Hi all, left Land Rover ownership a while ago now, but have realised in terms of mechanical knowledge, LR owners are far more competent than all other brand forum users out there 😂

Long story short my daughter isn’t well and is largely house/garden bound at the moment. She is car mad and I enjoy a bit of a tinker with cars and would like to learn more.

I am considering a restoration project of some sort that will give her something to look forward to and something we can work on together.

In an ideal world doing a Defender with her would be awesome, but I don’t know if that’s too big an ask - I don’t think something that requires a full strip down is sensible as a first one, but likewise something that just needs new brakes and a polish won’t provide much.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to what can make a good first project? In a perfect world it’d be something that she could then have as her first car in a few years (she is 14). I have in my mind an Mx5 (maybe a bit boy racer) or an old VW Beetle (ideally without a choke 😂).

my friend/neighbour has just bought a welder to learn to weld on his TR7 so I would have access to welding. Don’t have any lifts etc, just basic tools.

Cheers all. FL2 TD4 GS 60 reg Facelift - so many issues
2019 DS. Terribly unreliable.
Sold DS for a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Fingers crossed....
Sold Outlander for a 2014 SD4 SE Tech because I’m mental
Now greatly regret selling the Outlander. MPG of the FL2 is atrocious and so are the fuel bills. Fun though 😎
Couldn’t afford the fuel bills so back to an older Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Significantly better than I remembered it to be…

If you go for an MX 5, you will need that welder lol. I have done a few back to the shell. Parts are plentiful and cheap. Masses of knowledge on the MX 5 owners club forum. Mk1 & 2 engines are bullet proof, go for the 1.8 if possible. The Eunos have many "extras" such as nardi steering wheels. The MK2 Montana was one of my favourites, came with aircon and a hardtop from the factory only available in red or green.
I replaced my MK1 with a Jag XKR soft top, a great car but I do miss the little Mazda. A survey on car insurance I saw on Sky News recently had the MX5 as the cheapest car to insure in the UK........don't know if that would be true for a 17 year old but perhaps classic insurance would be possible. I think the first ones, from memory, we're manufactured in 1991. Good luck with your project.

Cheers. That’s good to know. FL2 TD4 GS 60 reg Facelift - so many issues
2019 DS. Terribly unreliable.
Sold DS for a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Fingers crossed....
Sold Outlander for a 2014 SD4 SE Tech because I’m mental
Now greatly regret selling the Outlander. MPG of the FL2 is atrocious and so are the fuel bills. Fun though 😎
Couldn’t afford the fuel bills so back to an older Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Significantly better than I remembered it to be…

I'd second the MX-5 - no experience of rebuilding one myself, but as a small, well-balanced 2-seat sports car which is fairly simple engineering-wise, you should have fun bringing it back & end up with a desirable "future classic"...

I've thought about restoring an MR2 as a project - but I dont think they have the same MX-5 appeal...

Consider your work environment too - it is easier to work on a small car in a small workshop or garage. That workshop or garage needs to be dedicated to the restoration - especially in your circumstances - so that when the going gets tough for either of you, just down tools, close the door and leave it until another day...

If you want to learn how cars, transmissions and engines work, then I would suggest something from the early days before electronics and error codes.

These Triumphs were designed to be accessible, and easy to work on.

A good Owners Forum and Spares Source are a necessity to check before you start.

Good Luck in your venture.

 FL2 XS SD4 Auto 2010 2012-2017 (21k - 91k miles) (MY2011)
FL2 Metropolis SD4 Auto 2014 2017- (16k - 84k+ miles) (MY2015)
Metro in its 11th Year of (Extended) LR Warranty / Full LR Service History
(Expensive, but Trouble/Worry free - hopefully?)

Classic Mini would get my vote but even basket cases are silly money now.
Ability to weld would be a bonus. Landrover - turning owners into mechanics since 1948

2014 Orkney grey Freelander SD4 GS.
2004 Zambezi silver Discovery 2 Td5 (Gone)
1963 Surf blue Morris Mini Minor Super de Luxe (my little toy)

Thanks all. Hoping to balance it so it’s not so vintage that it’s not very safe on the road, and not so new that it is all ECUs. Unsure at which point MX5s drop into the latter bracket. FL2 TD4 GS 60 reg Facelift - so many issues
2019 DS. Terribly unreliable.
Sold DS for a 2021 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Fingers crossed....
Sold Outlander for a 2014 SD4 SE Tech because I’m mental
Now greatly regret selling the Outlander. MPG of the FL2 is atrocious and so are the fuel bills. Fun though 😎
Couldn’t afford the fuel bills so back to an older Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV. Significantly better than I remembered it to be…

A mk1 or mk 2 would be my choice. Mk3 started from 2006, some engine variants on the mk3 were decidedly dodgey.
I was lucky and had use of a bay in a disused commercial garage with a pit.
The mk1 & mk2 share most mechanical components. I think it was a forced change when the pop up headlights were outlawed.
Bag and label everything, it could be years before you come back to a certain part of the resto.

Grimdog wrote:

I replaced my MK1 with a Jag XKR soft top, a great car but I do miss the little Mazda. A survey on car insurance I saw on Sky News recently had the MX5 as the cheapest car to insure in the UK........don't know if that would be true for a 17 year old but perhaps classic insurance would be possible. I think the first ones, from memory, we're manufactured in 1991. Good luck with your project.

We had a XKR coupe for about 4 years (2006-2010, from the Wakefield main-dealer), it was fun in its own way




Conversely, it always seemed;
- too plush
- too complicated
- too quiet/refined
- too 'slow' to change gears, particularly 'kickdown'
(one company did offer a manual conversion, using the Tremec 'box, same as used in a Viper, but even in 2007, that was quoted at £10,000+!!)

That said, the answer to it all seemed to be "It's A Jaguar"

It'd been nice if it was a bit more 'vocal'

IF you wanted to overtake quickly, it certainly could!! (in 'Sport' mode)
Until it was resurfaced, there was one road near my parents, that bore two lines of rubber about 20yards long


It was a toss-up back then, as I wanted a Cerbera 4.5, wife wanted something more refined!


Now this sounds awesome!!