What was your 1st car & what is your fave of those you had.

[pete-d]

Herewith my list...

1. 1990 Fiat Pando 1000S - I know everyone laughs but it was simple, reliable, flexible and handled OK.
2. 1991 Citroen AX 14 - a bit roly-poly but quicker than the Fiat
3. 1992 Ford Sierra 1.6 - I like RWD!
4. 1979 Vauxhall Viva - reduced income meant old banger time (and learn to do your own servicing/maintenance!)
5. 1983 Renault 11 1.4 GL - I paid £200 for it with 11 months MOT, spent £60 on a clutch kit, put a new clutch in, MOTed it 10 months later (having taken it from 100k to 110k miles) for £300
6. 1985 Austin Meastro 1.3 HLE (?) hoped to do the same deal as the Renault but BL let me down!
7. 1982 Peugeot 505 estate 7 seater diesel - engine and gearbox fine, problems with clutch slave cylinder and the bodywork rotted madly.
8. 1986 Ford Escort 16. GL Auto - my first auto and actually a much better car than most people imagined.
9. 1990 Alfa 75 2.0 Twin Spark - best car I've ever had - took it from 27k miles to 90k miles in 18 months and it never put a foot wrong.
10. 1989 Alfa 33 1.7 8v - replaced because some b*st*rd joy rider stole the 75 and wrote it off. Tremendous fun and surprised quite a few people.
11. 1985 Audi GT Coupe - I lived in London and needed an banger for the odd time the public transport wasn't possible
12. 1983 BMW 735i - it had seen better days but was still fun.
13. 1991 Fita Tempra 2.0 - I like my Italian cars - this one again did me about 20k miles without any major dramas.
14. 1996 Saab 900 2.0 Turbo (190 BHP) - nice car and did me well for 3 years. A bit more body roll and torque steer than I'd like but good Q Car.
15. 2001 Renault Laguna 3.0 V6 24v (new shape - 210 BHP) - a complete crock of sh*te - fantastic when it ran OK but 90% of the time it was broken. The worst, least reliable car I have owned (even worse than the Maestro!).
16. 1996 Daewoo Espero 2.0 CDi - I needed a banger to use when the Renault was laid on its back smoking a cigar...
17. 2000 Seat Cordoba Vario TDi - basically a VW Polo TDi estate with a Seat badge - it did me 20k reliable miles and my housemate now has it with 97k on the clock.
18. 1988 Volvo 760 GLE - even with 185k on the clock it only felt about 5 years old (though looked a bit dated) - now passed on to my housemate for his weekend luxury.
19. 1999 Alfa 166 2.5 V6 - a great drive and nice to be back on the Italians but too many minor electircal gremins to make it worthwhile (and only 24mpg doesn't make it a good daily commute - especially with a clutch on its way out).
21. 1999 Volvo S70 2.5D auto - my current daily runner.
22. 1995 Volvo 960 3.0 - just bought from John850 on the forums to replace the 760 as a relaxed weekend and evening car.

Basically I love the excitement of Alfas and the reliability/safety of Volvos. I'm thinking of adding an 850 T5 to the fleet as a fun car to see if it's the right compromoise...

Pete

[alsner]

Hi

My first car was WHO 395V which was a Mitsubishi Colt GLX 1979 with a silly but fun 4speed box with power and economy which effectively made it an 8 speed box, since then I've owned too many to list.

But my favourite car was my Classic SAAB 900 16v Turbo in black.

Ali

[jamrussell]

my first car was a flame red 998 metro city x, what a beast lol!!

since that i have had:

1.0 fiat uno
1.8 vauxhall cavalier gls
2.0 vauxhall cavalier sri
1.8 8v mk2 golf gti
1.8T nissan 200sx
1.4 nissan sunny (current work hack)
2.0T 940 wentwort est (current baby chariot)



of the lot i have to say the golf was the most fun (more of a go-kart with a roof) and the 940 has been the nicest to drive and live with.

[cywprof]

Hi Paul & All,

Great question.
I restricted list to vehicles owned by me (pink slip), excluded family owned.

1st car:
1955 Chev 150 2 dr cpe, auto, inline 6 (Blue Flame), frost green, AM radio.

1st Import:
1959 Austin Healey Sprite (Bug Eye), white exterior/red interior, 2 seater,
4 spd, black button down convert top, chrome luggage rack, AM radio

Favorite Cars:
1959 Thunderbird Convert, red/ beige leather interior/white top, V/8, auto;
1951 Ford Sunliner Convert, red/black interior/black top, V/8, 6 seater;
1965 Mustang 2 dr cpe, 6 inline, automatic, blue/black leather interior;
1969 Mustang 2+2 Fastback, V/8/, red/black leather;
1979 Mustang, 2+2 Hatchback, inline 4, automatic, bronze/beige leather;


Favorite Imports:
1980 Volvo 262 C Bertone Coupe, Gold/white leather interior, V/6, automatic;
1978 Porsche 924, 4 cyl, 4 spd, BRG exterior/beige leather & cloth,
1972 BMW 2002, 2 dr cpe, sunroof, blue/black interior, std 4 cyl;
1965 Volvo P1800S, 2dr cpe, white/red, 4 speed +OD, 4 cyl ;
1959 MGA FHC, 4 cyl 4 spd, Black/red leather interior, luggage rack;
1959 MGA convert, 4 cyl, 4 spd, Grey/black/black top, luggage rack;


Favorite Vans or Trucks:
1971 VW Westfalia Pop Top with Camper package;
1978 Chev Beauville Custom Camper package, raised roof, 350 V/8 auto;
1989 Nissan Pathfinder XE, 4X4, V/6, standard, Black on Black;
1989 GMC/Chev Tracker, 4X4 (had 2, 1 Red & 1 Grey), std;
1997 Dodge Caravan SE, V/6, auto, 7 passenger.

Lots more, too many to mention here. A list of autos that gave us more grief than pleasure might also be of interest?
regards,
Bill

[cywprof]

Hi again Paul,

You started me thinking about cars that "gave me grief" and cars that
"I wanted". Mind you as a "certified car nut", I can usually find something good in most cars. A few did give me more grief than pleasure. Short list:

Chrysler Le Baron 2dr Coupe, looked great, motor was a mistake (2.5);
Renault Caravelle, good looker, mechanically a disaster, was there a frame?
Ford Grenada 2 dr Cpe, nice lines, couldn't hold a charge, dealer no help;
Plytmouth Belvedere, bought new, great style, ate transmissions (5); New Chev Corvette, blew a transmission took GM 2 mths to replace; just to mention a few!

Cars I would still like to own: Jaguar XK150S FHC; Porsche 911; TR2 or TR3; Volvo 120 series, Volvo P444 or 544; Tucker; 1955 T-Bird; 1975 Rolls Royce; reown: Volvo P1800S, 1959 Ford Thunderbird convert; 1959 MGA FHC.
regards,
Bill

[infinity1]

excellent posts guys! if i can remember the cars..
1st, ford fiesta 1.1 l bought for £75 ran for 18months mega reliable!
2nd vauxhall astra 1.3 gl bought for £50 so reliable it hurt until i sold it (£80!!)someone then used it in an armed robbery...try explaining that to the police...
3rd another vauxhall astra bought for £25!!,1.4 l.. crock of sh** sold within a week for £50
4th sierra 4x4 estate 2.9 bought for £250 awesome car had 140000 miles when i bought it very fast car for its day,double the legal limit in it! stolen from lakeside shopping centre one afternoon and actually watched 2 blokes walk up to it open door a drive away in about 10 seconds,with all my kids seats,clothes in it...gutted for weeks..
5th another sierra 4x4 est 2.9 ebay(early days) job bought for £100 with tax and mot!!
again very quick reliable motor,sold for £450
6th subaru legacy turbo est,£2600 utter sh** gearbox went sdold for £1500(?)
7th volvo 240 gl est bought for £50 from the side of the road! run for about 2000 miles sold for £150 got me into the whole volvo thing..
8th 740 est £150
9th 740 turbo est £350
10th 740 est £500 (gradually going up..)
11 740 est £375 90k miles full service history 2 owners...should of kept that one..
12th vauxhall omega elite est 89000 miles £1500 lovely car but all vauxhalls have bloody head gasket,rocker gasket,issues,lovely to drive and a real luxury car price of this one when new was over £35k!!!
13th volvo t5r hooray after being after one for about 5 years finally one turns up 2mins from my house!!!! love it!!!
there was a couple of 940's ut im stuffed if i know where???
still would like a go in...
alfa 75 2.5 v6
saab 900 turbo old style one..

[cywprof]

Originally Posted by DuncVolvo940

Ok, here is my list of cars & bikes (in the order of which I bought them):

1978 Austin Mini 1000 City - Green
1989 Peugeot 309 1.3 XL - White
1991 Volvo 440 1.7 - Blue
1992 Rover 820 Si 2.0 - B.R.G.
1989 Ford Fiesta Ghia 1.6 - Two-tone Red over Grey
1990 Ford Escort XR3i 1.6 - White
1989 Volvo 240 GLT 2.3 - Grey
1986 Austin Mini 1000 Mayfair - B.R.G. with White roof & Cooper stripes
1996 Peugeot 306 XLDT 1.9 - Blue
1992 Rover 827 SLi 2.7 - Red
1993 Volvo 940s 2.0 - Black
1989 Vauxhall Astra SXi Estate 1.8 - Burgandy
1997 Ford Escort Zetec 1.6 - Blue

1995 Honda MT50 X - White
1997 Kawasaki ER-5 - Silver
1998 Suzuki XF650 Freewind - Silver
1989 Yamaha TZR 125 - White & Red
1998 Honda XL 125R - White
1993 Suzuki GSF400 Bandit - Black
1999 Honda CBR 600 FX - Red & Blue

Fastest Car - Rover 827 SLi
Fastest Bike - Honda CBR 600 FX
Best Looking Car - Ford Escort XR3i
Best Looking Bike - Yamaha TZR 125
Most Surprising Car - Vauxhall Astra SXi Estate
Most Surprising Bike - Suzuki GSF400 Bandit
Best Car Overall - Volvo 240 GLT
Best Bike Overall - Honda CBR 600 FX

Nice presentation of your cars, thanks
Bill

[felix65]

1st car back in 1983 was an M reg toyota celica auto coupe
with a black plastic rack on the back window.
My favourite car ive just sold

and the hard top made a cat conservatory in the summer

[keithyboy]

My first car was a 1983 Lada 1300 in orange. You may laugh with with double wishbones on the front and a properly located live axle at the back it handled quite well once you got over the initial roll when you turned in.

Favourites:

My first MKV Cortina (Just like to say thanks to whoever nicked it when I'd had it six weeks)
The Tasman Blue Sierra GLSi with Cossie wheels which I piled into a bollard
My current Primera GT

Best

Volvo 440 or 1.6 Primera. Neither were fast but they both gave you the impression that they'd get you to the moon and back.

[GSS]

First car 1968 Triumph Herald bought in 1977 when I was 17 for the princely sum of £190; great little car with a marvellous turning circle, but a bit like sitting in a torpedo tube with the pedals slightly offset to one side and the steering wheel to the other!
Second car a 1974 Lada 1200 bought in 1979.
Third car another Lada 1200 bought brand new for £2800 on the road in 1981 when I was 20. Traded in four and a half years later with 48700 miles on the clock for a brand new 1985 Lada Riva 1200 at £3313 on the road when I took it to the dealer for it's 48000 mile service. (Trade in price for the old 1200 was £2200 plus the dealer paid for the service, so total trade in was £2548 so I lost £452 un depreciation over four and a half years, which I don't think is bad. That Riva was brilliant. I had it for ten years, it covered 185000 miles, broke down only once when the condensor failed, (cost me £2.25 from the AA to fix), and was sold to a couple of Russians who shipped it out of Teignmouth back to Russia in 1995.
Fourth car, Lada Riva 1500 estate.
Fifth car Lada Riva 1300 saloon, (turned into a replica Russian police car and went all over the country doing car and charity shows. Greta fun on the motorways, especially with yours truly in full Russian police uniform.
Sixth car Volvo 245 7-seater estate, old X reg, (bought when wife p*ssed off with family GP so could take children, (5), out when with me. Great car, loved it to bits. Had at same time as fifth car.
Seventh car, Lada Riva 1500 saloon with extras, (spoiler front and back, extra brake lights, walnut dash, etc.) Had at same time as No.s 5 and 6.
Eighth car, Volvo 240 7-seater estate, 1989 model, still have , excellent condition.
Ninth car, Lada Riva 1500 estate. Had at same time as Nos. 5, 7 and 8
Tenth car, Lada Riva 1500 slaoon. Had at same time as Nos 5, 7. 8, and 9.
Eleventh car, Toyota Townace, 8 seater. Had at same time as Nos 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10. Originally bought to replace Volvo 240, but thought better of it and kept Volvo as well.
Now only have Volvo 240 and Townace. All Ladas sold, (first time in 30 years I have been Lada-less).