I think I am mental beyond help...

Lashout_UK · 29 Jan 2012 at 10:04

breadturbo said:
Expect 5mpg for old carb cars

with 5k you're better off with an old f body like this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1988-Chev...1834553?pt=Automobiles_UK&hash=item2ebac2f539

5mpg? Er, no, haha! Where'd you pull that figure from?

For £5k I'd want one of these, purely because they walk over 80s/90s Camaros, Pontiacs and Mustangs in every respect.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3551731.htm

I appreciate that's slightly out of budget, but it's not hard to find one for £4-5k

This would have been ideal:

http://www.corvetteclub.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=11540

6-speed, 300bhp, 30mpg on a cruise, 0-60mph in around 5 and a bit seconds....

rodenal · 29 Jan 2012 at 11:36

Lashout_UK said:
5mpg? Er, no, haha! Where'd you pull that figure from?

For £5k I'd want one of these, purely because they walk over 80s/90s Camaros, Pontiacs and Mustangs in every respect.

http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/3551731.htm

I appreciate that's slightly out of budget, but it's not hard to find one for £4-5k

What a cracking looking car that is, always been intruiged by these big old American motors, just how unreliable are they, easy to work on I presume?

Eliot · 29 Jan 2012 at 11:43

One day lashout is going to pull that on me.
It's literally got a 100% chance of working

Lashout_UK · 29 Jan 2012 at 11:49

rodenal said:
What a cracking looking car that is, always been intruiged by these big old American motors, just how unreliable are they, easy to work on I presume?

Practically bulletproof - designed to be used daily and do tens of thousands of miles.

There are, as with most things, a few common flaws. Primarily, early models tend to need a new alternator every 30-60,000 miles (heavy load on electrical system).

Later ones, with the LT1 engine, can suffer from distributor failures which necessitate a replacement every 30-60,000 miles. This, once done however, rarely occurs again.

I had one that had done 168,000 miles before its first major mechanical failure - automatic transmission dropped dead. Still, it was a relatively 'cheap' fix. A company came and collected it, rebuilt the transmission entirely and refitted it for the princely sum of £1,200. Seemed pretty reasonable. It was 20-odd years old at the time as well so had done pretty well.

Other than that, just the usual car checks and general wear-and-tear issues apply. I could go into great detail but we'd be here all day

They are old cars at the end of the day, so things may break, but get a good one and you shouldn't have too many issues.

They're not too bad to work on either - front-opening clamshell bonnet makes engine easy to access, although LT1 engined cars need their plugs changing on a ramp as they're only accessible from there. They only need plugs ever 50,000 miles roughly, so not a major issue. Most decent independants can handle them as they're not overly specialised. For example, I got a brake master cylinder changed on one by my local garage for £120.

They're not ferociously complicated either, although some models do have more advanced traction control and adjustable suspension systems but they seem without major issue, to be honest.

Some of my old ones:

rodenal · 29 Jan 2012 at 11:53

I want THAT noise! Got to get myself a look at some of these could be a cracking play thing in the future

Lashout_UK · 29 Jan 2012 at 11:57

My battered old '88 didn't sound quite as good but it was still a lovely thing to bash around in

Kavalree · 29 Jan 2012 at 12:27

Thanks Lashout...I want one of them. Looked at insurance quotes, must be doing something wrong, they are all coming back £5K+ So I will save a bit more wonga and get one when I cant truly afford it...

vanpeebles · 29 Jan 2012 at 12:32

Lashout_UK said:
My battered old '88 didn't sound quite as good but it was still a lovely thing to bash around in

I bet you swooped down on all kinds in that!

Lashout_UK · 29 Jan 2012 at 13:03

Jaffa_Far said:
Thanks Lashout...I want one of them. Looked at insurance quotes, must be doing something wrong, they are all coming back £5K+ So I will save a bit more wonga and get one when I cant truly afford it...

You need to get on the phones. I had three years NCB at the time, which no doubt makes a world of difference, but I was paying £550 FC at 21 on my Corvette/s.

Online quotes won't help you much.

Peter James / Brentacre / Adrian Flux / Green Light are probably who you need to speak to.

Being a member of the CCCUK will knock 10% off too, usually.