tomglt
Part of things
Posts: 137
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Dec 16, 2017 21:15:01 GMT
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Great Thread really takes me back to some of the cars my parents owned, they owned some really quite embarrassingly bad cars back in the day which now I look back on and think are quite cool, one of which a Volvo 240 which I have bought myself. The first I remember was a brown Vauxhall Chevette which myself and my two brothers referred to as the "poo car" for obvious reasons, it looked just like this. Next on the list was my favorite car we ever had, the Volvo 240 Estate in Pale Blue, with the flip up vinyl seat in which I proceeded to bite when I wasn't seat belted in properly (not sure why), It had the darker blue velour interior it did our family of 6 very well, including trips to france and my sister wetting herself in it plenty of times (this happened very often) If I remember correctly the Reg was B20CAR which my parents realized was worth some money so they sold the plate and returned it to a normal b reg plate The rear seats were rear facing so alot of fun was had making hand gestures at motorists following and also pushing/picking the rust out of the tailgate (common issue on these I think) Dad still goes on today about how much fuel it used to use and how solid it felt to drive, it looked like this, I think it was a 2.3 GL (ooo luxury) Then the Volvo was traded in for the 1st and last New car they ever bought, a Daihatsu Hijet, this car had the aerodynamics of the lunch box and none of us wanted to be seen dead in the thing, it went back to the dealership every month or so with faults and blew its head gasket about 3 times, everytime we got a courtesy car of some sort, cuore, fourtrak, chrysler neon, diesel hijet van, it wasnt very well built and had the pioneer tape deck stolen out of it in which i found dads dire straits tape on the pavement out of it on the walk to school that morning lol. My sister and brothers all threw up at least once in the thing and my sister again wee`d on pretty much every seat in the back of it (it was rank) my friends dog also died on the back seats in a bloody mess (the local car wash/valeting company who dealt with it must still be having nightmares from this) It looked something like this and we were laughed at/ pointed at throughout ownership. My nan then gave up driving in which we then found out she had stored her car that was driven once of twice year in the garage, it was then offered to us as a 2nd car, It was a 1.1 Rover Metro Rio in Raspberry Red (Pink) it had done just 21,000 miles in about 15 years so was pretty much like new, although it took about a year of driving for the rear arches to start crumbling and swell up, it also got crashed into with just one door damaged so dad bought it back from the insurance company and replaced the door with a white one then attempted to spray it with whatever aerosol cans he had in the garage so ended looking like a rusty patchy door. It looked something like this, Dad loved taking it to wet car parks and doing 1st gear wheel spins to show off to me or try to bond with me I'm not sure which. The final embarrassing car we owned was a Fiat Mulitpla, yes the 1st generation and the most ugly, we had one as a hire car on holiday in spain, mum and dad fell in love with it so we bought one back in the uk, it was dark green with the dark blue interior, 1.6 petrol elx so had a fairly decent spec, surprisingly it never went wrong and served us very well, it was just very wide and ugly. It split us all up nicely as a family because it had 3 seats in the front and 3 in back which meant arguments didnt happen so regularly. When they look back it now they do still wonder how they were so lucky with the fact it never broke down or had any electrical fiat fires. Dad used to think it was genuinely quick and kept doing 0-60 mph runs on our local b road straight when he was taking me places in it. It looked something like this. Sorry but I am only a 90s kid so alot of the stuff is fairly modern but I think it is ugly enough to warrant a post. My parents car choices were pretty normal after this little lot. Thanks for the thread it was nice to think back to the good/strange days of my childhood.
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Last Edit: Dec 16, 2017 21:55:40 GMT by tomglt
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Dec 17, 2017 11:42:11 GMT
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My Dad didn't have many cars when I was young; he did however have a 1969 Escort 1300 GT (with ZF box) similar to the one below: My Uncle then left his ex-Post-Office Telephones Morris Minor van with us to use, like the one shown, but much worse. This really was a heap. It was extremely rusty and probably a bit dangerous. We called it "The Mustard Banger". Dad once was stopped by a Policeman who said "Is this your car sir?" He responded "Thankfully, no". And finally in the early 80s dad picked up a Saab 96 Sport similar to the one below. It was battleship grey but an amazing thing, and sounded weird to a 9 year old. 2-stroke, 3 cylinders, and 3 carburettors. It also had the column change, freewheel system and a flat floor inside. Dad named it "Prune" because of its odd shape. Some a-hole kept on vandalising it by slashing the tyres and shoving potatoes up the exhaust. One of our neighbours chased him down the road and scared the proverbial out of him - he never came back. Dad eventually sold it to a guy who had another 2-stroke 96 in grey so I am guessing he was either a collector or wanted to make a good one out of the 2. Scary to think how expensive they are now. I don't know the numberplates of any of these vehicles (my Dad may have photos but I don't know where) so I don't know if they're on the road anymore.
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brachunky
Scotland
Posts: 1,323
Club RR Member Number: 72
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Dec 17, 2017 13:04:18 GMT
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Thread title changed as suggested by elwoody ! Seems not everyone has had nightmares about their parents cars
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Last Edit: Dec 17, 2017 13:05:55 GMT by brachunky
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Dec 17, 2017 19:36:41 GMT
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good re-title , this is a cracker. i'm sure we all have a few howlers in the family history as well as plenty we would love to own ourselves today!
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'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating '80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip '97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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Dec 17, 2017 20:20:41 GMT
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This was the favourite of my mum and dad's cars, he had a 3 door Cosworth as a weekend car at the same time but this was more fun, changing the engine from a 1.6 to 2.0 with a 5 speed, the random drives with no rear seat belts with a Chris Rea or ZZ Top casette on, was sold in 2002 as he fell ill, then disappeared then popped up on eBay, with half a fibreglass Cosworth riveted to it in a million colours, was properly upsetting to be fair. I will have one the same one day. Mum had one the same but hers was standard and boring
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Last Edit: Dec 17, 2017 20:21:22 GMT by astranaut
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Dec 17, 2017 20:42:30 GMT
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You never saw many two doors around, from my recollection
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Dec 17, 2017 21:52:35 GMT
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Earliest I remember was a Plymouth Voyager My mom had a Plymouth Trailduster and Dad had a St. Regis at the same time They had bunches of full size dodge vans (still have one today), then my dad discovered the turbo dodges and had Shelby Omni GLH/GLHs and turbo lancers and Lebanon’s. Then he started buying police auction Dodge Diplomats and Gran Fury’s I’ve got to say I was raised as a Dodge /Chryco guy and I still am.
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Going back a long time, I sort of remember a 105e. Before I was born he had an A40 Devon and a mk1 Consul. There were a couple of FWD Triumph 1300s, an Amazon, Morris Traveller, Dolomite, a couple of Hunters. All standard 70s fayre before classic cars were a thing and mostly very cheap. Later he had a mk2 Civic (first car I drove after passing my test), an Orion that I bought from him and wrote off and nearly wrote myself off too, and a Corolla Exec auto which was lovely that he traded in on an Corsa auto when my mum took over driving duties.
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Jaguar S-Type 3.0 SE
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Dec 18, 2017 10:54:46 GMT
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So we’ve all come to a conclusion All the ugly parents cars from back in the day Are now very much desirable?? A big yes from me, wind up windows vinyl seats Lurid colours ....I’ll be the first in the queue when the time machine is invented It does seem that way but I bet if we owned many of them again, one would realize that they were indeed rubbish most of the time That is unfortunately my experience. Dad bought a 1966 Cortina 2 door sedan in the very early 70's. I always thought that it was the best looking car ever. I bought one in 2010. I had it for 10 months and sold it. I did not like it. It was slow and boring to drive. We bought a new 528i at the same time I bought the Cortina. I thought the BMW was/is much more fun to drive. Now almost 8 years later I still love to take the BMW for a spin... But, one day I will own a fast baby blue car. Just like my dad's 1974 Escort station wagon....
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Dec 18, 2017 11:25:23 GMT
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Another memory. It was 1987, when my Dad finally listened & told me he was trading in his Metro 1.3GL with our local 2nd hand car dealer. He wouldn't tell me what it was but said I would love it... I kinda did, but when I found out it was 1.3 Crossflow powered (Which at the time, I didn't know any were ever made but they were) A bright yellow (Same as picture) 1.3 Mk3 Capri. He put one of those chrome pankake air filters on it and a set of staggered polished slot mags. It looked & sounded awesome with induction roar to match any pair of 40's. It was just slow!
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96 E320 W210 Wafter - on 18" split Mono's - Sold :-( 10 Kia Ceed Sportwagon - Our new daily 03 Import Forester STi - Sold 98 W140 CL500 AMG - Brutal weekend bruiser! Sold :-( 99 E240 S210 Barge - Now sold 02 Accord 2.0SE - wife's old daily - gone in PX 88 P100 2.9efi Custom - Sold
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luckyseven
Posted a lot
Owning sneering dismissive pedantry since 1970
Posts: 3,839
Club RR Member Number: 45
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Dec 18, 2017 11:42:33 GMT
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My mum (and sister, bit young mind) with our Beetle circa late sixties sometime, probably in Swindon. Grim. That's the middle of three Beetles we had, named Susie Q. We had them not cos they were cool or anything, but because my old man was tight and they were the cheapest cars you could get looking atcha by Nick Liassides, on Flickr The third of three, an orange 1300 mysteriously named Herbie (I can only apologise) but at least he didn't have elephant's feet. He met a horrible end when my brother crashed into a tree, but the funny bit was at least he had a perfect imprint of the Wolfsburg crest embedded into his sternum via the medium of bruise where the steering wheel centre-punched him NPB452M tcd by Nick Liassides, on Flickr After my mum finally kicked the old man out, he went on to a succession of awful Fiats some of which he'd salve his conscience by passing on to us kids when he wanted to "upgrade" them... might have been some elaborate means of revenge in his mind for all I know. My sister and I shared a harlequined 127 for a while that wasn't improved by spraycan murals of magic mushroom band album covers and Ozric Tentacles designs, but at least it hid some of the rust. My brother inherited the "pick" of the bunch, a 127 Sport which had an air rotting leaf scoop on the bonnet and five very real and functioning gears. Here it is on his wedding to his long-suffering first wife, lol. We made a late-night raid on the hospital stores with a nurse friend to pinch the bedpans it was decorated with Fiat bedpans by Nick Liassides, on Flickr My mum went on to a MkI Golf (obviously like the Beetles, some decades before they were cool...although personally I'm still not convinced that they are) which my sister and I also inherited. I don't have any pictures of it digitised but was more kurust black than it was VW blue and was without doubt the most unreliable car I've ever owned bar none
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Last Edit: Dec 18, 2017 11:43:50 GMT by luckyseven
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Dec 18, 2017 14:51:42 GMT
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My parents have never owned any 'rubbish' cars. In fact, I'd gladly take on an example of any of them now and most of the older ones on the list are somewhat venerated on this forum!
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Dec 18, 2017 16:32:05 GMT
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The best car my Old man had was a 1968 Ford Corsair 2000. He wanted a 2000e but Ford wouldn't sell him one without a vinyl roof (he hated vinyl roofs). He bought a dark blue 2000 V4 Deluxe and was £500 under budget so he gave his final year apprentices the £500 to play with it, with aid from his Ford parts dept. It got Pirelli Cinturatos on Lotus rims, lowered, God knows what they did to the engine as it turned in sub 9 second 0-60. I was 11 and I loved that car, once he let me lap an old airfield in it, the first time I drove over 100mph. I'd give my next door neighbours left testicle to have that car now.
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74 Mk1 Escort 1360, 1971 Vauxhall Victor SL2000 Estate.
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Dec 18, 2017 17:31:40 GMT
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My parents have never owned any 'rubbish' cars. In fact, I'd gladly take on an example of any of them now and most of the older ones on the list are somewhat venerated on this forum! About same here, my Dad had a brand new car roughly every 3 yrs (from the ones I’m old enough to recall) 3 HC Viva’s, then 3 Victors through the 70’s, then swapped from Vauxhall’s to SD’1’s, the second of which was his first ever company car, which was the V8 Vaden Plas, gold B reg it was. This was followed by 2 Scorpio’s, the second one the Cosworth (which I actually ended up owning) followed then by 4 Sovereign Jags, all pretty nice gear. My Mum had a Datsun Cherry 100A, then a mk2 Escort (which I then owned) mk1 Fiesta Finesse (which I then owned) followed by a load of KA’s one of which she still has.
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Dec 18, 2017 18:05:44 GMT
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Despite not knowing one end of a car from another and changing his cars (8 since c.1967) about as regularly as his houses (5 in the same time), my Dad has (by accident and only in retrospect) had a decent number of wins. All google pics So before my time: Green Mini Then light blue Fiat 127 During my time: Light blue Mk2 Escort 4-door I remember my Britax car seat and the air vents....not much more but my older sister is still obsessed with this and the.... Brown Cortina 1.6L Then the one I loved most (and still miss hugely as I would like to make a sleeper) The 1984 Sierra 1.6L His was a weird almost Nato green (My Dad reckons it was called cedar green) and I cannot find pics of one in that colour Then black Sapphire 1.8L which I hated and still do (I picked up in the car dealership it had been in a big side impact as the doors were a different shade of black! dad bought it anyway out of politeness as he didn't want to go back on agreeing to buy it!) Then brown 1996 Saab 900. The old man had always promised himself a Saab. That's up to date except for his non-retro but aged Golf which I persuaded him to buy.
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Dec 18, 2017 21:37:15 GMT
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Dad had an orange maxi as his first car, he was late to driving so must have been about 1989 as I remember my brother's being babies still and all 3 of us crammed in the back! He drove it through a huge puddle once where it proceeded to die in the middle. I can remember giggling as mum threw a wobbled!! Then came a white mk4 escort, E938 WGH (where are you??) Was a only a few years old when he got it. Loved that car, took us to France a few times as well as mum learning to drive in it and driving around with the handbrake on even though I told her numerous times that red light should not be on!! not the actual car unfortunately. Cheers Rob.
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The escort was last taxed in 2001 so probably long gone
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Fraud owners club member 2003 W211 Mercedes E class 1998 ex bt fiesta van
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The escort was last taxed in 2001 so probably long gone Not necessarily, I own a mk2 RS2000 last taxed & on the road 2004, so not a lot in it. I’ve just chosen not to use it.
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Dec 19, 2017 17:43:55 GMT
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No pictures but an old Bedford HA(viva)van converted with windows cut in the sides, a home made rear bench seat and polystyrene ceiling tiles stuck on the inside of the roof as a headlining!!
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Dec 19, 2017 18:12:59 GMT
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Dad had an orange maxi as his first car, he was late to driving so must have been about 1989 as I remember my brother's being babies still and all 3 of us crammed in the back! He drove it through a huge puddle once where it proceeded to die in the middle. I can remember giggling as mum threw a wobbled!! then don't float too brilliantly , well not for long anyway. here we are retrieving our poor old neighbours maxi , a little waterlogged in '93.
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Last Edit: Dec 19, 2017 18:13:32 GMT by strikey
'80 s1 924 turbo..hibernating '80 golf gli cabriolet...doing impression of a skip '97 pug 106 commuter...continuing cheapness making me smile!
firm believer in the k.i.s.s and f.i.s.h principles.
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