The Maxi that got away

I'm sure all car enthusiasts have been through it many times: the excitement of a potential purchase followed by disappointment when things don't work out and you end up leaving the seller's house without the car. Rusty Old Rubbish may be mostly about old cars but there is one important thing missing as we don't actually own one at the moment, although efforts are being made to rectify that situation. With forthcoming changes in circumstances hopefully meaning the loss of a dull modern car and me being able to drive again soon, the time has come to get another classic, but the first attempt to buy one sadly failed despite our best efforts in slightly odd circumstances. Nonetheless it was an interesting experience and not a complete waste of time like some car viewings turn out to be.

The perfect Maxi that narrowly escaped our grasp

Having read my piece extolling the virtues of the Austin Maxi, my dad got all nostalgic for the one he used to own and decided he wanted another. Maxis aren't exactly plentiful but among all the basket cases and hideous beige Maxi 2s, amazingly an online search soon turned up what seemed to be the ideal car on the club website: tax exempt, low mileage, excellent condition, a nice colour (Teal Blue), and in Bedford so fairly local. Although we weren't really looking to buy until October, this was too good a chance to miss so I persuaded him to call the seller straightaway. The response was unexpected: he had several people interested in the car but had been working away from home since it was advertised so no one had been able to see it yet, and he invited all the interested parties to come and view it at the same time on a Friday morning. The scene was set for an unusual car buying experience...

People fighting to buy a Maxi? I guess that proves it's a proper classic

After a lot of agonising over what to do, Friday came and off he went to Bedford for the appointed time, fully prepared to buy the car there and then if it was as good as described - sadly I couldn't go with him as I was needed at work. One potential buyer didn't turn up so it was between my dad and another chap, a nice guy and clearly a knowledgeable enthusiast, as was the seller who also owned a number of other classics and was looking to downsize his collection. A 1973 M-registered Maxi 1750, the object of their desire had covered just 41,000 miles (that's less than a thousand per year) and the seller was only the second owner. He had owned it since 2000 and it seems to have spent a substantial amount of time off the road (hence the low mileage), but he had fully restored it from a very poor state around ten years ago and given it a fresh MoT before sale, so it really was as good as it looked in the advert and could be one of the best Maxis in existence.

Both had a drive and a good look around it and concluded it was an excellent car that had clearly been cherished and was well worth more than the asking price, which left everyone wondering what would happen next as both were keen to buy it - a fight to the death perhaps? The seller wasn't sure what to do until the other chap suggested a sealed bid auction, so it became the reverse of the usual haggling scenario with both potential buyers writing down their maximum offers and giving them to the seller. My dad offered substantially more than the asking price with the promise of an immediate cash payment and taking the car away there and then, but the other guy obviously wanted it even more as he was prepared to offer a full £1000 more than the advertised price!

It looks brown but the interior is actually limeflower. An odd choice with a blue exterior.

I have to say it is a rather odd feeling to offer more than the asking price and still lose out on a car, and not so long ago it would have been unthinkable that people would be fighting over an Austin Maxi! It was certainly an interesting experience that my dad had never been through before in all his years of buying cars, and makes a change from the most common reason for not buying because the car was an overpriced and misdescribed pile of rubbish - quite the opposite in fact. The new owner clearly really wanted a Maxi and knows how to look after it so I don't begrudge him buying it - he has got himself a superb example of the Maxi so I wish him all the best with his new purchase and hope he gets a lot of enjoyment from driving it.

One interesting comment my dad made after driving this one, which is in fine fettle with no mechanical issues, was how awful the gearbox is, with lots of transmission whine and an obstructive change, especially into the much-hyped fifth gear. This is the later rod-change box that was supposedly a great improvement over the original cable change (which must have been truly dire) and really spoilt the car's otherwise fine driving experience, which vindicates my belief that the Maxi was basically a good concept but was let down by some very poor execution of its main selling points. Other options are being explored but a Maxi hasn't been ruled out if the right car comes along - if anyone knows of one for sale then please leave a comment.

Maxi wishlist:

• Pre-1976 so tax exempt
• Manual gearbox
• MoTed and roadworthy
• Good bodywork
• Preferably a nice colour (not beige or brown) 
• Budget £2-3000
• Reasonable distance from Buckingham MK18

This one ticked all of those boxes, but of course that is asking an awful lot and another such car may not exist so compromises may be necessary. Most of the Maxis advertised at the moment seem to be either unroadworthy basket cases or immaculate examples offered by dealers for too much money, with very little in between. Oddly, there are three beige Maxi 2s (horrible) and most of the earlier cars seem to be painted Sandglow so this was obviously a popular colour despite its awfulness. There's no real hurry to buy so hopefully the right car will come along sooner or later...