It's a new car (sound of discordant trumpets)

In between running my gardening business, feeding two teenagers and the dogs and two dozen unproductive chooks, I like to get onto, in, or beside, the water. But, to get near water one needs a motor vehicle.
Now, for me, motor vehicles fall into the category of houses, a boring necessity of life. I really hate having to work or spend time repairing cars or painting houses and co. For me, I would really prefer to liveaboard a large old boat; may be with plants in pots, but no designer bathroom or kitchen, no tedium. That's the background, now the present.
For the last few years I've been talking around in an ex-army Land Rover. And really it has been fantastic except for tolerating people's quips, criticisms and disdainful glances. Sometimes i can't figure whether this is about them not feeling comfortable with people bucking the system or its thumping great noise and beat aesthetic. Anyway, it's not my brother to worry what others think (thanks Buddhist Wisdom).
So anyway, last week as i was taking miniscule and slow steps toward my ultimate goal of living off grid on a large boat and riding myself of anything suburban in appearance, I promised to give my Rover to my daughter for her eighteenth birthday. This has passed the week before, so it's time to move.
Initially my plan was to replace the head gasket on my Ford ute and get that registered, but it has a "fatal" design fault in that it blows radiators and head gasket each Christmas. Plan B required.
After looking on the used car market I've discovered that most modern cars have the same fatal flaws. So go old?
Old Rovers have gone through the roof cost wise as people have realised they're a snap to work on and are reliable and beat.
Don't know how, but some weeks ago i rediscovered the Hillman Minx, a sixties British sedan, compact, stylish and reliable. Performance-wise the Hillman suits me, it's kind of pedestrian. She'll just plod along, but with a bit of old school maintenance she's pretty reliable. And so far the "car enthusiast" crowd have largely ignored the Hillman Minx.
There are only occasional murmurings on the used car market and a good few of those are just too "projecty" for my interests so it's going to be difficult to get hold of one. The project car sellers tend to market the dream while those with drivable vehicles know they have a rare type. Oh K'ism, such a pleasure.