I love the way you've taken the trouble to block out the number plate!

I can claim a hat trick, as my Dad had a Maxi, then a Princess then an Ambassador.

The Ambassador was a Y reg (honestly) like this one:

 

Think I had a lucky escape for most of my childhood; Mum had something sporty (TR6 and XR3 for the most )and dad just drove company hacks, mainly Escort and Astra estates (Keeping the Jag for weekend use).

Until he bought this:



Frontera "mid-life wannabe cool crisis" SWB Sport "S" complete with tart-top and bull-bars.

 

I used to make my dad park half a mile down the road when he picked me up from school

 

Hey, is that a vanden-plas with the talking computer?

 

austin princess
blue sd1
red sd1
volvo 240 estate (7 seater!!)
toyota camry estate (7 seater but was a v6, pretty rapid)
mazda 626 estate (7 again)
silver escort 3 door estate (a reg)
reliant scimitar se6a (still sat on drive 12 years later)
nissan bluebird (indestructible i think, no wonder they're popular as taxis)
toyota celica xt (rotten)
toyota supra turbo (x2, both died)
current saab 9000 tubo

that's about 25 years worth!!

 

My mum had something similar to this, never lived it down all the way through school, even when it went and she got a Fiat panda

 

From my birth:-
1300 Beetle - sold soon after my birth for a more practical

Viva estate - sold quickly because it was sh*t for a

1303s Beetle - sold when my sister arrrived in 76 for a

Mk3 Cortina GXL - sold when we went to live in the middle east

Fiat 127 - used to run on fumes we said, sold for a infinitely better

Civic 1.3 - the original little blob car with big chrome bumpers, sold when we left for Malaysia

New 1982 Mazda 323 1.5 GLX 5dr - bought new in Malaysia sold 4 months later when we left to move back to the UK

New 83 'Y' Mk3 Escort 1.3l 5dr with optional 5-speed gearbox bought new on our return to the UK in Jan 83 by my Mum. Sold 2 weeks after Dad got back - traded in for a

New 83 'A' Sierra 2.0GL - Aug 83 so new 'A' plate, one of the first in the town. Red Metallic we loved that car. Sold in Aug 85 for

New 85 'C' Mk1 Orion 1.6GL - no-one really liked this one and we didn't cry when it literally got run over by a truck. Took the insurance money and bought the

New 86 'C' Mk2 Orion 1.6GL - really a mk4 Escort in disguise. First car we had with a digital radio and tilt/slide sunroof and electric windows. Sold this to pay the builder who was building our new house. Dad and Mum moved abroad at this time too, me and sister went to boarding school

Succession of hire cars in the UK when they came back on Holiday. Cars they had abroad included two Mazda's one 929 2.0 auto and a 323 1.5 GLX auto. Both company cars not his choice.

When Mum moved permanently back to the UK in 1989 she bought a

6 month old 88 'F' Orion 1.6i Ghia - loved that car, as said before, XR3i with better balance and more kit. Learnt to officially drive in this car, been unofficially driving for years before this... Sold for a

New 90 'G' Sierra Sapphire 2.0i Ghia, first of the twin cam's with an RS boot spoiler. Great car that, Plenty quick at the time. This was also the point when I lost my priviledge to use their car and had my own car instead. Anyhow Dad sold this with out Mum knowing to buy her a

New 92 'J' Discovery 5dr with Sunroofs and Bull Bars. Bought Mum a private plate to go with it, which she has used ever since. Sold 6 months later after a disasterous reliability record for a

New 93 'K' Escort 1.8 LX, one of the first with the new Zetec 16 valve unit. Awful interior but it did the trick. Sold for a

New 94 'L' Accord 2.0LS estate - the US built accord. Lovely car that, sold when Mum and Dad both went to live abroad again in 95.

Mum cam back in late 96 and they bought a

Used 96 'P' Civic Coupe 1.6LS auto, nice car but a bit flat. Sold for a

New 98 'S' Accord 2.0LS auto Saloon. First of the new shape cars, good car that one. Sold for the first BMW they bought

Used 99 'V' 323Ci auto. Bright red with 17" star spokes. Best car they had had up to then, Mum loved it. She was very miffed when Dad sold it for a

New '52' Passat 1.9 130 TDI SE Auto Saloon - great fuel economy but dull to drive. Mum hated it. Sold for another

New '55' Passat 2.0 TDI SE DSG Saloon - a vast improvement over the first. Sold last year and replaced with their current

Used '57' 525d M-Sport 3.0 auto - Great car, 50+mpg, 200hp. They both love this one, Mum for how it drives, Dad for the economy.

Of the list the worst car was right back at the beginning, the Viva estate....

 

Too many weird and wonderful things to remember. The actual worst car i remember as a brown volvo estate, used to get electric shocks off it whenever you went near the thing.

The stand out (main) cars (not the run abouts for mum or the vans or the motorbikes) were an MG Montego Turbo which was a remarkably silly thing. A Renault 25 V6 which they had for about 6 years, a Ford Maverick and for the past few changes Ford Mondeo estate diesels to pull a caravan. Having moved to a camper van its a Mitsubishi Colt at the moment.

5t.

 

Parents had the 3 door version!

 

This reads like Clarkson's list of car mistakes lol

My dad is a vocal citroen fan and, as also an engineer, is positive the technology behind them is the best. his cars seem to spend a lot of time in a state of fixing though !

chronologically...









2 of these...


and now a C5

 

My Dad was pretty cool with his cars, Anglia 105E, Cortina GT MK1, Capri 1600 GTXLR, Cortina 1600E, and then the company cars started Vauxhall VIctor in yellow (nice) and the worst by far :http://www.aronline.co.uk/images/princess_07.jpg in the brown like the one in the picture, spemt most of its time in the garage being repaired.

Just bought a 330CI BMW year old , stunning car and he has just turned 80 !!! Go dad.

 

hmm,tempted to say the austin maxi they had when i was born but that was bought to hump building stuff for the house about and they sold it for a profit so id go with the 87 escort 1.6 ghia, bought when my mum wanted a nice sensible car-and sold 6 months later when she realised the error of her ways! replaced with a brand new corolla ae86 coupe and following from an xr3i. past history was pretty good otherwise including moggy minors in the 60's,then mgb bgt's, dolomite sprints, alfa sud, very first range rover 3 door right up to new shape rs4

 

My Mum had a bottle green 1.3 Marina, which she was forever complaining about, until finally she decided it was time to get rid

I bet you can't guess what she traded it in for

 

I can safely say my parents have never had a cool car While I've been alive:

Vauxhall Astra Mk1 1.2 in blue A Reg
Vauxhall Cavalier Mk2 1.6 in POO Brown Y reg
Vauxhall Cavalier Mk3 1.6 in blue F reg (Got stolen)
Renault 21 savanah 1.7 in Burgundy F reg
Renault Safrane 2.0 in Burgundy L reg
+
Ford escort 1.3 in red N reg

Now Have a Citroen C5 Estate in blue O3 plate which is going to be run into the ground and My mum has a proton compact W reg in Horrible blue allthough in fairness it was given to her.

 

My parents only had 4 cars up to when I was 21 or so. They started off with an Austin 8



then went on to an A40 Devon converted van. It was like this but had side windows and a rear seat:



We then went up-market with a Wolseley 4/44:



and finally a Triumph 2000



I can't remember being particularly worried about what they drove when I was a kid, but have always been picky where my cars are concerned

 

My dad owned a Reliant robin and my mum had a vauxhall Viva which required battery to go indoors during winter

 

this, in this god-awful colour as well - i think it was called Labrador dump beige or something similar.

 

My parents have had some crap but also some good stuff i think.

Mother:

Talbot Alpine
Triumph Aclaim
G reg Astra 1.3l
N reg Escort Si
02 Clio 172 - My Current car
09 Fiesta Zetec S

Dad:
1983 Escort 1.3l
1983 Saab 900i
1984 Sierra 1.6L
1985 Sierra 2.0GL
1987 Sierra 1.8L
1989 Saphire 2.0GL
1990 Sierra 1.8td
1995 Mondeo Si
2000 Mondeo ST24
2003 Mondeo Zetec S TDCi
2007 Mondeo Titanium X TDCi

Pick of the bunch was the 2003 Mondy for me

 

It's Sand glow.

 

A rusty Mk2 Escort estate, in yellow, my sister aged about 3 managed to crash it in the front of house

 

okay here goes

mums cars as follows,austin princess,renault 11,mk2 cavalier,mark 1 astra,3 minis,1 peugot 205,1 peugot 106,1 peugot 309

dads cars as follows,1 escort van,3 escort's,1 orion,4 mondeos,1 cavalier, 1 hyundai accent,1 hyundai getz, ( just for fun/restoration) 1x1950 mk 1 morris minor(split screen,low level headlights) 1x 1969 morris traveller and finally a v4 corsair

 

Good thread.

Fiat Regatta was the biggest heap of dog dirt we ever had. They got a 'good deal' on it, wonder why. It literally fell to bits from the minute we took ownership of it.

 

Oh my god theres been a few.

When I was a kid we had a hearing aid beige maxi, followed by a sky blue volvo 240. They were the worst until my mum got a fiat strada!