IDRIVEACLASSIC: My NEW Morris Marina 1300! 

Steph has to be one of the happiest, caring ,warm and genuine car enthusiasts I’ve ever seen on this platform. You’re a true gem ❤️ keep up the good work !!!

Couldn't have went to a more deserving owner hope you have many happy miles in her!

Steph is fast becoming a legend. Her enthusiasm for all classic cars is infectious

Really appreciate your enthusiasm for an almost forgotten era and class of cars. Thank you!

An older lad I worked with years ago had one and told us that the floor was that rusty that the MOT inspector came up from the pit and said "Jaysus Joe that's a fine pair of shoes you're wearing" ! They are a great looking car Steph ! Congratulations! Nobody has only 1 classic 😉

Makes you realise what good cars they actually were, it was very likeable to own

Well, I certainly wasn't expecting this. I'm very pleasantly surprised :D I can't wait to see more of the Marina on the channel Steph :D

Loved that review. Also an added bonus with the West Yorkshire museum bus passing by!

When the petrol pump breaks you can connect the windscreen washer bottle to the carb and fill it with petrol. Then use the washer button to fill the carb and drive. This is how my dad got us home from a remote beach one day with our morris marina.

Ok, a few minor scabs here and there but overall, that car looks in fantastic condition! Wouldn't be at all hard to make it a minter. Well bought!

So pleased for you that you now have your own Marina as a member of your cherished car family. Look forward to hearing more about her in the future :)

Saw it on Instagram some days back and was excited to see the video pop up!!! 😍 Love it! Greeting from Germany

Love it! I'm glad you've got a car you love and can't wait to see the progress!

I love Marinas. The first one of my mates to get his own car had a 1.3 de luxe saloon (35 years ago). It was great not needing to get lifts of our parents all the time (they were pleased too). It took us all over the the place, sometimes hundreds of miles, and only let us down through poor maintenance. You can get five people in the back (only on private ground of course (!)). I'm currently fixing up an Ital 1.3 automatic saloon, hopefully Grumpette and Grumpling will enjoy it as much as me and my mates did back in the day. Thanks for posting.

Fantastic! I owned a 1972 1.3 deluxe Coupe in harvest gold. It was on drum brakes like yours. It was very reliable. I owned it between 1979 and 1982. Your engine sounds super smooth! 👌

Hi Steph, LOVE the Marina. Always did. Especially the early ones. You look ab fab! (oh, and the car too!)

CONGRATULATIONS ON THE NEW ACQUISITION!!!! I LOVE IT!!!!

Back in the mid seventies, I used to get a lift to work from a neighbour who ran a 1972 Marina coupe in racing green. It had lovely black vinyl seats, the same dash as yours and I really enjoyed my lifts to work. I'm not snobby about vehicles so like all these old Brit cars regardless of their faults and idiosyncrasies. Keep up the great work, Steph - I really enjoy your videos.

Great video Steph and Tina looks in amazing condition for the year and as you said especially the interior. It bought back many happy memories of my lovely 1.3 Coupe 😀

Superb modern classic there Steph. I can see you’re really enjoying her and I wish you a great summer of runs, gatherings and historic rallies. Needs to be seen at Retro Rides gathering at Shelsley Walsh in August.

That’s a nice example you got there Steph and I love the enthusiasm you have for your cars great video keep up the good work x

Congratulations Steph, a new job and a Morris Marina! Thanks for showing us all, it looks great.

Nice one Steph:) You got a nice Marina there, very fun cars to drive. I watched it's rebuild progress through the owners club, and helped out with some bits;) Keep up with the maintenance and it'll last you a lifetime.

You're great Steph. Love your vids. Loving the marina too😚

It was fun watching one of your earlier videos, Steph. I hope that your Marina is still making you happy, as it’s a great little car and one that deserves some love.

I have always thought the Marina and Mk1 Escort are so similar. The Marina looks like it is a better quality car, the extra leg room and bigger more comfortable seats and it has nicer dash although the instrument cluster looks identical. Well done, another enjoyable RU-vid 😊.

Another fab video, we can’t wait to hear about Tina’s adventures in the near future! Well done Steph! ☺️👌✨

I've driven Marinas, 1.3 and 1.8 brand new and they really weren't good. A 1968 body on a 1948 chassis. Great video to watch. Brings back memories, good and bad.

A new job and a new vintage car. 2020 is looking good! Congratulations Steph and good luck with both!

Nice one Steph, looks good with just bits and pieces to do, lovely

Congratulations, on finding your forever car! She's a beauty. Happy trails to you both.

Lovely to see your beautiful smile again! I had 2 Marina's, one was a Mk II 1.3 saloon, and the other was a Mk III 1700 estate, both in Pageant Mid Blue. I loved both of them! Sadly, with a young family, I couldn't afford the maintenance, so they had to get replaced! I was reading a parts book once and found that some Marina's were fitted with a 1500 Diesel engine! Perkins I think, but that may just be my memory playing tricks! The handbook for my 1700 also referred to a 2-litre variant, but I haven't found mention of this anywhere else! Anyway, lovely video, and so nice to see one that hasn't been totally claimed by the dreaded metal-moth! :-) Keep safe! :-)

That's one super marina love the originality 😲👍👌

Nice one, Steph! You've done really well, there. She looks in great condition and seems a good runner.

Absolutely love it, Steph. Tried to buy a '73 in Harvest Gold recently, but someone beat me to it. Great to see this one in good hands. Enjoy.

I have nothing but fond memories of the Marina, my aunt and Uncle had a beige 1.8 Coupe with the high wipers on a K plate and my next door neighbours who were like grandparents to us had a blue 1.8 Super from 1977 which was their pride and joy. My other Uncle on the other hand had a bad time with them as he was a Vehicle Contracts manager and he had leased a lot of 1.3 Marinas to a high profile client and they must have been a dodgey batch. One disgruntled BL worker actually scrunched up a coke can and put it inside the door and then attached the door card! But on the whole they were honest work horses that most owners loved.

Congratulations Steph, she looks a cracking car. Was glad to hear you bought her as an addition for a daily driver and not to replace either of your other two cars.. Really low mileage, so should be absolutely ideal as a daily driver. She’s definitely found a good home with you. Looking forward you you keeping us updated about how you are getting on with her. As usual a fantastic review. I like that your channel features cars that their owners use on a daily basis, not cars that are barely driven and kept under wraps. Keep up the good work and enjoy your new car.

It's good to hear and see what you have to say about the different cars, you drive well it must be hard-driving so many cars. Thank you, and well done.

TAF 491N .... 1.3 Super 4 door in Harvest Gold with contrasting dark blue (burn your bum on a hot day) vinyl seats! This was my father's ex demo buy in 1975. I was 13 at the time and not very happy because he traded in our beloved Vanden Plas 1300 Princess for it. I distinctly remember the awful cornering/road-holding characteristics forced him to fit front anti-roll bars - Fortunately Dad was a time served motor mechanic and this modification improved the car quite considerably.

It’s great to see people like yourself keeping classic cars alive.

Very well done Steph. Got yourself a lovely Marina there. Good luck with your future adventures in her.

That's a nice tidy Marina you've found. Really nice informative video too. Happy motoring!

My uncle had one of these.... As you say a really spacious car and so much glass... really easy to see... light and airy... loving the videos👍

*My mother in law had an automatic 1300 reg 'RAY 203M' Reg in 1973 and ran it for many years. Remember taking it to get it Ziebart Rust Proofing. Took 4 of us to the Lake District in comfort with all luggage. A very practical and underrated car at the time. Good luck with yours, looks amazing for 49 Years old.*

Just like my first car , how lovely to see this one surviving , enjoy it am so glad you own it as i know its going to be loved

What a great buy, well done Steph. A lovely looking car to be proud of! Watch out when de-rusting the wing at the front, my Marina looked the same but turned into big holes...

Congratulations! You and the car are both sweet. I love classic cars. I'm thinking of getting a FIAT 128 from 1974. It's the same car by Dad had when I was a kid.

Love the Marina, was my first car back in 1986, L reg 1.3 Coupe in Teal Blue lots of miles on the clock but just kept on going xxx

This is superb! 😍 So pleased for you. The issues with the bodywork don't look major. I quite fancy a series 2 or 3 myself from the late 1970s.

Excellent, well done, isnt it nice when you actually get something that you want, good for you.

Thanks for the memories and info I didn't know. My dad bought a Mustard 1.8 estate brand new in 1972. He worked in the gaming industry and the plate rolled off with '777' in the reg. His work colleagues thought he'd bought a private plate but he hadn't! I didn't realise the radio, cigarette lighter were extras he paid for. I do remember that once the engine was broken in and he was allowed to increase the speed it had a fault and wouldn't go any faster than 30mph! As soon as I saw that tray under the glove box I could see my mam sat in the front with carefully placed sandwiches wrapped in the bread wrapper sat on the shelf on our day trips. I just looked out of interest, a Marina today can set you back anything from 1.8k to 7k 😲

A lovely car Steph and a great find, so original, hope you manage to get all the little jobs done ok, just need some fairy dice now lol xx

I only have love for this car! so happy for you. xx

My 1st impression were that this car pristine, so clean and shiny; I don't think the "roughness" is that obvious :-) it was so funny when you laughed at the bounce after shutting the bonnet :-D My dad had a Morris Marina Suntor; harvest gold with a fibreglass? roof, and it had the same split radiator grill and 1.3 engine :-) the engine under revving sounds very healthy! Congratulations on getting the job you wanted.

Looks like a really nice example. The interior is in stunning condition, hope you have many happy years of motoring in her

Amazing Bodywork, lush !!! But enough about you Steph, the cars 'super' cool. Love from Mac with the 1300 Cortina x

I prefer that grille. Lovely car, hope you have many miles of fun.

That's a cracking little car Steph. Great condition. I'm rather jealous. Those door handles bring back memories of my dads allegro he briefly owned when I was a kid!

In 1979 my Dad was given his first company car, an Austin Marina 1.8 Special in dark metallic blue with matching vinyl roof. Much maligned of course by Topgear but we all loved it.

You are so proud of this humble, basic spec car - Bless you !

Congratulations on acquiring a car that you had set your heart on. You are spoilt for choice with a trio of classic cars!

Thanks for explaining where Jill is, thought after the bump, great sounding engine, love to hear exhaust notes from outside

Congrats! What a nice elegant car! Wishing you all the luck with it 😁😁👍🏻👍🏻

hi Steph the car looks amazing can't wait to see it this weekend

Thanks for an enjoyable video showing a very nice roomy classic. Lots of Luck with it.

Nice one Steph, my father had the 1.8 TC Coupé and I enjoyed driving it

Hi Steph another good informative vlog congratulations on your purchase the marina looks fantastic for a 49 year old car well done 👍👍

My first car when I was 17 was my mum & dad's 11 year old 1976 1.8 automatic OHK 149P. Bear in mind it had to have a complete respray at 3 years old due to rust. Complete rot box by the time I got it...but managed to keep it on the road with fibreglass some more respraying and lots of welding till the sub frame parted company from the rest of the car. That's brand new to scrap yard in 14 years. Not that it actually made it to the scrap yard. We left it there but then got a call from the police asking us what we did with it as it'd "Got into the wrong hands". Never did find out what happened to it but sounds like it had an exciting last gasp.

I do prefer that grill too, I would love to have a car like that. I know it will be well loved by you Steph.

Another nicely presented video Steph, my first car in September 1979 was a 4 door Marina 1.8SDL in Harvest Gold, the reg was UFM 679N, new in 1974 sadly I didn't take any photos at the time. It was a lovely car, albeit a bit heavy on fuel, the only major problem I recall was that the clutch went on the second day in a remote spot in Wales, fortunately I was able to free-wheel about 2 miles down a hill to a main road where there was a telephone kiosk and I phoned my Dad who came out and towed me home, also again, fortunately the car was on a 12 month warranty from the British Leyland dealer I bought her from so the clutch was repaired free-of-charge. I only traded her because I had a fair distance to travel to work and the cost of fuel was getting beyond my limited budget at the time. In retrospect, it would've been wiser to have opted for the more economical 1.3 like yours. But all in all a great car which has left me with special memories of my early days on the road. Good luck, love your vids and happy and safe driving of course! 😊👍🏼

What a lovely honest series 1 Marina. Be very careful of falling pianos

Love it Steph! Brings back childhood memories. If you can, try and get a test in a Suntor Marina. A Marina van converted into a small camper. We had two when i was little back in the 1970s.

Lovely car, lovely lass! That's a really nice example of a Marina. I like Marinas in general but do prefer the styling of the earlier ones like this, much prettier! I also like the colour coded insert grill models but the split grill is also damn cool. I'd still love to have an early example and really go to work on it, coilover conversion, full IRS rear, 5 or even 6 speed gearbox mated up to a modern engine up front, topped off with banded steels still wearing the original hub caps and trims... bliss! Enjoy the car, get yourself to the retro events at Santa Pod this summer and show her off! 😊

I had one of these - it was an 'N' reg 1.3 coupé - same colour, but the base model, it was my first car ever! Very easy to work on, I loved it! I actually sold it for more than I bought it for. Check for water leaks under the carpets - these were pretty notorious for that. Synchro often goes on 1st as well, but the 1.3 was a great engine. I think you've done well to get that, she looks fine to me.

As always, loving your videos good luck with the Marina. I hope you're going to keep the black and white plates, too x

Brings back memories. I had two of the 1.7 estates. Great cars. Solid and very reliable. Enjoy her.

The Morris Marina coupe was my first car I ever owned loved it your video has brought back a lot of memories.

My boss bought me one of these in bright orange! because my car (Escort Rs) was being modified in a garage (having a custom engine built/ fitted) and he was fed up of giving me lifts into work every day! So I had to drive this thing for 5 months till they had finished my car lol. My neighbors called the police as they thought someone had dumped this outside of our house as a scrapper... and they woke us up at 2am asking us why it was outside! We had to explain it was actually my car I was driving about in and not been left for scrapping..lol. It was mint condition as the previous owner was one of the members of the Morris Marina owners club lol... I will never allow that to happen again... it went to the scrap yard and cost me £50 to get them to take it away.. THANKS BOSS!!

Looking forward to seeing the car fully restored :)

Fantastic, took me back 40+ years to my Bedouin one, same model and also drum brakes

I'm glad you bought a Marina I always liked these cars.

That lovely piece of our heritage deserves your ownership, a perfect duo x

Well Steph.... absolutly jealous of you now....awesome video love the Marina

Nice car, am actually jealous! Hope you have many happy miles in her. 👍👍

Great video Steph my Mk1 has servo assisted drums all round and they work very well

Well done, joining an elite band of marina owners 👍👍

Congratulations on the job and the car!

Lovely early example Steph in Glacier White and the distinctive ( Birmingham ) BOP plate contrasts well in black/white !.Hope you have many happy miles together and glad she has a very caring and appreciative new owner.Also noted her debut appearance in Classic Car Weekly !

We had a funny set up in New Zealand the British marina was assembled and the Aussie one was assembled by NZMC. There was a free trade agreement with Australia which later was later called Closer economic regulations or CER Leyland ozzy stopped making the Marina in 1975 and the UK one was only assembled. When it became the Ital in the UK the Marina became the Morris 1700 it was a nice car but it was uncompetitive against the CORTINA and the Japanese cars of the time

Very impressed with the condition. Take care and have fun.

Great video. I secure my wheel covers with zip cable ties and keep a pair of cutters to remove in case of puncture.

My Father bought one the same year as this one .. it was purple (aubergine lol) with cherry red interior .. he got it on my recommendation .. I soon fitted some 5.5 J wheels from a Triumph Spitfire and low profile tyres lol .. and like Donal first MOT the guy said it’s lucky your Father hadn’t fallen through the floor it was so rotten ! Happy days .. great review Steph keep up the good work

I think I saw you on the M1 this morning on my way to work, coming off at 37 for Barnsley. Lovely car

Interesting video Steph and I notice you are driving round Huddersfield and Lepton, which is around my neck of the woods. All the British media had it in for BL in the 70s and 80s. Although previously a Ford man, my dad swapped to an Austin Cambridge in the 60s, followed by a 1971 Marina 1800 and a MkIII 1800 ‘landcrab’ in ‘74. I don’t remember too many issues with any of them. I certainly don’t think they were any worse than comparable stuff at the time for rust or reliability. A lot of people that said they were rubbish had never owned them. A funny story re the Marina though. When my dad went to collect it brand new, we noticed the inner door panels were different on each side of the car! The factory had fitted Super door trims (which include door cappings up to the windows) one side and Deluxe trims the other side (which had a central trim surrounded by painted metal)!! Those were the days! 🤣😂 Have fun with the Marina. Looks a solid, honest example, as you say. Looking forward to more of your classic car videos in the future.

Congratulations Steph, it's a very tidy example that suits you well.

As a french burthed during the fifties, i allways liked the british classic cars from (or by) Austin, Morris, Triumph (the Herald and the Spitfire) MG, Jaguar, Rover, Bentley and Rolls of course. First of all for me : London Cab ! A "Legend becomed reality" the "Harry Potters car" (to me). The "Rolls of all people", of "each one", Rolls of the pour as we could say. My very first one was a mini. My uncle drove a Morris Minor (english green). Just perfect. He was absolutly against the "Cox model" at that time and the 4L didn't exist during the fifties. The only four one was lovely but... low and noisy to him. Thanks for your videos.

Hi, I have had a bit of spare time, love my classic cars, and have watched a lot of your videos. My opinion? Your views are factual, fun and 100% watchable. In my opinion, you get 20 out of 10. Brilliant and thank you so much!

Congratulations Steph, a lovely car for you. I had a Marina Van with the 1300. I often thought how it would be with a Rover V8 engine. Although the 1300 seemed to have a bit of go

thank you so much for your videos, your a star and love site. had one of these a later one and crashed it learning how to drive sorry (1986 ish) :( enjoyed it was my baby keep them coming x

Brilliant video. You ve bought a great car. I had a coupe back in the day and my brother had a 1300 saloon. We loved them but both had a problem with water getting into the boot which I believe was a common problem. Look forward to seeing how you get on with her. Best wishes for your channel. Its fantastic.