Yeti owner's previous 'cars with character'

[Prezafab]

1800cc in the picture. Bet that flew down the road ! I just remember the one I rode in feeling like it would fall apart.

 

... Strange how memory works - just remembered the excellent 6 cylinder Opel Commodore GSi from around 1978 that my mates dad used to give us a lift in. Silky smooth luxury at the time.

[b1ackb1rd]

1971 MGB

1974? Hillman Imp

1980 Allegro 1980

1990 MG Metro

1980 TR7

199? Honda Accord coupe auto

2000 MCC Smart Pure mk1 (44hp)

2009 Smart Passion 451 cdi (45hp)

2007 Skoda Roomster Scout 1.9tdi

2000 Skoda Fabia 1.9sdi

 

Anyone want to start a similar list for motorcycles ?

[Prezafab]

My dad had his Imp for 6 weeks because it was so unreliable.

Which was a good thing because he went onto an Alfasud - character by the bucketload, rust by the bulkhead.

[Carlodiesel]

3 hours ago, b1ackb1rd said:

Anyone want to start a similar list for motorcycles ?

Go for it.

Might get some Guys on here crawl out of the woodwork.....

 

In 1963.  First bike, Aerial Leader 250 two stroke twin.

1964 BSA 500 ex WD.

1964 Norton Navigator.

1965 Dads Velocette.

1966-1968 Cars + couple of bikes had for about 2 weeks then sold.

1969 Got Married, fun ended.

1969 Cars - 2002

2002 Back to bikes. Fun reinvented.

 

 

Edited 18 January by Carlodiesel

[J.R.]

6 hours ago, daviemck2006 said:

The 2 door marina would have looked better if the doors were about 6 inches longer.

 

Longer doors on 2 door versions of 4 door vehicles open to a reduced angle when parked beside other vehicles making egress more difficult, the actual opening width is the same but its restrictive to get your feet out.

[Paul52]

After a couple of ancient Ford Anglias (in my day if you were a student it was an Anglia, Morris Minor or, if you were flush, a Triumph Herald) when I started working I "upgraded" to a Ford Escort Mk1 estate After purchase I realised an 1100LC engine meant it was best not to try and drive into a head wind and anything more than about a 1:6 hill and the passengers had to get out and push! It also made my Red Setter puppy dreadfully car sick. Coincidently about the time we got the puppy my wife visited her GP for advice about a back problem. (For younger readers a GP was doctor you could go and see in a room rather than talk to on Zoom or WhatsApp, somewhat fallen out of fashion these days). He advised the Escort could be part of the problem and advised "next time" buying a car with better designed seats. There was a used car lot behind where we lived and they had one of the really early Renault 16 and we traded in the Escort (Renualt 16 pictured below in its original battleship grey - it wasn't improved with a respray in Ford Olympic Blue - a colour that almost glowed in the dark. And the number plate was probably worth more than the car cost). Super-comfy seats, loads of space, an economical 1600 engine supplemented by really versatile seating option (the seats could be laid out to make a comfy double bed or the back seat rest swung up into the roof, hanging off the grab handles, to make a decent sized van). And the Setter puppy took to it straight away! The Renault 16 was front wheel drive with a column change which went down to a gearbox in front of the engine. And to complete it's quirkiness, the rear suspension was arranged so that one rear wheel was slighly in front of the other! Apart from having to accept that at every MOT there would need to be extensive welding I liked them so much I had five in a row before switching to the Peugeot 405 estate (having taken the advice of the local taxi trade who I was doing some work with who swore by them). None of the Renaults' quirkiness but comfortable, solid and reliable workhorses with the low running costs welcomed by those with serious mortgages. 

After the last 405 went nothing very special but including a couple of Volvos best forgotten; I came to the conclusion their safety record was so good becasue a lot of the time they were off the road for repair but I may just have been unlucky. And then just at the right time along came the Yeti. I'd had new cars before as company cars but this would be the first where it was my money. And what a sound investment its proved to be.

(Many years ago my brother was given a Skoda as a firm's vehicle, back in the day when Skoda were the butt of many a cruel joke. He kept it several years, never had a problem throughout that time and still says it was one of the best cars he's ever owned).

 

[Prezafab]

Is that ETP76C or 78C in the photo? If you key the latter into the MOT history website it says a green 1965 Lister diesel which hasn't had its first MOT yet !

Edited 23 January by Prezafab

[Expatman]

Talking about Company cars the best by far was a 1991 Vauxhall Cavalier 2.0GSi, smooth, surprisingly fast and a bit of a wolf in sheep’s clothing when it came to performance. Surprised many a boy racer from traffic lights- older and wiser (and retired) now but did enjoy that car.

[Prezafab]

29 minutes ago, Expatman said:

Talking about Company cars the best by far was a 1991 Vauxhall Cavalier 2.0GSi, smooth, surprisingly fast and a bit of a wolf in sheep’s clothing when it came to performance. Surprised many a boy racer from traffic lights- older and wiser (and retired) now but did enjoy that car.

Nice car that - nearly got a used Cavalier GSi 4x4 (with the same non-turbo engine) but went for a Legacy Turbo 4wd instead. Loved that car - lots of stories. 

[KiNeL]

On 16/01/2024 at 19:18, Stubod said:

..I had an Allegro ????

.

.

.

...I'll see myself out....

 

I had TWO, both 1750 Sport versions, wife wrote the first one off so I went and bought another, that alone must make me unique!!!!!!

I covered around 200,000 miles in the pair of with no significant issues, certainly no rear wheels falling off.

In mid range acceleration they were something of a q car and gave many a boy racer a surprise!

Regular problems were rear subframe rubber bushes and clutch release bearings but both were easy enough to replace and their failure more a result of loony driving and habitual double declutching gear changes.

I remember one time having 4 new tyres fitted but went back to the outlet to complain about them, the manager took a ride with me and his only comment was that I had the wrong car not the wrong tyres  

 

 

I'll get me coat too......................

Edited 24 January by KiNeL

[Prezafab]

53 minutes ago, KiNeL said:

I had TWO, both 1750 Sport versions.

Ooh with twin round headlights and a stripey interior. My dad looked at one then bought an Alfasud Ti once he had convinced my mum we didn't need 4 doors and the rear legroom was ok 😄

Edited 24 January by Prezafab

[Robjon]

I actually LIKED my Allegro estate.  I'd better get my coat too...

[KiNeL]

No, that was the 2 door Equipe, unless you knew the difference the 1750 Sport looked more or less like any other Allegro.

Front grille and wheel trims were the main clues unless It was in front in which case the 1750 Sport decal gave the game away.

Many boy racers got to see that!

 

Talking of Equipe's though my best mate back in the late 60's had one of these, a Bond Equipe. Poor sod took an early death but I still remember the number ADX 630B!

 

Edited 24 January by KiNeL

[bigjohn]

6 hours ago, Robjon said:

I actually LIKED my Allegro estate.  I'd better get my coat too...

 

Hmm, another previous Allegro owner here 1973 1750 ss . 5 Speed box with a really torquey engine and a reasonable ride. Generally I rather liked it but with such a heavy engine and skinny tyres it was prone to understeer.

 

I'll join the getting my coat queue.............

[Prezafab]

I've bought myself a ticket for the Festival of the Unexceptional in July.

There are bound to be Allegros there 

[Paul52]

On 23/01/2024 at 15:52, Prezafab said:

Is that ETP76C or 78C in the photo? If you key the latter into the MOT history website it says a green 1965 Lister diesel which hasn't had its first MOT yet !

 

I think it was ETP70C.

 

The original posting was "Cars with Character" and I guess one of the Volvos I mentioned in my previous post might qualify. Bought second-hand it was a Volvo 265GLE - one of the, for those days, enormous estate cars. It was the only auto I've ever owned and everything was controlled electrically or through vacuum tubes. Among its party pieces was suddenly going into "dead" mode at 70mph on the four lane section of the A27(T). I'd planned to leave at the approaching junction but with no power, no steering (without the engine running it was immovable) and no brakes I had no choice to carry on in a straight line and pray. Fortunately it restarted after a few seconds. Among its other quirks it seems a previous owner had wiired the electric aerial into the brake lights - every time you applied the brakes the aerial retracted and the radio went off. And I spent pretty much every weekend working on it trying to fix various problems as they emerged. Did I mention on a nice gentle, long run it could do as much as 15 mpg? Put your foot down and it could really shift but you could almost see the needle on the petrol gauge go into freefall.

 

It was comfortable though.

 

After about six months I decided the car had to go or I'd be bankrupt.

[Prezafab]

7 hours ago, Paul52 said:

Among its party pieces was suddenly going into "dead" mode at 70mph on the four lane section of the A27(T). I'd planned to leave at the approaching junction but with no power, no steering (without the engine running it was immovable) and no brakes I had no choice to carry on in a straight line and pray. Fortunately it restarted after a few seconds. 

Not nice. I had a 6 month old Jeep Cherokee that did that on the outside lane of the M6 nearly Corley services. A gust of wind at the front and it totally cut out like your Volvo. I was lucky that I was doing 80 because it gave me some coasting distance to get to the hard shoulder without being collected by a) The artics or b) the armco