Your Cars

[Notters]

So there's been quite a bit of car talk recently. So what's your favourite car that you've owned or driven? My list is long so I'll let others have a chance!

First car was an ex Post Office engineering Morris Minor van with rubber mudguards.These vans were auctioned in Croydon and you could bid for them.Fortunately I had a mate in the PO garage who alerted me to a "good 'un" coming up for auction.He kindly relieved the van of its rotor arm which made it a non runner,I bid £20 which secured
the van ,put in the rotor arm and drove it home ! Second car was a lovely 66 Beetle 1300 cc with Yankee bumpers.The green Beetle did over 100k before the engine blew.Bought second hand engine which a mate fitted in double quick time as the engine was held on by four bolts! Followed this with great 2 litre VW camper van with a Spacemaker roof and in retirement me and a mate built a Robin Hood 2B a cheapo version of a Caterham 7.

 

[doctor Bob]

love my VW T4..D....1999.......would swop it for a new EV version if I €60,000 spare.....
but this should be finished for spring 02.....
View attachment 97882

That is lovely. Tell me more please

 

[Kriggi]

I would say that any car more than 10 years old isnt a patch on what is available now. Some just look nicer.

I have to disagree, my Lotus Exige S feels so much better to drive than anything more modern which is why I've had it for 12 years and have no intention of selling it. Modern cars are so heavy and numb in comparison. There's something to be said for older lighter cars and driving enjoyment, something that can't be said for the heavier modern cars, even if they do have heated seats, CarPlay, Sat nav, airbags, parking sensors......

 

[marcros]

I have to disagree, my Lotus Exige S feels so much better to drive than anything more modern which is why I've had it for 12 years and have no intention of selling it. Modern cars are so heavy and numb in comparison. There's something to be said for older lighter cars and driving enjoyment, something that can't be said for the heavier modern cars, even if they do have heated seats, CarPlay, Sat nav, airbags, parking sensors......

View attachment 97892

Nope!

I have never driven a lotus but always admired them. I don't doubt it is excellent to drive and there is no denying that it looks good. For me personally though that appeal would have worn off when I was sat in traffic, cold and lost. Oh and once I had managed to actually get into it (if it is similar to an Elise) I would not be getting out quickly.

I do like it though. If I had endless money and could have a number of cars for different occasions, it would be on the shortlist.

 

[Transit80]

Wish I had not sold this one,

1975 Saab 96V4, completely rebuilt by me with power steering, central locking, electric windows,Rover 200srs wheels,and signed on the roof by the one and only Erik Carlson.

 

[Cooper]

We had this from 1994 until last autumn. I had to move our VW Type 25 TDI on because of the changes to the extension of the Ultra Low Emission Zone in London and that I cannot continue to maintain it. If only there was a current vehicle half as useful!! Airport pickups of our children, grand children and their luggage, 8X4s, 3meter pipes, replacement fridges swallowed up, a big trailer and a clear view of the traffic ahead.

 

[Sideways]

A bit like sideways, my fave was a saab 900i, 4 door, auto. Soooooooo comfortable. 21mpg, I always remember it cornered like a barge, and build quality was unimpeachable. Sideways, did you have the Aero version?

Not quite like the Opel Manta GT that came before it but I don't remember the handling being bad Far better than Volvo's back then, and sooo much servo on the brakes -whenever anyone drove it for the first time, they'd almost put the passenger through the windscreen.
Just a standard 2.0i manual not the aero but it averaged 28-30mpg.

I'm typing this sitting on the passenger seat that I removed and turned into an office chair when I scrapped it.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Marquez eat your heart out

Marquez doesn't ride a 1900cc, 8'5" long V twin.

 

[sploo]

Marquez doesn't ride a 1900cc, 8'5" long V twin.

No, but I think we can all agree we'd like to see it

 

[Benchwayze]

Pre World War II Armstrong Siddeley limousine. It had a preselector gearbox and was painted battleship Grey with 'pussers' shipside Grey. This was in the 1950s at HMS Vernon. A shipmate of mine had bought the vehicle to restore. I don't think he ever did thst, but anyway we had fun driving this vehicle around. It was the first car I ever drove and at the time drove only on the base because I had no licence.

 

[Jameshow]

We have a t5.1 caravelle great van

But half the character of the T25 etc.

Cheers James

 

[billw]

I have to disagree, my Lotus Exige S feels so much better to drive than anything more modern which is why I've had it for 12 years and have no intention of selling it. Modern cars are so heavy and numb in comparison. There's something to be said for older lighter cars and driving enjoyment, something that can't be said for the heavier modern cars, even if they do have heated seats, CarPlay, Sat nav, airbags, parking sensors......

View attachment 97892

Had one of those. Bonkers. Not the S though, just the standard one in lime green. Could hear and see me coming from miles away. I'd love another one in all honesty.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Lotus? Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious.

 

[Just4Fun]

I have to disagree, my Lotus Exige S feels so much better to drive than anything more modern which is why I've had it for 12 years and have no intention of selling it. Modern cars are so heavy and numb in comparison. There's something to be said for older lighter cars and driving enjoyment, something that can't be said for the heavier modern cars, even if they do have heated seats, CarPlay, Sat nav, airbags, parking sensors......

That is a subject that could probably rival sharpening threads for the variety of views, all of which are right in the eyes of the view holders. In reality it is just that different features apply to different people, and to the same people at different times.
I am jealous of your Lotus but it would not make sense for me to have one, at least not now.

 

[billw]

Lotus? Lots Of Trouble, Usually Serious.

I had 4. Madness, although my gf's dad was a Lotus mechanic so I luckily had a source of labour!

This was my last one.....

Prior to that I owned 2 of these (separately, I'm not that mad).... not mine just a stock photo...

Not fun if it rained that. Also very difficult to insure when the question "how many doors does it have" was none. No insurer had none as an option. No radio, no luggage space, the heater had one setting - on. Full on crazy to drive, semi-slick tyres as standard meant it stuck to the road like glue.

And my last cars before I temporarily emigrated were these two.... second from the left was mine.

and this cost me a tenth of that one and was a complete blast.

 

[Cozzer]

Rover 75.
Beautiful, beautiful dashboard design and layout.
Beautiful shaped rear numberplate.
Head gasket #1 not so beautiful.
Head gasket #2, 2 months after #1, even less so....

 

[Sgian Dubh]

My first car was one of these things, but it was all turquoise without the white stripe. (The image came from this source: 1966 Ford Cortina mk1 1500 GT SOLD | Car And Classic) I was also a bit of an inverted snob and carefully removed all the GT badge labels, and tweaked the engine, carbs, and drive train so that it was faster than the standard GT model. After I'd mucked about the mechanical bits It was also quicker off the mark and up to sixty than the Lotus Cortina - after sixty, the Lotus definitely had the edge. Removing the badges and other obvious signs of driving a 'sportier' version of the model was handy at traffic light standing start races because the other knob-heads in their souped up cars were never quite sure what they were up against.

But it was fun doing the stupid boy racer thing, if a bit hairy at times (probably hairier than I realised back then), as well as fun tinkering under the bonnet, and I got that I could change the clutch in a bit over half a day - I was pretty good at burning out clutches. Today, I can't imagine getting under the bonnet to do some serious spanner wielding because it's all such a mystery under there now. Slainte.

 

[graduate_owner]

I agree with the first person to reply - the Morris Marina I owned had good performance for a 1.3 but cornering, braking, in fact everything else was truly awful.
However I am going to vote as my LEAST FAVOURITE vehicle ever (and I have owned quire a few now at nearly 71 years old) -

my 1961 reg Austin A35 van

It was dire in all respects. Pressing the brake pedal was like standing on a brick - hard and unresponsive, and practically zero effect in reverse. The slide down windows had the grip missing, so in the wet weather my hand just used to slide off the pane and I couldn't open them. The indicators were the old semaphore ones which always stuck. To check the brake fluid it was necessary to remove the rubber mats, unscrew and remove a panel in the floor, reach down to remove the top of the reservoir, and shine a torch to see the level of fluid. Steering was shaky, shock absorbers were not good, the heater was unbelievable - open a tap under the bonnet for winter, close for summer, so primitive. And it leaked, rain always managed to come in and drip exactly over the throttle pedal so soaked my leg.
A number of these issues could have been fixed by spending some money (short supply then) but overall it was awful.

 

[Dr W]

Only car I ever owned (~30 yeas ago) was a 1966 Morris Minor Traveler (aka the 'Half-Timbered Moggie'). Coincided with my early interest in carpentry, as I struggled to patch up the wet-rot infested bodywork. Had to sell it after uni because I went to live in central London, where there was no parking but probably just as well, given that the price of ash, even back then was way out of my league.

 

[nickds1]

My baby!

My heavily tricked out desert Jeep JK, named Stoffel, with #2 son at the wheel after having given him a lesson. Now is the best time of the year to be in the desert, and we miss it terribly. Winter out there is just lovely - constant high 20s/low 30s and just a fantastic environment for driving, wildlife & camping... Stoffel loved sand & mountains equally... the huge expanse of the Rub' al Khali and the mountains of the Northern Hajar in Musandam or Jebel Shams & Jebel Akhdar in the Al Hajar of Oman proper are magical places.

Stoffel went to a new home 18 months ago when we returned to the UK. We have visitation rights whenever we are back there (UAE/Oman)...