12-06-2020, 04:12 PM
Colin, as others have said, before leaping into the unknown, test drive one. I have a standard 1933 box saloon which I restored in the 1980s and have been using and abusing ever since. Compared to anything post war or modern the performance is crap, as are the brakes. Handling can be best described as interesting. It's noisy, draughty and slow and certainly not for motorways and fast dual carriageways, but despite all its foibles and weaknesses it's still giving sterling service after 87 years, returning on average over 45mpg. I've lost count of the mileage it must have done ( the odometer is on furlough) but it will romp up any hill or mountain you point it at, and will always get to where you want to go, eventually. It's a bit cramped inside but the ride's not bad. There's no heater, air con or bluetooth, no power steering, stereo or carpets. The lights are crap, but converting to LEDs can help if you like driving in the dark ( I don't), but despite all its shortcomings I was happy to drive it to Santiago de Compostella and back last year, solo, with no back up. It never missed a beat over the 8 day journey. Others on here have done similar (and even more demanding) odysseys and their cars have always been a testament to their reliability. The important thing is to accept an A7 for what it is. A 1922 design that is simple and reliable, refined over its production lifetime but remaining basically unchanged. If you remember that it's an icon of motoring history and a mobile museum piece that will give you years of pleasure for a bit of TLC now and then, you'll not go far wrong.