Nobody wants it.

[G51 NAV]

Here in Lancashire I am struggling to find one in any condition - yet I see a new one on eBay every day - all in other parts of the country - what happened to the ones around here - did the damp climate finish them off earlier than the rest?

I think the answer's got to be yes. I'm looking for a really good Mk1 (or if it's perfect, Mk2) MG Metro and trying to find one which isn't a 400-mile return trip away is nearly impossible.

The better-condition cars are down south because the weather doesn't kill them as soon.

Statistically, this forum is "overpopulated" by people from Lancashire, Cheshire and Yorkshire compared to other car-enthusiasts' forums. Not sure why that is and I'm not complaining, but I bet most of said enthusiasts' cars didn't spend most of their lives here. For example, my car (NAV) carries a Peterborough registration. E_T_V and Skatiechik have a Maestro which spent time with Lancashire Police. I don't think they'll take it as an insult if I say that it's in need of - erm - much TLC, bodywork-wise

[Guest]

Right now I would consider any offer seriously, the car is taxed until end of
March & M.O.T until March 15th. The radiator is 2 months old, exhaust, tyres,
alternator and battery are about 18 months old. There is 97k on the clock,
the engine starts 1st time & is not smokey. The major problem is the water
pump, which is leaky and my reason for selling it.
I have owned the car since 2001 and am the 2nd owner, an interesting piece
of history is the original service book, it's first service stamp is from a Rover
dealership in Perigueux (South of France) so is the 4th stamp, the intermediate
stamps are from a garage in Aldershot. Somebody really had big faith in their Montego!

.

How bad is the water pump leak.
Can it be driven with frequent topping up or is it a trailer job?

[Guest]

Steady drip-drip!

Not a trailer job, I drive aprox' 20 miles a day and loose about 1.5 litres, after being parked up for 8 hours (top up for journey home). It might loose more the more it's reved up? If you left here with a full system and I will supply you with 3X 2 litre bottles of water, as long as you pull in to a service station, say every 20/30 motorway miles, just to be on the safe side, you will be fine, and have more than enough water.

[Guest]

Drip Drip Drop!

Not a trailer job, I drive aprox' 20 miles a day and loose about 1.5 litres, after being parked up for 8 hours (top up for journey home). It might loose more the more it's reved up? If you left here with a full system and I will supply you with 3X 2 litre bottles of water, as long as you pull in to a service station, say every 20/30 motorway miles, just to be on the safe side, you will be fine, and have more than enough water.

I have sent you a PM.

[Guest]

Hi Nick,

"Struggling to find a Montego in Lancashire"

You should try finding one in Scotland. I have the only Monty Saloon alive and running in Inverness City. I have seen 2 estates locally thats it. As for Maestros I've seen 3 also total. I travelled to Warrington for my Monty almost a 1000 mile round trip.

I fancy swapping over to a Monty Diesel Estate later this year and I will have to do the same again.


Graham

[Guest]

Cars tend to be more rusty up North as more salt is used on the roads then down here in the Sunny South.

Monty diesels make a very good Landy conversion, but tend to lack a bit of power off road - but hell, so does the 2.25 petrol one!

One thing on conversions such as these, & that is does the starter motor area have a gap, thus letting water into the bellhousing as they do when people put a Transit or Peugeot in?

If you want to use your Landy for a bit of road use then buy this car - water pumps come up on e-bay for about £50 and the conversion kit to fit the Landy bell housing is about £300.

As for my selling advice, I find it difficult to comprehend not getting maximum return for such a small effort. No one mentioned a major advertising campaign. If you didn't want advice or were determined not to listen but just dismiss it out of hand, then why complain when you cannot sell it?

[Guest]

I've come to the conclusion that anything other than an absolutely immaculate Maestro or Montego with a diesel or MG badge is pretty well worthless outside enthusiast circles. I've just given away a tidy 1.3 Clubman to my former mother in law who'se partner didn't think a great deal of it till he actually drove it and he says it compares ver favourably with his Astra! I drive a mechanically good but cosmetically challenged MG Maestro EFI as my everyday car. I would cost the restoration of it at about £100 but I can near enough buy another car for that so the MG is just used as a fun everyday winter car which I will probably give away in a year or so. Both these cars were bought on ebay and I travelled to Surrey from Notts to buy them. Its worth a try...

[G51 NAV]

I would cost the restoration of it at about £100 but I can near enough buy another car for that

Glad you think so: really tidy low-mileage EFis have been bringing more than that for some time! A low-mileage tidy car in Southport recently brought £350 on eBay, and had the car been "down south" where the majority of enthusiasts are, you could have doubled that

Also:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tem=4533700535

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...tem=4532704287

[Guest]

They seem to be pretty cheap in the East Midlands for some reason. Mine cost me considerably more than £350 but it was a 40,000 mile car from an elderly owner who had given up driving. I hasten to add its worth quite a bit to me because it makes me smile when I drive to work in the morning and thats priceless! I've maintained it in its 'tatty' condition so it doesn't attract the attention of the local idiots and it seems to have worked. If I restored the exterior, I would have to buy another car for work in a similar condition, then I would end up restoring that and thats why I now own four cars!

[Guest]

Thoughts.

I've come to the conclusion that anything other than an absolutely immaculate Maestro or Montego with a diesel or MG badge is pretty well worthless outside enthusiast circles. I've just given away a tidy 1.3 Clubman to my former mother in law who'se partner didn't think a great deal of it till he actually drove it and he says it compares ver favourably with his Astra! I drive a mechanically good but cosmetically challenged MG Maestro EFI as my everyday car. I would cost the restoration of it at about £100 but I can near enough buy another car for that so the MG is just used as a fun everyday winter car which I will probably give away in a year or so. Both these cars were bought on ebay and I travelled to Surrey from Notts to buy them. Its worth a try...

I am glad that you agree, very soon now the youngest example will be a teenager, eventually the only ones left out there will be the ones owned by the enthusiast, but will that increase their value in the open market, as in the case of the Morris 1000 or VW Beatle. I don't think these cars have the same charisma, do you?

[Guest]

I think values will increase in a few years once the poorer cars has been scrapped, most of which seems to have gone now anyway (how many Maestros and Montys do you see on the road?). I'm also into Cortinas and I own a very nice Mk.V estate in a very rare spec. and colour. This cost me a mere £500 on ebay. Had it been a Mk.3 it would easily have cost me 3 times that in a similar condition yet they are basically the same car. They are just older and there are less of them. The rarity factor will certainly come into play because our cars tend to dissolve after a few years if left to their own devices. I personally think that now is the time to get hold of a very early Maestro or Montego because they have quite a different character to the later models and in 3 or 4 years they will be practically extinct.

[Guest]

Being Squashed today.

That chap was right! it's going down the scrappy today, I will post the morbid pics of it's demise.

[hornmeister2000]

as in the case of the Morris 1000 or VW Beatle. I don't think these cars have the same charisma, do you?

I think Morris 1000s have "cute" value though!

Don't know why anyone would want a Beatle though!

[Guest]

new to site.

I didnt think there was that many lovers of these sort of cars about,theres not many left on the road,or are there?

[hornmeister2000]

I didnt think there was that many lovers of these sort of cars about,theres not many left on the road,or are there?

There are LOADS! It's strange - I've had a Maestro and a Minor for a few years now, and first of all, I saw loads more Maestros than Minors. However, I've noticed recently that it's the other way round - I see more Minors than Maestros