Me and my first car
Discussion
FMX623B. A Mini van with windows cut into the sides. I even had a letter from C&E saying no purchase tax was due on it.
The petrol gauge didn’t work, neither did the speedo and the battery “located” behind the seat was loose. It even had the floor mounted starter button.
An Austin 1/2 ton van moved the back doors forward a good few inches when the driver thought I’d pulled onto the Heathrow roundabout when I hadn’t actually gone. I replaced it with a 59 Consul.
The petrol gauge didn’t work, neither did the speedo and the battery “located” behind the seat was loose. It even had the floor mounted starter button.
An Austin 1/2 ton van moved the back doors forward a good few inches when the driver thought I’d pulled onto the Heathrow roundabout when I hadn’t actually gone. I replaced it with a 59 Consul.
Aged 15 with what must have been a similar aged Morris Minor - dragged from an old boy's garage after he'd given up driving it was in appalling condition; it actually had a garden bolt screwed to the inside of the drivers door to keep it shut.
Didn't last long - Mum went ballistic (and Dad got it in the neck for facilitating) and it was gone to the scrappy within a week.
Made £5 profit. Sadly not a trait that continued...
Didn't last long - Mum went ballistic (and Dad got it in the neck for facilitating) and it was gone to the scrappy within a week.
Made £5 profit. Sadly not a trait that continued...
Edited by wjs1968 on Wednesday 28th May 08:09
Edited by wjs1968 on Friday 30th May 10:11
CNC443Y
Golf 1.3 (IIRC) CL
Kind of RAF blue
Got in 1989 from my twin Aunts who sold it to me for a decent price.
Took me all over the UK as an ag student. From college in Scotland to relief milking jobs in Norfolk, Herts, Glocs and harvest jobs in Cambs.
Stupidly sold it for a Polo Coupe S which was pretty crap.
Golf 1.3 (IIRC) CL
Kind of RAF blue
Got in 1989 from my twin Aunts who sold it to me for a decent price.
Took me all over the UK as an ag student. From college in Scotland to relief milking jobs in Norfolk, Herts, Glocs and harvest jobs in Cambs.
Stupidly sold it for a Polo Coupe S which was pretty crap.
G902APD
A red 1.0 Ford fiesta, bought for £1750 using earnings from my year out in industry while at university and then ran it for two years before selling it to my girlfriend and buying a 1.7 turbo diesel 'sport' Vauxhall astra.... (I started doing lots of motorway commuting).
She ran it for 2 years before it got stolen from outside our house in London, despite only the steering lock being broken to get it started (they had bent the door frame to gain access), insurance company wrote it off.
Never needed anything other than a new starter motor in the 4/5 years we owned it, drove from Poole to Bristol while at Uni, and then when I started work in Oxford, trips back to Bristol to see my girlfriend and down to London. Was grossly under powered, 85/90 tops down hill with the wind behind, but an ideal city car, when I started working it was just not fit for purpose, started doing a lot of motorway mileage so needed something bigger with fuel efficiency hence the astra.
A red 1.0 Ford fiesta, bought for £1750 using earnings from my year out in industry while at university and then ran it for two years before selling it to my girlfriend and buying a 1.7 turbo diesel 'sport' Vauxhall astra.... (I started doing lots of motorway commuting).
She ran it for 2 years before it got stolen from outside our house in London, despite only the steering lock being broken to get it started (they had bent the door frame to gain access), insurance company wrote it off.
Never needed anything other than a new starter motor in the 4/5 years we owned it, drove from Poole to Bristol while at Uni, and then when I started work in Oxford, trips back to Bristol to see my girlfriend and down to London. Was grossly under powered, 85/90 tops down hill with the wind behind, but an ideal city car, when I started working it was just not fit for purpose, started doing a lot of motorway mileage so needed something bigger with fuel efficiency hence the astra.
Turbobanana said:
No pics, but Mk1 Escort 1300 2 door in green, NGR822H. Bought when I was 15 in 1984.
Probably a bubble arched rally replica by now. Or scrapped.
My second car was a hand-painted Mk1 Escort in burgundy, HUA112N which I bought in 1986 as non-runner for £55. Probably a bubble arched rally replica by now. Or scrapped.
Got it going, fitted a new clutch, pulled out a dent in the rear and sold it on for £250 whereupon it actually was turned into bubble arched rally replica......and subsequently scrapped.
Edited by wjs1968 on Wednesday 28th May 09:04
Edited by wjs1968 on Wednesday 28th May 09:05
I took to the roads on a Vespa PK50 on 8th November 1987, C171XPX. No photos.
In October 1988 I passed my car test and took ownership of my Mum's old car (She'd bought a new Manta Exclusive, epic error, she bought the 1.8 Carb not the 2.0 efi), my car was a Kadett C Coupe, in metallic green, KHO414N, rostyles, it came to an untimely end after jumping a humpback bridge.
There's no photo of the actual car, but it was the same as this.
Ever since then I've hankered for a Kadett C Coupe 2.0 Rallye.
In October 1988 I passed my car test and took ownership of my Mum's old car (She'd bought a new Manta Exclusive, epic error, she bought the 1.8 Carb not the 2.0 efi), my car was a Kadett C Coupe, in metallic green, KHO414N, rostyles, it came to an untimely end after jumping a humpback bridge.
There's no photo of the actual car, but it was the same as this.
Ever since then I've hankered for a Kadett C Coupe 2.0 Rallye.
In 1990 at age 17, I had a Vauxhall Cavalier MK2 1.6 GLS (UHN272X) that I bought from a neighbour. It had a replacement GMX Engine about 30k miles before I bought it. With alloy wheels, a factory sunroof, radio cassette, tinted glass, velour interior and all the other ‘GLS’ refinements I absolutely loved it.
It was a great refined car and I had it for a few months thst included a number of long journeys to see friends. I sold it after 3 months to fund some travelling around Asia. Whilst the travelling was great, I really missed the car and disliked its replacement, a Ford Capri 1.6S, that was quickly replaced by a Fiat Mirafiori Sport.
It wasn’t until 1993 when I bought a low mileage 86 well cared for BMW 320i SE, that I felt I had a true replacement for the Cavalier that could cover long distances in refined comfort (the Mirafiori Sport was very noisy).
It was a great refined car and I had it for a few months thst included a number of long journeys to see friends. I sold it after 3 months to fund some travelling around Asia. Whilst the travelling was great, I really missed the car and disliked its replacement, a Ford Capri 1.6S, that was quickly replaced by a Fiat Mirafiori Sport.
It wasn’t until 1993 when I bought a low mileage 86 well cared for BMW 320i SE, that I felt I had a true replacement for the Cavalier that could cover long distances in refined comfort (the Mirafiori Sport was very noisy).
Edited by Rob 131 Sport on Thursday 29th May 08:03
This seems to have veered slightly. Perhaps like many nerds we don't have that many friends to take pictures of us and our cars, particularly in the time before selfies... So to continue with the theme - here is my first car:
That's me right in front! (ok - its not like she has opposable claws to take a picture with).
1978 Mini 1000. Pictured here in the late 80s so surprising it was still above ground. A few choice mods - a K&N filter for more noise, driving lamps so you could see in the dark, a bucket seat (as the old one's seatback collapsed at 70 on the motorway. Which was interesting...). Oh and a replacement steering wheel - from bus reject right down to 10" so I could do seal impressions whilst driving. And wheel trims because 80s.
I had it for about 3 years and mainly used it to get the 100miles to Poly from home so racked up the miles. Was pretty reliable for its time. Almost never broke down. Total brake failure just the once going down a hill towards some red lights (this is why a manual handbrake is so useful. Well one of the reasons...). Wouldn't start if it was raining (just damp really) or cold. Such was life!
Still one of - if not the most - fun cars to chuck down a twisty country lane I have ever driven...
That's me right in front! (ok - its not like she has opposable claws to take a picture with).
1978 Mini 1000. Pictured here in the late 80s so surprising it was still above ground. A few choice mods - a K&N filter for more noise, driving lamps so you could see in the dark, a bucket seat (as the old one's seatback collapsed at 70 on the motorway. Which was interesting...). Oh and a replacement steering wheel - from bus reject right down to 10" so I could do seal impressions whilst driving. And wheel trims because 80s.
I had it for about 3 years and mainly used it to get the 100miles to Poly from home so racked up the miles. Was pretty reliable for its time. Almost never broke down. Total brake failure just the once going down a hill towards some red lights (this is why a manual handbrake is so useful. Well one of the reasons...). Wouldn't start if it was raining (just damp really) or cold. Such was life!
Still one of - if not the most - fun cars to chuck down a twisty country lane I have ever driven...
Rob 131 Sport said:
In 1990 at age 17, I had a Vauxhall Cavalier MK2 1.6 GLS (UHN272X) that I bought from a neighbour. It had a replacement GMX Engine about 30k miles before I bought it. With alloy wheels, a factory sunroof, radio cassette, tinted glass, velour interior and all the other GLS refinements I absolutely loved it.
It was a great refined car and I had it for a few months thst included a number of long journeys to see friends. I sold it after 3 months to fund some travelling around Asia. Whilst the travelling was great, I really missed the car and disliked its replacement, a Ford Capri 1.6S, that was quickly replaced by a Fiat Mirafiori Sport.
It wasn t until 1993 when I bought a low mileage 86 well cared for BMW 320i SE, that I felt I had a true replacement for the Cavalier that could cover long distances in refined comfort (the Mirafiori Sport was very noisy).
My dad had a 131. I think I would be 8 or 9. A Miafiori Sport. IIRC (and that would be amazing) MOS659T. I think he wanted a Cortina (it was a co car) but Ford were on strike. Was that 1978?It was a great refined car and I had it for a few months thst included a number of long journeys to see friends. I sold it after 3 months to fund some travelling around Asia. Whilst the travelling was great, I really missed the car and disliked its replacement, a Ford Capri 1.6S, that was quickly replaced by a Fiat Mirafiori Sport.
It wasn t until 1993 when I bought a low mileage 86 well cared for BMW 320i SE, that I felt I had a true replacement for the Cavalier that could cover long distances in refined comfort (the Mirafiori Sport was very noisy).
Edited by Rob 131 Sport on Thursday 29th May 08:03
Om said:
This seems to have veered slightly. Perhaps like many nerds we don't have that many friends to take pictures of us and our cars, particularly in the time before selfies......
Cameras were cumbersome to cart around and on top of that when after 2 weeks and you went to collect your new photos at the chemist, paid your £2 and find out only 3 photos had came out, the rest were blurs.
[/url]Me and my first car - a 1979 Talbot Sunbeam 1.0 LS with the 928cc Hillman Imp engine. This pic was taken soon after my 17th birthday in the spring of 1987. The L plates weren’t on it for long.
It was about as quick as a scorched slug after a night on the slug pellets. Dangerously slow at times. Quite reliable if I recall - the only time it let me down was when the clutch cable snapped on the A38. Had it for a couple of years but the gutlessness became too much to bear. If only I d bought a Sunbeam Lotus instead. I flogged it to a desperate mate and bought a Ford Cortina 1.6 L which was swift in comparison. I certainly had some sheds back then.
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