What was the car your mum/dad had when you were a kid?
Discussion
They couldn't afford a car when I was born but shortly afterwards my Grandfather won a thousand pounds on the football pools which was a fortune in the early 60's and he bought my parents a Ford Anglia 100e which was replaced by:
Austin A40 Farina
Cortina MK1 (kept for years !)
Viva HC Estate
Morris Marina 1.8
Datsun 180B
Fiat Strata
Morris Ital
Austin Montego
Ford Granada Scorpio
Rover 827 Stirling
Vauxhall Omega
Vauxhall Omega Estate
Citroen Picasso X 2
Austin A40 Farina
Cortina MK1 (kept for years !)
Viva HC Estate
Morris Marina 1.8
Datsun 180B
Fiat Strata
Morris Ital
Austin Montego
Ford Granada Scorpio
Rover 827 Stirling
Vauxhall Omega
Vauxhall Omega Estate
Citroen Picasso X 2
SAAB 96 when I was born. Replaced a Triumph Vitesse that was deemed unsuitable as there was no way of putting in rear belts. Yes, people of my generation, I was born in 1978 and was strapped into the back of the car from the off. ;-)
SAAB 99 EMS replaced that in 1982 when my brother arrived.
Mum passed her test at the end of '87 and Dad bought her a V-reg Fiesta 950. She's only 4'10" so a foam offcut was used to reach the pedals! :-p
Fuel injection went on the 99 in the late 80s so it was sold to a chap who had written off his 99 Turbo and needed somewhere to put the engine. A 900i 16V was in the offing but economy ruled the day and Dad bought a B-reg Nova SR for himself and a B-reg Nova 1.2 Swing for Mum. Both 3-doors.
Mum wrote the Swing off at some point when she pulled out in front of an MR2 making full use of the NSL - if not more. She was barrel rolled over a hedge. Oops! A B-reg Nova 1.0 in beige was bought in haste and regretted ever after.
The folks got their first brand-new car in 1993 - a Mk3 Astra 1.4 (82ps) estate for Mum that I later drove, nay thrashed, for the last 6 months of its time with us after I passed my test.
Dad's new car was the following August - a Corsa SRi in Caribic Blue. Alas, despite there being less than a year until my 17th, the SR was part-chopped against the Corsa rather than kept for me to have at 17 as I daydreamed.
After a Polo 1.6 CL and a Fiesta 1.4 Zetec, Dad's now on his 3rd MINI - a Cooper in full midlife crisis Red with white roof, wheels and stripes. The previous Cooper and the One before that were silver.
After a 96P Corsa 1.4 Premier and a 99V Corsa 1.2, Mum's now on her 3rd Jazz.
SAAB 99 EMS replaced that in 1982 when my brother arrived.
Mum passed her test at the end of '87 and Dad bought her a V-reg Fiesta 950. She's only 4'10" so a foam offcut was used to reach the pedals! :-p
Fuel injection went on the 99 in the late 80s so it was sold to a chap who had written off his 99 Turbo and needed somewhere to put the engine. A 900i 16V was in the offing but economy ruled the day and Dad bought a B-reg Nova SR for himself and a B-reg Nova 1.2 Swing for Mum. Both 3-doors.
Mum wrote the Swing off at some point when she pulled out in front of an MR2 making full use of the NSL - if not more. She was barrel rolled over a hedge. Oops! A B-reg Nova 1.0 in beige was bought in haste and regretted ever after.
The folks got their first brand-new car in 1993 - a Mk3 Astra 1.4 (82ps) estate for Mum that I later drove, nay thrashed, for the last 6 months of its time with us after I passed my test.
Dad's new car was the following August - a Corsa SRi in Caribic Blue. Alas, despite there being less than a year until my 17th, the SR was part-chopped against the Corsa rather than kept for me to have at 17 as I daydreamed.
After a Polo 1.6 CL and a Fiesta 1.4 Zetec, Dad's now on his 3rd MINI - a Cooper in full midlife crisis Red with white roof, wheels and stripes. The previous Cooper and the One before that were silver.
After a 96P Corsa 1.4 Premier and a 99V Corsa 1.2, Mum's now on her 3rd Jazz.
In approx chronological order:
Fiat 125 Special
Cortina GT (mk 1)
Cortina 2000E (mk 3)
Granada 2.8 (mk 2)
Crapi Ghia 2.0 (mk 2)
BMW 320i (e30)
Golf GTi (mk 1)
Honda Accord Aerodeck
Porsche 924S
BMW 320ed
Actually a better line up than I thought it was going to be. Sorry Dad.
A bit unfairly I remember better the cars he almost bought but didn't - S2 Elan, MGBGT V8, Alfa Spider, Scirocco Storm. What might have been!
Fiat 125 Special
Cortina GT (mk 1)
Cortina 2000E (mk 3)
Granada 2.8 (mk 2)
Crapi Ghia 2.0 (mk 2)
BMW 320i (e30)
Golf GTi (mk 1)
Honda Accord Aerodeck
Porsche 924S
BMW 320ed
Actually a better line up than I thought it was going to be. Sorry Dad.
A bit unfairly I remember better the cars he almost bought but didn't - S2 Elan, MGBGT V8, Alfa Spider, Scirocco Storm. What might have been!
dontlookdown said:
In approx chronological order:
Fiat 125 Special
Cortina GT (mk 1)
Cortina 2000E (mk 3)
Granada 2.8 (mk 2)
Crapi Ghia 2.0 (mk 2)
BMW 320i (e30)
Golf GTi (mk 1)
Honda Accord Aerodeck
Porsche 924S
BMW 320ed
Actually a better line up than I thought it was going to be. Sorry Dad.
A bit unfairly I remember better the cars he almost bought but didn't - S2 Elan, MGBGT V8, Alfa Spider, Scirocco Storm. What might have been!
I was brought home from being born in a 1954 Austin A40 Somerset! Fiat 125 Special
Cortina GT (mk 1)
Cortina 2000E (mk 3)
Granada 2.8 (mk 2)
Crapi Ghia 2.0 (mk 2)
BMW 320i (e30)
Golf GTi (mk 1)
Honda Accord Aerodeck
Porsche 924S
BMW 320ed
Actually a better line up than I thought it was going to be. Sorry Dad.
A bit unfairly I remember better the cars he almost bought but didn't - S2 Elan, MGBGT V8, Alfa Spider, Scirocco Storm. What might have been!
Then in 1967 my dad bought a 1964 Hillman Minx, but in 1972 he bought a 1970 Fiat 125 from a bomb-site lot in Balham (although next to it was a 1970 Alfa 1750 GTV for the same price). ops:
And just down the road was a Ferrari Daytona for £5,950! (Which I later found out he could have afforded).
But then in 1975 my Dad had a stroke and couldn't even walk (never mind drive) so in 1977 I got to have the Fiat 125 and used to drive him in it, which felt great for me but a bit wrong in other ways.
And then I was heading into "Dad" territory as I followed the Fiat 125 with a Rover P6 3500S, Granada 2.8 Ghia, MK2 RS2000, Capri 2.8 Injection.............
Mum had a Fiat 600, Fiat 127 (loved that car), Fiat 128 Estate, MK3 Escort, Fiesta 1100S, Fiesta 1.1 Ghia, Nova 1.4 Luxe+, Fiesta 1.3 and another Fiesta 1.3 before we managed to talk her into stopping at 88!
Edited by Mr Tidy on Sunday 16th July 00:20
Mk1 Escort estate
Hillman Avenger estate
Mk 3 Escort LX 5 door
MK4 Escort Popular 3 door
MK4 Escort Popular 3 door
Mk5 Escort Ghia 5 door
Mk1 Focus Ghia 5 door
Mk7 Fiesta Titanium 5 door
Currently 99% sure he's going to get a new model Fiesta this year.
I have never bought or considered buying a Ford
Before I was around dad had a Mini Cooper.
Hillman Avenger estate
Mk 3 Escort LX 5 door
MK4 Escort Popular 3 door
MK4 Escort Popular 3 door
Mk5 Escort Ghia 5 door
Mk1 Focus Ghia 5 door
Mk7 Fiesta Titanium 5 door
Currently 99% sure he's going to get a new model Fiesta this year.
I have never bought or considered buying a Ford
Before I was around dad had a Mini Cooper.
Vauxhall Cavalier (Cxxx KHR) - Traded in when I was 5 so don't remember the plate fully. Have a worn tax disk that expires on the day my brother was born (31/01/1992)
Vauxhall Astra Belmont (H292 TAK) - Really good car until the rust got to the sills
Vauxhall Astra Merit 1.4 (N320 UEL) - My mother said this was high tech compared to our last car but in reality it couldn't be more bog standard. This ended up being my first car
Skoda Octavia SLX TDi 1.9 TDi 110 (X546 CTH) - A Friday afternoon car. Turbo wasn't working when Dad bought it but he knew no different as he'd never had a diesel before. A new MAF sensor and it was fine. Then the windows wouldn't work, CL intermittent, it would stall when going into reverse, leaky door seals like most Skodas of the time. Oddly this car was enough to make me want a MK1 Fabia vRS. Had 3 Skoda's since and now run a Stage 2 Octavia vRS
Suzuki Swift 1.5 (Current) - A basic car but all the options you'd need. Only 101 bhp but handles really well and quite a few times I'd scare the local chavs by keeping up in the corners with it.
Vauxhall Astra Belmont (H292 TAK) - Really good car until the rust got to the sills
Vauxhall Astra Merit 1.4 (N320 UEL) - My mother said this was high tech compared to our last car but in reality it couldn't be more bog standard. This ended up being my first car
Skoda Octavia SLX TDi 1.9 TDi 110 (X546 CTH) - A Friday afternoon car. Turbo wasn't working when Dad bought it but he knew no different as he'd never had a diesel before. A new MAF sensor and it was fine. Then the windows wouldn't work, CL intermittent, it would stall when going into reverse, leaky door seals like most Skodas of the time. Oddly this car was enough to make me want a MK1 Fabia vRS. Had 3 Skoda's since and now run a Stage 2 Octavia vRS
Suzuki Swift 1.5 (Current) - A basic car but all the options you'd need. Only 101 bhp but handles really well and quite a few times I'd scare the local chavs by keeping up in the corners with it.
I vaguely remember them having a silver Mk1 Passat 5 door for a short period of time before getting a blue Austin Metro 5 door. They had that for a few years until it was too small to fit us all in and they got a beige Austin Montego estate. My Grandad worked for a Rover dealership at this point so they went through a few years of older Austins that he got in as P/X.
I feel I was pretty spoiled as a kid. Doublers are cars we had more than one of - either stolen or crashed!
Mum:
mini clubman
Peugeot 505 estate
Mk2 escort rs2000
2.8 Capri
Discovery 1
Dad:
Mk1 golf
Mk2 escort Rs2000
2.8 Capri
Xr3i
Mk3 escort
Sapphire cosworth
Golf vr6
Escort cosworth
The last Capri and escort cosworth are still with us
Mum:
mini clubman
Peugeot 505 estate
Mk2 escort rs2000
2.8 Capri
Discovery 1
Dad:
Mk1 golf
Mk2 escort Rs2000
2.8 Capri
Xr3i
Mk3 escort
Sapphire cosworth
Golf vr6
Escort cosworth
The last Capri and escort cosworth are still with us
When I was born my father had a 1956 Ford Pop (in black). It was my grandfather's car but he could no longer drive. I think he eventually gave it to my Dad who then traded it in for a brand new Anglia 105E in about 1961.
That was my Dad's P&J. He even dug an inspection pit in the garage to keep everything regularly greased and lubed. I still have the grease gun to this day!
His job then took us from the south coast to Sheffield. I still remember the thrice yearly trips back and forth to see family; used to take all day as the M1 hadn't gone beyond Nottingham in those days ( indeed was the only multi-lane road for the whole journey.)
In 1964 his company decided that he should have a company car. From that point on every 2-4 years he got a new car starting with a Ford Corsair (A reg suffix), Hillman Hunter, Morris Marina, Cortina Mk3 x2, Cortina Mk4, 2.0l Granada, 2.3l Granada S ( the car I first drove above 3 figures ahem) and finally yet another Granny before retiring and buying an Escort followed by an Orion.
My Mother never even learnt to drive.
That was my Dad's P&J. He even dug an inspection pit in the garage to keep everything regularly greased and lubed. I still have the grease gun to this day!
His job then took us from the south coast to Sheffield. I still remember the thrice yearly trips back and forth to see family; used to take all day as the M1 hadn't gone beyond Nottingham in those days ( indeed was the only multi-lane road for the whole journey.)
In 1964 his company decided that he should have a company car. From that point on every 2-4 years he got a new car starting with a Ford Corsair (A reg suffix), Hillman Hunter, Morris Marina, Cortina Mk3 x2, Cortina Mk4, 2.0l Granada, 2.3l Granada S ( the car I first drove above 3 figures ahem) and finally yet another Granny before retiring and buying an Escort followed by an Orion.
My Mother never even learnt to drive.
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