Practical Classics

[Maria]

Hooray - the Maestro and Montego have finally made it to the price guide section of Practical Classics. Apparently guide price is £950 for an A1 Maestro - the description (sorry, don't have the mag to hand here at work) was something like "Simple to maintain, and all the better for it. Gaining a cult following" :D

[Austin-Rover]

Hurrahhh!

Does this mean we can now say we drive Classic cars when people ask us what car we own?

[SimonR]

This is good news indeed - finally recognition of the Maestro and Montego's deserved place in our motoring history.

Maybe the club should contact PC and point out that the different models vary widely and should be priced accordingly :laugh:

Seriously tho, what are the 'rules' about calling a car a classic? I thought it was 20 years old+ which means that PC have it correct - the earliest examples are now past that milestone.

[Maria]

I don't think there are any set rules for what defines a classic - there certainly don't seem to be if you look at the variety of cars that appear in Practical Classics each month!

I'm still waiting for pics of my camper and Dave Monks' car to appear in PC - they were photographed at the end of last year at Mallory Park at the Classic Touring Car Racing Club's test day. Apparently the pics are on PC's server and are queued for publication.

[e692wtt]

Maestro: back to basics technically and easier to live with for it. Has growing cult following.

Montego: pretty much a Maestro with a boot. Pretty good, but avoid strained 1300 engine.

'Ow's about that then guys 'n' gals??

The other other Rich.:eek: ;)

[F690OTF(RIP)]

I found a classic car insurer who required cars to be over fifteen years old to qualify for their policies. I'm sure I've seen a definition somewhere which specifies the approximate number of surviving examples. Most E-reg Maestros (all of them come August) and earlier qualify on the first count, but unless you are model-specific, I seriously doubt that the Maestro would qualify on the second count.

[e692wtt]

MG Maestro: avoid rough, troublesome early 1600s. Later ones actually quite good to drive.

MG Maestro Turbo: iffy bodykit, but 152bhp and honda gearbox. Only 3500 made. (3500? only about 3000 out...)

MG Montego 2.0 efi: small following, but are people really fooled by a few badges and red seat belts?

MG Montego Turbo: early ones have chronic torque steer and turbo lag. All best used in a straight line.

Thought it was too good to be true...

Other figures re performance, spares availability, etc, as well.

The other other Rich.
:banghead:

[Jonathan]

I thought I'd move this because it's not really off topic, very much on topic in fact.

I've just bought my first Practical Classics for ages.

The 'Classic Car' argument has raged for years. I wonder who first decided to refer to a car as a classic? Insurance companies and show organisers tend to base their definition on age but we all know that's a pretty simplistic way of thinking. There isn't a set definition, everyone has their own oppinion. I tend to consider early Maestros in particular as classics because there aren't that many about now and they really are from a different age to today's offering. Look at the basic, uncluttered interiors with their unusual colour schemes - none of the masses of grey and black plastic that characterises a 1990s/2000s car. Much of the basic styling dates from 25 years ago now too.

[e692wtt]

I saw 'moved thread' and thought "where was it before". Yes, this is a 'relevant post', these cars ARE Classics in that people reminisce about owning them in a positive manner.

I've noted this before, but some 'classic car' Insurance Companies recognise Maestros and Montegos as 'classic cars'. Footman Jones is an example, I believe Happy Camper has insured her car with them - but unfortunately FJ require that the cars they insure are garaged overnight 'in certain postcode areas', and guess whose postcode is blacklisted??? I insured my car with MoreThan after receiving a 'flyer' with a payslip, for £300 a year fully comp with £150 XS on own damage, fire and theft claims. All other companies I tried wanted over £500.

Me best mate had a VDP 1300 and then a Morris 1300GT, and managed to insure these cars for 'peanuts' third party fire and theft, the cars were in the old Group 2 (when the Groups went from 1 to 9 and not from 1 to 20 as they do nowadays) - this was in the late '80s and early '90s, nowadays he owns a motorcycle shop and pays £1100 a year for 'trade motor insurance'. Mind you, the 1300s were at least 20 years old when he owned them... cheap motoring though, which is an argument I use for keeping my Monty and not changing him after 6 1/2 years.

Our cars are beginning to attain Classic status. I intend getting my 1.6 Monty 'sorted' as it is usually the 'top of the range' models that survive (MG and Vanden Plas in our case) - 'low range' models tend to be scrapped as they are worth less. There's a moral in here somewhere!

The other other Rich.

[Jonathan]

I find Footman James quotes quite expensive even with severely limited mileage, they're probably not the best for under 25s.

I've had a chance to read my issue of PC a bit more carefully now. There are quite a few factual errors and omissions of course:

- The Austin Metro isn't included
- What about the Maestro 1.3 & Montego 1.6?
- Maestro 1.6 1982-94?
- Only 3500 MG Maesro Turbos made?

[mikeno monti]

I used 2 buy pc mag but i stopped a year or so ago as i didnt like the then new editior. I still dont like his writing style.At least they are beginning 2 c our cars for what they really are now. U nfortunatly there is not nearly as many on the roads as there used 2 b. One day there is going 2 b even less.By that time it will b 2 late and a part of our motoring heritage will b gone for good.Thankfully we have the m and moc 2 keep the cars alive and well.There is a lot of people who dont remember anything much before say 1984,i e the wearnt born or were butn only just.Thus montegos and maestros etall is the cars the remember,not farinas or vx490s or cortinas or whatever. Long live the maestro and montegos