Cars On Paper Round

[Richard_FM]

When I had a paper round between 1994 & 96 I used to see quite a few cars of interest even then & would be a good spot now.

One I remember:

Austin A40 Farina in good nick

Toyota Tercel 4HD

Vaxuhall Royale

Triumph Spitfire

Reliant SS1

Citroen CX - normally under both a car port & a tarp,

Two Morris Minors, one seemed to be a daily driver in spite of looking a little rough round the edges.

There might have been 1 or 2 more, unfortunately affordable digital photography was a decade away.

Did anyone else have a paper round that allowed them to snoop up people's driveways without attracting too much attention.

[ProgRocker]

I got my first paper round in November 1990, I think it was the same week that Maggie Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister. I used to cycle past a green early Marina coupé, K reg that I believe actually featured in a HubNut video a few years ago. @dollywobbler I remember that this one had a chunk of plastic carved out from the dashboard on the passenger side, revealing some yellow foam inside it. It was actually parked around the corner from where I lived. I think the Marina had moved south to Suffolk by the time it's 15 minutes of fame in the HubNut vid. I'd guess it might be belong to someone in the Marina owner's club. Oh yes, one of the houses I cycled past had some bubble cars in the front garden/garage.

Anyhow, this newsagent retired in 1991 and the paper rounds were transferred to another newagents on the other side of the estate. My route was changed so one of the houses I delivered to had an early Cortina mark 4 rotting away in the front garden (a la the Hillman at Onslow's and Daisy's house in Keeping Up Appearances). Across the road was a red Rover Maestro with the humorous sign dangling from the rear screen "Spending Kids' Inheritance". On the next road were some semi-detached council houses that had driveways AND garages (very rare) and in the garage at one of those houses I delivered to, I eventually discovered lived a yellow mark 3 Cortina. A later one iirc with the rectangular headlamps. I rarely saw it as I guess the senior citizen who lived there probably didn't go far in it.

[bunglebus]

Yeah there were a few. One of them, a BMW 635, is still there 30 years later.

[blakey79]

BMW M6,

Lotus Cortina

Sierra Ghia

And a Yorkshire terrier that sensed fear when I delivered.

 

[somewhatfoolish]

I did a mate's round for him while he was on holiday in the early 90s; I stuck a note through the door of the house with a Morris J van poking out of a collapsing outbuilding, no reply though. I was a postman for a short while, also excellent for choddage and generally being nosy.

[HMC]

My paper round was about the same period as the OP- 92-96 IIRC. My favourites in no particular order- just the ones I took extra interest in at the time and hence can recall.

I was dropped with the bags by the paper shop owners nephew. He used to drive very fast (It was very early Sunday morning with no other cars about) and I used to shit myself. Early on he had a beige mini metro x reg with red seats and later on he graduated to a white 1983 Nissan sunny 4 door saloon.

1972 Wolseley 1300 brownish colour

1985 Capri 1.6 laser light blue- hung around a few years one week it sat there having had a heavy frontal impact and the following week it was gone. They had the mail on Sunday.

1991 fiesta lx 

1989 Volvo 440

1993 Subaru svx/ 1998 Volvo 480 (same household)

next door had a 1986 MG Montego 2.0 EFI in black that was great.

1988 Toyota supra in red ( used to go for a blast in it early- just about the only person I ever saw)

1989 Vw corrado

1982 cortina crusader - the Sunday people.

1984 Morris ital estate (beige, lookers dealer sticker)

1983 Morris ital van

1981 Opel ascona

1987 montego VDP Estate x2

1981 Citroen cx familliale

1987 rover 216 VDP EFI (with sparkrite alarm)  -Sunday express

1972 spitfire mk4 NEJ***K

1986 fiesta 1.1 ghia (with the chunky front bumper overrriders)

1982 x minimetro (no bumper corner caps, mat black front wings)

1991 Granada ghia x hatch H***LPM

1987 xj40

1985 Alfa Romeo arna and 1979 Vauxhall viva (same house) 

A lot late 80s metros and minis

volvo 240 estate D***SHG- Sunday espress

1985 Alfa GTV (2.0 not the v6) that seemed mint and the household also had a 405mi 16

It was a Sunday morning round, 3x full bags. It was very lonely (nobody ever about) often dark (always dark in winter but it would always be light in the summer) I was totally obsessed with the detail differences in trim levels- I’ve got to admit that we all love a basic model on here but my faves were ford “ghia” models and anything older that was just street parked. I remember the cx was very tired- full of filler and almost mat red. The spitfire is still about- I saw it in the supermarket when I visited my parents last time round.

Wierd this thread came up as I’ve just done a 300 mile trip with my boys to visit my parents and for some reason I decided to drive my route. I last went down those roads on my last round in spring 1996.

 

 

[Inspiral_Mondays]

I did a paper round from 1976 to 1979. This included a council estate which I remember seemed to be full of Mk1 Capris in various trim levels as well as Minis with widened wheel arches. However, the absolute highlight was a large house in a more upmarket estate whose owner took delivery of a Rover SD1, first one I‘d ever seen.

[Snipes]

The fittest teacher in school was on my round and she had a blue Rover Metro.

There were a few Carina IIs, Carina Es and an AE81 liftback Corolla.

[Isaac Hunt]

When I was a lad, one of my paper round drops took me to a house where the owner had a very rough Marina 1.8 TC Saloon.  I observed numerous 'rattle can' paint jobs over  period of time.  The. One day it was fitted with four new doors from another car.  These were eventually rattle canned to 'match'.   The finish was not good to say the least.   A few years later, I had progressed from my first car, a Marina 1.3 to a Marina 1.8TC Saloon.......coincidental.

Then the shop at the top oufvour road changed hands and in moved the owner of the rattle canned 1.8TC.   Next thing I knew there was a for sale spares or repairs sign in the window.   Me and my Dad had stripped a few cars and sold the spares in our time..................next thing I know I'd bought the rattle canned paperround Marina.  I 'parted it out' to use the vogue phrase of modern day.   The starter motor found it's way onto my own car, as did the odd other bit.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I never had a paper round , but on Sunday's in the mid 70's, we had the paper delivered by either Old Jack or his son Jack The Garage. Old Jack must have been in his 80's and drove a very early Series1 Land Rover( 48/49) His son used a gold Fiat 132 1800 ES, which was practically brand new at the time, this was probably the fanciest car for miles and he only used it to deliver papers on a Sunday. He'd often wash it by parking in the ford on one of the main roads out of the village , using a sponge and big bottle of Fairy Liquid . Seemed to do it good as he still had it in about 1988, although by then he'd become " Old Jack"

[Alan_Green]

In the 1980's I'd walk past and admire a jet black '76 VW Beetle 1303s with silver wheels.  It was there in the exact same spot every day, year after year.  Might just Streetview that location to see what's there now, 30 to 40 years later:

[bramz7]

Yep plenty. 

This was all from 2004-2007ish. 

Renault Safrane

Citroen CX 2200

Commer PB

Tim Henmans parents in law had a really clean 8 series BMW. 

Citroen ZX 

Lancia Thema

There was loads more and I once misjudged the speed of a mid 90s Escort complete with ladder on the roof and nearly got run over. 

I did do a proper posh paper round, Odiham High Street. I'd get given tips of around £250 each Christmas too. 

 

 

[cort16]

When it was REALLY snowy and half the paperboys didn't turn up (I alway did I was hardcore) we used go to go out and deliver the rounds in either a Nissan sunny van or the owners sons brand new xr2.  We used to drive around with the boot open and two of us would be in the back and jump out and deliver the papers.

I remember sitting with my feet hanging out the back of the xr2 as he slid around the corner and grazed the back of his 3 month old xr2 down the side of a 10 foot wall.

I don't remember the cars on the round but I remember the owners cars as they were so much better than the heaps my dad drove.

White D red xr2

Red E red mk2 Cavalier with velour interior and cassette holders

Beige C reg Nissan Sunny van

 

[New POD]

I delivered papers to John Moores. Emlyn Hughes, and John Toshac.

Never got a tip. 

 

[ProgRocker]

@Inspiral_Mondays Great username! ?

Leaves "Happy_Carpets" as an alternative. 

[Richard_FM]

15 minutes ago, ProgRocker said:

@Inspiral_Mondays Great username! ?

Leaves "Happy_Carpets" as an alternative. 

I noticed the mash up of madchester band names too.

 

in 2008 I walked along my old paper round but couldn’t see most of the above cars maybe just one of the minors.

At the same time I used to often get the bus between Marple & Stockport where I would try to get a seat at the front of the top deck.

There a few cars to look out for such as an Austin allegro estate in that medium blue which was one of the better bl colours.  It was around long after allegro estates became rare. Another was a bmw 6 series which was on the same drive until a few years ago rusting away.

[MrBiscuits]

I had a couple of rounds between 1993 & 1996. No doubt a lot of the street furniture then would be prime shite now, the few I can still remember are:

Renault 12 saloon, T reg (so quite a late one I think) in metallic blue. Quite rare even then.

Colt Sapporo coupe thing in metallic brown. 

An e23 BMW 732, W reg with a lot of battle scars. This was owned by the very well to do elderly couple who made me a cup of tea when I came off my bike in the ice.

Rover 416 Gsi or GTI? R8 saloon. Was fairly new in light blue with navy leather inside, twin tailpipe and crosspoke alloys - seemed quite sophisticated to my teenage mind.

In the next street from the newsagent, there was an empty green grocer's shop. On the pavement outside was a huge rusty W116 Merc. It was M reg and was there so long a rusty tide-mark developed around it.

[Inspiral_Mondays]

9 hours ago, ProgRocker said:

@Inspiral_Mondays Great username! ?

Leaves "Happy_Carpets" as an alternative. 

Happy Carpets sounds like something that should have been a children‘s TV series in the 70s starring Brian Cant.

[Richard_FM]

Near to my secondary school there were some interesting cars while I was there 1989-94 including a Vauxhall cavalier sportshatch a house with 4 Morris minors on the drive & a rwd Mazda 323 with round headlights