1982 Morris Ital HL from UK and Ireland - Comments

The exhaust on this car will need replacing in the next few months.

The bottom of the front wings will need a small amount of welding.

Engine slightly smoky.

Always starts very well in whatever the weather.

The interior of the car is like new.

For only a 1.3cc engine the car performs very well seen as it has such a large saloon body.

The clutch like typical Marinas and Ital's is very sharp.

These cars were junk even when new.

Whatever made you buy one?

I disagree with the previous comment, I have owned many of these cars and they are great.

They are always reliable, and provide great cheap transport.

They cannot have been that bad to have survived so long.

There is a thriving club which thinks they are great, and I agree.

Very few survive because they were so badly made.

Clubs exist for all sorts of junk cars, it's no guarantee of merit.

There is even an Allegro Owners' Club.

Strange it was so bad because it was based on the Morris Minor which was not a bad car.

They changed the name to Ital from Marina because the name Marina had such a bad reputation.

Nobody was fooled.

I think that everybody is entitled to their opinion about these cars, nearly everybody who comes to speak to me about my car has kind words to say and fond memories.

Sure they have some problems, but what car hasn't?

I have just traveled

900 miles in mine without any trouble, I averaged 30 mpg and cruised at 70 mph.

Unless you have owned an Ital don't knock it.

I love the Ital, I'm 24 and remember these little cars fondly. Although my family never owned one, I always thought they looked pretty smart. Not so long ago, I bought an Ital van... full of rust, but with bags of character and a real car to drive. I love it and it only cost £115!

You need to have experience of something before passing comment. An opinion along the lines of "I don't like them so they must be bad" is worthless.

Marinas and Itals were some of the few cars that actually made money for BL, proving more reliable than other models. They were a reliable, spacious and economical family car, and no more rust prone than Escorts, Cortinas, Vivas or Avengers.

Over 700,000 Marinas/Itals were built in total, which I think speaks volumes.

No, having an owners club doesn't automatically mean a car is any good, but it does show that there are people who like them.

I agree. One of the most popular cars pf the '80s was the mk2 cavalier. Reliable, pokey, every man and his dog owned one - so where have they all gone? Does the fact that it's officially the most scrapped car in the last 20 years mean it was a bad one?

You bought an Ital not to impress the neighbours/workmates/fellow chavvy mates who hang around the retail park (like people do today) but because it provided cheap reliable family motoring. If you expect Rolls Royce standards of quality and refinement, go buy a Rolls Royce.