Fast Marina Magazine

Would i be insane to use an ital as my daily commute car?

My journey is 42 miles each way, adding up to over 20k a year!
I need to get another car as i now have another wee one on the way.
My wife likes our Peugeot 406 so i need a runner for work.

What do you think folks?

Dan

No reason why u cant use a Tally as your daily driver.Mk3s and Itals drive a lot better than the mk2s or early ones.They feel alot more modern to drive.However just remember unless on eof the last Tallys they still have the old suspension.I use mine in all weathers.

Well they were made as everyday cars, it's not like youre wanting to use a DB5 or E-Type!

When I pass my test I will be using my MK1 everyday, I wont have another car! (and if I do it will be one I will be restoring!)

I'm just worried it's a lot to ask of these old girls. We're talking 500 miles a week!

I use my 1.7L every now and again to go to work and it loves the journey, but with only 32k from new (and a history file larger than the bible!) i'm reluctant to use it as my daily driver.

Dan

Hi,

I'm using mine as a daily to be fair i'm not putting as many miles on as you would be but surley as long as you look after it and keep up the servicing there shouldn't be a problem. Mines never let me down even in the snow we had !

Rob.

There is no reason why the car would not be happy with that mileage per day/week.
Obviously - your maintenance will need to be increased to cope with the extra use.
As regards the mileage and history of the car itself - what are you saving it for.?
It was built for this very purpose.
I feel that my cars would have deteriorated faster if they were not in constant use.

Go for it.!

I am also in full agreement that there is no problem with using your car as a daily driver. I use my Mk3 coupe all the time and never have a problem. It all comes down to the reason we always look on cars as being female. The better you look after them the better they look after you. Keep her serviced and looked after and she won't let you down. Abuse her and you'd better watch out . The real fun part is remembering all the nice kind people out there that have ripped it out of us for owning a Marina or Ital and waving as you drive past them broken down in their new BMW's while you are still going strong and, trust me, it will happen. Happy days !!!!!

I saw two broken down BMWs yesterday

I think any broken down car is down to poor maitance or bad luck.

The car I broke down in many times was a reliable VW Golf GTI 16V and only because I trusted the dealer servicing which was very poor!

I did break down years ago in my mini a few times but that was my own fault for driving like a nutter in an old car maitained on a tight bugget.

My BMW has broken but always got me home before it completely died and I mean within a 1 foot of the drive and completely die!!!!
That was my fault too for driving it on an extra journey with the Battery light up
IF you think there is a rattle or noise or something is different make sure you check it as soon as possible and you tend to find the problem before you get stuck, most people seem to drive cars until they die and then get upset! Steering wheel attendants instead of drivers I think the phase goes

Paul.

I don't see why you can't drive your Ital every day, that's what it was designed for after all. Just stick to the original service intervals (or shorter) and use good quality parts and lubricants.

If you are worried that racking up the miles will reduce the cars value, I don't think that it won't hurt so much, as you are beyond the truly low mileage area (under 30K). Alternatively buy another one for daily travel and keep this one for weekends.