Whats your drive-line?
Discussion
very similar to this except it was a 5 door
I'm only 20 so I dont have a massivly long or interesting car history.
My first car at 17; A 1.0 Corsa, a complete money pit and a car I deeply regret buying.
My second car at 18; 1.6 focus zetec, it was a good little car and didn't really put a foot wrong during the two years I ran it.
My third car at 20; 318i only kept it for about 6 months but I loved this car. It wasn't fast or powerful but I just found it enjoyable to drive. It hardly cost me any thing and I sold it for a small profit.
My fourth and current car at 20; Audi a3 1.6, I got this to use as a cheap run around. It does the job but I'm finding it pretty boring and I cant see myself keeping it for more than another month.
My first car at 17; A 1.0 Corsa, a complete money pit and a car I deeply regret buying.
My second car at 18; 1.6 focus zetec, it was a good little car and didn't really put a foot wrong during the two years I ran it.
My third car at 20; 318i only kept it for about 6 months but I loved this car. It wasn't fast or powerful but I just found it enjoyable to drive. It hardly cost me any thing and I sold it for a small profit.
My fourth and current car at 20; Audi a3 1.6, I got this to use as a cheap run around. It does the job but I'm finding it pretty boring and I cant see myself keeping it for more than another month.
It's been interesting seeing people's starting machinery! So, now you'll suffer mine 
I inherited this beauty whilst at uni. (900cc, found out the glove box was an optional extra and I didn't have one). Getting over the Pennines was interesting. Despite archaic security, some thieves in 'boro failed to steal it and even left their furry dice behind. (Can't find a pic of mine
)
It was later donated to my brother who put turbo stickers on it for giggles and I "upgraded" to this hateful and soulless car. (1.25l Zetec) (Again, not my photo).
After a it dumped coolant on the M55 in blizzard conditions and still fried itself it was replaced with: (Not actually this one). "Grande". WTF was so "Grande" about it? Apart from all the electrical stuff failing.
Last year replaced with FUN TIMES.
And then in true PH tradition I recently picked up this as a project. JOY.
I inherited this beauty whilst at uni. (900cc, found out the glove box was an optional extra and I didn't have one). Getting over the Pennines was interesting. Despite archaic security, some thieves in 'boro failed to steal it and even left their furry dice behind. (Can't find a pic of mine
)It was later donated to my brother who put turbo stickers on it for giggles and I "upgraded" to this hateful and soulless car. (1.25l Zetec) (Again, not my photo).
After a it dumped coolant on the M55 in blizzard conditions and still fried itself it was replaced with: (Not actually this one). "Grande". WTF was so "Grande" about it? Apart from all the electrical stuff failing.
Last year replaced with FUN TIMES.
And then in true PH tradition I recently picked up this as a project. JOY.
Not my cars as I couldn't be bothered to adjust them from Facebook so I plucked them from Google, but kept the same colour & specs where I could.
My first car at 15, restored over 2 years ready for when I passed my test.
1.jpg)
Not a Rallye, but a GTi-6 in white(only white one I could find)
My favorite car - stage 2 300+bhp & 360lb ft it certainly flew!
Baby was born & the Cupra couldn't carry us economically or comfortably so had to make way for the Wagon!
To cheer myself up I bought one of these...
My first car at 15, restored over 2 years ready for when I passed my test.
Not a Rallye, but a GTi-6 in white(only white one I could find)
My favorite car - stage 2 300+bhp & 360lb ft it certainly flew!
Baby was born & the Cupra couldn't carry us economically or comfortably so had to make way for the Wagon!
To cheer myself up I bought one of these...
Edited by Vidal Baboon on Wednesday 18th August 15:38
From passing my test I was given this. I thought it expensive until...
Given to me for an 18th Birthday present, it lasted about 6 weeks. Then University called.
I quickly moved onto.
Which melted and I ended up with.
After university I had a relapse to rear engines.
Followed by.
Which was surprisingly good, until the engine self destruct mechanism kicked in.
Which was supplemented with.
I had these whilst whilst working abroad, on return I went exotic!
A surprisingly good car, apart from Seat not fitting relays in key places - 1st car that caught fire on me.
The second car that caught fire, it was quick, but so unreliable.
A spell of commuting meant diesel was needed.
So I got one of these for fun.
The first mini died, so I replaced it with clubman.
I was made a silly offer for the mini which meant it was bike time.
The next commuter, what was I thinking. A 1.8d. God it was slow.
Another commuting dog.
This took away some pain, and was joined by.
A great bike, when it worked.
The commuting stopped so I was free to choose something with a bit more pep.
The T595 stuck in gear so I swapped it for one of these, which turned out to have a chequered past, the dealer gave me a new one to go away - and I mean brand new, such was the problems with the first one.
Great bike, knee injury forced the sale.
You can tell this isn't my one, it is too clean. Best car I have owned.
Most fun I have ever owned, and still do.
Properly fast, on a roll on test it demolished my friends Blades, R1's, ZX-9.
More commuting, less Impreza.
Well, someone had to...
Got dogs? Get one of these as a second car.
Replaced the Saab.
This joined the garage so the wife could travel in more comfort, K1200S kept for fun.
The latest addition. The 'Dog Van' lost an argument with lorry. this replaced it. Surprised just how comfortable and capable it is. Saw the GPS at 150mph recently (OK it is a very downhill stretch, but still)
Sorry for the 'library' pics, afraid I lost all the digital images of cars a few years ago and never really bothered taking pics since then.
Edited by davemac250 on Wednesday 18th August 16:42
Cant find a pic of the exact car but first up is the Mk1 Fiesta 1 litre
1.3 Nova SR - Brilliant and totally unreliable heap but I loved it.
1.4 Bravo (due to house purchase) One of the thirstiest cars I've owned oddly.
First "proper" performance car - Clio 172. First and only new car I've ever had. Superb car.
Bit of a step up the range to the RS Megane
Hankered after a VX220 for a while and insurance got sensible enough to go for it
VX needed a backup daily driver so got a little VTS Saxo
VTS was a bit crap so upgraded it to this 307 XSI. A Surprisingly adequate car.
House renovation time so the VX and 307 went and slimmed the fleet down to this Megane 225. This time an F1 edition.
Found out VX220s got under my skin a bit so got another one
2008, car markets in meltdown. Z4Ms were cheap so sold the MEgane and VX and got one. Epic car.
Baby on the way so a tearful byebye to the Z4 and a sensible 5 door family car
Yes VX220s. Bit of an issue with me now lol
RX8 was good but costing too much to run so replaced it with a golf GT TDI. Another surprisingly adequate car. I quite like it.
1.3 Nova SR - Brilliant and totally unreliable heap but I loved it.
1.4 Bravo (due to house purchase) One of the thirstiest cars I've owned oddly.
First "proper" performance car - Clio 172. First and only new car I've ever had. Superb car.
Bit of a step up the range to the RS Megane
Hankered after a VX220 for a while and insurance got sensible enough to go for it
VX needed a backup daily driver so got a little VTS Saxo
VTS was a bit crap so upgraded it to this 307 XSI. A Surprisingly adequate car.
House renovation time so the VX and 307 went and slimmed the fleet down to this Megane 225. This time an F1 edition.
Found out VX220s got under my skin a bit so got another one
2008, car markets in meltdown. Z4Ms were cheap so sold the MEgane and VX and got one. Epic car.
Baby on the way so a tearful byebye to the Z4 and a sensible 5 door family car
Yes VX220s. Bit of an issue with me now lol
RX8 was good but costing too much to run so replaced it with a golf GT TDI. Another surprisingly adequate car. I quite like it.
Started with this at 17
Great fun, nightmare on insurance but worth it. It started to go wrong most weeks so went to the auctions with the intentions of buying a cheap and cheerful runaround and ended up driving home in this...
Brilliant car. Really loved it and great fun on the twisties.
At 18 I got the car that I always wanted from being a youngster
My parents were getting annoyed at me taking up the drive so the Xr2 and Fiesta turbo went shortly after
Had a few works cars and vans in those years, this was my favourite
next up when I was 21 I wanted more turbo power and what could be better than mixing my 2 favourite cars?
Rs Turbo engined Xr2. Lots of fun. The bonnet was like that because it liked to overheat, it did actually help!
A friend was selling a very tidy RS1800 that had been in his family for years, I had the cash so I bought it
Nice enough car. That's about it.
Amongst the company cars and vans I have had, I owned a few of my own for work
The Civic has to be the best value for money ever. It cost peanuts to buy and it worked hard. I put about 50k trouble free miles on it, It never failed on anything for the MOT and I sold it for what I paid for it.
Got this now, It was my dads and is a very tidy car. Don't think I will be selling it anytime soon
Even had a jap spec dog
Great fun, nightmare on insurance but worth it. It started to go wrong most weeks so went to the auctions with the intentions of buying a cheap and cheerful runaround and ended up driving home in this...
Brilliant car. Really loved it and great fun on the twisties.
At 18 I got the car that I always wanted from being a youngster
My parents were getting annoyed at me taking up the drive so the Xr2 and Fiesta turbo went shortly after
Had a few works cars and vans in those years, this was my favourite
next up when I was 21 I wanted more turbo power and what could be better than mixing my 2 favourite cars?
Rs Turbo engined Xr2. Lots of fun. The bonnet was like that because it liked to overheat, it did actually help!
A friend was selling a very tidy RS1800 that had been in his family for years, I had the cash so I bought it
Nice enough car. That's about it.
Amongst the company cars and vans I have had, I owned a few of my own for work
The Civic has to be the best value for money ever. It cost peanuts to buy and it worked hard. I put about 50k trouble free miles on it, It never failed on anything for the MOT and I sold it for what I paid for it.
Got this now, It was my dads and is a very tidy car. Don't think I will be selling it anytime soon
Even had a jap spec dog
Started off with one of these fire breathing 1.4 rust buckets when I was 17 which I kept for 4 years until it rusted away. Mine was white and had the even more boring wheel covers. This car seemed to break down every other week, god knows how I kept it going for as long as I did.
Then I got this XR3i (the mighty 105PS version) which I sold because it seemed to constantly need repairing.
I got fed up repairing the XR3i all the time so I got this instead
Which went to make way for a company car which I still have
And I'm now fixing up these two
Then I got this XR3i (the mighty 105PS version) which I sold because it seemed to constantly need repairing.
I got fed up repairing the XR3i all the time so I got this instead
Which went to make way for a company car which I still have
And I'm now fixing up these two
Evangelion said:
Quick request - can we make up our minds whether captions are going to be posted above photos or below?
Or space things out to make it more obvious?
Sorry for interruption - will post mine soon, honest.
Spaced and obvious is best - Most are easy enough to follow, with a couple of exceptions.Or space things out to make it more obvious?
Sorry for interruption - will post mine soon, honest.
Some really great stories in this thread, it has been a really good read!
Past;
Bought at 14 after quitting racing to go for some off-roading! Such an amazing car, not the best off road, but had some strong points! (very good in water!) Learnt to do everything in this car, even some drifting when put back in RWD!
I'd buy it back in a heartbeat if I knew where it was!
My First 'road' car - Not the most reliable, or the fastest, nor the most character, but still gave me the big break! Was slow enough for me and my no claims bonus, which meant I was (just about) able to afford my next car! Did Le Mans (which I will never forget) in this car, as well as learn how to drive in the snow (surprisingly adept with the narow tyres!)
Now sold to my boss for use by his au pair.
Present;
Mid-way through my ownership with the Fiesta, I got the off roading bug and went and bought something I had always wanted - Land Rover 90! Drinks at the rate of less than 10 miles to every gallon, it rots each time you go near it, and it always manages to break down just when you don't want it to. But IMO it is one of the coolest cars going, and almost has a personality of it's own - I hope to keep this car for life! Just getting it roadworthy now ready hopefully for the winter.
I wanted one of these when they came out even as a clay model, and when on the road I wanted one even more! 8 1/2 years after they were bought on sale, I finally got my hands on one - You may mock, but I love it! Only had it since March but already have some very fond memories of this car, including Santa Pod @ MITP this weekend, as well as a lot planned for next year, can't wait!
ETC - Spelling
Past;
Bought at 14 after quitting racing to go for some off-roading! Such an amazing car, not the best off road, but had some strong points! (very good in water!) Learnt to do everything in this car, even some drifting when put back in RWD!
I'd buy it back in a heartbeat if I knew where it was!
My First 'road' car - Not the most reliable, or the fastest, nor the most character, but still gave me the big break! Was slow enough for me and my no claims bonus, which meant I was (just about) able to afford my next car! Did Le Mans (which I will never forget) in this car, as well as learn how to drive in the snow (surprisingly adept with the narow tyres!)
Now sold to my boss for use by his au pair.
Present;
Mid-way through my ownership with the Fiesta, I got the off roading bug and went and bought something I had always wanted - Land Rover 90! Drinks at the rate of less than 10 miles to every gallon, it rots each time you go near it, and it always manages to break down just when you don't want it to. But IMO it is one of the coolest cars going, and almost has a personality of it's own - I hope to keep this car for life! Just getting it roadworthy now ready hopefully for the winter.
I wanted one of these when they came out even as a clay model, and when on the road I wanted one even more! 8 1/2 years after they were bought on sale, I finally got my hands on one - You may mock, but I love it! Only had it since March but already have some very fond memories of this car, including Santa Pod @ MITP this weekend, as well as a lot planned for next year, can't wait!
ETC - Spelling
Edited by mister.t on Thursday 19th August 12:31
First car, 4 speed gearbox and manual choke, I loved it 
E34 BMW 518i slow to accelerate but a lovely comfy cruiser once up to speed - loved it too
S2 Elise - lifelong dream to own something special, will have to be sold soon though
E39 BMW 523i SE - Bought to replace my 518, shouldn't have bothered E34 a far superior car in my book, E39 has no soul - just couldn't bond with it.
1998 Toyota Corolla - bought to make commute cheaper, replaced e39, has been very reliable and surprisingly fun to drive.
ETA: None of the above are my actual cars, just similar ones.
E34 BMW 518i slow to accelerate but a lovely comfy cruiser once up to speed - loved it too
S2 Elise - lifelong dream to own something special, will have to be sold soon though
E39 BMW 523i SE - Bought to replace my 518, shouldn't have bothered E34 a far superior car in my book, E39 has no soul - just couldn't bond with it.
1998 Toyota Corolla - bought to make commute cheaper, replaced e39, has been very reliable and surprisingly fun to drive.
ETA: None of the above are my actual cars, just similar ones.
Edited by patmahe on Thursday 19th August 13:00
First car was one a Rover 115SD (not actual car - right colour but mine was a 5dr):
Then graduated to a VW Golf 1.8 GL while at university:
Then on to a VW Golf GTI Mk3 (not actual car but same colour/wheels):
Then decided I didn't like the Mk3 and needed a cheaper car so went back to a Mk2 in the form of Jap-import 1.8 GLi:
Then moved on to a US-import Mk2 GTI 16v (unusually a 2.0 not a 1.8 as per UK versions):
Then got an offer I couldn't refuse for that and got a UK 16v (same colour/wheels but not actual car):
That turned out to be a dog so I sold it and got a black 5dr version:
Then eventually I was all Golfed-out so got an A3 1.8T quattro:
Which was followed a few years later by an Audi S3 225
Then I moved to Moscow and sold the Audi and got a Z1 as a UK garage toy:
And a £700 Saab for cheap UK transport:
Then rented a white Clio saloon out in Russia for a while (niiiice):
Then couldn't cope with the Clio so took an Alfa 156 GTA out to Russia to use there:
Then replaced the Saab with a Mercedes 500E in the UK:
Then moved back to UK and replaced the Alfa and Merc with a 135i:
Then wrote off my first Z1 and replaced it with a second:
Then graduated to a VW Golf 1.8 GL while at university:
Then on to a VW Golf GTI Mk3 (not actual car but same colour/wheels):
Then decided I didn't like the Mk3 and needed a cheaper car so went back to a Mk2 in the form of Jap-import 1.8 GLi:
Then moved on to a US-import Mk2 GTI 16v (unusually a 2.0 not a 1.8 as per UK versions):
Then got an offer I couldn't refuse for that and got a UK 16v (same colour/wheels but not actual car):
That turned out to be a dog so I sold it and got a black 5dr version:
Then eventually I was all Golfed-out so got an A3 1.8T quattro:
Which was followed a few years later by an Audi S3 225
Then I moved to Moscow and sold the Audi and got a Z1 as a UK garage toy:
And a £700 Saab for cheap UK transport:
Then rented a white Clio saloon out in Russia for a while (niiiice):
Then couldn't cope with the Clio so took an Alfa 156 GTA out to Russia to use there:
Then replaced the Saab with a Mercedes 500E in the UK:
Then moved back to UK and replaced the Alfa and Merc with a 135i:
Then wrote off my first Z1 and replaced it with a second:
Ive had a few stinkers in my time, but i think overall ive done not too bad. I didnt start driving until i was 20, having joined the Marines at 17 and not needing any personal transport it made sense to spend my hard end cash on beer and women rather than driving lessons. In 2002 i got the opportunity to take my driving qualification (everything up to HGV1 with Hazmat) at the defence school of transport in Leconfield, near Hull. And so the story began.
I learnt to drive B cat in a Vauxhall Corsa 1.5d, which was pretty straight forward and (without blowing my own trumpet) i passed my test with no faults after only 2 1/2 days of training. The military employ civilian indtructors and area incredibly good at teaching you 'good, street wise driving skills' as well as the correct way to drive a car.
From there i moved on to B+E (car and trailer) in a Ford Focus with a normal 3/4 tonne box trailer. Again this was a quick session and i passed with zero faults after only 2 days. We practised day and night driving, including driving blindfolded listening only to the instructors commands.
Having acquired my licence i quickly went out and bought a car in order to keep up the learning curve. My first car was a '97 Rover 100, foolishly bought for £2500 in 2002. It didnt live long as the rust got to it and the engine wasnt great.
Whilst still at Leconfield i progressed on to C Cat (HGV). Initially learning to drive flat beds and 7 1/2 tonne box wagons i spent 5 days and nights on the road (and at roadside cafes) before taking my test and again passing with zero faults. I really enjoyed driving the smaller lorries around Hull as its quite a busy and challenging area. The learning curve is quite steep and re-learning the highway code and taking the written test for HGV straight after doing my car test was quite confusing in places.
The following week moved me on to C+E (HGV with trailer, or Articulated). This is pretty straight forward after doing HGV and 2 days saw me passing my test on both Flat beds with a trailer and 45ft Artic's. I thoroughly enjoyed the reversing lanes and garage parking, we spany many an hour practicing parking and racing backwards around the airfield.
Hazmat was next, but thats a proper bore.
The next phase is the 'green' phase in which you learn to drive pretty much all the military vehicles you can expect to encounter in your career in the forces. A quick list of what you have to drive and are assessed on (including day / night off road and off road. Night blind driving, camouflage, evasion, vehicle repair and recovery and day / night navigation):
110 Wolf Landrover (with and without trailer)
4 tonne Daf MK, TM and every other variant (with and without trailer)
8 tonne TM (awesome peice of kit, and if you take the limiter fuse out is actually pretty quick)
WMIK (landrover with weapons mounts)
Pinzgauer (4 wheel version)
Dropps (container transporter)
Fuel Tankers
......
and some more i cant think of.
I then left Leconfield with a full spec licence and moved back to my Unit, which luckily for me had a fully equipped car club. We paid subs to maintain it and could use everything from ramps to welding gear, engine lifts to paint guns. This is where my love for cars really kicked off.
Still in my 'stinkers' era, i purchased a second Rover 100 and it too died a miserable death around 2003.
Whilst owning the Rover i bought a little project car. It was a 1.6gti Dimma kitted 205, but after a while and some serious credit card abuse it became this (retained the 1.6gti engine but got a full T16 body conversion).
The T16 wannabe soon became too expensive to maintain and keep up to a show standard, and that coupled with a desire for something new led me to this (ex Network Q Rally car running approx 700bhp):
One of the guys at the car club sold it to me as he was leaving the forces. I got it at a very good price and even came with an extensive spares package which included dozens of wheels, spare exhausts, and 2 spare engines. He did have a spare RWD shell but he kept that for a future project.
The Escort stayed for a while, but with the Metro dead and burried i needed something practical. The club garage facilities meant i could combine practical with experimentation and i ended up back with a 205 project.
The car started as a sensible 1.6gti but over a year or so was transformed into: 2.0ltr engine from 306 Gti-6. Safety devices roll cage. Touring car seats, harnesses. GTi-6 brakes, 309 front wishbones etc etc. The engine was running around 200bhp with the modifications i had made. Custom OMP rally exhaust, 421 manifold, Cosworth injectors, Alpha mappable ecu, lightened and balanced, rebored inlet manifold and high flow induction. It went really well, but for some reason (which i sussed later) didnt produce a huge amount of torque.
This became my daily drive, which despite the noise worked really well. I got a missus who lived 150 miles away which also meant i could enjoy the weekly, friday afternoon and monday morning (very early) hoons along the south coast to Plymouth. It served me well, but as it matured it was honed toward becoming a focussed track car.
It was a great laugh on the track, but its hard core stance meant that i had to get a sensible towing impliment.
It was a P reg, been to the moon and back, 1.8 zetec. There wasnt a straight panel on it but it went well and only cost me £60 out of the paper. I bought it in 2006 and it lasted me well into 2007 after i git back from Afghanistan. A few weeks after i got the Mondeo i also bought a trailer and the plan was put into action.
A few track days in the summer of 2006 led to the discovery of some cracks and creeks in the 205's shell. We did Knockhill, Brands, Folembrey (france) and plenty of hard driving along the twisty A35. I decided to scrap the existing 205 and start from scratch with a newer shell.
Starting life as a 205 GRD the little lady went through a full conversion to become a right little monster. I bought her in Sept 2006 and after saving my pennies for 6 months
whilst getting blown up, shot, nearly captured and generally doing what Marines do best i could afford to create this:
The spec changed a little, along with the power. Same engine, but with one off cams from a 306 btcc car. BTCC head, ground crank, lightwieght fly, cosworth injectors, inlet polished and ported, same OMP exhaust (but modified with sprung internal valves to aid backpressure, giving me my torque back), and some other essential bits to suit. Power was just shy of 240bhp and was an absolute hoot to drive bearing in mind it only wieghed 700kg.
I got rid of the Mondeo after an couple more months towing and went for something great:
It had more than enough towing ability, some credibility, space for all my spares and was ideal for my side hobby of off roading. The only thing that spoiled the ownership was the abuse i got from other road users. Must be something about big 4x4's. I had a brick thrown at it, people managed to not see it and reverse into it and i'd have old folks moaning at me for clogging up thier roads with my 'huge car'. Its not actually that big!!!
The L200 stayed until Dec 2007 when i decided to put my notice to leave the Marines. Both the L200 and the Pug went to the same person as a package. I really miss the pug, the driving exoerience is something ive yet to relive in another car. That and the fact i did it myself gives it a really special place in my car history.
On leaving the Marines in 2008 i changed my plan of attack and opted for a sensible motor to transport both my new wife and my new dog. I had it fitted with a Ralliart chip and as a result the performance wasnt actually that bad. It could carry everything i could possibly want, and had all the comfort of a cruiser. The price was good too as i found a trader who had mistakenly bought it at auction instead of an L200. He sold me it at aution price.
Despite its 'perfect', practical status i still had an urge for proper power. 9 months of faultless ownership later i ended up with this:
2003 RS6 Avant, nigh on immaculate, with normal mileage. I dont like buying older cars with 'low mileage' as they normaly havnt had the regular servicing, maintenance and care they would have had if they were used regularly. The power and trim was standard when i bought it, but after a couple of years of wallet emptying ownership she looks like this:
Ive had the suspension overhauled and replaced with Bilstein PSS9's, wheels changed to RS6 'Plus' items, Miltek Resonated exhaust, MRC Stage 1+ map giving 508bhp and 550lb/ft and a near total respray. Theres plenty of other bits ive changes there too, but cutting the story short........ im happy with the car as it is. I dont think i'll ever change it.
Out of all my cars, which would i say was the best?
For all round practicality, thrills and enjoyment: RS6
Most economical to run and most sensible: Shogun (i wish i'd kept it as the dogs love getting the RS dirty).
Most fun: 205.
Best value: Mondeo. Bought for £60, sold to the scrappy for £60 + £60 for the tax disc.
Biggest mistakes:
Metro's / Rovers - because they were crap!!
Escort - silly amount of debt.
I learnt to drive B cat in a Vauxhall Corsa 1.5d, which was pretty straight forward and (without blowing my own trumpet) i passed my test with no faults after only 2 1/2 days of training. The military employ civilian indtructors and area incredibly good at teaching you 'good, street wise driving skills' as well as the correct way to drive a car.
From there i moved on to B+E (car and trailer) in a Ford Focus with a normal 3/4 tonne box trailer. Again this was a quick session and i passed with zero faults after only 2 days. We practised day and night driving, including driving blindfolded listening only to the instructors commands.
Having acquired my licence i quickly went out and bought a car in order to keep up the learning curve. My first car was a '97 Rover 100, foolishly bought for £2500 in 2002. It didnt live long as the rust got to it and the engine wasnt great.
Whilst still at Leconfield i progressed on to C Cat (HGV). Initially learning to drive flat beds and 7 1/2 tonne box wagons i spent 5 days and nights on the road (and at roadside cafes) before taking my test and again passing with zero faults. I really enjoyed driving the smaller lorries around Hull as its quite a busy and challenging area. The learning curve is quite steep and re-learning the highway code and taking the written test for HGV straight after doing my car test was quite confusing in places.
The following week moved me on to C+E (HGV with trailer, or Articulated). This is pretty straight forward after doing HGV and 2 days saw me passing my test on both Flat beds with a trailer and 45ft Artic's. I thoroughly enjoyed the reversing lanes and garage parking, we spany many an hour practicing parking and racing backwards around the airfield.
Hazmat was next, but thats a proper bore.
The next phase is the 'green' phase in which you learn to drive pretty much all the military vehicles you can expect to encounter in your career in the forces. A quick list of what you have to drive and are assessed on (including day / night off road and off road. Night blind driving, camouflage, evasion, vehicle repair and recovery and day / night navigation):
110 Wolf Landrover (with and without trailer)
4 tonne Daf MK, TM and every other variant (with and without trailer)
8 tonne TM (awesome peice of kit, and if you take the limiter fuse out is actually pretty quick)
WMIK (landrover with weapons mounts)
Pinzgauer (4 wheel version)
Dropps (container transporter)
Fuel Tankers
......
and some more i cant think of.
I then left Leconfield with a full spec licence and moved back to my Unit, which luckily for me had a fully equipped car club. We paid subs to maintain it and could use everything from ramps to welding gear, engine lifts to paint guns. This is where my love for cars really kicked off.
Still in my 'stinkers' era, i purchased a second Rover 100 and it too died a miserable death around 2003.
Whilst owning the Rover i bought a little project car. It was a 1.6gti Dimma kitted 205, but after a while and some serious credit card abuse it became this (retained the 1.6gti engine but got a full T16 body conversion).
The T16 wannabe soon became too expensive to maintain and keep up to a show standard, and that coupled with a desire for something new led me to this (ex Network Q Rally car running approx 700bhp):
One of the guys at the car club sold it to me as he was leaving the forces. I got it at a very good price and even came with an extensive spares package which included dozens of wheels, spare exhausts, and 2 spare engines. He did have a spare RWD shell but he kept that for a future project.
The Escort stayed for a while, but with the Metro dead and burried i needed something practical. The club garage facilities meant i could combine practical with experimentation and i ended up back with a 205 project.
The car started as a sensible 1.6gti but over a year or so was transformed into: 2.0ltr engine from 306 Gti-6. Safety devices roll cage. Touring car seats, harnesses. GTi-6 brakes, 309 front wishbones etc etc. The engine was running around 200bhp with the modifications i had made. Custom OMP rally exhaust, 421 manifold, Cosworth injectors, Alpha mappable ecu, lightened and balanced, rebored inlet manifold and high flow induction. It went really well, but for some reason (which i sussed later) didnt produce a huge amount of torque.
This became my daily drive, which despite the noise worked really well. I got a missus who lived 150 miles away which also meant i could enjoy the weekly, friday afternoon and monday morning (very early) hoons along the south coast to Plymouth. It served me well, but as it matured it was honed toward becoming a focussed track car.
It was a great laugh on the track, but its hard core stance meant that i had to get a sensible towing impliment.
It was a P reg, been to the moon and back, 1.8 zetec. There wasnt a straight panel on it but it went well and only cost me £60 out of the paper. I bought it in 2006 and it lasted me well into 2007 after i git back from Afghanistan. A few weeks after i got the Mondeo i also bought a trailer and the plan was put into action.
A few track days in the summer of 2006 led to the discovery of some cracks and creeks in the 205's shell. We did Knockhill, Brands, Folembrey (france) and plenty of hard driving along the twisty A35. I decided to scrap the existing 205 and start from scratch with a newer shell.
Starting life as a 205 GRD the little lady went through a full conversion to become a right little monster. I bought her in Sept 2006 and after saving my pennies for 6 months
whilst getting blown up, shot, nearly captured and generally doing what Marines do best i could afford to create this:
The spec changed a little, along with the power. Same engine, but with one off cams from a 306 btcc car. BTCC head, ground crank, lightwieght fly, cosworth injectors, inlet polished and ported, same OMP exhaust (but modified with sprung internal valves to aid backpressure, giving me my torque back), and some other essential bits to suit. Power was just shy of 240bhp and was an absolute hoot to drive bearing in mind it only wieghed 700kg.
I got rid of the Mondeo after an couple more months towing and went for something great:
It had more than enough towing ability, some credibility, space for all my spares and was ideal for my side hobby of off roading. The only thing that spoiled the ownership was the abuse i got from other road users. Must be something about big 4x4's. I had a brick thrown at it, people managed to not see it and reverse into it and i'd have old folks moaning at me for clogging up thier roads with my 'huge car'. Its not actually that big!!!
The L200 stayed until Dec 2007 when i decided to put my notice to leave the Marines. Both the L200 and the Pug went to the same person as a package. I really miss the pug, the driving exoerience is something ive yet to relive in another car. That and the fact i did it myself gives it a really special place in my car history.
On leaving the Marines in 2008 i changed my plan of attack and opted for a sensible motor to transport both my new wife and my new dog. I had it fitted with a Ralliart chip and as a result the performance wasnt actually that bad. It could carry everything i could possibly want, and had all the comfort of a cruiser. The price was good too as i found a trader who had mistakenly bought it at auction instead of an L200. He sold me it at aution price.
Despite its 'perfect', practical status i still had an urge for proper power. 9 months of faultless ownership later i ended up with this:
2003 RS6 Avant, nigh on immaculate, with normal mileage. I dont like buying older cars with 'low mileage' as they normaly havnt had the regular servicing, maintenance and care they would have had if they were used regularly. The power and trim was standard when i bought it, but after a couple of years of wallet emptying ownership she looks like this:
Ive had the suspension overhauled and replaced with Bilstein PSS9's, wheels changed to RS6 'Plus' items, Miltek Resonated exhaust, MRC Stage 1+ map giving 508bhp and 550lb/ft and a near total respray. Theres plenty of other bits ive changes there too, but cutting the story short........ im happy with the car as it is. I dont think i'll ever change it.
Out of all my cars, which would i say was the best?
For all round practicality, thrills and enjoyment: RS6
Most economical to run and most sensible: Shogun (i wish i'd kept it as the dogs love getting the RS dirty).
Most fun: 205.
Best value: Mondeo. Bought for £60, sold to the scrappy for £60 + £60 for the tax disc.
Biggest mistakes:
Metro's / Rovers - because they were crap!!
Escort - silly amount of debt.
My first car - snot green Punto
The Punto's head gasket blew after a year so went to car heaven. Bought this Clio.
The Clio's head gasket went (see a pattern?!) so sold it to a friend for £70 who revived it.The Clio's successor is this Puma 1.4. Head gasket went pop...!
We bought this A3 for £500, repaired the door and sold it for £1400.
After the Puma broke (I've still got it), I bought this 1994 Civic esi 1.6. Great car, wish I hadn't sold it. 156k miles and running like an ox. Fantastic car.
Sold the Civic due to ridiculous insurance costs. Currently on this Mini Cooper S (the red one) which I'm in love with. Soon to be sold though probably, I want a diesel or at least a petrol that gives more bang per buck. Could almost run a V8 for what this car drinks.
The Punto's head gasket blew after a year so went to car heaven. Bought this Clio.
The Clio's head gasket went (see a pattern?!) so sold it to a friend for £70 who revived it.The Clio's successor is this Puma 1.4. Head gasket went pop...!
We bought this A3 for £500, repaired the door and sold it for £1400.
After the Puma broke (I've still got it), I bought this 1994 Civic esi 1.6. Great car, wish I hadn't sold it. 156k miles and running like an ox. Fantastic car.
Sold the Civic due to ridiculous insurance costs. Currently on this Mini Cooper S (the red one) which I'm in love with. Soon to be sold though probably, I want a diesel or at least a petrol that gives more bang per buck. Could almost run a V8 for what this car drinks.
Edited by turbolucy on Friday 20th August 11:39
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