Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

Not fantasy this time but reality.

As a first time car buyer which used car could you have bought with a maximum budget in, say, 1970-1973?
I ask this because I can give you real examples of what my friends at the time, aged 17 - 20, were actually buying with £250 or less.

1 1961 Ford Anglia 105E.

Bernie, then a trainee and now a successful Chartered Surveyor, saved £200 by summer and part time jobs and bought a local 1961 Ford Anglia 105E from a lady school teacher in August 1971 for £165. Maroon with a grey roof, 57k miles.
It soon had an ex Consul Corsair 1.5 GT engine, 5" wide steel wheels and an electric aerial (but no radio!).

2. 1961 Morris Mini Minor.
Davie, next door, an apprentice baker, aged 17 bought a non MOT'd 1961 Mini, again privately for £125. His father paid for the £25 worth of repairs and a new MOT. August 1972.

3. 1963 Humber Sceptre.
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Jo, in September 1972 probably had the best buy. She was about to start in teacher's training college when her neighbour was caught drink driving for the second time in three years. He was due a three year driving ban and her father managed to buy his 1963 Humber Sceptre in two tone dark and light grey, reg no 25 FVN for £200.

4.1957 Standard 8
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Stephen, now a geologist probably had the best bargain.
His father heard of an Executor's auction to sell the entire possessions including a house of a deceased person in November 1972.
A 1950's Standard 8 was very "uncool" in 1972 and a mere £55 bid bought a black 1957 Standard 8 in a very dirty state. Cleaned and polished up and with only 40k miles it was in beautiful condition with a red interior.
Steve was not impressed however. Being overtaken with ease by Minis and Morris Minors was not flattering especially when he had a girlfriend!

I cannot tell you my story because I was 22 when I had my first car.

There's always one isn't there. The envy of the area was the son of wealthy parents who was given a brand new Ford Escort Twin Cam on his 18th birthday in 1971.

What did you buy with £250 or less in the early 1970's or if you are not old enough what would you have bought?
_________________
Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[Ray White]

I was 16 in 1970 and as a sixth former I wanted to be one of the lads and get a Lambretta but my father (who used to race Nortons etc. before the War) was against it on the grounds that they were unsafe. He advised me to wait until I could "get behind the wheel" so I went off and bought a three wheel bubble car! The Isetta 300 was tidy looking and cost me £25. Dad needn't have worried, though, because the bubble car was so unreliable I spent more time working on it than driving it.

I had a provisional motorcycle license and drove it on L plates accompanied by my mate who had a full motorcycle license.

In an attempt to get round this restriction, I took the bench seat out and fitted a bucket seat in it's place. When I was stopped by our local copper for driving unaccompanied I claimed that I had complied with the conditions as laid out in the (red) driving license where it stated that one could drive a three wheeler unaccompanied on L plates if "the vehicle was constructed or ADAPTED to carry not more than one person"

On that occasion I was let off but my father received a letter from the Chief Inspector stating that I was probably in breach of the Construction and Use Regulations and although a grey area of the law, in the opinion of Woking Police, my actions were contrary to the spirit if not the letter of the law.

Needless to say Dad was not amused. Fortunately, I soon turned 17 and passed my car test.

I bought an immaculate Austin A30 with 20.000 miles from the old lady across the road for just £8. Not very cool but I loved it!

[poodge]

In 1970,I bought my first car,a 1955 Austin A30,for $260NZ,In those days the equivalent of about 130 English pounds.
It lasted for about 6 months,before the crankshaft broke ,costing me probably $200 to get fixed,and 2months cadging rides to work.
Although,being my first car,I thought it was wonderful,it was a well-used car,with the mileage being rather uncertain.It did teach me a lot about spannering your own car though.I gave it a valve grind,replaced half shafts,etc.

[mikeC]

I bought this one-owner Austin Ruby for £25 in 1969; it had been standing for at least ten years, but a weekend's work got it through the MOT,and it gave me two trouble-free years motoring before my brother took it over and gave it a full rebuild just in time for the Austin Seven's 50th Anniversary in 1972:

[lowdrag]

Well, it was rather "'er indoors" who had the bought cars, but I think I would have preferred to buy my own, having one of the first "fastbacks" in our street. I mean of course that wonderful example of British engineering, the Marina. Drum brakes, no servo, wipers set up for LHD, and no power. But that wonderful oh-so-plastic puke beige dashboard!

But for milady, we had a Midget 1275, which wasn't suitable as the baby developed, so we bought a Minivan. Highly practical that for a pram and once transporting me to hospital laid out in the back puking like hell with concussion. But that's another story.

[Ray White]

I also had little say in having a Marina back in the '70's because it was the car that came with the job. Of course I have to admit to not knowing any better so when provided with a new 4 door Marina 1.3 as a company car, I was quite happy. Some say they were the worst car ever made but I cannot agree. They were nothing special for sure but I did over 100,000 miles in mine with no trouble whatsoever.

It also meant that I didn't have to put too many miles on my lovely low mileage Mk1 A55 Austin Cambridge.

The Cambridge, incidentally, was a gift from my parents and it cost Dad £80. He had regularly serviced it for years.

You could get a lot of car for relatively little money in those far off days.

[Rusty]

Couldn't afford a car of any type for three years after I got my licence. I was an apprentice mechanic so got to do plenty of driving at work but my first purchase of road going "vehicles" was a Honda 90 motorbike with a timing issue in the engine, cost $5 Ausy in 1971 and about 2 hours fiddling with the timing chain.

First car was 3 years later, a beautiful 1967 Holden HR Premier 186s manual sedan that I wish I still had !

[Roger-hatchy]

Don't know if the DLM classifies,
bought it for £20 in 1970, spent about £60 on restoration.

Still use it today and still costing me money today

[Ray White]

Excuse me Roger, but what's a DLM?

[Peter_L]

[Ray White]

Sorry, I should have used the search function.

Roger. Very impressive. It says as much about your character as it does about your mechanical skills.

I doubt I would have the patience. Well done!

[BigJohn]

Bought a 1965 Anglia 1200 Super for £75 in 1973, just before my 17th birthday. I came with a recon engine, it was knackered, the original engine which was in the boot was far better, so it got rebuilt properly, with a little bit of balancing and gas flowing. It has so much filler if I'd have hit anyone they'd have died of asbestosis and the drivers seat had a piece of floor boarding stopping it sinking to the tarmac. An MOT over the phone and I had a car. Happy Days!

[V8 Nutter]

In 1972 I bought a 1964 Plymouth Belvedere at an auction of bankrupt stock it cost me £65, market value was about £800 at the time. I ran it for many years and did over 50000 miles. It had belonged to a coal merchant who had invested all his money in making smokeless brikettes. Unfortunately he made them at the start of summer, after 3 months stored in the open they had degraded and were unsaleable.

[Ray White]

In 1970, I bought a Ford Popular (103E) from a chap I had known for several years. The car was in pretty tidy condition but was a non runner and had bald tyres. The owner was desperate for the space and so I only paid £2 for it to save it from the scrap yard.

Unfortunately, I hadn't reckoned on the reaction of my Dad. In his opinion I should wait until I was old enough to drive before getting a car and besides, he didn't want a "heap" sat on his drive next to his car, so I had to ask for my money back. That was not a problem but what followed was a period of unrest in the White household.

[welder]

1970. I was 21 and bought a 4.2 Jaguar E-Type FHC for £375 from Greyhound Service Station, Alcester Road, Kings Heath, Birmingham.

It was Carmen Red, mostly. The rest being another shade of red....ferrous oxide...aka rust. Mechanically it was just magnificent and went like a stabbed rat. I spent several months cutting out rust and replacing it with welded-in steel, retrimming much of the interior and prepping it for repainting which was done by a friend who lived nearby.

He applied 6 litres of paint, any paint he had to hand, just to "body it up", to quote him. Final prep and 4 litres of Carmen Red were applied and I was in love with the car. Besotted, in fact.

Soon after this I met the lady who has since been my wife and best friend for 36 years. Sold the Jag to pay the deposit on which is still our home and have never regretted my actions....

GUB 580D. I loved you....not quite enough, though.

Ian