1969 Leyland Maxi review from UK and Ireland

Minor electrical problems.

Suspension problems and collapse.

Driver's seat broke.

The car that wouldn't die

I bought my Maxi on the advice of an older relative. Ugly dull and totally lacking in charm; it was cheap to insure as a new driver and spacious.

I was the laughing stock of some of my mates, who had Cortinas and Escorts. But it was only going to be a cheap first car. I had a high powered Yamaha 750 motorbike for fun, so I really didn’t care.

Practical and boringly reliable; I just filled it with petrol and serviced it regularly, and it went on forever.

Well until the rust devil killed it. It had so much filler in the end, that it was hard to find metal under the paint. The jacking points were so corroded that if I ever had to change a wheel, the car would have partially disintegrated into dust!

Driving a Maxi was an interesting experience; the gear change was legendary; you had to kind of stir the long lever to change gear. It required some practice, but it you could drive a Maxi smoothly, you could drive anything.

The suspension had a few problems and collapsed in its last months of use; but overall I kept it for 4 years more than intended, as I didn’t use it much, and it was a reliable old bus!

I sold it for scrap after 5 years; with the engine reincarnated into a newer model.