# Your First Car ???



## seiko6139

Hi all,

I am quite keen on older cars, particularly from the 60s and 70s.

I run a Vauxhall Viva HC as a second car, my main car is a Vectra CDX Automatic because I'm far too lazy to change gear!









My first car was a Vauxhall Chevette hatchback (1980 V) back in 1985.

What was your first car ? Would you buy one again as a hobby ?

I am considering buying a shuvvit again to re-live my youth as I loved mine so much. At least you can work on older cars!!









Ian


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## JoT

MkI 1100cc Ford Escort - UBT696H I got it in 1977 with 90,000 miles on the clock. it did 0-60mph in about two hours









I spent a fortune getting it painted acrylic black with a gold stripe, I also painted the interior vinyl black, put black seat covers on, took the wheel covers off and painted the wheels black, put in a cassette player that ate tapes ....







I have some good memories especially in the back seat


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## Fred

Jot, Black Black and more Black,like it







.

First car on the road was a Morris Minor, Low Light. that was the first Minor that was made with 6 volt lighting, the head lights were down each side of the radiator grill,unlike the Minor's you see today with the head lights on the top of the wings,Â£30 intake motor auctions Sheffield, worth a bomb today, would i buy another Yes no dout about it trouble is no were to keep em now. Last one i had was a 1936 Austin [10hp] Lichfield. show condition great little car. Great fun, and no need to spend a fortune on them, a bit of time,effort, and most important some where to keep em and work on em,







fred.


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## Roy

MkI Ford Escort, that light blue colour. Back shocks went.

The first car was a Black Morris Minor with red leather interior but I never got it on the road.


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## Silver Hawk

1968-reg Mini Van.









Loved that car / van. It was the type that had 2 front seats only and no side rear windows.....but many were converted, as soon as they were bought, to have a back fold-down seat....I can't remember the exact details but there was some tax concession / avoidance at the time that meant it was alot cheaper to buy it as a van and then add the rear seats...provided it still didn't have side windows at the rear.










Cheers

Paul


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## Roy

Yes Paul I remember that my dad had one of those, tight bugger.


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## pauluspaolo

Morris Marina














- the wings were 3/4 body filler so the headlights used to wobble when going down a bumpy road. The interior was sh*t brown which matched the blue exterior perfectly







. It was without doubt an obnoxious pile of steaming pooh! I was fortunate to be able to part exchange it for a rather nice 1981 Toyota Celica - my first proper car which I had for about 3 months before I crashed it







, I eventually got a pay out from the insurance company, repaired it and ran around in it for another year or so. It was as good as the Marina was bad - and much fun was had in it with my girlfriend of the time







. I'd love another as long as it was in good condition


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## pg tips

I think they still have this tax thing in Ireland and peugeot build a 306 van for the irish market.

My first car was a Mk III cortina 2 litre. Got it insured in my dads name as there was no way I could afford it! Blew the head gasket at about 110 MPH on the M4 near Reading!

Then had a 1.6 Mk II Crappy (I mean Capri)! Downhill from then on really (you can get worse belive me Moriss Ital estate to name but one!).


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## gravedodger

hey Ian, same here .... Vauxhall Chevette 1981 Silver Reed Green ... oh i loved that car even tho' it could be opened with a sturdy lollipop stick or any other key









3in1 oil every week into the carb for the damper ... adjusting the noisy tappets .. memories ... mmmmnnnn
















alas it is no more


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## jasonm

1972 pale blue VW Beetle 1200.....I loved it ...2nd car 1977 1300 '1303' Campaign last edition...loved that too!!

Jason


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## pauluspaolo

I'd like a shovit HS or HSR very rorty and sporty. I remember seeing a Chevette fitted with a Ford crossflow engine in a magazine once and that looked excellent. I'd like one but it'd have to modified









I'd like an Opel manta too one of the later "exclusive" models - rock hard ride but good to drive and quite quick apparently.


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## JoT

One day when I get a proper life and have a garage .... Ford Escort Mexico


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## Roy

I once had an Opel Olympia, very rare made only for a very short time aparantly.


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## pg tips

I always wanted a manta til I drove one!

Lusted after a golf mkI GTi convertable ever since I saw Bonnie Tyler driving one through Cardiff when I was 17!

Had the chance to buy one last year but common sense got the better of me!


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## pauluspaolo

PG

What was wrong with the Manta??


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## pg tips

I think I was expecting more than it delivered Paul. It was hard, noisey, slow, loads of oversteer and uncomfortable! Looking back now though perhaps it was supposed to be like that!


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## Stan

Reliant Regal 700E saloon.









Called Matilda 'cause it waltzed all over the road.


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## MIKE

Hi,

My first car was a 1973 M.G. Miget, the last of the chrome bumper and round rear wheel arch models before the American legislation spoilt them with rubber bumpers and made them go back to the less atractive looking square arches.

I spent many a happy hour driving it with the roof down even in the winter(it was luxury compared to motorcycle!) Then one fatefull night I wrote if of on a slippery bend. To say I was annoyed is a understatement, having survived five years of all weather motorcycling with out a scratch.

Never managed any "backseat fun"(it hasn't got one) but that did not stop us improvising!!

MIKE..


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## 036

First car: Mini, turd brown. I then had two more Mini's, both also turd brown. At one time all 3 were immobile my parent's yard, what a depressing sight. When they were on holiday I did them a favour and had them all dragged off as a surprise.

All time favourite: Mk1 Golf GTi, red, 1983.


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## Griff

Ford 8 side valve.........old sit up and beg with dashboard wing nut to elevate windscreen open in upwards position, and wipers that worked off vacuum and went faster with an increase in engine speed!!!!


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## pg tips

My Granddad's Viva. Long gone (both of them)


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## pg tips

Mike if I'd have had my way my first car would have been a white midget convertable. My dad advised me against it and it was he who got the Cortina fior me!

Never listened to him again when it came to cars! Or not that much else either when it comes to that!


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## Guest

Triumph Herald, actually a good little car, the whole front end lifted forward so that you could work on the engine with ease.

I was always keen on working on cars then which is how I started my first business in reconditioning carburetters.

Modern cars though efficient as they are and with the performance to make old sports cars look slow have no interest to me at all. I can barely bother to lift the bonnet to check the oil and water.


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## AlexR

As I don't drive









My first bike was a Kawaski AR125 with a Micron expansion chamber







75mph flat out,tucked down behind the clocks
















I was thinking of buying another to re live my youth


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## Mrcrowley

First car - Renault Clio 1.4 Rt - white

Second - Clio Rt LE Champ Elysee - black with alloys. Better looking. Crashed it 48 hrs after getting it.

Repaired & stayed with me 3 yrs. Then I stopped driving.

What a long history I have


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## Silver Hawk

My second car was alot worse than my first....

It was a Hillman Imp. Bought it on a dark, rainy night in Sheffield and forgot to take my magnet...big mistake, more filler than metal.







Cyclinder head was always warping but it was really easy to wip out the engine on these Imps because they were at the rear.

I remember breaking down with a broken drive shaft in winter 1980 on the M1 just north of Luton and being towed to a tiny garage in Toddington. I only had a cheque book, no guatantee card, so they had to phone my bank manager in Sheffield etc, eventually accepting his word. Then they had to travel to Luton for spares (who remembers the infamous rubber doughnuts) --- I was stuck in this tiny garage with no money for hours...

Paul


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## pg tips

My dad had a singer Chamois, same as the Imp. It was that car that got me interested in mechanics. Always going wrong. Dad and I rebuit the engine from the crank up. Christ knows why it was crap!

I'd love to get my hands on a herald, lovely cars. My dad had one as well, in fact he had loads when I was a kid, seemed to buy them for Â£25 run them til they stopped and then get another!

Some I can remember

Morris Minor traveller (about 3 of these I think)

VW camper

Mk II Cortina

Ford Zephyer V6 (my mum learnt to drive in this!)

Triumph TC 2000

Black Cab (always getting waved at







)

Austin A40

Mk IV Cortina

Mk II Cavalier


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## rhaythorne

First car was a 1978 Renault 16TL. Loved it









I'd been thinking about getting a Triumph GT6 as a classic/hobby car for several years but never quite got the courage to do it (I'm no mechanic). I recently bottled out of the whole classic car idea and got a Clio 172 Cup instead. Superb fun


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## traveller

1959 Austin A55, red leather interior, column gearchange. Engine blew up after 3 months.

Still own and run 2 x Morris Minors (1 Traveller + 1 saloon). Easy to maintain, cheap to run, parts readily available and 100% (well almost







) reliable.


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## Fred

Hi Traveller,you will know the car i was on about then, [Low Light] minor. i also

had an Austin A95 [Westminster] big brother to your A55.

Paul, i had an Hillman Imp as well,with the cylinder head trouble just like you.

If any of you chaps are thinking of getting a car of this type it might be a good idea to by The Classic Car Weekly, a paper dedicated to the collector/classic car for a week or two to see what the prices are. fred.


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## JoT

My father also had an interesting selction of cars - those I can remember between 1965 and 1975 are

Austin A30

Austin Mini Van with back seats

Ford Consul Classic

MG Magnette MkIV

Hillman Minx, MkV

Ford Escort MkI

Hillman Minx MkVI

Renault 12

Except for the A30 and the MG Magnette I remember they were terrible cars always breaking down.


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## traveller

Not as many "lowlights" around now Fred, this was the original design, as Issigonis intended. Don't know if you are aware but the headlights were raised to the top of the wings to comply with U.S. regulations.

Big tank of a car the A95! I had a Farina A90 for a while.

These may look familiar to us more "mature" persons.


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## Fred

Thats a teriffic photo Traveller, show us a few more when you can, fred.


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## Stan

My dad some little belters too.

Wolsley 1500 (2).

Morris 1000 traveller.

Morris minor van.

Austin A40 mkII (Farina).

Humber Sceptor (Hunter shape).

Simca 1501 (crap).

Early Avenger.


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## Ron Jr

First car I purchased was a 1966 Ford Mustang square back 289 V8 w/3 speed manual.

First car I owned and actually had on the road was a 1972 Plymouth Duster I purchased from my folks when they bought a new car in 1977. This car was a terrible green color with an equally ugly green interior. They bought it new and when I got it (I was a bit of a gearhead then) I was amazed to find that everything under the hood was original and I mean everything. I knew my Dad wasn't handy and didn't relieze it but no maintenance had been done but to add oil and water. Figureing I would do the right thing I flush the cooling system change the plugs, cap and wires. Rebuilt the carb changed the valve cover gasket, PCV valve, hoses belts, filters you name it. A note before I did anything the slant 6 in this car ran like a top. Well the topper was the oil, it had never been changed and it had the original 1000 mile oil filter on at 72,000 miles. So the intrepid gearhead drains the goop that passed for oil out of the engine pulled the oil pan and scrapped out the gunk from it. I passed cheap clean oil mixed with a flushing mixture through the engine (about ten changes) till the oil came out a golden color then I put in a quality oil (most likely STP at that time).

After all of that work the car ran like crap. One of my fellow gearheads Dad's owned his own service shop and he said to put the gunk back in (I had saved it to show my friends) low and behold it ran better with the gunked up engine. It seems as if it was all that was holding it together. Car was killed about 6 months later when a DWI in a big pickup truck hit my door and pushed the car sideways about 60 feet sideways. I was unhurt but my girlfriend of that time was hurt real bad. Of course the car was totalled and thankfully she got better.


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## pg tips

I know of loads of people who have had trouble after flushing old engines clean!

Me included, anyone want any flushing oil?


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## JoT

Sounds like my first car ... I bought if off my dad ... he never serviced it ... I did ... it was never the same again


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## chrisb

First car....Hillman Avenger 1600 DL Estate, actually very nice to drive










First bike.....200cc Velocette Valiant...Horizontally opposed air-cooled twin, shaft drive, now why the hell did I get rid of it









Oh I remember, it went under an artic in Telford 'cos the brakes were non-existent







(bike totalled, rider bruised and forever wary







)


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## gregor

first car: saab 99 rustybrowncolour

now: saab 900 from 1985, dark blue.

bloody expensive in gasoline









Gregor


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## Jezzag

Citroen 2CV6. Everybody laughed but it did 80 down the motorway all day thanks to its aircooled engine. Used to strap a big ghettoblaster across the back seat for music but could never hear a note when up at top speed. Great for picnics too - undo a couple of clips and the seats removed for impromtu sit down!


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## raketakat

I started driving late on - when I was 35.

First car was a Peugeot 309GR D reg. I then got a F reg but that was destroyed by a side impact - no great loss







.

I got a 1983 ( B ) Mitsubishi Colt to keep me on the road and loved it. I used to spend many happy hours with a neighbour welding new metal into the rotting bodywork.

I spent many about 20 times what it cost to buy( ie Â£40 ) just to keep it going.

The engine was still fine when the body gave out







( 150,000 miles ).

I got a Nissan Bluebird from one careful elderly owner but I didn't love it. The head gasket blew at 58,000 miles







. It never recovered







.

Only last year I moved into 16 valve territory with an Almera. Very pleased with it - nippy, decent ride, comfortable, economical to run







.

All very boring I know







.


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## Kenny

I don't drive, but my since getting married our first and only car has been a Volvo 740 GLE saloon.

We were given this car by my wife's cousin when he was stationed at RAF Mildenhall.

It's had 7 previous owners and looks like somebody has taken a hammer to the body work, but I know it's mechanically very sound.


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## JoT

Took me a while to think of these







my car experiences ... those with a star next to them were company vehicles ... sadly I never owned my own Land Cruiser.

Ford Escort MkI 1100

MGB Roadster (written-off)

Ford Escort MkII 1.3GL

Ford Capri MkII 1.6L

Ford Capri MkIII 1.6L (written-off)

Ford Capri MkIII 1.6GL

Ford Fiesta MkI 1.3GL

Alpha Romeo Guilia GT Junior 1.6

Mazda 626 *

Toyota Hi-Lux 4x4 Pick-Up*

Toyota Land Cruiser 70 Diesel Pick-Up*

Mazda 626 *

Honda Ballade 1.8E *

Mitsubishi Carisma 1.9TD *

MG ZT +190

My favourite was the Land Cruiser followed by my current car the MG ZT. My least favourite? A toss up between the MkII Escort and the Mitsubishi, although in fairness the Mitsubishi was a great car mechanically... just hated it.


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## traveller

Will do Fred - including the bench grinder?


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## Fred




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## MarkF

Kenny said:


> I don't drive, but my since getting married our first and only car has been a Volvo 740 GLE saloon.
> 
> .


Great taste you have Kenny







I am runnning the same instead of a van and am mightily impressed with it, I have an Audi A4 as well that has been sat unloved and unused ever since the Â£215 1989 740 arrived









My first car was a Morris Minor 1000, it was my (at the time) fiancee's grandfathers pride and joy. At 20 in 1982 I thought it was possibly the last car in the world I would want to be seen in but being polite I told him how much I admired it. I woke up on my 21st birthday to find it covered in tinsel on my drive









It ws an 1966 "E" model, can't be very specific, had the inside indicator stalk with, I think, a 1000 watt orange golf ball lamp on the end, at night it lit up the whole car. I hated the thing, I rented a garage and let it slowly rot away, I eventually paid to get rid of it. I bitterly regret it now.


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## pg tips

MarkF said:


> My first car was a Morris Minor 1000, it was my (at the time) fiancee's grandfathers pride and joy. At 20 in 1982 I thought it was possibly the last car in the world I would want to be seen in but being polite I told him how much I admired it. I woke up on my 21st birthday to find it covered in tinsel on my drive










Love it!









I remember one my dad had had those little indicator arms at the top of the B pillar that stuck out when you indicated! I though they were dead cool! I can also remember one of his cars having the headlight high beam switch on the floor, a huge push button type thing!


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## MIKE

pg tips said:


> I can also remember one of his cars having the headlight high beam switch on the floor, a huge push button type thing!


 Hi,

That brings back a memory I had a '69 MGB with a dip switch on the floor. Took some getting use to as I recall, but O.K once you did. Then I had to get use to the "proper place" when I exchanged it for a later MGB.

MIKE..


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## traveller

pg tips said:


> I can also remember one of his cars having the headlight high beam switch on the floor, a huge push button type thing!


 Like this one?


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## traveller

Don't know how this has survived for 42 years, the original selling dealer's sticker.


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## pg tips

That's the one! Memories eh!

Traveller I had a woody once! was given it but the wood was rotten so I sold it on. Never did drive it!

I have some books somewhere. I'll find them and post a picture.


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## traveller

pg tips said:


> I have some books somewhere. I'll find them and post a picture.


 Yes please.


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## pg tips

I found these 3. I'm sure I had some more. I know I had a black A4 binder type parts catalouge somewhere but I can't find it just now.

I had a phase of buying old haynes manuals and the like in the mid 80's. Got loads! Must get them on ebay!










And one for Griff


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## pg tips

forgot dad had one of these as well. Austin Cambridge A60


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## pg tips

and a '63 Viva!


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## traveller

I have the Haynes manual pg, seen the middle book before but not the one on the right. Once had the Morris version of the A60 in estate version just after the A55 that blew up.









It's a pity the engine bay on modern Euroboxes isn't as accessible as this Fred. One of the pictures just submitted for agreed value insurance purposes.


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## Fred

Hi traveller, yep looks tip top to me, theres a lot of bright wire work i see under the old bonnet have you been rewiring her ?, what year is this one ? lets see a photo of her out in the sunshine







, cheers fred.


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## pg tips

Wasn't the Morris A60 called the Oxford?

Seen some nice cars on the roads today, must be the sunshine bringing 'em out.

Nice engine bay. I wish they were still like that. nice new washer bottle!


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## traveller

Not a very "sunny" picture Fred but another of the one's submitted for insurance agreed value - i.e. total loss, that's what I get.









The new wiring is in conjunction with original and is for reversing lamp, rear fog lamp, spotlamps etc. Has also been converted to alternator in place of dynamo.

Built 12-15 May 1957.

Yes Paul, it was the Oxford. The standard Traveller as opposed to deluxe







didn't have windscreen washers so yes bottle is a couple of years old. Nor did it have heater (now fitted from later vehicle) or carpets







.

All that extra space under bonnet is because the original concept was to include a newly designed flat four engine. Cost was one of the factors for it's cancellation, nothing changes.


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## traveller

And a sure fire "babe magnet" for Roy to consider as a Celica alternative.


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## Fred

great photo Traveller, brings back many happy memories,cheers fred.


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## pg tips

That looks in fantastic condition Traveller. Bit worried about the RAC badge though!


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## adrian

My first (and so far only) car was a Cougar automatic from 1989. I left it outside this winter so it is not working anymore. It has some suspension problems, oil leaks and surely need to change the battery. I could have done it by now but I spend my money with watches!







I paid 200CAD for it and I drove it 1 (one) year.


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## BondandBigM

I learned to drive in a Fiat 128 :cry2: but the first car I actually owned was one of these, a 68 Mk 2 Cortina which I paid the princely sum of Â£60 for.










Then after a few Cortina's Escorts and Capri's I decided to move up a gear to something a bit more flash, my first of many American cars, a 1970 Buick GS convertible. Not this actual car but the same, I had no idea what I was buying, just that it was big, loud and surprisingly fast. 7.5ltr as opposed to 1.6ltr and it did about 8 or 10 to the gallon if you took it easy :lol: It was the slippery slope to spending a small fortune over the years on Yank Tanks.


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## tranber70

Renault 20TS, +- 15 liters per 100 km in city :cry2: . It was 25 years ago. Cost me 1 500 euros, it had 120 000 km when I bought it and I left it Ã 177 000 km.

Bertrand


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## spankone

1.4 cl vw polo


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## BondandBigM

spankone said:


> 1.4 cl vw polo


Not old enough to have had a proper car then ????????

:lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Robert

Mini 1000 bought for Â£200, scrapped for Â£10


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## Silver Hawk




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## thunderbolt

My first car was one of these, a 1980 Colt Mirage in yellow. Loved it.


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## mach 0.0013137

Mine was a Del-boy special :lol:



Except it was brown, well I`d passed my bike test in 76 & normally rode a IMZ Ural/Busmar double adult outfit but the ex-710 wanted a car so I bought the Regal & taught myself how to drive had 6 lessons with BSM & passed my test first time 

The ruddy thing started to fall apart after a year it had a hole directly over the exhaust so the windows had to be open all the time you drove it to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. The drivers side door jammed so you had to climb in through the passengers one oh & it finally failed it`s MOT due to rust









I sold it to a guy who owned a Laverda Jota for Â£50 

My next car was a bright yellow Lada 1200 similar to the one below but with a brown vinyl roof B)



Lovely car, never missed a beat & one time I had great fun & total supprise on the M1 full foot to the floor speedo on the limt flashing cars to get out of the why on the outside lane including a Sierra Cosworth & some big Merc 

OK they must have been going slow, though but that said everyone must have been going slow that day & the look on the two drivers as I passed was a joy to see :lol:

BTW I do not condone exceeding the legal speed limit, I was a reckless youth of 35 at the time & would never do such a thing now I`m a responsible adult


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## chris l

A Hillman Imp Californian. In Gold!

Cost Â£6, but we found 50p down the seats, so that was a bonus...

Used to boil all the time, probably due to a blowing HG, so in the Summer we drove around with the heater on full to extend the cooling run.

And replaced the bonnet hinges with fence wire.


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## magnet

Here's mine. A 1979 MKII Ford Escort 1.3 Pop Plus. Alleycat alloys, genuine RS2000 rear spoiler and the obligatory big bore Peco exhaust. I later added some RS quarter bumpers and this is the closest i got to MKII RS ownership 

A MKII RS2000 is and always will be my 'Grail' car.


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## Andy Tims

I had a Vauhall Viva - HB series.

Â£200 to buy, Â£225 to insure TPF&T

It was "only" 13 years old when I got it, but the entire top coat of paint had long departed, so it had a nice matt finish.


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## Dave ME

Rover 600, company car. Kind of dull. Didn't buy a car myself until I was nearly 32, which was this:










Bought it with 98,000 on it, sold it with 193,000, great car. Only sold it to go diesel (that one was a 2.5l petrol), so now I've got a 3.0 turbodiesel version of the same car. W reg, 159,000 on the clock and going great  I'm a fan of buying high mileage cars if they're well made and have been looked after.


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## BondandBigM

Dave ME said:


> I'm a fan of buying high mileage cars if they're well made and have been looked after.


Pretty much the same here, let someone else lose the money.

About a few hundred miles or so miles short of 300,000 and still pulls like a train


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## Paul

Learnt to drive in a Datsun 120Y, first car I owned was a Vauxhall FD Victor, bench seat and huge space.


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## JoT

1970 Ford Escort MkI 1.1L with 98,000 miles on the clock and self adjusting tapets that only adjusted one way ..... open .... clatter clatter.

I painted it black with a gold stripe, painted the interior black, took the hubcaps off and painted the wheels black, fitted a shite cassette player ... and gave it a Redex decoke ..... brilliant ... 

it was similar to this one


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## feenix

Top left, yellow Datsun Cherry FII coupe, with the super 'trendy' black vinyl roof.










But then I got married and started having kids. Wife made me sell it to buy a pushchair.


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## pg tips

one very much like this (pic nicked off markthreeownersclub.com)










Blew the CHG on the M4 near Reading one night, when I eventually got the head off using a 6 foot scaffold pole for leverage on the blots I found No. 3 piston had melted!


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## PhilM

First car was a MkI Astra, bought it for Â£250 ran if for about 2 years and then sold it for Â£500 :thumbup:


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## bridgeman

was ford 100e popular- : in hand painted apple green-3 speed floor change with reverse next to first and with long lever it was soo easy to hit reverse instead of first-especially at traffic lights :huh: cost Â£60 sold Â£60 after 12 months-best buy ever


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## Filterlab

1988 Renault 5 Campus. 1.1 litres of throbbing French mechanical craftsmanship mate to a four speed gearbox putting its power down through two skinny front tyres.

Rock and roll!

Had a removable sunroof though. 

Not mine, but just to give you an idea of the poetry in motion that was the Renault 5. :lol: :lol: :lol:










Pile o' sh1te!


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## minkle

'pussy wagon one' h34r:

mk2 golf van, lovely vehicle


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## Mutley

My first car was one of these fabulous beasts :cry2:

Quote from the web just about sums it up

"Reliable and tough, the Volvo 340 was also an ugly car with as much road appeal as a flat badger."










I must have started off driving like a grandad and gradually regressed to a kid :kid: with this


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## NickD

First car was a Morris Marina Coupe 1.8TC similar to the one below but on an M plate and in that awful 1970's beige

that was so 'fashionable'. Lasted all of six months before spinning out on a roundabout in Frimley and smashing up the rear axel.


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## BondandBigM

minkle said:


>


A few MK2 Golf's have passed though my hands but I have never been able to get an Oak Green GTI in decent condition at the right money, still a bit of a "wanted" for me, especially a 16V

B.


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## squareleg

First 'car' was a Ford Transit MKII, like this one but minus the paint job. Sliding doors!! :thumbsup: Bit of a lump but great for getting band gear around in. Put a home hifi in it with enormous tannoy speakers, which drove people nuts. Loved it - could fix anything on it with the aid of a Haynes manual. Those were the days.

Pic nicked off Transit Van Club site.


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## KEITHT

A dirty gold coloured Vauxhall Chevette 13.L 3dr. on an N plate...

Got it from a lady who used it to ferry her small children about.....

Rather nastily, once i had removed the awful furry black seat covers, i found it was infested with maggots.....urgghhhhh.


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## rdwiow

1968 Triumph Herald 13/60, bought for Â£150 in 1984. Loved it! Sold it for a 73 Opel Manta full of filler, mad, impulsive youth!


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## Boxbrownie

BondandBigM said:


> About a few hundred miles or so miles short of 300,000 and still pulls like a train


If it pulls like a train, and looks like a train then it might as well be a train! :lol: :lol: :lol:

My first was a Mini.......1965 bought for Â£50.........back in '72


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## MarkF

My first car was horrible :yucky: I used my mum's or dad's car till I was 19 then got a company car, I was beside myself with excitement, I didn't know what it was till it arrived from HO, it was one of these:-










I was 19 FFS, were they taking the piss? It wasn't even as nice as this one, it was a 1.6 in BEIGE!! Not even an "L" but a BASE MODEL with VINYL SEATS!! Oh, the shame, back then you were judged on your badge "L", "GL" Ghia" etc, I didn't even *have *a badge, a non-person  .

Worked hard to get rid of the thing, got an bright red company XR2 maybe a year later and promptly enjoyed 6 months in hospital


----------



## jasonm

1971 pale blue VW Beetle 1200


----------



## sompting jon

Mine was a AlfaSud 1.2, great car to drive i thrashed everywhere then it finally caught fire in Queens Road Brighton!! i then had to pootle about in a VW Beetle,then bought a twin cam Fiat, back to thrashing about again happy days.


----------



## spankone

My first car. cost me 4k and I spent 4k easy on mods cost me 2k to insure in the first year





































my current car










170bhp diesel 140mph


----------



## minkle

BondandBigM said:


> A few MK2 Golf's have passed though my hands but I have never been able to get an Oak Green GTI in decent condition at the right money, still a bit of a "wanted" for me, especially a 16V
> 
> B.


I was after a mk1 at the time, then saw that with its Jetta front end i was smitten!

I'll get a mk1 at some point


----------



## spankone

one last pic... Im gutted I had to sell it but it had to go because the golf. not enough drive space for 5 cars


----------



## bowie

vauxhall viva hc 1256cc same colour as this one cost Â£300.00










bowie


----------



## BondandBigM

minkle said:


> BondandBigM said:
> 
> 
> 
> A few MK2 Golf's have passed though my hands but I have never been able to get an Oak Green GTI in decent condition at the right money, still a bit of a "wanted" for me, especially a 16V
> 
> B.
> 
> 
> 
> I was after a mk1 at the time, then saw that with its Jetta front end i was smitten!
> 
> I'll get a mk1 at some point
Click to expand...

I bought a Jetta just to get the front for one of my GTI's  I latter bought a 16V Jetta to get the engine and the front but it turned out to be not a bad car so I kept it as it was for a while. I had a couple of MK1 GTI's but although most will say otherwise I actually prefer the MK2's


----------



## spankone

BondandBigM said:


> minkle said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> BondandBigM said:
> 
> 
> 
> A few MK2 Golf's have passed though my hands but I have never been able to get an Oak Green GTI in decent condition at the right money, still a bit of a "wanted" for me, especially a 16V
> 
> B.
> 
> 
> 
> I was after a mk1 at the time, then saw that with its Jetta front end i was smitten!
> 
> I'll get a mk1 at some point
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I bought a Jetta just to get the front for one of my GTI's  I latter bought a 16V Jetta to get the engine and the front but it turned out to be not a bad car so I kept it as it was for a while. I had a couple of MK1 GTI's but although most will say otherwise I actually prefer the MK2's
Click to expand...

I'm a mod on a vw forum


----------



## pg tips

bowie said:


> vauxhall viva hc 1256cc same colour as this one cost Â£300.00
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> bowie


my granddad had one of those in red, broke his heart when he had to give up driving. A guy in london bought it from an ad in auto trader, unseen. My brother drove it down there (roughly 90 miles) and it overheated about a dozen times. In its last 3 years it had hardly been far enough to get warm!


----------



## BondandBigM

spankone said:


> BondandBigM said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> minkle said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> BondandBigM said:
> 
> 
> 
> A few MK2 Golf's have passed though my hands but I have never been able to get an Oak Green GTI in decent condition at the right money, still a bit of a "wanted" for me, especially a 16V
> 
> B.
> 
> 
> 
> I was after a mk1 at the time, then saw that with its Jetta front end i was smitten!
> 
> I'll get a mk1 at some point
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I bought a Jetta just to get the front for one of my GTI's  I latter bought a 16V Jetta to get the engine and the front but it turned out to be not a bad car so I kept it as it was for a while. I had a couple of MK1 GTI's but although most will say otherwise I actually prefer the MK2's
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> I'm a mod on a vw forum
Click to expand...

I've sort of got over the whole car thing these days, can't even remember when I last drove my truck 

but I do get the odd twinge for a bit of fun sometimes


----------



## Pragmatik

My first car was a Morris Minor 1000 for Â£60, knicknamed Moggy 1000, the battery was bigger than the engine! 84mph flat out downhill with a following wind. Great car!!!


----------



## mrteatime

cortina 1.6 ghia....silver with black vinyl, black slats on the rear window (class) and those ghia wheels.....i bought it off my brother in law when i was 16 h34r:


----------



## Mutley

mrteatime said:


> cortina 1.6 ghia....silver with black vinyl, black slats on the rear window (class) and those ghia wheels.....i bought it off my brother in law when i was 16 h34r:


+ orange seat covers, it must have cost you a fortune in insurance at 16


----------



## mrteatime

mutley said:


> mrteatime said:
> 
> 
> 
> cortina 1.6 ghia....silver with black vinyl, black slats on the rear window (class) and those ghia wheels.....i bought it off my brother in law when i was 16 h34r:
> 
> 
> 
> + orange seat covers, it must have cost you a fortune in insurance at 16
Click to expand...

insurance h34r:


----------



## Mutley

mrteatime said:


> mutley said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> mrteatime said:
> 
> 
> 
> cortina 1.6 ghia....silver with black vinyl, black slats on the rear window (class) and those ghia wheels.....i bought it off my brother in law when i was 16 h34r:
> 
> 
> 
> + orange seat covers, it must have cost you a fortune in insurance at 16
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> insurance h34r:
Click to expand...

 :lol: :lol: :lol:


----------



## break-3

Had a crap Metro with every panel a different shade of yellow, except for a front wing that was red - never got it running, so it rotted on my parents' drive. Then got a Mk1 Golf CL - that failed its MoT before I passed my test. So the first car I was actually legally driving was a horrible Micra my granddad gave me. All crap cars. Glad those dark days are over. :lol:


----------



## cookie520

Vauxhall Viva HC - 2 days after passing my test I seized the engine in Darwen - trying to make the "long distance" run from Bolton to Blackburn....left it to cool for 1 hour whilst in the pub and it started again - complete with big hole in the radiator.....

Jeez my cars were unreliable in those days :huh:


----------



## b11ocx

Saab 99 Turbo


----------



## Guest

NickD said:


> First car was a Morris Marina Coupe 1.8TC similar to the one below but on an M plate and in that awful 1970's beige
> 
> that was so 'fashionable'. Lasted all of six months before spinning out on a roundabout in Frimley and smashing up the rear axel.


same for me :lol:


----------



## mjolnir

bowie said:


>


My nan had one like this as well but in dark blue. Someone pulled out in front of her and wrote it off 

I loved that car when I was a kid. Well, except for the vinyl seats burning by arms on hot days.


----------



## minkle

mrteatime said:


> cortina 1.6 ghia....silver with black vinyl, black slats on the rear window (class) and those ghia wheels.....i bought it off my brother in law when i was 16 h34r:


 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

You probably still have one the same!


----------



## Parabola

I had a crap 1.1l 1990 Ford Fiesta with 130,000 miles on the clock... Died at 132,000

Followed by a 1.4l 1995 Fiat Tipo (it was a hand me down before anyone says anything), followed by a 1994 1.8l Vauxhall Cavalier, I haven't owned a car since 2003...

... And believe it or not I've been mad about cars since I was 6 and I first saw a picture of a Ferrari F40 :tongue2:


----------



## SharkBike

'76 Ford Pinto Runabout...

"become a legendary vehicle, synonymous with being unreliable and unsafe"

On Time's list of 50 Worst Cars Of All Time

...and my second car was a '78 Ford Pinto wagon. :cry2:


----------



## pg tips

SharkBike said:


> On Time's list of 50 Worst Cars Of All Time


 Conclusion? Let 'em burn. 

We use the Pinto name over here for the 1.6 & 2.0 single OHC engine


----------



## langtoftlad

My first:










Datsun Cherry bought for Â£100 sold for Â£110 - first & last time I made money from a motor h34r:

Then 'upgraded' to Austin Allegro - which a friend's dad sold me - thanks mate!










but mine was luxury cos it had the vinyl roof & was bright orange :tongue2:

A Vauxhall Cavalier followed - excellent

A Ford Escort Si was my first "new" car

For the past 11 years, I've enjoyed this Honda

















170k miles from new & still going strong

but I've just taken advantage of credit crunch prices & pulled the trigger on this Avensis










Hardly cutting edge car'ology but I'm your more reliable runabout longhaul kinda guy.


----------



## mattbeef

Used to steal my mums 306 when ever i could but eventually got my own which was this


----------



## frogspawn

peugeot 304 estate h34r:

but the bike at the time was a motodd Laverda Jota 180


----------



## Agent orange

Renault 5 1st generation for me. 849cc, 36bhp and 75mph flat out.










In a strange way the lack of power really made you think about your driving, reading the road and planning ahead were a must.

Also I could cram far more into this than any of todays superminis, the ergonomics were excellent.

Cheers,

Gary


----------



## Boxbrownie

Parabola said:


> ... And believe it or not I've been mad about cars since I was 6 and I first saw a picture of a Ferrari F40 :tongue2:


Now that really does make me feel old......I was taking piccies at the launch of the F40 at the Turin show back in the 80's

Still remember a rather nice italian Momma I fell over there, redhead she was....but on the Daihatsu stand! :lol:


----------



## William_Wilson

I didn't start that early with cars, but covered a lot of ground once I did get started. I have lacked any sort of central focus in the vehicles I've bought over the years.

1) 77 Chrysler Newport 4 door 400cid B block

2) 73 Chevrolet Monte Carlo 350 small block

3) 87 Chevrolet S10 Blazer 2WD - First new car

4) 77 Chevrolet 1/2 ton pickup inline 6 three on the tree manual

5) 89 Chevrolet Tracker first year model made by Suzuki in Japan - brand new

6) 75 Chevrolet Nova SS hatchback 350 4 bbl 4 bolt main 4spd with factory Hurst shifter

7) 90 Acura Integra 5spd power everything black with deep tint and bitchin' stereo

8) 81 Volkswagon Rabbit it was yellow, that's all there is to say about this car

9) 96 Lada Niva 1.7l GM fuel injected - brand new

10) 79 Ford F-350 dually U-Haul with heavy duty springs 330cid destroked 360 truck block

The Newport was just like the one shown below , same colours, just a total rot box though.










My first brand new car, a Blazer, didn't seem to want to bond with me, so I traded it in on a Tracker. I put quite a bit of work into the Nova SS. I put fresh 1.94 heads on it along with cam, intake and carb. A rebuilt tranny from a 3/4 ton, with extra low first gear. Limited slip diff and custom fit traction bars along with 265/50R15's on 11.5 inch wide rims (this was back in 1990 before everything got crazy wide). Just to make things a bit less practical I put a 10 litre oil pan on and an extra capacity oil filter. It got a reworked distributer with custom advance and extra high output coil and specially sealed MSD wires. When I finished tuning it, it went like a scared rabbit. Once I had it just the way I wanted it, I lost interest. The list above is in order of appearance and does not count the 30 or so vehicles that were used for parts, fixed up for family members or just for odd jobs on the farm.

I have really wasted a load of money on cars, money I could have been wasting on watches. 

Later,

William


----------



## birdie

i had a ford fiesta pop. with a monster 850cc engine. it was the most basic car i have ever know. inside you had a steering wheel 3 pedals and a haeater, that was it . on mine the window winders were even gone so in the summer you just had to sweat it out.


----------



## BondandBigM

William_Wilson said:


> I have really wasted a load of money on cars,


 :lol: :lol:

Same here, I had shares in Summit Racing and Edelbrock I bought that much stuff from them over the years.

B.


----------



## WPL1974

Light blue bedford HA (escort) type van. Bought for Â£90 sold a couple of years later for Â£50.

More Hammerite and filler than original body.... how did it ever pass the MOT lol


----------



## Parabola

birdie said:


> i had a ford fiesta pop. with a monster 850cc engine. it was the most basic car i have ever know. inside you had a steering wheel 3 pedals and a haeater, that was it . on mine the window winders were even gone so in the summer you just had to sweat it out.


Sexy! If its one thing ladies like is communist levels of austerity in their transport :lol:


----------



## birdie

Parabola said:


> birdie said:
> 
> 
> 
> i had a ford fiesta pop. with a monster 850cc engine. it was the most basic car i have ever know. inside you had a steering wheel 3 pedals and a haeater, that was it . on mine the window winders were even gone so in the summer you just had to sweat it out.
> 
> 
> 
> Sexy! If its one thing ladies like is communist levels of austerity in their transport :lol:
Click to expand...

tell me about it . i remember one girl being particularly impress when we went to a drive thru and i had to get out of the car to place and receive my order :lol:


----------



## Parabola

birdie said:


> Parabola said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> birdie said:
> 
> 
> 
> i had a ford fiesta pop. with a monster 850cc engine. it was the most basic car i have ever know. inside you had a steering wheel 3 pedals and a haeater, that was it . on mine the window winders were even gone so in the summer you just had to sweat it out.
> 
> 
> 
> Sexy! If its one thing ladies like is communist levels of austerity in their transport :lol:
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> tell me about it . i remember one girl being particularly impress when we went to a drive thru and i had to get out of the car to place and receive my order :lol:
Click to expand...

:lol:


----------



## thorpey69

I was a hardcore biker for my first years on the road,until an accident meant i couldnt ride for a while.My 1st car on the road after that was a white XR3I called "Whiteheat", :lol: ,the burn up i had with another XR3I named "Black magic" is the stuff of legend around here :lol: ,i still remember my mates face cringing with embarassment as we went for it on the way to Harlow :lol:


----------



## scottishcammy

A gold Rover 216 SE, B646MSX 

One of these:










It was a total heap by the time I'd finished with it!


----------



## scottishcammy

spankone said:


> My first car. cost me 4k and I spent 4k easy on mods cost me 2k to insure in the first year


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v201/spankone/Image264.jpg

Hmmm, I take it this was on the autobahn? h34r:


----------



## Agent orange

scottishcammy said:


> A gold Rover 216 SE, B646MSX
> 
> One of these:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was a total heap by the time I'd finished with it!


That was my second car. I was always amazed at how easy it was to get the tyres to squeal. It sounded good but probably looked pathetic  .

Cheers,

Gary


----------



## Parabola

scottishcammy said:


>


 :bad:


----------



## scottishcammy

At the time I thought it looked great!  As first car's went, it was definitely a lot better than some of my mate's Â£100 death traps. I had some great times in that car


----------



## thunderbolt

scottishcammy said:


> A gold Rover 216 SE, B646MSX
> 
> One of these:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It was a total heap by the time I'd finished with it!


A mate of mine had the 213 version, and IIRC it went round corners like a hippo wallowing in a mud bath. :lol:


----------



## Parabola

scottishcammy said:


> At the time I thought it looked great!  As first car's went, it was definitely a lot better than some of my mate's Â£100 death traps. I had some great times in that car


I bet you did!! And I bet you can remember all of there names too :tongue2:


----------



## RussellB

820 Vitesse Turbo Fastback in BRG

Went like stink!


----------



## Guest

A red mini Metro which cost Â£100. It only lasted about a month, before going to the scrappies. This was long enough to get through the gear-grinding phase of learning to use the clutch properly and controlling the bite, though.

Underneath the drivers floor-mat was a rusty hole which you could see the road through. :lol:


----------



## pg tips

thorpey69 said:


> I was a hardcore biker for my first years on the road,until an accident meant i couldnt ride for a while.My 1st car on the road after that was a white XR3I called "Whiteheat", :lol: ,the burn up i had with another XR3I named "Black magic" is the stuff of legend around here :lol: ,i still remember my mates face cringing with embarassment as we went for it on the way to Harlow :lol:


 Essex boys  :lol:


----------



## grant1967

My first car was a Ford Fiesta 950cc popular plus when it was really cold the headlights won't work unless I held them on full beam ran it for a year and a half and sold it on for Â£50 more than I payed for it.

Second car was 1600cc Ford Escort limited edition can't remember what it was but the day before I got married stopped dead never to go again must have been an omen traded it in against a Vauxhall Astra and it wasn't even going :lol: those were the days!


----------



## Fulminata

Hillman Hunter GLS like this only in white. Â£600 bought me this five year old 'executive express' that broke down on the way home. It kept breaking down, and the twin carbs were never in tune for more that a week. It taught me a lot about cars though.










Nostalgia is a dangerous thing though, isn't it? So, if you ever hear me suggesting that a well-sorted one of these would make a nice classic driver, you have my permission to beat me to death with a Haines Manual.


----------



## mrteatime

minkle said:


> mrteatime said:
> 
> 
> 
> cortina 1.6 ghia....silver with black vinyl, black slats on the rear window (class) and those ghia wheels.....i bought it off my brother in law when i was 16 h34r:
> 
> 
> 
> :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
> 
> You probably still have one the same!
Click to expand...

ahhhh dear.....funny northern man :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


----------



## jaslfc5

i had loads of cars before i had my licence i used to buy and sell loads of gear back then ,but first i bought to own was an avenger tiger was a wicked car had to sell it though to pay off the fines i had aquired driving it .the 10 points on my provisional put my driving career on hold for a bit after that .

the best though i was fully legal in has to be my seat cupra ibiza . and my dads old scorpio 4x4 2.9i my god that thing shifted .its been down hill to boringville ever since.


----------



## BondandBigM

jaslfc5 said:


> i had loads of cars before i had my licence i used to buy and sell loads of gear back then ,but first i bought to own was an avenger tiger was a wicked car had to sell it though to pay off the fines i had aquired driving it .the 10 points on my provisional put my driving career on hold for a bit after that .
> 
> the best though i was fully legal in has to be my seat cupra ibiza . and my dads old scorpio 4x4 2.9i my god that thing shifted .its been down hill to boringville ever since.


Had more than a few run ins with plod and was one ticket away from getting the bus for a while. Hard to say which was the best car I had or drove though. Highlights maybe, first 3ltr Capri or maybe an old hot rod drag car, a 53 tube chassis Ford Pop with a worked over 8ltr big block Ford motor that ran 10 second quarters, that I managed to "persuade" a local garage to MOT for me and ran it on the road for a summer. I'm not much interested in new cars prefer the older stuff. Best of the hot hatches for me were Golf's although a couple of 1.9 205's I had were good but tin cans on wheels.

Happy days


----------



## jaslfc5

BondandBigM said:


> jaslfc5 said:
> 
> 
> 
> i had loads of cars before i had my licence i used to buy and sell loads of gear back then ,but first i bought to own was an avenger tiger was a wicked car had to sell it though to pay off the fines i had aquired driving it .the 10 points on my provisional put my driving career on hold for a bit after that .
> 
> the best though i was fully legal in has to be my seat cupra ibiza . and my dads old scorpio 4x4 2.9i my god that thing shifted .its been down hill to boringville ever since.
> 
> 
> 
> Had more than a few run ins with plod and was one ticket away from getting the bus for a while. Hard to say which was the best car I had or drove though. Highlights maybe, first 3ltr Capri or maybe an old hot rod drag car, a 53 tube chassis Ford Pop with a worked over 8ltr big block Ford motor that ran 10 second quarters, that I managed to "persuade" a local garage to MOT for me and ran it on the road for a summer. I'm not much interested in new cars prefer the older stuff. Best of the hot hatches for me were Golf's although a couple of 1.9 205's I had were good but tin cans on wheels.
> 
> Happy days
Click to expand...

back then i used to do some stupid **** thats for sure .my favorite car has to be the original audi quatro i had one for an hour or 2 once ,that is my grail car .


----------



## MarkF

jaslfc5 said:


> back then i used to do some stupid **** thats for sure .my favorite car has to be the original audi quatro i had one for an hour or 2 once ,that is my grail car .


I wanted an Audi Quattro but couldn't afford one, so I bought a 1983 2.2 5 cylinder coupe, an excellent car, a proper one with a big bonnet enabling me to look down my nose at white XR'2s and blokes with go-faster stripes and louvred windows.


----------



## jaslfc5

MarkF said:


> jaslfc5 said:
> 
> 
> 
> back then i used to do some stupid **** thats for sure .my favorite car has to be the original audi quatro i had one for an hour or 2 once ,that is my grail car .
> 
> 
> 
> I wanted an Audi Quattro but couldn't afford one, so I bought a 1983 2.2 5 cylinder coupe, an excellent car, a proper one with a big bonnet enabling me to look down my nose at white XR'2s and blokes with go-faster stripes and louvred windows.
Click to expand...

i was behind a quatro last week going through some lanes and i wound the window down and turned my tunes off just to listen to that burble and pop of the exaust ,it still looks the dogs today a stunner and a real classic car i would love to own one one day.the coupe was very nice but its like a compromise ,i had the later coupe that was a 2.6e cricket green .


----------



## BGM

Wait for it...... 1990 Nissan Micra 3 Door 998cc of pure japanese muscle!!! I know, I know, I was a spoilt child....


----------



## seikology

fiat panda. 750 cc of sheer unbridled petrol power


----------



## Parabola

BGM said:


> Wait for it...... 1990 Nissan Micra 3 Door 998cc of pure japanese muscle!!! I know, I know, I was a spoilt child....


Heh my 710 has a 2000 Micra *5* door 998ccs of MAYHEM!!!


----------



## JonW

My first was a TR7 in nasty Java green... very 70s... but I bought it when it was 10 years old and weighed half what it did originally, meant it was quick but and MOT would hard to get. sigh... Sold it to go on holiday and borrowed my mums newish Metro and then at Uni bought a VW Derby. VW reliability was superb for an old car with almost 100k on the clock. Kept it for a few years and then traded it plus a lot of cash a restored TR7 softtop which got traded after a year for a Jetta GTx 16v (the Gti with extras im told)... had lots fo VWs and sports cars since then, but defo dont hanker after that green TR7 anymore!


----------



## Parabola

JonW said:


> My first was a TR7 in nasty Java green... very 70s... but I bought it when it was 10 years old and weighed half what it did originally, meant it was quick but and MOT would hard to get. sigh... Sold it to go on holiday and borrowed my mums newish Metro and then at Uni bought a VW Derby. VW reliability was superb for an old car with almost 100k on the clock. Kept it for a few years and then traded it plus a lot of cash a restored TR7 softtop which got traded after a year for a Jetta GTx 16v (the Gti with extras im told)... had lots fo VWs and sports cars since then, *but defo dont hanker after that green TR7 anymore*!


Sounds like your cured, time to go for a TR6


----------



## MarkF

JonW said:


> My first was a TR7 in nasty Java green... very 70s...


I remember this advert from my schooldays, I wasn't taken in..........


----------



## Stanford

My first was an Austin Healey Sprite Mk 2 (the one with sliding windows and no door handles).

It was a little beauty in a sort of pastel lime green :blink: and it went like stink - it was great for free parking as it fitted neatly under car park barriers


----------



## johnbrigade

A 309 like this:










Â£100 from a mate - it had nearly a full MOT and a few months tax and was ex-Met police, so it had been ragged. It did have GTi brakes and a big radiator, but it didn't go fast enough to need them and the big rad meant it never seemed to heat up properly so was always cold. I think I got about 6 months out of it before I scrapped it.


----------



## Chukas

This was very similar to my first car,all singing and dancing!!

The shame :cry2: It was only 8 years ago as well. h34r:

It cost Â£2500 not including all the money i spent on modifications. :shocking:


----------



## JonW

hee hee, TR6, no way. ladder frame bendy thing with troublesome EFi. LOL. I wouldnt buy a classic car now to be honest, there are so many newish cars with 'cool' now, unlike the early 90s when there was only the MX5 available. The landscape changed and for the better imho 

I liked the TR7 ad with the 'headroom of 36 million miles' or sommit. very cool


----------



## Abs73

Nissan Sunny E reg 1.6 auto! I do miss that car!


----------



## Ron Jr

'66 Ford Mustang Square back with a 289 K engine in it. Custome intake manifold with two Holly 850's 4 barrells. When I stomped on it I could watch the gas needle drop, used to run a mix of Ethal and AV gas this was the late 70's.


----------



## sonyman

first proper car I bought myself was a MK1 Fiesta in this colour even remeber the reg GCW810S been scrapped now I had real fun in it


----------



## Boxbrownie

JonW said:


> hee hee, TR6, no way. ladder frame bendy thing with troublesome EFi. LOL. I wouldnt buy a classic car now to be honest, there are so many newish cars with 'cool' now, unlike the early 90s when there was only the MX5 available. The landscape changed and for the better imho
> 
> I liked the TR7 ad with the 'headroom of 36 million miles' or sommit. very cool


Funny you should mention the Efi Jon....got a chap at work here who is a inj specialist, he mods Triumph Pi systems on the side, reckons its all just down to pressure and crap springs on the original lucas injectors...mods them and ups the pressure and they run like a dream with far better economy too.....

I almost, very nearly, was on the brink of, virtually did buy a TR6 once...long time ago....loved it but chickened out when got the insurance quote.....I think Norwich Union did me a huge favour as we went out an bought a Lotus Elan Big Valve Sprint convertable, it was actually far cheaper to insure than the TR :huh: ......mind you I had to restore the Elan from the tyre treads up! :lol:


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## Paul Jones

First car: 1979 Morris Marina 2 door COUPE in Vermillion, bought by me in about 1988 from another student. Windows didn't work, every time I went over a bump the glove compartment opened and the bodywork was held together with filler. Great memories.


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## JonW

A marina... eeek. A mate had one and one night he half drove into a layby on a road between Portmouth and London, What he didnt realise was there was a small kerb between the road the layby... the gearbox came up thru the floor and ended up in the back. the engine was between him and the passenger! eek

LOL Well the Elan was the better motor for sure! 

Interesting the EFi can be fixed on the TR6... maybe I should look again... bit of cliche driving a pommy car over here when youre a pom tho LOL


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## Paul Jones

JonW said:


> A marina... eeek. A mate had one and one night he half drove into a layby on a road between Portmouth and London, What he didnt realise was there was a small kerb between the road the layby... the gearbox came up thru the floor and ended up in the back. the engine was between him and the passenger! eek


I know! I look back and am just relieved I never had a bump in it, I think it would have just disintegrated killing the fifteen students I was transporting!


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## hlovett

My first car was a Triumph Dolomite Sprint in bright yellow...Now let me tell you it was a heap, It had a sticky solonoid so every time you wanted to start it you had to open the bonnet and tap the solonoid with a hammer. That could be annoying at a petrol station or if you stalled at lights!!!!

I was a junior car salesman in 1994 (I hasten to add I do not sell cars now) and this was taken in part exchange I think it stood in at about Â£100!!!! They thought it would be funny for me to smoke around in it!!!

Oh yeah the pads were so worn n one side that if you had to break hard you fought to not end up in the central reservation!

h34r:


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## pauluspaolo

My first car was also a Morris Marina - a 1.8 saloon not the much nicer :huh: coupe. Used to go quite well up to about 60 & then it lost interest, handling was a complete nightmare & the brakes were decidedly dodgy. Most of the front wings were fibreglass/filler & the headlights wobbled when I drove down a bumpy road! I look back now & wonder what I must have been thinking to ever buy it. It was pageant blue with a brown velour interior & it was in every respect a heap of untrammelled sh!te :bad:

I part exchanged it for a 1981 Toyota Celica 1600 which was a definite step in the right direction & immeasurably superior in absolutely every respect to the Marina - in fact this car started me on a bit of a Celica phase & it was the first of 3 rear wheel drive Celica's that I owned, the other two were 2 litre twin cams liftbacks (in other words hatchbacks!) & they were not slow 

I drive a 1997 Micra now - good little car - & have a Reliant SS1 in bits (though it's in less bits than it was!) in the garage


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## Mantisgb

Mine was a mk2 escort 1600 sport in orange managed to blow her up twice and went through 3 gearboxes ahhh the boy racer days lol


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## biggles

Talbot sunbeam same colour as this. Paid Â£400 for it in 1989 and sold it with a months MOT left for Â£450.

Even remember the reg no. RKT 83S (think it was a 1978)


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## BondandBigM

biggles said:


> Talbot sunbeam same colour as this. Paid Â£400 for it in 1989 and sold it with a months MOT left for Â£450.
> 
> Even remember the reg no. RKT 83S (think it was a 1978)


In the eighties our boss came to us with the yearly offer, either some cash or a company car. I took the cash as I used to nick off with a works van so wasn't bothered but most of the guy's took a car thinking they had done a good deal, they were duly delivered, Sunbeams for the single guys and the family guys got Solara's :lol: :lol:

Absolutely terrible cars after a few months the engines were rattling like a bag of hammers


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## Robert

BondandBigM said:


> Absolutely terrible cars after a few months the engines were rattling like a bag of hammers


Oi!! I had a black Sunbeam Ti which was great. My brother had a white one that he replaced with a black and silver Sunbeam Lotus which was also great (when it wasn't being repaired)


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## Guest

hlovett said:


> My first car was a Triumph Dolomite Sprint in bright yellow...Now let me tell you it was a heap, It had a sticky solonoid so every time you wanted to start it you had to open the bonnet and tap the solonoid with a hammer. That could be annoying at a petrol station or if you stalled at lights!!!!
> 
> I was a junior car salesman in 1994 (I hasten to add I do not sell cars now) and this was taken in part exchange I think it stood in at about Â£100!!!! They thought it would be funny for me to smoke around in it!!!
> 
> Oh yeah the pads were so worn n one side that if you had to break hard you fought to not end up in the central reservation!
> 
> h34r:


Shame the service information wasn't available from leyland for the sales reps ,

Sprints pretty bullet proof as long as per any car gets the service :lol: missing mine now


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## coff

@ Manty: My first car was a MK2 Escort as well, a truly beautiful '78 1300. It's beige, and had only 65,000 km's behind it when I sold it last fall (2008).

When I got it, the body looked totally spotless, apart from the usual rust in the front wings. The boot looked like it was produced last week, extremely clean with not a spot of rust at all, not even in the spare wheel place. Actually the car came with the original spare wheel, an old winter tire with steel studs. It had all the original stickers with paint code, "inspected by" and 2-3 others which I didn't understand the meaning of. Interior was totally clean as well, no scratches, no aftermarket radio or speakers or anything.

It was a real looker, until I started driving it on wet and salted roads (the in the Norwegian road maintainance crew use salt on the roads to keep it from icing). Then it started rusting a bit here and there.

I am told that the guy who bought it from me has cut away all the rust, painted the engine bay, the engine itself and the transmission box. It is now restored to its original 100% beautiful-ness 

Pics on "oldskoolford" forum, search for "Mowinckel" (not in garage-section).


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## biggles




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## pg tips

did they have the engine that was tilted back towards the bulk head? Had to be a contortionist just to change the plugs?

Had a pug 104 once, when they were still designed by French farmers!


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## oddgitt

Rover 420 SDi. Was also the first car my long suffering dad bought from new, and I had it all of 3 weeks before I flew it into a field.

He wasn't best pleased...

That said it was a brilliant car, very nice to drive, looked good, and had lots of room. I'd have one again if I could find one in good condition.


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## inskip75

First car was a Minor 1000, although at the end of my 5 years of ownership it was 1500cc with discs brakes, uprated suspension and 3 litre Capri back axle.

Then onto rallying - MK1 Escort which I couldn't drive at all, then Sunbeam Ti which once sorted was the best handling car i think I've owned.

Then a number of Alfa 75's including LHD turbo which was ridiculously fast - only needed motorbike overtaking distances. although had to be committed to see past car in front.

Now passat diesel estate - what a come down!


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## johnbaz

well i've had some minging cars that wouldn't pull you off the khazi they were so underpowered 

my first was a mk1 ford escort (H reg '70) the engine was actually a cortina unit with a different sump pan fitted and a cut down dipstick  (the sumps were at different ends  ) i painted it myself with a low pressure spraygun/compressor, it looked ok but the paint had to be applied so thin just to get it out of the gun (more thinners than paint!).

the engine was so worn out that it took five gallons of petrol to go to mablethorpe (90mile journey).

it had a top speed of around a ton (no compression to hold it back but it took about ten minutes to build up...)

i bought a recon engine very cheaply from my uncle, it had only done 5000 miles when my cousin wrote it off...

with this engine fitted it was very nippy but the top speed dropped to 65mph 

my most recent purchase :tongue2:

it needs a couple of rear half wing panels (have one already to fit when the weather picks up), the floor, engine bay

and boot are as solid as owt, i 'won' it for the opening bid of Â£450 on fleabay , it was here in sheffield so i went and viewed it first....










btw, i've removed the bumpers ('orrid plazzie things :yucky: )

john


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## provlada

My first car was Opel Record 2.3TD. Now I have also Opel Rekord but 2.0E.


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## rednotdead

This:










A 1978 Mercedes 230, I bought it in 1996, sold it in 1998 (for a small profit). Built like a tank when Mercedes over-engineered everything on their cars. I followed this with a 1984 190E which was just as good. I miss those cars :cry2:


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## Filterlab

rednotdead said:


> This:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> A 1978 Mercedes 230, I bought it in 1996, sold it in 1998 (for a small profit). Built like a tank when Mercedes over-engineered everything on their cars. I followed this with a 1984 190E which was just as good. I miss those cars :cry2:


Beautiful cars, they were proper Mercs. I love the successor, the W124 series, especially the 300CE pillarless coupÃ©. I had an opportunity to get a low mileage 300CE in blue for Â£1400 last year, stupidly I decided against it.


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## rednotdead

Filterlab said:


> Beautiful cars, they were proper Mercs. I love the successor, the W124 series, especially the 300CE pillarless coupÃ©. I had an opportunity to get a low mileage 300CE in blue for Â£1400 last year, stupidly I decided against it.


I too aim to own one of the coupes one day. The trouble is finding a good one now but having said that they were built to last. I also have a soft spot for the W124 estate, in dark grey on the slightly lowered suspension, awesome bahn stormer.


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## catch21

Vauxhall Viva HB estate. Was nicked and written off in Norwich. I knew it wouldnt get very far and when it hadnt been found 3 days later I went to look for it myself. Two hours later I'd found it.


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## Robin S

First car was a Mini 1000 which I loved (710 still owns a 1275GT).

Then bought a soulless Datsun 100A FII, efficient but boring.

Then perhaps my most beloved car (until it rusted away) a Ford Capri, ah those were the days, particularly in the snow and ice  .

After that one boring Company car after another. Toyota Prius arrives next month which might be a novelty for a week or two.


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## bluenoze

Mine was a 1966 reg ex police Ford Anglia in black I think I paid about Â£60 back in 1976.

It was mofified to take a 1500 cc engine.

passed my driving test in it and traded it in 2 years later.


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## tonyrsv

Mine was a humble mini 1000, black with brown vinyl roof 

The engine was slightly tired and burn't 1 gallon of oil every 200 miles


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## suggsy

My first car was an 'e' reg red hillman imp, then swiftly followed by my father's cortina mk2 gt, also 'e' reg much like BondandBigM, except mine was chocolate brown lol


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## bunchie32

F-reg public toilet blue Citroen BX 1.4. The top of the carb air inlet pipe used to fall off, making it judder to a halt now and then. All it needed was a new jubilee clip, but could I be arsed? No. Then the exhaust fell off on the M5 on my way to Cheltenham, so I traded it that weekend for an H-reg turbodiesel VW jetta, which was much much much much much much better.


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