new member looking for a car

[galfredus]

Afternoon all

I think the time may be coming when I need to finally buy a Triumph 2000! I'm a vintage/classic car fan and have been for as long as I can remember. My tastes are extremely varied - I'll like any car as long as its old. In the past I've had austin sevens and a SAAB 99 (aka chalk and cheese...)

However, my interest and appreciation of the Triumph 2000 has been pretty constant for over twenty years. Im about to change jobs. I'll need to buy another car so 'er indoors can have use of our ancient Clio diesel, and the best bit is that someone will be paying me 45p a mile for driving my new car, so I don't necessarily need to match the Clio's 50mpg.

I'll be leaving it at work in a private car park, but not under cover. The driving will be a mixture of A&B roads, with some dual carriageway, not much town driving, round trips of between 10 and 100 miles.

I would value any views people have on using one of these cars as a regular driver, any recommended precautions and adaptations to the car.

I also have to confess that I've only once ever ridden in a 2000, and that was twenty years ago - it was the classic combination of sight sound and smell that stuck in the mind (the same as my old 99, which I miss very much and, of course, had an engine developed jointly with Triumph). So...if a member in the vicinity of East Anglia would like to show off their pride and joy they would have a very willing audience!

And finally, of course, if anyone is thinking of putting their car up for sale, I would be pleased to hear from you. My only absolutes are that I would like an MOD gearbox and I think I would like a Mk II, all other variables are subservient to the solidity of the car.

Thanking you all in anticipation of your wisdom.

Geoffrey

[johnconradlee]

Hello Geoffrey and Welcome!

A Triumph 2000 or 2500 makes an excellent car for regular use with the appropriate maintenance. There a quite a few people on here who drive 2000s 2500s and 2.5PIs daily (or like me several times a week).
Parts are relatively cheap, you should have no problems keeping up with (or even overtaking) modern traffic and fuel economy is not too bad.

My main advice would be buy the best car you can, change the oil frequently, check the fluids, change the points frequently (or fit electronic ignition) and most importantly during the winter wash your car to get the salt off. Not using a car for long periods of time is far more harmful than driving it in January.

You can convert automatics to man o/d reasonably easily so if there's an otherwise perfect car I wouldn't necessarily dismiss it right away. As a daily driver on a 2000 I'd recommend using the 3.7:1 diff (standard is 4.1:1) which was used on the automatics and late manual 2000s as it gives slightly taller gearing so better on the motorway.

[galfredus]

Hello John,

Thanks for your helpful advice. I'm a bit paranoid about rust after the bottom dropped out of the drivers door on my SAAB! My plan was to find a little/no rust example, treat and underseal its bottom (with care to locate all drain holes). Would you put a 2000 through a car wash, or should I be investing in a karcher?

I can probably manage to fit electronic ignition myself, so ill definitely put that on the list. Assuming I do find a car with the low back axle ratio, what revs would I pull in od at 60? I wont be doing that much motorway driving.

Thanks!

Geoffrey

[atom]

My experience is that the early Mk2 cars: "Pre-Facelift" (PFL) (until 1973-1974), are less prone to rust.
I am, like John, a "several days a week" driver, also looking a bit at how much rain or salt is out there.
I use (now) "Hammerite Waxoyl" in several forms to protect the car from inside and underside.
Wash it myself because I have some fear that otherwise my side-mirrors will come off..

Coincidentally my car has electronic ignition, OD and a 1:3.7 diff.
At 60 MPH it makes about 2800 RPM, at 75 it's about 3300 and at 81 (our maximum speed) about 3500 ( in OD).

[red2000chris]

definitely get a manual with overdrive. my 2000 was manual without overdrive and in 4th (top) gear at 60 mph was revving at 3500 rpm and 4200rpm at 70