company cars from the 80s

[Charles Morgan]

XR3i, XR3i cabriolet, XR3i Cabriolet Turbo Technics, Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 2 WD ...... My bank, unlike Coutts, didnt stretch to funding Bentleys !

Coutts certainly didn't employ me. Never issued a chequebook, handled cash or filled a cash machine in my life.

 

[MOCAŠ]

Never ... handled cash ... in my life.

Are you the Queen (as opposed to being her banker)?

 

[Charles Morgan]

Fiat Mirafiori, Alfa 33, Citroen BX, Lancia Delta, Escort XR3i,

A very eclectic list indeed!

 

[Deleted member 6183]

My colleague had a montego estate in 1992, aka 'the hearse'. Seem to recall it had a Perkins diesel.

 

[Dieselman]

My first Co car was a Mazda 626, which got written off after 3 months (not my fault), Vx Chavalier which the engine soon went pop in fine style, Sierra Sapphire, Volvo 440GLT, Honda Accord, Citroen XM * 2, then a couple of Pugs at which point I called time on Company cars.

Nearly all of these were new models so the breakdown rate was sometimes painful.

 

[Dieselman]

My colleague had a montego estate in 1992, aka 'the hearse'. Seem to recall it had a Perkins diesel.

Perkins Prima. The first direct injection diesel engine for passenger cars.

Noisy as a Moose, but gave 50mpg all day long.

 

[mika]

my first two company cars

1987 VW Golf GTI 8v
1990 Ford Sierra 2.0 GLS

one of them was one of the best cars i have ever had the other wasnt

 

[Gollom]

Company/Company funded cars:
First was a Ford Orion Ghia (and boy did I think it was the dogs danglies!)
Another Orion
Ford Sapphire
Vauxhall Carlton (x2)
Citroen XM (Adored that car!)
Citroen BX19 GTi (whoosh!)
Some Audi 5 cylinder thing
Ford Cougar V6 (IMHO a classic!)
Rover 825i
MB CD220CDi
MB B200 CDi
MB E220CDi

 

[del320]

XR3i, XR3i cabriolet, XR3i Cabriolet Turbo Technics, Sierra Sapphire Cosworth 2 WD ...... My bank, unlike Coutts, didnt stretch to funding Bentleys !

Coutts certainly didn't employ me. Never issued a chequebook, handled cash or filled a cash machine in my life.

I left back in 2005 - a much welcomed redundancy from an investment banking job that was literally killing me. Travelling between teams I ran in London, New York and Singapore while suffering from severe (un-diagnosed) sleep apnoea made life a living hell.

I ran a team of 30 advising companies & governments on structuring and financing projects, privatisations, acquisitions and general corporate fundraising within the Utility, Power and Energy sectors for what used to be called Kleinwort Benson, but is now buried within a German bank.

After a few years recuperating, travelling and getting the zest for life back I now run my own (gloriously untaxing and unsuccessful) wine cellar installation business.

I never had a company car, but I remember my first day at bank branch I had been transferred to as a lowly 28 year old G4 clerk.

My manager was peering over the half-frosted glass window in his room as I burbled up and stepped out of my almost new SAAB 99 Turbo. Ushered in and introduced, he eyed me with some suspicion and wasted little time enquiring how I could afford such a motor. I also have to say I bore a passing resemblance to Gerry Adams - that didn't help...

 

[ricardo62]

I never had a company car, but I remember my first day at bank branch I had been transferred to as a lowly 28 year old G4 clerk.

My manager was peering over the half-frosted glass window in his room as I burbled up and stepped out of my almost new SAAB 99 Turbo. Ushered in and introduced, he eyed me with some suspicion and wasted little time enquiring how I could afford such a motor. I also have to say I bore a passing resemblance to Gerry Adams - that didn't help...

priceless lol!!! sleep apnea is what I have .

 

[DSM10000]

We had a lease scheme through a specialist firm which the bank owned. As employees your grade from Assistant Manager upwards gave you a lease car allowance that increased with rank. We all got ripped off by the lease firm who offer our competitors far better deals, but my first car was a bright red Golf Gti 8v H reg as you could choose from a huge list (my boss had a 190 2.6). When that was nicked, a BMW 325i, then a Fiat Coupe, then I took the cash option and bought a secondhand Bentley Turbo R instead, which was much more the thing at 27.

Mr Morgan, I salute your inimitable style and savoir faire!

 

[Satch]

Last place I worked that had a car scheme you had to take whatever car was available to you from the pool. Since there was high staff turnover, usually some choice but risk of being lumbered with something hideous.

So when a batch of new joiners (self included) turned up there was a terrible scramble and whining, moaning etc. as they discovered the joys of having to choose from a selection of rancid poverty spec Repmobiles. If you had colour coded door mirrors, that was considered a big win.

However I was not bothered as I already had a car and did not really need a company one.

That changed within few months so off I went to see the miserable cow who "ran" the car fleet, unencumbered by knowing anything about cars. After much huffing & puffing she said that I had to have whatever was available and right now there was only one.

Very grotty so you will have to clean it up yourself. Rules is rules so here you go.

Flung an envelope at me which had reg. number scrawled on the front, keys within and snarled "It is somewhere on site. No idea where" and turned away. Thanks.

So I stuck the envelope in my pocket and bimbled off. Some time later, after a hideous meeting, I slumped into my chair and opened the envelope. Out came some BMW keys.

I knew instantly what it was: the filthy BMW 525 that had been sitting in the Directors car park after a particularly unpleasant character had been given the chop some weeks before.

Managed to keep it a whole two days before a pathetic status conscious manager made such a fuss that it was given to him and I got his manky Sierra estate.

 

[Clkrichard]

Coutts certainly didn't employ me. Never issued a chequebook, handled cash or filled a cash machine in my life.

My apologies Charles I would have sworn someone on here said you worked at Coutts. Were you a City Man ? I was Manufacturers Hanover for 20+ years

 

[Dieselman]

Managed to keep it a whole two days before a pathetic status conscious manager made such a fuss that it was given to him and I got his manky Sierra estate.

Sounds like you worked for a right bunch of backstabbing shysters.

 

[BruLan]

My Company Cars from the 80's
Metro Van - MG Metro Turbo - Maestro Vanden Plas (??) MG Montego We had a British policy - Cavalier GSI
Mercedes 190 E 2.0 - BMW 325 Coupe - Audi A6 -BMW 328 M Coupe - Jaguar XJ-S -
Happy Days !!

 

[tali]

Maestro Vanden Plas (??) -yes

It was the facelift from the Austin Montego to the Rover Montego, Inside it was quite a nice place to be but probably even then a decade out of date felt more a 70's car, wheel bearings only lasted 6,000 miles which at the time meant one being changed every month, it had a stupid small fuel tank to get from Doncaster to Aberdeen and back you had to fill it up 3 - 4 times. Then in 1991 got my first Sierra Cossie

Sadly never had a company car - and unlikey to
Had a couple of Montegos -they did have wheel bearings issues - but not as bad as in your case
The Rover Montegos didn't actually have any Rover badges.I never thought them a 70s car in any way - the interior was the best in its class- very pleasant imho.Even externally i consider it a fine looking machine - i still do
Fuel tank was 50litres - when appears to be smallest as others had 55-65litres

 

[MOCAŠ]

The Rover Montegos didn't actually have any Rover badges.

That's because they weren't Rovers. The only former Austin model that evolved into a Rover was the Metro (which became the 100). The Maestro and Montego just became marqueless (as the Mini had been since the 1970s) after Austin Rover morphed into the Rover Group. However, the badge that they received at this point was a radically simplified version of Lord Austin's family crest, underlining the fact that they were not Rovers.

 

[Palmball]

Citroen XM * 2,
Nearly all of these were new models so the breakdown rate was sometimes painful.

Were these two of the worst, given their reputation? I didn't think they'd feature heavily on company cat lists due to high depreciation.

C
Citroen XM (Adored that car!)

Whats going on??? Yet another person who had one.....and liked it! I thought these were largely detested by most people (except me - I'm a deluded fan), especially those that owned one.

So chaps....what is it exactly about the XM that you liked?

I think I (still) have all the road test reports of that car, which I collected as I dreamed of my parents buying one to replace their BX. Which they did 6 months after I passed my test...and at 17 years old I immediately had the coolest (??) car of all my friends (it was my mums car and full respect to her as she let me loose in it almost whenever I wanted )

 

[Gollom]

Were these two of the worst, given their reputation? I didn't think they'd feature heavily on company cat lists due to high depreciation.

Whats going on??? Yet another person who had one.....and liked it! I thought these were largely detested by most people (except me - I'm a deluded fan), especially those that owned one.

So chaps....what is it exactly about the XM that you liked?

)

Very very comfortable, looked diferent, could pump suspension up (as I had a very odd steep drive) but most important it was different from all the other REPmobiles out there! Of course I did not have to pay repair/service costs which helped!

 

[Gollom]

The Ford Sierra had a car phone in it. Very cool at the time
.

Whan we got car phones there was no coverage on my patch for the VodaBricks. So I was given a BT System 5 complete with a proper handset/seperate number pad and whippy ariel. If I remember you had to call the operator to be put through to the number you wanted!