| Model year | 1970 |
| Year of manufacture | 1970 |
| First year of ownership | 2000 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2010 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.3 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 8 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 7 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 9 / 10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
7.3 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 32000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 39000 miles |
| Previous car | Rover - Austin America |
Summary:
Fun and interesting
Faults:
Rusted part in carburetor, master brake cylinder, alternator, oil leak, knobs broken off of heater lever.
General Comments:
I love this car. It handles very well and is very fun to drive.
It is not a fast car, but it runs very well. The 4 speed automatic transmission is very busy in city driving, and you can't miss when it shifts up or down.
It is very roomy inside.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 6th January, 2010
| Model year | 1969 |
| Year of manufacture | 1969 |
| First year of ownership | 1973 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 1973 |
| Engine and transmission | 4 cylinder Manual |
| Performance marks | 4 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 1 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) |
4.0 / 10
|
| Distance when acquired | 55000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 58000 miles |
Summary:
A Nightmare on Main Street
Faults:
Front drive shaft bent.
Transmission gear sheared.
Clutch slave cylinder leaked.
Discovered metal filings in the oil pan.
General Comments:
This was my first car, a 1969 Austin America. It was one of the first front wheel drive cars available at the time. It was kind of like a big Mini.
This was the wrong car for an American teenager. I drove it way too hard. It was a delicate flower. It made me swear off front wheel drive until the 1990's.
I do reflect fondly on the car though. The steering wheel was tilted, sort of like a van or bus. The car was fun to drive and I'd love to have the chance to drive another one. Definitely not a daily driver, and almost impossible to find now.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 3rd November, 2009
Yes it sounds like 3 out of 4 of the problems you listed were from misuse & abuse (not that they were a reliable car by any stretch).
I remember when my sister was looking for her first car, the local Ford dealer had a '69 Austin America, but my dad instead bought her a '65 LTD. I guess she was better off in the land yacht, but the Austin sure was cute.
I'm impressed somebody actually bought one of those in the US. It must have stood out like a sore thumb amongst all those full size sleds. The car really wasn't designed for a country the size of the USA; here in the UK they were normally bought by little old ladies as a shopping car. They are rare over here now too; they rusted appallingly even when new.
I bought the car because a friend of mine in high school had one. He used to talk about painting a big British flag on the roof. Whenever I stopped for fuel, service station attendants would talk to me about it (how long ago it's been when there were service station attendants?). I remember the car had a carburetor heater. One night I left the key on and heated the carb. all night long and the battery was dead. I recently found a picture of it, the only picture that exists. I keep it on my fridge.