hoopsontoast Posted April 21, 2020 Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 Hi Guys, A sensible question here, I am looking to get another classic later in the year, once the lockdown has eased (hopefully) and we have moved house (hopefully). I had narrowed my choice down to a Mk2 Vitesse, 2500S Saloon or possibly a TR7 but having my sensible head on, we are looking to start a family at some point in the future, and as this will be a weekend car (longer trips away for example) it would need to be practical. This pretty much rules out the TR7 straight away. I have had penty of experience owning classic triumphs while Single (Dolomite Sprint, 1850HL and TR7. Also a shared 13/60 with an ex girlfriend) but obviously not owned one, or used one with a young child. How practical are older classics such as the Mk2 Vitesse or 2500S when integrating child seats for example? Or is it going to be a non-starter? My daily is a BMW E90 330i with Isofix built in so straight away, thats a doddle. Cheers, Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul H Posted April 21, 2020 Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 I fitted lap seat belts in the rear of my mk 2 vitesse saloon , easy job . With the lap belts o believe you can use these in conjunction with child seats . Reasonable amount of room as well welcome to the forum Paul 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted April 21, 2020 Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 Hi Rob, it has to be a 2500s but then again i am biased as i have one.( I would love a Vitesse but they don't do an automatic,) bags of room for a family though and you can put 3 point fixing seat belts in the rear. The Dolomite 1850 is same, but not quite as much room. Look at all of them before buying. The only downside to a Vitesse would be getting children in and out of child seats. Tony. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoopsontoast Posted April 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 8 minutes ago, poppyman said: Hi Rob, it has to be a 2500s but then again i am biased as i have one.( I would love a Vitesse but they don't do an automatic,) bags of room for a family though and you can put 3 point fixing seat belts in the rear. The Dolomite 1850 is same, but not quite as much room. Look at all of them before buying. The only downside to a Vitesse would be getting children in and out of child seats. Tony. I would lean towards a 2500S over the 1850 purely because of the straight-6 engine, having owned an 1850 and a Sprint, I found the 1850 a better day to day car due to the more relaxed torque/power band. The sprint was great, even when not running that well when hooning around but found it a bit frustrating with all the power being at the top end. My heart says Vitesse with the ease of repair and parts availablity but head says 2500S with the space, ride comfort and refinement. 1850 could be an option I guess but I would love a Straight-6 for the torque as most of our weekend trips are motorway/A roads. Good point on the Vitesse with the fold forward seats, I had not thought about that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoopsontoast Posted April 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 33 minutes ago, Paul H said: I fitted lap seat belts in the rear of my mk 2 vitesse saloon , easy job . With the lap belts o believe you can use these in conjunction with child seats . Reasonable amount of room as well welcome to the forum Paul Thanks, looking at photos there did not seem to be many places to mount a rear seatbelt in the Vitesse, my old Sprint had seatbelts retrofitted so I assume that a 2500S would be simple to install. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Lewis Posted April 21, 2020 Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 rear seat belts in a vitesse , yes in a saloon lap belts are easy there are major difficulties in convertible rear belts, like there are none , without some serious work child seats in a tip up seat 2 door vitesse is a challenge i had inertia in the back of the 2000 saloon but there is not enough room to accept the pendlum box on the off side so reel is on the wonk needs a rework of the shelf mounts to be more inboard ... on to do list currently have static rear belts but they become a mess of spare belt and not the best either Pete 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted April 21, 2020 Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 1 hour ago, hoopsontoast said: I would lean towards a 2500S over the 1850 purely because of the straight-6 engine I had an 1850 as my daily driver for a few years, then replaced it with a 2500S. I would definitely go for the 2500! Everything about it is just nicer. In terms of child seats, either a Dolomite or one of the 2000 range has got to be a better bet than a Vitesse,for all the reasons already given. In fact, the reason I was able to buy my current Vitesse was that the previous owner had started a family and child seat requirements meant Tessa never got used. (The child in question is now at Uni... I tend to hang on to my Triumphs) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave.vitesse Posted April 21, 2020 Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 Some 45 years ago I fitted Britax child car seats into the Toledo we had at the time. There are lower fixing points, fixed nuts in the body, behind the rear seat and one on the parcel shelve. I added a fourth with a thick plate to carry the load. The same will be true for all the Dolomite range. The Vitesse doesn't have any fixing for rear belts or child seats. As already said the Herald/Vitesse convertible would be a problem fixing a child seat. Dave 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoopsontoast Posted April 21, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 Thanks guys, it sounds like the Vitesse will be a non-starter then from a practicality view, the 2500S seems a much more sensible choice! Much appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrapman Posted April 21, 2020 Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 A 2000 might be just as good, if not better, as the earlier Mk2 and even more so the Mk1 are generally made with better steel. If desperate for a bit more torque then you could retro fit a 2.5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted April 21, 2020 Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 A good 2000 or 2500 Estate would carry all the paraphrenalia you need for kids, too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nigel Clark Posted April 21, 2020 Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 In your position, I would choose the big saloon or estate, 2.5 litre for preference but condition is most important, and if a cracking 2000 turned up for sale, it would be well worth considering. These cars are smooth comfortable and fairly spacious, much better than a Vitesse for back seat passengers. Nigel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted April 21, 2020 Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 1 hour ago, Nigel Clark said: much better than a Vitesse for back seat passengers Vitesse or Herald saloon back seats are ok for children or small adults, provided the front seat occupants are also small. The convertibles....... medium sized dogs, small children (under 12), or double amputees. On either, even assuming you could come up with a suitable fixing methods for child seats (actually reasonably easy on a saloon I think, not so much on a convertible), loading the child in would be a chore. Any two door is. We sold a perfectly good 2 door Golf GTI in favour of a 4 door when kids came along. To prove that you can use a Vitesse convertible to transport a family of 4 to Switzerland and back......... Boys aged 9 & 12. Didn't whinge much bless 'em! (They have lap belts) Snug. Camping gear NOT an option! Much as I love my Vitesse, either a Dolly or big saloon would be far more practical. Nick 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted April 21, 2020 Report Share Posted April 21, 2020 3 hours ago, hoopsontoast said: Thanks guys, it sounds like the Vitesse will be a non-starter then from a practicality view, the 2500S seems a much more sensible choice! Much appreciated! If you can find a 2000 with power steering? so much the better, they are heavy when parking etc. But then i am an old git Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoopsontoast Posted April 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2020 10 hours ago, poppyman said: If you can find a 2000 with power steering? so much the better, they are heavy when parking etc. But then i am an old git Tony. This is why I singled out the 2500S as a starting point. 😀 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Lindsay Posted April 22, 2020 Report Share Posted April 22, 2020 10 hours ago, Nick Jones said: To prove that you can use a Vitesse convertible to transport a family of 4 to Switzerland and back......... Hats off to long-time Northern Ireland member Paul Robinson who attended Stafford in a 1200 coupe with a family of four and full camping gear. THAT was impressive! I always needed an estate car, as much for the spares I brought home as for the stuff I brought with me; hence if I was buying a big Triumph I'd go for the estate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorkshire_spam Posted April 22, 2020 Report Share Posted April 22, 2020 We just about manage with 2 adults and 2 "kids" in the Dolomite on classic car events. But the 2 kids in question are my 6 foot something son and my 19 year old daughter... so no car seats or booster seats required. Previous owner had fitted 2x3point inertia seatbelts in the back of the Dolomite, which is nice! I recon you can't go wrong with a 2000/2500 as a family classic. Space, accessibility etc etc, everything you need! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted April 22, 2020 Report Share Posted April 22, 2020 4 hours ago, yorkshire_spam said: I recon you can't go wrong with a 2000/2500 as a family classic. Space, accessibility etc etc, everything you need! Just bear in mind that while in width and height, by modern standards they are small to tiny, they are long. This may challenge your garage....... Caught me out! Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NonMember Posted April 22, 2020 Report Share Posted April 22, 2020 36 minutes ago, Nick Jones said: Just bear in mind that while in width and height, by modern standards they are small to tiny, they are long. When I had my PI estate, I parked it at work one day next to a colleague's Porsche - a 992, I think, but I can never figure out how they number the more recent versions of the 911. Anyway. The Porsche is the same length as the PI. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoopsontoast Posted April 22, 2020 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2020 5 hours ago, NonMember said: When I had my PI estate, I parked it at work one day next to a colleague's Porsche - a 992, I think, but I can never figure out how they number the more recent versions of the 911. Anyway. The Porsche is the same length as the PI. I was just looking up online and I was quite supprised on the size. My daily is a BMW E90 330i Saloon, which is 4.52m long, and the 2500S Estate is exactly the same! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Jones Posted April 22, 2020 Report Share Posted April 22, 2020 Think the Mk2 saloons may be a bit longer than the estates 4.65m? As long as my A6. Nick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyman Posted April 22, 2020 Report Share Posted April 22, 2020 44 minutes ago, Nick Jones said: Think the Mk2 saloons may be a bit longer than the estates 4.65m? As long as my A6. Nick The facelift saloons are longer than the early ones because of the rubber strip on the bumpers...... Don't ask me how i found that out Tony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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