Jump to content

One car you really miss.


Roverageous

Recommended Posts

I still really miss L456 HSH, my 190E 2.0.

 

Despite my first venture into the world of 190s not exactly turning out how I wanted, I really fancied another one back in 2007 after selling my W202 C Class.

 

It was on ebay with no bids and two days to go. I snaffled it for the £700 starting bid which didnt seem bad. It was described as in good all round condition with 'some' history and with 11 months test and 5 months tax. It also appeared to be Bornite in the pictures too, my favourite Mercedes colour. Bonus.

 

I went down to Manchester to pick it up. My mate Dave who drove me down in his Maestro TD laughed as soon as we saw it. It was BROWN! Very very brown indeed. Certainly not bloody Bornite!

I'd never seen the colour on a Mercedes before. And when I joined the owners forum, no one on there had ever heard of a metallic brown one either. Certainly not a late L plater. However I had a good look round it, it started and ran nicely and despite being a bit grubby I could see that with a quick clean up it could end up being a bit of a minter. It turned out to have the largest and most complete service history I've ever had with a car, going back to the first service and including the original sales invoice. And by the time I set off for home, the colour was starting to grow on me...

Not a bad spec either. Cloth trim, but with a few little options like rear headrests, front armrest, leccy sunroof and original Blaupunkt radio cassette still in place.

 

I had that car getting on for three years/circa 25000 miles and I loved it. It had been looked after all it's life and it showed. In the time I owned it, other than regular servicing, I had to replace a broken rear coil, the rear half of the exhaust and change the discs and pads. I was happy enough with that.

I did modify it slightly... After finding out I could get a set of 30mm lowering springs from GSF for not much more than they wanted for a pair of OE spec rear ones, I got them and fitted them. As was the trend at the time, I got some clear front indicators and repaeters, which worked pretty well with the colour and being a late example and fitted some tinted rear light clusters. Proper Hella darkened clusters though, nort some half-arsed tint spray job. Best mod was getting hold of some pukka Lorinser LO alloys. These were a replica of the OE Merc 15 hole flat face alloys, but with a nice dished rim.

 

I only really sold it because I had been searching for a while for a 190 sportline and one eventually came up for sale on the forum. In Bornite, funnily enough...

post-5243-0-99215300-1471044191_thumb.jpeg

post-5243-0-03935800-1471044220_thumb.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

No pics but Volvo 244dl Reg ABV 441R had that car when I met my now Wife, enough said (We both lived with parents at the time; she had had a Nissan Micra, enough said)  an unusual steed for a 23 year old would be lothario but we are still together 21 years on, and she still has a secret soft spot for anything Viking; Now where did I put my long-boat................................................................................

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Honda S800 coupe, NAF 5F. I lent it to my stepdad for a day and he pulled out on an articulated lorry! The front was seriously re-arranged but was supposed to be getting repaired at a dodgy gits garage in Crowle, it just sat in his lock up for ages then disappeared.

 

My MK 10 Jaguar, auto 4.2. It was a cracking car, Sherwood green, brown (tan?) leather and we had some right adventures together including the time it fell on my head! Owned it for 8 years which for me, is several lifetimes! Sold it to my.... stepdad who parked it in a field and left it there never to move again.

 

My first Mercedes: 116 280SE in cream with MB tex and cloth interior, manumatic windows but nice Mexican hat alloys. It was a bit sad and forlorn when I first saw it and that resonated with my own emotional state so I bought it. That car suffered for about 18 months of zero maintenance and massive miles and was sold (for a decent profit!) with two bald tyres and a blown head gasket that I didn't disclose :( I saw it about ten years later and it looked lovely apart from chrome wheel arches, but it was good to see it was still being cared for.

 

Strangely, my Bentley Turbo R that blew up last year. I really liked that car, possibly better than the one I have now even though the one I have now is a better/newer/more desirable/more expensive version. No accounting for taste.  Thank God :) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm usually glad to see the back of car as I'm either excited by the replacement or glad to see the back of it due to problems/faults.

That said, I'm sure tears will be shed when my current car goes. Not likely to be popular on here it's a 2005 Focus C-max 2.0 tdci Ghia, it has mostly been my wife's car, but at times the main family car so I drove it at weekends and holidays throughout our ownership. We bought it at just over 3 years old with 40k on the clock, 8 years later it's on 145. We have been on holiday to Cornwall with it as a couple, then as a family of 3, 4 & 5, this year towing our caravan too. 2 of our 3 children came hone from hospital in it too.

For the last 15 months it's been my car and I've done almost 25 in it since then and spent more than £1500 on maintenance and repairs including cam belt, clutch and flywheel, battery and starter motor. Over that time I've grown even more attached than I already was!

I probably do want to change it some time soon for something a bit bigger and newer, but might just replace the wife's Peugeot 5008 instead - that is usually the family car but the weedy 1.6 engine can't tow the caravan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I miss the following:

 

Mg Metro Turdo  (The Most FUN car I've owned)

1275 Sport Metro (The Most Fun Car my wife has owned and also the most rusty car)

Mk2 Cavalier 1.6 GL (The most sensible car I've owned, and the first grown up car)

Mk2 Cavalier 1.8 Cdi Auto (The most comfortable car, and great for queue jumping due to patina)

Mk2 Cavalier 1.8 SRi (The second most Fun Car I've owned)

Mk2 Cavalier CalibRE (The most unreliably piece of shite ever. I would have it back tomorrow, so in your face)

Mk3 Astra 1.4i Saloon (So much 200TS replica potential the car I had engine swap plans for - written off due to the fact that it was sunny, and IO was looking at the view)

Mk3 Cavalier 1.8L (Just because we had it so long, 13 years and it was part of the family)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

These are the two Cars that I really miss and I wish I could have back.

Pug 205 Rallye 1.4. Always a misconception about the engine spec in these as this one had the full xs twin choke spec engine from new. An absolutely peachy thing to drive,went like the clappers for a 1.4 and never failed to do 40 mpg. Bought it in 95 and only sold it last year do to a loss of storage.I regret it already.

Talbot Alpine Rapier. Bought this from an old Boy in Maidenhead from the Thames Valley autotrader whilst in Uni. Genuine 18k on the clock when I got it and it really was minty mint It was a choice between this and a Silver Rancho...but the condition of the Alpine..plus we'd had other Alpines in the family prior swung it the Alpines way. I soaked it in Waxoil and drove it everywhere for 8 years. No tappet rattle either as they'd modified the valve gear in the late Simca 4 pots in readiness for the Talbot Arizona aka Pug 309s impending launch. I sold it on to a relative when it became a tad to big for my needs. A lovely lovely looking car that bar the carb jets filling with shite every now and again was totally reliable. I'd have it back at an instant,but now probably long gone.

post-20412-0-67854300-1471171722_thumb.jpg

post-20412-0-30819700-1471171830_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Having found myself now driving to work on the awful A13 in Essex every day, I really miss my Corolla Executive. That still rates as one of my best cars and Parky Senior had it after me. Bought in 2002 when already 9 years old for £2k from a dealer, we had 7 years of virtually silent fault free running from it (two tyres, a battery and a fan belt along with the odd oil change) but the best thing was it was an Auto. No pics but was identical to this. Even the interior was doom blue.

 

The only problem with it was when driving around East London at night people would stop me at traffic lights and say things like "Romford £20 mate?" Because it looked rather like an unlicensed Minicab......

post-3538-0-44531400-1471293786_thumb.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've never seen one since I sold mine but I'd guess that there are one or two somewhere. The shame of it is that because the van was used only for business I got it into my head that there would be a big saving to be had by running a diesel. Fiat were about to launch the Fiorino so a new one was gone and ordered. There were a couple of teething problems when it arrived- on its first journey the engine fell out. 35 miles from home the top mount, which presumably hadn't been tightened back in Brazil, detached, allowing the sump to hit the road. Despite it being a Sunday night my local garage who supplied it bought out a 127 van for me and the load to continue in and towed the new vehicle back to be mended. (UMM recovery truck was involved). The Fiorino had its threads helicopter (spell checker has poor grasp of workshop practices) and notched up a high mileage, so a fair bit of money was eventually saved on fuel. (Fiat did 10 mpg more than the GS). Wish I'd stuck with the Citroen though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The ex-J-T Honda Prelude that became Dollywobbler's and then JohnDeere's.  Probably the best driving experience of any car I've owned, sold as it was impractical but I miss driving it and it was so very pretty in a severe Japanese sort of way.  It also took myself and a friend on a heroic, rather quick cross country dash following a timing cockup which saw my friend leaping out of the car outside Stansted airport and running through the building just in time to be the last person on the flight, just before the doors closed.  It ate up the miles, didn't put a foot wrong and saved the day.  Well, half of it.  As I had to park the car, I still missed the flight!

 

post-5492-0-21888600-1471419006_thumb.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't ask why, my 2004 Vectra CDTI 150. I had it remapped to 212BHP & it surprised a lot of people.

 

Part exchanged it for a boring new car, got £1500 part ex, they auctioned it & it sold for £670, if I'd of known when the auction was I would have bought it straight back for that price!

 

Oh and my old black 306, converted it to an XUD from a HDI unit, stuck a big turbo on it, ran it on veg, beautiful. Still going within the 306 community although on a fresh block I believe.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There's two that spring to mind. No photos - pre technology days.

 

First was my old Mexico brown 1972 K reg Rover P6 V8 S. Went like shit off a stick. Sold it when the clutch started to slip.

 

Second was a 1972 K reg Cortina Mk 3 2000 GXL auto. Fabulous looking car. Bright red with a black vinyl roof. Rostyles with proper trim rings. Looked the absolute bollocks.

 

Why do we sell these things?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Many.

 

Mostly these,

 

A 1989 skoda 120l estelle that had been badly repainted in bright orange, that I had to refit the engine five times and the gearbox twice to, which I lowered to around an inch off the ground and did a lot of miles over about 6 years. I sold it when I started my business, for cash, of which I did not get very much. I'd like it back but I've still two more. Totally solid tho unlike my others.

 

A 1987 bmw 525e in silver which I bought with a months mot for 200 quid, when that was still possible, and was quoted another 200 then to weld some tiny holes in the sill ends, so I picked up a welding stick for the first time and did them myself on the drive. Of course it passed mot and I had it for two or three years, until I moved it on, as above, for a paltry sum which I do regret and I would like it back even though I have an m535i now.

 

A 1994 bmw 540i manual, in black. Brilliant car, regretted the sale the moment the cash landed in my account. Very rapid car, a lot of mods done, just wasn't using it and had just bought a 2000 535i manual sport in black so thought I didn't need them all. E39 was also a great car but it was no e34.

 

I also regret selling a 1992 bmw 525i touring in black but I did buy that one back, as a wrecked shell, so that's a story for another thread.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

attachicon.gifAUDI COUPE FRANCE.jpg

 

I bought this Audi Coop back in 2010 from Keith Adams for £400 or something like that (1.8 four pot TWOTRO) with the express intention of going on honeymoon in it. A month before the wedding our landlord decided he wanted the house for his daughter, money was then squeezed to breaking point so the Audi went.

 

Unbeknown to us it was acquired by a consortium of friends who then presented it to us at our wedding reception, we went on honeymoon in it to France via a few days in London and had a great time. Should have kept it really but had other stuff going on so it went on eBay and our friends split the wonga.

 

THIS EXACT SAME CAR.

 

I bought it for £50 as a spares car for our b*nger r*lly Coupe and it was better than the car it was spares for. I stripped the interior out of the other car and fitted it to the red one, as well as the fuel pump, and then gave it a good service. It then served as our rally car for 3 years as well as my daily driver. At one point it was fitted with boat horns, musical airhorns, and blues & twos.

 

Unfortunately my wife hated it after she span it on a roundabout in central Birmingham, so I swapped it with Keith Adams for a Rover 200 to use as a station car. Honestly can say I miss that car more than any other i've ever owned. Not the Rover. I've still got the number plates for it in my store room, here in the middle east.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I miss my Mercedes CLK 320 Avantgarde, in the best colour ever for a W208 CLK Quartz blue.

GY51 DPK.....I really really should never have sold that one....

 

My old Audi A4 2.8 Quattro (P179 VGP) that was another.....what a car, passed everything except petrol stations...sold to someone who kept at me to sell it to him, eventually I gave in & sold him it.....only for him to crash it 3 weeks later :( wrote it off sadly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have been on holiday to Cornwall with it as a couple, then as a family of 3, 4 & 5, this year towing our caravan too. 2 of our 3 children came hone from hospital in it too.

 

Im almost sad you wrote this, as I'm gonna have to say amys meriva too for similar reasons!

 

We bought it in 2012 when Amy was not too pregnant with Eva, as the pram my mum bought wouldn't fit in her corsa...

 

Now evas 4, Charlie is 10 months, I've driven both kids home from the hospital in it, we go on weekend trips in it (hopefully the xantia will take over those duties) and its just sort of always been there!

 

We bought it with no service history, it now has alot, I've learnt alot spannering on it, and even though it's worth about 95p its part of the family now! Amys has thoughts of getting rid of it before but has never followed through with it.

 

It has wobbly brakes atm, ill probably pop some new ones on it, and the rear driver side caliper is about due its yearly rebuild...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't think of a car I DON'T regret selling , apart from my Mk4 DCi Grand Espace of course , I'm not totally retarded.

The other Renaults I've owned 16TL,17 Gordini, 21 Savanna, 25 V6 , Mk1 and 3 Espaces are up there with all the Rovers,Jagss and Land Rovers as in I regret selling them more than Germans, Fords, other French and Yanks.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Renault Safrane. Had three of them, still got the first on the drive dead. Well I say dead.. it runs but has a failed HG, possibly wants a new cat and needs an engine swap as the cost of HG parts is more than the hassle of swapping engines. Its been off the road for years and i miss it terribly despite it still being parked right outside. Sometimes i even sit in it just for the sake of it lol.

 

We've got an astra outside that on a technicality is better than the safrane (faster acceleration, stronger braking etc) but it just doesn't match the safrane in any way, shape or form. The safrane is a big old cruiser and despite being slower there is more thrill when accelerating the hell out of it. The astra is a nice car but I just can't bring myself to like it. Might have something to do with the uncomfortable drivers seat too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That Rob/Scruff Audi was far better than it should have been. Quick too for the miles. I know as I was a third of the team that brought it back from Prague. Bit of a struggle at customs getting it through eurotunnel, Rob's name on Windows, another name on log book, no actual specific insurance certificate naming the three idiots in coquelles at silly o'clock... I crashed into it in a foreign country breaking the expensive smoked lamps a few years previously too.

 

2008145.jpg

 

Rob with horn pictured.

 

Franceholiday2009519.jpg

 

Pictured whilst I looked after it, my kids couldn't understand other grinning dads ogling it.

 

This is the best car I ever had. I still own it, had it 11 years. At 200k the box was shafted so I replaced it with a Vectra wagon. Which I promptly hydraulically locked in a puddle. The E39 has been parked 5 years now and is dead in reality. I can't part with it. It drove better than my current S212 E class. I even washed it two days ago...

 

5bh008.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah yes, that was the morning in Salzburg (after a 4am finish in the Irish bar) i found it with a header tank full of mayonaise and feared the worst, HGF KICKED IN YO type of scenario. As i was scratching my rather fuzzy head some bloke wandered up, pointed at the oil cooler and said "I bet that's rotted out, they all do that sir" or words to that effect. Bridged off the oil cooler water feed, dumped the coolant, refilled it and drove onwards to Prague and back with no further ill effects. One eBay oil cooler purchase later and all was back and well with the world.

 

It was that same morning Pearly smashed the pure unobtainium rear light cluster too, the WOOLY HAIRED BAG OF ANAL GAS.

 

Edit: I wasn't driving that morning, before anyone puts 2 and 2 together.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A really strange one for the car I miss most. I have owned many cars but it is my 1971 Morris 1800s that I miss. It must have been "breathed on" and possibly even balanced too, as it could really fly and do vast revs without complaint. It would also only run happily on the then 5 star fuel and after a couple of weeks commuting in London would start to run badly, fixed by a regular Italian tune up. It was comfortable, quiet and very roomy too. Also the only one I knew of with power steering. Purchased from a truck dealer/repairer at 2 years old approx it was put in an auction when I left UK in 1977.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...