Can you fall for a car?

[VFR800]

Over the last 30 years or so I've had various company cars and vans:

1. Vauxhall Astramax 1.4 petrol - loved these vans. Would sit at 90 everywhere, got my first points in these pocket rockets.
2. Ford Escort 1.9 diesel - By the time i got my hands on it, it was on engine number 3 and gearbox number 4!
3. Peugeot 106 van, god awful things. Gutless when empty and a nighmare when full.
4. Ford Focus Mk1 Estate 1.9d - loved this due to its handling and load space. A basic motor but a dependable companion.
5. Toyota Avensis x 2 - Wonderful car but didn't fall for them, good but not great.
6. BMW 1 Series, Mk1 and 2 - really grew to love these cars. Great handling, road posture, and performance was good once you purchased the little extra box of tricks.
7. MK4 Focus 1.5d ST Line X, (current car) - Too many little issue to have fallen for this. The COVID lockdown hasn't really helped, I suppose. Random rattles, errors that come one second and go the next, stop start that seems to have permanently stopped with no error, sat nav that can be frustrating to say the least. A boot that i feel should be bigger than it is.

So what cars have you loved?

[TomsFocus]

I've got attached to my current Golf.  

Bought as a cheap stop gap in the 2018 heatwave after being unable to fix the Mk3 Focus AC (as well as various other faults on it).  Golf was a previous write off, 90k odd miles, kept seeing it on sale sites and avoiding it, eventually made an offer, only intending to keep for a couple of months while the Focus sold and my finances improved.  2 and a half years later and I'm struggling to part with it!  Daft thing is I don't even 'like' it, doesn't look particularly good, paintwork is now peppered with chips at the front, feels very dated inside, doesn't have much of the spec that I like (climate control for one!), DPF regens almost constantly and it has a few odd foibles that aren't really faults but occur just often enough to think somethings going to break...  However, I haven't had to spend a single penny on repairs, it 'does the job' and it's just gone straight through MOT with no advisories again.  Can't work out whether I actually want to keep it, or whether I just hate the idea of change so much!

Out of the other 50ish cars that I've owned I'll just pick a few:

The lightly modded blue 1.4 306 Meridian got me into forums and mods and I met a lot of 'car people' from it so I did like that one...until it left me stranded with a locked brake drum.

The Mk4 Golf's got me into diesel...VNT boost seemed amazing as well as double the MPG I was previously getting.  Though I sold one as it didn't have enough doors, and the next one suffered chocolate camshaft and lost me so much money.  I probably am a 'VW guy' really, been doing plenty of local German shows over the last few years, there aren't any local Ford ones!

Blue 306 GTi6 - Only owned briefly and had a few annoying faults but it was a car I'd wanted since my early 306 days and I did have a few nice days out in it.  Sold it to get the deposit for my flat.

Fiesta ST150 - Not a car I'd ever intended to own but was offered as a swap for another GTi6 (which wasn't as good as the 1st one) so took it...  Fantastic little hatch and probably the closest I've come to having 'fun' in a car.  Though sadly my stomach dictates how much fun I'm allowed in moving objects.   

And of course the Mk2.5 Focus Titanium with X pack...  I chose one with the wrong engine (mainly because Ford didn't get the 2.0 TDCi into the £30 tax bracket lol) but really did like the car itself.  They do feel dated now and I wouldn't want another, but that's probably the one I regret selling when I did!

[StephenFord]

In 1987, I bought a brand new 205 GTi 1.9 and spent a mint getting a T16 bodykit fitted with full respray (the car had delivery miles on it LOL)

Wonderful car to drive, and would be worth a small fortune now if I'd have kept it - oh the joys of youth!

Also had a Mk1 XR2, an XR3i, and a 1990 RS Turbo... (Unfortunately, not many photos to hand as in roof space in big box - digital hadn't been invented yet, but I had digitised a few 205 ones though)

More recently, had a Toyota Celica GT4, I loved that car!

[iantt]

loved my mk2 vauxhall cavalier sri saloon. no frils but went well in its day and could out run the xr3i boys every time. never let me down 

other car that put a smile on my face was a chipped mazda 3 mps. 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

Had far too many cars over the years,but amazingly few I've been really sorry I had to part with (as in, feel the eyes moistening as I part with the keys!). 

Ones that do spring to mind:

1971 MG Midget 1275 (probably be worth a few bob now)

1987 Astra SRi

1993 Citroen ZX Turbo D (a very reliable and comfy company car)

2005 Audi A3 2.0TDI

 

[kingfisher1967]

I've owned the following automatic cars

Mini Metro - 1992 - 1994 - only had 3 speeds, I had to change down to 2nd to overtake some, this was part exchanged for:

Renault 5 Monaco - 1994 -2000  - this car had a touch of luxury with leather seats, cold in the winter, hot in  the summer, this was part exchanged for:

Renault Clio RT - 2000 - 2003  - I loved this car, I had the alloys changed to something more sporty and 'green stuff' brake pads fitted, killed by head gasket

Rover 215 -  - 2003 - 2006 - a basic runaround to get me from A to B , killed by head gasket

Ford Focus Mk1.5 Zetec - 2006 - 2011 - My first Ford, killed by head gasket

Ford Focus Mk2.5 Zetec - 2011 - 2016  - I loved the shape of this but it developed a mystery overheating issue which I could not solve ( it brought me to this forum) so I part exchanged for:

Ford Focus Mk3.5 Titanium - 2016 - 2020  - again I loved this car but with its gearbox issues and a van undertaking me in March this year, it had to go, so I part exchanged for:

Ford Focus MK4 Titanium X - 2020  - my current favorite, there are a couple of rattles and squeaks

[Alex.S]

8 hours ago, Eric Bloodaxe said:

1987 Astra SRi

What was the SRi like? I always wanted one early 90s. GTE was out of reach! 
Bought a 60 plate 1.6 SRI just about 5 years ago....disappointing..... 1.6 litre 110bhp .

i think cumbersome is the word for that one. 
 

Every car I ever owned gets compared to a car my dad had about 30 years ago. A Rover 827 Vitesse V8 (I think) 24valve automatic. Even the traffic cops were using them. Interior quality was outstanding too. No cheap plastic. Leather and wood , mainly. 
Car I’ve really loved though , owned by another family member was a H plate Astra GTE, 2litre , digital dash (which didn’t catch on until 2020!) 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

2 hours ago, Alex.S said:

What was the SRi like? I always wanted one early 90s. GTE was out of reach! 

Well, I suppose my sadness at parting with it is the answer! But yeah, at the time I was considering a GTE but by some strange quirk (possibly due to weight and gearing, can't really remember due to the mists of time) the SRi was always slightly quicker in road tests other than on outright top speed.. Plus it had analogue instruments against the early digital versions in the GTE which were not nice imo. And it was cheaper also - always a factor for Yorkshiremen!😀

The engine was very crisp and responsive, no turbo lag of course, and It seemed pretty quick at the time, old road tests show it wouldn't be embarrassed versus some warm hatches today. Pretty light of course, and perfectly geared with close ratios and achieved top speed at max revs in 5th, unlike the overgeared cars of today.

Downsides were the unassisted steering was on the heavy side, the ride was firmish, and the handling, though very stable, lacked the delicacy of, say, a Peugeot 205/309 GTI. 

Overall though, I thought it was a great car and I had many happy times in it, including meeting my current Mrs, which is another reason I remember it with affection.

Pic of the car below, excuse poor image, scanned in from an old photo we discovered recently:

[Alex.S]

Astra SRI now is just a mid range Vauxhall. Nothing sporty or fun about it. 

[Guy Heaton]

My 3 favourite cars are my Vectra B GSi V6, my MG ZS180 and my Clio 172.  All great fun to drive and all punched well above their weight.  The ZS especially handled so incredibly well.

[Guy Heaton]

8 hours ago, Alex.S said:

Astra SRI now is just a mid range Vauxhall. Nothing sporty or fun about it. 

There's a vauxhall grandland SUV Sri now with 300bhp and a 0 to 60 about 6 seconds.  I reckon there'd be some entertainment in that for a while at least. 😄

[Frowma]

Even though I'm 55 I've not had many cars (11), the standouts are....

1974 MK1 facelift Capri 1.6 L, total rust bucket, big ends went, absolutely loved it as it was my first car, always got fond memories.

1983 MK1 XR2, loved that car, got stolen 😞

1985 Fiat Uno turbo i.e. What a rapid little car, was so much fun, rusty as hell, was starting to fall in love with it till the cambelt snapped.

1998 Fiat Bravo HGT Mk1, had her from new till the head gasket went after 12 years and 160k miles, what a great car 😍

Currently got a MK4 ST Line X Focus Estate, very competent, good but not sure I'll fall in love.

I've also got an 07 Panda 100HP, fun car to drive, really reminds me of my old XR2 in some ways! 

[st line x 140 driver]

1 hour ago, Guy Heaton said:

There's a vauxhall grandland SUV Sri now with 300bhp and a 0 to 60 about 6 seconds.  I reckon there'd be some entertainment in that for a while at least. 😄

Another £46k car from vauxhall really - Probably wallow like a boat and stopping distance like skidding on ice lol. Call it an suv it has less room than a zafira.

Ridiculous prices for cars now if i was spending that type of money i would want something fast and practical.

[StephenFord]

38 minutes ago, Frowma said:

 

1974 MK1 facelift Capri 1.6 L, total rust bucket, big ends went, absolutely loved it as it was my first car, always got fond memories.

1983 MK1 XR2, loved that car, got stolen 😞

 

The Capri scared the bejesus out of me! I borrowed my bosses one in 1983, it was a 2.0S with proper net headrests! At the time I owned my Mk1 XR2, so in the Capri, I took a local roundabout the same way I drove my Fiesta - big mistake. The back end swung out and I spun. Luckily for me, no other cars were on the road. For the next few days I had it, I drove like an elderly granny LOL

[st line x 140 driver]

16 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

The Capri scared the bejesus out of me! I borrowed my bosses one in 1983, it was a 2.0S with proper net headrests! At the time I owned my Mk1 XR2, so in the Capri, I took a local roundabout the same way I drove my Fiesta - big mistake. The back end swung out and I spun. Luckily for me, no other cars were on the road. For the next few days I had it, I drove like an elderly granny LOL

Difference between front and rear wheel drive cars instead of just chucking them into corners. You have to respect rear wheel drive cars and know how to drive them properly(accelerate out of corners). Tends to be Faster cars which have this drive but totally useless in winter conditions unless you want to end up stationary at the bottom of a slope or worst in a ditch.

All wheel drive cars best of both worlds and are now the fastest cars you can buy for the road to get you safely from A to B. 

Luckily i have an A45 love it to bits got me out of trouble a hand full of times when canning it and best car i've ever had with modern luxuries just merc prices to run.

[Linds]

On 12/15/2020 at 9:48 AM, VFR800 said:

So what cars have you loved?

Started with a Standard 10 in 1975 ... moved onto a succession of Minis (all of which I loved), Metros (which I did not enjoy) and then Maestros which I found perfectly comfortable and reliable UNLESS they had a sunroof, in which case the contents of the gutter would often be deposited in one's lap when one went round a corner a bit too fast ... it was most embarrassing to turn up at meetings looking as though one had wet oneself!

I eventually tired of British Leyland's offerings and thought I'd look elsewhere. going through a number of Citroen BX's which were comfortable to drive, particularly on the Continent, but none of which was reliable. Ended up with a Citroen BX QuatreQuatre Estate which was marvellous to drive in snow but otherwise unremarkable.

My Citroen Dealer took on Daihatsu sales in our area and I could not stop myself from buying a pretty black and silver Sportrak.  Loved that car although it was totally impractical, being little more than a two-seater.  Had hours of fun driving it on rough country tracks in England and France and on one Daihatsu demo day over the edge of a vertical sand cliff.  Nothing stopped it!  However I managed to frighten myself by lifting two wheels off the ground going round a corner one day so thought I should get a more conventional, practical family car.

Settled on a VW Golf.  What a dull car that was, added to which it used to emit the most unpleasant noise from the engine compartment when driving at slow speeds.  Took it back to the dealer who (under warranty) took everything out of the engine compartment and put it all back in again to no avail.  I had a friend who was a VW enthusiast so I took the car down to him to look at.  He told me to open the bonnet.  30 seconds later he shut the bonnet ... and the unpleasant noise never returned.

At about that time I saw a nearly new 1995 Rover 416 Hatchback standing on a nearby forecourt which I liked the look of ... traded the Golf in and enjoyed a couple of years of pleasant, reliable motoring.  Quickly ran the mileage up on the car when I took a project on in the Cotswolds about 200 miles from home.  What I liked about the Rover (Honda, whatever!) was that it could be driven hard ... but to do cleanly and smoothly was a real challenge!  Journeys were never dull, no matter how long, and I became v attached to the car.

Thought I should be more adventurous so I bought myself a BMW 3 Series (on the basis they looked good!).  That was a big mistake ... a hateful machine that, in crosswinds, was like driving a brick on wheels.  The seats were brutally uncomfortable and with my annual mileage rising to 50,000 I deided I had to find a more comfortable car capable of handling the distances I was travelling.

Despite my reservations about VW I liked the look of Audis so after an extensive test drive over a weekend I got an A4 Avant 1.8T.  This car went v well indeed until, driving up the A1 late one night, it suddenly blew up with no advanced warning!  Got a replacement and had no further problems.  The car went through oil like there was no tomoorow but it did the job.  Next time I got an A4 Saloon which disappointed with its German dullness ... I started to realise I preferred driving smaller cars so when I next came to change I tried an A3 ... but this just fell to bits when subjected to my high mileage.

Things changed and my requirement to drive 50,000 miles per year dropped to 15,000 miles so I thought I'd try another A3 - within one week it was back at the dealer with a list of problems as long as my arm, but these were all put right.  In many ways this was a good car to own - despite the fact I never felt anything for it I kept it for 10 years and sold it for a good sum with 150,000 miles on the clock.  But what next?

I had started to notice the Ford Focus ... I thought the look of the Mk3.5 most attractive and for the first time went along to a Ford dealer for a test drive.  It was love at first drive.  I liked everything about the car ... and particularly the way it drove.  So I got a diesel Titanium.  When I took it into the dealer for its first service I was unable to list any faults with the car.  Mind you it did have its odd eccentricities such as emitting the most mournful moan from time to time ... never got to the bottom of that but it happened so rarely and didn't seem to indicate a larger problem.  I gave the car a name ... first time I had down that since my beloved Minis.  A true sign of love!

Five years and 93,000 miles later the pandemic struck.  I decided no matter how much I loved my Focus now was the time to change cars (another Focus, but a Mk4 and petrol this time) ... I wanted a pre-pandemic car which had been built by workers more concerned about the vehicle than whether they were adequately socially distanced from each other!!

This Focus is a dream to drive.  It quickly inherited the same name my last Focus had and, so far, I LOVE IT!!

[Guy Heaton]

5 hours ago, st line x 140 driver said:

Another £46k car from vauxhall really - Probably wallow like a boat and stopping distance like skidding on ice lol. Call it an suv it has less room than a zafira.

Ridiculous prices for cars now if i was spending that type of money i would want something fast and practical.

Oh aye I agree.  It would be fun making a brick on wheels move that fast, but only until the first corner.

[iantt]

19 hours ago, Alex.S said:

What was the SRi like? I always wanted one early 90s. GTE was out of reach! 
Bought a 60 plate 1.6 SRI just about 5 years ago....disappointing..... 1.6 litre 110bhp .

i think cumbersome is the word for that one. 
 

Every car I ever owned gets compared to a car my dad had about 30 years ago. A Rover 827 Vitesse V8 (I think) 24valve automatic. Even the traffic cops were using them. Interior quality was outstanding too. No cheap plastic. Leather and wood , mainly. 
Car I’ve really loved though , owned by another family member was a H plate Astra GTE, 2litre , digital dash (which didn’t catch on until 2020!) 

I had an astra 2.0 gte on an e plate in white with the digital dash. That was a good car too. 

I like motorbikes more than cars though. Certainly bikes give you more of an instant buzz. 

[VFR800]

On 12/15/2020 at 7:31 PM, kingfisher1967 said:

I've owned the following automatic cars

Mini Metro - 1992 - 1994 - only had 3 speeds, I had to change down to 2nd to overtake some, this was part exchanged for:

Renault 5 Monaco - 1994 -2000  - this car had a touch of luxury with leather seats, cold in the winter, hot in  the summer, this was part exchanged for:

Renault Clio RT - 2000 - 2003  - I loved this car, I had the alloys changed to something more sporty and 'green stuff' brake pads fitted, killed by head gasket

Rover 215 -  - 2003 - 2006 - a basic runaround to get me from A to B , killed by head gasket

Ford Focus Mk1.5 Zetec - 2006 - 2011 - My first Ford, killed by head gasket

Ford Focus Mk2.5 Zetec - 2011 - 2016  - I loved the shape of this but it developed a mystery overheating issue which I could not solve ( it brought me to this forum) so I part exchanged for:

Ford Focus Mk3.5 Titanium - 2016 - 2020  - again I loved this car but with its gearbox issues and a van undertaking me in March this year, it had to go, so I part exchanged for:

Ford Focus MK4 Titanium X - 2020  - my current favorite, there are a couple of rattles and squeaks

You seem to have a love affair with head gaskets! LOL 😉

[Guy Heaton]

Back in the day head gaskets were a common failure.

[TomsFocus]

My first 306 had the HG replaced under warranty at the 1000 mile check!  

Seems more common to crack the head or block than blow a headgasket nowadays.  

[iantt]

9 hours ago, Guy Heaton said:

Back in the day head gaskets were a common failure.

To right they were! Spent many an hour doing head gaskets on Minis, Morris marinas, then the 0 series engine in the Morris ital, ambassador, rover 2300/2600 sd1 , around 80k and engine had gone bang completely or needed an overall( rebore, pistons , crank regrind)

The last time i did a headgasket was on my partner's Citroen c3 on a 57 plate back in 2011. Prior to that at work was a fiesta 1.3 duratec around 2007 ish. 

[Eric Bloodaxe]

10 hours ago, Guy Heaton said:

Back in the day head gaskets were a common failure.

Certainly were. Probably did nearly all of my cars in the 70's and early 80's. Fortunately a pretty easy DIY job on pushrod engines like A series (careful with the bypass hose!), B series, pre-crossflow and crossflow Ford etc. 

[MarkRS9]

Few of my favorite cars I've owned.

Mk3 Cortina 2.0GT.

Mk2 Capri 2.0S.

Mk2 Granada 2.8Ghia.

Mk2 Astra GTE 1.8.

All cars I owned in my late teens and twenties.

[wilto]

On 12/16/2020 at 11:03 AM, StephenFord said:

The Capri scared the bejesus out of me! I borrowed my bosses one in 1983, it was a 2.0S with proper net headrests! At the time I owned my Mk1 XR2, so in the Capri, I took a local roundabout the same way I drove my Fiesta - big mistake. The back end swung out and I spun. Luckily for me, no other cars were on the road. For the next few days I had it, I drove like an elderly granny LOL

I had a Capri 2.8i back in the 80s, Caspian blue, pepper pot alloys, full twin janspeed exhaust, absolutely loved it, used to show it as well, I remember diceing (racing) with a fellow petrol heads MK1 Astra GTE we were side by side doing 110mph on a duel carriage way going into Swansea, going round a fast sweeping right hander the back decided to skip out, how I managed to keep it on the road I'll never know.

Before that my first car a 1.3 GL ford escort MK2 part exchange for-

  Escort 1300 sport in Modena green with white decals. Wrote that off then bought:

Capri 2.0S in gold with tan vinyl roof then part exchange it for the 2.8 Capri, was going to buy a XR4i but when I went back there after getting my bank loan (remember them no PCP in them days) he had sold it.

Steven I lusted after a 1.9 GTi, but was always out of my price range as they were quite new models. Do you remember the 309 GTi's