Why I’m not allowed to own “two” of anything anymore......
Discussion
B'stard Child said:
mattyc69 said:
Lying to your wife and buying some crappy old Vauxhall’s how very cool indeed what a hero!
Appreciate your concerns but I haven't lied to her - not telling someone something is not lying and after nearly 30 years together she knows that there are two questions that should not be asked1. How many cars do you own?
2. How many motorbikes do you own?
Are all your posts this positive? - cos you'll fit in well in here if they are
Do tell..!!
Back in the early 90s I could have changed the course of world history with a Carlton GSI 3000..... by killing Bill Gates.
It was before he was famous and Microsoft were just getting important.
I was a humble computer engineer who had grown up with front wheel drive Cavaliers. My boss had a brand new GSI 3000.
Bill was giving a talk at Wembley conference centre. My boss wanted a chat so offered to collect him from his Central London hotel and take him there. Bill agreed.
The day arrives and my boss picks me up in the GSI at stupidoclock and we drive in to central London. First time I'd been in the car.
We pick up Bill and his assistant from a hotel near Park Lane. My boss wanted to sit in the back with Bill to talk business so suddenly tells me I'm driving, and we are a bit late.
It was cold and raining and I'd never driven anything like the GSI before - what could possibly go wrong....
I blamed diesel on the road as we came around a corner at 40+ to traffic lights on red at the entrance to a roundabout.... we then gatecrashed the roundabout slightly sideways. I braced for the inevitable but suddenly the Gods of versions of Windows after 3.0 must have conspired to miraculously open the gap between the lorries that we slotted in to.
The assistant in the front with me went white and muttered something about Bill not being the first speaker and it didn't matter if we were late.
I slowed down after that and as a result we now have Windows 10.
It was before he was famous and Microsoft were just getting important.
I was a humble computer engineer who had grown up with front wheel drive Cavaliers. My boss had a brand new GSI 3000.
Bill was giving a talk at Wembley conference centre. My boss wanted a chat so offered to collect him from his Central London hotel and take him there. Bill agreed.
The day arrives and my boss picks me up in the GSI at stupidoclock and we drive in to central London. First time I'd been in the car.
We pick up Bill and his assistant from a hotel near Park Lane. My boss wanted to sit in the back with Bill to talk business so suddenly tells me I'm driving, and we are a bit late.
It was cold and raining and I'd never driven anything like the GSI before - what could possibly go wrong....
I blamed diesel on the road as we came around a corner at 40+ to traffic lights on red at the entrance to a roundabout.... we then gatecrashed the roundabout slightly sideways. I braced for the inevitable but suddenly the Gods of versions of Windows after 3.0 must have conspired to miraculously open the gap between the lorries that we slotted in to.
The assistant in the front with me went white and muttered something about Bill not being the first speaker and it didn't matter if we were late.
I slowed down after that and as a result we now have Windows 10.
DippedHeadlights said:
Back in the early 90s I could have changed the course of world history with a Carlton GSI 3000..... by killing Bill Gates.
It was before he was famous and Microsoft were just getting important.
I was a humble computer engineer who had grown up with front wheel drive Cavaliers. My boss had a brand new GSI 3000.
Bill was giving a talk at Wembley conference centre. My boss wanted a chat so offered to collect him from his Central London hotel and take him there. Bill agreed.
The day arrives and my boss picks me up in the GSI at stupidoclock and we drive in to central London. First time I'd been in the car.
We pick up Bill and his assistant from a hotel near Park Lane. My boss wanted to sit in the back with Bill to talk business so suddenly tells me I'm driving, and we are a bit late.
It was cold and raining and I'd never driven anything like the GSI before - what could possibly go wrong....
I blamed diesel on the road as we came around a corner at 40+ to traffic lights on red at the entrance to a roundabout.... we then gatecrashed the roundabout slightly sideways. I braced for the inevitable but suddenly the Gods of versions of Windows after 3.0 must have conspired to miraculously open the gap between the lorries that we slotted in to.
The assistant in the front with me went white and muttered something about Bill not being the first speaker and it didn't matter if we were late.
I slowed down after that and as a result we now have Windows 10.
So now I know who to blame for all my Windows issues - WTF didn't you just end them there? It was before he was famous and Microsoft were just getting important.
I was a humble computer engineer who had grown up with front wheel drive Cavaliers. My boss had a brand new GSI 3000.
Bill was giving a talk at Wembley conference centre. My boss wanted a chat so offered to collect him from his Central London hotel and take him there. Bill agreed.
The day arrives and my boss picks me up in the GSI at stupidoclock and we drive in to central London. First time I'd been in the car.
We pick up Bill and his assistant from a hotel near Park Lane. My boss wanted to sit in the back with Bill to talk business so suddenly tells me I'm driving, and we are a bit late.
It was cold and raining and I'd never driven anything like the GSI before - what could possibly go wrong....
I blamed diesel on the road as we came around a corner at 40+ to traffic lights on red at the entrance to a roundabout.... we then gatecrashed the roundabout slightly sideways. I braced for the inevitable but suddenly the Gods of versions of Windows after 3.0 must have conspired to miraculously open the gap between the lorries that we slotted in to.
The assistant in the front with me went white and muttered something about Bill not being the first speaker and it didn't matter if we were late.
I slowed down after that and as a result we now have Windows 10.
Great thread, and such a funny read. I would really love to own 3-4 cars and choose a different one each day but SWMBO would have my balls on a stick. Such peril is clearly intelligently avoided in these circles. I must get more imaginative...
BC - your Vauxhall addiction reminds me of my Grandad. He had a few, I can’t remember them all but do remember the ones he had when he used to pick us up after school and childmind us until my parents came home from work. The first was a blue 2.0 CD (D482 SNB), it was in good nick but not an exciting engine or spec combo. His next one was much nicer spec, an L reg 2.0 (or was it 2.6?) CDX (both were autos IIRC). I can’t find this one on DVLA, I’m sure the reg was L61 XUY but nothing comes up. Have tried the numbers either side and it’s Vauxhall’s a plenty so I do suspect DVLAs database is the weak link. Don’t suppose you came across that one, you seem to have owned most of them
BC - your Vauxhall addiction reminds me of my Grandad. He had a few, I can’t remember them all but do remember the ones he had when he used to pick us up after school and childmind us until my parents came home from work. The first was a blue 2.0 CD (D482 SNB), it was in good nick but not an exciting engine or spec combo. His next one was much nicer spec, an L reg 2.0 (or was it 2.6?) CDX (both were autos IIRC). I can’t find this one on DVLA, I’m sure the reg was L61 XUY but nothing comes up. Have tried the numbers either side and it’s Vauxhall’s a plenty so I do suspect DVLAs database is the weak link. Don’t suppose you came across that one, you seem to have owned most of them
I loved reading this thread - hats off to you sir!
Senators are great cars, and I almost bought a burgundy 24v one earlier this year before the seller changed his mind.
I love the square exhaust tips on them, and the digital dash on some of them are just so cool.
Got a lot of time for big old Vauxhalls - my old man had a couple of Carltons back in the day. One was a 1984 1.8 GL in Anthracite - A802 RFL. And the other was a later shape 89 model - G182 HNH.
They were smooth, spacious and comfortable cars. Always wanted him to get the GSi 3000 in black or even the CDXi in burgundy.
Senators are great cars, and I almost bought a burgundy 24v one earlier this year before the seller changed his mind.
I love the square exhaust tips on them, and the digital dash on some of them are just so cool.
Got a lot of time for big old Vauxhalls - my old man had a couple of Carltons back in the day. One was a 1984 1.8 GL in Anthracite - A802 RFL. And the other was a later shape 89 model - G182 HNH.
They were smooth, spacious and comfortable cars. Always wanted him to get the GSi 3000 in black or even the CDXi in burgundy.
pSyCoSiS said:
I loved reading this thread - hats off to you sir!
Senators are great cars, and I almost bought a burgundy 24v one earlier this year before the seller changed his mind.
I love the square exhaust tips on them, and the digital dash on some of them are just so cool.
Got a lot of time for big old Vauxhalls - my old man had a couple of Carltons back in the day. One was a 1984 1.8 GL in Anthracite - A802 RFL. And the other was a later shape 89 model - G182 HNH.
They were smooth, spacious and comfortable cars. Always wanted him to get the GSi 3000 in black or even the CDXi in burgundy.
The exhaust and dash really "do" it for me with them as well, and I tend to be put off by those which have had the exhaust changed for something else, it just doesn't look right in my book. The dash, I understand can be easily switched with the analogue one. Obviously the coolest thing to do is set the cruise to 88 and pretend its a DeLorean Senators are great cars, and I almost bought a burgundy 24v one earlier this year before the seller changed his mind.
I love the square exhaust tips on them, and the digital dash on some of them are just so cool.
Got a lot of time for big old Vauxhalls - my old man had a couple of Carltons back in the day. One was a 1984 1.8 GL in Anthracite - A802 RFL. And the other was a later shape 89 model - G182 HNH.
They were smooth, spacious and comfortable cars. Always wanted him to get the GSi 3000 in black or even the CDXi in burgundy.
OP. I've really enjoyed this thread, you are a brave man, I wouldn't have the guts to do what you've been doing.
Many moons ago, I owned a Vauxhall Carlton Estate, a 2.0l Club edition in white K833 DRP, I managed to get a bed in the back, a very useful car. No longer on the road sadly.
Looking forward to the updates.
Many moons ago, I owned a Vauxhall Carlton Estate, a 2.0l Club edition in white K833 DRP, I managed to get a bed in the back, a very useful car. No longer on the road sadly.
Looking forward to the updates.
What a great thread, had me chuckling a fair few times. 
My old man had a manual Senator 2.5, I used to take it out to erm, de-coke it now and then for him, pretty sure I saw 130 on the m1 once. I had a Nova SR at the time, so it felt pretty quick to me!
Senator with the Omega that replaced it - it wasn't a patch on the Senator though.
My old man had a manual Senator 2.5, I used to take it out to erm, de-coke it now and then for him, pretty sure I saw 130 on the m1 once. I had a Nova SR at the time, so it felt pretty quick to me! Senator with the Omega that replaced it - it wasn't a patch on the Senator though.
Great thread, here’s my Carlton/Omega memories.
My friend’s Dad had a Carlton. It went very rusty. When I used to be a BMW Technician we used to service the odd Vauxhall owned by a business with BMWs too. I had to deliver a Carlton 2.0 auto back after a service. It was very slow.
I had a coolant leak on a Carlton 3.0 GSI to fix. Broken hose. It sounded lovely.
A few years later I went to the South of France in a 2.0l auto ex taxi Omega saloon. Two surfboards inside and it averaged a calculated 37.5 mpg. Awesome comfort though you had to give the auto box a few minutes to warm up sometimes before you had drive!
My friend’s Dad had a Carlton. It went very rusty. When I used to be a BMW Technician we used to service the odd Vauxhall owned by a business with BMWs too. I had to deliver a Carlton 2.0 auto back after a service. It was very slow.
I had a coolant leak on a Carlton 3.0 GSI to fix. Broken hose. It sounded lovely.
A few years later I went to the South of France in a 2.0l auto ex taxi Omega saloon. Two surfboards inside and it averaged a calculated 37.5 mpg. Awesome comfort though you had to give the auto box a few minutes to warm up sometimes before you had drive!
99Chimaera said:
OP. I've really enjoyed this thread, you are a brave man, I wouldn't have the guts to do what you've been doing.
Many moons ago, I owned a Vauxhall Carlton Estate, a 2.0l Club edition in white K833 DRP, I managed to get a bed in the back, a very useful car. No longer on the road sadly.
Looking forward to the updates.
NO F*CKING WAY! Many moons ago, I owned a Vauxhall Carlton Estate, a 2.0l Club edition in white K833 DRP, I managed to get a bed in the back, a very useful car. No longer on the road sadly.
Looking forward to the updates.
That was the Carlton I bought in 2008, for £99, and ran around Europe on several rallies described a few pages back, sadly scrapped in 2012 after it had more rust than bodywork left. Bought it from a Polish guy around Bournemouth who had used it to transport all his stuff from Wroclaw as it was cheaper than hiring a van or shipping it, apparently.
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