Hello Again.

[Hell Razor5543]

Fancy taking the Marina on "The Grand Tour"?

I have bad memories of a Marina... Please don't

Not when you have a lovely Xantia

I was thinking about what the boys from "Top Gear" did to Marinas! Now they are on "The Grand Tour"...

[CitroJim]

Yes, agreed there Tim Based very squarely on a Morris 1000... They get no simpler and they still look very good..

I learned to drive in one.. Hence the memories.. That was a L plate one too...

[tim leech]

Marinas numbers are in the low hundreds now and are still being used as engine donors even though they are so rare,

Of course a mk3 cortina is worth 5 times as much!!

[CitroJim]

Engine donors for what Tim?

Marinas and Activas are now of just about equal rarity then...

[Stickyfinger]

Marina, negative cool turns into positive cool due to being totally mad to have it but.............

[tim leech]

Marina 1.3 for a minor and a 1.8 for broken mgb or kit car

[tim leech]

They made well over a million of them though, As usual thought as it's British leyland it's gets a bashing. I appreciate it's no tour de force but it's no worse than lots of other 70's cars.

[CitroJim]

I appreciate it's no tour de force but it's no worse than lots of other 70's cars.

Very true Tim... Compared with Fords and Vauxhalls of the period it was possibly the cream of the crop...

[mickeymoon]

They made well over a million of them though, As usual thought as it's British leyland it's gets a bashing. I appreciate it's no tour de force but it's no worse than lots of other 70's cars.

It isn't, but it's awful compared to the good 70s cars. It deserved a bashing, BL or not - it came out a year AFTER the marvel that was the GS, which showcased wondrous things, while the Marina showcased, erm, the underpinnings of the 1948 Minor...

[tim leech]

It was made for the conservative budget buyers who wouldn't buy a funny complicated foreign car and sold like hot cakes so did what it was required of.

Torsion bars and leaf springs were quite the norm back then...

It did have minor derived suspension but none was interchangeable

[tim leech]

Well its been a long time since I updated this!

We have moved (again) but this time we are on the property ladder.....a compromise as is married life but it has a garage big enough for one car, and off road parking for 2, 3 at a squeeze!

A few additions and movers

Xantia count is now down to 1, which is of course my Fathers M plate Mk1

The red auto desire has been sold to the guy who bought my blue BX WTF a few years ago, and is in the paint shop having a FULL respray!....I was never going to get the paint done and in 3 years of ownership its done 3000 miles and had a small fortune spent on it. Shame to let it go considering its probably the most comfortable car I've ever owned, but its too scruffy to show off and as much as I like Xantia's I cant get into them the same as a BX

Rover count is now four I have really fallen for the 75, and bought a project V6 which was a pre production launch car, in my favorite colour of Wedgewood blue with blue leather

[CitroJim]

Great to see you on here again Tim

People really rate the 75... A good choice I reckon and reckoned to be a future classic if not already... Rover's last gasp was a good one by all accounts...

I know something, they look awesome and look better and better as the years roll by - they're maturing like a fine wine!

[tim leech]

Ello mate

As you may know I sold them new, and although a good car I didn't appreciate them, "old mans car" but I guess in my mid forties I am old enough.

The early cars (my preference) in classic colour really do look very pretty now, compared to the fat, sharp edged efforts most manufactures pump out

I have a black Diesel auto with pretty much every optional extra on it, (inc a TV and satnav) which cost a whole £200, for value for money its hard to beat and the inside is glorious!

[CitroJim]

£200 was an absolute steal Tim It can only appreciate significantly in value!

I understand their values are already starting the upward trend...

[ekjdm14]

I had a Connie SE in Wedgewood blue/Blue interior also, that was a 2.0 KV6 and it was a lovely smooth drive. Only things that were a pain was the driver's window cable went and I got it just after analogue TV was switched off so all the onboard telly picked up was static!

Funny thing about that, it absolutely reeked of Old Spice inside... I liked both the car and the smell though, at the tender age of about 29 I think I would've been...

£200 is indeed a bargain, only thing that puts me off the things is the quality of materials used particularly on the interior. For an upmarket model there was an awful lot of brittle plastic and parts clipped/glued together rather than screwed. A good V6 is a lovely engine though.