Seeing a car you used to own
Discussion
My Cavalier Turbo when I owned it, considered to be one of the best out there.
And seen years later, totally rotten and fit for scrap when spotted in a factory yard in Cardiff.
Abandoned there by the person who begged me to sell it to him when he saw it featured in Total Vauxhall magazine
And seen years later, totally rotten and fit for scrap when spotted in a factory yard in Cardiff.
Abandoned there by the person who begged me to sell it to him when he saw it featured in Total Vauxhall magazine
I saw an E30 BMW my dad owned new in 1985, about 15 yrs later and 200 miles away. Parked on side street in W Kensington that I cycled down on my way to work. Looking about as tired as you'd expect for its age back then.
Must have been visiting rather than resident as I never saw it there again.
Must have been visiting rather than resident as I never saw it there again.
My old Corsa B that I sold in 2004 is still pounding round grass track events after being stripped and caged by the person I sold it to. Haven't seen it myself but have seen photos of it over the years.
Found my old Nova once, well the front half of it in a field anyway. Cut roughly at the top of the windscreen and by the door pillar. It was a rare colour, a very light metallic green, so had a hunch it might be my old one. It still had its VIN plate so dug out an old photo of it that had a picture of the VIN in it and it matched. Disappeared when the field it was in had new houses built on it.
Saw my old Fiesta driving around 6 months after selling it, had lost it's alloys for 14" steelies, picked up a few dents in the rear and had cheapie wheel trims on 3 of the wheels hanging on for grim death. Was being driven by a young girl so presumably bought as a first/learner car.
Saw it again 2 years later parked up in the local Sainsbury's car park, tucked away at the back with only 1 wheel trim now and a few more scrapes. It sat there for a few weeks but I presumed the girl now worked there and that was 'her' spot as it seemed to be the same cars around it. Out of curiosity I did an MOT check and found it hadn't been taxed or MOT'd for over a year! Then saw it going past me on a low loader heading towards the local docks, guessing the metal recyclers with a Police Aware sticker on it so must have been reported abandoned. Not that bothered about all of that though as it's the only car I've had for more than a year and been glad to see the back of! A sort of fitting end for a car that gave me nothing but trouble in the 7 years I owned it from new. Traded it in for my current car the day it was paid for, it's replacement has been faultless in 13 years bar a dead alternator 2 years ago.
Found my old Nova once, well the front half of it in a field anyway. Cut roughly at the top of the windscreen and by the door pillar. It was a rare colour, a very light metallic green, so had a hunch it might be my old one. It still had its VIN plate so dug out an old photo of it that had a picture of the VIN in it and it matched. Disappeared when the field it was in had new houses built on it.
Saw my old Fiesta driving around 6 months after selling it, had lost it's alloys for 14" steelies, picked up a few dents in the rear and had cheapie wheel trims on 3 of the wheels hanging on for grim death. Was being driven by a young girl so presumably bought as a first/learner car.
Saw it again 2 years later parked up in the local Sainsbury's car park, tucked away at the back with only 1 wheel trim now and a few more scrapes. It sat there for a few weeks but I presumed the girl now worked there and that was 'her' spot as it seemed to be the same cars around it. Out of curiosity I did an MOT check and found it hadn't been taxed or MOT'd for over a year! Then saw it going past me on a low loader heading towards the local docks, guessing the metal recyclers with a Police Aware sticker on it so must have been reported abandoned. Not that bothered about all of that though as it's the only car I've had for more than a year and been glad to see the back of! A sort of fitting end for a car that gave me nothing but trouble in the 7 years I owned it from new. Traded it in for my current car the day it was paid for, it's replacement has been faultless in 13 years bar a dead alternator 2 years ago.
I bought a normally aspirated GTA new in 1989.
G400XBX. A terrific car - when it worked.
After months of problems and a new engine, Renault bought the car back for what I paid for it.
That was it or so I thought. Then years later the car popped up directly in front of me in a queue to get into a PH Sunday Service.
I could not be more excited. I approached the owner and offered to buy the car there and then. Even though it was in a pretty rough state.
He declined my offer, only to contact me a year later with a view to sell. But, by then the moment had passed and sanity had returned.
Sold my Hyundai coupe s3 Fv56zvw, which I bought in Lincoln and sold to a dealership down near Oxford.
Imagine my surprise when I saw it driving past me on the A610 near the Ikea in Nottingham, my parents live near the Ikea and I was visiting for the day about 5 years after I sold it.
Imagine my surprise when I saw it driving past me on the A610 near the Ikea in Nottingham, my parents live near the Ikea and I was visiting for the day about 5 years after I sold it.
My Corrado was written off after being hit by a drunk driver one friday night outside our house in Dorking. It was quite memorable as my wife and I were watching the late Comic Relief programme after the news - always with the better sketches 
18 months later we moved to Sunningdale and I spotted the car, obviously back on the road as it was parked up. A bit of observation following that first spot showed it was being driven by one of the staff at Pizza Express on the A30. I wanted to ask him if he knew the history as I still had the service book.
It looked cosmetically fine, but as with all these things I wondered about the shell as it was that damage the had written it off. Being hit on the rear off-side corner by a van that didn't brake at all had pushed the corner so far in the roof was buckled. It doesn't look much in the photo, but the car had been hit so hard it had pushed it into two others, my wife's and my neighbour's.
H393CNH - where are you now.....?
18 months later we moved to Sunningdale and I spotted the car, obviously back on the road as it was parked up. A bit of observation following that first spot showed it was being driven by one of the staff at Pizza Express on the A30. I wanted to ask him if he knew the history as I still had the service book.
It looked cosmetically fine, but as with all these things I wondered about the shell as it was that damage the had written it off. Being hit on the rear off-side corner by a van that didn't brake at all had pushed the corner so far in the roof was buckled. It doesn't look much in the photo, but the car had been hit so hard it had pushed it into two others, my wife's and my neighbour's.
H393CNH - where are you now.....?
Not technically my car.
Was mid-France last September with a friend of mine, driving towards Switzerland.
Spotted a Mercedes CLC in the distance and began telling my friend how my mum used to own one, what we found annoying and how they seemed to be good value for money for what they were.
As we got closer I was able to begin making out the registration plate - to my amazement, it was my mums old car that I had sold around 8 years previous, the chap driving was not the one I sold the car to, so I presume it had been sold on again.
As we passed I shouted something out the window to the effect of "my mum used to own your car" - I don't think the poor chap heard me and probably thought he was about to get car jacked bless him.
Its strange seeing an old car locally, but was surprised to see it mid-France.
Was mid-France last September with a friend of mine, driving towards Switzerland.
Spotted a Mercedes CLC in the distance and began telling my friend how my mum used to own one, what we found annoying and how they seemed to be good value for money for what they were.
As we got closer I was able to begin making out the registration plate - to my amazement, it was my mums old car that I had sold around 8 years previous, the chap driving was not the one I sold the car to, so I presume it had been sold on again.
As we passed I shouted something out the window to the effect of "my mum used to own your car" - I don't think the poor chap heard me and probably thought he was about to get car jacked bless him.
Its strange seeing an old car locally, but was surprised to see it mid-France.
I've often thought of parking a car or bike next to a previous owner's residence and watching their reaction - especially if you've owned it a few years! But people move so it would be unlikely to be worth it. That's if you'd consider it "worth it" at all even if you knew they'd see it!
I had a 2 litre Capri Lazer (get me!!) that I sold to a friend in the mid noughties. He had it for a few years then sold it on around 2010 having done quite a nice restoration to it
Imagine my surprise earlier this year when I opened a copy of Practical Classics magazine to see a small feature on the car. The only difference is that the grill & light surrounds, which had been coloured coded grey, were now black.
Imagine my surprise earlier this year when I opened a copy of Practical Classics magazine to see a small feature on the car. The only difference is that the grill & light surrounds, which had been coloured coded grey, were now black.
My daughter was in a big queue on the M4 coming back from Bristol the other week, and the "one lady owner" who'd previously had her car was a passenger in an adjacent car, and called out to her. They weren't anywhere near where she'd lived so a real coincidence.
(Personally I'd have gone on to ask about the mysterious lack of service history under her ownership !)
(Personally I'd have gone on to ask about the mysterious lack of service history under her ownership !)
Not seen in the flesh, but I was watching a video on YouTube of some cars at a track day (Dunsfold, I think), and thought I recognised one of the cars' number plate.
Checked my HPI report, and lo and behold, it was the original owner of my car doing multiple launches (badly) in what was now my car.
The gearbox had been rebuilt once before, and I just forked out over 10k on it recently to be rebuilt again!
Checked my HPI report, and lo and behold, it was the original owner of my car doing multiple launches (badly) in what was now my car.
The gearbox had been rebuilt once before, and I just forked out over 10k on it recently to be rebuilt again!
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