Newbie looking for advice

[Lion86]

Hello all, Been reading about the forum for a while now as i've always been interested in cars, classic cars, and moggys in general for a good few years now, and I'm looking into buying one within a year (Sooner if the right one comes along)

I need a car to replace my plastic euro box as an everyday motor, so i need something half decent, but i need a bit of luggage space, as i'm a keen fisherman so basically the info i'm after is firstly, do the rear seats on a saloon fold?

Also what sort of budget should i set to get a runner that i can use pretty much straight away. I have a good amount of mechanical knowledge, and I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty (Always done my own car repairs with the aid of a haynes for big jobs) so I've got no problems really with doing repairs such as the odd mechanical repair, bodywork, even welding, or re-spraying panels. But i dont really want something that i have to re-build from the ground up, something that is already MOT'd would be good, or wouldnt take much to get through one.

If the answer to my first question is no, then can i get a traveller for around £2000? I have been watching a few on ebay local to me but they all seem to be going for around £4-6k for anything from a tatty fixer upper to a drive away motor, where as the saloons seem to go for half that in better condition.

Also wheres the best place to look for moggys for sale (other than here of course, seem some cracking motors on here, but a bit too far from me)

And lastly can anyone reccomend a company that would collect a car and trailor it to me for a reasonable cost?

Thanks in advance..

[LouiseM]

Welcome

The rear seats in a saloon don't fold down as such but you can undo the two wing nuts that keep the back of the seat fixed upright and tilt it forward to get a bit more room. Alternatively you could always fit a roof or luggage rack for extra carrying capacity.

You could probably get a reasonably sound saloon for around the £1,000 mark but it may not have a particularly long MOT and possibly wouldn't look the prettiest. Take a look at the buying guide 'sticky' at the top of this forum - best advice if you are on a limited budget is to ensure that you find one which is solid underneath as cosmetic repairs can be carried out when your budget allows. Thouroughly inspect a car before purchase as they are prone to rot. You'll have more choice if you can budget around £1,500 to £2,000 as you should be able to get a solid saloon with a longish MOT for that money.

Travellers are generally more expensive compared to a saloon in similar condition so although you could get one for around £2,000 chances are it may need body/wood work which you'll need to factor in to your budget. You might get lucky and find a good one for that price but it could take a while.

If you join the MMOC you will get sent the club magazine every two months which usually has a good selection of Minors for sale. It may also be worth getting in touch with your local MMOC branch as they may know of any Minors for sale locally. Always plenty for sale on ebay so worth checking, and also good for giving an idea of what the 'going rate' is. It might also be worth posting in the 'wanted' forum here. The Minor Site has Minors for sale too: http://theminorsite.co.uk/ And classic car weekly always has quite a few advertised.

As for a vehicle collection recommendation, it might be useful if you tell us your location. Good luck with the search and any more questions just ask!

[bmcecosse]

Welcome to the forum. The best buys are very probably advertised on here - but check how many 'posts' the seller has - some come on here purely to sell a car, the true enthusiasts will have many posts to their name - and the car is therefore perhaps more likely to be in decent condition. You can also look back through the seller's posts to see what problems they had been having with the car - always useful information! Delivery is not cheap - so best to buy something local - or at least just a train journey away, and drive it home ! Don't ignore ebay either - but do be aware that sometimes pictures make a car look very much better than it iS ! Good luck.

[LouiseM]

check how many 'posts' the seller has - some come on here purely to sell a car, the true enthusiasts will have many posts to their name

But don't discount a car just because the seller hasn't posted here before. A very nice 1956 Minor recently sold on here - the seller was a long standing club member who had not posted here previously. And I bought my car from an ad on here posted by another club member who had not posted here prior to posting the ad. You can still be a 'true enthusiast' without having loads of posts!

[bmcecosse]

Of course - but the ability to look back on the history of the car is useful too.

[Lion86]

Many thanks for the in-depth reply! I have looked at the buyers guides, roof racks a good idea, hadn't thought of that , the saloons are well within my budget, so that may be the way to go.

With the seat bolts removed would that allow access to the boot?
Thanks again

[mike.perry]

The rear seat backrest on the car can be released allowing it to fold forward giving access to the inside of the car from the boot. Depending on the seat design the passenger seat backrest can be folded forward giving up to 6 feet of loading space for plumbing pipes, planks of wood etc. Sort of the reverse of the magician's trick of pulling a great length of ribbon from a hat.
With the back seat of a Traveller folded forward a surprising amount of luggage can be stacked inside.

[chickenjohn]

Don't discount the idea of re-building a car if you can weld and paint etc. That way you will know all the rust has been dealt with- and the car will be good for many years provided you keep waxoyling it. Trying to buy a traveller for £2000 or less is risky territory, the car may be patches and rust hidden by underseal and may need a full re-build just to make it through the next MOT.

[Alex'n'Ane]

The rear seats do fold almost flat, and you can always just remove the back, as said its only 2 wingnuts and just keep in the garage/house for a day when you go out, really not that much hassle. Irschmer on here is selling a very cheap saloon, and i believe it already has disc brakes (a worthwhile improvement), but if your budget is over the £1000 mark then the most solid, rather than shinny car you can find is a perfect starting point. Also consider if it will be a daily driver whether you would prefer some of the mods that make them more useable, for example a 1275cc engine, disc brakes and more modern/comfy front seats. (you will find some cars with all of these fitted for around the £2000 mark)

[Arthurdaily]

I can confirm that both Irschmer's cars, the modified one and the white one are both very good, the white one needs a lot of paint work - but what is there is very solid indeed and I was going to buy it myself, but then bought a traveller instead.