Wake up in the Morning wanting some breakfast

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I had several of those BMW 6 series coupes, loved them all dearly but the best was a 635 CSI 'Highline' with a manual Getrag 'dogleg' box. It was bloody fantastic. I got it for £700 because the head gasket had gone, or so the poor sods who'd owned it for years were told. It had just had a new (genuine) wing on the passengers side before the HGF.

 

I test drove it and it didn't seem like HGF to me and I said so, but they were adamant, so I bought it. Stopped at the earest car accessory shop and bought a new rad cap and it ran faultlessly from then on. I bought a new Drivers side wing from BMW and even with 'trade' it was £300 back then. To be honest, the car deserved it as it was faultless apart from bubbles on that wing so a new one made it mint. I used to thrash the goolies off it constantly and it lapped it up, did a reasonable amount on fuel (about 24 from memory) and was totally reliable though I did buy new plugs and lead sfrom BMW as you couldn't get the leads from anywhere else at the time and they were a ridiculous price - a few hundred quid just for the leads! The 635 had different leads to the smaller engines and no one did them.

 

I would have another so it doesn't count in this thread.

 

But I also had a 2800 CS (no 'I') which was in red (toprot - how apt!) and to my mind was the best looking car ever made. However, it was awful! 4 speed manual, big Pieburg carb and it was slow and useless on fuel, baggy as a 3 inch nut on a toothpick and handled like a lovesick camel. It looked beautiful but I think it was utterly fucked mechanically though I couldn't find aything actually wrong with it. Just generally tired out I guess.

 

 

 

A Highline would have been either an auto or an overdrive 5 speed. The Dog's Hind leg gearbox was very early ones as standard but an option until 1984. I had a couple including a white one that was bought new by Tom Jones, isn't it? A reg, blue leather and mint even down to a set of nearly new Avon Turdospeeds. Moved it on after a month for a fat profit. Bought it in 1997 for £1800 iirc from Nutbushe Car Auctions, BCA.

 

E9's never drove all that well although they weren't awful if in good nick. The E3 saloon and the E12 5 Series both drove much better. The 2800 was a bastard anyway, 2000 floorpan, narrow rear axle, drum brakes on the back but E3 type front suspension. The later ones with the wider track at the back were a bit better. I had a 3.0CSL Lightweight and that was okay but not what you'd call 'taught'. 

[alcyonecorporation]

My cousin ran a Xedos-9 when he lived in Dublin. He said he seemed to spend much of his spare time putting petrol in it.

 

All I was ever told when I owned my Xedos 6 was, "The Xedos 9 is so much better (plus PH style incomprehensible rage at the thought of a supercharger being used to scavenge air rather than boost peformance)"

[xtriple]

It was definitley a dogleg box, but it could have been pre 84, I can't remember. I do remember it was silver with pale blue leather (almost silver itself) and had a wonderful stereo and the integrated rear headrests as well as the emergency first aid kit. I thought it handled really well and could certainly shift and go round corners with remarkable aplomb!

 

I did have a couple of autos (including a 633 Bavaria) and while I normally like autos, the manual in the silver one really suited it. Had a 628 as well (in white) and that seemed to be quite a high spec and was alright. I always did well when selling the 6 series, always seemed to sell really easily and for good money.

[danthecapriman]

I honestly don’t think I’ve had a car (a keeper car, not just something to buy cheap, fix and sell on) that I’ve hated or don’t want again.

As a kid I wanted a Capri. Got one at 16 and had it ever since. It is frankly the best car ever made imho! I’d have another in a heartbeat. Same for other Fords of the era, Escorts, Cortina’s etc etc, I just absolutely love them despite their shortcomings. Maybe that’s the key here? Accept it for what it is without expecting too much? I don’t know, I just never regret having them and I’ve never been disappointed.

Same with old Volvo’s. Sure they aren’t exactly exciting cars but I’ve loved them for as long as I can remember (I was a seriously weird kid!) they’ve never disappointed or let me down so I just keep getting them.

I really have no desire whatsoever to go away from what I have, know and like tbh!

 

 

But in the spirit of the thread, the one I was most disappointed with was a BMW e36 316. It was shit.

I bought it cheap to fix up and sell on so was never going to be a long term car anyway but it was just such a turd compared to what it replaced. I always loved the e30 BMW, they were superb well built cars that seemed to last well, drive well and had a good deserved reputation but the e36 was the exact opposite. It was a chavs car! And that’s exactly the type of people it attracted when it went up for sale.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

All I was ever told when I owned my Xedos 6 was, "The Xedos 9 is so much better (plus PH style incomprehensible rage at the thought of a supercharger being used to scavenge air rather than boost peformance)"

 

I don't think my cousin would have agreed with that. He thought the stand-out feature of his Xedos-9 was its thirstiness.

[SierraMikeHotel]

Excellent question, and I've enjoyed reading the responses.

 

For me, it's Citroen GS/As.

 

I got an enormous amount of enjoyment from them at the time - quirky and fun character, excellent handling, rareness factor, nice owners - but they're just too flimsy.  I'd only have one now if I had a perfectly dry garage to store it in and a budget available for the inevitable repair-a-thon.  Even it wasn't rusting, the components are made from spaghetti so there would always be something broken.

 

If I was going to lavish that much attention on a car now, it would have to be more special than a G.  A DS or CX, maybe.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

Loved my mk1 mondeo and I'm enjoying the base mondeo thread on here at the minute but been there done that, and I've had a fair few more similar moderns since which it would compare unfavourably against. I'd rather leave it in the rose tinted past.

 

To be honest there isn't a single car no matter how good I would ever revisit - theyve all been moved on for a reason

 

Sent from my F3211 using Tapatalk

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Ford were always the basemeisters.

 

1977 Ford catalogue; Mark 1 Granada base? Hmm, metallic gold paint (optional) and the old type Ghia wheel trims as standard. Looking sweet. Interior looks nice. But fuck me, a 2000 low compression Transit engine, no trip odo, no PAS, no bugger all.

 

By that time Ford had mastered the art of Base. Late 1975 "How can we make an Escort even more utterly miserable than the Escort 1100 that sits below the L"?

 

.....The Escort Popular. Crossply tyres standard, the air inside them isn't.  It's 'an option fitted at extra cost'.

[SierraMikeHotel]

To be honest there isn't a single car no matter how good I would ever revisit - theyve all been moved on for a reason

 

I've literally just typed a message in another thread saying I'd love another B2 Passat then come here and read this

 

There are lots of cars in my past that I'd have again (Saab 900 and Volvo V/S40 because they are genuinely good cars, or Passat B2 because it was unfinished business) and genuinely very few that I wouldn't.

[Captain Furious]

I've bought a number of cars just because I am now old enough, wealthy enough and can get cheap enough insurance to relive the cars I missed out on in my youth.  Without exception they've all been disappointments if i'm being really honest, possibly not entirely coincidentally, they've also been mostly Fords.  Its not all the cars fault of course, some of them I didn't buy a good enough example, some of them I wasn't skilled enough to fix, some of them I was expecting something that they're not etc...but here is the highlight reel

 

Fiesta Mk1 - It wasn't a supersport but it basically was...had the engine, running gear, brakes etc.  Had an unbelievably good rot-free shell.  A friend and I put many, many man hours into it getting it 95% there....Then someone knocked it off the jack and caved the door in - lost interest and never got it on the road.  (It is on the road now though with its new owner and I have to say looking pretty bloody spectacular)

 

Fiesta Mk2 - It was just shit, it was a 1.4 Ghia as well so I had (possibly too high) expectations from it.  Bought blind (My bad) and it was rotting away in all the usual ford places much worse than the pictures had led me to believe.  I did well to get rid of it, I thought it was going to end up on the big scales.

 

Granada Mk3 24v - When I was 21 with a 1.1 Fiesta and these were newish they seemed like an absolute road weapon.  Now i'm 38, I have owned much faster cars and a 320d would pull its pants down.  Mine was a tired example, 225k miles on the clock, it always felt a bit fragile although it only let me down once.  Not as fast, economical, nice to drive or reliable as my daily ST220 - the only thing it really had in its favour was it could tow, and thanks to some absurd decision at Ford HQ, the ST220 can't.

 

205 GTi - This thing didn't want to live, we poured hours and hours and hundreds upon hundreds of pounds into it but it would not run right.  We did the head gasket, pretty much re-wired it, air flow meter, injectors, fuel rail, distributer, oil, filter, plugs, leads etc etc...we just couldn't fix it.  Judging by the fact its been SORN since about a month after the new owner took possession, i'm guessing he can't either.

 

Granada Mk2 2.8 Ghia - Childhood hero car, usual story, Dad had one, wanted to experience it myself.  Well I actually did this one properly and bought one of the best examples I could find, right colour, spec, engine, interior, rust free etc.  While I've had some teething problems its now running about right and I just have a brake pulling issue to cure....but, I dunno, its just not as good as I expected.  Sloth like performance coupled with a massive thirst for petrol.  Not really that suited for towing because it doesn't have enough power.  Fear of leaving it anywhere in case it gets stolen.  Getting it out is just seems like an effort and expense which is probably why its done about 1000 miles in 2 years.

 

So, obviously I've learned my lesson now and will stick to modern, reliable cars.  Well....probably not.  Because what they all have done is check that item off my bucket list - I've had one now, I don't need to have another one, but at least I know what its like.  Better to regret...something something something...you know the saying.

[danthecapriman]

I've literally just typed a message in another thread saying I'd love another B2 Passat then come here and read this

 

There are lots of cars in my past that I'd have again (Saab 900 and Volvo V/S40 because they are genuinely good cars, or Passat B2 because it was unfinished business) and genuinely very few that I wouldn't.

Same here. Even the H reg Orion 1.4glx I had, which was an absolute heap of shit. I would still have another one, just not that particular one!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

I probably wouldn't have the K70L again unless I could have electric power steering fitted to it; feckin' heavy trying to turn the wheel at parking pace.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I rescued a 1993 520i E34 last year, an auto. I never really lusted over these really but once it was on the road I was shocked at how good it was. Not fast but it would get a move on if asked. Just the feel of the thing, ride, handling, brakes, comfy seats, lack of rattles.

 

My old Man was offered the chance to drive a superbly restored Mark 1 Mexico 20 odd years ago. He turned it down as he wanted to remember his (bought new) as the chariot it was. Can't blame him.

[martc]

FIAT X1/9

 

 

I owned this twice

 

You just feel so vulnerable in low slung cars like this on modern roads.  I pulled up at some lights and next to my right ear pulled up a tall wheel.  Made me nervous, so I looked up and saw it was a Police Ford Kuga, with the occupants looking down into the Fiat.

 

You ought to try a Bond Minicar - same low slung horrors but without the ability for a swift get-away.

[busmansholiday]

I've had some shite over the last 40 odd years but the one that sticks out is the 205GTI, 1.6. YES!!.

Mrs BMH & I bought our first new car, a 205 Junior in 1987, traded up to a week old dealer demo 205XS two years later. That was ace, quick, nimble, economic etc, etc. Then in 1991 I decided I wanted a 205GTI. We couldn't afford the 1.9, the blue 1.6, J967FJX (if I remember correctly) cost us 10 and a half bags for delivery on August 1 (1991).

It was shite, slow, less responsive than the XS, used more fuel etc, etc. Took it back to Snell's (dealers) several times, their answer being some are better than others, you've got a bad one.

Wasn't sad when it started to play up at three years old, traded for a Citroen ZX diesel. Now that was nice, even after three years with 80k + miles, bent wing, dog eaten (literally) inside, it was still more fun than the GTI.

[Zelandeth]

Renault 11TC. Had it around 2003/4 I think. She was a 1987 car on an E plate I think.

 

She was a base spec 1.2, but went incredibly well (we went to the lengths of checking the engine numbers as we couldn't believe it was such a small power unit). However I found a top spec one in a scrapper, so added basically all the toys. Central locking, front fogs, clock, power windows and central locking. Didn't get the dash (someone had nicked it already), so I still lacked a temperature gauge and rev counter.

 

Was a lovely little thing to drive. Quick, economical and handled well despite floating along the road as only French cars seem able.

 

Would I have it again now? Nope. Simple reason? It was an utter nightmare to get parts for when I had it. It was a very early phase two car it seemed, but had actually been built during the changeover period with whatever bits they found stashed in the junk pile at the factory.

 

Nothing was *ever* what the books said it was. This was annoying when I had to take whatever bit it was into my local motor factors five times until the new bit matched...but with the fact it would probably have to be eBay bingo these days...that would just drive me bananas.

 

Such a shame, as she was a cracking little motor. Only car I have ever sold purely because of parts availability problems.

[John F]

I swore years ago I'd never have another Land Rover.

 

I've currently got two of them & they're both fucked.

 

Sigh...

 

[twosmoke300]

[John F]

I'd still rather have a Land Rover though

[dozeydustman]

Without driving any of my previous shite recently, I can't make much of a comment. I'd have a manual with O/D Scimitar again, but not an automatic as was my second one.

 

They're comfy, great for long distance and touring, my white man O/D one (TUW873S) got smashed up the arse by a British Gas van and written off, so I bought my gold automatic one as a replacement (OYH457R)

 

The gearing in the auto ones is too low to be relaxing on a long touring run (24mph/1000 rpm) so motorway speeds have a busy engine and the bottom gear ratio was too high so pulling away was leisurely. A trip to Normandy 10 years ago left gave a shouty V6 for mile after mile. A manual O/D one had gearing at 31mph/1000 in top OD and accelerated like shit off a shovel, and 35-40mpg could be obtained with a featherlight right foot!

 

I'm not sure if SE4/5/5a with the Borg Warner transmission had better gearing, but the C3 unit didn't suit this sports tourer.

[Snipes]

I wouldn’t want another Manta. 10 years ago they were rusty old barges and parts were getting sketchy. Plus thee are so many different cars to sample why have the same thing again?

[Junkman]

A Convertible. The only convertible I ever owned was a '60 Buick. Never again. Convertibles just suck in every aspect.

Citroens. I'm through with this pseudo intellectual tosh void of any redeeming features.

[cros]

Convertibles are absolutely fucking marvellous, obviously you got to have the right weather for them like what we do in Linconshire. And  they're not ideal for folks meandering back from having their bouffant attended to...

[Junkman]

Convertibles are absolutely fucking shit. More I don't have to say about them.

[Eddie Honda]

I don't mind (cheap) convertibles, but for me it is compulsory to have the hood down at any opportunity it is dry enough - be it night, overcast, winter, etc. Otherwise it's a waste of fucking time having one. So yeah, they are a bit shit, but I could live with one (well I could live with anything)

 

I'm not sure if I'd have another DAF. Love them, but having had the first one stolen/crashed and the second consumed by fire they appear to be my bogey car marque.

[Bren]

Still have my SD1 but it will be for high days and dry days - nothing else.

Thirst, unobtainable parts and bio degradeable build quality mean as a daily it's a no.

[doubleyeller]

I never feel disappointed when I revisit cars I owned in bygone days.

 

Renault 20: Comfiest car ever, every bit as good as I remember from the early 1990s

 

Rover 214: My god, the 1.4 K series engine, still by far the most enjoyable normally aspirated petrol engine under 2 litres ever available

[davehedgehog31]

I had an MX5, well a 1990 Eunos to be exact. 

 

I loved and hated the fucking thing at the same time. A couple of times I got it on the right road at the right time it was fantastic. Most of the time though it just felt bouncy, yet hard and you always felt somehow vulnerable. I also worried about it rotting away almost constantly.

 

Also one of the most annoying cars I've ever worked on, it was well designed and access was pretty easy but every fastener was seized absolutely solid and sheared a couple of bolts in the short time I had it. 

 

I did like it though, I think.... it was tremendous fun at times. I wouldn't have another though. 

[Zantimisfit]

Had Minis at the start of my driving career and got back into them about eight years ago. Agree with all the faults listed (especially the bit about feeling unsafe in something so small, slow and squishable in modern motorway traffic) BUT driving them fills me with joy, whereas my other cars don't/didn't. They also seem to generate a lot of goodwill from others which can be nice as well. So, assuming I can get a job in the next few months and I don't need to sacrifice it for the sake of 'cashflow', my current 'Svenska Hundkoja' Mini will be coming back with us to live in the UK this summer. Question is... transporter or road trip???

 

Cant think of anything I wouldn't have again because it was crap (except the, mentioned elsewhere, DS5). There are some I wouldn't bother with just because they were nothing special...Hondas, Volkswagens etc.  To be honest I probably wouldn't have another Viva now although my old one smelled nice....

 

[Jerzy Woking]

I have driven quite a few company cars since I was 18, including everything from a Metro City up to a Rolls Royce Silver Shadow. Some I would never want to drive again, some I would, but as they were, and still are free to use for business (no personal use allowed so no tax bill), not paying for them clouds my thoughts.

 

However for car I have owned one stands out-a 1988 MkII Cavalier Sri 130. I bought it as a stop gap car from a mate who's company took in P/X against a new car and wanted it out of their showroom. I paid £150 for it. It had big rust scabs on the bonnet and rear doors. I rubbed them down, applied metallic paint with a brush, as I did the lacquer, which I hadn't thinned enough. Stopped the rust coming back though

 

It got thrashed unmercilessly, wheel spinning at every set of lights, drove it to Scotland and back twice, to France several times, and just routinely abused it every drive, and in 30,000 miles changed the oil and front tyres a few times but that was all. Loved it.

 

My then wife didn't, and with all her friends driving new cars, she was embarrassed by it, so I sold it. Wasnt worth spending a few hundred getting the paint sorted as they were worth bugger all back in the late 90's.

Sold it for a couple of hundred quid and got something newer.

 

I really think it was the best car I ever owned, but it was of it's time, and I don't want to ruin the memories I had of hooning it around.