Car for life

[bigstraight6]

I’m sure that it’s not a unique position on here to own a car you could never part with, I’m very lucky to own 2 such cars, the Mercedes CLK 320 passed its MOT today without any advisories as it’s done in the 3 years I’ve owned it, a lovely car to drive and I couldn’t afford to replace it with a newer model so it will stay for good. The Zodiac I’ve owned for 20 years now and I’d never part with it, I had one as my very first car 39 years ago having been fixated by them as a youngster and never tire of the looks and drive.

[maxxo]

I paid too much for it

but my god it’s perfect for me

id struggle to find a better one

i never get tired of it, honestly

it just feels right owning this car and I’d be a right fool if I sold it

[fatharris]

Probably easier for me to say which cars I likely won't keep

[andyberg]

My Safrane. Only had it a few months but I can't see me ever getting rid. Normally I get bored with cars, I reckon I have had over 50 since 1988. A car will not make it past 6 months to a year, except a Lada Riva I had for 18 months!! But this car just makes me feel happy every time I get in it. I just love driving it.

[Dyslexic Viking]

My Mercedes will probably be with me until I die as I am far too attached to it and really like it I also have far too much money in it to sell it.

[Wibble]

I’ve had my Senator since it was 6 years old, so probably a keeper

 

[RoadworkUK]

My 800 ain't going nowhere.

Also, until I fix the ABS and get it through the MOT, it literally ain't going anywhere.

[sheffcortinacentre]

My Daytona yellow 2dr GT MK3 cortina  had it 35 years this sept, will never sell it plan to have the keys for it with me when my body is finally dispatched .

Very rare I've parted with any personally owned vehicles ( probably in single figures over 40 years of driving) & is why I still own 7 1/2 cortinas (  20-35 years )  had the falcon Ute 10 years.

[junkyarddog]

I've owned this shitbox since 1992.

Pulled out of a local Scrapyard,paid £90.

Still think I was done.

1979 Viva HC.

It now sits in the shed,submerged under the internals of a mk2 Golf.

Will I ever drive it again?

Who knows. 

Was originally a 1300,now sports a 1800 slant 4 from a rusted out 1800 SL,new old stock 13" Cosmic slots,Recaro seats from a scrap Astra,front repro spoiler,electronic ignition,quad lamps from a Nissan van,grill was another Scrapyard find from a 1300 GLS,door mirrors are from an 80s Nissan cherry.

Went well for what it is,a mongrel.

 

[Shite Ron]

I don’t intend selling any of my cars, I bought them because I like them but if I had to choose one to keep then the manual Cortina 2.3 Ghia estate is the one, I have driven it many miles and had some great holidays in it, I bought it in  2002 as a daily driver and went to Le Mans for the first time in it, also to Italy and many other countries on my first Cortina’s to Cortina run plus Classic Ford runs and drove  it over 4,000 miles in two weeks to Gibraltar on holiday. It has done over a quarter of a million miles but is very solid for a Cortina. Also being an ‘82 model is extremely comfortable and practical. Not the best colour but a great car.

[Schaefft]

My E39 528i and Mark VIII. The E39 wasn't my first car but really feels like it. The Mark VIII isn't even my first of this model (my first was almost pristine while this one was bought in Sheffield and borderline scrap). Both taught me a lot about wrenching on cars though and they provide many great memories. Unfortunately both need major work at the moment so off the road for about 2 years.

Other than that my 500SEL and manual 540i Touring. Proper modern classics that are all round fantastic cars and impossible to replace for the money I paid for them.

[egg]

After 8 years, I think I'm stuck with this. In a way it's been a blessing, by hoarding parts for it, getting deep into keeping a register of k-reg cars, I've kind of 'emotionally' committed to it with time and money even though I did try and sell once. I'll probably be its last owner.

Mrs E was talking to a neighbour the other day who said - 'it's your husband that drives the 90's Mondeo - legend!' 😆

[83C]

And I think I’m doing well with a Range Rover I’ve kept for nearly 3 years 😆

I can’t do a ‘never sell’ because I’m always wary of something unexpected that might crop up and force the sale, but I’d like to think that the Range Rover, the VXR8 and the Arnage won’t be going anytime soon. All of you lot are putting my record of six years to shame.

[vulgalour]

12 years and counting.  Survived several relationships, several house moves, life falling apart and getting put back together again, and is constantly in a state of never quite being properly sorted and never quite being broken enough to give up on.  We're beyond the point of Stockholm Syndrome and Sunk Cost Fallacy with this one, I reckon we're stuck with each other.

[Gompo]

I think I'm at that point where I'm happy with what I've got, there's plenty of cars I'd like to try/own, but realistically I doubt it will happen.

 

My daily RX 400h I expect will need a decent amount of money spending on it soon, I'll keep it going until it gets particularly uneconomical to get through an MOT. I 'need' it for my commute, if that changes then maybe something else will be viable.

 

I can't see me selling my Excel, we'll see. Perhaps when life slows down.

 

[High Jetter]

  On 20/07/2024 at 20:36, junkyarddog said:

I've owned this shitbox since 1992.

Pulled out of a local Scrapyard,paid £90.

Still think I was done.

1979 Viva HC.

It now sits in the shed,submerged under the internals of a mk2 Golf.

Will I ever drive it again?

Who knows. 

Was originally a 1300,now sports a 1800 slant 4 from a rusted out 1800 SL,new old stock 13" Cosmic slots,Recaro seats from a scrap Astra,front repro spoiler,electronic ignition,quad lamps from a Nissan van,grill was another Scrapyard find from a 1300 GLS,door mirrors are from an 80s Nissan cherry.

Went well for what it is,a mongrel.

 

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That needs to see the light of day! Get it driven!

[Rusty Pelican]

Had this since 1987 , never tire of it , never boring to drive but sometimes it acts a spoilt child 

[Rusty Pelican]

Also had this since 1991 , my £50 scrapyard special and will never be sold , il keep welding and faffing with it as long as its possible , took my now wife on our first date in it and its a big part of the family even if it is rather battered 

[High Jetter]

  On 20/07/2024 at 21:50, Rusty Pelican said:

took my now wife on our first date in it 

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I had one for a while! It's tricky, but not impossible, in the back 😁

[Split_Pin]

I kept 2 of my cars simultaneously for over a decade and thought I'd never sell them. I've never looked back since I did and, even moreso this year after my dad died and then a cousin in Canada, I feel life is too short to keep the same car forever.  I got sentimental about one car, once, but never have again. I've had my 75 for over 4 years now but only because it continues to suit me. I like to keep moving on, like an automotive Littlest Hobo.

 

[brownnova]

If I was told you have to sell all but one car it would be this that would stay… 

The six month stopgap… 

7 years in and it won’t go anywhere… it’s a bit symbolic for me, it’s the car I bought when I wanted to tell what was expected of me to fuck right off and ditched the leased BMW for a 20 year old Saab and the ex wife for a far better one. I’ve never looked back. 

[catsinthewelder]

No plans to get rid of these 2.  The Dacia has too many good memories attached and always finds me someone to talk to at car shows.

I wanted a 405 td for ages before getting this one.  I hope to get an electric daily driver at some point and keep this for longer trips.  Fingers crossed I might make some progress with it soon as I've got a whole car of spare parts arriving next month!

This might see the end of some Rovers though as I need the space.

[The Vicar]

I’ve been fortunate enough to own many nice/rare cars, plenty of which I’d like to have again, but none of which I truly regret selling. 

I think soon I’ll start looking for a forever car, but not exactly sure what it will be. I do have an idea of what type of car it’ll be. 

[High Jetter]

Does it begin with a V?

[AnnoyingPentium]

The way my "fleet" stands at the moment suits me really well. Both cars have their uses and although I've toyed with selling the Vectra, it's been a car I've wanted for a while - says a lot about my aspirations perhaps.

I genuinely think this will be stuck with me for a while yet, it's lapped up insane mileage since I bought it, and doesn't show any signs of giving up quite yet.

[JJ0063]

None, I simply don’t get attached to cars. Wish I did! 
 

E30 was a dream car of mine but I didn’t use it enough, I get annoyed having a car sat not being used so it went. 
 

My current F31 is a brilliant car, I do right now feel like it’ll be one of the longer owned cars for me out of the 70 odd I’ve owned but realistically if someone offered me a decent price, would I let it go? Probably!

I get more enjoyment out of driving different cars than I do hanging on to the same one. 

[Dick Cheeseburger]

I owned my MR2 for nine years - a personal record as I never tend to hold onto cars - and was convinced it was a keeper for life. It was superb fun to drive and really was a road legal go-kart. 

Eventually I realised there was no longer a purpose for it in the fleet and I simply didn't drive it any more. After much deliberating, I sold it and much to my surprise I've not even slightly missed it. 

However, I keep thinking back to the car I owned before the MR2 - my 2.8 VR6 converted mk2 Golf. It was also addictive to drive, but in a completely different way. It's still around and I keep toying with the idea of contacting the current owner to see if he'd be interested in selling. What's the saying though... never go back...

[cms206]

Bought with six weeks test and three months tax from Scooters on here for £150 to clear the garden as it was cheaper than hiring a van.

I swore I'd never buy another Volvo after my first one was an unmitigated disaster... we did 840 miles for Shitefest 1 together back in June 2012, and it's still here though currently off the road. Many have come and gone, but the Council Estate remains.

[Spottedlaurel]

Rather predictable one from me:

Had it since 2008. 15+ years is way longer than I've owned anything else. Does everything I want of an old car and hasn't been any great problem to keep going over the years.

This shot was from an enjoyable drive up to Norwich and back yesterday, it's great on country roads.

Of the others in my current fleet, I'm planning to keep the RX450h for as long as possible. It's a great daily driver, with a somewhat old-fashioned feel for something relatively modern. Just got to hope the clever stuff under the skin keeps doing its thing.

The Carina E might be around for a while, it's an honest, handy thing that's a good substitute for the Camrys I liked so much. The LS400 I always fear is one dramatic MoT failure from coming off the road, I'll just enjoy it for as long as I can.

Don't really have the desire to keep changing them so much nowadays. The things I'd really like aren't cheap any more, and I'm happy with what I've got.

[danthecapriman]

Got to be the Crapi for me. 
We’re up to 23 years so far! It’s the car I was desperate to have as a kid, which was during their unfashionable era, but that didn’t bother me one bit. I absolutely loved Capri’s. I bought this absolute shocker when I was 16, just about clinging to an MOT and tax somehow and decided it’d be the ideal way to get one and learn to fix it. £100 later and I was the proud owner of this,

It looked ok from a distance but it was full of filler and rust. 
It survived it though and all these years later it’s still here putting a smile on my face. It probably doesn’t really have any right to still be here really but it’s a testament to a stubborn willingness to not let it go!

It’s part of the family now it’s been here so long and the impression it’s made over the years. I honestly couldn’t imagine not having it. It’s only a lowly 1.6L but it has never once disappointed or really put a foot wrong and I still love it now as much, if not more, than when I first got it. It’s just one of those cars that just ‘fits’ me and ‘works’ for me. 
It’s in a well deserved retirement now, only being used for fun and it gets cherished. It doesn’t go out in the salt of winter or even rain anymore.

You'd have to literally prise the keys out of my cold dead hands!😆