why a marina?

Clan Chieftain · Post by **Clan Chieftain** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 12:59 am

8) as i wrote in my previous topic i like the marina because basically i like driving what i drove 30 years ago,but what is the attraction of the marina to you younger guys.its hardly a design icon and the handling is murder.is it the challenge to make it a better car?its hardly a fanny magnet is it.so my question is...why a marina???

USspecGT · Post by **USspecGT** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 1:14 am

My dad had one when I was young - I remember it vaguely. Always thought they were a good looking car. Now that I've driven one I can see why he was never too keen on it.

As far as being a fanny magnet, anything that draws attention is a fanny magnet. ...the rest is up to you.

Chris

madmart · Post by **madmart** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 1:32 am

lol i agree with the above comment, ive had ooh is it american to i like that its cool

ive allways been into old cars
i caught the marina bug by saving one from the crusher. there good looking unusual and diffrent. easy to maintain etc

JoshWard · Post by **JoshWard** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 8:42 am

They look great, seem fairly cheap to run, reliable, cheap to buy, easy to tune by the looks of it and they stand out. Need I say more?

stuthegasman · Post by **stuthegasman** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 9:59 am

both my grandads owned marina's throughout my childhood which is why I love them they bring back great memories only now I can drive them instead of sitting in the passenger seat wishing one day i'll be able to drive one of these, but somehow when I was 17 and looking for my first car a marina didn't enter my mind it was things like vauxhall cavaliers and mk3 escorts that were popular then but now the marina has become some what of an icon amongst enthusiasts so now not only can you bring back memories of years gone by you can have a bloody good time enjoying the cars with other like minded owners and they don't cost an arm and a leg to maintain it's a very cheap worthwile hobby, 8)
stu

Al Williams · Post by **Al Williams** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 3:00 pm

For me it is quite simple, much cheaper to buy and maintain than an over priced Ford of the same era.

martinmarina · Post by **martinmarina** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 3:43 pm

I used to walk past a B.L. showroom on my way to school in the early 70's (when I went)

and always loved to look at them brand new through the showroom window, loved the looks, the colours that they came in , I used to wash em for the garage on a Sat morning (':D') they left a lasting imprint on me growing up which I guess is the same for a lot of us 30-40+.
I knew that one day I would have one, took me a bloody long time to get there but nevermind

Mightyzorg · Post by **Mightyzorg** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 6:34 pm

Hmmm, why a marina?? Well, I can't say it's a trip down memory lane as no one in our family ever owned one (must be rare LOL) the only time I had ever been in one before I got my TC Coupe was years ago in a P reg 1.3 Coupe which used to oscillate and sway badly at any speed over 65, enough to put anyone off especially an impressionable 19 year old.
I guess I ended up with my TC almost by default as a friends cousin was selling and I happened to be looking for something to replace my Triumph 1300 fwd and something that could keep up with motorway traffic.
In the few months I have owned it I've done about 1500 miles in all weathers and never once had any problems with the handling, sure the body rolls a lot and the back end will pirouette if you hoof it in the wet but it's no worse than any of the cars I owned when younger which were:
1966 Triumph 1300 FWD (Passed my test in this one)
1973 HA Viva van
1969 Cortina Mk2 1600E lookeelikeee (actually a 1250cc pre crossflow)
1973 Chrysler 2litre (Fantastic car apart from rampant chassis rot)
1972 Wolsely 2200 landcrab
1971 Mk 1 Escort 1100 (owned for 2 hours, what a bag of S**t)
1972 Chrysler 180 (Swapped escort for it)
1978 Magnum 1800
1979 Chrysler Alpine (Total heap )
1971 Viva HC 1600 ( it became a 2.3 running the 1600 diff, it was my RS 2 Litre Eater)
1969 HB Viva 1600
1972 Hunter GLS (Holbay engined, quite quick )
1970 FD Ventora 3.3
1979 Citroen CX 2400
1980 Triumph Dolomite 1850 HL
1980 Citroen CX Athena (Shed)
1983 Vauxhall Carlton
1982 Vauxhall carlton Auto
1981 Opel Senator 3.0 (My dad bought this and foolishly let me drive it, he never saw it again )
1987 Senator 3.0 CD
1991 Saab 9000, (Expensive to maintain ! ! ! ! ! but bloody good to drive)
1991 Astramax Van
and now I currently have a 1991 Volvo 740 Estate, it just keeps on going
and of course my Marina TC
Seems a lot but some were owned concurrently, before Sorn when the rozzezr wern't that bothered about you keeping something untaxed as long as it looked ok and you wern't driving it of course!

Rob

RobChe · Post by **RobChe** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 9:34 pm

Bought one as my first car (before I could drive) - it had sat on a drive for 2 years and in my naive youth I thought it would make an ideal first car.

Spent 6 months in a mates garage while I blindly pottered with it...
Took it for an MOT and it failed wildly. When it DID pass I was ecstatic - I loved that car - it was a rotter but I loved it.

Had only 2 more since... going to see another tomorrow !

I think they are good looking - Coupe anyway... Apart from the door is 4in too short for the length of the rear panel...

Rob

The General · Post by **The General** » Sat Sep 22, 2007 9:40 pm

i got my first marina as a 23rd birthday present from my dad as he had asked me to take his a plate ital to shows but i wasn't really interested ( calibra turbos at the time ). So he said he was meeting a guy for parts so i went along for the journey and there it was sitting in the car park. Since then i have had another couple, but doubt ill ever part with my baby.

~Sam~ · Post by **~Sam~** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:41 am

hmm I guess Ben always seemed to have fun with his and then I went down to the IOW and everyone was really friendly and seemed to have so much fun with their cars so I impulsed bought one from Uncle Frank and it is a lot of fun and you always get a few looks from people when you are driving it round!

Wish she didnt drink quite as much petrol though! But she is reliable and I drive her to work everyday with no problems

ClaytonSpeed · Post by **ClaytonSpeed** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 10:27 am

A good question Larry. Well my Granddad had a few before my time so I never went in them but remember seeing photos. My dad had a few also in his youth ending up with a 1.3 Ital. I vaguely remember this with a kiddie seat in it!

When I came to drive I wasn't really into any one car I think the idea of just driving anything appealed to me! I brought a moggie and razzed that around for a while but fancied something more "cool" so I got my 1.8DL coupe! I loved that car and yes it was the challenge of making it handle better that kept me throwing money at it. I've always just looked at them as something different, easy to drive and maintain plus you meet so many nice people along the way.

It started a chain reaction to both my family and friends! First of all Furzey brought Air Force One and then my Dad brought his Ital SLX.. Bonnie also decided to get a 1.3 saloon and now my house mate Sam got JBL the TC saloon from Frank!

Over the years I have had quite a few rough ones, finally sticking with SLK (who everyone knows), purple ronnie and the pickup. I'd still buy more if I had the room but thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s the addiction you get. I've never really been able to explain that to people that don't "get" them but it seems to be agreed in the circles they are just fun, cool and different.

My own line is modification that some disagree with but I find it fascinating! Modern euro boxes don't see it coming! 8)

All the above cars I help to maintain with their owners as I like to see them on the road and not sat in garages if it can be helped!

We are the Next Generation..!

Clan Chieftain · Post by **Clan Chieftain** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:27 am

8) i was never really one for modification. ok different wheels and trim, but the more i see the way you guys modify them they really do look great. the car is still being preserved one way or the other........larry

ado28 · Post by **ado28** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:38 am

Me personally IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m not into modification in a big way i.e. putting big beefy engines in etc, but having seen some modification carried out by other club members in MMOC and Ecosse I have relaxed my thoughts slightly over the years, modification to improve the handling is a must I think especially in todayÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s fast moving traffic conditions and there is always an -insert rude word here- in front of you when you take your car out so you have to fly past them and the last thing you want is to end up in a hedge with the -insert rude word here- passing you again because your car couldnÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t handle the manoeuvre! :roll:

ClaytonSpeed · Post by **ClaytonSpeed** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 11:51 am

Thanks guys!

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