What Cars Have You Owned?

[darrencambs]

Chatting with my other half last night, and got on to the subject of the subject of the number of cars I've had. She thinks that around 30 is a little excessive, but I did explain that I have been driving for 26 years so it's only just over 1 per year . Anyway, I thought this would make an interesting thread to see what gems (and horrors) we've all owned. Also interesting to see which ones would make classic status.

So, I'll kick off with my list...

- Vauxhall Cavalier GLS Coupe. First car. On an 'R' plate (1977). Looked like an Opel Manta but without the slats in the front grill. Yellow when I bought it but I resprayed it black. Loved that car.
- Vauxhall Cavalier SRI hatchback: 'A' reg, red. OK, but wasn't really that exciting. Sold it after a few months to my brother who kept it for about 4 years and never had any problems.
- Opel Manta GTE Hatchback: 'A' reg, bright red. Big Jetex exhaust. Looked and sounded fantastic. UJ in the reconditioned propshaft let go on the M11 the second day I had it and the dealer lent me a beige Austin All-Aggro for a fortnight while the Manta was repaired. Great car. Wish I still had it (the Manta, not the All-Aggro!)
- Ford Escort XR3i: 'B' plate, silver. Complete nightmare. Doors shut with the clanging sound of putting the lid on a metal dustbin. Had to keep changin brake discs due to judder that shook the whole car. Bonnet came unbonded from the frame so it lifted at the corners at speeds above 40mph. Poor earths causing starting problems and rear light problems. Only 3 years old but already had rust in the front valance, wheel arches and tailgate. A real disappointment as I'd always wanted one of these but it just turned out to be a Dagenham Dustbin
- Fiat Panda: 'Y' plate (1983?). Bought this for a girlfriend to learn to drive in. Beige top half, Black bottom half (the Fiat, not the girlfriend). Always a challenge to get it started - had to creep quietly up and surprise it otherwise you'd be sitting there cranking it over for half an hour before it fired up. Deckchair style seats and a top speed of 80mph down hill with a tailing wind. Fond memories.
- Renault 5 GT Turbo: 'D' reg - Red, Phase 1 car with the black bumpers. A true pocket rocket. Great fun to drive. Always put a smile on my face but she had to go when petrol prices went through the roof (the first Gulf war). Decided I should go for a 'sensible car', so bought the Citroen next on the list. DVLA check shows my old Renault is still alive: D510 LCE is SORNed at the moment.
- Citroen BX19RD: 'E' plate, Burgundy metallic with powder blue interior. Bored me to tears, but did a million miles to the gallon. sold it to my dad after about 3 months who loved it a kept it for years.
- MG Metro: 'C' plate, Silver. Another car bought for the same girlfriend who was still learning to drive. She did eventually pass in this one. Fun little car with squeaky hydragas suspension and a driver's seat that had a habit of collapsing . Alternator bolt sheared and the drive belt sliced through a radiator hose one Saturday morning heading north through the Hatfield tunnel. Fixed at the roadside with gaffer tape and a bottle of Evian!
- Lancia Delta HF Turbo: 'D' plate, metallic grey. MOT failure when I bought it, but soon sorted with a couple of new handbrake cables and a few rubber suspension bushes. Had a recon turbo fitted by the previous owner, but it still sucked oil through the seals on the overrun, so was a bit smoky. lots of turbo induced torque steer. Gearbox mounting let go after a heavy landing when I launched it of a hump-backed bridge in rural Bedfordshire.
- Lancia Delta HF Turbo: 'F' plate, White with all the Martini racing stripes. A spur of the moment buy when I spotted it in a local garage (so I had a brace of Lancias at the time). Lots of fun in this car as the overboost feature worked on this one. Stood out like a sore thumb, and clocked up a few fixed penalty points before it went.
- Peugeot 309 GTI: 'G' plate, black. Had this at the same time as the Lancias. Brilliant car, but I gave it to the girlfriend when we split up. She caved the front end in a few weeks later.
- BMW 320: 'B' plate. Another 'sensible' car I ran for a while (still had the Lancias, and the MG Metro I think). Metallic green with green belour interior. Let it go after a few months. Seemed to eat rear wheel bearings.
- Rover 216GTi: Red, 'H' reg 3 door hatchback. This was actually a really good car.. seemed to be solidly built, quite quick, looked smart, I quite enjoyed owning this but sold it when I got my first company car.
- Mazda MX6: 'M' plate, red. My first company car. I can't believe these cars weren't more popular than they were. 2.5 litre v6, revved to ridiculous rpm as smooth as silk. Spent hours every weekend cleaning an polishing til it gleamed. Great car, but a little unlucky with it (when it went back after 60k miles, just the roof was original) - Broken into 3 times, so both door skins replaced. Rear ended by Mrs Clio driver as I turned into work (new boot lid, bumper and rear wings). Neighbour dragged his caravan along the n/s (new n/s wings and door). Colleague drove it into back of a Volvo when I was on holiday (new front end). Brilliant car though, and I keep finding myself drawn to these on ebay at the moment - £300 will secure a decent one it seems at the moment (buy the manual, not the auto). A definite future classic.
- Vauxhall Astra Convertible: K plate, dark blue. Bought for the wife (now ex!). Looked the part (the Astra, not the wife). Only a 1.6, but looked like the GTE version. Terrible scuttle shake and the familar vauxhall timing belt whine (could have been the wife?).
- Jeep Cherokee 4.0 LTD. K plate, dark blue. Bought this for the wife when we had our first child as wanted something a bit more solid for the family. I still love these cars.. actually prefer these to the Grand Cherokee I have now. Had the lattice style alloys that were a real pain to keep clean.
- Subaru Impeza Turbo. 'R' reg, Green. Another company car. 16 mpg but absolutely amazing car. 4 wheel drive meant take off was like being shot from a catapult. Managed to keep a clean licence while I had this car, much to my surprise.
- Vauxhall Vectra GSi: 'V' plate. Brown / Burgundy type of yacky colour you used to end up with in your paint pallete at school when you mixed every colour of paint together. I ordered Black, but they cocked up the order. They also forgot to put the oil filler cap on when they delivered the car, so it was back with them for a new engine by lunchtime after the original one emptied all of it's oil inside the engine bay on the A1. 2.5 litre V6 promised so much when it started up, but when the power came in it was only 500 rpm from the rev limiter. Disappointing.
- Mondeo 2 litre company repmobile. 'Y' plate. Blue. 'nuff said.
- Toyota Avensis 2.0 VVTI. '51' plate, silver. Another company repmobile. Nothing exciting, but it did have satnav... which was nice.
- Audi A4 Quattro Deisel. '03' reg, black. Another repmobile, but I did like this car. Loads of torque and quite quick, but had a heavy front end and lots of understeer which was a worry at times.
- Saab 9-3 2.0 Vector Turbo: '56' plate, black. Another company car, and one I did like a lot. Looked smart, went well, but like most modern cars looked very much like everything else out there. Let down by poor dealership - always had problems when it went in for servicing: wheel bolts loose, forgot to change brake pads on one axle, double booking courtesy cars (three times!). Future classic though? Probably not.

That's pretty much it, although I've probably forgotten a few. Plus there were a few pool cars I had for a few weeks (BMW 316 compact, Vectra 1.6 auto, MK1 Audi A4, and so on). Changed jobs and decide to take the cash rather than company car in 2008, working in London so bought the Jeep to run back and forth to the station. So we're left with the list in my signature below, plus the Girlfriend has her daily Peugeot 107 (55mpg and £20 per year road tax). New cars are fine if that's what you want, but give me a barn full of classics or older cars any day - I can maintain them myself and avoid the ridiculous costs the garages charge for often poor quality work (last time the Pug was serviced by an independent garage they wanted £18 + VAT for a wiper blade and over £300 to do front discs and pads Told them to forget it and just do the MOT as they were taking the Mick!).

So, what's your list? Any you wished you'd never got rid of? Tempted by ebay in a 'I used to have one of those' kind of way? Which ones would you rather forget?

[Martin Evans]

Not that many really.

First car was a 1974 Mini 1000 (Looked it up the other day and it died in 1988, four years after I sold it; it was always reliable when I owned it).

Second car was the MG Midget, that I still own.

Third was another Mini 1000, of 1980 vintage.

Forth was my first and only new car; a 1987 Mini City.

Fifth was a 1987 VW Golf GTI; in some ways the best all round "Car" I ever owned.

Sixth was a car I never drove apart from in and out of the garage. I bought it as a non runner, as a basis for a hillclimb car. It was a 1981 MK2 VW Scirocco GTI. I’d planned to lighten it and drop in a 16V or G60 engine, fit MK 2 Golf GTI brakes, alter the suspension and take it from there. The shell was sound and for convenience, I got it going within an hour of it being dropped off. However, my plans changed.

Seventh was my next hillclimb car, the Jedi Suzuki. Driving that was truly an experience I shall never forget!!!



Eighth was my VW Scirocco Storm. It was a Mk 1 and it had a Mk 2 1.8 engine and all wheels disc brakes. I used to tow the Jedi with it and one day when the Jedi diff broke (Tyre warming for 1st practice), I swapped classes and entered the Scirocco. It went well and surprised a few people, not least the owner of a Porsche 911, who happened to be in the same class. At that point it had standard brakes but at Shelsley Walsh, brakes were not that critical.

Ninth was the MGB GT V8, which my father decided to hand over to me (He now has a 1275 Midget). It’s a family heirloom and a lovely car to drive. It’s not for sale!!

Tenth was my present Morris Minor Traveller. I’ve owned it for nearly eight years and I’ve no plans to sell it.

If there is to be an eleventh so to speak, it will be some kind of pre war MG/Morgan/Austin 7 sports car. However, I could do with a bit more room and a bit more money before that happens.

[tractorman]

I knew I was boring, these lists remind me!

First car was a 1954 MO series Oxford - unfit for the road, but I was only 15/16 so it didn't matter and there was a farmer's lane beside the house!
'61 100E Pop (alongside the Oxford). Could have been made to run properly but I was 16!
'65 Wolseley Hornet - bought in early 1971. It was actually bought because the parent's FB Victor had engine problems and the loan car was due back. I eventually took my test in this just before I turned 18. Passed first time with engine overheating because of the L-plate on the radiator grille! Scrapped in the back garden in 1973/4.
'54 Rover 60. Had this for a month - the front crossmember repair section (two bits of angle iron) let go and the front suspension dug a nice hole in the drive. I was just glad it let go where it did - I'd been doing 70 on the way home from work!
'65 Minx. One of my favourites. Only had it for a year before it had starting and running problems, but a nice comfy cruiser that surprised a few Cortinas!
'65 Morris 1100 (£25's worth in 1975). Lasted a month and then the MOT was due! Annoyingly, they counted filler as rust and, apparently the back subframe should be attached to the body somewhere!
'67 Cortina 1500. Least said about it the better. It looked OK when I bought it, smoked more than I do and left a scar on my forehead/temple when I wrote it off in 1976. I had always thought the MkII Cortina was the best looking of the marque (especially Uncle's brown 1600E), but the oil it could use in a week was horrendous: less than 100 miles per pint? Certainly - more like 30!
'72 Maxi 1500 (bought July 1976 and sold May 89). The first of two real character cars I have owned. Jumped out of second gear on overrun from day 1, had a 1750 engine fitted in 1980 or so and repainted with brush in 1983. Having the oil pressure light coming on while doing 60 on a dual carriageway a couple of times made me think the original engine was pretty well shot!
'85 Montego. I looked at it on the forecourt and said "Rust" to the salesman. I think the car thought it was an instruction, because it did! It had the mayonnaise problem too and I asked for the modification kit to be told it was an old car (at five!). I got the same comment when I showed them the hole in the back sill. A sandstone gatepost jumped out in front of it one day and the bodyshop bloke said I'd be lucky if it wasn't written off. I was lucky - it was! We bought a new Metro shortly afterwards and I wrote to Austin Rover to complain about both cars. Their reply led me to:
'85 Golf Diesel. Totally boring and nothing noteworthy to say about the eight years I owned it (and put about 90K on the clock). It had a recall in 1995 and VW replaced the heater FOC. VW 1 Rover 0
'96 VW Passat TD estate. Bought cheap with 73K miles in three years. I did another 130K in the nine years I owned it and would still have it if it wasn't for an injector pump problem causing the cam sprocket to shear it's drive pin on the crank (the pin being a common problem on that engine). The other car with character. A bit of a stiletto blonde - hated puddles, loved warm weather and TLC. It would have cost about £5K to get back to good condition (injector pump was £1500 + VAT + fitting - it was coded to the car apparently.
2002 Golf TDi (100) estate. One lady owner, so new clutch a couple of years ago! Various other minor dings, but nothing serious (metallic silver - ugh). Has cost more per mile than the other two VWs - but I've only done about 30K in the four years I've owned it. Totally boring to drive, but so far, like the other VWs, it has always got me there. VW 2 Rover 0!

Hmm, 40 odd years, eleven cars and, if I'm lucky, in ten years time it will still be eleven. Looking forward to ten more boring years!

[stagman]

Hillman Imp - first car bit of rust few head gaskets etc!!
Ford Capri 1.6 - I was 18 - wrote it off after a month or 2 when I wrapped round a tree and rolled it!
MK 1 Ford Escort - brakes did not work - had it 3 hours and then sold it back to my dad !
Morris Marina - needed wheels - good reliable but not cool when you were 18 so soon sold it.
Subaru GFT - nice car always wished I kept it but sold it to get a
TR7 - a lot better car than people give them credit for but not very reliable to say the least!
Subaru GLF 2 door Coupe
Subaru GLF 4WD hatchback
then various company cars and -

Land Rover SeriesIII - stuck a Rover V8 in it - like you do!
a few Range Rovers, a Discovery V8, a off road comp safari racer - then gave up the off road stuff

and now a Triumph Stag and my wife runs a 1990 Mini Cooper as her daily

[TerryG]

Everybody seems to have owned quite a few interesting cars over the years!
My list is pretty short in comparason!
First car was a 1968 Morris Minor 1000 saloon that I still have and will keep until the end of time
1971 Mini roadster with a 1293 turbo engine (until driving it in the wet on a008 tyres lead me to parking it on my parents driveway and leaving it)
1966 Morris Minor Convertible (it started life as a saloon but after finding out how much metal was missing it ended up being given to another member of the owners club to restore for his daughter)
1967 Morris Minor Traveller with marina engine, gearbox, axle and front hubs (given to a friend to restore)
1990 (i think) Mini 30 (was about 90% filler so i parted it out)
1990 Audi Quattro Coupe
1990 Range Rover 3.9 (sold to be turned in to a trayback)
1993 Range Rover 4.2 LSE (written off)
1994 Range Rover 4.6 LSE my daily driver and definitely a keeper

I've probably forgotten some and i have skipped the modern stuff and parts cars.
15 (road legal) cars in 12 years. not too bad

[Aar0sc]

Owned £10 in dad's old Austin A35, and now I've obviously got my Triumph Spitfire.

Gosh, that was a short list wasn't it!

[SirTainleyBarking]

I've still got some of the ones I've owned, which is either me being faithful to the beasties or a bit sad

First one: 1979 1.3 Ford Escort GL: Ended up rotten as a pear, and shifted on 10 years after it failed its MOT
C reg Ford Sierra 1.6 Emax. God that was a POS
X Reg Mk1 Polo, Fun but not that reliable, was going to repair it, but had to move across the country, so it and the Sierra had to go
E reg Audi 100CC saloon. Lovely motor, was off the road for a while, but brought back to life as the wifes Daily Driver. Was written off, bought back and repaired for the cost of a tyre and a bumper from a scrapper. Lovely car, did 250,000 miles, didn't owe me a penny. Finally got to the point where it would have needed around £500 of assorted bits and welding to keep it going (Full set of struts, fusebox falling apart, fuel pump needed replacing, bulkhead needed welding, new injectors etc etc etc) Traded it in for a Mazda 323 which SWMBO still drives (The backup parts chaser)
1973 Landrover 109 Estate. Still got that one, Needs 4 new tyres and a bit of wiring for a MOT
N reg Rover 115 SLD Not my first choice, but a fun wee car, and surprisingly good at doing 90,000 miles in 2 years. Killed that parking it up the backside of a Merc on the M6 Note to self, cheap kwik fit specials for tyres are false economy
F reg Nissan Sunny Coupe. Bought for £350 with a full service history. Was the daily driver for about 3 or 4 years, until a month before the last MOT was due, and I thought, lets have a check, see what it needs. You'll know how that ends.... Oooh a bit of rust, prod, prod, Crunch! Oh Hell, Oh God, HOW THE HELL IS THE REAR STILL ABOVE THE ROAD?. Currently looking for repair sections / or a very large sheet of metal
L reg Discovery 1. The current Daily Driver. Well one needs to practice welding doesn't one? Well on the plus point the chassis is solid, and the rot is easy to repair with all that space....

[Jonjeffryes]

Here we go then:

1959 ish Trojan 200 bubble car...swapped for a Honda 50 stepthru
1966 Riley Elf: rusty sills
1968 Lotus Elan S2: a real old nail!
1968 Sunbeam Stiletto: a story of blown head gaskets and overheating woes
1972 Ford Escort 1300 Sport....wolfrace wheels, exploding pistons and rust!
1979 Fiat 127: exploding gearboxes and more rust
1980 Fiat 126: manic buzbox for the wife
1980 Fiat Strada: not bad, heavy steering and yet more rust
1983 Alfasud gold cloverleaf...rip after just 3weeks...built by Italians, written off by a little old English lady who didn't see a bright red car!
1983 Alfasud gold cloverleaf : sister car to the one above..only in cream this time...lasted a lot longer and was a blast.
1979 Alfasud Ti: Rust, rust, rust
1978 Porsche 924: thought I'd really made it, a Porsche and only 29! Ultimately a bit of a disappointment as it was an early 4 speed car and a bit...well bland.
1983 Rover 3.5 Sd1 VDP: luxobarge, loved it but not the rust or the fuel consumption.
1979 Porsche 924 lux: a bit more like it...lift out sunroof and five gears much improved the car.....but hot starting was a real#%^#}
1986 Alfa Romeo 2.0 GTV: redefined the term unreliable....a rolling (but mainly stationary) disaster.
1979 VW Scirocco Gti mk1: a blast to drive, but who says VW's don't rust...died of tinwork attack.
1984 Alfa Romeo Guilietta 1.8: this was a gem but ultimately died of tin worm attack.
1989 Dutton Phaeton srs3....The last car Dutton built for the 1989 kit car show. It was an absolute blast with full race Burton engine it went rather well.
1979 Ford Capri 2.0S: full on Body & Doyle fest
1990 Vauxhall Astra SXi: first company car...came out from one meeting to find it on bricks and the alloys gone Liked the car though.
1989 Citroen Bx....strange French children transporter for the wife.....actually very good and you can fit a V6 engine in the back.
1992 Volvo 480Es: I loved this car, best seats in any car I have owned....only got rid when son no. 3 came along.
1990 BMW 328 Alpina: very fast and very thirsty
1995 Alfa Romeo 155 1.8 TS: bright red and bought at the height of Alfa's domination in the BTCC...magic.
1984 Dutton Phaeton V6: restored from a box of bits
1976 Scimitar SE5A manual: these are great cars...but the wife didn't like it!
1998 Ford Ka: another one for the wife...actually great fun
1999 Peugeot 406 estate: another company car...and a diesel.......nooooooo!
2000 Alfa Romeo 156: not as good as the 155!
2001 Vauxhall Senator: another company car....not as bad as many said
2001 VW Passat Executive: another rep mobile..early satnav was interesting
2002 Rover 75: I loved this car when it went....it did have a habit of breaking down
2002 Ford Ka: update for the boss....still a good city car.
1986 Porsche 928 S2 manual: my first powerful Porsche, absolutely fantastic areal super car!
1979 Porsche 928: I do love the earliest cars....no spoilers, the original beetle bums
1979 Porsche 911 SC Turbo Sport Pack: good fun but I prefer the water cooled cars
1986 Porsche 928 S2: Another stunning car, automatic this time
1986 Porsche 944 Turbo: very quick, one of the best cars I have ever owned
1989 Daimler Sovereign: oh the shame of the rust..simply dreadful
2004 LandRover Freelander Tdi4: another company hack.
2004 Citroen C2: replacement for the wife's Ford Ka...it was ok
2005 Jaguar X type estate: Much maligned, but I really liked this car
1995 Subaru Impreza Sti: modified to over 400bhp...too much of a beast for me..kept eating gearboxes
1984 Porsche 944 lux: my current Porsche...simply the best, a stunning car.
2006 Subaru Impreza WRX prodrive: my daily driver for 5 years, so good but now sold.
2005 Mini Cooper: another for my wife...did not like thie much.
1996 Alfa Romeo 155 2.0 TS: sadly went bang when the cam belt snapped
1983 Alfasud gold cloverleaf: red again, sold at a huge profit after an offer I could not refuse
1996 Alfa Romeo 916 Spider: fun in the winter, my hay fever and soft tops don't work too well so it had to go.
1997 Alfa Romeo 155 2.0TS Sport Pack: red of course, the 155 is my favourite alfa saloon...love them
1996 Fiat Coupe 16v: a little gem, with four full seats and a version of the Lancia Integrale engine a much undervalued future classic...still in the family
1999 Fiat Coupe 20v vis. Bought to replace the 16v...an absolutely stunning GT car...grab one whilst they are still this cheap!
1998 Fiat Coupe Turbo: well, I could not stop at the non turbo...this is the current coupe...if you have dismissed these before...drive one and buy one whilst you still can.
2010 Honda Civic S: ok gone all sensible, but you have to have a daily driver don't you!
1994 Toyota MR2: inherited from my son when he blew the engine...and the subject of a current rebuild..and the reason why. My 16v coupe is still in the family!

I think that's more or less it...I've never managed to own only one car (current count is 4) and I haven't mentioned the bikes yet...over 30 of those so I guess I'm kinda hooked by things wheeled!

[rld14]

God.. more than I can honestly remember. I have a bad habit of owning way too many cars at one time and constantly buying and selling them. Being in the car business and having access to wholesale markets is NO help. I have personally owned as many as 12-15 cars I think.

First car was a 1982 528e 5-speed in '93,first car when I was 18, it was a rat. Then... some memorable ones.. Lots of E28s

84 533i
88 535i E28
88 M5 E28
90 535i
90 735i
88 M5
91 M5
A few more BMWs, E24 M6, E24 635csi, couple of those inc an M90 car.
Some various E34s.
3 E38s, including my '97 that I have owned for pushing 15 years.
A couple Audi V8s
Lots and lots of XJ40s
A few X300s
X308 XJR
X350 XJR
3 E-Types
A Mk10 Jag
65, 60, T-Bird ragtops
64 T-Bird HT
A few 356 Porsches
58 Bonneville, 2 of em
69 Cougar Eliminator Boss 302 (Sold this like an idiot before prices skyrocketed)
Some Cadillacs, 06 STS, 05 SRX V8, few others inc a couple LT1 Fleetwoods
4 PA Vauxhalls, one was cut up for parts, 1 sold, still have 2.
1 Mk2 Ford Zephyr
an MGB
I guess 3 Alfa 164s
Plus a bunch of modern sports cars, did keep a 550 Maranello for a few years once.

Current fleet..

88 M5
60 PA Velox
62 PA Velox
06 XJ8 (4.2L Sovereign spec as it's a US model)
07 Lexus GS350 AWD
97 740iL

And there's a 61 PA Velox Hydramatic on Kijiji up in Canada that looks good and...and..and....

I need professional help.

[darrencambs]

Some great lists there.

Good to see I'm not the only one with this type of addiction.

Always makes me smile the way even real nightmares are remembered with a certain fondness.

Keep 'em coming!