Cradle to grave. Vehicles you've known go from showroom to scrapyard.

[warren t claim]

Back in mid 2003 despite working as a taxi driver and renting out taxis I took a job delivering parcels for a Lynx franchise to earn some PAYE points. This was one of the three brand new vans the bought for the contract. 

I still remember this van smelling like new.

[MJK 24]

A friend bought a brand new Ford Focus 1.8 Zetec 3dr from Peoples Ford, Speke on 1 March 2003.

14 years and 170,000 miles later, we took it to Nortons in Bootle to be resized before being shipped to China.

13 services, no timing belts, no clutches, one drive by wire throttle pedal.  The end.

He was emotional!

[brownnova]

Bought brand new when my Alfa 156 JTD threw its clutch and it was easier for me to afford the £165 deposit/£165 a month on this than any money on a car… wasn’t a bad little thing all told. 

Now deid. 

[adw1977]

Lasted less than 7 years?!

[warren t claim]

4 minutes ago, brownnova said:

Bought brand new when my Alfa 156 JTD threw its clutch and it was easier for me to afford the £165 deposit/£165 a month on this than any money on a car… wasn’t a bad little thing all told. 

Now deid. 

Probably cause of death was Chantelle wrapping it around a lamp post while Instagraming her mates.

[Markeh]

It's probably cheating, and I don't have the reg to hand, but one of the P12 Primeras my dad had as a company car when he worked for a Nissan dealer. I forget exactly when this was but I believe it was roughly 2004, as in later years he had X-Trails. It didn't last particularly long, one afternoon it was borrowed by one of the salesman as they were taking some cars to a nearby compound and needed something to bring the rest of them back in - chap overtook on a blind bend and hit an oncoming Micra, the elderly driver unfortunately didn't make it. I believe the salesman in question did end up getting charged for death by dangerous over it, not sure if he got jail time or suspended sentence. 

The Micra would've been a late K11 or K12, a fairly newish example - I suspect this because I know they were apparently the supplying dealer of the car, and had to go to some efforts to make sure an upcoming service reminder didn't get sent out.

[Richard_FM]

My Mum bought this Fiesta in early 1995 after my brother wrote off her Metro.  Ford had a deal with Barclaycard so she managed to get a discount.

 In late 2006 it was mostly being driven by me, & the little end failed one day while I was driving home from work, & it wasn't worth repairing!

[eddyramrod]

From 1997 to 2002 I worked for the company that owned this firm, and when they found I'd done kitchen multi-drop before they grabbed me whenever someone went off sick, walked off, got the sack, whatever.  I got to drive most of their vehicles, all purchased new, many of which arrived during my time there, including this set of MAN 7.5 tonners.

These were new in September 2001 and I drove a couple on the day they were delivered, including this one, PO51 UJH.  This, and probably its siblings, shows up as last taxed 2014.  I don't think that's me in the pic...

I returned for 18 months or so in 2006-7, this time working directly for Livesey's; the fleet had expanded significantly and staff turnover hadn't changed!  I got to drive many of the fleet...

Soon after I joined in 97, the six Convoy vans were replaced with lovely* new Iveco TurboDailies, R201-206 HCW; six months later the parent company added R207, an 18 tonne EuroCargo curtainsider.  That was actually quite nice to drive.  By 06 those Ivecos and the preceding set (P reg) were all laid up at a farm that was also part of the parent company.  207 was still on the strength, but I think it was the last Iveco the company had, and didn't have long to go.  Last taxed 2010.

The company's gone now.

[Spiny Norman]

Don't have a photo of it but my friend's Dad bought a W reg Renault 5 in 1980 to replace a 6 he'd owned from new since 1971. 
I was there when its Cleon lump expired in a masive cloud of steam signifying terminal HGF in 1990 after well over 100k miles. 
I also knew its replacements, a G reg Puggy 205 and 02 plate 206 pretty much their entire lives too. 
 

[chadders]

No pics but a 1982 MG Metro which my Dad took over when I got a company car and he wrote off by driving it into an unlit skip in 1995/6 on his way down to look after our dogs as we were going on holiday. I found out whilst on M25 travelling back from Gatwick after a 2am start in Riga, after staying at what was apparently the local Mafia's favourite hotel.

Again no pics but a 1995 Punto 55SX. My missus didn't put the handbrake on properly a couple of days after it was delivered and it rolled into the front of the house. After this it was drama free, unlike its replacement a disastrously unreliable A140, and my brother took it over until it was scrapped. The A140 was traded in for new Up!, which is still in the family, in 2012 and was scrapped a couple of years later.

[sutty2006]

 

I bought this B plate Carlton some years ago, possibly 2012ish. 1.8 with a lovely webasto sunroof. Previous owner had cut the springs and ruined it but I lived with it. It’s first or second owner was a navigator in Handley Page bombers during ww2 and he kept a diary of every fill up, wrote the mileage down and the fuel consumption. The history was impressive. Apart from the front wings had been replaced and badly matched, it was a stunning car. Interior like new. I sold it to a gentleman for £notmuch because values were low and he promised me he’d look after it. He later sold it to someone in south wales and last I heard it was rotting in a field unloved. I was told a couple of years ago that “the right price would buy it back!”……hmmmm yeah. I bet it would. Such a shame. You find these mint cars with the intention of helping them live longer and it gets ruined 😭

[Split_Pin]

My first brand new car in September 2012 and first car on finance. We desperately needed something reliable as my son was on his way and I walked onto the premises and pointed to the one in the showroom as I couldn't  afford to wait for one to be built.

Chevy Aveo 1.2 LT, it had 12 miles on the clock when I collected it from Peter Vardy in Motherwell. I sold it after 5 years when I paid off the finance and it only lasted another 5 before scrap at 10 years old.

At the time it was still new I did buy an excellent (and quite dear) 1/18 identical model of it direct from the manufacturer in Korea which I still have.

I only had one other brand new car after that,  a Duster, which I had to relinquish after 2 years due to redundancy. I wouldn't buy another new car again, I just have no need.

[angle]

23 hours ago, warren t claim said:

Back in mid 2003 despite working as a taxi driver and renting out taxis I took a job delivering parcels for a Lynx franchise to earn some PAYE points. This was one of the three brand new vans the bought for the contract. 

I still remember this van smelling like new.

My local DHL driver / subbie has an 18-plate Maxus (yeah, really) which he's had since new and looks like that but a bit rustier, so I reckon it'll be ready for this thread in a year or so.

[warren t claim]

Back in August 1983 Mutha_Claim finally part exchanged her Escort Harrier that caused me huge amounts of shame in school

for a brand new A reg Fiesta. It had been used in the Ford training school to teach spraying so it was painted two tone light grey over Graphite Grey. All went well until it was sold the following year as we were moving to Canada. Fast forward a decade and back in the UK I'm in the local chippy when to my surprise the very same Fiesta pulls up outside and the driver walks in to order his chicken fried rice. I excitedly introduce myself as the son of the first owner of his car and we start chatting away. It turns out that he's the fourth owner and I must admit that mum's Fiesta has been looked after. The only thing different is that the rear hatch had been swapped for a later Mk2 item. 

Due to heart over head sentimentality, I ask him if he'd be willing to sell it. I reckoned that a tidy Mk1 Fiesta would be worth about £1200 which would involve me emptying my entire savings which was crazy as I had no real need for another car. Sensing my enthusiasm, the owner told me he wasn't interested in selling but he'd do a straight swap for my Y reg Escort RS1600i parked in front of the Fiesta. Believe it or not, I did give it some serious consideration! I went as far as saying that if he threw £200 my way we'd have a deal. He wouldn't budge, so we went our separate ways.

Moving on to mid 2000 I'm driving through a council estate backstreet and see the Fiesta on its side in a council garage. Although this made me feel sad I still wanted to take a picture of it as a souvenir so return the following day with a camera. Sadly, by the time I arrived the council had boarded up the garage.