New secondhand car

[Rickshaw Phil]

"Emmisions and fuel consumption can be reduced to modern levels by fitting electronic ignition/fuel injection kits which I believe are available for both."

- nah, not even close. The ignition kits are good but they only really avoid the problems with a distributor, namely wear and adjustment. Modern types of fuel injection can't work on Morris Minors as each cyclinder shares an inlet port - so the best you could do is the throttle-body type from the last of the original minis.

With the escort there are kits to fit a mondeo engine, which could be entertaining on a car that weighs around half of a Mondeo... 0-60 in 6s I reckon with a standard 2litre and probably an early death with standard brakes.

This set up - http://www.canems.co.uk/casestudy/tbmini.php - would fit a Morris Minor and I believe the company can do versions to fit Ford engines too.

 

[tyred]

Yeah I agree, but you don't see many rusty ones now, do you? I thought they'd all had galvanised bodywork for years.

Definitely not. My uncle's 2000 E230 had two front wings, a bootlid and a complete respray under warranty when it was 3 years old. The front crossmember on these also disintegrates but nobody will ever notice until it's too late as it's covered with a plastic cover.

 

[Linford]

This set up - http://www.canems.co.uk/casestudy/tbmini.php - would fit a Morris Minor and I believe the company can do versions to fit Ford engines too.

The best thing you can do with a moggie minor is stick a supercharged Rover V8 engine in it and go drag racing

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

The best thing you can do with a moggie minor is stick a supercharged Rover V8 engine in it and go drag racing

Imagine the axle tramp you'd get on that!

 

[slowmotion]

It might sound daft, but you could do a whole lot worse than getting a car-derived van like a Vauxhall Combo or a Citroen Berlingo, if you don't need more than two seats. If you get a diesel it should be good for at least 200,000 miles and it won't be very old. There is loads and loads of space for your bikes and stuff. If it's white, you will be treated wiv respec' by other road users. I've got a 1997 Combo with 143,000 on the clock and it goes just fine.

 

[tyred]

There is definitely an argument in favour of a white van. When I drove a white VW Caddy, other van drivers always flashed me out at junctions.

 

[slowmotion]

There is definitely an argument in favour of a white van. When I drove a white VW Caddy, other van drivers always flashed me out at junctions.

For added cred, a Millwall FC sticker in the back window bigs you up no end..." Millwall FC, nobody likes us...we don't care..."

 

[slowmotion]

[QUOTE 1731897, member: 45"]Just remember the different speed limits.[/quote]
It depends on the load carrying capacity. I think I'm off the hook but I could be wrong. See here...

http://www.dft.gov.uk/topics/road-safety/speed-management/van-speed-limits/

 

[GrumpyGregry]

It might sound daft, but you could do a whole lot worse than getting a car-derived van like a Vauxhall Combo or a Citroen Berlingo, if you don't need more than two seats. If you get a diesel it should be good for at least 200,000 miles and it won't be very old. There is loads and loads of space for your bikes and stuff. If it's white, you will be treated wiv respec' by other road users. I've got a 1997 Combo with 143,000 on the clock and it goes just fine.

Van derived car is a better bet surely? Like a Berlingo Multispace or a Renault Kangoo. How we miss our Kangoo car. Superb bike/family transport.

But to the OP's point.... A Toyota, though I have my misgivings about the Aygo actually being a Toyota as it appears to be a Citroen, or is it a Peugeot....

 

[rich p]

It might sound daft, but you could do a whole lot worse than getting a car-derived van like a Vauxhall Combo or a Citroen Berlingo, if you don't need more than two seats. If you get a diesel it should be good for at least 200,000 miles and it won't be very old. There is loads and loads of space for your bikes and stuff. If it's white, you will be treated wiv respec' by other road users. I've got a 1997 Combo with 143,000 on the clock and it goes just fine.

It's a good idea except that I already have a van and this would be for Mrs richp's use largely, to get to work. She won't drive van's but it's really the initial cost v. reliability v. future repair costs that are vexing me.

I suspect it's an impossible cost/benefit analysis in truth but Toyotas seem to get more than a few personal recommendations on here though.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

If you're getting a van...

 

[rich p]

If you're getting a van...

Will I never live it down?

 

[rusky]

It's a good idea except that I already have a van and this would be for Mrs richp's use largely, to get to work. She won't drive van's but it's really the initial cost v. reliability v. future repair costs that are vexing me.

I suspect it's an impossible cost/benefit analysis in truth but Toyotas seem to get more than a few personal recommendations on here though.

Get her a BMW Z4, she deserves it!

 

[rich p]

Get her a BMW Z4, she deserves it!

Apart from the bleedin' obvious, I have no idea what that is Rus!

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

I had to get a car in a hurry when some tw@t pulled out in front of my Civic MB6. I really wanted a Skoda Octavia TDI but could not get one and ended up with a Focus TDCI. It is ok, but for a car that is galvanized it has way more rust than Japanese cars that I have had which are not. Then again most japanese cars are not as good as they used to be. Nissans used to be great cars but I have a feeling that they are just Renaults now. Honda's are supposed to be not great anymore compared to what they used to be. If I was getting another car it would be my original choice, Octavia TDI.