24 replies to this topic

[jamesmpi]

I bought my old mk1 super delux off auto trader for £2k about 9 years ago. It was in relatively good condition, but did have a cheap respray at some point. Bet you wouldn't find a mk1 like that on autotrader today (awaits someone to post a link....)

[mk1coopers]

R5 GT Turbo's, Peugeot 205 GTi's, Golf GTi's, Punto Turbo's, RS Turbos, ect ect, all once common and being thrashed and tuned / thrown away every day just like Mini's, when was the last time you saw one being used as a daily driver (I know there will be some out there), I would have thought 80's and 90's Hot hatches will be the next cars to start going up in value as the older classics go beyond the reach of most people

[Tamworthbay]

Generally cheap = unpopular. So if you want a 'cheap' classic then look to Allegros, Princesses/ ambassadors, triumph acclaim. Whether they are 'classics' or not is a can of worms I don't want to look into. Minis are popular and have all the bots readily available. They, and the MGB GT,are the perfect starter classics to me.

[carthorse]

Mint Mk1 XR2's are already daft money for what was essentially a much worse car than its contempories. I remember running rings round my mates one in my 205xs when we were apprentices in the late 80's. It's always struck me as strange that almost anything with the blue oval on the boot attracts such a premium. I've always hankered after a mk1 Escort Mexico but that's another car probably out of my reach for good now. Even if I could scrape together enough to buy a project I couldn't afford to restore it looking at Ford parts prices. At least bits for the mini are reasonably cheap!

The Audi Quattro UR series is still a bargin though..........

[WMU 211G]

How about a 'future' British classic car for only £3994 or less?

JAGUAR XJ 4.2 XJ8 Sovereign LWB 4dr (2005)

Lightweight aluminium body, won't ever rust,

0 to 62 in 6.3 seconds

V8 26 mpg

http://www.pistonhea...lwb-4dr/3939353

 

RAC say:-

"The 2003-2010 model year Jaguar XJ is a car that needs no excuses. Previous generation XJ models always strived to match the German opposition. The later XJ had the Germans scratching their heads in amazement. Quite how Jaguar managed to pull off making this car - comfortable, luxurious and elegant while still a convincing drivers' machine - is a work of genius. Much of the credit must go to designer Ian Callum and the engineering team who fabricated a great deal of the car from lightweight aluminium. If you can afford a used XJ, we have but one question for you. What are you waiting for?

The all-aluminium XJ was conceived in 2000 as a vehicle that could put Jaguar ahead of its rivals. Audi had already pioneered the extensive use of aluminium with its A8 model but Jaguar was to push the boundaries still further in terms of weight reduction. The cars were first shown at the 2002 Paris Motor Show. Developed under the project name of X350, the XJ was a major step forward, not only for Jaguar but also for the automobile industry, the first series-production car to use aluminium for the majority of its body components.

A Jaguar is never going to be a cheap car should parts go wrong but it's extremely rare that they do. Should you ever need a new starter motor, expect to pay around £375. A radiator costs around £425 and front brake pads are approximately £75 per set with rears weighing in at £60.

The Jaguar XJ makes a great used buy. It's reliable, well built and great fun to drive. Here's a British built car that knocks the Germans into a cocked hat.

http://www.rac.co.uk...aguar/xj/207307

 

I wish I hadn't read this now... I want one! The bloke who's going to do some work on my S2 XJ has one as his daily runabout and says it's sublime. Everytime I see one of these I want one...

[Haynes]

I was looking at cars and classics ads the other day and most of the minis were £20K plus for mk 1s or 2s or low mileage 90s cars.     

 

A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to pick up an up together and road worthy 1965 850 for £4K.  But now there seem to be very few 850s about for sale so i consider mine a very lucky buy.

 

I dream of a mk1 S but they seem the preserve of the very very wealthy unless you can pick up a project and do the work yourself or youre fortunate to have picked one up many years ago.

[Wise Old Elf]

I know its frustrating when looking to buy a project that prices are so high but on a plus point we all spend a lot of money fixing these cars up so rising prices means that you may actually get your money back when you come to sell.

[racingbob]

I better raise the value of my mini on insurance been the same for 4 years

[Marcos Controls]

 

How about a 'future' British classic car for only £3994 or less?

JAGUAR XJ 4.2 XJ8 Sovereign LWB 4dr (2005)

Lightweight aluminium body, won't ever rust,

0 to 62 in 6.3 seconds

V8 26 mpg

http://www.pistonhea...lwb-4dr/3939353

 

RAC say:-

"The 2003-2010 model year Jaguar XJ is a car that needs no excuses. Previous generation XJ models always strived to match the German opposition. The later XJ had the Germans scratching their heads in amazement. Quite how Jaguar managed to pull off making this car - comfortable, luxurious and elegant while still a convincing drivers' machine - is a work of genius. Much of the credit must go to designer Ian Callum and the engineering team who fabricated a great deal of the car from lightweight aluminium. If you can afford a used XJ, we have but one question for you. What are you waiting for?

The all-aluminium XJ was conceived in 2000 as a vehicle that could put Jaguar ahead of its rivals. Audi had already pioneered the extensive use of aluminium with its A8 model but Jaguar was to push the boundaries still further in terms of weight reduction. The cars were first shown at the 2002 Paris Motor Show. Developed under the project name of X350, the XJ was a major step forward, not only for Jaguar but also for the automobile industry, the first series-production car to use aluminium for the majority of its body components.

A Jaguar is never going to be a cheap car should parts go wrong but it's extremely rare that they do. Should you ever need a new starter motor, expect to pay around £375. A radiator costs around £425 and front brake pads are approximately £75 per set with rears weighing in at £60.

The Jaguar XJ makes a great used buy. It's reliable, well built and great fun to drive. Here's a British built car that knocks the Germans into a cocked hat.

http://www.rac.co.uk...aguar/xj/207307

 

I wish I hadn't read this now... I want one! The bloke who's going to do some work on my S2 XJ has one as his daily runabout and says it's sublime. Everytime I see one of these I want one...

 

I've had an X350 as a daily driver for the last 2 years, other than replacing the torque convertor I've had no issues with it. Still wish I'd kept the XK8 thought, which are also going really cheap and worth a look

[fenghuang]

The old adage that something is worth what someone will pay for it is as true of Minis as anything else.

I just bought a "roadworthy" mini for less than £1500. And in around 6 months will have spent more than that making it roadworthy. Within 18 months I will probably have spent that again without sorting out the rusty panels not flagged on the MOT. Does that mean someone else will be prepared to pay £5k for it? Probably not.

What will it be worth?
Not as much as it is worth!