First car

[WayneKerr]

It was.

Built by my dad, brother and me over the course of the winter in '91, ready for passing my test in the spring of '92.

Was rotting away in a hedge on a farm owned by friends of my dad.

Body had to be pretty much fully restored.

I think the only panels that didn't get replaced or repaired in the end were, the roof, firewall (though that needed to be modded to accommodate the turbo) and side panels.

I take my hat off to you sir

 

[ianrjones]

I proberbly welded and painted all of the above. Ford Roman Bronze was my favourite brown, when respraying boring russet, mexico, tobacco, tawney, etc. The customers were over the moon.
My first car was a VW Beetle 1500. I crashed it into a large wall. Thats when I learned not to drink and drive.

 

[Jasonovich]

I proberbly welded and painted all of the above. Ford Roman Bronze was my favourite brown, when respraying boring russet, mexico, tobacco, tawney, etc. The customers were over the moon.
My first car was a VW Beetle 1500. I crashed it into a large wall. Thats when I learned not to drink and drive.

Wow that was a close call. I think we all done stupid things in our cars.
When I was much younger, I droved around in a Nissan SX rear wheel drive turbo charged sports car. Trouble is, people especially youngsters who want to impress upon their girlfriends and want to race you off the road.
I was living in Enfield at the time, still with my first wife, my daughter was with me in the car, heading to ToysRUs. Quiet day on the North South route.
Looking into my rear window, some idiot in a white Ford Escort souped up pram with the hood off was up my rear. I'm on the inside lane, he could have overtaken. He could see I had a child in the car but he kept pressing, he's girlfriend kept chuckling.
This continued until they got bored, he moved over to the outside lane and overtook.
I was filled with rage, I was seeing red, I hit the gas, the turbo kicked in and shot passed this idiot from the inside lane and all I can see in my rear mirror was small white spot.
I turned to my daughter, wasn't that fun?
She was in tears, I'm going to tell Mommy.
Yeah it was stupid.

 

[WayneKerr]

Wow that was a close call. I think we all done stupid things in our cars.
When I was much younger, I droved around in a Nissan SX rear wheel drive turbo charged sports car. Trouble is, people especially youngsters who want to impress upon their girlfriends and want to race you off the road.
I was living in Enfield at the time, still with my first wife, my daughter was with me in the car, heading to ToysRUs. Quiet day on the North South route.
Looking into my rear window, some idiot in a white Ford Escort souped up pram with the hood off was up my rear. I'm on the inside lane, he could have overtaken. He could see I had a child in the car but he kept pressing, he's girlfriend kept chuckling.
This continued until they got bored, he moved over to the outside lane and overtook.
I was filled with rage, I was seeing red, I hit the gas, the turbo kicked in and shot passed this idiot from the inside lane and all I can see in my rear mirror was small white spot.
I turned to my daughter, wasn't that fun?
She was in tears, I'm going to tell Mommy.
Yeah it was stupid.

I think we can all recall bouts of stupid youthful testosterone-fuelled invincibility rage from our youth, been there done that many times My current driving style is more akin to driving Miss Daisy... until I swing my leg over my motorbike then the kid in me just returns from nowhere! I'm nearly 66, I should know better

 

[James105]

Alpha 147 2.0 twin spark Lusso, Alpha don't seem to make a hot hatch anymore which is a crying shame.

God, I loved that car.

 

[WayneKerr]

Alpha 147 2.0 twin spark Lusso, Alpha don't seem to make a hot hatch anymore which is a crying shame.

God, I loved that car.

Well you either started late in life or you are a veritable youngster compared to some of us James

 

[James105]

Well you either started late in life or you are a veritable youngster compared to some of us James

Always had a company vehicle, then in 2002 started working overseas, outside the EU paid a bonus, I spent 3 months in Jordan came home and bought that car, worked a lot of contracts in the Mid east and ex Soviet Union countries until 2020,

 

[plastic penguin]

Not sure if this has been posted before but here goes

I'll kick-off with mine: 1966 Hillman Super Minx bought for £60 in 1975, (I think that equated to about 6 weeks wages for me in '75).

Mini was a Triumph Herald 1250. Didn't have the power to pull the skin off a rice pudding, impractical and noisy but it was huge fun to drive.

It had a full length Webasto sunroof, great for the summer.

 

[Friesiansam]

Alpha 147 2.0 twin spark Lusso, Alpha don't seem to make a hot hatch anymore which is a crying shame.

God, I loved that car.

You can't be an Alfisti, if you can't spell Alfa!

 

[plastic penguin]

Alpha 147 2.0 twin spark Lusso, Alpha don't seem to make a hot hatch anymore which is a crying shame.

God, I loved that car.

I had a ALFA 147 loan car when my 156 was off the road. They made a real saucy hot version in the 147 3.2 GTA. The last Alfa hot hatch ceased production in 2016, the Guilietta 1750 TBI. 0-62 in 6 secs for auto transmission and 6.7 for the manual, the same as the 147 GTA. But the GTA had a lovely sounding V6 Busso engine.

 

[jjbomber]

Corgi. I think I was 5 years old.

 

[WayneKerr]

Mini was a Triumph Herald 1250. Didn't have the power to pull the skin off a rice pudding, impractical and noisy but it was huge fun to drive.

It had a full length Webasto sunroof, great for the summer.

Nothing wrong with the Herald, and their siblings, 1600 and 2000 Vitesse.

 

[plastic penguin]

Nothing wrong with the Herald, and their siblings, 1600 and 2000 Vitesse.

Except with the Vitesse and Triumph being Triumph used the Herald diff, UJs and prop shaft. The rear end had a habit of going Pete Tong. Then there was the trunions on the front. Other than that they were sweet cars.

 

[James105]

You can't be an Alfisti, if you can't spell Alfa!

auto correct

 

[JDL]

First car. A Matt black Reliant Regal 3 wheeler van, with 7" wide rear wheels, a riveted on air scoop and holes in the fibre glass body. 700cc of pure ....never mind.
That caught fire outside King Edward Vl Grammar School in Chelmsford, whilst waiting at the traffic lights.
I was 19 years old, had a full motorcycle licence, Mummy and Daddy weren't going to buy me driving lessons.
I bought another Reliant Regal Van stuck the wheels on it and riveted on the wheel arch wideners, left off the air scoop and painted it bright red.
I did hundreds of miles in that with my bro', 2 friends and their dog. I could even burn Morris Minors off and every where I went, I got smiles and laughs from amused onlookers.
Passed my car test 3 years later and got a Datsun Bluebird 180B Estate.
It had done 78,000 miles and the engine was smoking so badly that it came inside the car.
I bought another engine from a breaker, changed it myself and guess what? It was just as bad as the one I'd swapped it for. I lost count of the cars I've had.
One interesting vehicle my twin brother and I owned was an AEC 8.2 litre, 6 cylinder, 53 seat Plaxton Coach with no seats. We persuaded Dad to let us put it on his Norwich Union Insurance, we were named drivers. The Police didn't like that one much, but we were fully legal. Lodge Coaches of High Easter in Essex, were very helpful and used to MOT it for us and helped us reclassify it as a Private Light Goods Vehicle.
Latest car is a Chrysler 300 CRD. It's been at my local mechanic for 7 months mainly because he doesn't have the correct diagnostic thingy to reset the car, which is the main problem.
It started refusing to shift gear properly and it's electronically controlled although a normal auto box. I phoned him yesterday. He's found a mechanic, in the next village with right computer who owns the same car. He can fix it now but I feel as though I have a four letter word tattooed across my forehead.

 

[WayneKerr]

First car. A Matt black Reliant Regal 3 wheeler van, with 7" wide rear wheels, a riveted on air scoop and holes in the fibre glass body. 700cc of pure ....never mind.
That caught fire outside King Edward Vl Grammar School in Chelmsford, whilst waiting at the traffic lights.
I was 19 years old, had a full motorcycle licence, Mummy and Daddy weren't going to buy me driving lessons.
I bought another Reliant Regal Van stuck the wheels on it and riveted on the wheel arch wideners, left off the air scoop and painted it bright red.
I did hundreds of miles in that with my bro', 2 friends and their dog. I could even burn Morris Minors off and every where I went, I got smiles and laughs from amused onlookers.
Passed my car test 3 years later and got a Datsun Bluebird 180B Estate.
It had done 78,000 miles and the engine was smoking so badly that it came inside the car.
I bought another engine from a breaker, changed it myself and guess what? It was just as bad as the one I'd swapped it for. I lost count of the cars I've had.
One interesting vehicle my twin brother and I owned was an AEC 8.2 litre, 6 cylinder, 53 seat Plaxton Coach with no seats. We persuaded Dad to let us put it on his Norwich Union Insurance, we were named drivers. The Police didn't like that one much, but we were fully legal. Lodge Coaches of High Easter in Essex, were very helpful and used to MOT it for us and helped us reclassify it as a Private Light Goods Vehicle.
Latest car is a Chrysler 300 CRD. It's been at my local mechanic for 7 months mainly because he doesn't have the correct diagnostic thingy to reset the car, which is the main problem.
It started refusing to shift gear properly and it's electronically controlled although a normal auto box. I phoned him yesterday. He's found a mechanic, in the next village with right computer who owns the same car. He can fix it now but I feel as though I have a four letter word tattooed across my forehead.

Magic! Best one yet! Love your sense of humour, John, you're a cracking bloke

 

[JDL]

Magic! Best one yet! Love your sense of humour, John, you're a cracking bloke

Hey Doug....thanks so much. I was a bit worried it might be a boring tale. That's most kind of you to say so. And you're a cracking bloke too along with most of the guys on here.
Good Wishes to all.

 

[Friesiansam]

Latest car is a Chrysler 300 CRD.

Just looked at used values on Autotrader, I hope you didn't buy it new...

 

[JDL]

Just looked at used values on Autotrader, I hope you didn't buy it new...

No, I paid a couple of grand for it about 2 years ago. I've never had a new car and probably never will, unless I win one. But since I don't enter competitions, do the lottery or steal motors, it looks like no new car for me.😂

 

[Gray]

I've never had a new car and probably never will

Same for me.

 

[plastic penguin]

Same for me.

Nope, me neither apart from a company car. Entry-level Vauxhall Cavalier, totally uninspiring -- pleased to give it back when someone else needed it.

The Cavalier SRI is a different story. Purchased the 130 version with side skirts but it was a few years old at the time. Quite fast too for family hatchback.

 

[plastic penguin]

First car. A Matt black Reliant Regal 3 wheeler van, with 7" wide rear wheels, a riveted on air scoop and holes in the fibre glass body. 700cc of pure ....never mind.
That caught fire outside King Edward Vl Grammar School in Chelmsford, whilst waiting at the traffic lights.
I was 19 years old, had a full motorcycle licence, Mummy and Daddy weren't going to buy me driving lessons.
I bought another Reliant Regal Van stuck the wheels on it and riveted on the wheel arch wideners, left off the air scoop and painted it bright red.
I did hundreds of miles in that with my bro', 2 friends and their dog. I could even burn Morris Minors off and every where I went, I got smiles and laughs from amused onlookers.
Passed my car test 3 years later and got a Datsun Bluebird 180B Estate.
It had done 78,000 miles and the engine was smoking so badly that it came inside the car.
I bought another engine from a breaker, changed it myself and guess what? It was just as bad as the one I'd swapped it for. I lost count of the cars I've had.
One interesting vehicle my twin brother and I owned was an AEC 8.2 litre, 6 cylinder, 53 seat Plaxton Coach with no seats. We persuaded Dad to let us put it on his Norwich Union Insurance, we were named drivers. The Police didn't like that one much, but we were fully legal. Lodge Coaches of High Easter in Essex, were very helpful and used to MOT it for us and helped us reclassify it as a Private Light Goods Vehicle.
Latest car is a Chrysler 300 CRD. It's been at my local mechanic for 7 months mainly because he doesn't have the correct diagnostic thingy to reset the car, which is the main problem.
It started refusing to shift gear properly and it's electronically controlled although a normal auto box. I phoned him yesterday. He's found a mechanic, in the next village with right computer who owns the same car. He can fix it now but I feel as though I have a four letter word tattooed across my forehead.

If I was lucky and rich enough my ideal 3 car garage would include a Bond Bug. Great big blob of Red Leicester. Love quirky cars.

 

[JDL]

If I was lucky and rich enough my ideal 3 car garage would include a Bond Bug. Great big blob of Red Leicester. Love quirky cars.

Yes I always liked the Bond bug and the Beach Buggy. Worth a fair bit now.

 

[JDL]

One of my favourite cars was a white 1979 Lancia Beta HPE 2000. I loved that car. It handled great. I used to race a guy with the Coupe version from Dunmow to Thaxted in Essex, but the longer wheelbase of the HPE seemed to give me the edge. Or I was crazier than him.
Someone pulled out of a cross roads on my way to work in South Woodham Ferrer's and wrote it off. Then the bloke punched me in the face as I was swearing at him.
Ooh agh. Them were the days🤣🤣🤣

 

[Revolutions]

A friend's dad is trying to sell me his 2005 Porsche Cayman S for a price that is sort of too good to turn down...