4k BUYING CHALLENGE
Having a family and an energetic dog makes my classic choice slightly limited. I need space, a good load bay (doghouse), decent pace and, for me, chrome (because it puts a smile on peoples’ faces). I also demand that my choice is fun to drive. This car has them all in spades and the one I have chosen will give me enough change from £5k to make upgrades easy. The 2500 estate is the holy grail of ‘Big Six’ Triumphs. It can match most moderns for performance, and it drives with rewarding engagement, it handles like a dream, in fact, with rack and pinion steering and fully independent suspension all round. Just as important, I think it is a really good looking car. It is well balanced and the Michelotti styling makes it distinctive and gives the 2500 real presence. The straight-six is the sweetest six of them all and in 2500 guise has the kind of torquey low-down grunt that gives you a push in the back from just 1000rpm. With overdrive fitted, the car becomes an absolutely superb tourer, eating motorway miles with as much relish as it devours the twisty stuff. You can play tunes on it all day – the engine is a musical delight. There are several great clubs catering for the car and a number of well-stocked specialists who will put parts at your disposal. These include, now, replacement wings and sills, panels which haven’t been available for long time. My own 2000 saloon is a family member and I will never part with it. But if I did, I would buy a 2500 estate to replace it with. It really is the ultimate practical classic.
What I’ve learned…
If, as I have done, you play fast and loose with convention, you have to be prepared for a few disappointments. I love enjoying a diversity of drives (alongside my ‘keepers’) and over the years I have made a number of spectacular mistakes along with more numerous fascinating successes. So, yes, I am automotively
promiscuous… and proud of it. I treat it like sampling fine wines or exploring different types of music. My traditional buying practice is to buy a Condition 2 or 3 car, something with a few issues and then to work my way through them while enjoying the car. I try to make it to a couple of events with it, I join the club, and as I work my way through the car I get to know it. For me, problem hunting (and solving) bonds me with my motor and also means that when I come to sell, I might even break even (a bonus, not a necessity). My buying advice is a bit sneaky. Search out badly advertised cars and work hard on deciphering them. Search for adverts in unusual places. Look on Gumtree, in the ‘Cars’ or ‘Cars for salvage’ section on ebay (People bump up the prices in ‘Classic cars’). Check the window of your local shop, join some of the more obscure Facebook Groups. The biggest tip I have is don’t be afraid to go a for a classic you might not have been thinking about in the first place. Some of my favourite rides have come from unexpected quarters. Take the opportunity to follow a fascinating lead – go for condition and value over make and model. Then go and enjoy your classic adventure.