The best car your Dad had....
Discussion
Without a doubt a MKII Jaguar 3.8 manual overdrive.
WHAT a motor that was! He'd owned Rover P6 3500's and the like before that but that Jag was fantastic.
They had fallen from grace a little, well a lot (late Seventies), but that XK straight six when on song was something to behold as it seemed to resonate through the dash. I was mesmerised by it.
WHAT a motor that was! He'd owned Rover P6 3500's and the like before that but that Jag was fantastic.
They had fallen from grace a little, well a lot (late Seventies), but that XK straight six when on song was something to behold as it seemed to resonate through the dash. I was mesmerised by it.
probs a bit left wing but i liked my dads 54 plate megane. was a rush special edition. i will admite i didnt like the 2 door styling but when i saw it the metal with its aftermarket alloys and lower suspension (not chavvy or anything like that just a nice smooth clean look) i kinda thought hmm. then i sat in it and loved it. must have only been 14 1/2. just wish id learned to drive in it now 
sadly had to go for practical reasons (5 doored car)
sadly had to go for practical reasons (5 doored car)That's a tough one...
My Dad was always into his 'fast' cars back in the day. He had a Triumph 2.5 PI, an Opel Monza back when I was very young indeed and an Alfa Giulietta (which incidently was the first car I ever drove!).
Having said that, I think the most memorable of all his cars was his Peugeot 505. It had 3 rows of seats and could fit 8 of us in the car at once which I thought was just fantastic and it also had the most comfortable seats I'd ever sat in.
I asked him a couple of years ago what his favourite all-round car was only for him to tell me that it was the 505. I wondered why on earth he loved it so much but I soon realised that it wasn't the sheer enjoyment of driving the car he loved but instead the service it provided for the family. I was one of 4 children but that old bus could easily fit 6 of us in there with luggage and my old nan to boot which meant day trips, long weekends and family holidays were made easy. That car gave provided us with some of the best memories we've ever had and I still miss it to this day.
Having said that, he currently has an E39 528i which he feels is the best all round car he has ever driven but I don't think it holds that special place in his heart like the 505 did.
My Dad was always into his 'fast' cars back in the day. He had a Triumph 2.5 PI, an Opel Monza back when I was very young indeed and an Alfa Giulietta (which incidently was the first car I ever drove!).
Having said that, I think the most memorable of all his cars was his Peugeot 505. It had 3 rows of seats and could fit 8 of us in the car at once which I thought was just fantastic and it also had the most comfortable seats I'd ever sat in.
I asked him a couple of years ago what his favourite all-round car was only for him to tell me that it was the 505. I wondered why on earth he loved it so much but I soon realised that it wasn't the sheer enjoyment of driving the car he loved but instead the service it provided for the family. I was one of 4 children but that old bus could easily fit 6 of us in there with luggage and my old nan to boot which meant day trips, long weekends and family holidays were made easy. That car gave provided us with some of the best memories we've ever had and I still miss it to this day.
Having said that, he currently has an E39 528i which he feels is the best all round car he has ever driven but I don't think it holds that special place in his heart like the 505 did.
F reg Ford Orion Ghia 1.6i.
He bought it nearly new as an ex-rental, it was a fab car, I remember it been very brisk and having cool electric windows, the central locking was magic and it had a great sound system with separate amp.
I actually preferred it to the new E36 that followed it which was a bog standard 316i which came with no stereo (so he fitted one from an old Datsun that we had owned before!)
He bought it nearly new as an ex-rental, it was a fab car, I remember it been very brisk and having cool electric windows, the central locking was magic and it had a great sound system with separate amp.
I actually preferred it to the new E36 that followed it which was a bog standard 316i which came with no stereo (so he fitted one from an old Datsun that we had owned before!)
mph the whole way..."My Dad has had loads of great cars, in no order at all:
Lotus Elan x3 or 4 (original)
Frogeye Sprite
MK 1 Escort
MK 2 Escort
Triumph TR7
Rover 800 Vitesse Turbo
Mini Cooper (original)
Triumph TR6 x 3 or 4
Triumph TR5
Jaguar XJS
Citroen 2CV
Alfasud
Orion 1.6i Ghia
Porsche 911
3.0 Capri
Jaguar XJ6 x 5 or 6
Ford Anglia
Saab 900
Granada 2.8 Ghia
MG Montego
Lotus Europa
MGB GT
SD1 Rover
MGB Roadster
Granada 2.9 Ghia
Volvo 740 saloon
Volvo 740 estate
1932 MG J2
Triumph Stag
E30 3 Series
E21 3 Series
(That's all I can remember right now.)
Plus loads of dull modern stuff.
He still has his TR5, and is restoring a Frogeye, and he also has a 2002 Vectra (He doesn't like modern cars much.)
Lotus Elan x3 or 4 (original)
Frogeye Sprite
MK 1 Escort
MK 2 Escort
Triumph TR7
Rover 800 Vitesse Turbo
Mini Cooper (original)
Triumph TR6 x 3 or 4
Triumph TR5
Jaguar XJS
Citroen 2CV
Alfasud
Orion 1.6i Ghia
Porsche 911
3.0 Capri
Jaguar XJ6 x 5 or 6
Ford Anglia
Saab 900
Granada 2.8 Ghia
MG Montego
Lotus Europa
MGB GT
SD1 Rover
MGB Roadster
Granada 2.9 Ghia
Volvo 740 saloon
Volvo 740 estate
1932 MG J2
Triumph Stag
E30 3 Series
E21 3 Series
(That's all I can remember right now.)
Plus loads of dull modern stuff.
He still has his TR5, and is restoring a Frogeye, and he also has a 2002 Vectra (He doesn't like modern cars much.)
Edited by Urban Sports on Wednesday 9th February 23:42
Capri 1.6 in light electric blue. He bought it brand new when I was about 5. I thought it was the coolest car in the world.
Having said that I do also love his current TD5 110 Defender. He bought this after retiring, with no intention of ever off-roading it, he'd just hankered after a proper Landy since he was a kid.
Having said that I do also love his current TD5 110 Defender. He bought this after retiring, with no intention of ever off-roading it, he'd just hankered after a proper Landy since he was a kid.
Not the coolest, fastest or most interesting, but the one I remember for appealing to the 9 year old me most was the
1998 Vauxhall Omega 3.2 Elite Esate
My father had company Vauxhalls since I was 4 and from a poverty spec Astra he had worked his way up to the top of the range Omega in dark green with cream leather and every option. I remember sitting in the drive revving the engine (probably from cold) and the awesomeness of the heated rear seats. I remember thinking it was pretty quick too.
1998 Vauxhall Omega 3.2 Elite Esate
My father had company Vauxhalls since I was 4 and from a poverty spec Astra he had worked his way up to the top of the range Omega in dark green with cream leather and every option. I remember sitting in the drive revving the engine (probably from cold) and the awesomeness of the heated rear seats. I remember thinking it was pretty quick too.
Mom, my brother, and I spent a while trying to scan all the pics of Dad's cars. He died a couple of years ago and it was good therapy to go through those pics. I have an album of them all (but 1) on Facebook.
His favourite was this (taken on holiday in Wales):
But this was his first new car, which has some charm and is accompanied by a hundred stories of Dad's time with it back in the early 1960s:
His favourite was this (taken on holiday in Wales):
But this was his first new car, which has some charm and is accompanied by a hundred stories of Dad's time with it back in the early 1960s:
My Dad's current car is likely the best, but my favourite was a Mk1 Mondeo Si, (it was a 2ltr, I believe). Don't know how fast it was in real life, but in my memory it was the fastest thing round the twisties of Peacock Lane.
I remember one time when me and a friend were late for the cinema being given a lift at what felt like warp speed. Terrifying and awesome bragging once back at school.
I remember one time when me and a friend were late for the cinema being given a lift at what felt like warp speed. Terrifying and awesome bragging once back at school.
Gotta post this one too. Dad used to write all of our names on a front wheel (in chalk) then when he stopped, whoever's name was pointing to the ground won 50p. Of course, the joker that he was, he'd stop, then reverse a bit, then go forward a bit... all the time claiming he was lining his own "win" up (there was no way he could see it and this was after some 150 miles).
This was a dreadful car (Mom's Talbot Solara) but Dad used to chalk-up most of their cars when we were kids.
This was a dreadful car (Mom's Talbot Solara) but Dad used to chalk-up most of their cars when we were kids.
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