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Titus
Sr. Member
Posts: 145
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« Reply #1 on: February 14, 2009, 07:28:43 pm » |
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Welcome to the forum Demolisher, Don't know about other cars but the Murena is cheap to insure. My policy is with www.footmanjames.co.uk . Unlimited milage, agreed value of £4,000 and costs £127.50 pa. Last year I was with Adrian Flux, 7500 miles limited, agreed value £2,500, premium £231.53, hence the change to Footman James. There doesn't seem to be a difference in price between the 2.2 and 1.6 as far as I'm aware. I have a 1.6 Murena. Good luck.
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1.6 Murena
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Demolisher 2
Newbie
Posts: 3
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« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2009, 06:36:38 pm » |
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I'm not sure why you would need non-classic insurance unless you intend to do a high mileage or it's your only car. My advice would be to ring round all the specialist insurers listed in, say, Practical Classics. I'm with RH Insurance, £3000 agreed value, 3000 miles pa £97.65 premium, for a 1.6. You might have to ring round a few before you find one that even understands what a Murena is. The reactions I got varied from "Is it a Rancho?" to "Crikey that looks a bit sporty!" and the premiums varied greatly. Good luck and welcome to a very exclusive group.
I was considering a Murena as an alternative to the mk1 Toyota MR2, as a daily driver and weekend car combined sort of thing because from what I've read it is both practical, reasonably economical (although my defintion of economical is "Does Not Have Five Litre V8"), very good looking (in my eyes, always loved 70's and 80's styling) and apparently handles very well. To use it in that fashion it would need to be on some sort of very high-miles classic policy or regular insurance. Bearing in mind my reasons for wanting one of these cars, I would probably be more inclined towards getting a 1.6 than a 2.2.
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suffolkpete
YaBB God
Posts: 544
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« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2009, 07:48:15 pm » |
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Don't want to enter into the Murena/MR2 debate because I haven't tried the MR2, but the flaw in your plan, as I see it, is that any Murena is going to have a lot of miles on the clock, so reliability is going to be an issue, as will parts availability, possibly resulting in periods off the road, if you do a lot of miles. Also, you will not get classic insurance if it is your only car. Don't let me put you off though. The Murena, even a 1.6, is a great drive and will hold its own in any modern traffic.
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roy4matra
YaBB God
Posts: 1199
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« Reply #9 on: February 22, 2009, 01:06:23 am » |
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I have used my Murena 2.2 as everyday car for 12 years now - and I am very satisfied with reliability. It have only let me down once on 70.000 km - few modern cars can cope with that. Every 2 years i spend app. 15.000 DKK for maintenance/repairs in a workshop. This may be a bit high, but on the other hand - no depreciation. All in all it has a very impressive low budget. I would expect it after another 3 years to have been quite at bit cheaper than an average Yaris from new - and so much funnier.
I agree with you. There is no reason why the Murena should be unreliable when used every day, provided it is properly maintained. I covered over 150,000 kms in 15 years used almost every day. It covered higher mileages during the first years and less during later years simply because I had moved to London and used the tube to commute, but it is easily capable of covering 20,000 kms per year if required. The main problem is that you will need to keep some stock of parts so that you can replace them whenever necessary, otherwise you will be off the road while waiting for them. This is what I have always done. I keep spares of all the items that are likely to wear and need replacing, and I do one major service every year, using the best materials. For instance I have always used fully synthetic oils in engine and transmission, have a full stainless steel exhaust, and use the best tyres I can get. These pay you back in the long run. As soon as an item is fitted, I started looking to replace my 'stock'. The Murena is generally a simple car and as such has less to go wrong. I would match mine against any new vehicle anyday, as most of these are too complex and have so much to go wrong that something usually does! I see it all the time in my job. The time any Murena (or any car old car) is unreliable, you can bet the maintenance is below standard. Roy
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krede
YaBB God
Posts: 1172
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« Reply #12 on: February 22, 2009, 05:55:40 pm » |
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I am inclined to agree with Pete and Mr Dinsen. Roy's car is an exception, with it having been properly maintained throughout its life. Most new Murena owners will probably get a vehicle that need some form of attention right away. My own car was in good nick, and passed mot with no work needed when I bought it. But during one year of service( <15000km) it needed : a new generator, battery, front wheel bearing,tiers, top engine stabilizer bush, cabin fan switch, inner track rod, rear brake discs, front shock absorbers, ignition coil, clutch master cylinder,and clutch...... and those are just off the top of my head. Add to tis, that the twin barrel carburettors never ran as smooth as I would have liked them to, and that the engine started leaking so much that I judge it would need attention to pass the mot.. My point is, that it these cars might not need be as difficult to maintain as current ones .. but what ever way you look at it, they are still at least 23 years old, so ANY thing can go wrong.. and will eventually. In my experience it is essential to have the time, tools, and space, to fix and maintain the car properly when this is needed. If one is relying upon the car for daily transportation ( as I was), without the means to fix faults as they occur, the list of things that needs attention can soon become overwhelming to the extend that the car needs to be taken off the road ...... well..... that was at least MY experience.
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« Last Edit: February 22, 2009, 06:19:11 pm by krede »
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Anders Dinsen
Administrator
YaBB God
Posts: 3186
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« Reply #13 on: February 22, 2009, 07:38:23 pm » |
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My point is, that it these cars might not need be as difficult to maintain as current ones .. but what ever way you look at it, they are still at least 23 years old, so ANY thing can go wrong.. and will eventually.
Well at least you won't have airconditioning to fail, or a complex sequential automatic gearbox (Audi's current boxes last 60000 km before needing a rebuild!). Or power steering, timing belt, xenon headlamps, multiple computers, several oxygen sensors, catalytic converters, custom ignition coils. I could go on like that. All these things are in the modern cars for a reason and I don't think it's fair to compare a Murena to a modern car. It does the same job of getting you from A to B, it has four wheels, is built over the same principles, have the same type of engine, but it's just so much different. I love my Murena because it makes me smile when I drive it, but there are times when I wish I had a modern sports car instead of it (say a new Toyota MR2)!
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1982 Talbot Matra Murena 2.2 prep 142 2017 BMW i3 "Charged Professional" 94Ah
Used to own: 2001 Renault Matra Grand Espace "The Race" V6 24v 1997 Renault Matra Espace 2.0 8V 1987 Renault Matra Espace J11 2.2
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