Dad cars

[catsinthewelder]

My dad learnt to drive on a tractor then spent the next few years building roads without owning a car.

When he met my mum she had a mini, which was replaced by a better one.

Next was a Blue MK1 Fiesta which caught fire on the drive with me in it.  The replacement was a V reg MK2 Escort which became my mum's soon after when he got a red MK3 as a company car.  A mk4 followed then an F reg BX 14RE.  A Primera was next (still red) then a juice green Mondeo Verona was his last company car.  He bought it on retirement and ran it for a couple of years before PXing it for a Y reg Mégane that was later mine.  A blue Corolla followed then the MK2 Focus I have now.  He currently has a 2015 Focus 1.5 diesel in metallic dark blue.  Possibly the most exceptional thing about his cars is that the only silver one was a Clio my stepmum had when she moved in.

[Dan302]

My dad mostly seemed to drive end of life stuff when I was a kid. Here's a few I remember (not necessarily in the correct order)

Red mini 1000 (I believe I was brought home from hospital in this)

White landcrab (2200?) 

Brown renault 12 (dad really liked this one)

Blue Talbot Alpine (nicknamed ticky Talbot thanks to its tappet noise. Ended up brushed painted in hammerite)

Mk1 Cavalier x 2 

Lada Riva in brown D***MFU this was fairly new at the time. He rated its toughness very highly. It had the bigger front grill, I think it was a 1500 or 1600?

Brown Triumph Dolomite 1300 this would have been in the mid 90s.

White 3 door Nova 1.2 (facelift) this was the early 2000s I used to borrow it when my Dolly Sprint wouldn't start.......so fairly often

 

[neil1971]

Lurking in the background here is the Magnette (LJG300) that dad owned, bought from my grandad, 

[D.E]

- Vauxhall Viva HC. My dad still thinks this was a great car, and he regrets crashing it into a ditch.

- Opel Rekord. Slid off an icy road,  crashed.

- Fiat 125. Was just 8 years old at the time, but terminally rotten. Front wings were filled up with newspapers according to my dad.

- Toyota Corolla E20. My parents should have a photo of this one on their attic somewhere.

- Opel Ascona.

- Lada 2107. The first new car my dad bought, as to be expected rather unrefined .

- Opel Kadett E. Also bought new, reliable car but as usual with the Kadett E/Astra Mk II, required welding the sills and rear arches after 10 years.

- Suzuki Swift 1.0 GLS. 1998, bought in 1999. First owner passed away and it somehow ended up at the local Ford dealer. This was an excellent car for what it was, when my dad traded this one in for a new Swift in 2007 it already had over 220k kms on the clock, but apparently lasted for another twelve years. Quite impressive for a well-used cheap car, I think.

- Suzuki Swift 1.3 GLS. Bought new in 2007. I guess I could call myself the custodian of this one now, it is usually sitting in my garage since my dad received a new Kangoo van (which is a troublesome heap of shit, but technically not his so not what this topic is about) from work. My dad picks up the Swift whenever he needs it, I drive it occasionally as well. Good thing, no plans to replace it anytime soon.

[Macscrooge]

This will be quite a list as my Dad changed cars quite often!

I remember him saying that he and three friends had ‘shares’ in a Citroen (possibly a Light 15) whose brakes needed some miles notice of any intention to stop. After a couple of scooters he had company cars.  All new unless noted  

Ford Anglia in grey - I think this was ‘inherited’ from his predecessor at work  

Hillman Imp  - C reg in blue - this first car I travelled in.

Ford Cortina Mk1 1200 2-door in dark green.

Ford Cortina Mk2 2-door in pale dog turd.  My abiding memory of it is freezing in the dark waiting for the RAC.

BMC 1100 4-door x4 in blue, red, white and (drum roll please) Harvest Gold. A man appeared from head office every year with a new one. 
Austin 1300 - a loan car while moving jobs which broke down in the dark. 
Hillman Avenger 1500 Super - L reg in poo brown.  I’m never figured out what was ‘super’.  
Hillman Avenger 1600 GLS - P reg in kingfisher blue metallic with restyles and a black vinyl roof. Twin carbs and velour seats!  Cor!  Written off in a 1978 altercation with a lorry near Forfar. 
Chrysler Alpine GLS - T reg in Kermit the frog green with black vinyl roof. Awash with luxuries - electric windows, headlamp wipers etc. 
BL Princess 2 1.7HL - W reg in grey. The first car I drove!

Austin Ambassador 2.0 HLS - Y reg in white. Power steering, sunroof and twin-carb O-series. 22mpg  though😬

then he set up his own business. He bought the Ambassador at a knock-down price as part of his severance settlement.  But it still did 22mpg, so he then bought:

Peugeot 205 XLD - B reg in red. 50 mpg whatever we did to it. 
Peugeot 205 XLD - D reg in wedgewood blue. 
Peugeot 309 GLD - E reg in met blue.  45mpg and much keener on going up hills!

Peugeot 405 GRD - G(?) reg in silver.  It felt very indulgent.

Peugeot 405 GR(?)D turbo in dark blue met.  When 90bhp was a lot of power.

Peugeot 405 GLD turbo in light green met, I never drove it  he crashed it.  
Fiat Brava in silver bought nearly new  

Mazda 323 - Bought nearly new.  I was there when he bought it but can’t remember a thing about it.  
Honda Accord 1.8EX - W reg in green met.  Bought about 18m old and kept ‘till he packed in driving in c2012. 
 

I’m not sure if I have any photos - if I do I’ll add them as I find them