Crap cars your parents had...
02 December 2017, 06:52 PM
#1
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Crap cars your parents had...
Car chat with the missus over tea highlighted the eclectic and sometimes very crap cars that my parents ferried me about in as a baby/boy/teenager. Those that I can remember, not in chronological order, were...
A Wolseley of some sort with fold-down walnut tables in the backs of the front seats.
An Austin Maxi
An Austin Princess, which had a square steering wheel iirc
Another Austin Maxi
A series one land rover
A series two land rover lwb
An NSU - small commie car I believe
A Fiat 128
A Citroen GS
A Citroen BX
A Renault 4 Fourgonette
A Hillman Imp
This covers 1974, when I was born, until 1990 when I bought myself a 50cc hog and enjoyed my own means of transport.
Anyone else on here got a more crap list than that?
A Wolseley of some sort with fold-down walnut tables in the backs of the front seats.
An Austin Maxi
An Austin Princess, which had a square steering wheel iirc
Another Austin Maxi
A series one land rover
A series two land rover lwb
An NSU - small commie car I believe
A Fiat 128
A Citroen GS
A Citroen BX
A Renault 4 Fourgonette
A Hillman Imp
This covers 1974, when I was born, until 1990 when I bought myself a 50cc hog and enjoyed my own means of transport.
Anyone else on here got a more crap list than that?
03 December 2017, 11:21 AM
#5
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Was very lucky growing up, that my dad always had decent cars. Nothing flash, but decent.
Went from having a Capri 2.8 Special, nicked after 4 weeks from buying new, (which was bought after his 3.0 got stolen) to buying a bag of Sh1te Sierra 1.6GL. Hated it with a passion
Went from having a Capri 2.8 Special, nicked after 4 weeks from buying new, (which was bought after his 3.0 got stolen) to buying a bag of Sh1te Sierra 1.6GL. Hated it with a passion
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03 December 2017, 05:12 PM
#10
When the Sierra Cosworth 500 got written off (no 6 off the production line) we ended up with a hand me down Datsun cherry as a temp car while waiting for the insurance to sort itself for about 6 months. I hated every single second I was ever in that thing, it was gold paint, with gold plastic dash and with that horrible goldy mustard coloured apulstry that popped up in the 70’s. Plus it ran as badly as it looked.
Last edited by Fishbowlhead; 03 December 2017 at 08:31 PM.
03 December 2017, 05:38 PM
#13
My dad always had an odd way with cars. He would always be looking to get a specific car and when he would go and look at one he would buy something completely different from the same garage!
Always been like it, before he met my mum he was going to buy a lotus Cortina. His mates persuaded him that he could get a BMW for the same money so he bought a brand new . . . . Hillman super minx!
Which leads us to the first car my parents had when I was alive, a Hillman avenger estate. That got written off on the way to my grandparents when I was a year old.
Then Datsun sunny 120y, 2 door saloon. Not a bad car really, had a few creature comforts for the day but the black vinyl seats and shorts in the summer wasn't good.
Then, rover sd1 2600. I tried convincing the old man to buy the xj6 on the forecourt next to it for the same money but he wouldnt have it. The thing was a right turd. It was about 3 years old but ran like a one legged donkey. Had it a year but was probably in the dealers more often than not, leading to courtesy cars like Morris itals, and a metallic purple allagro amongst other things.
This was replaced by a brand new, basic spec, 1 litre nova, in dogsh!t brown. It was brand new, ordered from the dealers . . . could have had any colour . . .
Next car was an ex demo Jetta that I spotted at a dealers, which was actually one car my dad wanted and bought without going on a curve ball. Got written off after keeping it for a long time, so went to look at a golf GTi to replace it and bought from the same garage a . . . Volvo 460GLE
Cars that he wanted but never bought for some reason, Citroen CX, Saab 96 combi, Talbot matra Rancho, Toyota Tercel, all very odd cars!
Always been like it, before he met my mum he was going to buy a lotus Cortina. His mates persuaded him that he could get a BMW for the same money so he bought a brand new . . . . Hillman super minx!
Which leads us to the first car my parents had when I was alive, a Hillman avenger estate. That got written off on the way to my grandparents when I was a year old.
Then Datsun sunny 120y, 2 door saloon. Not a bad car really, had a few creature comforts for the day but the black vinyl seats and shorts in the summer wasn't good.
Then, rover sd1 2600. I tried convincing the old man to buy the xj6 on the forecourt next to it for the same money but he wouldnt have it. The thing was a right turd. It was about 3 years old but ran like a one legged donkey. Had it a year but was probably in the dealers more often than not, leading to courtesy cars like Morris itals, and a metallic purple allagro amongst other things.
This was replaced by a brand new, basic spec, 1 litre nova, in dogsh!t brown. It was brand new, ordered from the dealers . . . could have had any colour . . .
Next car was an ex demo Jetta that I spotted at a dealers, which was actually one car my dad wanted and bought without going on a curve ball. Got written off after keeping it for a long time, so went to look at a golf GTi to replace it and bought from the same garage a . . . Volvo 460GLE
Cars that he wanted but never bought for some reason, Citroen CX, Saab 96 combi, Talbot matra Rancho, Toyota Tercel, all very odd cars!
03 December 2017, 07:29 PM
#18
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Bedford CA van, had sliding doors which would remove your hands if you did not watch out, you could drive with doors open in the summer.
Hand painted with all the old paint that was left over and stored in shed, then mixed together the colour had to be seen to be believed.
3 speed column change using mole grips as gear lever.
Hand signals.
Starting handle
Fumes from engine would send you high (engine cover inside cab) depending on the weather (doors closed)
Wooden bench seats retro fitted to rear of van so we could go out with as many of my farthers relations that would fit in it, for a day out in the country.
beat that, still get nightmares
Hand painted with all the old paint that was left over and stored in shed, then mixed together the colour had to be seen to be believed.
3 speed column change using mole grips as gear lever.
Hand signals.
Starting handle
Fumes from engine would send you high (engine cover inside cab) depending on the weather (doors closed)
Wooden bench seats retro fitted to rear of van so we could go out with as many of my farthers relations that would fit in it, for a day out in the country.
beat that, still get nightmares
03 December 2017, 08:35 PM
#19
Bedford CA van, had sliding doors which would remove your hands if you did not watch out, you could drive with doors open in the summer.
Hand painted with all the old paint that was left over and stored in shed, then mixed together the colour had to be seen to be believed.
3 speed column change using mole grips as gear lever.
Hand signals.
Starting handle
Fumes from engine would send you high (engine cover inside cab) depending on the weather (doors closed)
Wooden bench seats retro fitted to rear of van so we could go out with as many of my farthers relations that would fit in it, for a day out in the country.
beat that, still get nightmares
Hand painted with all the old paint that was left over and stored in shed, then mixed together the colour had to be seen to be believed.
3 speed column change using mole grips as gear lever.
Hand signals.
Starting handle
Fumes from engine would send you high (engine cover inside cab) depending on the weather (doors closed)
Wooden bench seats retro fitted to rear of van so we could go out with as many of my farthers relations that would fit in it, for a day out in the country.
beat that, still get nightmares
03 December 2017, 09:38 PM
#21
My dad always had a Rolls
Didn't mean a lot when you were a kid though.lol
Didn't mean a lot when you were a kid though.lol
03 December 2017, 10:05 PM
#22
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03 December 2017, 10:29 PM
#23
68 beetle
Austin Cambridge
Hillman Hunter
Austin Princess
NSU Prinz
Mini Countryman
Renault 12
loads of Austins posted
I thought there'd be more Fords & Vauxhalls
Austin Cambridge
Hillman Hunter
Austin Princess
NSU Prinz
Mini Countryman
Renault 12
loads of Austins posted
I thought there'd be more Fords & Vauxhalls
04 December 2017, 12:25 AM
#24
ahh the avenger... fond memories of the headgasket going somewhere in the middle of the highlands during a camping trip with my dad and brothers. my dad had to hitch hike for miles to find a garage and buy a headgasket and then fit it in the wild with a basic toolkit. 2 of us were left with the car and my dad took my younger brother with him and was gone for about 4 hours! a local farmer helped him change it. fair play to him tho. he had a morris ital which was pretty bad as well and a marina which had hitched up leaf springs on it. it was so high at the rear it felt like you were above the driver when you were in the back seat!
04 December 2017, 01:12 AM
#25
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Can hardly recall what we had pre secondary
But couple them were
Morris traveller in white And a Ford corsair , must been others though
After that mainly co cars with my step dad
Triumph 2000 in gold type colour and later Renault 18.
We temp had loan of Austin Cambridge type thing around age 15 which I would take driving at night pre test . Thank goodness didn't get caught.
My 2nd car ( after ****box Capri) was avenger 1300, was ok !
But couple them were
Morris traveller in white And a Ford corsair , must been others though
After that mainly co cars with my step dad
Triumph 2000 in gold type colour and later Renault 18.
We temp had loan of Austin Cambridge type thing around age 15 which I would take driving at night pre test . Thank goodness didn't get caught.
My 2nd car ( after ****box Capri) was avenger 1300, was ok !
Last edited by dpb; 04 December 2017 at 01:21 AM.
04 December 2017, 01:38 PM
#26
Morris Traveller
Transit (mk 1) Camper
Renault 4
Mini metro
Austin Montego 1.6 estate
Peugeot 504 estate
Seat Ibiza (engine by Porsche(!))
Citroen 2CV
Citroen BX (a few of these)
Proper mini (x2)
Peugeot 405 estate, 406 estate
Plus a 1933 MG J2 that my Dad still runs.
Transit (mk 1) Camper
Renault 4
Mini metro
Austin Montego 1.6 estate
Peugeot 504 estate
Seat Ibiza (engine by Porsche(!))
Citroen 2CV
Citroen BX (a few of these)
Proper mini (x2)
Peugeot 405 estate, 406 estate
Plus a 1933 MG J2 that my Dad still runs.
