What do you like to do with your classic(s)?
Discussion
I'm thinking of replacing at least one of my older cars and my bike. Possibly consolidating them into one car.
I've owned older cars since I passed my test, over 30 years ago.
I believe in using older cars so I'm looking for a use for the car, which I will then choose the car to do it. But I'm not sure what. I have extensive experience of hill climbing / sprinting and quite a bit of classic rallying but I will probably keep my hill climb sprint car so this car will have another role
So I'm interested on what people enjoy using their cars for, especially if you can "sell" it a bit. I'm open to anything from polishing and pottering to the pub on a sunny Sunday, touring Europe, attending shows or full on racing. What gives you satisfaction / enjoyment / happiness?
I've deliberately avoided discussing values and specific cars on the basis that if you enjoy attending shows you could do that in a Capri or a vintage Rolls. Similarly, you could race a 250 GTO or an Midget.
You are welcome to mention the car, but I'm interested in the activity you use it for why you like it.
Thanks
I've owned older cars since I passed my test, over 30 years ago.
I believe in using older cars so I'm looking for a use for the car, which I will then choose the car to do it. But I'm not sure what. I have extensive experience of hill climbing / sprinting and quite a bit of classic rallying but I will probably keep my hill climb sprint car so this car will have another role
So I'm interested on what people enjoy using their cars for, especially if you can "sell" it a bit. I'm open to anything from polishing and pottering to the pub on a sunny Sunday, touring Europe, attending shows or full on racing. What gives you satisfaction / enjoyment / happiness?
I've deliberately avoided discussing values and specific cars on the basis that if you enjoy attending shows you could do that in a Capri or a vintage Rolls. Similarly, you could race a 250 GTO or an Midget.
You are welcome to mention the car, but I'm interested in the activity you use it for why you like it.
Thanks
My Jeep, Mainly for pottering around, local journeys, not many pubs around here it has not been to and the occasional wedding, mostly summer months, and the odd green lane.
Lotus Sunbeam, weekday jolly’s, pick a route and go and give it a dam good thrashing, I use to do a fair bit of motorsports so the lotus keeps that side of my gene pool amused
Not really a car show type of bloke, maybe do 2 to 3 a year, but only if you can arrive when you want, leave when you want.
Lotus Sunbeam, weekday jolly’s, pick a route and go and give it a dam good thrashing, I use to do a fair bit of motorsports so the lotus keeps that side of my gene pool amused
Not really a car show type of bloke, maybe do 2 to 3 a year, but only if you can arrive when you want, leave when you want.
I use mine for almost everything. I have a van for work so evenings and weekends I use the classic for popping to the shops, out for a local spin to clear my head, day trips of a few hundred miles, weekends away including the continent, the odd trackday.
I don't have to use the classic at all as I have access to other cars and a motorbike, but I use it because I like the sensation and want to.
I also 'use' the classic as a hobby thing, enjoying the maintenance and preservation of it. Sometimes after work I'll spend a few hours tinkering.
The most important thing for me is that it should be on the button, ready to go at a moments' notice. If it isn't, it'll not get used. Any work that will have the car off the road gets careful consideration to minimise duration.
Car shows, with a few exceptions, where the car is parked up all day don't interest me. I'd rather be going somewhere. Just last weekend, we drove to Stratford upon Avon from London to see friends, coming home along as many lanes as we could.
Just need to be aware of the max miles allowed by the insurance (does surprise me how few miles so many classics do).
I'd not get rid of my bike as although it gets used for similar things as the classic, it allows trips and distances almost impossible with the classic.
I don't have to use the classic at all as I have access to other cars and a motorbike, but I use it because I like the sensation and want to.
I also 'use' the classic as a hobby thing, enjoying the maintenance and preservation of it. Sometimes after work I'll spend a few hours tinkering.
The most important thing for me is that it should be on the button, ready to go at a moments' notice. If it isn't, it'll not get used. Any work that will have the car off the road gets careful consideration to minimise duration.
Car shows, with a few exceptions, where the car is parked up all day don't interest me. I'd rather be going somewhere. Just last weekend, we drove to Stratford upon Avon from London to see friends, coming home along as many lanes as we could.
Just need to be aware of the max miles allowed by the insurance (does surprise me how few miles so many classics do).
I'd not get rid of my bike as although it gets used for similar things as the classic, it allows trips and distances almost impossible with the classic.
Edited by HBG12 on Sunday 4th August 18:26
I don't get to use any of mine often. I've been out in one of them today, probably not many people's idea of a classic as it's only 20 years old, but I've had it since it was 8 months old, recently been offered more for it than it was new and parts etc are starting to become slightly more difficult and therefore expensive to source, so let's pretend.
I took it to Spa for the classic in May, the 4th time I've used it for that, and it was great, as usual, for that trip.
I went out today with some biker friends onto fast country roads, and did about 150 miles around Northumberland and the Scottish borders. I was the only car driver in the group. The car in question has 400 brake and is 4WD and I had a riot hanging onto the bikes, one of the best driving days I've had for ages, despite the £70 bill for fuel!
I've used it for trackdays, quarter miles at Santa Pod and Thorney Island, and took it to Crete when I went to live there for a while. A unique experience as an ownership prospect and a car I'll never sell.
I also have a 36 year old Mk1 MR2 T bar, 60k miles, service history. No rust anywhere, very unusual. I take it to the occasional show, but the real beauty of this is the simplicity and therefore reliability. All I've done in the 8 years I've had it is service it, clean it and refurb the leather, the alloys, put decent tyres on it, and replace the noisy 5 speed box with a purpose built 6 speed.
For convenience it's got a period Scorpion central locking alarm fitted, and carplay. It's a wonderfully of it's time thing to drive, fast enough to be interesting, not really fast enough to get you into trouble. Sometimes an experience really surprises you massively, and the purchase of this did that for me. It even still smells like it would back when it was new,
There's also a Boxster S 987.1. The reasons for hanging on to this are complicated. It's very quick for a 3.2, much more so than my first one of similar vintage, and been very reliable for me. I didn't expect to like it as much as I do, but I bought it 8 years ago, and even though it's just an old Boxster, it's got something about it that I can't quite put into words. I sometimes travel from Newcastle to Southampton to see friends, and as much as I enjoy that trip in the Evo, I've started to use this on those occasions, as it's comparatively good on fuel, and is a pleasure to spend 5 or so hours in at a time.
No plans to sell any of the above, they all do something different, and the fact that I rarely get to drive them means they always feel special when I do.
I think if you love cars and find cars that make you feel good about owning them, it almost doesn't matter what you do with them. Just having them is great, I work on all of mine and enjoy it, but I'm going through a period, especially with the Evo, where I'm wanting to drive them more, and I'm really enjoying doing that at the moment.
I took it to Spa for the classic in May, the 4th time I've used it for that, and it was great, as usual, for that trip.
I went out today with some biker friends onto fast country roads, and did about 150 miles around Northumberland and the Scottish borders. I was the only car driver in the group. The car in question has 400 brake and is 4WD and I had a riot hanging onto the bikes, one of the best driving days I've had for ages, despite the £70 bill for fuel!
I've used it for trackdays, quarter miles at Santa Pod and Thorney Island, and took it to Crete when I went to live there for a while. A unique experience as an ownership prospect and a car I'll never sell.
I also have a 36 year old Mk1 MR2 T bar, 60k miles, service history. No rust anywhere, very unusual. I take it to the occasional show, but the real beauty of this is the simplicity and therefore reliability. All I've done in the 8 years I've had it is service it, clean it and refurb the leather, the alloys, put decent tyres on it, and replace the noisy 5 speed box with a purpose built 6 speed.
For convenience it's got a period Scorpion central locking alarm fitted, and carplay. It's a wonderfully of it's time thing to drive, fast enough to be interesting, not really fast enough to get you into trouble. Sometimes an experience really surprises you massively, and the purchase of this did that for me. It even still smells like it would back when it was new,
There's also a Boxster S 987.1. The reasons for hanging on to this are complicated. It's very quick for a 3.2, much more so than my first one of similar vintage, and been very reliable for me. I didn't expect to like it as much as I do, but I bought it 8 years ago, and even though it's just an old Boxster, it's got something about it that I can't quite put into words. I sometimes travel from Newcastle to Southampton to see friends, and as much as I enjoy that trip in the Evo, I've started to use this on those occasions, as it's comparatively good on fuel, and is a pleasure to spend 5 or so hours in at a time.
No plans to sell any of the above, they all do something different, and the fact that I rarely get to drive them means they always feel special when I do.
I think if you love cars and find cars that make you feel good about owning them, it almost doesn't matter what you do with them. Just having them is great, I work on all of mine and enjoy it, but I'm going through a period, especially with the Evo, where I'm wanting to drive them more, and I'm really enjoying doing that at the moment.
HBG12 said:
I use mine for almost everything. I have a van for work so evenings and weekends I use the classic for popping to the shops, out for a local spin to clear my head, day trips of a few hundred miles, weekends away including the continent, the odd trackday.
I don't have to use the classic at all as I have access to other cars and a motorbike, but I use it because I like the sensation and want to.
I also 'use' the classic as a hobby thing, enjoying the maintenance and preservation of it. Sometimes after work I'll spend a few hours tinkering.
The most important thing for me is that it should be on the button, ready to go at a moments' notice. If it isn't, it'll not get used. Any work that will have the car off the road gets careful consideration to minimise duration.
Car shows, with a few exceptions, where the car is parked up all day don't interest me. I'd rather be going somewhere. Just last weekend, we drove to Stratford upon Avon from London to see friends, coming home along as many lanes as we could.
Just need to be aware of the max miles allowed by the insurance (does surprise me how few miles so many classics do).
I'd not get rid of my bike as although it gets used for similar things as the classic, it allows trips and distances almost impossible with the classic.
Lovely. I do like a Fulvia and agree with your sentiments.I don't have to use the classic at all as I have access to other cars and a motorbike, but I use it because I like the sensation and want to.
I also 'use' the classic as a hobby thing, enjoying the maintenance and preservation of it. Sometimes after work I'll spend a few hours tinkering.
The most important thing for me is that it should be on the button, ready to go at a moments' notice. If it isn't, it'll not get used. Any work that will have the car off the road gets careful consideration to minimise duration.
Car shows, with a few exceptions, where the car is parked up all day don't interest me. I'd rather be going somewhere. Just last weekend, we drove to Stratford upon Avon from London to see friends, coming home along as many lanes as we could.
Just need to be aware of the max miles allowed by the insurance (does surprise me how few miles so many classics do).
I'd not get rid of my bike as although it gets used for similar things as the classic, it allows trips and distances almost impossible with the classic.
Edited by HBG12 on Sunday 4th August 18:26
I open the garage door, look at it, think that I really need to get it fixed, add up roughly how much that might cost, and then close the garage door again.
I occasionally start it, creep it out to the driveway, hose off the dust, idle it until it warms up, let it sit in the sun to dry, and then put it back in the garage.
I occasionally start it, creep it out to the driveway, hose off the dust, idle it until it warms up, let it sit in the sun to dry, and then put it back in the garage.
I like to drive mine as fast as it'll go (not very!) on trackdays or quiet dry evenings on the road - the trouble is you don't get many quiet evenings at all on the roads nowadays... 
Still, good fun getting it out and putting a load of Castrol R in the air for people - certainly turns heads, should be even more so once I get the side exit exhaust pipe fitted, no idea how it'll pass noise testing for most circuits though..
Still, good fun getting it out and putting a load of Castrol R in the air for people - certainly turns heads, should be even more so once I get the side exit exhaust pipe fitted, no idea how it'll pass noise testing for most circuits though..
I race mine. I used to think it was the Last Racing Triumph Vitesse in the UK, until recently when another appeared in "Classic & Competition Car". That makes six in the World, AFAIK.
Racing, and occasional hill climbing. This was a Barbon a month ago:
Picture by Pro-Rally
I sincerely hope that the poster above who gets his classic out of the garage only to wash it is joking. There are people like that and they are weird.
John
Racing, and occasional hill climbing. This was a Barbon a month ago:
Picture by Pro-Rally
I sincerely hope that the poster above who gets his classic out of the garage only to wash it is joking. There are people like that and they are weird.
John
Just occasional local journeys for me when the weather is fine. Lost all interest in exhibiting at car shows of any description. Financially it doesn’t make any practical sense whatsoever, when you work out how much I spend on insurance and just routine servicing, when compared to the amount of miles I drive. But it’s my passion, so money is of secondary importance. One mantra I always work to is to ensure that any Classic car I eventually sell will always be in as good, if not better condition, than when I bought it. I feel a responsibility which non car enthusiasts would never really understand.
tapkaJohnD said:
I race mine. I used to think it was the Last Racing Triumph Vitesse in the UK, until recently when another appeared in "Classic & Competition Car". That makes six in the World, AFAIK.
Presumably you're aware of this one, at the Oulton Park Gold Cup a couple of weeks back.I mainly do static shows with mine, either just as a show or as a companion to a motorsport event, I was at the Oulton Park Gold Cup at the end of July for example, and will be at Tatton Park in a couple of weeks. I have got into a bit of a rut in doing the same shows over and over, so I do need to do something about that next year I think. A number of local Sunday morning events have started up recently, which are quite nice as they usually get a decent mixture of stuff, not always the same cars as the static shows can be, don't require advance booking, and are quite relaxed about arrival and departure times.
I like to work on them as well, though I prefer planned work over stuff that has to be done. I did a comprehensive restoration on one of the them, and am part-way through another at the moment, with another car on hold. Space and time are now my problems.
I would like to do a bit more general driving them around, and I was thinking yesterday as I came back from an event at Llangollen whether there's anything I can do to improve the ride and comfort to encourage me to use them a bit more. My daily driver is much more modern (though old by most standards at 2000) and while it can be a hard ride, it's not harsh in the way that the seventies cars are, and I'd love to find out why that is so I could attempt to make them nicer to use.
I like to work on them as well, though I prefer planned work over stuff that has to be done. I did a comprehensive restoration on one of the them, and am part-way through another at the moment, with another car on hold. Space and time are now my problems.
I would like to do a bit more general driving them around, and I was thinking yesterday as I came back from an event at Llangollen whether there's anything I can do to improve the ride and comfort to encourage me to use them a bit more. My daily driver is much more modern (though old by most standards at 2000) and while it can be a hard ride, it's not harsh in the way that the seventies cars are, and I'd love to find out why that is so I could attempt to make them nicer to use.
I use mine as often as possible for whatever needs to be done - sometimes the school run and shopping, sometimes a 50km blast, and sometimes standing in for the family bus that’s just shat it’s box when we need to do a 2000km round trip to the Gold Coast
I try to make sure it’s as up together as poss at all times. There are a few jobs that need doing but nothing that precludes daily use.
Would love to either change the colour - metallic grey is just a bit, well, grey - or leave it grey but turbocharge it. Realistically, neither is happening in the foreseeable
I try to make sure it’s as up together as poss at all times. There are a few jobs that need doing but nothing that precludes daily use.
Would love to either change the colour - metallic grey is just a bit, well, grey - or leave it grey but turbocharge it. Realistically, neither is happening in the foreseeable
droopsnoot said:
tapkaJohnD said:
I race mine. I used to think it was the Last Racing Triumph Vitesse in the UK, until recently when another appeared in "Classic & Competition Car". That makes six in the World, AFAIK.
Presumably you're aware of this one, at the Oulton Park Gold Cup a couple of weeks back.
Pretty much everything as it sits outside and gets pressed into all manner of duties - shopping, dump runs, riding stables, days out to shows/fairs etc and overland holidays.
Bought in April ‘23 and done 8000 miles to date including tours of Rep of Ireland and (last week) Somerset. Bit hard on the pocket at 17mpg but great fun
Bought in April ‘23 and done 8000 miles to date including tours of Rep of Ireland and (last week) Somerset. Bit hard on the pocket at 17mpg but great fun
Lotus 22 used to use mine for picking up croissants in the morning in France .........thats about all the groceries you could fit in ,
overtaking French HGV's on the dual carriageway was an issue... they simply couldnt see you , now brought back to UK for rebuild . a lot of fun but im getting too old to enjoy now so shes going to have to go
now its driven by our Frenchie
overtaking French HGV's on the dual carriageway was an issue... they simply couldnt see you , now brought back to UK for rebuild . a lot of fun but im getting too old to enjoy now so shes going to have to go
now its driven by our Frenchie
When I bought my Riley over 10 years ago the intention was to prepare it and compete in historic rallies but O/H (also my navigator) was seriously ill so that was ruled out and we now use it in the HRCR Scenic Tour series which she copes with very well.
Unfortunately in June we hit a pothole and wrecked the nearside front wheel, tyre and suspension so we've been without the car since and missed five events in it. Scenic Tours (aka Touring Assemblies) are very sociable affairs with a wide variety of cars taking part; our next one will have 89 from 1914 to 2022. We travel from Wiltshire to Cumbria to take part, have a lot of fun and get to drive on all types of roads from mountain passes to the fens - enormous fun, friendly people, great cars, superb roads, 'nuff said...
Unfortunately in June we hit a pothole and wrecked the nearside front wheel, tyre and suspension so we've been without the car since and missed five events in it. Scenic Tours (aka Touring Assemblies) are very sociable affairs with a wide variety of cars taking part; our next one will have 89 from 1914 to 2022. We travel from Wiltshire to Cumbria to take part, have a lot of fun and get to drive on all types of roads from mountain passes to the fens - enormous fun, friendly people, great cars, superb roads, 'nuff said...
Riley Blue said:
When I bought my Riley over 10 years ago the intention was to prepare it and compete in historic rallies but O/H (also my navigator) was seriously ill so that was ruled out and we now use it in the HRCR Scenic Tour series which she copes with very well.
Unfortunately in June we hit a pothole and wrecked the nearside front wheel, tyre and suspension so we've been without the car since and missed five events in it. Scenic Tours (aka Touring Assemblies) are very sociable affairs with a wide variety of cars taking part; our next one will have 89 from 1914 to 2022. We travel from Wiltshire to Cumbria to take part, have a lot of fun and get to drive on all types of roads from mountain passes to the fens - enormous fun, friendly people, great cars, superb roads, 'nuff said...
I think I saw you at the HRCR 40 at Woodgrange? We were in the Fulvia. What's the trick to getting places on the Scenic Tour series? Some are sold out before I become aware of them, others aren't even open to entries.Unfortunately in June we hit a pothole and wrecked the nearside front wheel, tyre and suspension so we've been without the car since and missed five events in it. Scenic Tours (aka Touring Assemblies) are very sociable affairs with a wide variety of cars taking part; our next one will have 89 from 1914 to 2022. We travel from Wiltshire to Cumbria to take part, have a lot of fun and get to drive on all types of roads from mountain passes to the fens - enormous fun, friendly people, great cars, superb roads, 'nuff said...
Thanks.
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