Motoring news with Neasden Postlethwaite

[hirez]

The other night I was idly wondering where all the proper Minis had gone, since it's very rare to see them about in other than some tediously restored state.

They're all on ebay, and they're all silly money. For example, £1500 for one that's had a shit paint-job, shit plastic wheel-arch extensions, a shit interior and a shit sticker on the top end of the engine. It's also been recently pranged so you can see that under the shit paintwork it's just rust holding hands. In my day that would have been £150 for parts if one was feeling especially charitable.

Christ what a bunch of horrible, horrible bastards.

Comments

[moral-vacuum.livejournal.com]

I don't mind the new Mini, but I object strongly to the steroidal special edition. Ludicrous vehicle.

[nemesis-to-go.livejournal.com]

£1500 is a fairly usual price for the bottom end of the classic car market these days. It's almost impossible to buy a classic car - any classic car, in any condition - for a three-figure sum now.

Back in the days when a knackered Mini was £150, they weren't classic cars, of course - just yer everyday old bangers.

It might be a better comparison to find a car that's at the bottom of the depreciation curve now, and see how much motor you can get for how little money...

http://tinyurl.com/futureclassicz (http://tinyurl.com/futureclassicz)

Give it a few years, I bet those will be going for biggish dosh on the classic car market, and people will be muttering about how there used to be plenty of 'em about for pocket change. 90s Rovers are already on the way - the sporty/soft-top versions of the Rover 200s are getting approving articles in Practical Classics magazine. The more exotic versions will eventually pull up the mundane models. Buy the saloons now!

[hirez.livejournal.com]

A Rover? Well, maybe if it were a not-very-rusty SD1.

[inulro.livejournal.com]

When I went to buy my first UK car in the mid 90s, before the new Mini had even come out, they were already ridiculously expensive for what they were. I wanted one, but was in no way able to fork out twice as much as I spent on my Metro for something that may or may not run.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Fucking hipsters.

Also, the new minis? Not FUCKING MINI. They're behemoths.

I quite like the new Fiat 500s though.

[hirez.livejournal.com]

Quite.

I have to admit that a brief drive in kathbad's Mini was not unpleasant, but it felt more like sitting in a car than makes me comfortable.

Fiats. Yes. Well, those Fiats, anyway.