What was the family car, then...?
- Thread starter Roadkill
- Start date
seeformiles
Lost in the wood
First one I remember was an NSU Prince - quickly changed for a Morris Minor Traveller and then for a Ford Cortina Mk2 Estate in Battleship grey. My dad always bought knackered cars and ran them even further into the ground. Living in NI was good for Bomb Damaged bargains - e.g. an Austin Princess with the windows blown out from a garage in Dungannon bought for £200 - a real bargain in 1982!
London_Calling
Pleasant and unpatronising
No Zenie, no.Did you think they were my actual cars?
I don't have any off road parking issues?
I'd explain, but it's really not . . .
dream_girl
waiting for my ban
First of all it was this (late 60s)
then this - early 70s
this in late 70s
and finally this in 80s – my Dad must have been having a mid-life crisis. The car only had two doors and tiny seats in the back for me and my brother – two nearly fully grown teenagers.
then this - early 70s
this in late 70s
and finally this in 80s – my Dad must have been having a mid-life crisis. The car only had two doors and tiny seats in the back for me and my brother – two nearly fully grown teenagers.
sleaterkinney
Well-Known Member
Ford Escort Mk 1
then Golf Mk 1
which is still going.
then Golf Mk 1
which is still going.
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
Two minis when I was very small, then an Allegro, but the car we had longest was an Austin Maestro, a horrible A-reg lime green 1.3 that looked exactly like this (in terms of the paint scheme):
The interior was this horrible mix of what appeared to be brown leather and fabric, which in the heat of the summer caused me and my little brother to stick to the back seat. It was laughably slow, even then - one fondly recalls coming back from Wrexham one evening and being amazed that my dad had managed to coax it to 90 on a very long stretch of bypass.
That said, it was very roomy and remarkably tough - it wrote off a Merc that was foolish enough to jump a set of red traffic lights and collide with it with just a dented wing (neither my dad or my nan, who had been in the car, were injured as a result), and when a rogue horse ran into it while we were driving through town, it ensured we were considerably better off than the horse was.
The interior was this horrible mix of what appeared to be brown leather and fabric, which in the heat of the summer caused me and my little brother to stick to the back seat. It was laughably slow, even then - one fondly recalls coming back from Wrexham one evening and being amazed that my dad had managed to coax it to 90 on a very long stretch of bypass.
That said, it was very roomy and remarkably tough - it wrote off a Merc that was foolish enough to jump a set of red traffic lights and collide with it with just a dented wing (neither my dad or my nan, who had been in the car, were injured as a result), and when a rogue horse ran into it while we were driving through town, it ensured we were considerably better off than the horse was.
Nikkormat
Well-Known Member
I actually don't mind the Maestro, looks-wise at least. I always fancied a turbo model.
zenie
>^^<
DotCommunist
So many particulars. So many questions.
till my old dear killed it through boy-racer style driving when angry
agricola
a genuine importer of owls
there were so many things wrong with it apart from the looks
subversplat
writer of wrongs
Various MKs of Ford Cortina from 2 to 4
Astras, Cavaliers and oddsorts as work cars, so far so normal
then:
a 1970 Dodge Challenger Special Edition
Which was pretty cool
Astras, Cavaliers and oddsorts as work cars, so far so normal
then:
a 1970 Dodge Challenger Special Edition
Which was pretty cool
knatchbull
Active Member
A Volvo 343 - or two of them, actually, a W-reg one and then a new one in 1987. Which was then replaced with a G-registered 240 estate, identical to this:
So, what did your parents have? Anything interesting?
What beautiful cars! 340s are much maligned
We started off with a 1974 Renault 6
then progressed to a 1976 Renault 12
both good but not the most rust resistant!
Then we went slightly more exotic with a 1978 Volvo 66
(the estate version but in speedy red) which had variomatic transmission and 1.3 engine
Now being in the Volvo 'family' our next car was a 1982 Volvo 345
like this one in maroon (the 343/345 indicated whether they had 3 or 5 doors - they were only 340s from 1983/84ish fact fans) again with variomatic transmisson.
Then most stylishly we had a silver 1988 Volvo 340 GLE with a 1.7 engine.
The GLE specification gave us luxuries such as electric windows and central locking! And the best thing was that the first owner had chosen to add the factory fitted spoiler to the back giving it a sporty (!) profile
This was the car I learnt to drive in and continued to be owned by my parents until 2000 when I acquired it and ran it for 5 further years, I only gave it up when the cost of replacing a shock absorber and one or two other things meant that it was no longer viable: if the replacement parts cost had been lower it probably would still be with me today! All in all I estimate it covered 220,000+ miles and only in the last few years when I didnt use it for weeks on end did it play up at all. Ah happy memories...
cybertect
It's grim up north (London)
Then we went slightly more exotic with a 1978 Volvo 66
(the estate version but in speedy red) which had variomatic transmission and 1.3 engine
ISTR it was the car with a 'rubber band gearbox'
knatchbull
Active Member
ISTR it was the car with a 'rubber band gearbox'
Ah yes the fabulous cvt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuously_variable_transmission) or 'rubber bands' of the 66 and 340!
It meant a very smooth ride as there were no gears to change as such.
In theory apparently also the car could go as fast in reverse as it could forwards!
I like to think it was ahead of its time as in recent years manufacturers such as BMW have used it (in the mini)
dessiato
4 years and I still cry sometimes
The 'rubber band' tranmission was originally used in Daf cars. The company was taken over by Volvo who adopted the transmission. The Daf system was shove the stick forward to go forward, and back to go back, wonderfully simple and very advanced for the day.
dessiato
4 years and I still cry sometimes
there is an illustration on this link: http://www.ritzsite.demon.nl/DAF/DAF_cars_p9.htm some really pretty cars there too.
edited to add a better link http://www.ritzsite.demon.nl/DAF/DAF_cars_p10.htm
edited to add a better link http://www.ritzsite.demon.nl/DAF/DAF_cars_p10.htm
London_Calling
Pleasant and unpatronising
Err . . . yeahOk you're just chatting shit in an attempt to be funny?
Spion
I hear ya
The first family car I remember was a Zephyr 6
Later, my dad worked for BL (Rover) and had a series of things like the
Autin Maxi
Marina and later Ital
The Zephyr was my childhood fave, with a big bench seat and me and M and P in the front
The Ital - tho a pretty horrible car - was the car I learned to drive in and scene of a few country lane steam ups
Later, my dad worked for BL (Rover) and had a series of things like the
Autin Maxi
Marina and later Ital
The Zephyr was my childhood fave, with a big bench seat and me and M and P in the front
The Ital - tho a pretty horrible car - was the car I learned to drive in and scene of a few country lane steam ups
dessiato
4 years and I still cry sometimes
the belts used to stretch and then the performance suffered, but they were quite slow anyway, even the sporty Marathon version.
mysterygirl
Stealth visit from work
The only one I really remember was the car us kids called 'the Yellow Peril' - a Cortina, I think, but definitely with a Lotus engine in it. We would visit my grandparents most weekends in the summer - they lived by the coast and dad loved sailing. I remember sitting in the back, peeking over his shoulder on this one certain road and hardly daring to breathe cos we were doing more that 100 mph!! (it was only a little back road, but very straight..... lol)
My brother didn't believe me when I told him. But we were very young, he probably thought only spaceships went that fast
My brother didn't believe me when I told him. But we were very young, he probably thought only spaceships went that fast
Yes, that was starting to happen with this one. It drove fine when we got it, but then the belts started to slip and it got progressively worse, so we scrapped it. Shame, really, as the body was in excellent condition.
I could be tempted by a 360 (the 2-litre version) if a good one was going cheap...
The only one I really remember was the car us kids called 'the Yellow Peril' - a Cortina, I think, but definitely with a Lotus engine in it. We would visit my grandparents most weekends in the summer - they lived by the coast and dad loved sailing. I remember sitting in the back, peeking over his shoulder on this one certain road and hardly daring to breathe cos we were doing more that 100 mph!! (it was only a little back road, but very straight..... lol)
My brother didn't believe me when I told him. But we were very young, he probably thought only spaceships went that fast
Something like this...?
or
If you used to be driven around in a Lotus Cortina I can only say I'm jealous.
scifisam
deleted
We had a dark blue Ford Escort estate tll I was about 7. I loved that car, and actually cried when it went!
It was replaced by a Mazda of some kind. My Dad wanted it, no-one else did (thinking on, it's odd that he held sway, since he was blind and couldn't drive). We lived in Grays, for Christ's sake - not owning a Ford was like stealing your neighbour's kid's dinner money. It broke down lots.
Then we didn't own anything for a long time.
Then various boring Fords - Fiestas, I think, mainly.
I'd love that Ford Escort estate back again.
It was replaced by a Mazda of some kind. My Dad wanted it, no-one else did (thinking on, it's odd that he held sway, since he was blind and couldn't drive). We lived in Grays, for Christ's sake - not owning a Ford was like stealing your neighbour's kid's dinner money. It broke down lots.
Then we didn't own anything for a long time.
Then various boring Fords - Fiestas, I think, mainly.
I'd love that Ford Escort estate back again.
teuchter
je suis teuchter
An endless string of these, each bought secondhand when the previous one blew up / got crashed by my dad:
Followed by an endless string of these, again each bought secondhand when the previous one blew up / got crashed by my dad:
This thread has reminded me that car designs are a lot less interesting now than they used to be.
Followed by an endless string of these, again each bought secondhand when the previous one blew up / got crashed by my dad:
This thread has reminded me that car designs are a lot less interesting now than they used to be.
