Quote:
Originally Posted by SalvadorP
I'm a 940 guy, but I've been looking to buy another car, preferably older. A decent 144 just popped up on the local market, but I don't know the first thing about these cars. It's supposedly a 1.8S, from 1967.
What are the major downfalls of this model?
What are the strenghts?
What should I read to give me a basic notion of of this model?
Thanks,
Salvador
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The newest 1 series car will now be 49 years old, Salvador, plenty of time for it to rust. Later cars, 2s, 7s and 9s are all better protected - the later, the better, generally speaking. There are exceptions, some early 2 series cars seemed particularly susceptible in my experience.
The steering is, unlike later cars,
not rack and pinion. It is naturally on the heavy side. None of ours had PS - not sure if it was available on the 4 pots. I think some cars have been retrofitted with a PS system from a 164, or you might consider an electric PS conversion (£££).
Timing is by gears, not chain or belt. It is a steel hub with a fibre outer which deteriorates and can separate with age. All steel replacements used to be available, but, while more reliable, they were noisier in use. I don't know if they are still available, but I'm sure someone will.
They are more spartan than modern cars - static seat belts (front only), keep-fit windows, that sort of thing. They were also much easier to break into; the opening quarter-lights (the catches often fell off) were a particular weak point.
I sold my last 144 in 1995 and it was an old car then. It was the 2.0 single carb 4-speeder. It was noisy at motorway speeds. My 145 had O/D and was much better in that respect. If you have a choice, definitely get one with O/D.
On the plus side - oodles of charm and the immense satisfaction of keeping an old bus going. Simple mechanics. No computers in sight; the only thing you will need to reset if you disconnect the battery is the clock!
If you have the time, knowledge, facilities, expertise and enthusiasm, one could make a great hobby car. Although certainly possible, I'm not sure it would make such a good 'daily' today, especially if you are doing big mileages.
Regards, John,