Favourite car your dad had
Discussion
2172cc said:
My dad never really bought anything interesting, it was always the case when buying a car of what the price was first then if it did the job secondly. I suppose the one that stands out for me was the first brand new car he bought in 1978, a Fiat 131 Mirafiori 1600 in bright orange. He was so proud of that car on the day he came home in it from Allen Briggs Motors in Chingford , then it broke his heart as he watched it slowly disintegrate before his eyes over the next few years as the dreaded rust took a hold. This was the first car I drove aged 14 when he taught me drive in it at the Cardrome in Hornchurch.
]
My Dad taught my brother and myself at the same place, but it was in a Mk10 Jag. 50p and you could stay there all day.]
Eddieslofart said:
2172cc said:
My dad never really bought anything interesting, it was always the case when buying a car of what the price was first then if it did the job secondly. I suppose the one that stands out for me was the first brand new car he bought in 1978, a Fiat 131 Mirafiori 1600 in bright orange. He was so proud of that car on the day he came home in it from Allen Briggs Motors in Chingford , then it broke his heart as he watched it slowly disintegrate before his eyes over the next few years as the dreaded rust took a hold. This was the first car I drove aged 14 when he taught me drive in it at the Cardrome in Hornchurch.
]
My Dad taught my brother and myself at the same place, but it was in a Mk10 Jag. 50p and you could stay there all day.]
http://www.drivecardrome.com
Edited by 2172cc on Sunday 10th March 11:08
mygoldfishbowl said:
Ah memories. My third favorite is also his first car I remember being a 1963 Ford Zodiac with a bench front seat.
The second favorite was a Renault Fuego which was the first car I drove at 100mph coming out of London on the M11.
But strangely enough my favorite was a Morris Marina GT two door coupe in metallic blue with black pinstripes. If I remember correctly it had an 1800cc engine with twin carbs and a new car smell which was marvelous. I remember as well the build quality was very good which strikes me as rather odd because British Leyland, and why would I notice such a thing at that age.
I know that you are looking at the Marina as a car that your father owned but I had a 1.8TC Marina Coupe in the mid 70s and it did look quite good but it was a truly awful car to drive. It did have the MGB engine but without the suspension to match. So it was a case of axle tramp off the line or the rear end getting out of shape if you accelerated too hard out of a corner. I kept it all of eight months. The second favorite was a Renault Fuego which was the first car I drove at 100mph coming out of London on the M11.
But strangely enough my favorite was a Morris Marina GT two door coupe in metallic blue with black pinstripes. If I remember correctly it had an 1800cc engine with twin carbs and a new car smell which was marvelous. I remember as well the build quality was very good which strikes me as rather odd because British Leyland, and why would I notice such a thing at that age.
I reckon the list of cars my Dad has owned has to be up there with the worst. His main focus used to be ‘cheap’, now it’s ‘new & cheap’.
Hillman Imp - around 1982
2x Austin / Leyland Avengers. One white, one brown with an odd door. The white one was an ex police car
B reg Renault 5 ‘le boot’. Around ‘87
C reg Montego in 1991. Light green
K reg Citroen AX GT (ex write off) in 96 to about 2004
Since then he’s had 2x puntos and a corsa (pre-reg deals) absolute boggo spec.
Hillman Imp - around 1982
2x Austin / Leyland Avengers. One white, one brown with an odd door. The white one was an ex police car
B reg Renault 5 ‘le boot’. Around ‘87
C reg Montego in 1991. Light green
K reg Citroen AX GT (ex write off) in 96 to about 2004
Since then he’s had 2x puntos and a corsa (pre-reg deals) absolute boggo spec.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 10th March 17:41
1969 E type series 2 4.2 convertible in BRG. God it was great being picked up from school in that. Sold it for about £30K I think...
1980 Saab 900 Turbo in that nice metallic blue. Really loved that car, went all through Europe in it as a kid.
A few crap ones as well, Fiat 131, MG Montego (what was he thinking), Rover 800.
1980 Saab 900 Turbo in that nice metallic blue. Really loved that car, went all through Europe in it as a kid.
A few crap ones as well, Fiat 131, MG Montego (what was he thinking), Rover 800.
For me it's a 1.6 Montego Estate in blue that my dad had in the early 90s. C441 MWE, though according to DVLA it was first registered in 1989 so why it got a C plate is anyone's guess.
Mind you Mrs Eyersey bought a W reg Fiesta in 2011 after she successfully wrote her Corsa off which had been registered January 2001 so should have been X reg.
Mind you Mrs Eyersey bought a W reg Fiesta in 2011 after she successfully wrote her Corsa off which had been registered January 2001 so should have been X reg.
Eyersey1234 said:
For me it's a 1.6 Montego Estate in blue that my dad had in the early 90s. C441 MWE, though according to DVLA it was first registered in 1989 so why it got a C plate is anyone's guess.
Mind you Mrs Eyersey bought a W reg Fiesta in 2011 after she successfully wrote her Corsa off which had been registered January 2001 so should have been X reg.
If they were previously registered abroad, then imported, they will be issued a registration year in line with the age of the car, but be registered with the DVLA in the year they were imported. Mind you Mrs Eyersey bought a W reg Fiesta in 2011 after she successfully wrote her Corsa off which had been registered January 2001 so should have been X reg.
legless said:
Eyersey1234 said:
For me it's a 1.6 Montego Estate in blue that my dad had in the early 90s. C441 MWE, though according to DVLA it was first registered in 1989 so why it got a C plate is anyone's guess.
Mind you Mrs Eyersey bought a W reg Fiesta in 2011 after she successfully wrote her Corsa off which had been registered January 2001 so should have been X reg.
If they were previously registered abroad, then imported, they will be issued a registration year in line with the age of the car, but be registered with the DVLA in the year they were imported. Mind you Mrs Eyersey bought a W reg Fiesta in 2011 after she successfully wrote her Corsa off which had been registered January 2001 so should have been X reg.
morgrp said:
My dad had one of these, early one on a b plate with digital dash
Widely regarded as crap these days but to an eight year old a talking dash and acceleration that used to scare my friends in the back it was just awesome - it eventually rusted away I guess but I have always loved the montego to this very day because of it - it was also supremely reliable and dependable giving him a good 5odd years of trouble free motoring I think the worst it ever needed was a new water pump and a fuel pump
Chopped in for a peugeot 405 GLD Turbo and it just wasn't the same
Wow! I was reading through this thread intending to reply as my dad has always been a bit of a petrolhead and has owned some interesting cars in the past. But this attracted my attention because... it's actually my dads old car!!Widely regarded as crap these days but to an eight year old a talking dash and acceleration that used to scare my friends in the back it was just awesome - it eventually rusted away I guess but I have always loved the montego to this very day because of it - it was also supremely reliable and dependable giving him a good 5odd years of trouble free motoring I think the worst it ever needed was a new water pump and a fuel pump
Chopped in for a peugeot 405 GLD Turbo and it just wasn't the same
He bought it new (probably from Windsors of Wallasey) and I remember it came with a natty red leather briefcase and a VHS video of Steve Soper driving a turbo on track and road (very cheesy!). Dad let me drive it a few times but my overwhelming memory was torque steer. He had a altercation with a bus in Liverpool (not his fault) and soon after traded it in for a new manual Rover 827i Fastback also in white. I wonder who took this photograph??
I wasn't going to mention the MG as my favourite. amongst his many cars was a BMW 3.0si saloon in dark metallic blue. He bought it two years old - think it was an L Reg but all his cars carry the same registration. I loved that car more than he did - so quick and back then BMW was a much rarer breed. Eventually it suffered from cylinder head gasket issues and he traded it in for a Granada Ghia ( what a come down). I've been a big BMW fan - no doubt inspired by this 3.0si.
amongst others he had were
Triumph 2000
Volvo 164 - so comfy
BMW 3.0si - see above
Ford Granada 3.0 Ghia
Rover 3500 SDi
Vauxhall Cavalier CDi
MG Montego Turbo
Rover 827i F/B
Rover 820 Turbo
Rover 75
Great to see a picture of the old MG again. I'm certain it wouldn't have survived but it was a brave effort from MG Rover at the time.
Cars I know he had before I can remember include Austin 7s, many MG Midgets, a 998 Mini Cooper S, and a 1200 VW Saloon (why didn't he warn me these were so bad before I bought one!)
Cars I can remember, in chronological order
Works aluminium bodied MG Midget with an 8-port head, bought from John Sprinzel in the '70s (he still has this, and it should be on the road again this year)
Morris Marina in white (actually might have been my mum's car), probably the worst car he's owned.
Lancia Fulvia 1600 HF in red (my mum nicked this and it lasted about 6 months before it was put in a shed for 20 years
)
Ginetta G15 red (still in a garage somewhere)
Davrian Mk 6 or 7 just for competition, can't remember which it is,
Ford Capri 2.0 Ghia blue
Hillman Imp in grey (I can't remember if this was before or after that first Davrian, which was imp powered)
Alfasud in a beautiful brown (not sure if this was 1200 or 1300, but he bloody loved it)
Davrian Dragon also a competition car
Alfasud Sprint Veloce 1.5 silver (lovely lovely lovely car)
MG Maestro 1600 white
MG Maestro 2.0 EFi two of these, one white, one red
Peugeot 205 1.6D
Volkswagen Golf GTi mkii 1800 (he's had this for close to 20 years now, and looks like he'll have it til he pops his clogs)
MG Midget in cream (this is being (re)built and isn't finished yet)
I remember 5 of us going on a trip to a caravan in the G15, which would shock health and safety people today. The Capri looked great, but was absolute rubbish. The Alfas were terrific, but very underpowered, and the rust was as you would expect. He got the Sprint new, and there was rust on it within a year! Horrifying memories of my dad barrelling along at what seemed like ridiculous speeds on holiday drives through the night on twisty B roads in the that
. Of those cars I've only driven the second Alfa on, and though my dad would say that the Golf was the best road car he's had, I'd say it was the EFi Maestro. He dropped one of those an inch all round, and that was a brilliant car, reasonably quick, and the handling was so balanced you could trust it with anything at almost any speed. If only it wasn't for the rust. The 205 was surprisingly good (a much better car than the GTi I later bought). His new Midget should be a cracker, all sorts going on with that thing.
Cars I can remember, in chronological order
Works aluminium bodied MG Midget with an 8-port head, bought from John Sprinzel in the '70s (he still has this, and it should be on the road again this year)
Morris Marina in white (actually might have been my mum's car), probably the worst car he's owned.
Lancia Fulvia 1600 HF in red (my mum nicked this and it lasted about 6 months before it was put in a shed for 20 years
)Ginetta G15 red (still in a garage somewhere)
Davrian Mk 6 or 7 just for competition, can't remember which it is,
Ford Capri 2.0 Ghia blue
Hillman Imp in grey (I can't remember if this was before or after that first Davrian, which was imp powered)
Alfasud in a beautiful brown (not sure if this was 1200 or 1300, but he bloody loved it)
Davrian Dragon also a competition car
Alfasud Sprint Veloce 1.5 silver (lovely lovely lovely car)
MG Maestro 1600 white
MG Maestro 2.0 EFi two of these, one white, one red
Peugeot 205 1.6D
Volkswagen Golf GTi mkii 1800 (he's had this for close to 20 years now, and looks like he'll have it til he pops his clogs)
MG Midget in cream (this is being (re)built and isn't finished yet)
I remember 5 of us going on a trip to a caravan in the G15, which would shock health and safety people today. The Capri looked great, but was absolute rubbish. The Alfas were terrific, but very underpowered, and the rust was as you would expect. He got the Sprint new, and there was rust on it within a year! Horrifying memories of my dad barrelling along at what seemed like ridiculous speeds on holiday drives through the night on twisty B roads in the that
. Of those cars I've only driven the second Alfa on, and though my dad would say that the Golf was the best road car he's had, I'd say it was the EFi Maestro. He dropped one of those an inch all round, and that was a brilliant car, reasonably quick, and the handling was so balanced you could trust it with anything at almost any speed. If only it wasn't for the rust. The 205 was surprisingly good (a much better car than the GTi I later bought). His new Midget should be a cracker, all sorts going on with that thing.Edited by drjdog on Monday 11th March 17:17
Dad had one of the 10 first Golf GTI's in Sweden back in late 77 or 78, I was too young then to really remember it. He told me that it gatherad a crowd when parked tho.
I learned to drive in his 1987 Audi 100 Turbo, baltic blue with grey very coarse fabric seats with a manual gearbox. Loved it and it was propely quick for an 18 year old with a fresh license (in 1991 when I got my license that is)
I learned to drive in his 1987 Audi 100 Turbo, baltic blue with grey very coarse fabric seats with a manual gearbox. Loved it and it was propely quick for an 18 year old with a fresh license (in 1991 when I got my license that is)
My dad had zero interest in cars so all the family cars were dull Hillmans, Fords and BL products.
His brother, though, loved his motors and I remember being really impressed in the 70's by his P5B, Renault 16 GTX and then his BMW 320i.
In the 80's I became good mates with a fellah whose dad was a complete petrol head and who had, amongst other cars, two Suds, a Sud Sprint, an Alfetta GT, a Guilietta, and a Mk1 Scirocco.
Needless to say I spent a lot of time there and me, my mate and various mates ended up with a whole fleet of Alfas, Lancias & Fiats.
His brother, though, loved his motors and I remember being really impressed in the 70's by his P5B, Renault 16 GTX and then his BMW 320i.
In the 80's I became good mates with a fellah whose dad was a complete petrol head and who had, amongst other cars, two Suds, a Sud Sprint, an Alfetta GT, a Guilietta, and a Mk1 Scirocco.
Needless to say I spent a lot of time there and me, my mate and various mates ended up with a whole fleet of Alfas, Lancias & Fiats.
My Old Chap kept the local Volvo dealer in funds for decades by buying a brand new range topping Volvo every two or three years and almost every one he ordered was in a similar shade of metallic blue. Once it took me several weeks to realise he'd replaced his car and that was only when I noticed the wheels on the new one were a slightly different design to the old one.
Nothing to see here...
Nothing to see here...
A close call between his 1972 105 series GT Coupe 1600 and the 1963 Flavia 1800 Coupe....
both were uber cool style items in our cul-de-sac of common and garden BL and Vauxhalls...both had good performance for the day and glorious sounding engines/exhaust...even if the Lancia was over ten years old at the time.
Alfa the rorty twin cam and, yes..bucket seats in the back..!
Lancia the lovely burbly flat four and extreme comfortable ride...never ridden in such a wonderfully sprung car...cornered pretty flat too.
Flavia edges it because it had a webasto roof...which in those days meant standing up with your head out if you felt like it (as a kid in the back, not my dad...although him being over six foot tall he could always do the "no hands steer with the knees trick" which was one advantage of the Italian driving set up)....
both were uber cool style items in our cul-de-sac of common and garden BL and Vauxhalls...both had good performance for the day and glorious sounding engines/exhaust...even if the Lancia was over ten years old at the time.
Alfa the rorty twin cam and, yes..bucket seats in the back..!
Lancia the lovely burbly flat four and extreme comfortable ride...never ridden in such a wonderfully sprung car...cornered pretty flat too.
Flavia edges it because it had a webasto roof...which in those days meant standing up with your head out if you felt like it (as a kid in the back, not my dad...although him being over six foot tall he could always do the "no hands steer with the knees trick" which was one advantage of the Italian driving set up)....
Edited by courty on Monday 11th March 19:13
My dad never had the funds for exciting cars but I remember he had a humble Woolsley 1500 with the most glorious red leather and wood interior. My grandfather on the other hand was an undertaker and had a more exciting works garage. It was fun getting picked up from primary school in a black Princess limousine on the way back from its duties.
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