most loved car/bike ever

[matty879]

i will kick off with my 83 kadett 1.6sr.

most of us have owned more cars than arnold clark,so what is your all time favourite?(that you have or do own)?

i will start with the opel pic again.(library pic) and mine had 2 doors.

[Tamworthbay]

Mine was my Capri 2.0 GL in Tibetan gold when I was seventeen. I was in tears when it was written off. Bike wise I have had loads of stuff that I loved for different reasons from RDs and KR screamers to GSXR1100s but the VFR750F1 was the best of all I think. At the time it was 95% as quick as GSXRs, ZXRs etc on the twisties but you could ride it all day and still walk at the end. I did 80,000 miles on it in two years and probably 70,000 of that was at weekends.

[Arthur Foxhake]

I have always missed my Cagiva Mito 125. Had it when I was 19.

I very nearly bought another one a couple of months ago but talked myself out of it when I remembered that I'm not to be trusted. I rode it like a twat most of the time, and i take enough risks on my KX250F on track.

 

Car I miss most is a van. My mk5 transit. Last decent van of ever. They may have rusted but the Mk6 was even worse. In every respect.

[mercrocker]

Only one vehicle has left me moist-eyed at its departure so that must rank as a favourite.... 

 

Petrol blue (everybody else would say green) W123 280E.  

 

Rusty arches, questionable sills and noisy diff it may have had but the sunroof still worked like silk, gearbox was perfect and the engine purred like a baby kitten and roared like a lion. 

 

I had it during a particularly turbulent period of my life and it took me from a disintegrating marriage (sleeping in it out in the Forest, camping in France ) through to moving flat in it and then becoming a middle-aged bird puller.   Its amazing how many impressionable divorcees thought I was minted because of it!    

 

It then survived a whirlwind romance or too, being driven by women who I would not ordinarily have trusted with my cigarette lighter before ending up as the present Mrs Rocker's daily when I first moved in with her and couldn't stomach the Nissan Micra she then had.    It got scrubbed up for her son's wedding and we had a good few weekends away in it. 

 

Finally it became obvious that MOT success was beyond its metallurgical integrity and rather than have the bloody thing welded up, which I should have done, I got all sensible and upgraded* to a W124 which ended up costing me far more than a bit of sparkle stick.  

 

At one point it was a veritable survival capsule - spare clothing, tent, sleeping bag all neatly packed for the inevitable door-slamming "fuck you" upon which it could be relied upon to perform a noisy, smoky and dramatic departure. 

 

I got chased by the old bill in it, drove it like it was stolen and it always came back for more.   I could service it in the car park at work, polish it with an oily rag and once fixed a fuel injection fault by Google and a friendly Bosch stockist.   The engine was one of the best I have had - it always seemed to be right on the cam at 70mph and ready for action. 

 

The thing cost me £400 from a village dealer who had it out the back and it was a classic case of somebody having nobbled it I reckon.   I took it up the road and it ran like a bag of shit, missing, no power.  Instead of taking it back and saying "No thanks" I pulled over, opened the bonnet and soon had the plug leads going to the right plugs.    That bonded it with me and it went like a rocket on the way back (via the cashpoint).  

 

Finally some bloke from Potters Bar came and got him and I wiped a tear as he drove him away.   Some weeks later I got a nice letter from Hertfordshire police to say he had cracked a ton on the A5 - I still have the letter but wish I still had the car.   

[xtriple]

My old Triumph Bonneville (69 but a bit of a bitsa) my first true British bike (though had quite a few modern Triumphs as well) .

 

[Guest Hooli]

^^^ That is bloody lovely.

 

My T140v '76 Bonnie and the '93 XJ40 I crashed a few years ago.

[xtriple]

Thank you. Nearly all my own work and I miss the sodding thing daily. It was never terribly reliable even though it was loved and cherished and had loads of 'sensible' upgrades (oil cooler, remote oil filter, Boyer ignition and Powerbox, new carbs Morgo 750 barrels and pistons etc) but it never, ever failed to get me home (occasionally on just one cylinder) and was always easy and cheap to repair and spares were amazingly easy to get - next day for even the most obscure parts!

 

I only sold it 'cos I was a cripple and had lost the will to live at the time - I sold ALL my bikes in a fit of pique and have regretted it ever since.

[billyboy406v6]

Velocette Venom, sadly lost all the pics in my divorce settlement row !

[AMC Rebel]

None I hate(d) them all - they always conspire to shaft things at the worst possible moment and cost time/cash/blood/sweat/tears/swearing.  Not sure why I fart around with cars really.

 

I have a grudging respect for my Discovery - it was registered on my 43rd birthday, it does most things competently and quietly, and now no doubt have a really expensive ftp next time I need it.

[AMC Rebel]

Velocette Venom, sadly lost all the pics in my divorce settlement row !

Bloody hell - that's some vindictive divorce - although I know it happens, my mate has been denied loads of his old photos - prints and computer files, by his ex wife.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

 

I can't believe this is the only photograph I can find of my old Disco, I've owned other Discoverys all of them in better condition including quite a nice TD5, but this is the one I bonded with. Bought in 2006 for £800 sold on New Years Eve 2012 with a slightly expired ( I put 12 moths tax on it the day before the ticket ran out) MoT for £500. It was quite rusty and the back door wouldn't open unless it was sitting exactly level. The handbrake couldn't be used because the sleeve had melted from been the only Earth at some point and the exhaust finished at the down pipe, although it was still pretty quiet. Safe to say it had been neglected towards the end.

 

But all 4 of my daughters learned the basics of off road driving in it , indeed 2 of them learnt how to drive in it, as soon as they could reach the pedals. The older 2 in other Land Rovers when they were 8 or 9. It traversed a lot of Green Lanes without ever needing raised suspension or mud tyres or any OLLI shit at all apart from a Stanley knife taken to the spoiler and bumper ends, although the towbar was ripped off on some steps in Strata Florida by an over enthusiastic 14 year old .

 

It took Mrs N to Uni everyday when we couldn't afford 2 'decent' cars and even earned more than 5 times its purchase price in the Great Snow Chaos of 2008 subbing Specialist*4x4 recoveries for the RAC through a mate with a recovery business.

It always started, even if sometimes it was with a bump and it always finished every journey under its own steam.

The plan was to replace it with a Classic Rangie , but now they've all suddenly become worth a fortune , maybe Ill try and find a solid V8 3 door Disco, doubt I'll love it as much as that red piece of shit though.

[fordperv]

one of the most i regret to high heaven getting rid of was my kawasaki AR50, i owned it when i was 16, it got stolen and wrecked, i completely rebuilt it and stupidly let it go for an rd125lc, J911NWK where are you now

[Faker]

My old race car from 1998. Wish I still had it...

[purplebargeken]

Bike: Kawasaki ZRX1100 in burgundy, brute of a bike but comfy as hell. Probably would have gotten me killed. What a way to go though.

 

Car: F reg Landie 110. Just ace. MOT, tax, power steering pump and insurance all arrived at once and Mrs PBK would not assist with finance.

[Billy - Medhurst]

Missed car is the Rover 25 diesel I sold so I could buy a MG ZR. I was ripped off on a dodgy zr and have allways regretted selling the 25.

2003 ROVER 25 IL TURBO DIESEL 1994cc AK03WZE by JOHN, on Flickr

Best car I ever had. Saw it at a dealers a few months later - Looked mint as was over a grand!. Scrapped 5 months later - assumed crashed.

 

Missed bike - as a learner having never gone for a test was the Suzuki gp100 I bought. It was wrecked cosmetically at two years old and in a bike breakers. Bought for £100 and a second hand tank and bits saw it back on the road. Was not even ready for its 1st mot!.

1984 SUZUKI 98cc GP100 A521FFP by JOHN, on Flickr

The carb cover had a hole cut in it for forced induction - helped it go better.

[dollywobbler]

This is pretty easy. I thought I didn't have favourites - people do so often ask me. 16 years of ownership would suggest I DO have one though.

 

Here's the 2CV in Switzerland, proving my point.

 

And carrying our new front door in an earlier incarnation.

 

To be fair, only hideous, hideous rot prevented this Sirion from being a major contender.

[scruff]

 

No regrets though. 

[xtriple]

I've been thinking about this off and on all day, bloody OP   Favourite car is still proving troublesome to pin down...

 

Probably my Toyota Crown 2600 auto ('K' reg) as it was my first decent car and after a Honda S800 was like wafting around in a Rolls Royce! To be honest, it was pretty special for its time: central locking, electric windows, air con (I think, it definitely had a little fridge in the boot!) and a separate cassette player and radio. I loved that bloody car to bits and it did mammoth mileage during my ownership probably 30.000 miles before it blew up! Totally my fault as I never even checked the oil during that time and it was obviously never serviced. It froze on the M52 on a particularly cold December night and cracked a piston. But, it carried on right through to the spring on 5 cylinders and a big Coke bottle strapped inside the engine bay to catch all the oil it was pumping out.... which went straight back in the sump! I eventually got the time for it to be off the road and it went to my local (at the time Scunthorpe!!!!) Toyota dealer and had a new engine fitted.

 

Needless to say, I learned about servicing cars after that and looked after the bugger (and most/some subsequent ones as well) like it was solid gold!

 

It was white, black plastic interior and the best back lights of any car EVER!

[strangeangel]

My Honda Fusion. I bought it pre-broken and dismantled...

 

 

...(starter clutch gone and oil pissing out of a crack in the cylinder head) without a clue as to how to fix it. But fix it I did and I'm still riding it eight years later. Others have come and gone, but I imagine that as long as I can still ride I will own this scooter.

[Shep Shepherd]

The Volvo:

 

 

A tax rebate in 2003 well spent ^^  

[MarvinsMom]

choice of 2 really, and been a dipstick i cannot decide between them

 

this one came first, this i Cocopop

 

 

bought it, 8 and 1/2 years ago, after buying the Haynes "Great Cars - Mini" book on a whim, and deciding that i needed to re-live my youth.

 

always have loved the Mini, right from been small, and would spend far too much sat on them when at the Motor Show. oddly enough in the last 8 and a bit years we've covered 20,000 miles together, which i find hard to believe, but then the counter thing doesn't lie! we've been up and down the country to kerry's aunt in Gravesend, Gaydon a couple of times and down to Brighton several times too, and all without incedent.

 

sometimes i think i shouldn't have bought it, or spent the money on it that i have, but it has been great fun for myself and the other half, and i wouldn't be able to afford one now!!

 

and this, of course! Marvin.....

 

 

i bought this for £600 with a years MOT and some tax when i was out of work.and that was nearly 6 years ago! i needed something cheap and cheerful, and this kinda fitted the bill. its very mini-like. but with a more compliant ride and a better driving position.plus, it is a genuine 50mpg car that can be fixed with a spanner or a screwdriver! when i went back to work, i needed something more suitable for travelling long distances but i couldn't, wouldn't part with the Metro so it too became a weekend toy. i've spent way, way too much on this too over the years, but like the Mini above i would not want to part with it. if for no other reason than i would not be able to find another one as nice.

 

this was owned by a Mrs Doyle for 18 years, in all that time it covered just over 4,000 miles. plus there was an annual receipt for a service and MOT, with a break down on the parts used. so every year it would get fresh oil, a new filter and air filter. even though the car would have covered a few hundred miles! though there would be the odd year when the car got brake pads or a pair of shoes...

 

i've been all over the country in this too, again without (mostly) any problems, though the first weekend after buying the car, i did have to stop at the services on the M1 to let the car cool down. as the car had been used very little over the previous couple of years it meant that i had a radiator and water jacket full of what looked like tea! but, been a-series powered, a flush out and re-fill cured that, and the iron engine and cylinder head didn't come to any harm. it also became apparent that the brakes were shot, by the time i got back home from Sheffield, the car really didn't want to stop.... by and large though we've had laods of fun days out with this car too, and its all been problem free.

 

i've listed 2 cars cos i've never really ridden a motorcycle. i tried it once, doing the CBT thing, going around the cones ant that was ok, i guess, but after trying riding out on the road, then that was enough to put me off for life!!

 

oh here is a bonus pic, of the little cars together on holy ground, while on pilgrimage earlier in the summer.

 

 

the best thing, apart from actually driving them is the reaction that both cars get from both pedestrians and other road users. which are always positive, as both cars are i think proper little friendly things which make Kerry and i smile, and they seem to make others smile too.

[srad34]

This old girl, every ride is still pure bloody fun, ossum

 

[danthecapriman]

For me my most loved has got to be my 74 Capri.

 

 

I bought it as a rusty wreck the day before the twin towers were hit, it cost me £100 with tax and test and it was my first car.

I've had it ages now and couldn't ever be parted with it, it's been with me for my entire adult life. I've spent loads on it, spent loads of time and effort on it too and it's never been a problem, never let me down or anything.

It's currently having a bare metal restoration which is going to cost me a shit load and far outweigh the cars value but that's my commitment to the car! I really love the old thing!

It's been in bits since about March this year and it still seems weird not having it around at home or being able to drive it. I can't wait to see it finished though.

 

This is a close second though!

 

 

I can't ever see myself being without this either but the Capri just pips it.

 

 

I've sold a few cars and regretted it. I get attached to my cars and I hate letting them go. My old Volvo's I loved and hated selling them, the 340 and 244 were great and I still miss them. But the gold 740 saloon I had has to be my biggest ever regret selling.

It was a fantastic car and I absolutely loved it. When the Mercury came over I had to sell it to make space but really wish I'd kept it somewhere instead. I honestly had a lump in my throat when I watched it's new owner drive it away!

[fordperv]

my most loved car is one i still own, my mk1 sierra base i have shared my life with this car since 2001 and have poured blood sweat and tears over it, it damn nearly broke me and mrs fordperv up at the start, i have built it to my perfect spec and i cant wait to have it finished

 

 

 

[Zantimisfit]

This....

 

 

.....and this

 

[MarvinsMom]

wow, that little mini is a peach! with the best hubcaps ever.....

 

i am very jealous, you lucky devil!

[Zantimisfit]

wow, that little mini is a peach! with the best hubcaps ever.....

 

i am very jealous, you lucky devil!

 

Use it for chauffeuring Bert round. He loves it!

 

[Alfamale]

Sorry but it's a modern. I absolutely loved this Alfa when it was working, Had loads of trouble with the DPF and EGr valves and the manifold coking up. Currently resides with the old man, I might have it back one day though.

[John F]

Another vote for the Land Rover Discovery, in my case a 1997 300 TDi.

 

I've had mine 6 years and it's coped with every possible task that has been thrown at it, everything from taking rubbish to the tip and towing other vehicles, off-roading and deep wading right up to to 2,000-mile winter trips to the Alps (which it's done five times so far). If I had to sell all my vehicles & keep just one it would be the Disco, without any doubt.

 

A strong second-place contender would be either one of the two 1984 Suzuki GS650GZ Katanas I had back in the 1990s. I've currently got a 1982 GSX1100SZ Katana but I've just not bonded with it to the same extent.