You know how you can bond with a car...

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking licking bonnets or fondling exhaust pipes, but it's just nice to have a car that you remember fondly, a car that regardless how it looked, how your mates took the mickey, or even if it let you down on occasion, you never really fell out of love with it.

 

Please don't reply with supercars if your lucky to have afforded one, that's not the point, 

 

So I'd like to mention 2 Cars today proper anti-hero Honours:

 

1) Nissan Micra K11 1.3L (not 1.0L) (with lovely big wide wheels - an absolute necessity) 

 

I'm now on my third one. Used as a shopping cart/works vehicle. It's dented, bruised, foam coming out of seats, plastic bottles, sandwich packets, old cans in the back seats, but by god that car is a little champion! 

 

It all started when I saw an article on Bangernomics and thought I can do that...I was fed up with DPF issues on the VRS Tdi on short journeys.  so about 7 yrs ago I bought my first for £500 R-reg .. it lasted 3yrs...a little welding under the sills and it flew through every MOT with total maintenance/servicing and MOT costs  of about £300 over 3yrs and insurance of £25 quid a month and £77 for 6 mths road tax...I part-exed it for £250 and bought another for £400....scrapped that a year later for £125 and bought another one one for £500.... so all in all I've spent well under a grand in 7 years on purchase price.

 

Happy times and with wide alloys and a change to the control surfaces, this thing is a little go-cart and easily keeps up with your regular modern micro-cars, with wide wheels and new shocks in the corners it handles round bends very well indeed. It's just so simple, manual steering, bulbs you can replace in 2 minutes, nothing costs more than about £100 on it as so common and easy to service yourself. Yes you will laugh, but it's a lovely little car you feel at one with, totally connected with the road and the equivalent of 2 monthly payments on a new car:) ...Yes its not my only car, but its a great little machine, lovely engineering and proud of the Brits who made it up north. So that's car one. 

 

2)   Rover 420GSi turbo (badged as a 414i) - (square shape Honda era)  - Ohhhh I hear you say... 

 

My oh my, what a heap this thing was...K/L/M-series engine, (if I remember) when it wasn't leaking or needed a head gasket, but boy did it shift.

 

Yes your typical old man bodied car....a car during my youth, I wanted a comfy sleeper car, This would annihilate some really expensive performance cars of the time..and a great choice in my budget...If you ever tried one (in that era) you will know how well it would pull...It was a very light car, on a private track, knock it down into 3rd at 50 and the needle would be up to a ton maybe 5 or 6 seconds later, proper shove in your back turbo stuff....okay I admit I have rose tinted goggles... but those in the know will know how well these things went,  Walnut dash, real veneer!!, velour seats, sunroof, cassette player, what more could you want!  This was a brilliant car in a straight line when the engine wasn't blowing head-gaskets or leaking radiators it was like a pig ugly girlfriend who really knew the ropes in bed. It couldn't corner ( I think I had 175x14s) on it, but what a lovely comfy sleeper and a car and anyone who was a passenger would ask what has this thing got under the bonnet? Awful looking, totally unreliable, no street cred whatsoever, but how well did it go (for the budget I had!).

 

Have you got an old cronk you loved for the silliest reasons?   

 

 

FIAT AutoBianci (500) van :sun:

Proton saga is a true hero car. I had a H or J reg that I bought for around £200 in 2001 with 140k on the clock, it was a shed and covered in dents when I got it but it just kept on going. Probably the ugliest car I've see but it had a mitsubishi engine that loved to be reved. Only main fault I had in the 3 years I owned it with out any service apart from tyres was I got a leak so the boot filled with water where the spare would go. After noticing the smell I just drilled a few holes and problem was solve . I sold it for £70 to a mate who totaled it a week later :(  

 

Proton Satria

 

Basically a mitsubishi colt with a different badge, paid £500 for a P reg in OK condition in in 2003. Never had any issues with it and it was lovely to drive. Had it a year or so before I think I PX it towards a freelander  , miss that car. 

AX14D Echo

 

Quite apart from the fact that it cost nothing - my monthly fuel allowance paid for both diesel and the HP payment on the car - it did me 27000 to 30000 miles a year for 6 years without problems and at times was happy to buzz along at its Vmax of 97mph whilst not feeling out of control - unlike some other small cars I've had.

Even with starship mileage on it could still be trusted to do the 450 mile each way commute every Friday and Sunday night in about 7 hours (and only 9 gallons).

Edited 11 June, 201610 yr by camelspyyder

Ford Orion (MK1 & 2)

 

I have a thing for cars my dad had when I was a kid. When I was born we had a MK1 Orion and a little later a MK2 Ghia, 1.6i. Loved them both, although I remember very little of them, especially the first one I'm still attached to them a bit. 

 

 

 

Vauxhall Nova 1.3 SR

 

My first car, loved it to bits, back when I was 17 I was the don with this car among a sea of Micra Ls and Fiesta Bonus'. 

 

 

This was mine, at Dunstable Downs. 

How long did you have the nohveh before it was on its side matt?

How long did you have the nohveh before it was on its side matt?

 

I was actually pretty sensible tbh, we use to go Southend/Yarmouth/London every weekend in it, 6x9 on the shelf playing the tunes. Then for some stupid reason I bought a Punto, the Nova was running rough so gave it to my mates dad. He changed the plugs and leads, tidied up the rusty arch and gave it back to me because he had bought a quicker car to play with, like a div I left it on my dads drive and he decided to get it scrapped after telling me to shift it or use it. What a knob, I'll have another one day. 

1995 prodrive imprezza turbo...

My Metro turbo, bought for £80.

Got me from MK to Coalville for collage and to Aylesbury everyday for 2 years and never missed a beat.

1995 prodrive imprezza turbo...

 

Was that a sh*tty car like the rest here?  Sounds a bit too good to me.

 

 

My Metro turbo, bought for £80.

Got me from MK to Coalville for collage and to Aylesbury everyday for 2 years and never missed a beat.

 

Lol.  My MG Turbo cost about 5 1/2 grand (nearly new) and I thrashed it to death in 18 months.  It was my first car but what a piece of junk.

Edited 11 June, 201610 yr by camelspyyder

Said no supercars but one you still loved... didn't say it had to be crap

I had a W reg Mazda 323f in innocent blue that I dearly loved. It was my second car. I Bought it when it was 5 years old and parted with it just over 6 years and 40k miles later. It wasn't much to look at but it was well equipped (10 disc multichanger in the boot) and even though I'm 6' 5" I found it supremely comfortable on long journeys. It had a nice DOHC 1.5 engine and was a really nice car to drive. SWMBO pushed for it to be replaced once our son was born due to the rather unforgiving ride. I still miss it now...

Of 372 cars to date.....!

1/ Perodua Kelisas had 5, own one today when I could have a posh car, wife passed her test in one and is her fave car too; basically a Jap version of the missing Mini between Rover and BMW.

2/ Transit Tourneo 2001 8 seat, the ultimate family vehicle bar none, took it to 10 countries, on and off road, unbreakable, unbeatable, epic

3/ Lada Rivas had 5, tough as old boots, rwd and lairy, ace off road, seats fold into a wipe-clean bed (!!)

4/ Citroen 2CVs had 6, drove one to Naples, Prague, Amsterdam over 3 weeks, journey of a lifetime

5/ Alfasud SII ti, when running made me cry with joy, 90% of the time it just made me cry

6/ Austin Allegros had 2, both immaculately restored, former member of Allegro Club International (says it all really!), used as daily drivers and abroad

7/ Fiat 126s had 3, now can't fit in one or would own one with a bike engine

8/ Rover 100/Metros had 3, loved them all especially the 114GSi in Amarynth Purple

9/ Daihatsu Copen 0.6 Turbo convertible, a huge bloke in a shoe sized Kei car got me named Stuart Little

10/ Skoda Favorits, had 5, lovely solid, well-designed car; would buy a new one or Felicia new now if they still made them

etc

Basic, small, fun, quirky is the order of the day

Ford Orion (MK1 & 2)

I have a thing for cars my dad had when I was a kid. When I was born we had a MK1 Orion and a little later a MK2 Ghia, 1.6i. Loved them both, although I remember very little of them, especially the first one I'm still attached to them a bit.

Vauxhall Nova 1.3 SR

My first car, loved it to bits, back when I was 17 I was the don with this car among a sea of Micra Ls and Fiesta Bonus'.

This was mine, at Dunstable Downs.

Omg the Orion Ghia I

Even the same colour as I had

Mine went belly up in the end and the aa got fed up of coming out to it

Also noticed the Dunstable downs pic,have relatives near there and sometimes go and watch the gliders

Next week is our annual visit so may go there if the weather holds.

My 3rd corsa which was a 1.4 sport,

 

Had it 2 years and thrashed it to death everywhere,

 

Once made it from leeds to silverstone in an hour and twenty minutes at stupid o clock going to a car show,

 

Bought another a couple of years ago but it just wasn't the same

Citroen AX GT. Twin carb, plastic boot, very light and hilarious from 0-50. A real blast. I think I would actually have another...If there are any left

Alfa 145 cloverleaf.

 

I loved it, cost me a bit keeping it going and was quite thursty also loved oil :P

 

It handled great, i miss it :(

 

Mk3 ibiza 1.4

Loved this thing. Basically saved it from the scrapyard and put a new gearbox in it. Then I put two further gearboxes in within 18 months. Drove that thing like I stole it and it only let me down once, when the cv joint snapped and I scrapped it. Despite the gearboxes being made of cheese the engine ran sweet as a nut and took all the hammering I could give it. It wasn't fast but it handled really well so could surprise a few bigger cars. I will own another one day.

FIAT 132 2000TC

 

My fourth car, going from a 1.6 Cortina XL, back in 1984.  Was the first car I owned which could keep up with my mates in their 3.0/2.8 Capri's and Granada's.  112bhp stock but a previous owner had converted mine with a Lancia Volumex charger, so it had a whopping 140bhp.  Utterly useless in the wet or snow, but a real hoot (reg was HOO 4T) in the dry.  Drove it like an idiot, but it took me all over the country. If I ever got bored I could just sit and watch it rust.  Petrol tank was inside the boot and had a vertical seam around it, so when the side boot drain blocked, the tank would rot and start to leak, but at least you got a nice petrol fumes headache to let you know about it.  Fantastic exhaust blarp and mine would do 0-60mph in 1st (3 speed auto), but was out of steam at about 110mph.  Biggest problem I had with it was the seat runners were crap and because I had the seat all the way back they used to snap regularly.

 

I had four more 132's after this one, each successively worse than the previous.  The last one tried to kill me three times   in 1992, so I gave up on 'em.

 

Gaz

 

+1 on the OP's K11 Micra though - fab little all rounder 

Edited 12 June, 201610 yr by V6TDI

Fiat 126, had three all aircooled. Just a tiny car that always made me smile. Nearly bought one again in the spring, sadly missed it.

Fiat Panda, the original. Again, a small fun car. Owned two of those.

Austin 3 Litre, from 1971. Had one in the early 90s, possibly the UKs biggest lemon but I loved mine.

I've had nearly 40 cars and some very quick and expensive but I can pick two out that have great memories rather than awesome to drive.

 

Sierra 2.0GL. This wasn't a quick car but I was installing ICE at the time and this car had thousands spent on the interior and sound system. I used to take it to shows. It was also the time when my mates and myself would be out most nights and every weekend and the car I had when I met my wife. If myself and my mates were going anywhere we'd take the Sierra for the room and the tunes. (This was mobile hifi in the very early 90's not the sub in boot boom you hear today)

Only had it a couple of years but did 66k miles in it.

 

Impreza Series McRae Prodrive. Although I could talk about the drive I said I wouldn't but I got involved with the Subaru scene at the time (It didn't have the image it has now) and I was involved in meets, outings, trackdays and even black tie balls. Even got me involved with the WRC and a couple of visits to Prodrives test facility. No other car has had such a social impact or opened as many doors.

 

Lee

I bought a 1303 beetle as my first car (that I spent my own money on).

It was full of rust, rolled like a fishing boat in a storm, sounded like a Bren gun and the brakes were appalling but I bloody loved it!

It would do laps of roundabouts with the back end out (after a Scandinavian flick) and it was hilarious on a b road.

I want another...

Edited 12 June, 201610 yr by RampantBadger

My Dodge Ram b250 day Van, was a 4.0 v6, rolled like a boat, drank fuel as if it was going out of fashion, but absolutly loved that car!

Citroen AX GT. Twin carb, plastic boot, very light and hilarious from 0-50. A real blast. I think I would actually have another...If there are any left

Similar (ish) to yours then.......

 

Toyota Celica GT. A borrowed T reg circa late 70's car in black. (note - not ST but the much rarer GT) Two door twin cam.

 

It got noticed as it was quite sleek looking and I'm sure my arse was no more than a few inches off the tarmac. Lovely to drive.

Omg the Orion Ghia I

Even the same colour as I had

Mine went belly up in the end and the aa got fed up of coming out to it

Also noticed the Dunstable downs pic,have relatives near there and sometimes go and watch the gliders

Next week is our annual visit so may go there if the weather holds.

 

If I could get a clean Orion now I'd love one, the family mans xr3. 

 

My old man does a bit of gliding, we always had our family meets at the downs because it was half way between pur house and the rest of the family in London, it's a nice place to chill and have a picnic or walk the dog.