old cars

littlemissfrugal

i have an Opel Manta (my third) its very sporty loads of room in the back and as i have the hatchback version room for a pram - parts are relatively cheap and they are fairly easy to maintain the problem is finding one that is in good condition as the last ones were made in 1988.

My advice would be whatever car you decide on look to see if there is an enthusiasts club as this proves invaluable when you need advice you can find a list of car clubs on the net just have a browse and see what takes your fancy - good luck

ollyshaw

I got an M reg golf TDI. Solid economical and fast. You should be able to pick one up for under £1000. Also some skodas with the 1.9TDI engine in them look great buys, if you dont mind the badge.

Apart from that avoid french cars (I might be unlucky but they never last long).

Olly

tomstickland

Good fun choices:
Opel Manta yes
Capri
Sierra
BMW 3 or 5 series
Datsun 200Z or 300Z or something like that
Original MR2
MX5

All cheap to buy, parts still available, enthusiast clubs on the net.
All rear wheel drive.

Incorrect wheel drive, but still look good IMO:
MK1 or MK2 Golf

ooo000ooo

I have lap belts in the back of my 1990 Celica, a car seat fits in securely with a lap belt and its actually quite easy to get the belt tensioned. I'm halfway through converting them to 3 points (got the belts but need the interior panels) as he has moved onto booster seats.

mx-3

Take a look at a Mazda mx-3 sports coupe. with back seats.......

skim

are you looking for a tax exempt one - think you might after you mentioned VW Camper, or Scimitar?

My car is a 1969 Cortina Mk2 - 3 litre engine - no Tax to pay & £150 insurance unlimited milage & fully comp including roadside recovery too.

pianeet

how about a volvo p1800 volvo reliabilty and great looking car

Throbbe

tomstickland wrote:

Good fun choices:
Opel Manta yes
Capri
Sierra
BMW 3 or 5 series
Datsun 200Z or 300Z or something like that
Original MR2
MX5

All cheap to buy, parts still available, enthusiast clubs on the net.
All rear wheel drive.

Incorrect wheel drive, but still look good IMO:
MK1 or MK2 Golf

Several of those you'll struggle to get a child seat to fit ( lap belts or 'sculpted' seats, cerrtainly in the Nissan/Datsuns) and/or get in or out. I'm currently selling a VW Scirocco because it's not practical to get my daughter in and out of.

An old BMW might be good (I love the E28 'sharknose' M5).

If it's going to be a 'fun' car, a lot of it is down to personal choice. Might be worth trying to narrow down models you both like.

northern_munky

I would go for an old Jag, mine is a 1990 XJ40, 4 litre, used as an everyday car, really easy to work on, engines are bullet proof. Very cheap to buy and run, thousands of cheap parts on Ebay. Does 26MPG on a run, every extra you could want, big, safe, very fast and unbelievably reliable. And no, you dont have to be an old codger or a gangster to drive one

piggeh

ollyshaw wrote:

I got an M reg golf TDI. Solid economical and fast. You should be able to pick one up for under £1000. Also some skodas with the 1.9TDI engine in them look great buys, if you dont mind the badge.

Apart from that avoid french cars (I might be unlucky but they never last long).

Olly

I have a Skoda (Fabia) 1.9 TDI. Goes well and love it to bits, but diesels depend on your mileage as to whether it is worthwhile. Anything with the VAG engines in are pretty solid cars (Seat, Skoda, VW, Audi).

An Octavia is blooming reliable, lots of room, just not very sporty. Audi A4 maybe, such as the 2.8 Quattro?

I would have thought a 5 door car would be far more practical for fitting car/booster seats and the like.

And french cars suck.