Which attainable car from your youth would you still like?
Discussion
mark iv twin turbo supra in navy- i bought my elise one of the other junior docs picked up one of these always wished i could have both, my boss had a Mitsubishi 3000gt would love one but suspect the window of affordability has passed on them along with a blue r34 skyline
still 20v fiat coupe would be nice to try out
still 20v fiat coupe would be nice to try out
lowdrag said:
When the Manta hatch came out (1979?) I just had to have one. I just loved the lines and (cringe) the velour interior Kids went wild over the headlamp wipers!
I'd forgotten all about those! I bought a 1980 Vauxhall Cavalier Sportshatch in 1985 and it had everything the Manta had including the velour - but not the headlamp washers.
It drove pretty well, but someone had got a glass sunroof fitted that leaked so in the winter both sides of the screen had frost on them and the carpets were crispy. As things warmed up the frost on the sunroof melted and dripped onto my legs - I sold it before as soon as winter was over.
Mr Tidy said:
lowdrag said:
When the Manta hatch came out (1979?) I just had to have one. I just loved the lines and (cringe) the velour interior Kids went wild over the headlamp wipers!
I'd forgotten all about those! I bought a 1980 Vauxhall Cavalier Sportshatch in 1985 and it had everything the Manta had including the velour - but not the headlamp washers.
It drove pretty well, but someone had got a glass sunroof fitted that leaked so in the winter both sides of the screen had frost on them and the carpets were crispy. As things warmed up the frost on the sunroof melted and dripped onto my legs - I sold it before as soon as winter was over.
Mine didn’t have a sunroof ( and no problems with damp either ) but I remember the big reinforcement hoop under the headlining and the lovely shift from 5th to 4th
s m said:
Add that to the damp Triumphs, Alfas, VWs, Fords and BL stuff list!
Mine didn’t have a sunroof ( and no problems with damp either ) but I remember the big reinforcement hoop under the headlining and the lovely shift from 5th to 4th
My previous Fiats, Fords and a Rover never had damp like that! Mine didn’t have a sunroof ( and no problems with damp either ) but I remember the big reinforcement hoop under the headlining and the lovely shift from 5th to 4th
And 5th to 4th was never a problem as it was a 4-speed.
Mr Tidy said:
s m said:
Add that to the damp Triumphs, Alfas, VWs, Fords and BL stuff list!
Mine didn’t have a sunroof ( and no problems with damp either ) but I remember the big reinforcement hoop under the headlining and the lovely shift from 5th to 4th
My previous Fiats, Fords and a Rover never had damp like that! Mine didn’t have a sunroof ( and no problems with damp either ) but I remember the big reinforcement hoop under the headlining and the lovely shift from 5th to 4th
And 5th to 4th was never a problem as it was a 4-speed.
The only one I remember having issues with damp was my first car, a mini - always seemed to mist up in rain
My Manta was an early 80s one - essentially much the same as your earlier car with fuel injection and a 5-speed ( well 4+E really ) box. You needed the i200 gear set for it to be truly a 5-speeder
Edited by s m on Thursday 2nd June 10:25
s m said:
My Manta was an early 80s one - essentially much the same as your earlier car with fuel injection and a 5-speed ( well 4+E really ) box. You needed the i200 gear set for it to be truly a 5-speeder
Lovely car - I always liked them. To be fair I was probably being a bit harsh about the Sportshatch, and mine was probably a bad example - plus it did replace a Capri 2.8 Injection I had to sell to put towards the deposit for my first house.
Mr Tidy said:
s m said:
My Manta was an early 80s one - essentially much the same as your earlier car with fuel injection and a 5-speed ( well 4+E really ) box. You needed the i200 gear set for it to be truly a 5-speeder
Lovely car - I always liked them. To be fair I was probably being a bit harsh about the Sportshatch, and mine was probably a bad example - plus it did replace a Capri 2.8 Injection I had to sell to put towards the deposit for my first house.
The Sportshatch were nice cars. Always seemed to be driven by more mature owners whenever I saw them
The Manta I had was just the same really given a bit of a makeover
When I were a lad, in short trouser... all fields... I grew up with 90's BTCC and found my loyalty split between Cleland armed with a Cavalier, because Scottish and a Vauxhall boy at heart but equally, when Volvo decided to take the 850 estate racing, I was immediately hooked. Add to that, an early road test on Top Gear with Clarkson doing things never seen before with a Volvo 850 T-5 and that was me.
In the village where I grew up, an older chap had a white 850 estate and I thought / assumed it was a T-5 and I coveted it. Back then it could have only been a couple of years old but it was immaculate. The BTCC 850 / hooligan spec T-5 in me wanted that car more than my next breath. Alas, a few years later I discovered said car was actually a 10v but regardless, it had set me off down the rabbit hole of fast Volvo estates.
About 15 have come an gone over the years including some R models, a yellow T-5R and several T-5's but lately for various reasons, there's not been anything of that ilk on the drive but a career change and company vehicle, along with the the massive hike in 90's performance pricing plus the war against the petrol car started me thinking that time is very very quickly running out for me to get involved.
And so, I start browsing the classifieds almost constantly... looking for something, no idea what, but just something to take me back to the 90's, rose tinted glasses firmly on and a double dose of nostalgia. All the 850's were either utterly ruined or a really crap spec, ie autos with beige interiors and looking very unloved. So I started browsing early V70's (had many of those too) and was pretty much all set to buy an auto until a mate sent a link over late one evening.
Opened it up... white 850 estate on T-5 alloys and looked in really nice condition. Calm down Dave, it'll be a N/A with a beige interior and an auto box. But alas no, the images revealed that not only was it white but it wasn't ex-Police, it had a dark half leather interior and poking out the centre console was a manual gearstick. The next image revealed the money shot... it was indeed a T-5 and that was that. Message straight over, deposit paid and a train booked pretty much as quick as that.
It's now in the garage... need a few weekends work to bring it up to standard but this is the one, it won't be going anywhere soon as I think it's quite possibly the last chance to buy in and definitely the last chance to buy in that colour combo and spec. Visually, it's identical to the car I wanted when I was a teenager but has the added extra kudos of being the original T-5 too. Or so I'm telling myself. The mental thing being, by todays standards it was a bit of a bargain too... especially when the R models are going for nigh on £10k.
In the village where I grew up, an older chap had a white 850 estate and I thought / assumed it was a T-5 and I coveted it. Back then it could have only been a couple of years old but it was immaculate. The BTCC 850 / hooligan spec T-5 in me wanted that car more than my next breath. Alas, a few years later I discovered said car was actually a 10v but regardless, it had set me off down the rabbit hole of fast Volvo estates.
About 15 have come an gone over the years including some R models, a yellow T-5R and several T-5's but lately for various reasons, there's not been anything of that ilk on the drive but a career change and company vehicle, along with the the massive hike in 90's performance pricing plus the war against the petrol car started me thinking that time is very very quickly running out for me to get involved.
And so, I start browsing the classifieds almost constantly... looking for something, no idea what, but just something to take me back to the 90's, rose tinted glasses firmly on and a double dose of nostalgia. All the 850's were either utterly ruined or a really crap spec, ie autos with beige interiors and looking very unloved. So I started browsing early V70's (had many of those too) and was pretty much all set to buy an auto until a mate sent a link over late one evening.
Opened it up... white 850 estate on T-5 alloys and looked in really nice condition. Calm down Dave, it'll be a N/A with a beige interior and an auto box. But alas no, the images revealed that not only was it white but it wasn't ex-Police, it had a dark half leather interior and poking out the centre console was a manual gearstick. The next image revealed the money shot... it was indeed a T-5 and that was that. Message straight over, deposit paid and a train booked pretty much as quick as that.
It's now in the garage... need a few weekends work to bring it up to standard but this is the one, it won't be going anywhere soon as I think it's quite possibly the last chance to buy in and definitely the last chance to buy in that colour combo and spec. Visually, it's identical to the car I wanted when I was a teenager but has the added extra kudos of being the original T-5 too. Or so I'm telling myself. The mental thing being, by todays standards it was a bit of a bargain too... especially when the R models are going for nigh on £10k.
s m said:
The Sportshatch were nice cars. Always seemed to be driven by more mature owners whenever I saw them
I must have gone under the radar then as I was only 26 when I bought my Sportshatch. But GTEs seemed expensive to me at the time - I'm pretty sure a new 5 speed Capri 2.8i listed for £7,995 at the time.
In the early 70’s my dad was in the market for a new car to replace his Cortina 1600E, on his short list was an Alfasud ti, it seemed so exotic and I badly wanted him to get one.
He bought a Saab!
I’d love a Sud still, but having fought and finally won ( I think) the battle with Italian rust On my GTV’s I’m not sure I want to start again!
He bought a Saab!
I’d love a Sud still, but having fought and finally won ( I think) the battle with Italian rust On my GTV’s I’m not sure I want to start again!
Mr Tidy said:
s m said:
The Sportshatch were nice cars. Always seemed to be driven by more mature owners whenever I saw them
I must have gone under the radar then as I was only 26 when I bought my Sportshatch. But GTEs seemed expensive to me at the time - I'm pretty sure a new 5 speed Capri 2.8i listed for £7,995 at the time.
At launch of the GTE in 1983 a coupe was £6794 - to get a 2.8 Capri at that time you would have needed an extra £2k as they were £8653 and 5-speed.
In percentage terms the 2.8 was a fair wodge more new - 30% more
Certainly though when the 4-speed 2.8 was launched in 81 though it was only £7995
Too rich for me anyway - bought mine secondhand at a few years old
Managed to stretch to the 2.8 V6 cars a bit after in Sierra and Capri format
Edited by s m on Saturday 4th June 20:28
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