Mine was a VW Beetle with chrome bumpers from 1978 in white!! It was (sadly) full of rust as my parents bought it for £400 as a life lesson. It had a hole in the floor, so when it rained the water would fill up the footwells!
By far the slowest car I ever owned, but it had character by the bucket load, oh and rust, so much rust!!
Mk1 Cavalier Coupe in gold
For some inexplicable reason it was cheaper to insure than the virtually-identical Opel Manta
Got written off when someone ran up the back of it in City of London on the morning of the Lord Mayor's show.
I had 2 of those Opel Mantas, nice looking cars.Originally Posted by Scepticalist
Mk1 Cavalier Coupe in gold
For some inexplicable reason it was cheaper to insure than the virtually-identical Opel Manta
Got written off when someone ran up the back of it in City of London on the morning of the Lord Mayor's show.
From an age before mobiles/digital cameras so doubt I've got any photos of my old cars.
I test drove a Manta Irmscher i200 back in the day, great looking car. They had an even hairier one, i240, complete with Group B arches.
I had a couple of Mantas too, but they were cars #2 and #3. Number 1 was a 1980 Ford Cortina Mk. V resplendent in beige and filler, YRV 762V
A Mini and although it was only a few years old it was already rusting and it was a bugger to start in the damp and had a good old choke for fun as well.
I am sorry but for those who think the old days of cars were good i am glad things have moved on.
Do remember the number plate YBV 34 R.
Triumph stag
No pics but my first motor was a dark green mini van.
The head gasket went so me and mate spent a long afternoon fitting a new one.
Then I lent it to a mate and he filled it with diesel by mistake so it needed a new engine. Guess how much that cost? £70 for the re-con 1000cc engine and £30 to fit. Them were the days
It also eventually needed two new welded A-panels on the front doors and new back doors. It lasted me 3 years before rust finally did for it and it had to be scrapped. It was great fun though.
My second car was a blue one - They were actually great cars to drive, but the 1.9 engine was made of marshmallow!Mk1 Cavalier Coupe in gold
For some inexplicable reason it was cheaper to insure than the virtually-identical Opel Manta
Got written off when someone ran up the back of it in City of London on the morning of the Lord Mayor's show.
First car was a Red Triumph 1500TC, the RWD version.
Much like this year younger Dolomite, although it's on the fatter Sprint wheels!
M.
Last edited by snowman; 13th October 2017 at 17:00.
Blimey this brings back memories!
I bought a Renault Fuego 1.5 ( ? can't remember exactly) in 1985 before I passed my test. Obviously failed my test and it sat rusting in the car park of the hospital I was working at until I had a letter from management to remove it or it would be towed away.
It was then towed away before I could even drive it :(
First actual driveable car was a MK1 Astra in beige if I remember...
A ford cortina MK2 1600E.....loved it to bits and its still about i think
An orange 1975 Ford Escort Mk2 1600 Sport which the owner had bored out to 1700cc.
A blue 1983 Talbot Samba in 1993, only had it for the 6 months between passing my test and heading off to uni
A1972 VW Beetle in light blue, got a picture somewhere. Pretty rough condition, holes in one wing I used to patch with masking tape and spray with a rattle can
Loved that car.
My first car Bought in 1959 with a two hundred pound bank loan from National Provincial.
The Morris Isis with it!s 2600 cc ex Healey engine was quite a handfull round the Cornish lanes.Mine had the reg number HMV 1 or it might have been tother way round......didn't think anything of it at the time, now worth a few bob.
Swapped it in against my next car an Austin Healey 100 M in full Le Mans spec bought from the major of Bodmin.Think it cost me £495........today, who knows.
Those were the days, the next was a Porsche Super 90 365 Convertible. It was a petrol heads bonanza, my mate bought the ex Castellotti (?) Ferrari from his widow for £1800, it was a 250 MM worth today? At least half of Yorkshire. ;)
Last edited by BrianT; 12th October 2017 at 09:17.
Green Mini Pickup - circa 1973.
An M reg ('74) Saab 99GL with the Triumph 1750cc engine in it in Cameo Beige.
Tough as old boots in the 4 wks that I owned it until some tosser in a stolen BMW wrapped it up outside my parents house at 3 am.
I went on to ownership of another 4 Saabs after that then sold the last one, a 900 T16s to get some funds together for my matrimonial house.
Just like this one...
Ended up with this as the latter...
Last edited by reggie747; 12th October 2017 at 13:18.
Austin Allegro 1500SDL
Uncomfortable, slow, dreadful to drive and unreliable.
In 1985 I had a two year old BMW 316. It was light green metallic with a sunroof. I thought I was the face driving around in my ski coat and highlighted mullet. At the time I was living in central London and had nowhere to park it, so it spent most of it's life in my Dad's garage.
aka All rust and agroAustin Allegro 1500SDL
Uncomfortable, slow, dreadful to drive and unreliable.
My first car was a white 850cc 1965 mini, but I never had it on the road (legally!) as I was too young to drive. Once I reached 17 and passed my test my first road legal car was a 1968 Daimler V8 250 in silver grey with the manual overdrive option, I bought it from the neighbour across the street who'd owned it from new. I wish I still had it today!
Peugeot 104 sport. For about a year, till I rolled it down the side of a hill. I remember keeping the gear knob as a souvenir, since it was pretty much the only salvageable thing. Wonder where it is.
Mine was a Morris Minor bought new by my grandmother in 1969. My father still has it and it will come my way again when he finally hangs up his driving gloves.
Lots of happy memories of that car not least the trip to the south of France...
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Renault 12TL.
Don't see many of them on the road now for some reason.
A burgundy mini clubman. Paid £70 for it. It was a complete piece of crap.
Mine was a C reg Peugeot 205..1.9 diesel...in a grimey yellow which was covered in big red spots where I'd dosed it in rust killer...hence the nickname 'The flying phlegm'...died on the way driving from Edinburgh to Newcastle Airport as the fuel pump conked out and caused some fatal chain reaction...fortunately the AA man managed to get me doon to the toon in time for the lads holiday flight...apart from the colour and windows that slid back down into the doors it was a remarkably good giggle for £300...then got my mates nova GTE...ooooh
I blew all my savings (£1000)on an MG Midget 1500, it was tidy but underneath was nothing but rust. I stripped her down and ordered a British Motor Heritage (BMH) bodyshell; BMH kept delaying release of the shells so I sold it as a trailer-away project for £200 and bought a British Leyland Mini 998 that was almost fit for the scrap heap.
I remember aged 17 and dating my now wife who lived in South London breaking down on the South Circular in that Mini, I found a phone box and called my now father-in-law requesting he tow me in, for those who don't know, Mini's didn't have a towing eye. We hastily attached a rope and commenced towing during the Friday evening rush hour, upon reaching a slight incline on the one-way system, I recall hearing the unmistakable sound of shearing metal followed by seeing the front end of my car disappearing up the road swiftly followed by me grinding to a halt in the gutter! Great memories!
A mini 1275GT in denim blue VEN 826T similar to this but no alloys.
After I passed my Police driving test, I bought a Cortina MK2 which was yellow with purple flashes down the sides....I loved that car till the engine blew up on the moor road to Whitby 😂
Very poor colour match on that front wing.A mini 1275GT in denim blue VEN 826T similar to this but no alloys.
My first car was a mini too, a 1275 engine in a 1000 shell, all professionally done by a local chap who worked at Longbridge.
TOH 807S was its reg. Be worth a few bob nowadays.
Yep, mine had a similar colour miss match but on the nearside wing.
They did bitd when we all had dads who did their own repairs and bodywork, spraying using holts rattle cans . My dad had an austin 2200 and the headlight fell out so he used a coca cola tin , rivets and plenty of plastic padding filler ( remember that ?)
Mine was a 79 capri 1.6L the passenger side footwell used to fill up with water when it rained
E reg escort estate diesel In Red ,not my choice but you don't moan when it's free
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Sunbeam Stilleto for me - a 1967 F reg that was older than me! Lots of rust but lots of oversteer fun too.
A chocolate brown vauxhall chevette saloon.
VW Golf Mk 1 - 1.1
Loved it until i managed to terminally break something in the engine and had to sell it for scrap..
Mine was one of these, but in battleship grey. £150 of joy - Hillman Super Minx estate. Had it for about a year before the engine gave up on the M5.
Mine was a 100k miles plus Rover 214 Si 16v.
A car that was brilliant and only replaced by another Rover - a 200 BRM.
- - - Updated - - -
Mine was a 100k miles plus Rover 214 Si 16v.
A car that was brilliant and only replaced by another Rover - a 200 BRM.
X reg Mini Metro in a burgandy colour with cream velour interior. I put a Pioneer head-unit (tape-deck) in it and two big speakers on the parcel shelf.
This: pic lifted of the 'net. I choose this one because mine had the same specs. 1974 Citroen Dyane 4.
After a year of ownership, the car was a hopeless piece of junk. I had to drive it all across the country my parents' home and the Army barracks every weekend and vice versa. The brakes went south when a brake cylinder started leaking on the front drums... breaking was something of a roulette. My mom decided that the car had to go and ordered my dad to give me a loan for a better car.
A Honda Civic
Up until this day, I miss this car. It was great to drive. And, tbh, in my memory on par with my current VW Up! Shown here the correct model year, with the 'blob' lights on top of the bumpers. Mine was a silver metallic, two door without the go-faster striping and the fancy wheels. Mine had 12" steel rims on Vredesteins. I remember that when accelerating, there was always a hiccup when revving. In hindsight, it was the carb's design.
Dark Blue Austin 1100 1972 enough said.
Anglia Estate DeLuxe. In this colour originally. Then became BRIGHT YELLOW
Eventually got through 6 engines !!!
Oh god here goes.
My first car was a Ford Corsair, almost identical to this one, even down to the Zodiac wheel trims which were a must in those days. Halogen days Rodney, halogen days!
Austin 1100,this little lady could tell some right tales.
'82 Opel Commodore 2,5S
(Not mine but same model and color)
328 GTB
Here I am at 17 in my Bermuda shorts the day it was delivered
where to upload high resolution photos
No, not really...
Technically my first car was an old Volvo 240 saloon that I bought prior to passing my driving test for £200 from a relative in the trade, one I found out how astronomical the insurance was I sold it for a profit having never driven it.
So my real first car was a red Talbot horizon hatchback and it was utterly awful. However as I lived 10 miles from the nearest public transport (actually there was one bus a fortnight to take the old ladies to Norwich shopping) so the Talbot was my first taste of freedom and I absolutely adored it.
The car was given to me free as it only had a few months MOT left and no chance of passing another. Between my village and the main road was a 4 mile long and rather muddy 'green lane' so I used to rally the little Talbot down there on my was to college, it taught me a lot about car control..... After a few months the suspension was rather knackered! The final straw was when the accelerator fell of on the A12 one day and I had to tie it back on using wires I ripped from the back of the stereo.
Last edited by jmitch; 12th October 2017 at 20:31.
Mazda 323 in 1981. Death trap once in a slide. My younger brother wrote it off.
BRG Vauxhall HB estate, got nicked in Norwich. Later found in a field in Norfolk with someone living in it.
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