches in the body don't matter. The aluminium won't rust and what isn't aluminium is galvanised.

That makes it better then a car for an old banger as you have to protect the steel body from rust with a car.

 

[GrasB]

It was never a banger but my first autotester was like this. Having been a well used track/rally cross car before I got it there were a fair few war wounds on it & went like the clappers. Great fun & very few people thought about cutting you up.

 

[Lisa21]

Fantastic

I have an astra estate...opaque windows due to snotty nose prints (Millies, not mine I hasten to add)
Its white, with black paw-print stickers all over the back
Dont expect make, model, engine size etc..Im a woman
Oh, and a 38 yr old swb Landy in better condition than me

 

[Black Sheep]

an old landrover with no dents is just wrong.

they're not dents, they're battle scars.

anyway, back to the subject.

My first car was (and still is) a MK1 fiesta ghia, it belonged to my gran and now resides in her garage waiting for some work doing. I cried when I came back to it in a car park and found a dent on the rear end.

My wife's car (her first car) is a 1996 suzuki swift 993cc which we use every day, its been looked after, kind of. its made it to the lake district and back with a dry radiator (no bottom to it) and just keeps going - its going to fail its MOT on tuesday due to corrosion behind the steering rack and on the sills, So if I can't get it fixed for under £700 then I'll end up replacing it shame really, its so reliable.

I forgot to add, if for some reason in the near future we need two cars, I'm off shopping for a morris minor.

 

[Lisa21]

Oh dont worry, its got dents

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Oh dont worry, its got dents

The car?

 

[MarkF]

Had a newish Audi A4 but bought a 1989 £115 Volvo 740GL from Ebay to ferry my lad and his friends to and from their football matches, plus goals, corner flags, nets etc.

It was a big surprise, the Volvo was smoother, quieter and a nicer car to drive. Ok, it looked like brick, but I fell in love with it. Now I always have a banger around and have my heart set on a limo stretch 740, which will allow us to get rid of the people carrier.

 

[Campfire]

My car is a 1991 (BMW 318iS) which I've had about 13 years!!! It wasn't a banger when I got it as it cost quite a lot then. It's since suffered from red paint disease which means it's faded & the panels look different colours. It drives beautifully. However it wants things doing to it more than it's worth & so I've bought a 1972 Beetle for when it comes to end of insurance. God you do realize how nice a sophisticated car is to drive after driving a Beetle! I'm not a particularly fast driver nowadays but in Beetle I crawl around bends & it rattles!

I'd never have a new car, too much money lost in depreciation. Too new & Mr Campfire hasn't got the equipment to fix them.

Since Mr Campfire's Maestro works van died, he's got a battered range rover with a Perkins diesel engine which he's managed to get just over 30 mpg out of, without the overdrive when that failed. That worries all these posh shiny generic Eurobox drivers as it's battered, like the old Land Rovers!

 

[Crankarm]

Years ago when I was a nipper I was waiting in my Mini 850, which had seen better days even then, in a filter lane to turn right off Marylebone road into Great Portland Street, one of the big roads running south IIRC. I was 1st in the queue until some flash git in an executive barge came up the left nearside very close hoping to push in front of me. He was actually stopped in the right hand straight on lane of Marylebone Road alongside me. So the lights changed, I moved but as I let the clutch out and surged forward there was a nasty graunching noise. I guess this muppet had stopped his car so close and over lapping mine to avoid being hit from behind by fast moving traffic passing, that when I moved my car forward.........

So I jumped out and on the road in front of the flash git's barge was his bumper air dam and part of his wing. Not a scratch on my battle worn burgundy Mini, well not from his car anyway. I started laughing. The driver middle aged mardy driver started to shout at me. So I told him he could sling his hook as I had a line of witlesses sitting behind who would no doubt back me up saying that the damage to his car was totally his own fault as everyone hates people who try to push in .......... I got the name and number of the woman behind, who was a dish , jumped back in the Mini and skiddalled leaving this numpty to pick up his bumper and front of his car off the road . Never heard a thing from him.

 

[dan_bo]

I used to run an old mondeo diesel estate with a well battered front end that was called 'back off- he obviously doesn't care'- says it all really. Had some good times in that motor.

 

[dan_bo]

It set itself on fire on the way into brum once- fire engines the lot. New exhaust sorted that out.

 

[Alan Frame]

If you're a fan of old bangers and the savings to be made, have a look at www.bangernomics.com

 

[Lisa21]

The car?

That too

 

[Norm]

The best old banger, in my eyes, is a Land Rover series 2, 2A or 3. So long as the engine is serviced and the chassis is in good condition then all the little knocks, dints and scratches in the body don't matter. The aluminium won't rust and what isn't aluminium is galvanised.

I almost agree, having had a chain of IIAs and IIIs but we picked up a 110 a year ago and the coil suspension makes it hugely better as a road car.

an old landrover with no dents is just wrong.

I hope so!

I'm surprised at how many on here have an affection for the old LR's.

 

[Brains]

Yet another Landie owner
Defender 110, 1992. I've had it for the last 12 years, and no reason why it won't last another 12 years.