What was your first 'proper' car?
Discussion
I was 21 and realised I could insure a faster car so bought my first quick car and also brand new car in the form of a Clio 172 MKII. This was way back in 2003. Drove it for two years and loved it. I couldn't have picked a better all round car for me at the time really. Good on fuel and affordable to run plus it was quick but also had leather interior, climate control and a number of other niceties.
I had a number of hot hatches throughout my 20s then my next car which was a step up from those is my CLS63 AMG. A 'proper' car for my 30s haha
I had a number of hot hatches throughout my 20s then my next car which was a step up from those is my CLS63 AMG. A 'proper' car for my 30s haha
My Starion was my first 'proper car', bought at 21. Decent performance from the 2.0 Turbo, but averaged around 18mpg- even less on the work commute. My friends all made the oft-quoted remark that it specialised in turning petrol into noise (with custom exhaust system fitted by the previous owner there was a LOT of this...).
But it had full leather interior, pop-up lights, and those flared wheel arches that to me were the coolest thing in the car world. To me the entire car just oozed cool, but it seemed the only people who shared that view were aging car enthusiasts- particularly on petrol station forecourts where it inevitably spent much of it's time.
It also had the biggest history file of any car I've owned, with every single receipt/MOT etc going back to 1989, and even the fully stamped service book & original handbook!
I kept it longer than any other car to date, even after acquiring my DC2 Integra. It was almost faultlessly reliable during that time, being my only car for a large chunk of it too- it was crap in the snow.
Only sold a few years ago as it was in need of a full restoration, something that the new owner has since done. The MOT history shows it's been doing around 700 miles a year since then, so living a much easier life now than it did in my hands
It had extra geekiness points for the fact that the small square sticker at the top-right of the windscreen was the parking permit for the 2003 Le Mans, a good couple of years before I bought the car
But it had full leather interior, pop-up lights, and those flared wheel arches that to me were the coolest thing in the car world. To me the entire car just oozed cool, but it seemed the only people who shared that view were aging car enthusiasts- particularly on petrol station forecourts where it inevitably spent much of it's time.
It also had the biggest history file of any car I've owned, with every single receipt/MOT etc going back to 1989, and even the fully stamped service book & original handbook!
I kept it longer than any other car to date, even after acquiring my DC2 Integra. It was almost faultlessly reliable during that time, being my only car for a large chunk of it too- it was crap in the snow.
Only sold a few years ago as it was in need of a full restoration, something that the new owner has since done. The MOT history shows it's been doing around 700 miles a year since then, so living a much easier life now than it did in my hands
It had extra geekiness points for the fact that the small square sticker at the top-right of the windscreen was the parking permit for the 2003 Le Mans, a good couple of years before I bought the car
At 21 I bought a golf 2.0tdi, on paper 110hp (the most I could insure), but had 185hp.
At 23 I wanted something more exciting to drive and bought a mk3 Megane RS.
Still like it alot, altough I have now realized that a car that needs to be pushed to the limit for it to be brilliant isn't ideal for everyday road use.
At 23 I wanted something more exciting to drive and bought a mk3 Megane RS.
Still like it alot, altough I have now realized that a car that needs to be pushed to the limit for it to be brilliant isn't ideal for everyday road use.
My first* XJ40 when I was 18 or 19. 4 litre straight six and piles of luxury for under a grand and far cheaper to insure than a normal sensible car too.
My first* Volvo 740 before that wasn't so bad either actually. I road rallied it and could drift on wet roundabouts...
My first* Volvo 740 before that wasn't so bad either actually. I road rallied it and could drift on wet roundabouts...
*Yes I have had more than one XJ and more than one 740
At 19 I bought a Fabia vRS diesel. Yes its a diesel but i was a hoot to drive and the engine revved freely right to the redline. After I bought it I found it was remapped, explaining the lovely revs, lovely stuff. Almost replaced it with a much newer 120d, horrible to drive in comparison! So bought a petrol.
My first real car was my mk1 MR2 t-bar. I got it when I was 23 and kept it for six years.
We went all over Europe in it and had some great times and drives.....
Managed to spin it on a wet roundabout within three week of owning it.... luckily ended facing the wrong way down a dual carriageway. No other cars and no damage involved. Learnt to respect it quite quickly after that......
I wonder whether it would feel as good now as it did then?
Mike
We went all over Europe in it and had some great times and drives.....
Managed to spin it on a wet roundabout within three week of owning it.... luckily ended facing the wrong way down a dual carriageway. No other cars and no damage involved. Learnt to respect it quite quickly after that......
I wonder whether it would feel as good now as it did then?
Mike
Cemesis said:
At 25 I bought an E39 M5. It really showed the difference between a normal car and, well, an M5.
Quite, I had to wait another five years before I had one! I would say my first proper car was a mk3 Granada aged 18 three weeks after passing my test (after blowing the head gasket on my Escort), that car taught me more about car control than anything I've ever driven since.
Quite a few "proper" cars for me..
Had an Xr2i new in 1990. It was actually pretty crap, but at that age (I was 20), it seemed quite cool.
I really didn't get too excited, however, until I got this. An M535 with a dog leg manual box.
Things then turned another corner in the fun stakes when I got this..(black one on the left)..
It made me realise not much else would come close for the money in terms of lunacy, rawness and thrills.
I then had similar passions ignited again after getting my first Mk1 MX5. I owned seven in the end, including a turbo one.
And then, some turbo action with various tuned Volvos. Annoying people in far sportier cars in a brick with 24 psi under the bonnet was "proper" in our eyes.
Had an Xr2i new in 1990. It was actually pretty crap, but at that age (I was 20), it seemed quite cool.
I really didn't get too excited, however, until I got this. An M535 with a dog leg manual box.
Things then turned another corner in the fun stakes when I got this..(black one on the left)..
It made me realise not much else would come close for the money in terms of lunacy, rawness and thrills.
I then had similar passions ignited again after getting my first Mk1 MX5. I owned seven in the end, including a turbo one.
And then, some turbo action with various tuned Volvos. Annoying people in far sportier cars in a brick with 24 psi under the bonnet was "proper" in our eyes.
Edited by Digby on Monday 17th July 22:54
Aged 42 went on a nostalgia trip and bought a '93 Beemer 325i, a car I'd read about in the '90s issues of Car magazine when I was a penniless student. Ironically it was slower than the remapped Seat Leon TDI I'd previously, but it led to my current 328i which seems fast enough for me.
This was my first proper car, when I was 25 years old. The 11 points on my licence had just expired and insurance was just about affordable. It was 2 years old when I bought it and sold it 6 years later with 131k miles on the clock. Mildly tuned to 270 bhp and some whiteline suspension upgrades, it was a fantastic car. I still regret selling but needs must at the time.
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