My son has started talking about driving and I reckon an old MG would be perfect. Cheap to run and with classic insurance cheap to insure even for a youngster
I can understand your point of view, for some reason the whole convertible thing seems to get up peoples hooters, but I owned this for a number of years as our third car and sold it two years ago, for smoking around Oxford where I live and doing the school run it was great, wish I still had it in this weather!
A word of warning bradders - there is no way on earth that an old MG is cheap to run. Trust me, my mate makes a very good living out of fixing them - cheap they ain't ! And the standard of safety equipment, brakes etc is not ideal for inexperienced drivers.
Not so keen on convertible saloons. Was it Clarkson who said something about sitting in the back of a convertible car makes you look like Hitler? Convertible/top off driving is something everyone should experience IMO. I've had them on and off since I could drive... MG's, Sprites, Jeep thingy, Mazda (ok bit gay) Westfield (build that one) and a string of Winebar Porkas...:biggrin:
I had a convertible up until last year. A military lightweight landrover which I restored. The dog loved it, think there is a pic on here somewhere. Just goes to prove that I am a bit gay I suppose :smile:
Money pits ! And they can hinder learners a bit then more modern cars . Unless your mental like me and drove a 72 beetle .. But I was not allowed to take my test in it as it did not have headrests it was not allowed.
I agree, a Midget would be a great place to start, lovely simple, easy to work on, rust is the biggest worry, I had a couple of "B's" when I was younger and loved working on them, just nice simple cars.
Another fan of convertibles here, one's my everyday car (folding hardtop) & the other one counts as my other toy, I'm taking it to the Pistonheads meet at Luton on Sunday.
I'm planning on buying something nice when I get my accident payout, a Mercedes CLK 500 is the most likely. I must admit, i'd been looking at hard top only but the convertible is on the radar now..
Any MGB or Midget around these days will either cost a small fortune to buy or a large one to get into any kind of state that is anything near roadworthy. They were great "back in the day" but certainly are not the best thing for learning in, or for driving regularly in modern traffic.
Funny you should mention this. I was having a conversation today at work with a bloke who has recently bought a BM Z4 (is it?) and he was saying that in this very hot weather, it isn't so great. Fine when you are moving along (like a Ducati) but in town or a jam, you just roast as the sun beats down on your bonce. He admitted to putting on the aircon in these circs to try and cool down, which he agreed was barmy, but there you are. We both agreed that the best time for biking or convertibles is when the temp is about 23 or 24°. I have never had enough money to have a 4 wheeled toy as well as a 2 wheeled one, but if I one day do, a convertible would be on the list, like a Jag or an Aston. Well cool. Or maybe a Mustang if I was strapped. Probably won't ever happen though. It's not exactly top of the priority list.
By raising the subject of convertibles i'm not trying to establish whether or not their owners / drivers are good with hair / colours / interior design* delete as applicable, lets face it any car or in fact bike choice could drop anyone into that perceived category. No I was spouting about the pointlessness of owning a convertible if the roof is going to remain shut in this type of fantastic weather, why not just buy a hard top and be done with it? cheaper, in the long run! I would love nothing more than to do an American road trip in a big F Off convertible that does 2 MPG! I would even go as far as possibly owning a correctly selected model. Not a Hairdressers car. Neither is this. I would be happy to be seen in either of these.... no who's for a little living room redecoration?
I went for a dinner in an expensive Geneva 5* hotel last year and there was an E-Type convertible parked outside when I came out. It looked incredibly cool. All these years later, as a babe Hoover, that is the car you'd still want to have.
Possibly an enormous coincidence but I think I saw the same car at the same hotel. We bought an old Fiat Barchetta, to keep in with the convertible theme, and drove through France and parked at a very plush hotel on the Lake Geneva Shoreline as the song goes. There was a beautiful E type there, dont suppose you spotted the black Barchetta a couple of spaces away ? Cant recall the name of the hotel unfortunately. I can recommend Barchettas if anyone wants a fun and cheap convertible. Things may go wrong but no depreciation at all. I almost never put the roof up. Why have a soft top if you want a roof ?
Bradders - £1500 may buy you something that is described as a "decent runner" but I guarantee it will bio-degrade quicker than a Lancia Beta. As I said, my mate makes a very good living out of fixing MG's, and over the years I have seen dozens of these come into his garage - mostly people who thought £1500 would buy them a car that would last for years, only to find out that it is actually a rotting heap that needs thousands spending on it to make it anywhere near reasonable. Do you honestly want your children to learn to drive in a car with 1960's brakes, no air-bag, no side impact bars, no crumple zones, no safety cell, no ABS... ? Really ? Just to save a few quid on insurance ?
