1500s on the motorway

[OxfordCC]

I'm considering getting a Dolomite, having looked and read about them for the past month or so. I haven't owned one before, but I had a 1989 Mini until a couple of months so I have a bit of experience with classics. My query is basically how does the 1500 perform on the motorway? Except for occasionally pottering around town, a significant amount of the usage of my car is doing the 35 miles of motorway from my uni to home (at least once every two weeks). Is this beyond the 1500? My mini could only sensibly do 60mph on the motorway (without deafening me and putting considerable stress on the engine) but what kind of revs does a 1500 do 70mph at? 'Classics monthly' also warns that the infamous 1500 crankshaft can quickly degrade under sustained high speed use if the car isnt fitted with o/d, so would it not be sensible? I am saying all of this about the 1500 as I haven't seen any o/d 1500s or 1850s for sale in my area - besides i'd prefer the cheaper fuel and insurance of a 1500(o/d or not) vs. and 1850.

Thanks

[Dolly-Nut]

A standard 1500 without overdrive at 70 will be revving just north of 4k, depending on whether it has standard tyres/wheels, but a 1500 with O/D will be sitting at about 3.3k. http://www.mintylamb.co.uk/gearspeed/
I currently have a 1500 O/D for sale but I'm quite far away from you and I think it's being picked up at the weekend. I can remember doing 70 in it and it felt absolutely fine however, it was on Sprint wheels with 175/70 tyres which brought the gearing down a couple hundred revs. In my opinion cruising at 70 at 3.3k should be fine, but I wouldn't want to go any faster for long sustained running. You also have the option of fitting different wheels/tyres to bring the gearing down a bit more. I think for you and any motorway work, O/D is essential, and at the price of 1500 O/D gearboxes these days (£250 - 300 for a good one) it'd be best to buy a car with it already fitted than to buy one and attempt to convert it.
As for the bottom end on 1500s, yes I've also heard that they're weak but I haven't had any problems myself. As long as you stay clear of the redline (5k limit) and the engine is in good condition with good oil pressure, clean decent oil + filter, it should be fine for normal driving.

[Oli_88]

I thought the general consensus was that the 1850 (especially in Auto trim with it's 3.27 diff) was the most fuel efficient of the bunch...
Can't add much else really, having only owned one (ok, technically two, but the other never worked) 1850s.
1/2 hour-ish of motorway shouldn't hurt a 1500 that badly though. If you've done it in a Mini, the Dolly will be a bit of a treat.

[Dolly-Nut]

^ Agree. If you can afford the additional insurance and tax for an 1850, get one. They're much more refined and nicer to drive. The 1850 autos would be better on fuel on the motorway but an 1850 with O/D would almost be as good. For normal driving I expect there isn't much difference between them and the 1500s though.

[Toledo Man]

Also if you get an early 1850 you won't have to pay for road tax...

An 1850 auto is an absolute pleasure to drive. Motorway driving is no problem haing done a commute to York in Brown.

[Jod Clark]

My 1500 would happily sit at 110 on the motorway, but it was a bit special.

[OxfordCC]

Alright sounds like I just have to stay on the lookout for a good 1500 o/d or 1850 for sale at a reasonable price then.

[DavePoth]

1850 is really quite good on fuel in my experience - the more advanced cylinder head design does make a lot of difference. There isn't really much difference in economy between a manual 1850 and a manual 1500, but the performance is much better.