1965 Riley 1.5 Saloon 1.5 petrol
Summary:
Dependable old friend, great car, everyone should try one at least once
Faults:
Nothing worth mentioning to be honest.
I rustproofed it just to be on the safe side, though.
General Comments:
This is a very reliable, very simple, user-friendly car. I'd say whoever owned it first got a lot of car for his money, and I think it suits me down to the ground as a first car.
It's pretty slow by today's standards, but it's still a serious machine, even on motorways, and it certainly isn't dull to drive. I love driving this car and wouldn't dare trade it for anything. Simply superb, with a pretty sweet character to boot.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 29th May, 2005
31st May 2005, 09:57
I remember going on a family holiday around Scotland in a borrowed two-tone grey Riley 1.5 in 1960...I was five years old. It seemed very modern and comfortable for its time, and fast.. the previous year we had gone on holiday in a two tone green Wolseley 1500, and there was no comparison in performance according to the chauffeur. At one stage my father drove for a good number of miles in third before he realised he had another gear to change up into, it was so (comparatively) quiet compared to our usual transport.
The only problem I remember was the difficulty in getting the twin-carburettors balanced... I presume they were SUs, and my father always seemed to be fiddling with them.
Otherwise a fine car, based (I think) on Morris Minor underpinnings.