Yes, MGB GT.
They don't fundamentally boil over, and the handling isn't excessively wayward. They weren't sportscars even when new, mind. It'd certainly be quieter than an S3 and more bearable on long distances - I used to use mine for a 150-mile weekly commute and, once I'd sorted the worst of the engine (previous owner, dodgy carbs, failing water pump), it was fine.
Come to think of it, I still own it, probably should get rid, it's been sitting in a barn for 10+ years. Battery probably needs charging...
They're easy to bin because they're easy to source. There's always an easy purchase that someone's poured a load of cash into and then died or realised that they'd prefer a Kia (much the same thing)
I own a T-reg MG F, and quite honestly I think that's the better car over the MGB.
MGFs are much more technically advanced than MGBs obviously, and at the moment they can almost literally be had for a few quid, with the potential of becoming real classics ten years down the line, when most of them will have died a slow death at the hands of teenlad boy racers and skint third-hand owners with no proper skill or money to do all the necessary repairs.
MGFs have their own set of typical problems, yes, like overheating and head gasket failure (although the latter is almost always the result of improper bleeding of the coolant system). And torsion stiffness is piss poor, compared to today's convertibles.
But you'd have trouble finding other cars for as little money with as much character.
>>3446 It was probably a terrible failure, any old escort has probably had at least a few children in her at some point, and they lose all their charm after that.
I don't know why anybody would do up such a humdrum car like the Escort. There are countless other cars which would be worth restoring, it doesn't have to be such a bland everyday car.