this is a brilliant car,have owned loads of them since passing my test in '90.they are easy to work on,cheap as chips to run and great to modify,having put a 2500 tc lump in a '72 coupe from a triumph.what more can i say the best allround daily runner money can buy.
Me - the proud norwegian owner of a '76 Marina Mk. II 1.3 coupe. I bought the car a year ago, (£ 350) it's solid and loooks great in all respects, without a single spot of body-rot. My Marina has run a genuine 86.000 miles in rough scandinavian climate, and is still a true pleasure to handle ! Not surprisingly however; my very first car as a 18 years old in 1982 was a 100% simular one, and just loved it. I used it for transportation every day as I went to high-school, and it NEVER let me down. I remember one incredibly cold winters-day in january 1983; we had - 30 degrees C, by the end of the schoolday. Teachers & care-takers left their silly Opels and other german junk standing, and cought buses. I pulled my Marinas choke and turned the key, and within a 5 seconds the A Pluss was running like a klock ! People hardly beleived it !
I've had these cars on and off for over 20 years. IF properly lubricated and maintained (which is an absolute doddle) then they'll go on forever, cheaply and reliably. If you are a 'tinkerer' then a huge range of British Leyland engines will fit with hardly any bother at all. The gearboxes are nice and light but I prefer autos, again it's no problem to convert them over as there's plenty of room.
people who knock these cars usually bought a poorly maintained banger, drive one that has been looked after and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Mine is 30 years old and drives beautifully.
I bought my Marina 1300DL Estate in 1988 for £50. It had been rustproofed so the body was ok. Shortly after I bought it a halfshaft broke and a wheel fell off. The engine was a total oilburner and eventually expired. The only other problem I really had was a broken Trunnion. I foolishly replaced it with a genuine item, not realising pattern parts were available. It was a perfectly acceptable car to drive although I did get it sideways once by accident (and many times deliberately, I was 19!) Nowadays it should represent a simple reliable easily maintained car as long as you can weld. It was meant to be based on the Plonker but in the end it would have been cheaper to design a complete new car. Look on it as a plonker with reliability and practicality (not to mention dual circuit brakes, I have been in a Plonker with a burst pipe, scary!)
Never owned
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed December 2003.
Performance
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I ONCE OWNED A 1978 1300 MARINA IN AROUND 1992 FOR FOUR OR FIVE MONTHS. IN THAT TIME THE BLOODY EXHAUST FELL OFF, BAD PETROL FUMES KEPT ENTERING THE CAR AND ON THE DAY I SOLD THE CAR, YOU COULD ONLY ENGAGE FORTH GEAR. I CERTAINLY WOULD NOT ADVISE ANYONE BUYING ONE OF THESE CARS.
Never owned
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed December 2003.
Performance
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If you think you're existing car is bad, just wait until you have driven or worse still owned a Marina.
Owned for 6 months.
Preloved Visitor
Reviewed December 2003.
Performance
Reliability
Parts Availability
Overall Value for Money
THIS IS WITHOUT A SHADOW OF A DOUBT THE MOST APPALLING CAR I HAVE EVER OWNED. I WOULD NOT HAVE ANOTHER EVEN AS A GIFT, I WOULD NOT GIVE ONE OF THESE TRULY AWFUL CARS TO MY WORST ENEMY. PLUS POINTS, THEY ARE CHEAP, BAD POINTS, EVERYTHING ELSE. THESE ARE CRUDE, POORLY BUILT, RUST RIDDEN, UGLY AND SLOW CARS WHICH SHOULD OF BEEN CANCELLED AT THE PLANNING STAGES. A FEW WORDS TO SUM THIS CAR - O DEAR.
Never owned
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