Best And Worse.

[transam]

All these recollections.. First time i noticed a different car was a Borgward. The Owner was a Spy naturaly , any Foreigner was to a 10 year old after the War. He had this Coupe Sports, it was silver, thus proving he was a Spy, all Brit Cars were Black, or Toilet Wall Green. I was a bit pissed off when Grandpappy told me he was a Polish Pilot .I can still remember how unique it looked. .My Dad had a small Lanchester, that did have Leather Seats as Standard, and Ponged of Sheroots. Ahhh...Memories......:jap:

Hmmmmmm, memories of dad's 1950's Riley and Wolsley (if that's how you spell it)..

[ignis]

memories.... Pre-select gearbox, I had a number of these, one Daimler was a nightmare you would dip the clutch and it would jump out and trap your leg against the steering wheel... or the manual 2 or 3 speed crash box... vacuum wipers... you had to be good at starting the car with the handle at the front taking care to be fast to let go or have a damaged or broken hand... drum brakes all round, stopping was a matter of how hard you could stamp on the brake peddle... once on the move the engine pulled at any speed so rarely changed gear.. cross ply tires... indicator stick if your going to fast would stay stuck out = wind down the window to push back in.. of course some nice things like real wood, leather, front bench seats, good looking, many more makes

As the the Triumph Herald and the door would pop open, many makes of car if you cornered to hard the door would fly open, often with the front opening doors + driving alone meant you had to stop and go round to close it as the door was against the back body work. ahhh memories good and bad, funny when you think back and what everyone expects today in there cars.

[wandrinstar]

Had a Wison Pre Select in a 45 ish Riley Kestrell .What a Piglet. Tripple Amal Carbs that shot flames like a War Weapon. Vertex Cintilla Magneto that was lethall,sent out enough power to light Bkk.. I must be the only one who liked the Herald. It reminded me of the Circus Car that the bits blew off..I remember my friend doing hand brake turns in one, when a Trillby Hat came up and said he would take his Number and Report him. My Friend got out and ripped the Plate off, give em that mate save you jotting it down .

[Shot]

Dad's 1962 Plymouth Fury II, 4-door. It had a push button transmission. He covered the seats with a clear, bumpy hard plastic, so they wouldn't get stained from 4 kids in the back. Funny thing though, no one wore seatbelts, so every time he turned a corner, you would end up with 4 kids sliding across the seat and ending up squished against the door. Which probably was not locked.

[Naam]

can't make up my mind between three phantastic cars each having its own merits:

-Porsche 928, bought in dec 1979, sold jan 1989;

-Calloway Corvette, bought in jan 1989, sold aug 2001;

-BMW 850 presently (for sunday morning cruises only).

[wandrinstar]

Dad's 1962 Plymouth Fury II, 4-door. It had a push button transmission. He covered the seats with a clear, bumpy hard plastic, so they wouldn't get stained from 4 kids in the back. Funny thing though, no one wore seatbelts, so every time he turned a corner, you would end up with 4 kids sliding across the seat and ending up squished against the door. Which probably was not locked.

And you diddnt have to change the Oil every 5 Mins like we do now.. The sumps are so small these days.

[Kwasaki]

Really the whole thread is saying so far you only get what you pay for ??

No...... I have owned a Citroen 2CV, a very old Bedford CF van and a Fiat 124, all 2nd hand and very cheap all utterly reliable.... also owned cheap cars that just maybe you would get where your going, likewise with 2 near new car, constant breakdowns, sold within a few months.

When I bought my 1st car 1965, no-one would go anywhere without a tool kit and a boot full of parts, a blanket and pillow encase you could not fix or was dark things have changed a lots since then.

Yeah !! I was being a bit emotive, and true you could get a reliable secondhand car in England anyway.

It seemed to me anyway new cars in England were put out to the public to see what went wrong with them first, so people got to know what secondhand cars were good.

I know OP not want but my first car was a 1954 Consul Mk1 1400 engine, column change, vacuum wipers. £ 37.

It taught me everything about motors, front to back, everywhich way.

Edited September 17, 2011 by Kwasaki

[wandrinstar]

Post away, i for one am enjoying your stories of yesteryear, that Consul was the begining of value Modern Fords, my Uncle stayed a Ford Man from then on. The Wipers were a Law unto themself i remember. Be nice to hear more Best Yank Tanks though, we had very dreary stuff, to flashy for serious Brits. One old Guy had a Rocket 88, i was in awe as a Kid.

[transam]

I had a UK 1959 Ford Zepher Lowline 6 pot, at 20 it was a cool ride.

[transam]

My chum for 20 odd years.

1976 T/A, 6.8 ltr 1971 block, 1968 heads, 1969 crank, alloy rods and a loooong list of stuff .

[Kwasaki]

I had a UK 1959 Ford Zepher Lowline 6 pot, at 20 it was a cool ride.

I liked my 1962 Consul 375 Mk2 married by then but could never afford garages anyway.

Again it taught me how to rebuild a gearbox and it had similar sort of faults the Mk1 had, except the bodywork would rust much worst, so that got me more into bodywork and respray car work as well as mechanics.

Mine became two tone at the bottom half.

[Kwasaki]

You could include Ex Wives Cars . How many of us had to Buy Down just to get the Old Nagger a Ride. T.P.s Nova coment just reminded me, it was like a small Cruze to drive, flat as a Witches Tit .., you dreamed of owning a Milk Float . So far i like everyones Fav, perhaps thats because Tunas were not Wallowing around then.

My ex-wife wouldn't stand for anything down on my ride, after the divorce settlement my ex-wife bought her own car.

Cripes, l married your ex.

Was that before or after I'd had a extra ride or two in the back of the car.

[transam]

You could include Ex Wives Cars . How many of us had to Buy Down just to get the Old Nagger a Ride. T.P.s Nova coment just reminded me, it was like a small Cruze to drive, flat as a Witches Tit .., you dreamed of owning a Milk Float . So far i like everyones Fav, perhaps thats because Tunas were not Wallowing around then.

My ex-wife wouldn't stand for anything down on my ride, after the divorce settlement my ex-wife bought her own car.

Cripes, l married your ex.

Was that before or after I'd had a extra ride or two in the back of the car.

oooooooooooop's, don't know.

[mallyrd]

Best: Capri 3000 GT XLR, "J" reg so I guess it puts at around 1970 or 71

Worst: Surprisingly enough a TC Marina

[phutoie2]

can't make up my mind between three phantastic cars each having its own merits:

-Porsche 928, bought in dec 1979, sold jan 1989;

-Calloway Corvette, bought in jan 1989, sold aug 2001;

-BMW 850 presently (for sunday morning cruises only).

I always admired the way the Germans kept their motors for years, I was married to a local girl when I was BAOR and her father only owned 3 cars in his life time, all Merc diesels. In 1990 we all went down to the factory in Sindelfingen and picked up his new Merc 300.

I was allowed to drive the old one back. The FIL passed away a few years ago and the same Merc is still in the family and going well I hear.

For many years I was always under the impression that Mercs did not come with heaters as every time the FIL went out for a drive he had a big overcoat, trilby hat and leather gloves on.

[wandrinstar]

can't make up my mind between three phantastic cars each having its own merits:

-Porsche 928, bought in dec 1979, sold jan 1989;

-Calloway Corvette, bought in jan 1989, sold aug 2001;

-BMW 850 presently (for sunday morning cruises only).

I always admired the way the Germans kept their motors for years, I was married to a local girl when I was BAOR and her father only owned 3 cars in his life time, all Merc diesels. In 1990 we all went down to the factory in Sindelfingen and picked up his new Merc 300.

I was allowed to drive the old one back. The FIL passed away a few years ago and the same Merc is still in the family and going well I hear.

For many years I was always under the impression that Mercs did not come with heaters as every time the FIL went out for a drive he had a big overcoat, trilby hat and leather gloves on.

Small World, i was in Saltau and Minden. Q.E Barracks. A Wanky Tanky. The Chieftan Tank Driving seat was softer than the Benz .We Pooled together and bought a nackerd 4 Cyl Oiler Benz, indestuctable .

[ignis]

Thai guy in my Village bought a new Fortuner in 2005, still kept his 123 black Benz 300D, 6 years on the Fortuner has less the 5,000 km on the clock as he uses the old 300D every day, he hates the Fortuner but say one day the Benz will fail.

myself never liked the 123, the only one i like of the more modern day ones is the 124, or the ML but for the price would be better off with the Kia Sorrento.

[Shot]

Not a best or worst. Just taking a trip down memory lane.

1972 Plymouth Fury III, ours was yellow with a black top. Dad must have had a thing for Fury's as this was our second one. This thing was HUGE. Every summer we would hook up the boat and trailer it form Seattle to Shasta Lake in northern California. That is a long trip when you're the youngest of 4 kids, plus a neighbor kid and a dog. About every 100 miles or so, an argument or fight would break out in the back. My dad had a loooooong arm, so you had to be quick in order to avoid a slap across the face; I usually made a dive for the floor with the dog.

[wandrinstar]

Not a best or worst. Just taking a trip down memory lane.

1972 Plymouth Fury III, ours was yellow with a black top. Dad must have had a thing for Fury's as this was our second one. This thing was HUGE. Every summer we would hook up the boat and trailer it form Seattle to Shasta Lake in northern California. That is a long trip when you're the youngest of 4 kids, plus a neighbor kid and a dog. About every 100 miles or so, an argument or fight would break out in the back. My dad had a loooooong arm, so you had to be quick in order to avoid a slap across the face; I usually made a dive for the floor with the dog.

Was its full name Belvedier Fury .?.

[Shot]

Not a best or worst. Just taking a trip down memory lane.

1972 Plymouth Fury III, ours was yellow with a black top. Dad must have had a thing for Fury's as this was our second one. This thing was HUGE. Every summer we would hook up the boat and trailer it form Seattle to Shasta Lake in northern California. That is a long trip when you're the youngest of 4 kids, plus a neighbor kid and a dog. About every 100 miles or so, an argument or fight would break out in the back. My dad had a loooooong arm, so you had to be quick in order to avoid a slap across the face; I usually made a dive for the floor with the dog.

Was its full name Belvedier Fury .?.

Not a Belvedier. The only other model I know of at that time was the Gran Fury…I think

[Kwasaki]

Thai guy in my Village bought a new Fortuner in 2005, still kept his 123 black Benz 300D, 6 years on the Fortuner has less the 5,000 km on the clock as he uses the old 300D every day, he hates the Fortuner but say one day the Benz will fail.

Mercedes W123 great motor, don't upset the guy in the village by telling him the Merc will probably see out the Fortuner.

[wandrinstar]

Thai guy in my Village bought a new Fortuner in 2005, still kept his 123 black Benz 300D, 6 years on the Fortuner has less the 5,000 km on the clock as he uses the old 300D every day, he hates the Fortuner but say one day the Benz will fail.

Mercedes W123 great motor, don't upset the guy in the village by telling him the Merc will probably see out the Fortuner.

Later on they got better the first 2 Litre wouldnt pull you out of bed.

[transam]

Thai guy in my Village bought a new Fortuner in 2005, still kept his 123 black Benz 300D, 6 years on the Fortuner has less the 5,000 km on the clock as he uses the old 300D every day, he hates the Fortuner but say one day the Benz will fail.

Mercedes W123 great motor, don't upset the guy in the village by telling him the Merc will probably see out the Fortuner.

Later on they got better the first 2 Litre wouldnt pull you out of bed.

Had a 2001 E220 CDi Merc, what a lovely car, went like a rocket and the 5 speed auto trans was a peach.

[wandrinstar]

Thai guy in my Village bought a new Fortuner in 2005, still kept his 123 black Benz 300D, 6 years on the Fortuner has less the 5,000 km on the clock as he uses the old 300D every day, he hates the Fortuner but say one day the Benz will fail.

Mercedes W123 great motor, don't upset the guy in the village by telling him the Merc will probably see out the Fortuner.

Later on they got better the first 2 Litre wouldnt pull you out of bed.

Had a 2001 E220 CDi Merc, what a lovely car, went like a rocket and the 5 speed auto trans was a peach.

Had a 250 sel V8 3.5, in 68,great engine.in a boreing benz .Nice to put the engine, or a V8 Lexus,another V8 i had in a Tina , or any underpowered something here. A PJS perhaps.!!

[endure]

The worst car I ever had was an old box-shape Audi 80. It wasn't until after I'd bought it and been driving it for a couple of weeks that someone pointed out that the paint on one side was a different shade to the paint on the other.

The best car I ever had was my rinky dink little Peugeot 205 GTI 1.6. It was like driving a roller skate that could read your mind.

Here's its big brother. Wish I had one of these...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rswT2gG4OII

[wandrinstar]

Beautifull , took me back to my 10 years of Motoring News events.The Will Sparrow, Bob Lawrance era. I never beat Lawrances Mini once , or Sparrow , had em on stage times but overall i hung round low top 10. with Escort BDA.s..Highest National was Fram Internationall Welsh Rally , low thirties i think . Swapt to a Wife , must be Mad. Life Ended .

[Jim's_a_Thai_Fox]

The best car I had was a "G reg" Ford Escort estate, 1.8D. I had it for several years whilst studying in southern France and in northern England and then after that, working in Lyon and London. Fondly remember driving home to England from Avignon for Christmas with the best friend and the missus... it sure helped having an English car in France - impossible to get a ticket, much to a few Gendarmes annoyance. I even fondly remember having to park it at the top of the hill outside work during winter times as it was a pretty bad starter in sub zero weather and I would need to 'roll start' her to get home. She would nudge a ton and I still smile about overtaking a yellow Lancia Delta HF Integrale whilst on a road trip to Zaragoza, Spain. Would do 500 miles on a tank doing 80 mph...would love that sort of economy now.

Worst car? Had some stinkers, but all of them character building! It's the bad ones that teach you about motor mechanics and basic maintenance :-)

[Shot]

[Kwasaki]

Now, now ' shot ', I drove a V8 Ford Pilot when I was 14, it was my uncles car, dad went off to work in his car and my uncle, left his keys on the kichen table, what a buzz. !!!.

Maybe a queue for a new thread eh !!!

[wandrinstar]

You must be about my age.I remember the Pilot. We had a Lanchester about that time, and a Jowitt Javalin after that.. .