An old bloke's motoring history

[Wagon Sailor]

The Accord was becoming troublesome and it was time to trade it in. We did – for another ATR. Unfortunately, this one has the boy-racer spoiler. And has proved to be no more reliable than the last. It didn’t help that I blew the head gasket half-way round the Nürburgring.


(edit: for some reason the only picture I could put up was huge on the screen, so I've deleted it.)


The next car was a delightful little imported Eunos. My son gave it to my wife for a bit of light fun, but it soon became her daily driver. Like its cousins, it started to rust away ...





And so to our most recent acquisition. Never more than a temporary measure, the 940 was disposed of and a suitable replacement was needed. We’ve had the 240 for 10 months now. Its last decent run was to cart furniture to the Eifel. It’s nicer somehow than the 940 was, although I couldn’t explain why I think that. It’s the second oldest car (at the time of acquisition) that I’ve ever owned and registered in my name.







And that's it. There were a few other vehicles here and there but none of them kept long enough to count in this round up.

[Sotosound]

Thank you for providing a brilliant distraction from what's going on in the world today.

[biggbn]

Originally Posted by Wagon Sailor

The Accord was becoming troublesome and it was time to trade it in. We did – for another ATR. Unfortunately, this one has the boy-racer spoiler. And has proved to be no more reliable than the last. It didn’t help that I blew the head gasket half-way round the Nürburgring.


(edit: for some reason the only picture I could put up was huge on the screen, so I've deleted it.)


The next car was a delightful little imported Eunos. My son gave it to my wife for a bit of light fun, but it soon became her daily driver. Like its cousins, it started to rust away ...





And so to our most recent acquisition. Never more than a temporary measure, the 940 was disposed of and a suitable replacement was needed. We’ve had the 240 for 10 months now. Its last decent run was to cart furniture to the Eifel. It’s nicer somehow than the 940 was, although I couldn’t explain why I think that. It’s the second oldest car (at the time of acquisition) that I’ve ever owned and registered in my name.







And that's it. There were a few other vehicles here and there but none of them kept long enough to count in this round up.

Once again.... owned 2x mk1 mx5, brilliant little cars, absolute hot at any speed and 3 x 245, another car I love and would love to own again...but HAVE YOU SEEN THEIR PRICES NOWADAYS?

[Wagon Sailor]

Originally Posted by biggbn

Once again.... owned 2x mk1 mx5, brilliant little cars, absolute hot at any speed and 3 x 245, another car I love and would love to own again...but HAVE YOU SEEN THEIR PRICES NOWADAYS?

I don't know for sure which I miss the most or which gives me the fondest memories. These are not the same things.
The most expensive at today's prices were really great machines. On the other hand, 40 years of automotive evolution meant that the Prelude was a far better car than either of them could ever have been.

In no particular order:
The best looking: 190SL
The best tourer: Prelude
Quickest on the track? Not sure, but the Accord Type R surprises a a lot of other drivers
The best built (and most reliable): Xedos 6
Most useful: 240 Estate
Cheapest overall cost of ownership per mile? Not sure. Perhaps the Standard 8

Remembering cars is like reading an old diary. They have their stories. I'd keep loads of them, but that would be silly. They'd just sit in a barn for the most part while I'd be looking for the next, different beast.
And the next adventure.

[biggbn]

Originally Posted by Wagon Sailor

I don't know for sure which I miss the most or which gives me the fondest memories. These are not the same things.
The most expensive at today's prices were really great machines. On the other hand, 40 years of automotive evolution meant that the Prelude was a far better car than either of them could ever have been.

In no particular order:
The best looking: 190SL
The best tourer: Prelude
Quickest on the track? Not sure, but the Accord Type R surprises a a lot of other drivers
The best built (and most reliable): Xedos 6
Most useful: 240 Estate
Cheapest overall cost of ownership per mile? Not sure. Perhaps the Standard 8

Remembering cars is like reading an old diary. They have their stories. I'd keep loads of them, but that would be silly. They'd just sit in a barn for the most part while I'd be looking for the next, different beast.
And the next adventure.

I have owned some nice (but always cheap with two exceptions)cars but my favourites have been my first 1200 beetle, my StreetKa, my diesel beetle convertible, my amazon estate, my first cinquecento sporting, my smart 450 brabus and my current mini. Best car I have owned was my '97 lexus ls400. Fastest? Porsche 928s4, BMW e36 m3 evo, fiat coupe 20vt, various big bore BMW and t5 volvos get an honorary mention.

Some pics

[Wagon Sailor]

I love the full rack on the Amazon.

I've never owned a BMW, although I did once nearly buy a 501 V8 and much later an E36 M3 cabrio, both of which were too rough for the money being asked..


Our lad's road/track car is shaping up nicely:

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Wagon Sailor

Ah, yes. The 2.8i was good to drive. And yes, the Manta was better (see below).


My (now) wife ran what effectively became Car 52. The little Peugeot crossed the channel almost as often as the Saab. Sometimes, we’d have the German registered car here and the UK-reg one over there. The 205 diesel was a brilliant little car.




The lhd 205 was sold after a year to make way for something a bit more suitable for UK roads.

We found something quite different. We could tell that it had once been pranged, but the repair job was so good we took a chance. It turned out to be a good move.

This was one of the best all-rounders:-
Robust and reliable? Tick.
A touch of sportiness? Tick.
Room for a kiddy-seat in the back? Tick.
Good luggage space? Tick.






The Saab was sold after 3 good years.
Next came two Sierra Sapphires in quick succession. The first one was nearly new, in shining red, and arrived with a change of job. The 1.8 engine in that one would never melt tarmac, but having someone else pick up the garage bills was ample compensation.

I bought the second off a brother-in-law for 4 pints and two dinners. It was worth it, even if it was a gutless 1600, a faded burgundy colour (which merged nicely with the rust) and more than a bit scruffy.






The Mazda Xedos 6 was another grossly under-rated car. You could think of it as a 4-door MX6 with added quality – and far better and more dynamic than its bigger brother, the Xedos 9 – or you could see as a premium family saloon with a bit of pep, yet few people had heard of it. It had a jewel of engine and could cruise all day at surprisingly high speeds. The steering was slightly over-servoed and the ABS slightly too keen, but they’re the only criticisms I had. All the toys worked, the full leather was spotless, and there were never any rattles. It was superbly well put together - perhaps the best-built car I’ve ever owned.

(PS: ours didn’t have that silly boot spoiler you can just about see, and had what looked like exotic BBS wheels, much nicer than the ones in this pic.)

What many people forget (or just don't know) is the Xedos-6 was Mazdas version of Fords Mondeo. Very similar inside and out but Mazdas finishing touches made it a nicer palce to be than the Mondeo.
For me, the lighter PAS would be appreciated as i've always preferred PAS to be very light.

I've just caught up with this thread (having previously read up to the point just before the Xedos-6) so apologies for my slightly out of kilter response.

[Wagon Sailor]

We didn't find the Xedos 6 to have much in common with Mondeos at all. It felt different, looked different, and even the Yamaha-designed 2 litre V6 ran smoother than the version used in the Probe. As for shared parts, I can't say: outside of normal service items, we didn't need any!