What other cars have you owned?

Not many for me - only started when I left the RAF

Fiat Panda - primer orange - Mk1 with deck chair seats bought for £100. Total nail. Coolant was total loss system, left indicator usually on. Pointed at everywhere we drove. Took daughter home from hospital, after 10 weeks in SCBU in this!!
Fiat uno - bianco white 5 dr - not the best
Fiat Punto Mk1 1.1 - purpel/blue - great car took me to Le Mans (bought for wife)
Fiat Tempra 1.8 - big blue taxi
## company cars ##
Ford escort estate (petrol)
Vauxhall Cavalier 1.8 (petrol)
## company cars ##
Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo - Scots Green Metallic - first car with a bit of poke
1984 Porsche 911 3.2 Carrera Cabrio (bought for wife)
BMW 730i - Metallic black - got the german thing out of my system
Alfa 166 3.0 V6 super - grigio - Black momo - gorgeous - manual
Alfa 166 3.0 V6 Lusso- grigio - Black momo - gorgeous - Auto
Maserati 3200 GT Asetto Corsa manual - here we still are 8 years later.
1995 Mazda MX-5 - silver, with SS exhaust and coilovers - summer toy.

Really not exciting....

Age 7-25 mostly motorbikes & more motorbikes really for me and Jeanette....

Age 13, first 'owned' car; Vauxhall Victor 101 Super Estate (3.0 column shift 3 speed) given to me as a non-runner, got it going, cushions on the seat and taught myself to drive Big bus steering wheel and front wings only just attached along the top (used to flap about), never got caught but my big brother's friend was jealous of me owning it and stole it and promptly crashed it as he couldn't drive!

Age 14, Hillman Imp with a race engine! had a blown head gasket so I removed the heads, cut new gaskets and rebuilt it, couldn't take that on the road so I used to drive it miles over farm tracks out to Ongar and all around Stapleford! Got caught out by the clocks going back one Sunday with no lights and got lost, misread a gap in the hedge as the track when actually it was a ditch and parked it all four wheels in the air on a tree stump!!!!

Age 17/18 MKIII Cortina 1600 auto (orange) great reg I wish I'd kept VMM8M held together with masking tape and under sealer! £40 non-runnner sold for £140 nearly two years later.

Hyundai Pony MKII Pick-up = my first brand new buy! Was self employed at the time (1987) and it was a good little runabout. Also the only vehicle I've ever been done for speeding in or on! Clocked at 102 but booked for 98 in a 50

Alfa-Sud - major grin factor but needed to sweep the rust off the road outside the flat every few weeks!!!

MGB GT - classic (K-reg) car, classic rust issues - bought when I was doing a car body restoration evening class!

Fiat Uno (new) a whole 45 BHP!!! Hilarious in the snow!

Ex-police Hillman Avenger (virtually a Tiger spec!!!) bought for Jeanette to learn to drive in but scrapped when the chassis rail let the wishbone point in the other direction!

Fiat Regatta saloon (new) basically a Fiat 124 but with a transverse engine grafted in! it was a 'post production' car so I got it nearly half price but constantly had issues, mostly with snapped exhausts because the engine rolled about so much (axle tramp)... Had it for 5 plus years though!

****company cars**** all appalling

Fiat Ulysses (Useless!) Big brood now so needed a people carrier = bought from big brother, ex-exec airport car so spec'd to the hilt.

Hyundai Accent MVi (new) a hoot of a car to drive, very capable and under rated, did 120,000 miles in it in 4 years.

****company cars**** many but appalling mostly till I got to Porsches and other German boxes.

People carrier changed to Kia Sedona (new) (oh dear) sadly kept this for 5 years but in that time it had more warranty work than it's value new!!!!

Mercedes 123 230E (classic car time), had for 4 years, restored and enjoyed very much! Put to work as my company car when I went back to being self employed!

Toyota Aygo (new) - no need for a people carrier again (eeer well maybe not); Jeanette's run around.......

MkI Discovery 2.5TDi (7 seats again) took over from the Merc as my company car (not my brightest move) until HM Gov't announced scrappage!!!

Toyota Aygo (new) - scrappage on the Disco and traded the old Aygo for a brand new one for not a lot!

Leased the van (stitched up on a 4-year agreement) but 6 seats very handy...

Maserati 4200 (think you know about that one)

Bought the van (cheaper than the fuel excess!!!!!!), rebuilt the van (ongoing)

Looking to change the Aygo next year for... I think it may be a MiTO or a 500?

Fair play Newton I'm exhausted now.

2b1ask1 said:

Age 14, Hillman Imp with a race engine! had a blown head gasket so I removed the heads, cut new gaskets and rebuilt it, couldn't take that on the road so I used to drive it miles over farm tracks out to Ongar and all around Stapleford!

Click to expand...

Newton, all around Stableford, up near the top oak we used to hang around there in the old hall, had a lot of mates live there.

Andy - your Green GTV was just like the 3.0V6 we had a few years back. I bought it from a dealer in Nottingham way - was it the same one? Bought in 2006 ish.

I sold it back in 2000 I believe....I say it for sale at a dealer up country a few years later and they said it had lower miles than when I had sold her so sent them an email......The car originally came from Ireland....I bought it from the Alfa dealer in Bristol.....Lovely car green and tan...

Your GTV was clocked?!

Irish Miles..??

4200cambiocorsa said:

Newton, all around Stableford, up near the top oak we used to hang around there in the old hall, had a lot of mates live there.

Click to expand...

Yep, back in the 70's the farmer's fields were much more open and by crossing a few roads it was always amazing how far afield I could get. I kept them on a farm down the back of Havering-atte-Bower that was mostly stables, it was surrounded by Crown land. I used to cycle up there a couple of times a week with a gallon of gas on the back of the bike and put it in either the bikes or the car; quite industrious as a kid and back then it was about 70-80p a gallon I recall. We didn't have a telly at home so I was always out and about A favourite was around Shonks Mill, this involved getting across the Roding via a farm ford out near Curtis Mill...

2b1ask1 said:

Yep, back in the 70's the farmer's fields were much more open and by crossing a few roads it was always amazing how far afield I could get. I kept them on a farm down the back of Havering-atte-Bower that was mostly stables, it was surrounded by Crown land. I used to cycle up there a couple of times a week with a gallon of gas on the back of the bike and put it in either the bikes or the car; quite industrious as a kid and back then it was about 70-80p a gallon I recall. We didn't have a telly at home so I was always out and about A favourite was around Shonks Mill, this involved getting across the Roding via a farm ford out near Curtis Mill...

Click to expand...

Stableford Abbotts was like a second home for me in the 70's with the cycle speedway track down Tysea Hill and playing football in Ongar the Top Oak and garage blimey even remember when Suzi Quatro moved in. by all accounts it seems to be car salesman zone now and a lot of the country life has gone shame really.

Andyk said:

Matt, not seen a face lifted 3.2 GTV for sale for ages....

Click to expand...

I have one I have been trying to buy for 2 years now, its not advertised and the guy is supposed to be calling me back tomorrow.

haha he wont ring......

Has he rung yet, or is he waiting until tomorrow..??

Still after that one then Matt...IF he will sell buy as they are like rocking horse poo....

Mini mayfair 1983, VW Polo 1981, Fiat Uno 70S 1983, Peugeot 309SR 1986, Fiat Uno turbo 1989, Honda CRX 1988, MG Maestro Turbo 1989, Rover 216 Coupe 1994, Renault 19 16V phase 2 1994, Golf Gti Mk2 big bumper 1989, Golf Gti Mk3 1993, Subaru Impreza Sport 1999, Fiesta Si (taken as px), Rover 800 Vitesse 1994, Seat Ibiza Cupra Sport 1998, BMW Z3 1998, Vauxhall Astra Duel Fuel 2001, Peugeot 306 GTi-6 1996, Subaru Impreza WRX import 1993, Fiat Coupe 20V 1998, Nissan Skyline R34 Nismo 1999, Rover 218SLD Turbo 1993, Golf Gti Mk3 1998, Mazda RX8 221 2004, Subaru Impreza WR1 2004, Crysler Crossfire Coupe 2006, and now Maserati 4200 CC 2003, Alfa 147 JTD 2003,

I am 39 as well, so still a fair few to go from the list i made as a kid.....

citroen visa GT, MG Metro, 2 vauxhall novas, clio 1 1.9d, selection of citroen company cars, peugeot company cars, renault company cars, nissan x trail 2.2di, jeep patriot 2.0crd, alfa giulietta veloce 1.4 MA

rally cars..... 1219cc clubman talbot samba, Gp N Renault 5 GT turbo, Clio 2.0 16v clubman Gp A .... retirement/common sense...

Here we go,

1967 Renault 4....PDF670G 6v electricals, starting handle (useful)... absolutely brilliant car.. especially to pull to bits and reassemble.. wet liners in the head..easily fixed..
Viva.. HC... hopeless..v tail happy
Fiat SuperMirafiori ....in Pink !..
TR7 convertible... Dreadful..
XR3i...black ..A495WRX. loved that one.. followed by another silver one.. C442PAN
several XR2's .. not so good
Peugeot 309 GTi 1.9... very chuckable
BMW 325i D948TUS... seemed quick at the time .. but tail happy..
Rover 216... awful
BMW 318i.... ordinary
Lancia Prisma .. Suede seats !.. but pretty poor
Citroen AXGT... astonishingly good
VW Passat estate VR6 engine very early one.. great gearbox .. ugly but effective.
VW Corrado VR6... that was very cool..really good drive..
MR2 Tbar.. fun
Alfa 3.0 GTV.. Black/ red seats.
Alfa 3.0 GTV Red / Black seats. bigger wheels
Alfa 145 boxer..118,000mls and very revvy...
Alfa 156 wagon 3.2 GTA... Silver / 2 tone leather .. never really loved it.. duuno why..
Maserati 4200 cc... absolutely brilliant..
Alfa 147 1.9 jtdm ... probably one of the best cars we've had as an all rounder.
Land Rover Freelander.. early one ... rubbish... the worst by far
Mercedes ML320... not bad
Landrover Disco 3... utterly brilliant.. still got it..
Maserati 4.2 GT... recent and very much in love...

All told, I've been very lucky with my Alfas.. and italian cars in general.. never any serious problems with any of them..

Only car thats ever left me stranded was the Freelander..... and the Fiat (broken cam belt disaster - never the same...)

Nice esoteric selection there Fangio.........


P

Parisien said:

Nice esoteric selection there Fangio.........




P

Click to expand...

Ha Ha... just thinking about the Renault makes me smile... The whole body was un boltlable from the Chassis... wings and other body panels were just bolted on .. and easily repaired after a ding..interior ventilation was just pushing the vent open.. doors just lifted off their hinges..

Terrifying for passengers as it lurched and rolled round corners.. bounced nicely over hump backed bridges.. Bench seat on the front.. for those romantic evenings..

Battery invariably flat .. and at petrol stations the whole forecourt would stop and watch me start it on the starting handle (usually first time )...

And most impressive of all (esp to my mates)... when we ran out of petrol after a night in the pub...(regular) .. it really did run on .. P**s.... !.. you simply relieved yourself in the tank... waited 5 mins.. and the car started and got us all home...multiple occasions.... Any passengers absolutely gobsmacked..

Mind you.. it did leave the unpleasant task of draining the tank in the morning.. but there was a very helpful drain plug for that..

Shame there's nothing like that now... I'd have another in a heartbeat...

Well I suppose peeing neat alcohol would be a benefit in those circumstances..??