The car you miss the most
Discussion
1977 Triumph Dolomite 1500HL owned from 2004-2006. Just was immaculate, but sold it for peanuts in hard times to a guy who said he was going to tinker with it. However, I think he was lying to me, and it's been off the road ever since ( I checked every year!) , and is now unlicensed, so was probably butchered by him and his 'old fart' Chrome-bumpered MG-owning brother who picked it up from me.
Edited by Biggy Shackleton on Wednesday 6th August 08:24
My 205 gti by umphotography, on Flickrpresumed dead from car tax check and askmid part of me hopes shes off the road for a a full resto or is a track/rally car but thats just a death sentence in its own way
From seeing Colin McRae in his 555 Impreza literally flying over the WRC when I was 10 - 12 years old I knew I wanted one.
It may have taken me ten years but I got what I had worked for. So £13k later ( half on finance half on rest from savings / PX) & £2700 per year insurance I got this.
They say don't meet your heroes , but this for me was an exception. Every trip to work was exciting , any excuse to take the car was found. In the 2 / 3 years and 40k I put on it ( not massive mileage I know ) it never broke. Not even a niggle.
When I got with my girlfriend (who is now my wife) she lived a long way away and I was spending £120 a week on fuel minimum it was just too much when I needed money for other things. So it had to go to be replaced by a one series. Even 7 years later we still talk about it ( " If I were in my WRX you wouldn't have done that" ).
Back in another Subaru now so I still get some of the reminders , yet its rather more sensible!
It may have taken me ten years but I got what I had worked for. So £13k later ( half on finance half on rest from savings / PX) & £2700 per year insurance I got this.
They say don't meet your heroes , but this for me was an exception. Every trip to work was exciting , any excuse to take the car was found. In the 2 / 3 years and 40k I put on it ( not massive mileage I know ) it never broke. Not even a niggle.
When I got with my girlfriend (who is now my wife) she lived a long way away and I was spending £120 a week on fuel minimum it was just too much when I needed money for other things. So it had to go to be replaced by a one series. Even 7 years later we still talk about it ( " If I were in my WRX you wouldn't have done that" ).
Back in another Subaru now so I still get some of the reminders , yet its rather more sensible!
This is the car I miss the most.
I always wanted one as my dad had a Mk1 65CL which he bought new in '82 when I was 9.
I bought this off a mate in September '99 and sold it in May '02.
This was one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned. The only thing I needed to change was the starter motor, front brakes and the carb mounting brackets which were perished. I did close to 30k miles in this time.
The car didn't run well when I first got it as the previous owner put bolt on filters meaning that as this had a transverse engine with fuelling at the front, the carbs were getting heat directly from the radiator, hence the airbox was there as protection from the radiator. Also with no airbox, there was no support to take the weight of the carbs as there should have been a bracket which goes from the engine block to said airbox which is why the brackets were perished. It did sound good though.
I ended up putting aluminium carb brackets on but rather than put the bolt on filters back on, I put the airbox back on and cutting the top of it off. I put a K&N filter on and the car ran better and sounded incredible.
Things I didn't like about this car was that despite it was in great shape, I was awaiting the dreaded tin worm to turn up. The gearbox started to crunch when changing quickly from 2nd to 3rd gear and the economy wasn't great but who cares when you had one of these.
Things I loved. Driving the car hard. This must have one of THE best four cylinder lumps around. 130bhp and 136lb ft. It pulled cleanly throughout the rev range. Thanks to the long stroke engine and carbs, the low down torque was great. The standard high lift cams gave great mid range pull and the standard big valve head gave it good top end thrust. It ran out of puff at about 6200rpm with the redline being 6500rpm. The high gearing helped matters to be fair. It braked well as I had 20 grooved Red Dot discs and the handling was superb. It was good as standard but with Leda struts all round (adjustable coilovers at the front), front and rear strut braces and lowered rear leaf spring, it was on another level.
Driving position was decent with good steering and pedals which felt great, not dead like other cars of that era. Throttle felt meaty, clutch felt progressive and not like an on/off switch a là Uno Turbo and brake pedal felt good which isn't the norm for the Strada Abarth. Dials galore and some of the best front seats of any 80's car ever.
I sold it for £1650 to get one of these as the Lancia had leather, electric everything and the 2.0 16v turbo lump which was quick despite its size. I paid £1700 for the Lancia.
By the way, apologies for the loooong story regarding the carbs/airbox.
I always wanted one as my dad had a Mk1 65CL which he bought new in '82 when I was 9.
I bought this off a mate in September '99 and sold it in May '02.
This was one of the most reliable cars I have ever owned. The only thing I needed to change was the starter motor, front brakes and the carb mounting brackets which were perished. I did close to 30k miles in this time.
The car didn't run well when I first got it as the previous owner put bolt on filters meaning that as this had a transverse engine with fuelling at the front, the carbs were getting heat directly from the radiator, hence the airbox was there as protection from the radiator. Also with no airbox, there was no support to take the weight of the carbs as there should have been a bracket which goes from the engine block to said airbox which is why the brackets were perished. It did sound good though.
I ended up putting aluminium carb brackets on but rather than put the bolt on filters back on, I put the airbox back on and cutting the top of it off. I put a K&N filter on and the car ran better and sounded incredible.
Things I didn't like about this car was that despite it was in great shape, I was awaiting the dreaded tin worm to turn up. The gearbox started to crunch when changing quickly from 2nd to 3rd gear and the economy wasn't great but who cares when you had one of these.
Things I loved. Driving the car hard. This must have one of THE best four cylinder lumps around. 130bhp and 136lb ft. It pulled cleanly throughout the rev range. Thanks to the long stroke engine and carbs, the low down torque was great. The standard high lift cams gave great mid range pull and the standard big valve head gave it good top end thrust. It ran out of puff at about 6200rpm with the redline being 6500rpm. The high gearing helped matters to be fair. It braked well as I had 20 grooved Red Dot discs and the handling was superb. It was good as standard but with Leda struts all round (adjustable coilovers at the front), front and rear strut braces and lowered rear leaf spring, it was on another level.
Driving position was decent with good steering and pedals which felt great, not dead like other cars of that era. Throttle felt meaty, clutch felt progressive and not like an on/off switch a là Uno Turbo and brake pedal felt good which isn't the norm for the Strada Abarth. Dials galore and some of the best front seats of any 80's car ever.
I sold it for £1650 to get one of these as the Lancia had leather, electric everything and the 2.0 16v turbo lump which was quick despite its size. I paid £1700 for the Lancia.
By the way, apologies for the loooong story regarding the carbs/airbox.
Edited by viggyp on Wednesday 6th August 21:26
my old mk2 scirocco, not unlike this:
10 years old when I got it, had it lowered/stiffened slightly on jamex springs- nothing daft just tightened up.
While the car was lovely what I really miss was flying round the forest in the late 90's on half decent roads in a bygone time when most people seemed to be able to drive with ability and courtesy, before most other drivers started thinking that being passed was a personal insult on their masculinity and something they must thwart, before you had 6 d
heads all following an arctic at 40mph in an NSL all nose-to-bumper and quite happy to sit there until you try to pass at which point they turn into homicidal maniacs, before the cars on the road doubled with no road improvements/capacity increases at all, before speed bumps and all the rest of this naive, foolish and misconstrued anti-car agenda.
10 years old when I got it, had it lowered/stiffened slightly on jamex springs- nothing daft just tightened up.
While the car was lovely what I really miss was flying round the forest in the late 90's on half decent roads in a bygone time when most people seemed to be able to drive with ability and courtesy, before most other drivers started thinking that being passed was a personal insult on their masculinity and something they must thwart, before you had 6 d
heads all following an arctic at 40mph in an NSL all nose-to-bumper and quite happy to sit there until you try to pass at which point they turn into homicidal maniacs, before the cars on the road doubled with no road improvements/capacity increases at all, before speed bumps and all the rest of this naive, foolish and misconstrued anti-car agenda.PaulD86 said:
My first car, a 1993 Volvo 460 Xi. Affectionately named 'Volvina' by one of my good friends, I wish I never sold it. By any reasonable measure it wasn't a very good car but I loved its comfy and heated seats, the space it had compared to friends Fiestas and the like, it's slightly odd tendancy to lift-off oversteer and it's amazingly comfy ride. It also never really went wrong except for a slit coolant hose and a track rod end. Cost me £90 with 34k (genuine) on the clock and I sold it to a mates dad 3 years later for £250 and a case of Magners. Was gutted when I heard some youths had broken into it and tried to hotwire it damaging it beyond economical repair. With hindsight I'd never have sold it.
I can't say I miss it but I agree with most of what you say.
D618OKL - a red VW Golf GTi.
I owned it from new at the age of 17. Started saving for a car from age 9, planned to buy a GTi aged 15, and did every odd job under the sun to earn money. The worst job was peeling potatoes outside every morning before school in the winter for a local chip shop.
3 years and 65,000 miles into ownership and every panel bar the roof had been resprayed. People just drove into me when stationary or an angry girlfriend vandalised it! Plenty of local Kent talent got christened on the fabled passenger seat.
One girl, Helen, even put out because she liked the Hella foglamp covers that were so similar to her name.... who says shallow isn't good?
But it wasn't just about the sex, it was the car that gave me the freedom to explore and experience things - part of my formative years. More importantly it wasn't just about the start or destination, it was about the journey itself.*
I owned it from new at the age of 17. Started saving for a car from age 9, planned to buy a GTi aged 15, and did every odd job under the sun to earn money. The worst job was peeling potatoes outside every morning before school in the winter for a local chip shop.
3 years and 65,000 miles into ownership and every panel bar the roof had been resprayed. People just drove into me when stationary or an angry girlfriend vandalised it! Plenty of local Kent talent got christened on the fabled passenger seat.
One girl, Helen, even put out because she liked the Hella foglamp covers that were so similar to her name.... who says shallow isn't good? But it wasn't just about the sex, it was the car that gave me the freedom to explore and experience things - part of my formative years. More importantly it wasn't just about the start or destination, it was about the journey itself.*
- a nod to George Bishop, RIP, of Car Magazine for teaching me that the journey is as important as the destination.
My scoob
Pic9_280407_648x432 by oobster, on Flickr
Had to get rid when I got made redundant, I had just spent £1500 on it too getting the whole front end resprayed (stone chip damage). Sold it to a guy from Stornoway.
Ownership of the scoob got me into the SIDC, a great club with runs, meets, events organised etc and (mostly!) a great bunch of people up in Scotland.
Pic9_280407_648x432 by oobster, on FlickrHad to get rid when I got made redundant, I had just spent £1500 on it too getting the whole front end resprayed (stone chip damage). Sold it to a guy from Stornoway.
Ownership of the scoob got me into the SIDC, a great club with runs, meets, events organised etc and (mostly!) a great bunch of people up in Scotland.
pmjg66 said:
Possibly the mk1 golf gti 1.8 I had at the age of 25 is the one I miss most...
So much fun and fast in its day even with 112 bhp..
I get excited whenever I see one on the road,So much fun and fast in its day even with 112 bhp..
Funny how I and many others can think the MK1 is beautiful and would love to own one, yet your average Joe thinks that its old, unreliable and ugly(while driving a bulbous characterless droidmobile)
For me, it's my old V70 T5, it had better suspension, had been chipped with an MBC added.
I was 22 and had no need for a large estate whatsoever but I loved it. Ended up selling it because it was a choice of getting rid of the 145QV or, of all things, my new to me Gen 1 Honda CRV
Don't laugh but... my Allegro.
I had a thread on here when I bought it. I had to get rid as I was a student and I had no money. I feel that many on here thought I got rid just because. I want to buy] him back.
The one and only Gilbert:
Here he is being driven off by his new owner who gave my] sister a bad rating on Ebay because apparently the starter motor didn't work for him.
I had a thread on here when I bought it. I had to get rid as I was a student and I had no money. I feel that many on here thought I got rid just because. I want to buy] him back.
The one and only Gilbert:
Here he is being driven off by his new owner who gave my] sister a bad rating on Ebay because apparently the starter motor didn't work for him.
Edited by BigGingerBob on Sunday 10th August 19:36
Another couple of cars I miss are an extremely rare - if one exists today - a Golf S Mk 1. No carpets, just rubber mats, 1500cc engine but compared to anything British it was superb. Then the Jetta GLi, a Mk 1 golf GTi with a boot in inari silver. I've never seen one in years, but it had a humungous boot capacity. We went away, four of us, with golf bags and squash bags easily stowed in it.
Well I have had some cracking cars over the years, some I have bought already modified and others I have built myself, this one was already built, I was on a family holiday in Cyprus and was bored, whilst the girlfriend was sun bathing I found a computer and ended up winning this.
106 dimma cosworth 4x4
Fast forward 7 years and I have literally just bought it back as a bare shell, basically I was hounded to sell the car at the time and I had just lost a friend in car accident , we used this car on the funeral procession and more or less afterwards I sold it, one to set up my business with the proceeds and the other was a profit element, which was too much to let down, a recorded delivery letter through the post with a large deposit in it helped.
I have been in touch with the chap who bought it from me on and off over the time and knew he had big plans for it so I knew when I got it back the modifications he had done to it would improve the car.
This is what I have now
Just got to slowly put it back together.
Carl
106 dimma cosworth 4x4
Fast forward 7 years and I have literally just bought it back as a bare shell, basically I was hounded to sell the car at the time and I had just lost a friend in car accident , we used this car on the funeral procession and more or less afterwards I sold it, one to set up my business with the proceeds and the other was a profit element, which was too much to let down, a recorded delivery letter through the post with a large deposit in it helped.
I have been in touch with the chap who bought it from me on and off over the time and knew he had big plans for it so I knew when I got it back the modifications he had done to it would improve the car.
This is what I have now
Just got to slowly put it back together.
Carl
Edited by C. Grimsley on Sunday 10th August 21:33
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