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Post by Deleted on Aug 31, 2016 23:41:48 GMT
I started off trying to list every car I've ever had, it got very ridiculous, very quickly.
So I thought I'd list my top 10. I chose the cars of which I have the fondest memories, the cars I wish I still had, or just the ones I liked. I've missed millions that I also loved, but what the hell.
As they say on X Factor, in no particular order.....
Lancia Beta 2000 HPE
My first posh car. In reality it was a dog underneath, but it was pretty, well equipped, bit unusual and a darn sight faster than the Triumph Toledo which preceded it. - and it was a great summer for a variety of reasons. The only car I ever bought on credit, and that was a dumb idea. Also the first car I ever had which didn't have plastic seats.
Ford Cortina MKIII 2.0GXL (might have been a GL)
I thought, and think, that they are great looking cars. I wish that they were actually as big as I remember them, but nonetheless I loved it, plastic seats n' all. I swapped a Chrysler Alpine for it.
Fiat X19
Shut up. I liked it. Removable roof, two seater, and like driving a go-kart. Another very good summer.
VW Phaeton.
Quite simply the best car I have ever owned. Also the last new car I ever bought. I had intended to buy an S Class after, but the S Class wasn't as good and depreciated at £1,300 per month, and that was before operational costs. So my next car was a 100,000 mile V70 with a dodgy gearbox for said £1,300.
Vauxhall Cavalier 2.0GL (I think it was, it might have been an L)
It was a good enough car, nothing wrong with it and until I wrapped it just outside Winchester nothing went wrong with it. Special because it was the first car I ever had that someone else paid for.
Chrysler 2.0l (looked like a very big Avenger).
Another good summer, a "bench" front seat and a gorgeous girl called Wendy. Thank you.
Ford Anglia.
We painted it black with Dulux gloss to cover the rust and red oxide paint and drove it into London, paint still wet, No tax, no insurance, but my first visit to London. I felt good. It was an utter dog of a car, it didn't do anything well, including starting. But I went to.... *London*!!!
Ford Escort XR3i.
Brilliant car. just brilliant. Went like sticky stuff off a diggy thing. Pretty, newish, and really, really fun to drive. Unless it was raining. Then not so much.
Austin Maxi (not the wedgy one).
It probably wasn't as good as I remember, but I recall a reliable, comfortable, economic and large vehicle that never went wrong. not the prettiest, but a good car by every standard I had at the time. Left hand windscreen wiper used to fall off sometimes.
BMW 316.
By every standard an utter crap pile of shit with no equipment and a shite engine. But, clear as you like, I remember driving down the A27 looking at the badge on the steering wheel thinking "who'd have ever thought that I would ever have a new one of these" and trying to remember the name of my careers teacher so that I could send them a rude letter.
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Post by lygonos on Sept 1, 2016 21:02:16 GMT
1978 VW Passat 1.6 GLS (85hp twin choke carb rather than the 75hp single choke of the LS) - Painted with red emulsion - absolute turd which eventually caught fire from a fuel leak. But it was epically faster than any of my mate's cars.
1972 Triumph 2000 (with overdrive!!!!!) - lovely car but was past 100,000miles and needed a different mechanical repair every month for the 2 years I had it. Silky smooth straight 6 - pretty gutless 90hp though.
1975 Triumph 2500 (non-fuel injected, torquey but only 9hp more than the 2000 it replaced)
1981 Renault 5 GTL - rustbucket, very willing 1.4 engine, rolled through bends like a clown car - soiled myself doing 100 down the big left hander on the M90 before Perth as it felt it was going to roll over
1984 Mini Mayfair - loaner while the T2000 was having some engine work done - headrest was between my shoulderblades - banged into the rump of a Sierra when I wasn't paying attention West End of Edinburgh smashing both headlamps and denting the grill (no damage to the Sierra) - ragged the nips off it on the newly opened Edinburgh bypass managing to get more out of 3rd gear (87mph) than I could out of 4th gear (84mph). 2 scrappie headlamps and some bending of the grill, along with 2 bottles of Stop Smoke in the sump and was 'good as new' when it went back to the garage....
1980 Maxi HL 1750 automatic - my first autobox and a surprisingly nice car to drive - used it to drive every day in and out of Glasgow from West Lothian for 2 years with very little problem other than servicing. First owner had Dinitrolled it from new and although there was some rust bubbling through the front wing at a muck-trap, the underneath was absolutely solid - some arse in an Astra wrote it off running into the back of me while fannying with his stereo.
1984 Datsun (not Nissan!) Laurel 2.4SGL manual - a Jap take on the straight-six saloon - for it's time miiiiles ahead of the Granada/Carlton/Rover SD1 for reliability - spongy velour interior - fitted some huge rear tyres from a scrapped Toyota Celica (probably 205/60x14!) and it handled like a Boss
1986 Nissan Laurel 2.4SGXi auto - fantastically smooth barge - tweedy-cloth interior and overdrive autobox - I had a blanket and cushions on the shelf behind the rear seats for car camping (initially did that with the Maxi where the rear seats could fold backwards as well as forwards, making a double bed big enough for my lanky frame)
1989 Nissan 300ZX - last of the pop-up headlamp ones - targa roof and looked good in drug-dealer white - 3 litre V6 only pumped out 160hp but it sounded awesome on full throttle - technologically so far ahead of the Capri my mate had and handled much better - managed to blow the wee engine oil cooling radiator coming home from the Borders bought 10 litres of cheap oil from a garage and had to refill the engine when I saw the oil pressure gauge dropping - 2 gallons of oil slowly spraying out from beneath the car. Apologies to any bikers who left the tarmac as a result.
1986 Honda Prelude 1.8 auto - delicious handling - electric windows, sunroof and mirrors - 4 speed auto - 12 valve twin-carb engine - 45,000 miles in 3 years with servicing and a rear wheel bearing - eventually rusted in bits not compatible with cheap MOT repairs and had to be put down...
...that's ten of my earlier crapheaps - Fiesta Popular Plus (it had a passenger door mirror, unlike the Popular!), Carlton 2200i, Civic VTi, Forester 2.5XT, Shogun 3.2, Swift Sport, Austin Princess, BMW 735i, Honda CRV, Rover SD1 2.6, Citroen ZX 1.9D, Citroen C2 VTS can all have dishonourable mentions as former conveyances.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2016 21:25:59 GMT
Hard list to follow....of your cars I would have loved to drive the Phaeton. I did drive an X1/9 which was great and the Lancia was so stylish.
My list would be...
Alfasud 1.5ti. Great car but Italian electrics and rust saw it off.
Fiat Uno 70SL. Also a great car, but it let water into the foot well so was replaced by a VW Golf 1.6CL which was less exciting but simply reliable and economical.
That was replaced by a Honda CRX VTi which was wonderful until I was forced into a company car...Orion injection GLX. Bit like a saloon XR3i but with a dodgy fuel gauge and appalling turning circle.
After that my choices have generally been large and comfortable cruisers including three Subaru, BMW 730i, Mercedes C200 and E350, Peugeot 605, Honda Accord 4WS, Volvo S80, Ford Smax and a very short period in a dog like XC90. I don't regret any of the purchases other than the XC90 which I knew was a mistake the second I drove it away. Changes made because I could rather than a specific need apart from the move to the Smax. Of all my cars the only two I would buy again are the Forester XT and the Smax.
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Post by Humph on Sept 1, 2016 21:43:21 GMT
Going to have to give this some proper thought. There are indeed some highlights, some depths of dreadfulness, and many mundane but functional on the list.
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Avant
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Post by Avant on Sept 1, 2016 21:57:37 GMT
The current V60 is my 21st car since my first in 1969 (not counting about 15 that SWMBO has had) - seems a lot but perhaps not by the standards of forum members?
One's first car is usually special and I was lucky with mine - a 1955 Austin A50 Cambridge bought when I left university in 1969. Always started first time and never let me down.
I had 2 Maxis in the 1970s - both very reliable, despite what the press said at the time, and the twin-carburetter HL would see off an MGB up to about 70 mph.
A Renault 20 TS was the first of seven company cars, all big Renaults, and there was always one to fit our growing family (4 children). These spanned 1980-2001 and were all reliable and supremely comfortable. I used to do upwards of 30,000 miles a year and the Espace did about 125,000 miles.
A new job with a higher salary instead of a car led to a series of VW Group cars which unlike Renaults held their value. The Audi A4 Avant 2.5 TDI was special - I loved having six cylinders, and all three Octavia vRS estates were great, especially the last one, a petrol manual. The V60 is growing on me: loosening up nicely and hopefully a better long-term bet than the VW Group cars, which didn't go wrong but none of which I kept for more than 3 years.
Oh, and I forgot the BMW Z3 - so it's 22 cars in total - which was a lot of fun for the five years I had it. Lovely 2.2 straight-six: a cruiser rather than a sports car but that suited me.
Disappointments - not many. My first new car was an MG 1300 in 1971 - much less reliable than the 14-year-old Austin. And the Mercedes B200 CDI (2006) which I've mentioned before.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2016 0:12:56 GMT
>> and the twin-carburetter HL would see off an MGB up to about 70 mph.
So would a particularly determined poodle. I had a rubber bumper MGB Roadster. But pretty though it was, and I loved it, it was a total dog. Rusty, leaky, noisy, cold, under powered and unreliable. But, like I say, very pretty. Not totally unlike my girlfriends of that period, I guess.
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Post by tyrednexited on Sept 2, 2016 7:52:01 GMT
....Not totally unlike my girlfriends of that period, I guess..... ...also rubber-bumpered? |
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WDB
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Post by WDB on Sept 2, 2016 8:03:44 GMT
I counted all the cars I've had, then added MrsB1's. Didn't have to take my socks off. You could probably tell me eight of them.
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Post by Alanović on Apr 26, 2017 11:59:12 GMT
Alfasud 1.5ti. Great car but Italian electrics and rust saw it off.
My favourite car I've never owned, nearly did once but I've told that story before (an Italian girl was involved). Was reminded of it again yesterday morning when I saw TUJ 299R, a 2-door olive green Sud in original, non-restored condition with its original number plates (the black number and letters being proud of the surface, square on the back), entering the M3 northbound at Junction 5. Sob. Want.
Best cars are a bit of a hard one - was it good because it was reliable, good value, memorable for an aspect of performance or looks, or something else?
Undoubtedly the best car I ever owned when looked at in the round was my Ford Mondeo MkII 1.8LX estate (petrol). Stonking value for money, cost £8k at a year old with 13k miles, and we did about 100k mile sin it without a breakdown or non-consumable item expense. Utterly brilliant in the way it drove, handled, rode, performed. Totally practical too. And really frugal running costs. Why the hell I felt the need to replace it with a bloody SEAT Ibiza 1.2 I'll never fathom. Utter moron.
I've had (I think) 32 other cars over the years, my current two (Mazda 6 and Merc E320) get in to the top 10, the other 7 would be, considering all aspects of buying/ownership: Alfa 33 (utter hoot to drive), FIAT Regata (following Otto's Wendy/Chrysler tale, a summer in Andalucia and a brunette), Smart Roadster (utter hoot to drive), Mk1 Escort (1st car, fond memories, a blonde girl involved), Volvo 360 (£100 to buy, ran for 2 years with no non-consumable expenditure, gave away to friend in need and it lasted another year), Volvo 480 (hilarious), FIAT Marea (value for money, way under-rated car).
And I haven't even mentioned my 2CV and VW Beetle 1303.
We all neeeeed a thread resurrection.....
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2017 12:17:42 GMT
Purely on miles vs. expenditure...
Volvo V70, bought with a duff gearbox for £1,300 ish. £12.00 sensor replaced which fixed all gearbox issues. Driven for around 60,000 miles with no expenditure other than petrol and oil. I don't remember replacing brake pads, but I guess I must have done. Not the discs though.
Sold for £1,000.
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Post by Alanović on Apr 26, 2017 12:23:54 GMT
A £1500 car of a known reliable model with sub-100k miles is surely the safest motoring bet, financially speaking.
I've been driving old bangers for a few years now, whilst the young 'uns are in fee-paying school, and I had been dreaming of the financial liberation at the end, enabling a nice, shiny new car. Now I'm not so sure I'd bother. Future emissions legislation is the only thing that might get in the way of running old bangers now.
I notice from my list of favourites that most have been old bangers when I bought them, except the Mondeo. We've had 4 brand new cars, none of them are featuring.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2017 12:49:23 GMT
I've certainly lost my interest in expensive new cars. I like buying good condition, but older, higher mileage luxury cars. And frankly compared to the depreciation on a newer car, one can afford to throw the odd one away.
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Post by Alanović on Apr 26, 2017 12:56:57 GMT
Exactly. I've had my first dabble with that approach with our E Class. I've got it a bit wrong with this specific car, but there we go. It's still a very, very nice car and will hopefully last a few more years (it's been a year already).
Would like to upgrade the Mazda to a Lexus or a Merc E500 or something, but can't justify it really.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 26, 2017 13:18:45 GMT
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Post by Alanović on Apr 26, 2017 13:28:10 GMT
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