No.6 had just failed its roadworthy test due to a faulty brake master cylinder. The owners were preparing it for sale - but the repair would likely cost as much as it would earn.

The mechanic advised them that I was probably the only person who would have been interested in buying it anyway - so they brought it to me and I gave them a few dollars for what parts it might represent.

6 months later I had to repair it when my blue car needed a transmission rebuild, and I needed temporary wheels. It proved to be a big surprise and has now become a project in its own right.

No.5 was a 1 owner from new 1973 1800cc Estate. It seemed that I was becoming known as a Marina collector, and I was offered payment to remove it from the owners garage. It was in terrific condition and I paid them instead - but the plates were gone as the rego had lapsed for some years, and as it was a Mk 1 there were not many bits that I could use.

I swapped the rear axle with the blue Estate, and decided to remove the engine and gearbox then dispose of the rest. Trouble was - I couldn't bring myself to wreck such an immaculate item.

Finally I gave it away in return for some Princess seats and a spare auto plus fittings.

No.11 my first 'expensive' Marina. I had been keeping in touch with the owner of this car for several months. He had initially phoned me in response to an ad I had placed wanting to buy Marina Mk3's, but I was not sure that I wanted to pay the asking price.

It lived 200 miles away, but one weekend I drove there with my son, and we were able to drive the car for a few miles. It seemed very true to its original 78,000 k's in all mechanical aspects, and the bodywork was the best I had ever seen.

After some negotiating, I agreed to buy it for NZ$1600 - providing it was warranted and rego'd - which would cost him about $250.

No 2. This is where the engine and transmission went. I decided that I could probably use an estate for my work, and bought this one in a very miserable state.

Badged locally as a Morris 1700 Mk II, it was first registered in 1981, but was in a very neglected state when I bought it. The motor had been changed at least once, and was only just driveable. The gearbox was quite good, and I should have kept it - but I did not intend to own any more Marinas besides this one.

Pictured after its initial rebuild, I have now owned it nearly 10 years, and its my favourite vehicle.

I have no photos of my first Marina. It was traded for a washing machine at a time when I needed another car quickly, and it had been sitting on the roadside within a block of my house. It was a 1975 1.8 HL auto, and it served me well enough while I sorted out some other car problems.

Its problem was the rot that had attacked the bodywork - having lived on the West Coast of the South Island - a place renowned for its rainfall. Also - the vinyl roof had succumbed to the effects of nature - so I ripped it off - and my subsequent attempts to aerosol the scarred roof only added to its distress. It became known as the 'spray-bomb'.

As soon as it was taken out of service, I removed motor and transmission, and had the rest removed by the body snatchers. I knew that I would find a home for the twin carb B series motor soon enough...

No.12 - "Moss". This car had been standing in a field for 9 years, after the motor made a bad rattle and the owner parked it up. To my total surprise, when we opened the door, there was no damp smell at all, and the interior was in very good condition.

Seats, doorpanels, headlining, dashboard and gauges were all absolutely fine and well worth saving. I purchased the car for NZ$100 purely for wrecking.

Both front tyres are brand new, and the motor has had Volvo valves fitted - model unknown. It is possible that a dropped valve was responsible for the noise. Click photo for more pics.

No.13 - Another low mileage unit if the sellers are to be believed. Odometer reads 64,000 odd k's. Basically straight, it has a major dent in the rear bumper that has spread to the valance, so a little panel work to do. Otherwise a camshaft oil seal to replace, and the wiper stalk is non-standard, and the housing has been butchered to suit.

Interior is tidy enough to agree with mileage claims, but the fact that it has new plates suggests some time in storage - so possibly a few brake cylinders to attend to...

Current NZ rego and w.o.f means I can drive it home safely tomorrow - then I'll really start to investigate the beast thoroughly. Should prove a perfect stablemate to No.11, as it is also an auto, albeit 1 year newer.

No.10 estate was advertised in the local Buy/Sell, and I went to inspect it. The clutch was so badly stuffed that the car would not move when in gear. I did not hear the engine run - they said the battery was the problem - but it was of no concern - I was buying it for parts only.

Basically intact, the only rust spot I could find was just below the front screen on the passenger side. The motor looked incredibly clean, and I decided that this would be the donor car for the first 2 litre engine project. If I used this block, then the other cars could remain useable until the motor was complete and ready to be installed. I gave the man $200 and towed it home. Seem to be entering my 'yellow' phase..!

No.3 was a crashed version of the one pictured. I knew the owner, and had helped to keep it going by giving assistance when required.

The young owner had crashed it into something seriously solid, wrecking the left front, but then it had been vandalised internally, and was in a terminal state when it was given to me for parts and I trailered it home.

The body was covered in painted graffiti, and many useful parts were missing or destroyed. I removed what I could use and sent it to the crusher. Once again - in hindsight, I could have kept a lot more useful stuff if I had known that there would be more.

No.4 had belonged to friends for some years. I had suggested they buy one when they were searching for an English Estate to carry their musical instruments to gigs.

I helped to keep it roadworthy for a number of years, then they moved to Australia and gave it to me. It was in much better condition than my own Estate, and I was totally astounded to be given an entire working car.

As my eldest daughter was currently learning to drive my auto Estate, and this one was a factory auto, I decided to repair its current problems and give it to her to use. There was not much to do initially, but it had trouble ahead...

No.7 was delivered to me on a trailer. It had been in long-term storage since suffering a gearbox failure. This was a 1275cc manual - the A series engine. There was a replacement gearbox in the boot, but on inspection it proved to be from some model Ford.

I removed the windscreen washer nozzles and the lower rear door hinges - which are able to be used to replace worn-out upper front hinges on another car. These were the only bits I could use from it.

The body was sound and rust-free, so I gave it to the same chap who took the Mk 1 Estate - he had a lot more storage space than me..!

No.9 was a total fluke. I emailed the Rover club in Auckland looking for O series parts. I got a prompt reply from a chap who had a Marina HL motor and auto to get rid of. As he was 700 miles away it seemed out of the question - but then he mentioned he had a friend who needed to dispose of a 575 van. I negotiated to buy the lot, and they would assist to load up all the bits so I could fly up and drive it back. There were other obstacles to overcome too - but these guys were so good to deal with I decided to go for it. An adventure was unfolding..

No.8 I saw advertised on the internet. It was 20 miles away, and on the phone the seller could provide no details of year or model, but thought it said 'HL'.

I decided to take a look, and found a very tidy 1.8 HL manual. There were engine problems, but it represented a good set of parts and turned out to be a quite low mileage unit with some very nice items indeed. I determined to wreck it despite it being a one owner example - but I am going to keep absolutely everything except the body. Work has begun.

No.14 - A rust-free 575 van. Bought online on an impulse, it appeared from the photos to be a fairly straight and sound body.

Of course - not everything shows up in the photos - especially when they avoid showing the nasty bits.

Anyway - I wanted a good body - I guess I mostly got one. This will be a much better starting point for my van project, and the mechanical shortcomings can be overlooked as pretty well everything will be replaced in the powertrain - to make it a more suitable highway cruiser and weekend recreational unit.

First registered in 1981, it has some detail changes that I have not previously seen on a Marina.