Cars that made me smile, and those that didn't

Right then, lets see what I can remember!

My first car was a Vauxhall Nova 1.2L which I thought was ace and lowered it 40mm and stuck a sports back box on. It shook much above 70mph but I loved it as we all love our first cars. Blew the head hasket on it twice mind and then had an annoying carb issue after the original Pierburg wore out and the new Weber never worked properly.

Fiat Cinquecento Sporting with Peco big bore exhaust, on which the flexi joint only lasted a year. Full of character but slowed down going up hills on the motorway too much. Gave it to the HP company as I bought a house with an ex and couldn't afford the finance any more.

Skoda Favorit 1.3 5 door. Got the mickey taken alot (funnily enough at 20 years old!). Had a carb like a bucket which made it go like stink. Rusted away and I gave it away to the ex's sister. She blew it up. I liked it though.

Ford Escort 1.4L Mk4 5 door - ok but dull.

Ford Escort 1.3 Mk4 Estate 2 door. ould not die however much I tried to kill it. Slow but reliable.

Citroen ZX 3 door TD Volcane with full leather interior. Nice but blew the head gasket (see a trend forming here) due to the thermostat sticking shut and got rid as wasn't worth the price of the new head it needed.

Vauxhall Nova GTE - brillian car, rusted badly, but kept it and stuck it in the garage for a few years after split with the bird I had the house with and moved back in my parents and got a job with twice the salary!

Yamaha Fazer 600 motor bike.

VW Vento - nice car, wish I hadn't sold that one but it had handraulic windows and I wanted leccie ones. Was slow but I liked it for some reason.

Sold Fazer and went down to Vespa PX 200 in the interests of staying alive. Thing is it was so unstable on 10" wheels compared to a Fazer I wonder which was the safest. Cheap as chips to run and insure though!

Bought our old SJ410. Had it for a good few years. went half with my Mrs and we got the engine reconditioned professionally (so we thought). Then took it to the Lakes and came back on an AA truck with ... guess what ... a blown haed gastket! I fixed it though and it did us proud for a few more years off roading and greenlaning.

Bought a gold Jimny thinking we could use that for green laning and use the SJ for the hardcore stuff. Only stuck standard sized AT's on it. Got stuck on silly small ruts on a lane - dug myself out with a scewdriver - hurt my hand doing so - got the hump, sold it.

Ford Mondeo 2.5 V6 in really clean white with ST200 bodykit and wheels - fast as you like but each overtake cost a fiver and I did alot of overtaking!!!

Bought a base model shell Nova and re-built the old GTE into that. Took every nut and bolt apart and rebuilt everything before re-building it back up. Learnt loads along the way.

Sold Mondeo and finished Nova re-build - got bored with the harsh ride of the lowered suspension and sold the Nova.

Bought Ford Escort 1.6 Finesse 5 door - comfortable but dull car - fitted awesome speakers and head unit. Kept it for ages - gave it to the Mrs.

Bought the Jimny I have now from KAP with just a 3" lift and 215/80/15 Colway Muds - had discovered this site and thought I'd give the Jimny another go. Realised I was too hasty selling the old one and wished I had modded that and saved a small fortune alomng the way!

Sold SJ410 to fund cage and winch for the Jimny. Done the Lakes twice over in it and nearly just how I want it.

Vespa got written of with me on it but I didn't get written off thank god!

Nissan Micra K11 1.3 5 door bought to replace Vespa - not quite as cheap to run and insure but not too bad and keeps me warm, dry and most importantly - alive! I quite like it - 75bhp in a biscuit tin = fun - but people associate them with old folk - so are suprised to see one overtake them - alot!!!

I do like my Jimny though and have had it a fair few years now and unless I have kids or give up off roading will be keeping it!

Kirkynut

1964 105E Anglia as my first car back in 1984, great but slow...
1974 1600 MK3 'Tina, bloody horrendous, naff camshaft and the rear doors would open by themselves when I went round corners...
1972 1300 MK1 Escort 2 door, fell in love with Escorts...
1973 1300 MK1 Escort GT...
1972 998cc Mini, was OK but had a missfire when the wipers were used PMSL
1976 MK2 Escort 4 door bought for £60 (had T&T), used for a little while
1980 Renault 18 used as a run around, Hated the car, was unreliable. In a hissy fit I got out and kicked every door in much to the GFs upset as I had bought the car off her Mum and hadnt finished paying for it yet
1974 1660 MK1 Escort 2 door, complete nut and bolt rebuild and respray. I used to call it the 2 Litre, eater. Become a very known car back in the day
1980 Talbot Sunbeam fitted with 2 litre SOHC Ford engine, was a project that never got finished
1978 Avenger 1600 GLS bought as a run around whilst the Sunbeam was spannered.
1983 Sierra 2.0 Ghia, bought on a whim, handled like a boat
1984 Sierra 2.8 XR4i absolutely mental car. Me and my mate had lots of hooligan fun (he had a 2.8i Special Capri), left 60ft rubber marks in Romford when we were being childish. I beat him off the line lol.
1989 Sierra Sapphire 2.0 GLSi needed a sensible car (as the wife to be told me )
1993 Mondeo 1800 as above (now married)
1997 Mondeo ST24 Saloon RSAP, heavily modified, 196BHP (wife had own car lol)
Then wife divorced me Sold the ST as I had a company car. Bought...
1978 Ford Escort RS in Signal Green. Woo hoo the dogs danglies.
Got married again and sold the RS
2000 Mondeo 1800 ok but dull
Then wife 2 bought a brand new Focus Sport so I sold the Mondeo and got the Jimny

1 clubman estate 30 mile per gallon of oil
2 marina slopey back :sick:
3 talbot horizon not a bad car at all
4 lancia delta 1300 125mph I think rusted faster tho
5 metro :ohmy:
6 vauxhall carlton 131 mph once!! then a slower and slower top speed
7 escort mk3 90mph
8 honda prelude fast and thirsty
9peugeot 205 gti 1.6 nice car but thirsty
10 vauxhall astra estate
11 then the sj410 80 mph honest scetchy drive but brillof road
12 volvo 460 turbo fastest car i ever owned 147mph turbo fiddled with not for granny :woohoo:
13 escort mk3 black :ohmy:
14 brown sj 410 van I loved this car it was a good rust bucket :laugh: :laugh:
15 golf 1.8 gti crap :sick:
16 bitsashitty colt 2lt gti very fast 142mph all day long :woohoo:
17range rover 2.4 nice chunky tyres not bad truck
18 k reg white sammy drowned it had to swim away no joke
19 grey jimny external roll gage over axle all done by me unstoppable off road :woohoo:
20 went new zealand for 1.5 years and bought a sj80 sammy coily factory and jacked it 5 inchs
21 came back red sammy crashed
22 gold sammy friend crashed that
23 blue sammy stalled in river came back to find a flash flood covered it
24 black sammy
25suzuki cappucinno green
26 another black sammy
27 suzki cappuccino silver
28 a brand new jimny 57 plate uta crap interior as it scratch real easy on plastic. traded in for audi quatro 58 plate girl friend had that cost me loads
29 black jimny ome 2 inch dayatone rims cooper stt tyres all round the bomb!! :woohoo:
30 gold jimny arb rear 1 inch coil spacers sj 410 t box bloody good off road truck sold to nick g without arb and he monstered it out :woohoo:
31 blue auto low milage great offroad smooth but sold that I dont like auto
32 hope fully get another jimny soon :woohoo:

Mine:
Cortina MkIII (pile of crap, but I still love them).
MkIII Spitfire (as above).
L reg Renault Clio RT (not bad for a little getting from A to B car).

Peugeot 205GTi with a 405's Mi16 engine in it (750kg - 160bhp, pocket rocket). Daily drive for 5yrs.
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.492655...&type=1&l=8a128df2bb

Vauxhall VX220 with TMS Stage2+ tuning (loved it, but our Boxer puppy out grew it). Daily drive for 1.5yrs.
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.492651...&type=1&l=dc4c4dde29

2001 Jimny bought 4yrs ago when I sold the VX. (Still owned) love it on and off-road.
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.492657...&type=1&l=0ff40a57c1

ZZR-1100 engined kit car 0-60 in around 3.5secs. (Still owned) All I'll say is... flies really hurt!!
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150342...11635&type=3&theater



Jointly bought:
Lotus Exige with Hangar111 GT200 remap (0-60 in 4.5 secs, fantastic handling! We kept it for 6yrs, then sold it because our jobs (Master Locksmith, & Dairy Farm Worker) meant we rarely used it.
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.492651...&type=1&l=52f0fcb0d1




His:
S1 106 Rallye
www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=48391152...11635&type=3&theater

Turbo Esprit
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.492653...&type=1&l=c4a5d08f83

Ex-Utility 110 (still owned).
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.398743...&type=1&l=87b0f644da

Monster Scamp (still owned).
www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.492652...&type=1&l=6e4495c827



Fingers crossed all of those links work ok!
E&R.

nice - makes my car list look a bit sad

darthloachie wrote: nice - makes my car list look a bit sad

Look on the bright side..... at least you've got a Jimny.

E.
P.S We've got no kids, we just buy cars & guns!