"Dad's Rubbish Cars"

[CortinaDave]

My dad had a phenomenal amount of shite when I was a kid in the 80s.

 

HC Vivas - H and P reg

 

Mk4 Zodiac ( I remember him making the whole family come out most mornings to push start this... bloody heavy it was too) - K Reg

 

Mk2 Capri 2.0 S - R reg

 

Hillman Hunter - R reg

 

Alfa Sud - P reg ( i think)

 

Cortina Mk4 1.6L - T reg

 

Then he got a brand new company car in '88 - An F reg Astra Diesel Merit!!

 

numerous terrible company cars followed including an Escort Popular and bright yellow Metro Clubman.

[RobT]

In terms of shite, the best we had were a ropey, terminally rotten Maxi 1750 bought from our neighbour plus a Reliant Regal saloon.  Both at the same time, so for a short period in the early 80s we were a two car family which was a bit posh.  My Dad has self-confessed low standards when it comes to cars, he's just happy if they start and run.  Currently he's got a 52-plate Corsa which sort of proves the point.

[DVee8]

Dad had shite

73 Opel Kadett. new then traded for a

77 Opel Kadett new then traded for a

80 Opel Kadett  new this was traded for

81 Datsun Bluebird this was wrote off one Sunday lunchtime,when the old man was on his way home from the club.Someone more pissed than he was pulled out of a side street into the side of him.

83 Austin Maestro 1.6VP in opeline green. This he ran till around 87 then he gave it to me.

[Keymaster]

Reposted from here with an update: http://autoshite.com/topic/14912-childhood-memoriesyour-parents-cars/

 

I never realised at the time, but my dad is a bit of a shite hero... with the exception of the most recent car none of the pics are his actual cars unfortunately as I havent got any

 

not long after i was born in 1980, he invested in a sensible family car, a P reg white avenger estate similar to this. I have no memories whatsoever of this car other than looking at pictures of it.

 

 

he took over the family greengrocers, so briefly had a sherpa minibus for lugging the stock about, all i really remember of it being perilously balanced on the seats in the back & the smell of dirt & cabbages!

 

 

Then with business booming, he went all "posh" at my mums insistence & bought a nearly new Lada. I recall going to the dealers with them... even at the age of 4 i knew this was a bad idea & wanted him to get a red mk2 escort. They just laughed & gave me an orange flavour lollipop. My future taste in cars was unfairly influenced from this point forward...

 

 

My grandad somehow managed to snap the axle on the Lada, killing it off. So for a very brief period of time I was delighted as my dad was running around in my uncles TR7. Pop up headlights FTW & I had images in my 6 year old head of solving Liverpool's crimes knight rider style. Sadly though, this wasnt to be, as 2 seaters are no good for a family of 5... S reg Fiat 128's on the other hand were ideal according to my dads warped mind... I think rust killed it within a year... I recall vividly him rebuilding one of the back doors with chickenwire, newspaper & wob. Win.

 

 

By now, its 1987, the Fiat is dead & the business has failed. My dad is a skint student trying to support a wife 3 kids a cat, dog and hamster. His choice of transport is severely limited by a lack of cash... resulting in him turning up one rainy winter night with what was almost certainly a cut & shut Mk1 Cavalier 1600L... resplendent in 2 shades of maroon, a 1800 engine & a GL interior. I'm pretty sure it turned out the rear footwells were made out of cardboard and underseal. This car gave me my first experience of scrappies, when we went to one on the dock road to get a "new" radiator fan. I was using the scrapped cars like a massive climbing frame, happy days.

 

 

 

The Cav was with us a couple of years, but the boot couldnt take the strain of a growing family, so around 1990 a deal was struck with my uncle... cash plus car for a 3 year old C reg Lada Riva Estate in autoshite beige. The Lada had recently survived a front end smash with a Fiesta... the steel girder front bumper was dented but that was it... the Fiesta was written off. One consequence of the crash was that the horn went off whenever we turned left....

The Lada was with us forever, or at least it felt that way. Until very recently it was probably what he would insist was the most reliable car he had... it never needed anything other than basic maintenance & the only reason he sold it was cos a Russian exporter knocked on the front door & offered to buy it for much more than it was worth, in fact more than my dad paid for it 4 years earlier. Turns out they thought it was a G reg, but the front number plate had delaminated & the prefix wasnt readable ha ha!

 

 

So in 1994 the Lada was replaced by a 1988 BX 16RS Estate in cream. It was ace, but an unreliable POS, loads of electrical gremlins, the suspension wouldnt raise to top height, heater matrix failed, the list was endless. After a 2 week camping holiday in France we got off the ferry at southampton... 3 miles into our 6hour drive home at 11pm, the rear subframe failed... the recovery company sent Terry Nutkins to pick us up & drive us back to Liverpool... no problem except he told us he had just got back from Edinburgh & hadnt slept for 20 hours. BX was repaired & killed in 1995 when my dad rear ended someone after "being distracted by some birds"

 

 

Next up a 1987 Renault 21 1.7 TS. This was surprisingly reliable for a Renault. I hated it. It only had 1 speaker FFS! Thankfully, it died within 2 months of me getting my licence with OMGHGF.

 

 

1998 By now my dad had paid off his student loans etc so treated himself to something that was at the time half decent.. a 1993 ZX 1.9D. It was a great car. Even for an 18 year old driving his dads car it had a bit of kudos with my mates... stardust music sounds better with you on loop in the tape player. It lasted 7 years, had covered a total of 190,000 miles & apart from 3 clutches (my dad has a famously unsympathetic left foot) needed nothing but basic servicing & consumables up until the engine failed in 2004. 

 

 

Since 2004 - 2014 he had been running a V reg Almera 1.4 that he bought from me. Its the most reliable car he has had, it has taken untold punishment on a daily basis from me & my dad for 12 years & has never needed any major mechanical work. Only now is it reaching the end of its life... its sills needed to be done for the last MOT & rot is starting to take hold... edit: recently killed by my brother, crashed it into a corsa

 

 

With the Almera dying, it was handed to my brother & at the start of this year my dad got a 55 cmax 1.6 zetec. I thought it would be alright, but its a little underpowered, a little too thirsty & has needed wheel bearings & power steering replaced so far.... back on form after 10 years of reliability, then!

 

 

Verdict: Top Shiter.

[Noel Tidybeard]

not all from memory cos i wasnt born but here goes:-

Vauxhall Victor FB- grey/red

Fiat 500- navy blue

Ford Zephyr 4- blue

Daf 44- white

Austin 1800- grey

Ford Corsair badermatic- navy blue

Fiat 500 Giardiniera- navy blue

Austin 1300- red

Renault 12 estate- met green EXC 956L

Austin Allegro 1500 Super- flamenco red (orange) POE 408R

Ford Transit motorhome- red/white

Renner 5 auto 5dr- silver

Citroen BX 1.9 RD- silver

Citroen BX 1.4 flight- silver

Honda Integra 1.5 auto- red

Nissan Sunny ZX 1.8 16v 5dr- met grey

Nissan Microbe 1.3 LS- red

--------------------------------------------------after which the poor bugger died from cancer

[Guest yelookinit]

From memory no pics sorry, and probably not in order.

1) 80's Austin mini Metro in a horrible dull blue, with dodgy electrics, when it rained all lights,wipers horn would blare on and off outside house!

2) mk2 escort 4 door, white died of rust.

3) Datsun cherry in red which only looked good in rain lol.

4) Datsun coupe of some sort was gold with brown velour, died of rust.

5) mk4 cortina green

6) yugo which was a heap of junk and was only 2yrs old at time.

7) transit mini bus, dont know why as there where only 3 of us in family( i think he won it lol)

mini which died after a head in with the central reservation! (Nearly took man with it!

Thats all i can remember from top of my head,

[twosmoke300]

Dad was a trader so has had hundreds of cars but a few that stick in my mind are ( not in order )

 

Talbot solara

Mk1 Sierra 2.3d

Brand new mk4 escort 3dr estate

Brand new defender 110 csw

Bx 19rd in creme at 2 yrs old

Rover 418 sld . Had that for 10 years

 

But some weird old shit has come through the books over the years , mainly vans.

[AnthonyG]

My dad worked for the Central Electricity Generating Board in the 1960s, travelled a lot and got a new car every two years - so before I was born he had:

1955/6 Austin A40 Cambridge - first car in '62

1964 Hillman Minx (first new car)

1966 Singer Vogue (crashed and fixed when about 6 months old, he never thought it drove right after that so replaced in a deal with the local Rootes dealer for

1966 Humber Hawk (think this had been hanging around the showroom for quite a while, he got it for about a third off list price)

1968 Volvo 142

1971 Austin 1800 (first one I remember)

1974 Peugeot 504

He moved to a different office based job, which meant he kept cars for much longer)

1981 Volvo 244DL

1985 Saab 900 ( he never got on with this, only kept it for less than a year)

1987 Volvo 240 GL

1990 BMW 318i (E30)

Then he took early retirement, moved to the country, since then it's been 4wd stuff, the shitest of which was a 1988 Daihatsu Fourtrak van.

 

My aunt has a 1.6 Cmax and she thinks its underpowered. It's a 'style' model and the interior is grim grey plastic, I was surprised they did dashboards that bad still.

[jmsguzzi]

My Dad's cars always seem to be around 8 years old when he buys them, so far so good:

Austin Metro - first car, written off after a few months i think.

Volvo 340 - wasn't born for this one, Dad never seems to have anything good to say about it 

Mk1 Renault 11 - a talking dash model no less, first car i ever travelled in

1994 Peugeot 306 - first car i can remember, bottom of the range 1.4 model

1993 Mercedes 190E - so far my favourite and the car he had for most of my child hood, base 1.8 model think the only option ticked was a cassette holder.

2001 BMW 530D - his current car, maybe not that shite yet but it's getting there. The only car he's had with any creature comforts/power.

[Wilko220]

I'm very pleased that my rubbish Daily Mirror link has actually resulted in a half decent thread.

 

In my case, childhood rides in order were:

Triumph 1500 (expired in a cloud of steam)

Austin Allegro Mk2 (don't know what eventually killed it but I do remember we actually had a scrap spares car in the garden for it for about two years. This was for a car which must have been about six or seven years old at the time).

From then on things got a bit more upmarket and cars were traded in rather than scrapped. We had two Ford Sierras (an early hatch and then a Sapphire) then two Vauxhall Cavaliers (both of which were new and both of which spent A LOT of time going back to the dealers for various ailments to be fixed).

The Vauxhall experience caused him to decide to go Jap next and, after that, he got a Mazda 626 which was super reliable and provided sterling service over nearly 20 years.

 

He had some interesting stuff before I was born, including his first vehicle which was an Austin A35 van, a Morris Traveller and a landcrab - but obviously I don't know the chronologies. What I do know is that he had been very loyal to BMC/BL up until the Allegro...

[ProgRocker]

My dad has owned cars since the 1950s (he's 79). He had a motorbike before that - a Triumph I think.

 

First car he had was a Sunbeam Talbot. I remember my late grandad telling me that it ended up getting repo'd as it was bought on credit (hire purchase?).

 

He's also owned a Jowett Javelin, Ford Anglia, Austin a35 (?), Vauxhall Wyvern, Vauxhall Cresta PA in two tone, Humber Sceptre (really nice car according to my mum), a pollyfilla special Zephyr 4 mark 3 and a Triumph Herald estate up until the 1970s.

 

I think after the Herald a decision was made that from now on the family car will have rear doors.Before I was born there were 2 mark 3 Cortinas. A white saloon and then the orangey red 1974 1600 XL estate with RoStyle wheels. I assume this was the car I was brought home from hospital in.

 

After that came the 2.0 4speed manual Granada 'L' in diamond white with optional vinyl roof, fog lamps and chrome wheel rims (like a GL!).

 

His car owning history reached it's nadir in the mid 1980s with the Vauxhall Royale 2.8. Sadly it wasn't kept long as it cost a bomb to run and was traded in for a tappetty Talbot Horizon 1.3 LS. A 4 cylinder Granada mark 2 would have been a nicer compromise - or a Cavalier/Carlton?

 

Y reg MG Maestro 1600 in 1988 

D reg Carlton 2200i CD in 1993. Got to drive this a few times myself and loved it!

L reg Astra 1.4 hi torq California in 1997 with retro fitted power steering

 

The folks now wanted a car with a decent ride height as they were getting on.

 

1997 Renault Megane Scenic 1.6e RT in 2000. Surprising choice as my dad doesn't like the French! This one had a dodgy gearbox. It was awkward to select first gear. It didn't put him off getting another one...

 

1999 Renault Megane Scenic 1.6 16v Sport. Despite my general dislike for MPVs, it won me over. Very comfortable car, nice upholstery, pokey. Sorry to see it go but there was a leak coming in from somewhere and my dad was fed up with it.

 

2005 Ford Focus C-Max 1.6 TDCi. The first Ford my parents had in 25 years. Also the first diesel engined car they owned. I haven't driven it. Don't like it as much as much as the 1999 Scenic. It is clad in horrid looking plastic/vinyl. I think this one will see my parents out.

[alfetta]

Hmm Brand new 1973 Mini when I was born, followed by a Saab 96, then a Fiat 850 coupe, another Saab 96 V4. years of company cars. Then Saab 99 (2)  and 1987 Fiesta XR2. More company cars, then an ST24, Saab 9-3. Now a Nissan Micra.

 

I suppose the only 'rubbish' one was the mini as it had a lot of faults typical of pride of BL at the time...Oh and the Fiat rotted away like they all did!

[mercrocker]

All my Dad's stuff seemed to suffer from povo-spec syndrome.  

 

First car - 1964 Hillman Minx, putty grey with green seats embellished* with gloomy grey "Cumficar" nylon stretch seat covers.  Bought from an equally parsimonious Uncle.   I didn't expect a Gazelle but a Minx de Luxe would have been nice!

 

Second car was a 1970 Viva HB - not even an SL but an 1159cc 2 door.    Bought off another Uncle with an aversion to both optional extras and/or waiting for a new model to come out.   

 
My mum traded this one Sunday morning (they were devout church goers so there must have been something seriously wrong brewing up with it) for a much better

1971 FD Victor 2000SL Estate.  He had this a few years as I remember being picked up from school in it and booting it mercilessly when taking girl-friends home after I passed my test.   It laid rubber like no other vehicle I had access to...

 

The Vicky was replaced by easily his coolest ever car - 1972 Opel Rekord coupe.   I really liked smoking this one around, too.

 

Then the pair of them (Ma and Pa) fooked off to Canada and really pissed me off by selling the Rekord to a pikey on their last day in England rather than let me have it....

 

On arrival in Canada they spunked a load of their house-sale money on an appallingly shite Plymouth Reliant - a stunted little Mitsubishi engine sedan with maroon velour seats     Dad launched it into a ditch during a run down to New York with me and new Mrs Rocker on board.   I explained the difference between front and rear wheel drive in the ambulance....

 

The Plymouth, and Dad, were patched up and we continued the trip but the K Car went a year or so later for a succession of truly crap cars - Plymouth Sunbird which I never saw, a Nissan Sentra which I wished I hadn't and a stream of Dodge Caravans/Plymouth Voyagers.   He has given those up very recently for a Nissan Note.

 

Mum never had her own car and I think she has probably given up  driving now anyway.   I don't think either of them had any interest in cars and they seem to have spent their entire lives shitting themselves at the possibility of something expensive going wrong with them.   

[dangerousdave]

my dads car history in no order whatsoever

 

1948 mg tc his first car I remember him telling me one of his mates jumped on the running board it fell off

 

mk1 triumph 2000

 

holden fc which his mate rolled down a cliff demolishing every panel and my dad walked away with cuts and bruises so did his mate

 

ford escorts 2x mk1 , mk2 , mk3 , mk7

 

ford Cortinas 2x mk3 , mk4 estate , mk5 estate

 

mk2 Granada saloon and estate

 

beige Renault 18 worst car he had

 

2x Nissan bluebirds dull but un breakable

 

2001 Peugeot 306 estate

 

09 kia ceed estate

 

2012 citroen c3 Picasso

 

but I have saved the best till last

 

1972 Chrysler valiant charger vh 770

for those not in the know it was Chrysler australias answer to the dodge charger but a little smaller with a 5.2 litre fireball v8 and yes I do want one and will get one oneday

[e287yba]

I was born in 1970, my father had a Morris 1100 or 1300 (no further details available ...)

 

My parents' first car was a maroon Morris Mini 850 SDL in Maroon, CDK 200C was sold by MacLure Motors in Rochdale and first hit the road on 1/1/65 ( so 5 years before my time). This Mini did 28,000 miles in one 18 month period - so I am told - as my mother lived in Rochdale and my father lived away from home in Belper during the week...

 

My parents (to be ) soon set up home in Crich and then Belper, and their car was the above-mentioned Mini, which was soon replaced by a Morris 1100 ORB 971E.

 

Other Morris 1100/1300s followed, every 2 years on average it seems... I think two more followed ORB - and one of them needed a new front panel under warranty as it rusted through from the inside within the first year! The one in the family when I was born was "dark orange", and "turquoise" rings a bell for the last one...

 

XEN 632M, a Harvest Gold Morris Marina saloon , followed the last Morris 1300; KEN 20P, a Marina Coupe in Damask Red with a hankering for new trunnions on the n/s/f  followed that... KEN failed its first MoT in 1979 with a bill for £400 (I was told to avoid my father that day, oddly enough...).

 

CDK 343V, a Snapdragon (yellow) Marina 1700L saloon was KEN's replacement in June 1980 - and LPE 632W, an Applejack (luminous green) Ital 1700HL estate appeared on the drive in September 1980 as my father had got a job as a Sales Rep and this was his company car... The Ital lasted 6 months (my father got sacked) and then the Marina disappeared with my father in April '81 as he couldn't keep his penis in his pants and the grass was greener on the other side...

 

Anyway, I think we've got the Morris Theme by now . That my MG Maestro 1600 is Cowley-built is coincidental!!1! Regardless, this is why I am a fan of The Firm...

 

His next car, registered 1/1/83, was a dark blue Talbot Samba (ACW 633Y)... Didn't run well but clocked 20k in the next year... Its replacement was a maroon Peugeot 205GR (A774 MRN), which was a good car (and it shrugged off the 20k annual mileage my father did).

 

An MG Metro (C510 EFR) followed, it had a few hiccups in the earliest days but 20k miles p.a. seemed manageable without complaint? (He drove from Rossendale to St Helens daily, in the latter days he met a colleague at Heywood and they car-pooled from there...).

 

A 205GTI 1.6 (E64 EFR) followed the MG, and it seemed to be even more effortless than the GR -  as well as going a LOT better! Said GTI shrugged off 300 miles taking me to Uni at Brighton (or vice versa) plus the return journey for my father. Another 1.6 followed (G576 HFV, registered 1/1/90)

 

I fell out with my father in '92, so no more history (although he was still driving G576 in '98 when I met him at what was the final "family funeral" in terms of common relatives).

 

My experiences in his 205s led to a hankering which led to me aquiring my 309SR (same engine as the GTI 1.6 but with a single Weber) - it makes the same noises as his GTIs did, on occasion...

[twosmoke300]

Surprised I haven't been beaten to this, but was it D701SWL?

Nope M663PRS