pffftt pretty funny, users criticise this car, so you get defensive and criticise them, and make assumptions.....grow up, act your age, handle it. The car you idolise isn't the great machine you think. More than one user is offering criticism, i'm not sorry to burst your bubble there. Have fun in your pink marina.
@pozestplatinum NO! remember you are the one who started with the pathetic name calling, and continue to do so (you really have a thing about homosexuality don't you)
Criticism constructive or not or an alternative view isn't a problem but your remedial bitching is.
Look at your last comment, everything you qoute is what you don't practice.And none of us idolise the cars "we like them" BIG difference...get it right and spell Marina with a capitial M...oh and btw get a life while your at it.
Top 10 marina facts...1. Looks horrid, 2. The interior styling was voted the most horrible in the world....ever, 3. They handle more like a boat than a car. 4. They did not stand the test of time. 5. They are what you are left with after cost cutting and exporing using b grade materials. 6. The valve clearance adjustment process isn't well thought out, refer comment 5. 6. The Driveline is rubbish. 7. From a distance spoil the view of what ever else you are looking at.8. Bad car. 9. scrap it.10..
@pozestplatinum Yet again more shite from you. #1 your opinion only, #2 prove this statement via a bona fide source, #3 retarded comment, #4 how many cars have from that time have?, #5 better or on par with much of the competion Italian, French and Japanese cars oh yeah they were really well made. #6 A&B series engines easy OHV, OHC no harder than anyother similar engine, FACT. simple mechanics. #7 YOU ARE CORRECT! HURRAY, #8 failed attempt at humour, #9 & #10 again your opinion only, 1/10
I drove my marina 240 miles with binding brakes and dodgy alternator when I bought it a few years ago,it didn't miss a beat.I still have it and it's been my everyday car since.I didn't intend for it to be a car I would use everyday but it's proved to be more reliable and a hell of a lot cheaper to run than the newer cars I had before it! How come a 40 year old car thats cheaper and more reliable than an 8 year old ford escort(my previous car)get so much stick? Monkey see monkey do? I don't know.
@morrismagic08 Hi there, glad to hear that you're not swayed by all the rubbish said about the cars and that you can say first hand how good they really are.
The Marina did everything it was ment to do (and in your case is still doing it 40 years later) it gave cheap and reliable transport and was both easy to service, maintain and insure something that so many modern cars are lacking in.
And as the saying goes "give a dog a bad name!" and it's pretty much as simple as that.
you 2 get real defensive when the words poof and gay get thrown out there, just be proud of your sexuality, it's not that much of a secret, you are marinas fans after all!
@pozestplatinum I ask the question haven't you anything better to do? and the simple answer is NO,
And aren't you not the one with homosexual tendencies, you go on enough about it i would put you down as the bitch in that case, what real man hides behind a series of You Tube usernames 100% gay.
If this is what you do for entertainment to liven up your oh so sad life you haven't that far to go to hit rock bottom (or boy bottom in your case) A lonely and spiteful bedroom
@pozestplatinum So this is your username today is it then, what a utter wanker having to do that and have different accounts to hide behind pure fucking knob jockey and you call others gay!
Defensive too right, but you are arse bandit mad all you do is bang on about this or that that all centres around fucking being a queer, oh a you use words such as sausage in your post to address people as well now that really is gay.
You're a sad bastard loser who is rock behind a keyboard!
@pozestplatinum Yeah he told me you screamed like a bitch and you loved it, and how the fuck do you know Marina's are "gay" is it simply because you are a cock sucking arse bandit.
You need to fuck off from your mums and ditch the twink porn Instead of posting shite, or why not turn to a Marina rally and tell the guy what you think in person, yeah as if you have the balls to do that, you sad bastard stop bitching and get a fucking life, what a utter pathetic cunt you are.
@theluckybookie No i don't think so.Yes i really do think he would a marina, and have a spare. I think you are just defensive of your boyfriend sunshine. Back to tinkering with your S.U. carby and trying to rectify your body roll problem that is terminal.
@pozestplatinum I get the feeling that you hide behind a series of You Tube usernames in a childish effort to get some form of responce back to make your sad existence that bit less pathetic.
You are lonely, bitter, jealous and are or homosexual or harbour tendencies you're free to hurl abuse form internet saftey something that you would never do to anyones face in the real world...you're a coward!
I am none of these and don't fit you limited view of a typical Marina owner.
@theluckybookie I think the same this cunt has more than one account, what a sad bastard to do that and off course he's still in the gay closet what a fucking NONCE.
No way would this sack of shit say anything to your face he's a knob jockey
bedroom boy a fucking car scratcher, oh and WTF is a carby? don't you mean "CARBURETTOR!
And you he knows jack shit about Marina's (or any other car i bet) more than likely a fucking Doleie living with their mum what a sad bastard indeed
@jordswilliamsfamily I know this bloke and he's no fucking gay, comment about the car but don't make it personal to someone you have never meet.
It sounds to me it's you who's the "GAY" and by calling others you create a smoke screen to cover your own homosexuality, and all from the saftey of your bedroom computer.
In the real world you say fuck all to anybody, typical internet coward, hard as nails via a keyboard, utter wanker in real life, you're indeed a complete twat.
My explanations: #10 there's more than 1 million retards out there. #9 the motor was shit and a lawnmower has better suspension, the oxford was shit too. #8 Wrong son, the ride was just absolute garbage, the car was a "complete mistake" #7 Everybody said it, weak argument sunshine, my dog barfed in one and it wasn't even
@pozestplatinum Are you simply using myth #7 as the basis for this post? I believe you are making the standard mistake and likening modern cars to a car that first came into production over 40 years ago, you cannot, cars evolve and will always continue to do so.
The Marina was a product of its time, judge it on that basis and the Marina was on competitive terms with the competition of the day, the professional motoring journalist of the time would prove this statement correct
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Typical Marina lover, that being someone who makes a video with text which is hardly visable over the photos, thus hurting my eyes. A Vauxhall lover would have never of done that. I'm 31, and remember these 'evil' little bastard things on the road in the '80s usually being driven by kiddy fiddlers or unemployed men in their 40s living with their parents, like I say, kiddy fiddlers. 'Want to see my puppies?' said the creepy man.
'No,' said the distressed young lad, 'you drive a Morris Marina!'
@jamesstasiak I'm sorry you don't like the video, and i had my heart all set on next years Cannes Film Festival, oh well perhaps Hollywood is just not for me!
From your vivid and painful recolections it seems that you may have encountered these experiences first hand, if that is the case i'm truly sorry for you, child abuse either mental, physical or sexual cannot be tolerated on any level, and i hope in time things will get better for you and the emotional scars finally heal.
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@theluckybookie Thank you for your concern. Had the 'kiddy fiddler' in question been driving a nice HC Viva, or perhaps even a MKII Escort 1.3GL in red with a nice gold driver's door on a V plate, I may have got in for 'puppy viewing' action. His Marina was the deal breaker.
@jamesstasiak Although i find your comments slightly disturbing, i do find you observations very astute and accurate and indeed they have a very cruel and wickedly funny edge to them.
Strangely i find myself asking where did all those MKII Ford Escort's go to that i remember so well, and due to their appararent high numbers and displacement were they really an actual factory edition?
But please no more mentions of puppies or anything that has any kidelicious content.
According DVLA records there's a total of 712 Marinas known to them, with 336 of these taxed for road use and the other 376 SORNed. That's a survival rate of less than 1% out of the 800,000 that were sold.
@paulph12002 I have to admit that's not a great survival rate (i believe total sales inc Itals to be around 1.2 million)
The later model Cortinas MK 4/5 don't fair that well either, The Marina just became too cheap and due to our throw away society they were scrapped rather than saved, and often broken for donor spares to use on other cars A30/35, Morris 1000's, MGB's and Midgets.
I own 4 Marinas (only 1 SORN) and forgotten cars do seem to be appearing quite often now as prices are rising.
The reason why people made fun of the Marina was because of the way it looked.
Strikes were commonplace in the UK in the 1970s, and it was Rootes/Chrylser - not BL - that had the most - particularly in Scotland.
All cars then understered like a pig - particularly American and Japanese cars. This was in response to the problems in the Corvair and BMC cars noted in "Unsafe at any speed" (Ralph Nader).
The performance pf the B series Marina was all but identical to the OHC Cortina.
@lkPractical90 Never heard anyone say that as a reason why the Marina is often so unpopular but it's a nice change from the usual rhetoric that you hear about the cars.
I'd be interested to know how many of those defending the Marina have actually owned one? I'm not biased against BL, I'm just stating the facts. I really found it to be an awful, awful car. No matter how well I maintained it, it made no difference to its reliability.
@paulph12002 Thank you for your reply,at the moment i own 4 Marinas and over the years i have had at least 20 of them and always found them to be an honest car and when compared like-for-like held their own very well,but the case today seem to be that these cars are being compared to modern cars.
The Marina is a car at best from over 30 years ago [40 years from it's launch] things have changed a lot since then modern cars are streets away from all cars from back then in all departments
@theluckybookie 2. I agree, my 1700HL was a nice car with a nice modern interior and was still quite a smart-looking car at the time, which was quite nippy too with the 1.7 engine. It had been rustproofed from new, so the bodywork wasn't the problem it usually is with Marinas and other cars of that era. The Mk4 Cortina for example, was probably even more rust-prone and as such is now even more scarce than the Marina. Rust was indeed a fact of life for owners of cars from this era.
@theluckybookie and 3. I also own an Escort, a 91 Encore limited edition as my daily driver. This was my dad's too, he owned it for 15 years before I had it in 2005 and like yours it's been bullet-proof mechanically, sailing through MOTs. It hasn't been without its rust problems though, I've had both sills patched and a new rear wheel arch, despite the fact it's always been garaged. I don't think Ford finally beat rust until about 2003, as later Focus and Ka models do seem much less rust prone.
@paulph12002 "GREAT REPLY" there 5***** what a change from the "Marina is this or the Marina was that so often sadly tends to be the responce on here.....you have restored my faith in You Tube!
Sad outcome to a very kind gesture that your friend wrote of your car after doing him a good deed,normaly they bring them back with the front wings torn off and running on petrol vapours [after starting out with just under a full tank of fuel] then deny all knowledge of how this has happened!
@paulph12002 (cont) Strangely most Marina owners prefer the MK1 cars the TC editions being the most sought after,in my view the later cars were far better and the best of the range being the 1700 MK3 cars the HL being the nicest of all [the Itals may drive better but the looks of the car just don't do it for me]
As you said in their day they were pretty nippy and returned decent fuel economy [giving the same performance 0-60 as the much sought after "B" series TC cars but far less thirsty]
@theluckybookie I don't see the big deal with the mk1 cars,and now have a mk2 in the collection,but it's the same with the VW Beetle the earlier cars are the most sought after.
@paulph12002 (cont 2) The Escort Encore was and still is a good looking car,and the fact that your car that is 20 year that gives that type of reliability surely say a lot about them [my Escort has indeed been patched on both sills over the years but not under my ownership.
I agree about Ford and their rust problems,i know of a pre 2003 Ka model being scrapped before it was 7 years old due to rust,yet the engine was still as "sweet as a nut" as they say and all the running gear in good order.
@paulph12002 Hi again,just noticed that you have a Escort Encore my ex had a metalic blue 1600 one on a J plate,never a problem even though it had been to the moon and back milage wise sadly he thought more of the car than me.....hence why he became an ex :)
@lynnissohot Hi Lynn. Mine is also on a J-plate and is metallic blue. These early Encore models were sold in 2 metallic colours, Bahama Blue and Flambeau Red. It's got about 79k on it from new, not too much in 20 years. And as you say, mechanically they go to the moon and back without missing a beat. I have the 1.3, it's ok but I'd have preferred a 1.6. And as much as he may have loved his car, more fool him for paying it more attention than you.
@paulph12002 Hi Paul you're a real babe for saying that [and not to say a charmer as well :) ]
Yeah that's the colour i was going to say Calypso blue,but i think that came later nice colour all the same,a friend at work has a E reg 1300L Escort that is still going strong [well the bodywork is held together with sticky tape and super glue] but it just keeps on going and that too must have been at least twice around the world if not to the moon and back.
@paulph12002 (cont) in their day the Marina was well on par with the competition,reliability performance and even build quality [ i speak from 17 years first hand experience in the motor trade] other cars from other makers were far worse.
I have owned many other cars and have found most of them to have some fault my current car is a [from new] Chrysler 300C and has been plagued with problems thankfully it is still under warrantry and this car this is fully dealer serviced and maintained.
@paulph12002 (cont 2) The Marina you owned is what i believe to be the best of the range, and a very nice looking car with a even now modern interior.
As an ex-owner you can comment on the car first hand but the suspention collapsing is inevitably down to poor servicing (not greasing the trunnions) the other faults you mention my be simple wear and tear due to age or mileage or damage from the previous owners.
Perhaps if you would have had another Marina things may have been far different
@theluckybookie Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed reply to my comments. As I said I'm certainly not biased against BL cars, my dad is in fact a retired BL worker who had just over 30 years' service. I did in fact have another Marina - my 1st car was his old Teal Blue Marina 1.3 Coupe. I only had it for about 3 months so I cannot comment on its reliability. It was sadly written off when I foolishly let a friend borrow it when a front tyre blew out, so that was sadly that...
@paulph12002 (cont 3) strangely one of the best cars i have ever had (and still own) is a 97 Ford Escort diesel estate this car has been truly bullet proof so good in fact that i won't let it go.
Although only worth pennies today the cost to replace would be very expensive for a similar type of car, in 5 years the car has required only brake shoes and pads and has passed it's MOT first time and still returns good fuel economy and performance, i don't think any car from the 70's would do that.
I've actually owned a 1980 Marina 1700HL which I scrapped in 1993 after owning it for about 5 years, and I can confirm that most of the Marina myths are in fact true. I had faults like the suspension collapsing, leaking shock absorbers, back axles and gearboxes failing, a cracked cylinder head, water leaks, etc. I've had none of these problems with Ford cars.
@paulph12002 (cont 3) once again thanks for your reply,and perhaps we could get your dads view of the Marina vs the competition from the point of an ex BL man.
Too be honest i don't think the 1970's produced that many great cars,most by todays standards are most are really quite poor,and could i really go back to driving a car without electric window or power steering as my every vehicle yes but it would be hard to oh how spoilt we have all become.
@theluckybookie Hi ya big fella,yeah i have to agree we're all so pampered today with modern cars,but i now have to say that i wouldn't have a new car without climate control never mind air-conditioning.
@paulph12002 Hi there was your dad involved with the repair/servicing side of BL? mine dad was and rated their cars as well on par with the other makers products from that time and often indeed better.
It would be great to hear his views on BL products from the 70's
The Morris Marina wasn't a bad car, simply because it wasn't 'new' in any particular way. It was based on mechanicals which had been used for a very long time, and thus any reliability was inherently there from the beginning.
The Marina was a product built to replace a car (the Faina series) which by 1970 was so outdated as to be embarrassing.
As for what Ford/GM were making... I'd rather have a Mk.III Cortina or a Mk.1 Cavalier everyday of the week and twice on Sundays. Even an Avenger.......
Unfortunately Clarkson's an arrogant pig who has no ear for opinions other than his own, so this appeal to reason would be ignored. In Australia Leyland sold this car as a smaller companion to the P76 large sedan, with continuing engineering support, a fair go from the union meatheads and some mild updating these cars could have succeeded and carried BL on.
@Boobdepot1977 Thanks for your comments,as you say even the slightest chance of acceptance by the "Clarkson mindset masses" would fall on deaf ears.
British Leyland were so often their own worst enemy,numerous chances being missed by them in the lucrative Commonwealth markets simply by failing to identify the needs of the home sector and supplying UK specification cars to buyers that didn't want that.
Leyland Australia did attempt to address this with the P76 and the nice looking Force 7.
@theluckybookie Totally agree there- there was a natural preference in the Commonwealth for British cars but the US and Japanese brands soon took that market share. Big, flat, hot countries need cars to suit. With some fairly straightforward engineering changes like slower steering, higher diff ratios, upgraded suspension, and fitting the biggest engine options available, Leyland could well have held these markets. Ironic it is the company that revolutionized small cars like the mini is no more.
@Boobdepot Hiya.. British Leyland just wouldn't learn and kept repeating the same mistakes,British cars still in complete British form no mater what the export wanted,perhaps yet another BL cost cutter or just simple bad management.
@Boobdepot1977 Hi there,a great loss for Leyland who just didn't respond to the buyers whishes,unlike the Japanese and American car makers who did in guise of Holden,General Motors identified the home markets wants and readily supplied it.
One large and strangely mostly untapped market by British Leyland was the Ute (pick-up) sector that the Australian buyers wanted but BL just didn't seem to supply them with,leaving the door well and truly wide open for the compotition to take advantage of.
If anyone owned or drove the shite Ford or GM were making at the time you'd think BL products were superb! yet neither were given such a bad reputation....
Vauxhall Cavalier?! Compare it to a Civic or a Toyota Corona, not a gutless piece of rebadged Yankee GM gutter trash. There's a reason why British Leyland went out of business, and why they have an odd magnetism for pianos.
@taitaisanchez Do you mean "compare a Marina to Toyota Civic or Corona?" well the Civic is smaller than a Marina and the Corona went through two model changes from 1970/9 but at that time in the UK these cars were viewed simply as "Jap Crap" although seen as reliable they were regarded as "rot boxes" and many buyers were put of by the extortionate price of spare parts for them.
BL went out of business because the government didn't save them,unlike GM with a $50 billion federal bail out.
My dad in the 70's and 80's worked for Kennings,TC Harrisons and later DC Cook (BL,Ford and Datsun) we had at least 2 Marina's and an Ital and they were great cars,unlike the Cortina,Sierra and the Sunny that just fell to bits over the weekend.
He rated the BL stuff of the time,to be as good and if not better than the competition,and still says that French and Italian cars back then were utter junk,the only way you could get rid of one was to trade it in for another model at the dealers.
@lynnissohot Yeah that's so true about the cars you mentioned,you were simply stuck with them as,the old joke went.
"What's the difference between athletes foot and a Citroen?"
Answer "You can get rid of athletes foot but you can't get rid of a Citroen!"
My dad and uncle also loved the Marina,but so many people compare these cars with the vehicles of today (which you can't) or base their opinions on that of others without any first hand knowledge of the cars what so ever!
@lynnissohot Thank for posting,i know all the 3 companies very well my fathers first Marina came from Kenning's Tenter Street Sheffield,but they had quite a few branches in the surrounding area,and i always want to say DC Crook (a company known for it's sharp practices and indeed prosecuted for them!)
The Marina was very much a car of it's time in it's day and was well able to hold it's own with the competition,to check this out simply just look at the road test reports published at the time.
@jonathon1799 Hi there,a man who speaks from experience and actually had a Marina,the funny thing i have noticed about most of these comments apart from re-hashing the "Myths" is that most of the people who actually had one of these cars rated them pretty highly.
I used to work for a Nissan main agent,and all the older mechanics said that the Japanese cars from the 70's were reliable but utter rust buckets (plus the price of parts for them) the Marina or Cortina was their car of choice.
As a car that used running gear from other BL models, it had a point of difference down under. Rather than the A and B series units, the Aussie Marina 4-cylinder models used E-series OHC units in 1.5 and 1.75 forms. To put further power into the equation, Leyland Australia released a 2.6 litre 6-cylinder version.
These cars were steady sellers here in New Zealand between 1971 and 1981 although a public dislike towards the 'Marina' name caused the car to be renamed Morris 1700 in 1979.
I guess everything thats said here is right, the Marina was competitive when launched in 1971. Problem was it was still being sold in virtually identical form - but badged Ital in 1984 when all those myths where correct. It was absolutely rubbish. If it had been replaced in the mid 70s by a proper Cortina challenger it probably wouldnt have the negative image it has today.
@rickerbycourt Thanks for your comments,and i have agree,the Marina went well past it's sell by date,and in Ital form it "REALLY" went on way too long (but the Ital was still selling in decent numbers to a no frills economy buyer,and making money)
The Marina was designed at best to have a 5/6 production life,so the last cars would have rolled off the BL production line in 1977.
At the utmost the Marina should have finished in 1980 but had to wait for the Montego to arrive in 1984 to replace it.
And I do own a Marina, and I'am a member of a Marina club, I've owned my Marina for 5 years, and I had one before that as well, so I do know exactly what I'm talking about, in fact I chased a MK2 Escort 1.3 once, on a twisty road, and it kept up with it, even on the bends! True to say that they are rusty, my dad had a 76 Marina, it was falling to bits in 1984, but then again so were most 1976 cars by then, somebody mentioned the Lancia Beta though, there was a rusty car, MOT failures at 3 YO!
@themanmaschine So many forget that the commercials sold in good numbers also, The breakdown services both the AA and RAC used Marina vans as did the Royal Mail,BT,British Gas,BR and the electric and water utility companies. .
Yet perhaps their most demanding users were the small builders,plumbers,joiners and property repairers and so many other small tradesman who gave them the hardest life as pure work tools,cheap to run,buy and maintain these fellas loved them,and you don't fool these boys.
@ursmyers Hi there,thanks for your concerns over my sexual welfare,but your worries are quite unfounded,but it's very nice of you all the same to take an interest,so thanks once again.
@theluckybookie We had one and te day my old fella came back from the auctions with it we were ever so excited. We had an Austin Cambridge before which seemed so dull in comparison. As a 1.8 it was pretty fast on the motorway but as a kid I recall it falling to bits in that the trim inside and out, it leaked and the floor in the front rotted through. Simple things like the speedo & fuel guage rarely worked.
1:50 of their ad sums it up, the hub cap had already come off!
@Intravenusdimilo Thanks for the reply, and it sounds like you got a good one!
Joking aside, all Marinas seem to leak and they do rot through in the areas you mentioned simply due to that fact and perhaps the car had a hard life before being sold at auction to your father hence the falling to bits (luckily he didn't buy either a Lancia or an Alfa)
Yet you don't say the car was unreliable, as for the missing hub cap i really have no defence and must plead guilty as charged,
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@themanmaschine ha your a member of a marina fan club. LOL like being a member of the taliban that shit. Or maybe you are which is why you are so fucking thick and like the worst thing since the Ebola virus or slavery. tit
@ursmyers You're such a thick bastard read what the bloke said a "MARINA CLUB" not a "MARINA FAN CLUB" and you spelling and grammar is remedial.
Now be a good boy and fuck off back to your bedroom and wank yourself (even) more stupid to your twink porn collection,or you could knock one out over the Jeremy Clarkson- Hot Metal DVD your mum got you for Christmas.
So come on now teas ready, curly chips and chicken dippers with spaghetti hoops and a Walls Vienetta for afters it's your favorite.
@ursmyers F*ck you, stupid f*ckwit wee ned! Shut up and drink your buckie and smoke your joints, and wank over that 'maxed up' Shitroen Saxo VTS, at least I'm old enough to drive!
@themanmaschine actually i only wank over your wife and the ascari a10, you no a car that should be admired not sent to the nearest scrapheap. OH and i do have my licence so piss off sad little shit stain
@themanmaschine neighbor has on here in San Diego; cars down here do not rust, even Fiats. He's driven the damn thing for years and swears by it. Hard to fault a car that's thirty seven years old and still starts everyday.
Lovely to see someone with some common sense sticking up for the Marina, everything you say is true, Clarkson and his cronies are doing their usual spin by making out that Marinas are crap and on a par with a Lada, not true, don't believe them, although I had a Lada and the suspension was the best pot hole absorber I've ever came across! All of which you say is true, the handling is no worse than any other 70's car, the engines are well proven in other models, they are British classics!
@themanmaschine Thanks for your comments,this video is an attempt to address the 10 most common Marina myths that go unquestioned by so many people about the cars (and even people who should know better,motoring journalist's take note)
The BBC book for the series "Turn Back Time:The High Street" (2011) by Phillip Wilkinson,in one section uses a timeline to illustrate the 70's where 1971 states that the Marina was a Morris 1000 replacement and shows a picture of a mk 2 saloon from 1978 myth #9.
But when people say that the US doesn't build there cars with much care is a bunch of bull. We are very proud of our cars, and wouldn't change a thing. That's one thing that pisses me off about Clarkson. He doesn't know when to shut up.
Well I do know that many GM and Ford products are built in Ontario. They are essentially the same cars, just we use metric, and sometimes different names and colours. There is the odd car that makes it's way from the US, and sold here. I met a guy who owned a Honda Civic Type R, and he said it was made in England, so I guess it's not too much different from other country's. I'm not quite sure about the Japs though. I think they are assembled somewhere in Ohio, and Ontario. But when people say t
@EnterMyUserNameHere I once had a (circa)1972 Dodge Dart that i believe was a Canadian built model,bench front seats and 3 speed column gear change,apart from the fuel consumption that was very heavy with the car having nearly a 4 litre engine it was trouble free,the ride was excellent,performance was fair and boy oh boy did it sound well.
That's ridiculous. And from what I understand, you have a congestion charge. Now to me, that is ridiculous. You don't sit in traffic just for the hell of it, you sit there because you all need to go somewhere! You must have the patience of a saint! I think I'd snap! The worst we have over here is having to pay a duty tax on anything brought from the US.
@EnterMyUserNameHere Thankfully the congestion charge applies only to London,but parking schemes where you have to pay to park your own car in your own street are everywhere,this and an other 101 scams we have to injure,no wonder more people leave the UK a year that those that enter it.
Correct me if i'm wrong but i thought that most Canadian cars were American or Japanese marques simply built in Canada,so importing most of the time wouldn't be necessary as most cars are all ready there there?
@EnterMyUserNameHere Yep some people do (earnings over £150,000 pa) most pay the basic 20% (earrings up to £37,000 pa) you can earn on average £6,475 pa before you pay any tax stoppages then on top of the tax is National Insurance at around 11% so around 31% of your wage has gone before you even get it.The average wage around here is said to be £22,000 but lots earn far less.
We also pay "Road Vehicle Tax" depending on CO2 emissions this can be up to £435 pa just to put a car on the road.
Yep, the blazer is a massive truck. But if you think that it big, take a look at a mid '70's suburban. Over 18 feet long! But I guess with massive Americans come massive cars!
Are you seriously paying £1.51? I live in canada, and were paying the equivalent of 82p. And we think that is expensive! Most are gas guzzlers, but there is a solution. I have a '85 Chevrolet k5 blazer. Now a regular one with a 350 would struggle to do 13 mpg. But the one I own is a diesel, which despite diesels reputation is very good. I get over 30 mpg, it still has good power, and all I have to deal with is the obnoxious clatter. Bit of a trade off, but worth it in my opinion.
@EnterMyUserNameHere Yeah mate sadly that's the price,bloody rip off fuel in the UK, but a massive earner for the government in tax (about 80p a liter is pure tax) We went diesel with the family car a couple of years back then the government put diesel price up over petrol.
A few of the lads near me still run Blazers (bought as an alternative to the Range Rover when there was a waiting list for them in the late 70's) but you need a pair of stilts to work on the engine now all running on diesel.
I'm staying away from the British cars for now. They cost way too much money, and I have taken a liking to the American cars ( most are built quite well contrary to popular belief)
@EnterMyUserNameHere Good choice there,the Americans made some fantastic cars that looked and sounded just fantastic,sadly i think this is now a thing of the past (the oil crisis put an end to most of the true greats of the American car industry).
And yes indeed on the whole they are well made real chassis and heavy panel work with engines and gearboxes that go on forever,perhaps their greatest down fall is the fuel costs with petrol touching £1.51 ltr their expensive to run.
I understand what your saying though. There are defiantly worse out there, but it will never be a classic. I acquired a marina, and I disliked it so much, I did what I said in #1. Worst car I've ever owned.
@EnterMyUserNameHere Rest your case then,you've had one so you can speak from first had experience i agree it will never be a classic (however we define classic?) sadly so many Marina owners think differently and don't enjoy the cars for what they are trying to make them something their not.
Sorry the "Marina Experience" didn't workout for you that time but perhaps a nice later 1700HL Mk3 might do the trick,unless you're too emotionally scared to relive the ordeal.
marinas were horrible cars and if you believe otherwise i believe your mother neglected you for alcohol and drugs and you father was convicted of raping sheep
@ursmyers Please for your own sake seek some professional psychiatric attention,why would you make such a twisted comment without provocation if you were a fully rational individual?
Perhaps you are the one that those thing happened too.
@themaneatingchimp why oh why would i do that when we both no that they were terrible cars, you no like the neglect that you evidently felt as a child. douche bag
@ursmyers Because you obviously have some very deep and troubling emotional issues to resolve,once again you have highlighted childhood (even in CHILD like grammar) i suspect you may be DC/247.
In future leave the "kiddie talk" in the playground (you even use "douche bag" oh so First School) and stick to the point at hand,and answer this why was the Marina so terrible then?
Try to answer this simple question without any reference to "child neglect, bestiality or substance abuse"
@themaneatingchimp Suck a fuckin dick mate you're nothing compared to me get the fuck out of this lobby mate you'll always be second best. END AT DAY 48!!
@ursmyers You really are a full weight wanker,i'm still waiting for you to answer me on the "why was the Marina so Bad" question..... and what "end at day 48" means that you quoted.
You need to get a boyfriend (over the age of 7) get a job and fuck off from your mums,you are a bitter and twisted bedroom boy,sad lonely with no friends who just bitches at the rest of the world to vent their own anger for their shitty existence.
**And thanks for asking my lovely wife is very well indeed**
It always amuses me that people watch TV and become experts and can make an informed decision about how good / bad a car is. I would be very surprised if more than a handful of young people have ever seen a Marina, let alone driven one. Top Gear is aimed at people who see their cars as extensions of their manhood! A crap car? Certainly not. I own a Marina Coupe, an Austin Ambassador and 3 Dolomite Sprints. Rather them than any modern characterless jellymould. They turn heads, modern cars don't.
@TheDollyman72 Top reply there mate,you've knocked on the nail well and truly on the head.that was the reason this video was made to "TRY" to remove some of the "Top Gear" brain washing form so many of it's viewers.
The funny thing is that i don't see that many drivers under 25 of age in that many super cars in my neck of the woods,perhaps it's just me or could their opinion of what's good or bad be based purely on what Clarkson and co spoon feed them?
@themaneatingchimp Thanks for your comment mate - as I said, I find the mentality of some people incredible. Clarkson and his cronies are only titalated by supercars (the like that the VAST majority of the populous would never be able to afford). Anything else in their eyes is crap. Did you see how they destroyed that Dolomite Sprint, Rover SD1 and Austin Princess for comedy? idiots. OK, if you don't like Marina's etc fine - does insulting people who do make you feel better about yourselves?
@TheDollyman72 Your welcome brother,we're both on the same page with this one and once again you have summed up my entire thoughts on Top Gear,Clarkson and his stooges and the "lead-by- the-hand" vast section of the shows viewers to a tee.
I'm still surprised by the pure hatred directed towards a car and it's owners, and again confer that these peoples self esteem must be so low that great pleasure is obtained by abuse to those that care to have a different opinion to the ones given to them.
It probably wasn't as nice a drive as the Cortina and the styling was dull, but I would never say it was total rubbish. Compared with the Allegro, this was a good car and probably no worse for reliability than most of its rivals. I do recall the Vauxhall Victor, a deceptively nice looking car, being a complete rustbucket and very heavy on petrol.
@Glenn1967ful The Marina was also designed by Roy Haynes the man who designed the Mk2 Cortina and in all fairness the Cortina (Mk3 onwards) did drive better than the Marina but only just according to the car journalists of the day.
And as you so rightly say the Marina was no worse than the competition of the day (but according to the AA at the time were far reliable than many other marques) remember what they used to say Fiat stood for FIX-IT-AGAIN-TONY.
sorry mate i drove a marina. it's a great car BUT it just doesnt have the feel of a really good car. it feels like the car was built by people who couldn't care less about it. that happened with the marina I drove i dont know if that was just a bad one or not but that is how it felt like to me. other than that i think it's a good little car and it would probably have a good name today if it wasnt for that stupid british fucking leyland.
@galbmw Thanks for your comments,i'm guessing that you drove a Mk1 1800 Marina (pre anti-roll bars) the 1300 Mk1 drove better as it was lighter the 1800 was an heavy engine on a dated suspension set-up and wasn't ideal,the cars got better as they went along the last Ital's drive very well as they have all the suspension mods and telescopic shock absorbers fitted (in fact these drive as the cars should have done from new)
Strangely the Mk1 cars are the most sought after by most enthusiasts.
@theluckybookie The mk1 cars are pretty poor inside you have to admit that (but weren't most cars from the early 70's?) i can't see why the earlier cars are more desired as this seems to be the model that the bulk of the criticism comes from the later cars are really far nicer in all departments.
But like-for-like they were well on par and often better in build,performance and road maners than the other cars of the time,rember were talking 40 years ago now,things were very diffrent back then.
@theluckybookie i dunno i dont reammy know much about morris marinas. but i do know it was the exactly the same shape as the white one top gear used on snow. still all in all they still arent bad cars.
@galbmw Hi there,don't worry they all look pretty similar,body wise their almost identical to each other in all designations coupe.saloon,estate,van and pick-up the Ital's is the odd-one-out as they have rectangular front head lights and large rear light units and a higher boot line.
The differences after that are external trim,interiors,engines and suspension mods,Top Gear doctored an Ital to look like a Marina in their "Marina vs Lancia" feature using Mk3 Marina bumpers lights and grille.
@theluckybookie You're on the money there big'un i said the same on the You Tube video for It (check out Top Gear Marina vs Lancia no wonder only one headlight light at the front works and notice also how they have left the Ital rear lights in place (too much effort to change them i bet)
But as the Jam sang in 1981 "That's entertainment" and we don't let facts get in the way of that now do we...... well Top Gear don't anyhow.
Thank you! I learned to drive in a Marina, it is a great car - never really understood why the media had such a down on it. Top Gear best factual programme? My arse. Sure Marinas got a bit funky as they aged, in that sense they were a victim of their own success - not many other 70s cars made it into the late 90s in such numbers!
@badnewswade You're welcome,for a car designed to have a production life of 5/6 years they did pretty well lasting a extra 7 years after that.
The Marina was a no frills no nonsense car,cheap to buy,run and maintain and aimed squarely at that sector of the market and sucessful too selling over a million units Top Gear always forget that.The Marina wasn't a Ferrari or Aston Martin but it wasn't ever designed to be the Marina was a simple and reliable A-to-B car and that it did very well indeed.
I really don't get why you let the TG-blokes get to you like that. TG doesn't like a lot of things, they even hate Porsche 911's. Nobody with more than 2 functioning brain cells takes the show seriously, en just enjoys it for what it is; a fun show. Mindless fun, but fun nonetheless. And for the 'Crap'-claims; lots of now highly regarded brands didn't do much better in those days. Sign of the times.
@classicczech But a large proportion of the Top Gear viewers indeed do have the IQ of a gerbil and they do take every word said as the gospel truth,the idea of this video was to set the record straight and address the myths about the car.
Sadly as for the "mindless fun" aspect of the show after the Marinas' appearance on the programme many MMOC officials received hate mail,malicious phone calls and serious threats their web site was attacked and some owners cars were even vandalised.
@themaneatingchimp I know this all happened. Only a mentally deranged ape would send hate mails to a total stranger like that. It's horrible that people can't take their hands of other peoples property. But I'm just saying, if nobody reacted that strong on the Marina destroyed in Top Gear, the now so popular 'running gag' of piano's falling on Marina's wouldn't be there. They would probably have moved on to Lada's, Beetles, and other cars they don't like.
@classicczech I agree 100% with all the points you've mentioned,and venomous conduct like that is unforgivable but very common place.
Top Gear grossly amplified the comments from Marina owners about the show and even (if not lied) blatantly misled their other viewers about the response they received from them,and went on in a later episode to fully fabricated other points,but that's entertainment as they say!
* If you check the end credits of this video the piano joke is mentioned in them *
Nice little video - though the writing could be a bit easier to read! :) It's too painfully true that other cars were equivocable to the Marina. The Mk3 Cortina was as wallowy as a water bed and you wouldn't want to hurl that round too many corners either! I've long come to the conclusion that because we had a "Make do and Mend" culture, many cars, new ones included didn't see the main dealer after they were bought. So in many cases it was indeed the owners that were unreliable not the cars!
@AustinSomerset Thank you for your comments,this was my first attempt at a video and to be honest it does show but once posted on here they are very hard (if not impossible to edit) and trying to get all ten myths into 2:50 sec of music was maybe a little to ambitious for a first timer.
As you say so many cars from that period were well on par with the Marina and many far often worse on many counts,as for negligent car owners has anything really changed with them in the last 40 years?
@theluckybookie Our first family car was an Austin Somerset - even as a little'un I remember watching the road go by through the rust holes at the bottom of the doors - at least rust protection "makes" cars look like they're better looked after these days!! Even if the mechanics aren't! It's a great first attempt - I've only just begun to manage editing Quicktime movies on Microsoft movie maker here.
@AustinSomerset The Austin's of the 1950's were excellent (i have an A30 and two A35's saloons as well as Marina's) what a great childhood memory of the road beneath viewed through a rust hole (or getting wet feet when it rained and the water came in through the holes in the floor)
Sadly the art of the mechanic has almost gone now replaced by fitters and engine diagnostics,nothing is repaired only replaced,but for ease of repair you can't get much eaiser than the Austin A and B series engines.
If the Marina was that crap how come it was George Turnbull who used as the basis for the Hiyundi Pony to start them off and they are now one of the most successful car makers in the world !!
@ianmax69 Well said,as you have pointed out you just wouldn't use any car never mind a Morris Marina if they were so bad as a platform to build a new car upon.
Sir George Turnbull knew what he was doing, and on the strength of the Marina based Pony helped establish The Hyundai Motor Company they now operate the world’s largest integrated automobile manufacturing facility and the Marina surely must share a large part in this success.
pffftt pretty funny, users criticise this car, so you get defensive and criticise them, and make assumptions.....grow up, act your age, handle it. The car you idolise isn't the great machine you think. More than one user is offering criticism, i'm not sorry to burst your bubble there. Have fun in your pink marina.
pozestplatinum 17 hours ago
@pozestplatinum NO! remember you are the one who started with the pathetic name calling, and continue to do so (you really have a thing about homosexuality don't you)
Criticism constructive or not or an alternative view isn't a problem but your remedial bitching is.
Look at your last comment, everything you qoute is what you don't practice.And none of us idolise the cars "we like them" BIG difference...get it right and spell Marina with a capitial M...oh and btw get a life while your at it.
themaneatingchimp 12 hours ago
Top 10 marina facts...1. Looks horrid, 2. The interior styling was voted the most horrible in the world....ever, 3. They handle more like a boat than a car. 4. They did not stand the test of time. 5. They are what you are left with after cost cutting and exporing using b grade materials. 6. The valve clearance adjustment process isn't well thought out, refer comment 5. 6. The Driveline is rubbish. 7. From a distance spoil the view of what ever else you are looking at.8. Bad car. 9. scrap it.10..
pozestplatinum 17 hours ago
themaneatingchimp 11 hours ago
I drove my marina 240 miles with binding brakes and dodgy alternator when I bought it a few years ago,it didn't miss a beat.I still have it and it's been my everyday car since.I didn't intend for it to be a car I would use everyday but it's proved to be more reliable and a hell of a lot cheaper to run than the newer cars I had before it! How come a 40 year old car thats cheaper and more reliable than an 8 year old ford escort(my previous car)get so much stick? Monkey see monkey do? I don't know.
morrismagic08 6 days ago 2
@morrismagic08 Hi there, glad to hear that you're not swayed by all the rubbish said about the cars and that you can say first hand how good they really are.
The Marina did everything it was ment to do (and in your case is still doing it 40 years later) it gave cheap and reliable transport and was both easy to service, maintain and insure something that so many modern cars are lacking in.
And as the saying goes "give a dog a bad name!" and it's pretty much as simple as that.
theluckybookie 5 days ago 2
you 2 get real defensive when the words poof and gay get thrown out there, just be proud of your sexuality, it's not that much of a secret, you are marinas fans after all!
pozestplatinum 6 days ago
@pozestplatinum I ask the question haven't you anything better to do? and the simple answer is NO,
And aren't you not the one with homosexual tendencies, you go on enough about it i would put you down as the bitch in that case, what real man hides behind a series of You Tube usernames 100% gay.
If this is what you do for entertainment to liven up your oh so sad life you haven't that far to go to hit rock bottom (or boy bottom in your case) A lonely and spiteful bedroom
boy.
theluckybookie 5 days ago 3
@pozestplatinum So this is your username today is it then, what a utter wanker having to do that and have different accounts to hide behind pure fucking knob jockey and you call others gay!
Defensive too right, but you are arse bandit mad all you do is bang on about this or that that all centres around fucking being a queer, oh a you use words such as sausage in your post to address people as well now that really is gay.
You're a sad bastard loser who is rock behind a keyboard!
themaneatingchimp 3 days ago 3
i searched worlds most horrible car..... and ended up here ladies.
pozestplatinum 6 days ago
He does like men, and marinas are as gay as he is!
pozestplatinum 2 weeks ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@pozestplatinum Yeah he told me you screamed like a bitch and you loved it, and how the fuck do you know Marina's are "gay" is it simply because you are a cock sucking arse bandit.
You need to fuck off from your mums and ditch the twink porn Instead of posting shite, or why not turn to a Marina rally and tell the guy what you think in person, yeah as if you have the balls to do that, you sad bastard stop bitching and get a fucking life, what a utter pathetic cunt you are.
themaneatingchimp 2 weeks ago
@pozestplatinum No you're really wrong on that count, do you think that a man who is not 100% secure in his own sexuality would drive a Marina?
Pretty sad that you need to resort to unfounded childish name calling in a attempt to provoke a response, now doesn't that seem very gay to you!
theluckybookie 2 weeks ago
@theluckybookie No i don't think so.Yes i really do think he would a marina, and have a spare. I think you are just defensive of your boyfriend sunshine. Back to tinkering with your S.U. carby and trying to rectify your body roll problem that is terminal.
pozestplatinum 2 weeks ago
@pozestplatinum I get the feeling that you hide behind a series of You Tube usernames in a childish effort to get some form of responce back to make your sad existence that bit less pathetic.
You are lonely, bitter, jealous and are or homosexual or harbour tendencies you're free to hurl abuse form internet saftey something that you would never do to anyones face in the real world...you're a coward!
I am none of these and don't fit you limited view of a typical Marina owner.
theluckybookie 2 weeks ago 3
@theluckybookie I think the same this cunt has more than one account, what a sad bastard to do that and off course he's still in the gay closet what a fucking NONCE.
No way would this sack of shit say anything to your face he's a knob jockey
bedroom boy a fucking car scratcher, oh and WTF is a carby? don't you mean "CARBURETTOR!
And you he knows jack shit about Marina's (or any other car i bet) more than likely a fucking Doleie living with their mum what a sad bastard indeed
themaneatingchimp 2 weeks ago
@themaneatingchimp Bill you have such a way with words.
theluckybookie 2 weeks ago 2
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morris marina sucks as bad as the gay who posted this video
jordswilliamsfamily 1 month ago
@jordswilliamsfamily I know this bloke and he's no fucking gay, comment about the car but don't make it personal to someone you have never meet.
It sounds to me it's you who's the "GAY" and by calling others you create a smoke screen to cover your own homosexuality, and all from the saftey of your bedroom computer.
In the real world you say fuck all to anybody, typical internet coward, hard as nails via a keyboard, utter wanker in real life, you're indeed a complete twat.
themaneatingchimp 1 month ago 6
@jordswilliamsfamily No you're really wrong on that count, do you think that a man who is not 100% secure in his own sexuality would drive a Marina?
Pretty sad that you need to resort to unfounded childish name calling in a attempt to provoke a response, now doesn't that seem very gay to you!
theluckybookie 2 weeks ago 2
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I think we are at the morris marina club now...
Tomasz0216 1 month ago
Why come to a site that has Marina mentioned on it and then blow your load just have a look if you dont like it dont go all R32 on it.
hsv002 1 month ago 6
My explanations: #10 there's more than 1 million retards out there. #9 the motor was shit and a lawnmower has better suspension, the oxford was shit too. #8 Wrong son, the ride was just absolute garbage, the car was a "complete mistake" #7 Everybody said it, weak argument sunshine, my dog barfed in one and it wasn't even
pozestplatinum 1 month ago
@pozestplatinum Are you simply using myth #7 as the basis for this post? I believe you are making the standard mistake and likening modern cars to a car that first came into production over 40 years ago, you cannot, cars evolve and will always continue to do so.
The Marina was a product of its time, judge it on that basis and the Marina was on competitive terms with the competition of the day, the professional motoring journalist of the time would prove this statement correct
theluckybookie 1 month ago 6
marinas are wank
omegagtr 1 month ago
Nice vid. Like the end credits!
JowettJavelin1 2 months ago 4
@JowettJavelin1 Thank you for your kind comments, and you may also enjoy the end section of the video discription even if i say so myself.
Once again thank you
theluckybookie 2 months ago 4
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Still Shit Looking.
TsantenAnthony91 2 months ago
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Typical Marina lover, that being someone who makes a video with text which is hardly visable over the photos, thus hurting my eyes. A Vauxhall lover would have never of done that. I'm 31, and remember these 'evil' little bastard things on the road in the '80s usually being driven by kiddy fiddlers or unemployed men in their 40s living with their parents, like I say, kiddy fiddlers. 'Want to see my puppies?' said the creepy man.
'No,' said the distressed young lad, 'you drive a Morris Marina!'
jamesstasiak 3 months ago
@jamesstasiak I'm sorry you don't like the video, and i had my heart all set on next years Cannes Film Festival, oh well perhaps Hollywood is just not for me!
From your vivid and painful recolections it seems that you may have encountered these experiences first hand, if that is the case i'm truly sorry for you, child abuse either mental, physical or sexual cannot be tolerated on any level, and i hope in time things will get better for you and the emotional scars finally heal.
theluckybookie 3 months ago 11
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@theluckybookie Thank you for your concern. Had the 'kiddy fiddler' in question been driving a nice HC Viva, or perhaps even a MKII Escort 1.3GL in red with a nice gold driver's door on a V plate, I may have got in for 'puppy viewing' action. His Marina was the deal breaker.
jamesstasiak 3 months ago
@jamesstasiak Although i find your comments slightly disturbing, i do find you observations very astute and accurate and indeed they have a very cruel and wickedly funny edge to them.
Strangely i find myself asking where did all those MKII Ford Escort's go to that i remember so well, and due to their appararent high numbers and displacement were they really an actual factory edition?
But please no more mentions of puppies or anything that has any kidelicious content.
theluckybookie 2 months ago 4
According DVLA records there's a total of 712 Marinas known to them, with 336 of these taxed for road use and the other 376 SORNed. That's a survival rate of less than 1% out of the 800,000 that were sold.
paulph12002 3 months ago
@paulph12002 I have to admit that's not a great survival rate (i believe total sales inc Itals to be around 1.2 million)
The later model Cortinas MK 4/5 don't fair that well either, The Marina just became too cheap and due to our throw away society they were scrapped rather than saved, and often broken for donor spares to use on other cars A30/35, Morris 1000's, MGB's and Midgets.
I own 4 Marinas (only 1 SORN) and forgotten cars do seem to be appearing quite often now as prices are rising.
theluckybookie 3 months ago 3
This comment has received too many negative votes show
Someone from the Morris Marina Owners Club is pissed
acenace24 5 months ago
The reason why people made fun of the Marina was because of the way it looked.
Strikes were commonplace in the UK in the 1970s, and it was Rootes/Chrylser - not BL - that had the most - particularly in Scotland.
All cars then understered like a pig - particularly American and Japanese cars. This was in response to the problems in the Corvair and BMC cars noted in "Unsafe at any speed" (Ralph Nader).
The performance pf the B series Marina was all but identical to the OHC Cortina.
lkPractical90 6 months ago
@lkPractical90 Never heard anyone say that as a reason why the Marina is often so unpopular but it's a nice change from the usual rhetoric that you hear about the cars.
themaneatingchimp 6 months ago 2
I'd be interested to know how many of those defending the Marina have actually owned one? I'm not biased against BL, I'm just stating the facts. I really found it to be an awful, awful car. No matter how well I maintained it, it made no difference to its reliability.
paulph12002 6 months ago
@paulph12002 Thank you for your reply,at the moment i own 4 Marinas and over the years i have had at least 20 of them and always found them to be an honest car and when compared like-for-like held their own very well,but the case today seem to be that these cars are being compared to modern cars.
The Marina is a car at best from over 30 years ago [40 years from it's launch] things have changed a lot since then modern cars are streets away from all cars from back then in all departments
theluckybookie 6 months ago
@theluckybookie 2. I agree, my 1700HL was a nice car with a nice modern interior and was still quite a smart-looking car at the time, which was quite nippy too with the 1.7 engine. It had been rustproofed from new, so the bodywork wasn't the problem it usually is with Marinas and other cars of that era. The Mk4 Cortina for example, was probably even more rust-prone and as such is now even more scarce than the Marina. Rust was indeed a fact of life for owners of cars from this era.
paulph12002 6 months ago
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paulph12002 6 months ago
@theluckybookie and 3. I also own an Escort, a 91 Encore limited edition as my daily driver. This was my dad's too, he owned it for 15 years before I had it in 2005 and like yours it's been bullet-proof mechanically, sailing through MOTs. It hasn't been without its rust problems though, I've had both sills patched and a new rear wheel arch, despite the fact it's always been garaged. I don't think Ford finally beat rust until about 2003, as later Focus and Ka models do seem much less rust prone.
paulph12002 6 months ago
@paulph12002 "GREAT REPLY" there 5***** what a change from the "Marina is this or the Marina was that so often sadly tends to be the responce on here.....you have restored my faith in You Tube!
Sad outcome to a very kind gesture that your friend wrote of your car after doing him a good deed,normaly they bring them back with the front wings torn off and running on petrol vapours [after starting out with just under a full tank of fuel] then deny all knowledge of how this has happened!
theluckybookie 6 months ago
@paulph12002 (cont) Strangely most Marina owners prefer the MK1 cars the TC editions being the most sought after,in my view the later cars were far better and the best of the range being the 1700 MK3 cars the HL being the nicest of all [the Itals may drive better but the looks of the car just don't do it for me]
As you said in their day they were pretty nippy and returned decent fuel economy [giving the same performance 0-60 as the much sought after "B" series TC cars but far less thirsty]
theluckybookie 6 months ago
@theluckybookie I don't see the big deal with the mk1 cars,and now have a mk2 in the collection,but it's the same with the VW Beetle the earlier cars are the most sought after.
themaneatingchimp 6 months ago 4
@paulph12002 (cont 2) The Escort Encore was and still is a good looking car,and the fact that your car that is 20 year that gives that type of reliability surely say a lot about them [my Escort has indeed been patched on both sills over the years but not under my ownership.
I agree about Ford and their rust problems,i know of a pre 2003 Ka model being scrapped before it was 7 years old due to rust,yet the engine was still as "sweet as a nut" as they say and all the running gear in good order.
theluckybookie 6 months ago
@paulph12002 Hi again,just noticed that you have a Escort Encore my ex had a metalic blue 1600 one on a J plate,never a problem even though it had been to the moon and back milage wise sadly he thought more of the car than me.....hence why he became an ex :)
lynnissohot 6 months ago
@lynnissohot Hi Lynn. Mine is also on a J-plate and is metallic blue. These early Encore models were sold in 2 metallic colours, Bahama Blue and Flambeau Red. It's got about 79k on it from new, not too much in 20 years. And as you say, mechanically they go to the moon and back without missing a beat. I have the 1.3, it's ok but I'd have preferred a 1.6. And as much as he may have loved his car, more fool him for paying it more attention than you.
paulph12002 6 months ago
@paulph12002 Hi Paul you're a real babe for saying that [and not to say a charmer as well :) ]
Yeah that's the colour i was going to say Calypso blue,but i think that came later nice colour all the same,a friend at work has a E reg 1300L Escort that is still going strong [well the bodywork is held together with sticky tape and super glue] but it just keeps on going and that too must have been at least twice around the world if not to the moon and back.
Love and kisses
Lynn xXx
lynnissohot 6 months ago
@paulph12002 (cont) in their day the Marina was well on par with the competition,reliability performance and even build quality [ i speak from 17 years first hand experience in the motor trade] other cars from other makers were far worse.
I have owned many other cars and have found most of them to have some fault my current car is a [from new] Chrysler 300C and has been plagued with problems thankfully it is still under warrantry and this car this is fully dealer serviced and maintained.
theluckybookie 6 months ago
@paulph12002 (cont 2) The Marina you owned is what i believe to be the best of the range, and a very nice looking car with a even now modern interior.
As an ex-owner you can comment on the car first hand but the suspention collapsing is inevitably down to poor servicing (not greasing the trunnions) the other faults you mention my be simple wear and tear due to age or mileage or damage from the previous owners.
Perhaps if you would have had another Marina things may have been far different
theluckybookie 6 months ago
@theluckybookie Thank you for taking the time to write such a detailed reply to my comments. As I said I'm certainly not biased against BL cars, my dad is in fact a retired BL worker who had just over 30 years' service. I did in fact have another Marina - my 1st car was his old Teal Blue Marina 1.3 Coupe. I only had it for about 3 months so I cannot comment on its reliability. It was sadly written off when I foolishly let a friend borrow it when a front tyre blew out, so that was sadly that...
paulph12002 6 months ago
@paulph12002 (cont 3) strangely one of the best cars i have ever had (and still own) is a 97 Ford Escort diesel estate this car has been truly bullet proof so good in fact that i won't let it go.
Although only worth pennies today the cost to replace would be very expensive for a similar type of car, in 5 years the car has required only brake shoes and pads and has passed it's MOT first time and still returns good fuel economy and performance, i don't think any car from the 70's would do that.
theluckybookie 6 months ago
I've actually owned a 1980 Marina 1700HL which I scrapped in 1993 after owning it for about 5 years, and I can confirm that most of the Marina myths are in fact true. I had faults like the suspension collapsing, leaking shock absorbers, back axles and gearboxes failing, a cracked cylinder head, water leaks, etc. I've had none of these problems with Ford cars.
paulph12002 6 months ago
@paulph12002 (cont 3) once again thanks for your reply,and perhaps we could get your dads view of the Marina vs the competition from the point of an ex BL man.
Too be honest i don't think the 1970's produced that many great cars,most by todays standards are most are really quite poor,and could i really go back to driving a car without electric window or power steering as my every vehicle yes but it would be hard to oh how spoilt we have all become.
Go steady.
theluckybookie 6 months ago
@theluckybookie Hi ya big fella,yeah i have to agree we're all so pampered today with modern cars,but i now have to say that i wouldn't have a new car without climate control never mind air-conditioning.
lynnissohot 6 months ago
@paulph12002 Hi there was your dad involved with the repair/servicing side of BL? mine dad was and rated their cars as well on par with the other makers products from that time and often indeed better.
It would be great to hear his views on BL products from the 70's
lynnissohot 6 months ago
@paulph12002 I've actually owned one as well and it was the best car i've ever owned.
Very reliable and it had none of the problems you mentioned, i owned it for 6 years and it NEVER let me down.
One of the best cars ever made and the fuel economy was amazing.
I miss that car so much sometimes and wish i still had it.
It was such a pleasure to drive and i knew that i could have gone anywhere in it and it would never let me down.
AMAZING CAR !!!!!!
TheLathanual 4 months ago 5
The Morris Marina wasn't a bad car, simply because it wasn't 'new' in any particular way. It was based on mechanicals which had been used for a very long time, and thus any reliability was inherently there from the beginning.
The Marina was a product built to replace a car (the Faina series) which by 1970 was so outdated as to be embarrassing.
As for what Ford/GM were making... I'd rather have a Mk.III Cortina or a Mk.1 Cavalier everyday of the week and twice on Sundays. Even an Avenger.......
TheYorkMan 7 months ago
morris marina owners, i'm not one of you and don't try to convince me
iThingy66 7 months ago
@iThingy66 And your point is?
theluckybookie 7 months ago 11
Unfortunately Clarkson's an arrogant pig who has no ear for opinions other than his own, so this appeal to reason would be ignored. In Australia Leyland sold this car as a smaller companion to the P76 large sedan, with continuing engineering support, a fair go from the union meatheads and some mild updating these cars could have succeeded and carried BL on.
Boobdepot1977 8 months ago 2
@Boobdepot1977 Thanks for your comments,as you say even the slightest chance of acceptance by the "Clarkson mindset masses" would fall on deaf ears.
British Leyland were so often their own worst enemy,numerous chances being missed by them in the lucrative Commonwealth markets simply by failing to identify the needs of the home sector and supplying UK specification cars to buyers that didn't want that.
Leyland Australia did attempt to address this with the P76 and the nice looking Force 7.
theluckybookie 8 months ago 2
@theluckybookie Totally agree there- there was a natural preference in the Commonwealth for British cars but the US and Japanese brands soon took that market share. Big, flat, hot countries need cars to suit. With some fairly straightforward engineering changes like slower steering, higher diff ratios, upgraded suspension, and fitting the biggest engine options available, Leyland could well have held these markets. Ironic it is the company that revolutionized small cars like the mini is no more.
Boobdepot1977 8 months ago 2
@Boobdepot Hiya.. British Leyland just wouldn't learn and kept repeating the same mistakes,British cars still in complete British form no mater what the export wanted,perhaps yet another BL cost cutter or just simple bad management.
themaneatingchimp 8 months ago 5
@Boobdepot1977 Hi there,a great loss for Leyland who just didn't respond to the buyers whishes,unlike the Japanese and American car makers who did in guise of Holden,General Motors identified the home markets wants and readily supplied it.
One large and strangely mostly untapped market by British Leyland was the Ute (pick-up) sector that the Australian buyers wanted but BL just didn't seem to supply them with,leaving the door well and truly wide open for the compotition to take advantage of.
theluckybookie 8 months ago 5
If anyone owned or drove the shite Ford or GM were making at the time you'd think BL products were superb! yet neither were given such a bad reputation....
discocreator76 9 months ago 6
@discocreator76 I couldn't agree more with you,and indeed couldn't have phrased it better a 5***** reply!
themaneatingchimp 9 months ago 4
Vauxhall Cavalier?! Compare it to a Civic or a Toyota Corona, not a gutless piece of rebadged Yankee GM gutter trash. There's a reason why British Leyland went out of business, and why they have an odd magnetism for pianos.
taitaisanchez 9 months ago
@taitaisanchez Do you mean "compare a Marina to Toyota Civic or Corona?" well the Civic is smaller than a Marina and the Corona went through two model changes from 1970/9 but at that time in the UK these cars were viewed simply as "Jap Crap" although seen as reliable they were regarded as "rot boxes" and many buyers were put of by the extortionate price of spare parts for them.
BL went out of business because the government didn't save them,unlike GM with a $50 billion federal bail out.
lynnissohot 9 months ago 7
My dad in the 70's and 80's worked for Kennings,TC Harrisons and later DC Cook (BL,Ford and Datsun) we had at least 2 Marina's and an Ital and they were great cars,unlike the Cortina,Sierra and the Sunny that just fell to bits over the weekend.
He rated the BL stuff of the time,to be as good and if not better than the competition,and still says that French and Italian cars back then were utter junk,the only way you could get rid of one was to trade it in for another model at the dealers.
lynnissohot 9 months ago 18
@lynnissohot Yeah that's so true about the cars you mentioned,you were simply stuck with them as,the old joke went.
"What's the difference between athletes foot and a Citroen?"
Answer "You can get rid of athletes foot but you can't get rid of a Citroen!"
My dad and uncle also loved the Marina,but so many people compare these cars with the vehicles of today (which you can't) or base their opinions on that of others without any first hand knowledge of the cars what so ever!
themaneatingchimp 9 months ago 9
@lynnissohot Thank for posting,i know all the 3 companies very well my fathers first Marina came from Kenning's Tenter Street Sheffield,but they had quite a few branches in the surrounding area,and i always want to say DC Crook (a company known for it's sharp practices and indeed prosecuted for them!)
The Marina was very much a car of it's time in it's day and was well able to hold it's own with the competition,to check this out simply just look at the road test reports published at the time.
theluckybookie 9 months ago 8
@lynnissohot i had a 74 tc great car and fast for its time
jonathon1799 9 months ago 6
@jonathon1799 Hi there,a man who speaks from experience and actually had a Marina,the funny thing i have noticed about most of these comments apart from re-hashing the "Myths" is that most of the people who actually had one of these cars rated them pretty highly.
I used to work for a Nissan main agent,and all the older mechanics said that the Japanese cars from the 70's were reliable but utter rust buckets (plus the price of parts for them) the Marina or Cortina was their car of choice.
lynnissohot 9 months ago 7
As a car that used running gear from other BL models, it had a point of difference down under. Rather than the A and B series units, the Aussie Marina 4-cylinder models used E-series OHC units in 1.5 and 1.75 forms. To put further power into the equation, Leyland Australia released a 2.6 litre 6-cylinder version.
These cars were steady sellers here in New Zealand between 1971 and 1981 although a public dislike towards the 'Marina' name caused the car to be renamed Morris 1700 in 1979.
joh2 9 months ago 2
I guess everything thats said here is right, the Marina was competitive when launched in 1971. Problem was it was still being sold in virtually identical form - but badged Ital in 1984 when all those myths where correct. It was absolutely rubbish. If it had been replaced in the mid 70s by a proper Cortina challenger it probably wouldnt have the negative image it has today.
rickerbycourt 9 months ago
@rickerbycourt Thanks for your comments,and i have agree,the Marina went well past it's sell by date,and in Ital form it "REALLY" went on way too long (but the Ital was still selling in decent numbers to a no frills economy buyer,and making money)
The Marina was designed at best to have a 5/6 production life,so the last cars would have rolled off the BL production line in 1977.
At the utmost the Marina should have finished in 1980 but had to wait for the Montego to arrive in 1984 to replace it.
theluckybookie 9 months ago 10
Comment removed
e575fho 10 months ago
And I do own a Marina, and I'am a member of a Marina club, I've owned my Marina for 5 years, and I had one before that as well, so I do know exactly what I'm talking about, in fact I chased a MK2 Escort 1.3 once, on a twisty road, and it kept up with it, even on the bends! True to say that they are rusty, my dad had a 76 Marina, it was falling to bits in 1984, but then again so were most 1976 cars by then, somebody mentioned the Lancia Beta though, there was a rusty car, MOT failures at 3 YO!
themanmaschine 11 months ago 8
@themanmaschine So many forget that the commercials sold in good numbers also, The breakdown services both the AA and RAC used Marina vans as did the Royal Mail,BT,British Gas,BR and the electric and water utility companies. .
Yet perhaps their most demanding users were the small builders,plumbers,joiners and property repairers and so many other small tradesman who gave them the hardest life as pure work tools,cheap to run,buy and maintain these fellas loved them,and you don't fool these boys.
theluckybookie 11 months ago 43
@theluckybookie you are in more dire need of a blowjob than any one in the history of mankind
ursmyers 11 months ago
@ursmyers Hi there,thanks for your concerns over my sexual welfare,but your worries are quite unfounded,but it's very nice of you all the same to take an interest,so thanks once again.
theluckybookie 11 months ago
@theluckybookie We had one and te day my old fella came back from the auctions with it we were ever so excited. We had an Austin Cambridge before which seemed so dull in comparison. As a 1.8 it was pretty fast on the motorway but as a kid I recall it falling to bits in that the trim inside and out, it leaked and the floor in the front rotted through. Simple things like the speedo & fuel guage rarely worked.
1:50 of their ad sums it up, the hub cap had already come off!
Intravenusdimilo 2 weeks ago
@Intravenusdimilo Thanks for the reply, and it sounds like you got a good one!
Joking aside, all Marinas seem to leak and they do rot through in the areas you mentioned simply due to that fact and perhaps the car had a hard life before being sold at auction to your father hence the falling to bits (luckily he didn't buy either a Lancia or an Alfa)
Yet you don't say the car was unreliable, as for the missing hub cap i really have no defence and must plead guilty as charged,
theluckybookie 2 weeks ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
@themanmaschine ha your a member of a marina fan club. LOL like being a member of the taliban that shit. Or maybe you are which is why you are so fucking thick and like the worst thing since the Ebola virus or slavery. tit
ursmyers 11 months ago
@ursmyers You're such a thick bastard read what the bloke said a "MARINA CLUB" not a "MARINA FAN CLUB" and you spelling and grammar is remedial.
Now be a good boy and fuck off back to your bedroom and wank yourself (even) more stupid to your twink porn collection,or you could knock one out over the Jeremy Clarkson- Hot Metal DVD your mum got you for Christmas.
So come on now teas ready, curly chips and chicken dippers with spaghetti hoops and a Walls Vienetta for afters it's your favorite.
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago 7
@ursmyers F*ck you, stupid f*ckwit wee ned! Shut up and drink your buckie and smoke your joints, and wank over that 'maxed up' Shitroen Saxo VTS, at least I'm old enough to drive!
themanmaschine 10 months ago
@themanmaschine actually i only wank over your wife and the ascari a10, you no a car that should be admired not sent to the nearest scrapheap. OH and i do have my licence so piss off sad little shit stain
ursmyers 10 months ago
@themanmaschine neighbor has on here in San Diego; cars down here do not rust, even Fiats. He's driven the damn thing for years and swears by it. Hard to fault a car that's thirty seven years old and still starts everyday.
Bag0fRats 10 months ago
Lovely to see someone with some common sense sticking up for the Marina, everything you say is true, Clarkson and his cronies are doing their usual spin by making out that Marinas are crap and on a par with a Lada, not true, don't believe them, although I had a Lada and the suspension was the best pot hole absorber I've ever came across! All of which you say is true, the handling is no worse than any other 70's car, the engines are well proven in other models, they are British classics!
themanmaschine 11 months ago 7
@themanmaschine Thanks for your comments,this video is an attempt to address the 10 most common Marina myths that go unquestioned by so many people about the cars (and even people who should know better,motoring journalist's take note)
The BBC book for the series "Turn Back Time:The High Street" (2011) by Phillip Wilkinson,in one section uses a timeline to illustrate the 70's where 1971 states that the Marina was a Morris 1000 replacement and shows a picture of a mk 2 saloon from 1978 myth #9.
theluckybookie 11 months ago 8
But when people say that the US doesn't build there cars with much care is a bunch of bull. We are very proud of our cars, and wouldn't change a thing. That's one thing that pisses me off about Clarkson. He doesn't know when to shut up.
EnterMyUserNameHere 11 months ago
Well I do know that many GM and Ford products are built in Ontario. They are essentially the same cars, just we use metric, and sometimes different names and colours. There is the odd car that makes it's way from the US, and sold here. I met a guy who owned a Honda Civic Type R, and he said it was made in England, so I guess it's not too much different from other country's. I'm not quite sure about the Japs though. I think they are assembled somewhere in Ohio, and Ontario. But when people say t
EnterMyUserNameHere 11 months ago
@EnterMyUserNameHere I once had a (circa)1972 Dodge Dart that i believe was a Canadian built model,bench front seats and 3 speed column gear change,apart from the fuel consumption that was very heavy with the car having nearly a 4 litre engine it was trouble free,the ride was excellent,performance was fair and boy oh boy did it sound well.
theluckybookie 11 months ago
That's ridiculous. And from what I understand, you have a congestion charge. Now to me, that is ridiculous. You don't sit in traffic just for the hell of it, you sit there because you all need to go somewhere! You must have the patience of a saint! I think I'd snap! The worst we have over here is having to pay a duty tax on anything brought from the US.
EnterMyUserNameHere 11 months ago
@EnterMyUserNameHere Thankfully the congestion charge applies only to London,but parking schemes where you have to pay to park your own car in your own street are everywhere,this and an other 101 scams we have to injure,no wonder more people leave the UK a year that those that enter it.
Correct me if i'm wrong but i thought that most Canadian cars were American or Japanese marques simply built in Canada,so importing most of the time wouldn't be necessary as most cars are all ready there there?
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago
Let me ask you, there are rumors over here that you guys are paying 50% income tax. That true?
EnterMyUserNameHere 11 months ago
@EnterMyUserNameHere Yep some people do (earnings over £150,000 pa) most pay the basic 20% (earrings up to £37,000 pa) you can earn on average £6,475 pa before you pay any tax stoppages then on top of the tax is National Insurance at around 11% so around 31% of your wage has gone before you even get it.The average wage around here is said to be £22,000 but lots earn far less.
We also pay "Road Vehicle Tax" depending on CO2 emissions this can be up to £435 pa just to put a car on the road.
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago 2
Yep, the blazer is a massive truck. But if you think that it big, take a look at a mid '70's suburban. Over 18 feet long! But I guess with massive Americans come massive cars!
EnterMyUserNameHere 11 months ago
Are you seriously paying £1.51? I live in canada, and were paying the equivalent of 82p. And we think that is expensive! Most are gas guzzlers, but there is a solution. I have a '85 Chevrolet k5 blazer. Now a regular one with a 350 would struggle to do 13 mpg. But the one I own is a diesel, which despite diesels reputation is very good. I get over 30 mpg, it still has good power, and all I have to deal with is the obnoxious clatter. Bit of a trade off, but worth it in my opinion.
EnterMyUserNameHere 11 months ago
@EnterMyUserNameHere Yeah mate sadly that's the price,bloody rip off fuel in the UK, but a massive earner for the government in tax (about 80p a liter is pure tax) We went diesel with the family car a couple of years back then the government put diesel price up over petrol.
A few of the lads near me still run Blazers (bought as an alternative to the Range Rover when there was a waiting list for them in the late 70's) but you need a pair of stilts to work on the engine now all running on diesel.
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago
I'm staying away from the British cars for now. They cost way too much money, and I have taken a liking to the American cars ( most are built quite well contrary to popular belief)
EnterMyUserNameHere 11 months ago
@EnterMyUserNameHere Good choice there,the Americans made some fantastic cars that looked and sounded just fantastic,sadly i think this is now a thing of the past (the oil crisis put an end to most of the true greats of the American car industry).
And yes indeed on the whole they are well made real chassis and heavy panel work with engines and gearboxes that go on forever,perhaps their greatest down fall is the fuel costs with petrol touching £1.51 ltr their expensive to run.
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago 2
Good man. Carry on.
EnterMyUserNameHere 11 months ago 2
I understand what your saying though. There are defiantly worse out there, but it will never be a classic. I acquired a marina, and I disliked it so much, I did what I said in #1. Worst car I've ever owned.
EnterMyUserNameHere 11 months ago
@EnterMyUserNameHere Rest your case then,you've had one so you can speak from first had experience i agree it will never be a classic (however we define classic?) sadly so many Marina owners think differently and don't enjoy the cars for what they are trying to make them something their not.
Sorry the "Marina Experience" didn't workout for you that time but perhaps a nice later 1700HL Mk3 might do the trick,unless you're too emotionally scared to relive the ordeal.
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago
There are a lot better cars out there than a marina. Read my comment #1.
EnterMyUserNameHere 11 months ago
@EnterMyUserNameHere You are indeed correct.
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago
All marinas are horrible little rot boxes that should be burned, buried, and forgotten about.
EnterMyUserNameHere 11 months ago
@EnterMyUserNameHere Please pay attention and read myth #2
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago 3
marinas were horrible cars and if you believe otherwise i believe your mother neglected you for alcohol and drugs and you father was convicted of raping sheep
ursmyers 11 months ago
@ursmyers Please for your own sake seek some professional psychiatric attention,why would you make such a twisted comment without provocation if you were a fully rational individual?
Perhaps you are the one that those thing happened too.
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago 2
@themaneatingchimp why oh why would i do that when we both no that they were terrible cars, you no like the neglect that you evidently felt as a child. douche bag
ursmyers 11 months ago
@ursmyers Because you obviously have some very deep and troubling emotional issues to resolve,once again you have highlighted childhood (even in CHILD like grammar) i suspect you may be DC/247.
In future leave the "kiddie talk" in the playground (you even use "douche bag" oh so First School) and stick to the point at hand,and answer this why was the Marina so terrible then?
Try to answer this simple question without any reference to "child neglect, bestiality or substance abuse"
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago 3
This has been flagged as spam show
@themaneatingchimp Go rape your dad dickwad.
ursmyers 11 months ago
@themaneatingchimp Suck a fuckin dick mate you're nothing compared to me get the fuck out of this lobby mate you'll always be second best. END AT DAY 48!!
ursmyers 11 months ago
@ursmyers Not only are you a fucking NONCE you're a sound like ring pirate too,second best to a sack of shit like you,are you retarded?
And once again if your so fucking high and mighty for the second time of asking why was the Marina so bad then answer the question tosser?
And what's this "End At Day 48" bollocks is that another pedo term?
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago 4
@themaneatingchimp look i no i have 6 inch of girth thats all that counts. By the way hows your wife? ;)
ursmyers 11 months ago
@ursmyers You really are a full weight wanker,i'm still waiting for you to answer me on the "why was the Marina so Bad" question..... and what "end at day 48" means that you quoted.
You need to get a boyfriend (over the age of 7) get a job and fuck off from your mums,you are a bitter and twisted bedroom boy,sad lonely with no friends who just bitches at the rest of the world to vent their own anger for their shitty existence.
**And thanks for asking my lovely wife is very well indeed**
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago 7
It always amuses me that people watch TV and become experts and can make an informed decision about how good / bad a car is. I would be very surprised if more than a handful of young people have ever seen a Marina, let alone driven one. Top Gear is aimed at people who see their cars as extensions of their manhood! A crap car? Certainly not. I own a Marina Coupe, an Austin Ambassador and 3 Dolomite Sprints. Rather them than any modern characterless jellymould. They turn heads, modern cars don't.
TheDollyman72 11 months ago
@TheDollyman72 Top reply there mate,you've knocked on the nail well and truly on the head.that was the reason this video was made to "TRY" to remove some of the "Top Gear" brain washing form so many of it's viewers.
The funny thing is that i don't see that many drivers under 25 of age in that many super cars in my neck of the woods,perhaps it's just me or could their opinion of what's good or bad be based purely on what Clarkson and co spoon feed them?
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago 3
@themaneatingchimp Thanks for your comment mate - as I said, I find the mentality of some people incredible. Clarkson and his cronies are only titalated by supercars (the like that the VAST majority of the populous would never be able to afford). Anything else in their eyes is crap. Did you see how they destroyed that Dolomite Sprint, Rover SD1 and Austin Princess for comedy? idiots. OK, if you don't like Marina's etc fine - does insulting people who do make you feel better about yourselves?
TheDollyman72 11 months ago 2
@TheDollyman72 Your welcome brother,we're both on the same page with this one and once again you have summed up my entire thoughts on Top Gear,Clarkson and his stooges and the "lead-by- the-hand" vast section of the shows viewers to a tee.
I'm still surprised by the pure hatred directed towards a car and it's owners, and again confer that these peoples self esteem must be so low that great pleasure is obtained by abuse to those that care to have a different opinion to the ones given to them.
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago 2
It probably wasn't as nice a drive as the Cortina and the styling was dull, but I would never say it was total rubbish. Compared with the Allegro, this was a good car and probably no worse for reliability than most of its rivals. I do recall the Vauxhall Victor, a deceptively nice looking car, being a complete rustbucket and very heavy on petrol.
Glenn1967ful 11 months ago
@Glenn1967ful The Marina was also designed by Roy Haynes the man who designed the Mk2 Cortina and in all fairness the Cortina (Mk3 onwards) did drive better than the Marina but only just according to the car journalists of the day.
And as you so rightly say the Marina was no worse than the competition of the day (but according to the AA at the time were far reliable than many other marques) remember what they used to say Fiat stood for FIX-IT-AGAIN-TONY.
themaneatingchimp 11 months ago 5
sorry mate i drove a marina. it's a great car BUT it just doesnt have the feel of a really good car. it feels like the car was built by people who couldn't care less about it. that happened with the marina I drove i dont know if that was just a bad one or not but that is how it felt like to me. other than that i think it's a good little car and it would probably have a good name today if it wasnt for that stupid british fucking leyland.
galbmw 1 year ago
Comment removed
themaneatingchimp 1 year ago
@galbmw Thanks for your comments,i'm guessing that you drove a Mk1 1800 Marina (pre anti-roll bars) the 1300 Mk1 drove better as it was lighter the 1800 was an heavy engine on a dated suspension set-up and wasn't ideal,the cars got better as they went along the last Ital's drive very well as they have all the suspension mods and telescopic shock absorbers fitted (in fact these drive as the cars should have done from new)
Strangely the Mk1 cars are the most sought after by most enthusiasts.
theluckybookie 1 year ago
@theluckybookie The mk1 cars are pretty poor inside you have to admit that (but weren't most cars from the early 70's?) i can't see why the earlier cars are more desired as this seems to be the model that the bulk of the criticism comes from the later cars are really far nicer in all departments.
But like-for-like they were well on par and often better in build,performance and road maners than the other cars of the time,rember were talking 40 years ago now,things were very diffrent back then.
themaneatingchimp 1 year ago
@theluckybookie i dunno i dont reammy know much about morris marinas. but i do know it was the exactly the same shape as the white one top gear used on snow. still all in all they still arent bad cars.
galbmw 1 year ago
@galbmw Hi there,don't worry they all look pretty similar,body wise their almost identical to each other in all designations coupe.saloon,estate,van and pick-up the Ital's is the odd-one-out as they have rectangular front head lights and large rear light units and a higher boot line.
The differences after that are external trim,interiors,engines and suspension mods,Top Gear doctored an Ital to look like a Marina in their "Marina vs Lancia" feature using Mk3 Marina bumpers lights and grille.
theluckybookie 1 year ago
@theluckybookie You're on the money there big'un i said the same on the You Tube video for It (check out Top Gear Marina vs Lancia no wonder only one headlight light at the front works and notice also how they have left the Ital rear lights in place (too much effort to change them i bet)
But as the Jam sang in 1981 "That's entertainment" and we don't let facts get in the way of that now do we...... well Top Gear don't anyhow.
themaneatingchimp 1 year ago
Thank you! I learned to drive in a Marina, it is a great car - never really understood why the media had such a down on it. Top Gear best factual programme? My arse. Sure Marinas got a bit funky as they aged, in that sense they were a victim of their own success - not many other 70s cars made it into the late 90s in such numbers!
badnewswade 1 year ago 2
Comment removed
themaneatingchimp 1 year ago
@badnewswade You're welcome,for a car designed to have a production life of 5/6 years they did pretty well lasting a extra 7 years after that.
The Marina was a no frills no nonsense car,cheap to buy,run and maintain and aimed squarely at that sector of the market and sucessful too selling over a million units Top Gear always forget that.The Marina wasn't a Ferrari or Aston Martin but it wasn't ever designed to be the Marina was a simple and reliable A-to-B car and that it did very well indeed.
theluckybookie 1 year ago 2
I really don't get why you let the TG-blokes get to you like that. TG doesn't like a lot of things, they even hate Porsche 911's. Nobody with more than 2 functioning brain cells takes the show seriously, en just enjoys it for what it is; a fun show. Mindless fun, but fun nonetheless. And for the 'Crap'-claims; lots of now highly regarded brands didn't do much better in those days. Sign of the times.
classicczech 1 year ago
@classicczech But a large proportion of the Top Gear viewers indeed do have the IQ of a gerbil and they do take every word said as the gospel truth,the idea of this video was to set the record straight and address the myths about the car.
Sadly as for the "mindless fun" aspect of the show after the Marinas' appearance on the programme many MMOC officials received hate mail,malicious phone calls and serious threats their web site was attacked and some owners cars were even vandalised.
themaneatingchimp 1 year ago
@themaneatingchimp I know this all happened. Only a mentally deranged ape would send hate mails to a total stranger like that. It's horrible that people can't take their hands of other peoples property. But I'm just saying, if nobody reacted that strong on the Marina destroyed in Top Gear, the now so popular 'running gag' of piano's falling on Marina's wouldn't be there. They would probably have moved on to Lada's, Beetles, and other cars they don't like.
classicczech 1 year ago
@classicczech I agree 100% with all the points you've mentioned,and venomous conduct like that is unforgivable but very common place.
Top Gear grossly amplified the comments from Marina owners about the show and even (if not lied) blatantly misled their other viewers about the response they received from them,and went on in a later episode to fully fabricated other points,but that's entertainment as they say!
* If you check the end credits of this video the piano joke is mentioned in them *
themaneatingchimp 1 year ago
Nice little video - though the writing could be a bit easier to read! :) It's too painfully true that other cars were equivocable to the Marina. The Mk3 Cortina was as wallowy as a water bed and you wouldn't want to hurl that round too many corners either! I've long come to the conclusion that because we had a "Make do and Mend" culture, many cars, new ones included didn't see the main dealer after they were bought. So in many cases it was indeed the owners that were unreliable not the cars!
AustinSomerset 1 year ago
@AustinSomerset Thank you for your comments,this was my first attempt at a video and to be honest it does show but once posted on here they are very hard (if not impossible to edit) and trying to get all ten myths into 2:50 sec of music was maybe a little to ambitious for a first timer.
As you say so many cars from that period were well on par with the Marina and many far often worse on many counts,as for negligent car owners has anything really changed with them in the last 40 years?
theluckybookie 1 year ago
@theluckybookie Our first family car was an Austin Somerset - even as a little'un I remember watching the road go by through the rust holes at the bottom of the doors - at least rust protection "makes" cars look like they're better looked after these days!! Even if the mechanics aren't! It's a great first attempt - I've only just begun to manage editing Quicktime movies on Microsoft movie maker here.
AustinSomerset 1 year ago
@AustinSomerset The Austin's of the 1950's were excellent (i have an A30 and two A35's saloons as well as Marina's) what a great childhood memory of the road beneath viewed through a rust hole (or getting wet feet when it rained and the water came in through the holes in the floor)
Sadly the art of the mechanic has almost gone now replaced by fitters and engine diagnostics,nothing is repaired only replaced,but for ease of repair you can't get much eaiser than the Austin A and B series engines.
theluckybookie 1 year ago
Exelent !
bellinivernon 1 year ago
@bellinivernon Gracias por tu comentario muy amable.
theluckybookie 1 year ago
Cool Video Russ, all your facts are spot on m8!
Sean
Beckett Bros "Lemon productions"
ado28 1 year ago
Communist car, named after commie PM
Cakerolled 1 year ago
If the Marina was that crap how come it was George Turnbull who used as the basis for the Hiyundi Pony to start them off and they are now one of the most successful car makers in the world !!
ianmax69 1 year ago 2
@ianmax69 Well said,as you have pointed out you just wouldn't use any car never mind a Morris Marina if they were so bad as a platform to build a new car upon.
Sir George Turnbull knew what he was doing, and on the strength of the Marina based Pony helped establish The Hyundai Motor Company they now operate the world’s largest integrated automobile manufacturing facility and the Marina surely must share a large part in this success.
themaneatingchimp 1 year ago 2
Spot on mate great video,and a cracking Northern Soul tune,everything you've said is 100% correct all myths the lot of them!
Great cars and vastly under rated,a real 1970's classic,more vids and more Northern please!
Keep the faith,and the Marina
themaneatingchimp 1 year ago 39