*** THE TOP TEN MARINA MYTHS ***
Posted: Tue Jan 13, 2009 2:37 am
:roll: Some people would have you believe all sorts of thing about the Marina well here are my TOP TEN MARINA MYTHS see how many you have heard :roll
#10 Nobody wanted a Morris Marina """""" Not true the Marina was the third best selling car in its day,selling over a million units and was produced form
1971-1984 (from 1980-1984 as the Ital) and exported as well.Not bad for a car no one wanted!
#9 Marina's were really Morris 1000 """"" "Not true the Marina was a replacement for the Morris Oxford the suspension was a derivative of the Morris 1000 but a derivative only,and yes they did use the "A" series engine (in 1300cc form) but as one of the best small engines ever why not.
#8 The ride is bad in them """" again not true the ride is on par with many of it's 1970's competitors,try a Vauxhall Cavalier from the same period and you can say what a bad ride is.
#7 Everybody knows they were rubbish,""""who Say's this the press or the public? The press always had a downer on British Leyland,and knocking BL was a comedy prerequisite in the 1970's,this rubbed off on many owners who unfairly critisized the Marina and was perpetuated by the media,speak to a Citroen mechanic form the same time an see what rubbish really was.
#6 Marina's don't start"""" yes they do very few starting problems even with the later "O" series engines even on a cold damp morning they start,for non starters you really need to talk Ford a problem that carried on onto some of it's models until the 1990's,WD 40 and Easy Start= Ford ownership arh the smell of damp start on a cold and frosty morning.
#5 Things stop working in them"""" well don't they in all cars? The electrical components are tried and tested,the dials and clocks go on for ever,the switch gear is solid,and more so on the Mk1 cars,the reliability on the electrical system is good and far better than the Italian stuff of the same period ( if you do have a problem it's simple to fix as the wiring is simple.
#4 Marina's don't handle """ well what do you mean by that,early cars were not that great but they got better as they went on,and remember these are not sports cars,you will not hurtle of a country road at 40mph or lose control coming of a roundabout,the handling is not dangerous or unsafe and better than the stories would lead you to believe,try a Ford Capri for handling and see what i mean (a 3 litre S on a wet day the Marina is on rails in comparison)
#3 The suspension collapses on them, well yes it does but only through complete and utter negligence and without maintenance,the front suspension component the trunnion needs to be greased a simple 2 minute job a fault with the owner not with the car, don't get alarmed the steering get unbelievable heavy well before this happens,this has never happened to me (and i have owned over 20 Marina's and Ital's) i have never met anyone who this has happen to either,i even know an old AA patrol Man who only went to one case of this in his entire 30 year career and that was down to zero servicing on the car.
#2 Marinas are rot boxes""" yes Marinas do rust but no worse than any other 1970's car and a lot better than some others,Italian cars roted before your eyes,Japanese cars were horrendous in the disintegration department and the French made products could give the other two a run for their money even the German products were rust buckets....all 70's cars are susceptible to rust,remember the Lancia Beta.
#1 Marina's are unreliable """"utter rubbish,the Marina uses the same engines as the Mini,Morris 1000 (a car now held in legendary status for it's reliability) Austin/Morris 1100/1300,Austin A30/A35, A40 in "A" series form and in "B" series form The Austin A40 Devon,Austin Cambridge/Morris Oxford and the MG ZA Magnette,MGA
and the MGB a car seen by many as the pinnacle of British sports cars (tell people your Marina TC engine is an MGB engine and see their reaction "wow i bet that can shift such is the MGB legend" the list goes on these were such good units that the carried on for many years Datsun made the "A" series under licence and used the engine in many of it's from cars from 1967 to the present day so good is the "A" series engine and the Datsun 1970's reputation for ultra reliability is form this engine and used in the Datsun Cherry,120Y,Sunny and so on and nobody ever says these cars are unreliable do they? and they all have the same engines in them although a little modified it's the basic "A" series" as used in you box standard Marina..so as you can see this statement is complete and utter rubbish,said by ignorant people who don't know any better.
Russ
Beckett Bros " and that's the truth" :roll:
#10 Nobody wanted a Morris Marina """""" Not true the Marina was the third best selling car in its day,selling over a million units and was produced form
1971-1984 (from 1980-1984 as the Ital) and exported as well.Not bad for a car no one wanted!
#9 Marina's were really Morris 1000 """"" "Not true the Marina was a replacement for the Morris Oxford the suspension was a derivative of the Morris 1000 but a derivative only,and yes they did use the "A" series engine (in 1300cc form) but as one of the best small engines ever why not.
#8 The ride is bad in them """" again not true the ride is on par with many of it's 1970's competitors,try a Vauxhall Cavalier from the same period and you can say what a bad ride is.
#7 Everybody knows they were rubbish,""""who Say's this the press or the public? The press always had a downer on British Leyland,and knocking BL was a comedy prerequisite in the 1970's,this rubbed off on many owners who unfairly critisized the Marina and was perpetuated by the media,speak to a Citroen mechanic form the same time an see what rubbish really was.
#6 Marina's don't start"""" yes they do very few starting problems even with the later "O" series engines even on a cold damp morning they start,for non starters you really need to talk Ford a problem that carried on onto some of it's models until the 1990's,WD 40 and Easy Start= Ford ownership arh the smell of damp start on a cold and frosty morning.
#5 Things stop working in them"""" well don't they in all cars? The electrical components are tried and tested,the dials and clocks go on for ever,the switch gear is solid,and more so on the Mk1 cars,the reliability on the electrical system is good and far better than the Italian stuff of the same period ( if you do have a problem it's simple to fix as the wiring is simple.
#4 Marina's don't handle """ well what do you mean by that,early cars were not that great but they got better as they went on,and remember these are not sports cars,you will not hurtle of a country road at 40mph or lose control coming of a roundabout,the handling is not dangerous or unsafe and better than the stories would lead you to believe,try a Ford Capri for handling and see what i mean (a 3 litre S on a wet day the Marina is on rails in comparison)
#3 The suspension collapses on them, well yes it does but only through complete and utter negligence and without maintenance,the front suspension component the trunnion needs to be greased a simple 2 minute job a fault with the owner not with the car, don't get alarmed the steering get unbelievable heavy well before this happens,this has never happened to me (and i have owned over 20 Marina's and Ital's) i have never met anyone who this has happen to either,i even know an old AA patrol Man who only went to one case of this in his entire 30 year career and that was down to zero servicing on the car.
#2 Marinas are rot boxes""" yes Marinas do rust but no worse than any other 1970's car and a lot better than some others,Italian cars roted before your eyes,Japanese cars were horrendous in the disintegration department and the French made products could give the other two a run for their money even the German products were rust buckets....all 70's cars are susceptible to rust,remember the Lancia Beta.
#1 Marina's are unreliable """"utter rubbish,the Marina uses the same engines as the Mini,Morris 1000 (a car now held in legendary status for it's reliability) Austin/Morris 1100/1300,Austin A30/A35, A40 in "A" series form and in "B" series form The Austin A40 Devon,Austin Cambridge/Morris Oxford and the MG ZA Magnette,MGA
and the MGB a car seen by many as the pinnacle of British sports cars (tell people your Marina TC engine is an MGB engine and see their reaction "wow i bet that can shift such is the MGB legend" the list goes on these were such good units that the carried on for many years Datsun made the "A" series under licence and used the engine in many of it's from cars from 1967 to the present day so good is the "A" series engine and the Datsun 1970's reputation for ultra reliability is form this engine and used in the Datsun Cherry,120Y,Sunny and so on and nobody ever says these cars are unreliable do they? and they all have the same engines in them although a little modified it's the basic "A" series" as used in you box standard Marina..so as you can see this statement is complete and utter rubbish,said by ignorant people who don't know any better.
Russ
Beckett Bros " and that's the truth" :roll:
here in portugal the people think the same about it :roll: And yes they stay like :shock: when I say that´s the same engine as the mgb... there were many marinas here too, althought they are quite rare now... I think mine is the only 1800 coupe SDL in portugal 