thebaron
Europe
Over the river, heading out of town
Posts: 1,645
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Feb 13, 2017 10:25:09 GMT
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I don't come from a car family.
My Dad always tells me the story about coming back from the Merchant Navy (in 1966 at 19) with enough cash saved to buy an E-Type.
He didn't pull the trigger on that, used most of the cash to buy cattle and bought a Prefect instead. I think that was the defining decision.
For years (maybe 15) there was a green beetle shell parked in the bushes behind one of the sheds. It was my Dad's car but my uncle who had come back from Boston to be my Dad's best man crashed it whilst intoxicated the night before the wedding.
My parents had to borrow another uncle's car to go on honeymoon.
The following are all the cars he has had in my 35 years existence.
Fiat 128 4 door in baby blue - Sold to a neighbour and eventually disappeared Ford Escort MK4 2 door estate. White - This was written off when my mum was ploughed into at a T-junction by a Cressida. Renault 18 TL - Navy - Traded in. Ford Sierra 1.8 GL Ghia - This was an 86 which he bought in 91. This car was what we had when I really started to get into cars at 9/10. - Traded in. Ford Sierra 1.8TD - a 91 bought in 96/97 I guess. I learned how to drive in this car (along with another 2.3 D Sapp I bought for 50 quid and rallied around the fields). This had a starting issue eventually after retired from daily service and it was scrapped. Still irks me as it was when I was in college so maybe 20/21 years old and I should have know better. Diesel shells are the strong ones and bar the engine the car was in great nick.
They were the cars of my formative years.
Since then he has had a MK1 Focus 1.6 Ghia Saloon that ended up over here with me and then was disposed of (I left it in a Multi-story car park for over 1 year before I needed it to disappear). A MK3 Mondeo 1.8 which was very nice but he kept getting speeding tickets in. This is still used locally as a mini cab. Now he's in a MK2 Focus 1.4 saloon which is the worst car I think he's ever owned. Hopefully he's about to change this though.
He follows a fairly defined pattern. Buy at 5 years old, sell at 10 and repeat.
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Last Edit: Feb 13, 2017 10:31:44 GMT by thebaron
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Feb 13, 2017 10:50:15 GMT
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I remember all of my dads sadly lol.
All bought brand new:
1983 Fiesta 1.1 in grey 1986 mk4 escort 3dr 1.3 popular plus in red 1992 Kia pride 5dr 1.3lx in red, kept that until 2006 (which is when I broke the diff lol)
Then in 2006 he changed to his 1st 2nd hand car, a 2002 fiesta ghia 1.4 5dr in oap metallic burgundy.
Sold that last year when he decided to give up driving. No wonder he didn't enjoy driving really.
Before I was born, I think there was a 1.3 Cortina 2dr in metallic brown, a 1.6 Cortina & another mk1 Fiesta 1.1 but in terracotta. My dad is 70 and I had more cars in 1 year than he had over 50 years of driving lol.
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My mum: 2x Fiat 126's (kermit green runner & a blue spares car) When she moved to Oz: Mini clubman, Oz spec so 1.0 in white 1978(ish) Mazda 626 in gold, first manual car I drove (I was 12 lol), really want to buy myself one but no chance of finding one. Moved back to UK: 1988 (ish) Mini 1.0 it was red, think it was a studio Brand new 1998 Toyota Starlet 1.3 Solida 3dr in mettalic blue, loved that car - I put about half of the millage on it when I was learning/first passed my test. Mum liked racing boy racers off the lights in it. Brand new 2001 Micra 1.0 3dr in silver, didnt love that as much but I did put 18k on it in 12 months lol. Mum always said it was too slow. Brand new 2014 Suzuki Alto, white.
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Step Dad: In Oz: 1989(ish) Mazda 626 Coupe 2.2 Turbo, silver, had 4ws and very little traction don't know what wage but it was about 1995/6 ish Hyundai Sonata V6 Auto, burgundy Austin A30 in white that he restored Moved to uk: 1989 Mazda 626 saloon, light metallic blue think it was a 1.8i LX 1992 Mazda 626 hatch 2.0 GLX, really liked that car, we went out to buy a washing mashine but Mazda dealer was across the road Brand new 1998 Volvo S40 T, really like that car as well, I don't think my mum spoke to him for a couple of days as we went out and bought it without mentioning it. Brand new 2001 IS200 SE Sport Auto in BRG metallic, really liked that car as well. I had it for a couple of weeks when I was 18, I was "supposed" to just bring it back from Heathrow to Manchester as I only had 3rd party only cover, but I was 18 & had the keys to a brand new Lexus. I upset a mates g/f in that when I gave them a lift to Manchester airport at 3am.
He had another 60 or so car's & loads of bikes with lots of interesting stories of him being stupid but I cant remember some most of the car's & he isnt around to ask any more.
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Last Edit: Feb 14, 2017 14:29:04 GMT by joem83
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miaspa
Part of things
Posts: 829
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Feb 13, 2017 11:17:33 GMT
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How much detail do you want?
I came home from hospital in a 100e YSC287 bought for £5 painted red and sold on for £25.
Replaced by an Austin Cambridge bought for £25 and sold a few years later for £25. PGV14. 70's fuel crisis enforced sale,
My Dad then bought his most expensive car to date NVL760E £75 for a 3 door Vauxhall Viva. Scrapped when he emigrated to Canada. His first car he had out there was a Camaro Z28, supposedly now in Holland.
We then move on to my stepfathers cars, he used to have company cars so I can remember 3 hillman/Talbot Avenger estates. The last being bright Orange KEV146V. At that time he had a 1976 XJ6 (KAG884N)which even at five years old was rusting away. Was replaced by a 1977 VW Beetle 1303s in metallic green the reg number eludes me.
The company cars then went to Astra diesel estates, (diesels were used as some employees were rumoured to syphon petrol to run big engines jags) the Beetle was sold on and replaced by a dog of a Porsche 911 he still owns.
Lean times then meant we had a Mk2 escort van. As my stepdad went self employed, but this soon changed and a succession of Volvo 240 wagons, Saab 900 turbo's appeared . Which brings me up to my first car a 1978 Fiat 126 bought for £120 in the early ninetys.
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Last Edit: Feb 13, 2017 11:23:33 GMT by miaspa
Found my flashing Pao again.
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Feb 13, 2017 12:20:46 GMT
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My mum had the same navy blue volvo 740 estate for most of my childhood. My dad however had a good job and had a variety of high-end motors which probably inspired my car interest (not that I can now afford the kind of cars he had, but oh well!). Here's my Dad's list: I was brought home in an alfa of some description Then various high end merc company cars Range Rover Brand new red XJS convertible in '89 (beautiful, I loved it, but had a leaky roof from the factory...) Range Rover swapped for gold Rolls Royce Silver Spirit (which was rubbish, broke down constantly) Then the Rolls was swapped for a black BMW 750IL as the '89/'90 recession bit and they were going cheap. From then on it was BMWs all the way... XJS swapped for a red 840CI Then various BMWs, a 740i then a 5 series, now runs an ageing 530d which I think will be his last car.
I guess it was the XJS and the 750IL that stick in my memory the most. the 750 had just about every option ticked, electric seats front and rear etc. The rumour was it used to belong to some BMW director, but no idea if that was true.
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If at first you don't succeed........ ....Don't try skydiving!
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Feb 13, 2017 13:24:09 GMT
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I remember quite a few as a kid:
Earliest one I remember is my mum's mk1 escort that caught fire outside the house. After that she had a beige mk4 Cortina which I loved (but she hated, and I remember it always being a problem to start). After that she got a dolomite 1850 which she had for years.
My dad always used to turn up in different things when he'd take me out for the day - Austin 1300, Capri, Volvo 240, Daimler version XJ6,Datsun Sunny,Volvo 340,Morris Minor, various Land Rovers and Range Rovers
Mates dad has some cool cars: Talbot Sunbeam, Opel Manta B, Mk2 Escort Mexico (still has), Mk2 Golf...then he bought a Vauxhall Frontera which he made me take my shoes off in cause they were muddy and it all went downhill!
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steveg
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,563
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Feb 13, 2017 14:17:06 GMT
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One of my first memories to do with cars was going out to the garage to say goodnight to my Dad who was working on a 105E at the time. We had a lot of Fords. Apart from the Anglia we had a 2 door Corsair, a Classic and an Anglia van. Others came and went. Dad bought a new Bedford CF van and there was always a Classic being broken for spares. I think when he fitted the Corsair engine into the Classic was what started me on the modding trail. It was only the 1500 GT engine but he probably left the standard axle on it so it went quite well. He bought a Mini van at one point and was going to build a Scamp but lack of money put a stop to that. We had most of the cars until the early 80's. Dad got a job and got a car to use a nice blue MK3 Cortina Estate and Mum got a Fiesta Mk1 which is what I ended up learning to drive in. Dad then got a new Marina estate (through work) and then a Mk2 Transit.
Funnily enough the Cortina we had wouldn't start very well when it was cold. Most mornings started with giving it a push to the top of the slope near our house !
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Feb 13, 2017 14:49:28 GMT
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Dad's first car was a Herald and he had a Vitesse when he met my Mum.
When I was on the way (I arrived June '78) he decided he wanted a car that had mounting points for rear belts which I can tell from speaking to anyone of around my age meant he was rather ahead of his time! For instance, my wife has memories of standing up between the two front seats talking to her grandparents as they drove. The mind boggles!
So, Dad's choice was apparently down to just 2 cars - a Beetle or a SAAB 96. He ended up with the latter. I remember it was white but he'd covered up various rust spots all over it with grey primer!
My brother arrived in '82 and Dad got a SAAB 99 EMS for the extra space. That also had issues with rust - you could see down into the doors! - and, when the injection system went, it got sold off to a chap who wanted to reshell his 99 Turbo.
I remember a 900i 16v 3dr (Dad doesn't agree with back doors as it weakens the structure apparently!) was on the cards but, in the end, a Nova SR was bought instead as it was much more economical. Disappointingly, he did test-drive a Nova Sport but, as the aim was better fuel economy, he went for a bog-stock SR instead. B535 LAB iirc. Oddly the 99 was LAB 535T I think.
That led to him getting into Vauxhall's Choices 1,2,3 scheme. Mum's beige Nova 1.0 got replaced by a brand new Mark 3 Astra estate in '93 and he followed suit a year later with a Corsa 1.4 SRI in Caribic Blue. Never one for the ultimate hot model my Dad, always the next step down!
I've been an adult for all the cars he's had after that. The Corsa got replaced by a Polo 1.6 GL (still 3 door and on steels for the ultimate sleeper look!) then there was a Fiesta 1.4 Zetec that I got to drive occasionally - there was free insurance for anyone over 21. Dad wasn't best pleased when Mum pointed out that his car-obsessed, boy-racer son was 21 so he should be named too! :-p
Then came the BINIs. A silver One on steels/wheeltrims was replaced after just 2 years by a poverty-spec silver Cooper. He's had his second Cooper now since late '07 and, as he decided it was likely to be his last car purchase, he ordered it in the full-deal red with white roof, wheels and bonnet stripes. Still no aircon though, natch!
Mum didn't pass her test until 1985 when we moved to a village and she had to pass or she'd never manage to get to work! She had a V-reg Fiesta 950 in a flat dark green. She's only 4'10 so she had to stick a big foam offcut behind her to reach the controls! Then she got a B-reg Nova 1.2 Swing at the same time as my Dad got his B-reg SR. Alas, that got taken out by an MR2 she inadvertently pulled out in front of as she was crossing a NSL country road. I had to climb into our house through an open window after school as Dad was supposed to be in so I hadn't taken my keys. He'd had to dash to the local hospital! The B-reg beige 1.0 it got replaced with was a piece of curse word. Bought I think in a panic to get her back on the road. I learnt to drive in the the Mk3 Astra estate she replaced it with. It was the 82ps 1.4 so it was quite the flyer for a 17yo! As I was at Uni I continued as named driver on her cars, even running in the P-reg Corsa Premier she got as she was a teacher on school holidays so had no need for it.
Great days!
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@pistonbroker on Twitter
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Feb 13, 2017 15:00:36 GMT
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My dad had this too Remember the day he bought it, and the countless hours in the garage polishing it. And having my head buried in the back seat when he booted it. Picked me up from school in it once and I was king for a few days. Was left to me and my brother when he passed but being 12 and 9 respectively a decade sat in a garage wasn't going to do it any good so it was sold to a very nice chap, he came up in it last year, 13 years after he bought it off us so we could see it again. Wouldn't let me have a go though
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Wilk
Part of things
Posts: 528
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Feb 13, 2017 15:29:28 GMT
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I remember all of them sadly lol. All bought brand new: 1983 Fiesta 1.1 in grey 1986 mk4 escort 3dr 1.3 popular plus in red 1992 Kia pride 5dr 1.3lx in red, . No wonder he didn't enjoy driving really. That made me LOL
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If it can be fixed with a hammer, then it must be an electrical fault
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Feb 13, 2017 16:02:09 GMT
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My folks had various cars.. fiat strada (some drunk wife crashed into it) Vauxhall Vivian an original one.... Mk2 Cavalier commander 4 Dr.. grey.... was awesome..
He never had a Carlton but I so wanted him to....or a senator.... 3.0 24v back then was really something......
My mum had a wicked escorts mk4 1.6 cvh.. total sleeper of a car boaring g blue surprised a fair few young folks in fiesta on the local cruise haunts......
My day the introduction of the xr2 injection was all new fangled technology....
Pretty boaring really...nothing super quick....
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What,where, why.... It ain't broken... hold on....
now broken so rip it appart and fix it...
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,513
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Feb 13, 2017 16:39:19 GMT
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Always a pleasure to remember my dad and his tuned SD1 Vitesse, which was a pretty cool family car as far as a teenage me was concerned.
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Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable.
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Feb 13, 2017 16:52:04 GMT
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I can remember quite a few, My dad changed cars a lot,he had a 'mate in the trade' and all that.he used to tell my mum they all cost £99 !
My favorite was the mk4 zodiac, dark green rumbling great beast, with a bonnet the size of the Ark Royal. He had a mk3 zephyr afterwards but i wasn't so keen as it was pale grey and looked like a car shaped cloud of fog. some others i remember were a simca , possibly a rallye as it had a boot stripe, an A30/35 4 door , hillman minx, an ex police chiefs black wolseley farina, complete with light up grille badge, picnic tables and holes where the radio and bells had been, a singer vogue and i know he had an imp,and an anglia van but only because i have pictures of him and them. i actually drove the wolseley aged 8 ! His last car was a dark grey rover p6 2200 which i had the pleasure of driving as well (aged 14!)
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Feb 13, 2017 16:53:32 GMT
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(Dad doesn't agree with back doors as it weakens the structure apparently!) Odd that, We have a family friend who's a copper and he'll never own a three door as he's seen what happens when you can't get to the rear passengers quickly enough in an accident.
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Feb 13, 2017 18:36:04 GMT
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My mum had a Dolomite Sprint while I was kid at school, My dad went through Range Rovers like he did socks! From V8's to standard diesels, even one with a truck engine fitted-that was ace! 405 Mi16 they bought brand new on an F reg-my mum went ballistic when dad came home with that one as he hadn't told her.. Mk2 Escort estate 405 Sri More Range Rovers Land Rover 90's (5/6 of that I can remember) 305 diesel estate, that became my big bro's first car Mazda 323 turbo 4x4 (still in the shed back home) Bedford CF van, rotten to the core & passenger seat that fell over backwards if you leant on it-hilarious as a kid-those were the days!
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Feb 13, 2017 18:42:36 GMT
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Hi George here son of Mercdan ,I'm 13 and growing up now ! Here's cars I've grown up with so far Dad brought me home from hospital when I was born in mk2 escort giha I don't remember that one Capri laser Capri 3.0s Scimitar Mk2 cortina Mk3 cortina Mk5 cortina Mk2 Granada Jag xj8 Mgf Carpri 2.0 s Merceds e class and c class He's had all these since I was about 5 George
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Last Edit: Feb 13, 2017 18:44:46 GMT by Mercdan68
Fraud owners club member 1999 Jaguar s type 1993 ford escort
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shin2chin
Part of things
Making curse word cars slightly better
Posts: 820
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Feb 13, 2017 21:22:27 GMT
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Plenty of old photos of me from about 5 onwards in my little overalls helping my grandad with his cars.
He was a lorry driver for Jaguar but was was a dab hand with the spanners. Clutch changes, cam belts, head gaskets on the drive. The neighbors used to bring him stuff to fix too.
All his cars were a maximum of £100 out of the Coventry Evening Telegraph classifieds. A few I can remember are a yellow mk3 Cortina with Brown vinyl interior that got hit on a t junction by a vicar, green Wolseley 1800 with grey leather bench seat and 8 track and Grey Renault 21 with grey velour seats that the clutch cable kept snapping on for some reason. He also had a light blue Skoda estelle that kept overheating on the way home from Blackpool.
My mums partner was also handy with cars and taught me a lot. He had a gold Manta with a carphone which I thought was the nuts. He then had a Bmw e28 535 in gold with champagne interior, an early white Range rover vogue,a racing green 1800 capri and a red oxide Clubman estate, the last two being £50 a piece out of the paper. I'll have to try and find some photos.
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Last Edit: Feb 14, 2017 6:08:17 GMT by shin2chin
1977 PORSCHE 2.0na 924 1974 VW Beetle 1600
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vader
Part of things
Posts: 425
Club RR Member Number: 93
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Feb 13, 2017 22:22:52 GMT
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Earliest car I remember my Dad having was a MK3 cortina 1.6 auto, red with beige interior. His mate had a GXL in green, with a glass skull as a gear knob!
This was the mid to late 70s. I'm getting old.
Then a yellow Vauxhall Ventura 3.3 auto.
Bedford CF camper was in there somewhere too.
My Dad cleared off when I was 10 or 11 so I remember my brothers cars. Ford Anglias, MK2 Triumph, MK2 cortina GT, MK1 Capri with a V4 engine, Hillman Hunters, a Moskovich.
I do remember my Dad having a nice Datsun 180B in white, don't remember it year though. We had some great cars now looking back.
My Mum had a MK1 Mexico!!
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Triumph Stag Ducati Supersport Shanks’s Pony
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Wilk
Part of things
Posts: 528
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Feb 13, 2017 23:38:34 GMT
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Renault 21 with grey velour seats that the clutch cable kept snapping on for some reason. Renault later fitted a modified clutch pedal to cure this ... it was a recalled fault. The also did it for the 5 GT turbo. I had mine done at the main dealers in 1991
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If it can be fixed with a hammer, then it must be an electrical fault
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shin2chin
Part of things
Making curse word cars slightly better
Posts: 820
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Renault 21 with grey velour seats that the clutch cable kept snapping on for some reason. Renault later fitted a modified clutch pedal to cure this ... it was a recalled fault. The also did it for the 5 GT turbo. I had mine done at the main dealers in 1991 Really? If only he knew! He did buy it off someones drive for about £25 though!
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1977 PORSCHE 2.0na 924 1974 VW Beetle 1600
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My Dad was a Vauxhall man, so I grew up with Viva's to start with. A ha, followed by a hb & then 3 hc estates in a row, all brand new. After that, as he was climbing the management ladder, we had a Victor 2300 estate in metallic blue (CNU 713L) then another in burgundy,(CXE 755N) followed by another in burgundy (SVS 703R) but auto saloon. By the time it came to swap the Royale was out & he was not a fan, so switched to an SD1 Rover. Then came the first company car another SD but the V8 vaden plas. By this time I had past my test, I remember driving it & thinking how awesome it was, as you would at 17. My Mum also had the usual half rotten mini with glass fibre front, when they could afford a second car, followed by Datsun Cherry, mk2 Escort & then a brand new mk1 Fiesta Finesse. I ended up having her Escort as my first car, I found a pic with all 3 on at once remarkably What the hell were they thinking, 2 beige cars at once You can just see the backend of the Fiesta in the garage. My Mum still lives there, Dad long gone though, bless him
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