Your Cars
thesecretagent
CornwallPosts: 2,151MI6 Agent
Talking cars in other threads got me to thinking. What was your first car? Your best car? The car you drive now? Or just the car you want most. See who can make it the most interesting.
I doubt this will be beaten - but I'm ashamed to say my first car was a Lada! Well, actually the FSO Polenez. An even cheaper version of the Lada! A car dealer friend of my Dad sourced it for me, then I parted with my worldly savings. Thankfully, I failed my test the first time and in the month I waited to retake it, I bought a 1.1 litre mark III Ford Escort. So I learned in a Lada substitute, then drove an Escort.
Best cars: Nissan 300zx (but looking back it was a bit of a whale), Porsche 924 turbo, Porsche 993, BMW M5.
Worst car: it's a double edged sword but the Aston DB7. It felt great for being an Aston Martin, but deep down I knew it wasn't any better than a five grand Nissan 300zx. I certainly didn't take on all comers at the traffic lights... But it felt luxurious and cruised really well. And got so much attention. But it cost me almost 10k in faults. And it comes down to the fact that even the cheapest crapiest car actually works more than something like this... Gutting really.
All time best: M5 E60. Unrestricted, so 204mph. I've seen 186mph in sixth. With another gear to go. It's awesome, but costs a fortune in fuel. It's my only car, and costs me £150 where my last BMW E90 3 litre coupe cost me £80. I'm pretty sure I won't have it this time next year, but it IS fun. However, it's no great looker. It's also a little too clever. It delivers Starship Enterprise thrust, just too smoothly. It's almost clinical.
Plain crapper: Nissan Stanza. In yellow. With dark yellow patches.
Dream Car: The current Aston Martin range just look so gorgeous. Probably the new Vanquish if I win the lottery. I also like the Maserati super sport coupe. The Alfa 8c. The Ferrari 599.
Most fun: VW Camper. Thought I'd drive to my Medeterrainean posting in it. Broke down. Picked up lots of women, broke down many times. Didn't arrive in time. Spent time in the lock-up. Lost a rank ( and the pay grade with it), Afghanistan happened so went there from the posting, I got sent back in Britain, was discharged soon after. The camper is still in Cyprus, I figured it would cost more to get it back than it was worth. I also never persued it because it's probably got more than a few parking tickets on it!
Great Experience: A friends AC Cobra replica with a 7 litre Chevy engine. Pretty awesome!
I doubt this will be beaten - but I'm ashamed to say my first car was a Lada! Well, actually the FSO Polenez. An even cheaper version of the Lada! A car dealer friend of my Dad sourced it for me, then I parted with my worldly savings. Thankfully, I failed my test the first time and in the month I waited to retake it, I bought a 1.1 litre mark III Ford Escort. So I learned in a Lada substitute, then drove an Escort.
Best cars: Nissan 300zx (but looking back it was a bit of a whale), Porsche 924 turbo, Porsche 993, BMW M5.
Worst car: it's a double edged sword but the Aston DB7. It felt great for being an Aston Martin, but deep down I knew it wasn't any better than a five grand Nissan 300zx. I certainly didn't take on all comers at the traffic lights... But it felt luxurious and cruised really well. And got so much attention. But it cost me almost 10k in faults. And it comes down to the fact that even the cheapest crapiest car actually works more than something like this... Gutting really.
All time best: M5 E60. Unrestricted, so 204mph. I've seen 186mph in sixth. With another gear to go. It's awesome, but costs a fortune in fuel. It's my only car, and costs me £150 where my last BMW E90 3 litre coupe cost me £80. I'm pretty sure I won't have it this time next year, but it IS fun. However, it's no great looker. It's also a little too clever. It delivers Starship Enterprise thrust, just too smoothly. It's almost clinical.
Plain crapper: Nissan Stanza. In yellow. With dark yellow patches.
Dream Car: The current Aston Martin range just look so gorgeous. Probably the new Vanquish if I win the lottery. I also like the Maserati super sport coupe. The Alfa 8c. The Ferrari 599.
Most fun: VW Camper. Thought I'd drive to my Medeterrainean posting in it. Broke down. Picked up lots of women, broke down many times. Didn't arrive in time. Spent time in the lock-up. Lost a rank ( and the pay grade with it), Afghanistan happened so went there from the posting, I got sent back in Britain, was discharged soon after. The camper is still in Cyprus, I figured it would cost more to get it back than it was worth. I also never persued it because it's probably got more than a few parking tickets on it!
Great Experience: A friends AC Cobra replica with a 7 litre Chevy engine. Pretty awesome!
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Comments
Lived in the States for 14 years , so had lots of amazing (and often ridiculous) rides !!
A '77 Pontiac Firebird , A '87 Dodge Ram-Charger , A '91 Chrysler LeBaron , A '78 Jaguar XJS , ..............Pick-Up trucks, Convertibles , and just about every piece of junk or luxury you could ever own
I think I'll be sticking with my 2 seater convertibles though ...........the older I get , the less I need anything else .
Best Ride = Porsche 911 GT3
Worst = GEO Storm X-(
The MX5 is a great car. My wife had an imported eunos - it was a 1.6litre,brith pop up headlights, it had fantastic trim and chrome roll bars. She had it over two really good summers and we would fight for the keys! One of the best handling cars ever.
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Meaning we could practice our J-Turns slides etc on the many ford vans in the yard. Happy Days
2001 Ford Mustang (Silver) ~ A mostly unreliable pile of ..... :v Two power steering problems and a A/C problem. Owned it for three years before I was rear-ended. That was most likely a blessing in disguise
2005 Honda Civic (Silver) ~ A very reliable car. Not one major problem for over 125,000 miles. Sadly, the head gasket was about to go, so I traded it in.
2012 Ford Escape (Silver) ~ I've only had this car for 2 1/2 months. I like so far. Has all the bells and whistles I wanted in a car, plus a couple extras I've always wanted in a car (I've got a sunroof now
And yes, I have a thing for Silver cars. If I ever get another vehicle after the Escape, it'll be Silver. Silver is such a classy color. If you haven't noticed, I'm a classy guy....ask anyone I know, they'll tell you :v
Best car I've driven would have to be my best mate's Aston Martin DB9. OMG what a car. It seems like you're in another universe when you are behind the wheel of that thing.
Dream car would have to be a Ferrari 458 Italia. The best supercar on the road IMO. If the Euro Millions kicked in, I'd also grab a DBS, a white Lambo Gallardo and probably something along the lines of an M3 or Range Rover Sport for family stuff. Just need those 5 numbers and the lucky stars now ....
I absolutely loved my vauxhall cavalier, by the time it went it had 105k on it, and it would still piss the boy racers off the line, absolutely great torquey 2 litre, christ knows why vauxhall ditched it, it was bulletproof. My best memory was travelling through a crappy villiage called Sandy on the A1. As I'm passing a car full of Indians (ya know, the toyota or a shed of a nissan with 8 kids bouncing around the back seat) I realised there was a speed camera coming up rapid. I'm doing 90, hit the anchors and the car goes into a full locked up drift. Looking at your tax disc then seeing 8 small faces in the background, squashed against a side window gawping at you while you slide past them at 90mph is quite an experience.
Driven loads of vehicles over the years, got 112 out of my mates focus, that was quite a nice ride but I wasn't keen on the interior, had 110 out of a ford transit, had some left in it, but the door flapping open started to worry me.
Best car I've driven? Aston Martin DB9, absolutely lovely car to drive, sounds great, pulls like a train and once you got a feel for it, you can throw it around quite well. I'm sat driving this thing and the guy next to me says "go on, throw it into the next corner, it'll handle you" at this point a back wheel lifted off n things got slidey. Great times.
Most exhilerating car I've driven? Ferrari F430 Scuderia. I have never, ever, ever been in a car with such instant feedback and responce. I'm not a ferrari fan and always thought them a bit of a ****'s car. But jesus, if you know how to use it, its an amazing drive. Its the kinda car where if you 'punch it', it'll punch you back, right back into the seat where you'll be wondering whats more important, changing into 3rd or hooking your tongue out from the back of your throat.
Lottery win car would be a proper spec'd up DBS or Vansquish S.
I'd love a DB7 (the vantage is better than the I6) but yeah they're cheap for a reason. Th insurance would be way too much as well.
More realistically, I'd like a jag some day, the vauxhall insignia looks nice, but I'd also go for next year's Ford Mondeo if budget allowed.
Oh and I've also dreamed for years of making my own car, along the lines of the Ariel Atom, but on the cheap as it should be. What is it with people paying £35k for a caterham look-a-like? Just go buy a caterham 8-)
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1999-2000:
1982 Ford Laser Ghia. 1.5 litre, four cylinder, 5-speed manual.
2000-2007:
1989 Ford Falcon GL. 3.9 litre in-line 6 cylinder, 3-speed automatic.
2006-present:
2005 Ford Fairmont. 4.0 litre in-line 6 cylinder, 4-speed automatic.
The best car I've owned is my current car. I bought it when it was less than a year old, and it was so far ahead of my 1989 Ford Falcon that there's just no comparison. It still drives and rides beautifully.
The worst car ... is probably my first car. It blew a head gasket within one year of me owning it. Before that, it was blowing a fair bit of black smoke. It was still sad to let it go as it was my first car, though.
Then again, my second car, the 1989 Falcon, has had a blown head gasket too, not once, but twice. I also had radiator problems and gearbox problems, and the hydraulic tappets were making a racket, which lead me to spend more than three times the value of the car, and three weeks at the mechanic, to have the engine rebuilt. The engine ran smoothly after that, although the gearbox was starting to show signs of dying just before I sold it. The car had done 328,000km when I sold it. I still love it, though. I remember back in 1990, when that series Falcon was still new, I saw one at the car rental agency, and thought what a good looking car it was. And so the love affair with Falcons began.
As for my dream car, I have four, all current models:
- Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe
- Mercedes-Benz S600
- Bentley Continental GT
- Rolls-Royce Ghost
my old ac cobra,,,
Love that! My friend had one. First with a Rover 3.5 v8. Then he got a 5 litre mustang unit, and finally a 7 litre chevy v8. Only the gearing was switched to auto with the Chevy, and wasn't as quick in every scenario as the four speed manual and mustang v8. Definitely on my list of will do's one day.
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Were these two pictures taken a few days apart? It looks like your neighbor hasn't used his (or her) boat in a long time. BTW, that Fairmont is a good looking car. We don't have the Fairmont here in the U.S. anymore.
you'll notice he bought one in 2006 and got rid of the other in 2007, meaning a period of a year where he owned both cars. with the patch in the grass not changing much, or the amount growing between the slabs on the drive, i'd say it was a few hours between shots, given the shadow. B-)
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I would hazard a guess at 10AM and 1PM.
Vive le droit à la libre expression! Je suis Charlie!
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mine is the rover V8,, and its fast,, 0-60 by the time i change to 2nd and let the clutch in, its great fun, a total head turner, sounds the nuts, and doesnt cost alot to service, ive replaced the full hood, also basic repairs, ie, the elec cooling fans needed seting properly, fitted a new thermostat, next job is new carpets, and seats , points , plugs, air filters and that will do this yr,
Don..
Nope, they weren't taken a few days apart.
The Fairmont you used to have in the US isn't the same car. In Australia, the "Fairmont" is simply a more upmarket variant of the Falcon. It is mechanically identical, but has a number of added features over the base model Falcon.
7 months, actually
What if I told you that you were both wrong?
Not even one hour had elapsed. These pictures were taken roughly 40 minutes apart. But you know what? Wilde, you are pretty damn close with the time. I took the photo of my silver Fairmont at approximately 1pm, and the old white Falcon at approximately 1:40pm.
That would be incorrect. They were neither shorts nor white.
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Did you build it yourself? I'd love too, but don't have the know how. It's also something I'd worry about buying because of the original builder's skill. I guess I'd get it a good check over if I bought one. They are seriously cool though, and light so even four cylinder 2 litre units make it quick. The Rover V8 is about the best. Top Gear did a tribute to it when it ended its run. It was interesting having been in most TVR's, Morgans, Marcos', Westfields, Caterhams and about every decent kit car.
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hi.. no i didnt build the car,, its a 1977 mdel so no problems with build quality, i also asked the previous omwner to MOT the car 2 days before i bought it, all it needed was a brake pipe, as i researched the cobra,s i got to know quite alot about the cars,, and in my mind,, the build quality has to favour the DAX (the origional shellby designer had a hand in the dax), or the GARDNER.. i am mechanicly minded, and the engine and running gear are all easy to work on, as its older, and anybody on the cobra forums will offer advise,
Don..