Stroller133

In 1998 I was selling a 9 year old Rover 216S for £375 in local rag. One bloke spent ages looking round 'tutting' and in the end declared he had one new and this one wasn't as good! The eventual buyer called and reeled of a load of spec asking if my car had it. No, no, no.... I replied, just about to tell her to do one and bother someone else when she said brilliant - less to go wrong. Turned up with the cash and drove off within an hour.
 
I was selling the rover as I had just bought the Mini clubman in my profile pic.

I nearly set fire to my Polo Coupe during an oil level confusion event.
I was at parents home,just about to go to Uni, only about 30 mile trip and checking something under the bonnet and had removed oil filler cap, probably to top up. Started to drive and after a few miles it was running rough. I lifted bonnet to find i had not replaced filler cap, in my confused state I thought the engine oil had evaporated and poured in about 3 litres and drove off again wirh cap relaced. Within minutes it was obvious something was amiss and I pulled onto grass verge, as I lifted the bonnet there was a few flames - I started to run away and looked back and it was not on fire so I went back, waited to check it was not going to burst into flames and then still drove the remaining 1/4 mile to the services. My mate towed me home in his girlfriends micra with a tow rope.
I 'm sure your Rover will be fine.

When I was born my Dad had a Bond Bug, but shortly after/just before bought a Bond 875 3wheeler as a "family friendly car" Then a late trotter spec regal van in a creamy brown colour - an L reg if I remember correctly. The first car I remember him buying was an early Reliant Robin super 750 estate GUK xxxN in fetching bright yellow. I remember expecting a rear door on only one side as u was told it was a three door - in my defence I was only 3!
 
At this point the Bond Bug, Bond & Regal were all still parked outside the house - we must have been popular in close where the houses were only built 3 years earlier in 1979.
 
The Robin had numerous issues and was often off the road, my dad had a brand new Honda C90 for work but at this point he often borrowed a Regal saloon off his mate for family duties - it was hand painted maroon/purple.
A couple of years later another yellow N-reg Robin was acquired and by now the Bond Bug had been sold to a guy who used it to build some extreme custom car.
 
The second Robin was a saloon (actually a hatch but only glass lifted) in the same yellow colour. It was also temperamental and often in need of repair. The plan was for Dad to build up and fit a later, more powerful* 850 engine in one of these Robins. Every Friday a chap used to call round and drop off a different component - we lived in Tamworth and this chap worked at the Reliant factory, draw your own conclusions?
 
By now the drive was full, so my Dad hacksawed up the Bond and then the Regal van in the drive and loaded up the dustbin each week until they were gone!
 
My memories of the Robins are of tearing my legs off the vinyl seats during hot summer days and thinking that 50mph was a fast exciting speed! Dad claimed to have had 85 on his way to work out of the saloon, I remember see 65 once and thinking we might end up in a different time zone.
 
In about 1987 my Grandads W-reg Yellow Marina 1300L that he had nearly new was a bit shabby. He paid £300+ for a dodgy respray and nearly didn't get the car back as the bodyshop went bust. Within months the rust was coming through, so actually a factory standard respray. Shortly after he bought a nearly new Montego 1.6 HL saloon. He was only offered £50 p/x so gave it to my Dad.
My Dad only had a bike licence so couldn't really drive the Marina, but the following week the working yellow Robin broke down and the Marina became the new daily. Me and my brother genuinely thought it was sheer luxury with its velour seats, back doors, armrest and a wheel at each corner - burnt my finger checking the fag light worked.
Can't remember what happened to the Robins - I think one was sold as scrap and the other may also have been hacked up and binned. With no use for the 850 engine by the time all the bits were amassed this was sold cheaply to his mate who lent us the regal. He had a Robin by now and my Dad seemed to spend every other weekend fixing it for him so let him have the new engine to reduce the amount of attention it required.
 
The 4 wheeled years to follow....