your first car

[davymead]

Absolutely essential, I have had three Mini's in my time. First was a Mini Van, second was a Traveller and third was a 1275 Cooper 'S', all with that oh so essential Peco

Remember vividly all those years ago, traveling to Wimbledon to view a much wanted ‘67 Cooper S. The owner an amazingly cheery Aussie was happy to take myself and a mate on a ‘test drive’. I can’t remember ever being more frightened in a vehicle in my whole life as he drove down car lined streets at blurring speeds. On arrival back at his address I politely thanked him for his time and went quietly on my way.

 

[NOMONEYBUTAMERC]

In 1968 I was working weekends at a Garage/Petrol station owned by former rally driver Ian "Tiny" Lewis . I remember 4 star petrol being 6s 8d for a gallon ! On saturdays I served petrol and cleaned cars , and once took a Gordon Keeble for a spin around the block after the boss had gone home . Being only 16 years old I had no licence and after riding my Lambretta to work I scared myself half to death driving this beast ( luckily didn`t get caught).
One of the cars that had been part exchanged for a Hillman Imp was a 1962 Mini van (FFF 574) , which was in good condition other than having a dodgy exhaust valve. I bought it for the grand sum of £40 and a friend skimmed the cylinder head and reground all the valves , for which I think he charged me £2 . In went the black vinyl bucket seat covers , on went the "rally mirrors" and the obligatory matt black stripe from bonnet to bottom of the rear doors , and of course a GT badge from a Cortina , giving me the fastest mini in the street!!
By the time I was 17 I couldn`t wait to drive it and used to get a mate to call for me to take me for "driving lessons ", drop him around the corner to collect his car , and off I went to pick up a girlfriend who didn`t know I had no driving licence . Oh dear , can this be the same 70 year old git that now lectures his grandchildren about behaving responsibly? At least they don`t read this forum.

 

[BoristheBounce]

1975 Mini Clubman Estate Reg HAJ 652N same colour and model as shown.

 

[DucatiEVO]

1986 205Gti 1.6

 

[Gazwould]

1983 Mk1 1.8 Golf GTI

 

[Tekman]

Triumph Dolomite 1500HL wish I had iphone back then

 

[Pugwash101]

White 1971 Vauxhall Viva HC, not the one in the picture but identical to it, think it was 1156cc and reg was DUA 930K - ask me what my current car reg is and I have think about it!

Bought it in 1978 for £400 I think, I was living in York but going to college in South Shields. On one drive up to Shields I kept it flat out on the A19 - after many many many minutes it toped out 83mph!

Got to the college car park, looked under the bonnet to see my 'racing' had resulted in the head gasket starting to leak - bought a socket set, torque wrench and Haynes manual and did the head gasket in the college car park, first, but not last car repair I've done.

Car suffered terribly with tin worm.

Next car was a Mk 3 Cortina, followed by a Mk 4 both vastly superior to the Viva! - they were followed by a long list of cars, some good some not.

 

[Tekman]

White 1971 Vauxhall Viva HC, not the one in the picture but identical to it, think it was 1156cc and reg was DUA 930K - ask me what my current car reg is and I have think about it!

Bought it in 1978 for £400 I think, I was living in York but going to college in South Shields. On one drive up to Shields I kept it flat out on the A19 - after many many many minutes it toped out 83mph!

Got to the college car park, looked under the bonnet to see my 'racing' had resulted in the head gasket starting to leak - bought a socket set, torque wrench and Haynes manual and did the head gasket in the college car park, first, but not last car repair I've done.

Car suffered terribly with tin worm.

Next car was a Mk 3 Cortina, followed by a Mk 4 both vastly superior to the Viva! - they were followed by a long list of cars, some good some not.

I had one with full push back roof loved the indicator sound a Tinny Dink Dink Dink lol

 

[Pugwash101]

I had one with full push back roof loved the indicator sound a Tinny Dink Dink Dink

I had one with full push back roof loved the indicator sound a Tinny Dink Dink Dink lol

From memory mine was the most basic model you could get so no sunroof for me!

 

[Germgh0st]

Mk3 Escort 1.1 base in Midnight Blue, X reg. Didn't even have a parcel shelf.

 

[NJSS]

I bought my first car before I was old enough to drive; it was a 1933 MG L1 Magna, for which I paid, IIRC, £15 in about 1957. It had been in storage since some time in the war and I recommissioned it.

Sadly I don't have any photographs of the actual car to hand but I have downloaded these from the web:-

I sold it for £60, a decent profit & bought an MG TA. I really regret that sale!

The actual car is still in use in Australia.

NJSS

 

[Justintyme]

1955 Skoda 440, bought it in 1963 for the princely sum of 30 pounds from a workmate who was selling it because the fuel pump had packed in, so I replaced it with an electric pump I took from a Morris Minor. And off we went. Would start first turn of the key, the coldest wettest most miserable morning ever, and drove fine, that is in a straight line, any kind of a sharp turn, and you found out about its road holding property's pretty quick, it had two normally configured leaf springs in the back, and transverse leaf spring suspension in the front, so driver beware.

 

[100%Bitch]

My first car was a Mk2 Cortina bought for £90.

It wasn't long before the gearstick parted company with the gearbox. It was an easy fix though as the holding nut was a plastic one and I just bought another gearstick from a scrapyard.

 

[G7Wagen]

My first car was a Mk2 Cortina bought for £90.

It wasn't long before the gearstick parted company with the gearbox. It was an easy fix though as the holding nut was a plastic one and I just bought another gearstick from a scrapyard.

I was driving my mother's mk2 Cortina around Trafalger Square as a 17 year old on my way to a date... when the gear stick came off in my hand.. must be a common fault! managed to jam it back in( the gear stick !) long enough to meet my date and drive home. come to think about it I don't think I ever told my mother about the gearstick coming off!

 

[ToeKnee]

My first car was a Mk2 Cortina bought for £90.

It wasn't long before the gearstick parted company with the gearbox. It was an easy fix though as the holding nut was a plastic one and I just bought another gearstick from a scrapyard.

I had a MK3 cortina that did the same, I used it as an anti theft device by taking the gear lever with me when I left the car

 

[CoopsSA]

Mine was a 1984 Ford Fiesta 1.0 Pop Plus A207 NNM in a kind of light pastel blue. Loved that car. My Dad was in the trade and bought it for me on the basis that I would have to pay the insurance. I think he paid about £600 for it. This would have been around 1992-3 time.

 

[Gollom]

Brings to mind the worse three cars I ever had:
A mini traveller (4560 MU) which needed the engine mount bolts tightening every 50 miles or so
An Austin Princess with no power steering and the most amazing crop of mushrooms on the rear parcel shelf
An Austin Allegro which lost the front offside wheel when at speed on the M62. How I survived is still a mystery!

 

[Sweetooth]

I was driving my mother's mk2 Cortina around Trafalger Square as a 17 year old on my way to a date... when the gear stick came off in my hand.. must be a common fault! managed to jam it back in( the gear stick !) long enough to meet my date and drive home. come to think about it I don't think I ever told my mother about the gearstick coming off!

It happened to me with a Ford anglia estate circa 1968!

 

[SpikyMikey]

Brings to mind the worse three cars I ever had:
A mini traveller (4560 MU) which needed the engine mount bolts tightening every 50 miles or so
An Austin Princess with no power steering and the most amazing crop of mushrooms on the rear parcel shelf
An Austin Allegro which lost the front offside wheel when at speed on the M62. How I survived is still a mystery!

I also had a Rustin Allaggro finished in Sandglow and Iron Oxide.
What a complete and total steaming pile of that car was.

 

[Gollom]

I also had a Rustin Allaggro finished in Sandglow and Iron Oxide.
What a complete and total steaming pile of that car was.

Just realised the commo denominator in all three of the cars I mentioned - manufactured in Britain. Hmmmmmm