Dear Mr Car Manufacturer, why?

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

A lot to be said for the old stuff. Not something awful like an Austin A60, but a good example of a well engineered seventies or eighties saloon. I bet a nice 2000GL Cavalier is still a pleasant thing to drive.

[Cavcraft]

Like a big Chevette in my experience. Seats that you just keep sinking in to meaning even lanky people like me have headroom, that certain 'Vauxhall-of-that-era' weird smell inside and clocks/dials that only worked on days that didn't end in 'y'.

Pretty sort of surreal drive which is hard to describe but makes them unique in a strange way. I loved the way even the most mingiest of mingebag models still were pretty good fun (in an Autoshite way) to drive.

[Pete-M]

I used to rather like my Carlton GSi 24v, did 30k in it in a year and it was pretty bloody good really. I'd have a 24v Senator.

 

Can't get on with Mk1 Cav / Ascona / Mantas. I don't like the weird way the arse end appears to raise under power. Shame, as I love the looks of the Ascona 2.0 SR. Had a Mk2 Cav SR (4sp) for a while but other than looking quite good and having Recaros it underwhelmed. Don't mind fast Mk3 Cavs that much, the GSi 4x4 / Turbo wasn't a bad thing but the chocolate gearbox and PAS racks stopped me from every buying one. Vectras are shite and the CDTi Vauxhall lumps I've experienced have been spectacularly unreliable, not that fuel efficient and very laggy. The 1.9 in the Zafira goes quite well when it's running right, but they do seem to fall apart very easily. Most of the ones in work had gloveboxes lined with bits that had fallen off the interior. Don't get that with the Skodas.

[whitevanman]

/\/\ I Loved the look of them, but the most awful things to keep runing in my experience, shit carbs, needed retuned every other day....and this was in 1981

though I wouldn't mind one now