What was your first car and why did you choose it
Discussion
A chance to share just how boring or riduculous your first car was and why you choose it.
I'll start; in 1999 when I was 21 I bought a 4 year old e36 320i having read that it was supposed to be a good drivers car in various road tests when was at school during the 90s.
It was pants. It handled ok but was as interesting as watching paint dry and not much quicker than walking. Could have and should have got an e30 m3 or like a classmate, a 964 rs. But that's another story.
Really, should have waited a year or so for the launch of the new mini,
I'll start; in 1999 when I was 21 I bought a 4 year old e36 320i having read that it was supposed to be a good drivers car in various road tests when was at school during the 90s.
It was pants. It handled ok but was as interesting as watching paint dry and not much quicker than walking. Could have and should have got an e30 m3 or like a classmate, a 964 rs. But that's another story.
Really, should have waited a year or so for the launch of the new mini,
A Ford Fiesta Zetec S in blue. I remember wanting a car, but not being sure what to go for. Then I spotted one of these (in black) parked on my girlfriend's street. It's a small street, and I discovered it belonged to her next door neighbour's grandad.
I set about looking for one of my own, and found it. I was made up. Of course, I don't have it these days but I still see his parked on that street!
I set about looking for one of my own, and found it. I was made up. Of course, I don't have it these days but I still see his parked on that street!
You know those stories when people buy and old car and later sell it for a massive profit?...
I had one of those-first car. Ford 100E might have been 1956, bought in 1970 or so.
It cost me two pounds sterling. It was indeed completely shot but it ran. Ran for a year in fact. Egg whites in the rad to stop leakage, a six inch nail for writing girls' number on the roof, nothing legal of course. In those days it didn't matter...no inspections.
I sold it for ten quid after a year or so. The highest percentage gain I ever had on a car. The only percentage gain I had on a car.
Take that , Ferrari and Porsche collectors! 400% profit in a year!......
I had one of those-first car. Ford 100E might have been 1956, bought in 1970 or so.
It cost me two pounds sterling. It was indeed completely shot but it ran. Ran for a year in fact. Egg whites in the rad to stop leakage, a six inch nail for writing girls' number on the roof, nothing legal of course. In those days it didn't matter...no inspections.
I sold it for ten quid after a year or so. The highest percentage gain I ever had on a car. The only percentage gain I had on a car.
Take that , Ferrari and Porsche collectors! 400% profit in a year!......
Triumph 2.5 saloon bought on the usual criterea from day 1 of as much rwd four door saloon with more than 4 cylinders as the budget would allow.Which ironically with a much simpler pushrod 6 cylinder engine put out almost as much as the 1990's 320 motor and predictably similar performance although less at the top.The difference being that was by the standards of the 1970's as a teenaged driver in which case it was anything but boring.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=397FJ6Cn00U
While at 21 I was moving on to the BMW 3.0 Si.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=397FJ6Cn00U
While at 21 I was moving on to the BMW 3.0 Si.
The deal was that my Dad would find me a car and I'd pay for insurance. He runs a bodywork repair shop and he did the same for me that he did for my older Sister and Brother- He'd wait for a write-off to come in which wasn't too badly damaged, buy it back off the salvage agent and then fix it up.
So this is the picture he sent me when he bought it;
It looked very smart when he was done with it, I pestered him so much to get it done that he gave up waiting for second hand parts and repaired it with new bits and lovely new paint on the bonnet.
I loved it. I spanked it everywhere at 10/10ths and only got rid of it just over three years later when I needed a bigger car to tow the Caterham. It was very reliable, the only problems I had with it were a bad window regulator, an airbag light and a snapped cambelt (it came with no service history and we decided to risk it).
I gave that car such a hard time but Ask MID tells me it's still alive somewhere... I would actually rather like to have it back.
So this is the picture he sent me when he bought it;
It looked very smart when he was done with it, I pestered him so much to get it done that he gave up waiting for second hand parts and repaired it with new bits and lovely new paint on the bonnet.
I loved it. I spanked it everywhere at 10/10ths and only got rid of it just over three years later when I needed a bigger car to tow the Caterham. It was very reliable, the only problems I had with it were a bad window regulator, an airbag light and a snapped cambelt (it came with no service history and we decided to risk it).
I gave that car such a hard time but Ask MID tells me it's still alive somewhere... I would actually rather like to have it back.
H reg, 5dr escort 1.6 glxi
bought in 1999 when i was 18. i had a 2k budget for car and insurance. ins quotes were coming back around 600quid [fully comp, read it and weep young drivers of today!] so that set the budget for the car. bought that weeks' autotrader, saw a few, ended up with the escort. not the worst car i ever had and 5drs was great for my social life back then, but i have no fond memories of it at all.
bought in 1999 when i was 18. i had a 2k budget for car and insurance. ins quotes were coming back around 600quid [fully comp, read it and weep young drivers of today!] so that set the budget for the car. bought that weeks' autotrader, saw a few, ended up with the escort. not the worst car i ever had and 5drs was great for my social life back then, but i have no fond memories of it at all.
1987, my first car was a 1979 reg Vauxhall Chevette in powder blue.
I had £500 to spend to include insurance.
Wanted to buy the Alfasud that I test drove, but the price of the car itself left me too little cash for the insurance.
Bearing in mind I was only earning about £35 per week (yes kids - thirty five pounds!) on a YTS scheme, I think I did pretty well
I had £500 to spend to include insurance.
Wanted to buy the Alfasud that I test drove, but the price of the car itself left me too little cash for the insurance.
Bearing in mind I was only earning about £35 per week (yes kids - thirty five pounds!) on a YTS scheme, I think I did pretty well
I drove this first, only 3 years ago. It was monumentally slow but it looked cool and could get 4 lads and 4 sets of clubs to the golf so worked a treat 
Traded it in for £2k though
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...
Traded it in for £2k though
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/2014...
I had one of these, brand new in 1987 (exactly the same colour and trim), when I first started work - thanks to a cheap loan from my employer (2% rather than the prevailing 15%). It was a cracking little car, much quicker than any of my pals 1.1 fiestas or metros, unos or polos.
I was sorely tempted by a blue sunbeam alpine, but as I was working in a less salubrious area of Liverpool, I thought something with a solid roof would be better
I was sorely tempted by a blue sunbeam alpine, but as I was working in a less salubrious area of Liverpool, I thought something with a solid roof would be better
Edited by sawman on Wednesday 22 October 08:19
Mini 850. Chosen mostly because it was very cheap (£80), and one of the few cars I could insure without being anally violated.
Had six reliable months out of it, then put it in for MOT. When the tester comes out after 10 minutes and says (and I quote) "If I stop now, I won't charge you. I'm also not sure there's enough ink in my pen ", you know it's not gone well.
Punted it through the local auction as was, and got all bar £30 of the purchase price back.
Had I known what it would be worth today, I would have restored it and hung on to it.
Had six reliable months out of it, then put it in for MOT. When the tester comes out after 10 minutes and says (and I quote) "If I stop now, I won't charge you. I'm also not sure there's enough ink in my pen ", you know it's not gone well.
Punted it through the local auction as was, and got all bar £30 of the purchase price back.
Had I known what it would be worth today, I would have restored it and hung on to it.
2002
18 years old
1995 Vauxhall Omega 2.0
Dark Blue
140,000 miles on the clock
Paid £700
Due to the part time classes meant that it did not align with the college bus time-table, so had to walk over a mile to the main bus stop and take two buses to get home.
I spent 2 hours travelling on buses every day, which as you can expect got tiring after a while.
The car came up for sale a few doors down from the college, which resulted in me walking past it every day on the way to the bus station. I had just passed my driving test so was after anything that would end the horror's of public transport.
One day I decided to knock on the owners door and the chap was quite happy for me to have a poke around. Car seemed fine, and far nicer than the horrible little eco-boxes most of my mates had bought. For a comfortable commuter it seemed perfect. so I came back the next day with a bit less than his asking price which he agreed to.
One thing I quickly discovered was that RWD car's handle very differently to my instructors FWD fiesta in the wet
Sold it to some African immigrants who drove up from London to buy it as I was moving abroad. I received a letter from the DVLA a few months later saying it had been seized due to no tax. I then received a letter saying it had been crushed.
18 years old
1995 Vauxhall Omega 2.0
Dark Blue
140,000 miles on the clock
Paid £700
Due to the part time classes meant that it did not align with the college bus time-table, so had to walk over a mile to the main bus stop and take two buses to get home.
I spent 2 hours travelling on buses every day, which as you can expect got tiring after a while.
The car came up for sale a few doors down from the college, which resulted in me walking past it every day on the way to the bus station. I had just passed my driving test so was after anything that would end the horror's of public transport.
One day I decided to knock on the owners door and the chap was quite happy for me to have a poke around. Car seemed fine, and far nicer than the horrible little eco-boxes most of my mates had bought. For a comfortable commuter it seemed perfect. so I came back the next day with a bit less than his asking price which he agreed to.
One thing I quickly discovered was that RWD car's handle very differently to my instructors FWD fiesta in the wet
Sold it to some African immigrants who drove up from London to buy it as I was moving abroad. I received a letter from the DVLA a few months later saying it had been seized due to no tax. I then received a letter saying it had been crushed.
Edited by skyrover on Wednesday 22 October 09:43
First car was a Ford KA. Handled well and it didn't go fast enough to get me into TOO much trouble.
W48 TCS. Now no longer on the road, and I'm not surprised, it had already started rusting by the time I sold it at 3 years old.
The only reason I ended up with that car and not a Fiat Punto is that Ford were offering free insurance to 17 year olds for 1 year, with Fiat, it was 18 years old.
After getting a year under my belt accident free the 2nd year was quite reasonable for insurance. Something that can't be said today.
W48 TCS. Now no longer on the road, and I'm not surprised, it had already started rusting by the time I sold it at 3 years old.
The only reason I ended up with that car and not a Fiat Punto is that Ford were offering free insurance to 17 year olds for 1 year, with Fiat, it was 18 years old.
After getting a year under my belt accident free the 2nd year was quite reasonable for insurance. Something that can't be said today.
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