My Dads Cars

[staffslad]

Re: My Dads Cars

My dad had a Reliant Regal, Hillman Imp, Ford Anglia, Vauxhall Viva, Vauxhall Cavalier, then another Cavalier, then some kind of (not very classic) Rover, then a VW Polo.

Two of my uncles had Vivas: one had a 1969 model and the other a 1976 model.

The one with the 1969 Viva traded it in for a 1972 Triumph Toledo in the mid-late 70s. I remember him having so much trouble with it. If anyone knows that steep hill leading out of Aberystwyth with the University on it...well, my uncle was coming up it in his Toledo and the thing was playing up. He was literally crawling along and was actually overtaken by a guy on a pushbike.

[staffslad]

Re: My Dads Cars

Is there a name for this type of TV programme? I call it a pseudocomedy.

My son was watching some old episodes of Top Gear with JC recently. If I remember correctly he and his mates were transporting old 4X4s up a mountain somewhere in South America. I just couldn't see the point. They were just mucking about to no obvious purpose. It just baffles me what people see in the programme now.

[Clare]

Re: My Dads Cars

My dad had a Reliant Regal, Hillman Imp, Ford Anglia, Vauxhall Viva, Vauxhall Cavalier, then another Cavalier, then some kind of (not very classic) Rover, then a VW Polo.

[Arran]

Re: My Dads Cars

Regarding Top Gear, I largely gave up on it when it stopped being a show about "real" cars and driving issues and just became a show for JC and mates to muck about, almost a comedy show really. I remember the old shows with, I think, William Woolard as presenter--that was a serious show where you could actually learn something.

Is there a name for this type of TV programme? I call it a pseudocomedy.

[staffslad]

Re: My Dads Cars

Regarding Top Gear, I largely gave up on it when it stopped being a show about "real" cars and driving issues and just became a show for JC and mates to muck about, almost a comedy show really. I remember the old shows with, I think, William Woolard as presenter--that was a serious show where you could actually learn something.

About the BL cars...agreed that there was some good engineering, but they had so many industrial problems in the 70s and 80s that the company became a source for derision, which really hurt it. So many comedians made jokes about them back then.

[Nik_Barbour]

Re: My Dads Cars

Nik, interesting to hear that your dad's Allegro was reliable. As I've said in an earlier post, our Marina was also pretty good reliability-wise. Yet, the Allegro and Marina are mocked and sneered at for their supposed poor reliability and inadequacies, but every Marina owner I have talked to has never thought of their car as beingparticularly worse than equivalent Fords, Vauxhalls etc of the time. Wasn't it Top Gear that gave them a pasting a few years ago?

Yeah people laugh, but you have to remember that a lot of BL, Austin, Triumph products were really pushing the technology of the time. Top gear is for morons by morons. Well JC is a *-&* anyway, the other two just get led around.
Allegro had the first 5spd box. Dolomite first ever mass production 16v. Mini changed the world.
A lot of good engineering.

[Hair Bear]

Re: My Dads Cars

The Marina was really a re-bodied Oxford. Ours was used for the family business and worked hard, nearly always towing something - Caravan or boat at weekends, or some piece of plant or machinery that likely grossed the best part of 1 1/2 tons during the week! The only mod we did was adding helper springs on the back and it needed them (you can get a 2' JCB bucket in the boot). Although the gearbox was a known weak point (this one had a noisy third), in nine years of use we only ever changed 2 clutches.

[marc]

Re: My Dads Cars

Wasn't it the mk1 Allegro that had the problems? These were resolved by the mk2. My friend's stepfather says his Marina was quite reliable. Certainly no worse than any other car of the same range.

[staffslad]

Re: My Dads Cars

Nik, interesting to hear that your dad's Allegro was reliable. As I've said in an earlier post, our Marina was also pretty good reliability-wise. Yet, the Allegro and Marina are mocked and sneered at for their supposed poor reliability and inadequacies, but every Marina owner I have talked to has never thought of their car as beingparticularly worse than equivalent Fords, Vauxhalls etc of the time. Wasn't it Top Gear that gave them a pasting a few years ago?

[Nik_Barbour]

Re: My Dads Cars

First car of my dad's that I remember was...

Late 70s Allegro Estate in flegm Green, but actually quite a nice reliable car.

Then a 1980 mk2 Escort 4dr pop in blue - I twisted his arm to buy this as I liked the professionals.

Then he had mk3 escort estate. Bit dull this one.

Then a succession of Metro then Maestro company cars.

My mum's cars were mainly minis, a custom painted mk1 fiesta, Vauxhall Viva, 2 Citroën 2cvs, then a brand new 86 fiesta pop.

[Hair Bear]

Re: My Dads Cars

Mk1 Cortina Estate '65-'69
Mk1 Escort Estate '68-'69
Sunbeam Rapier V '69-'71
Marina saloon '74-'79
Peugeot 504 Family Estate Diesel '79-'83
Peugeot 305 Estate Diesel '83-'87
Peugeot 305 Estate Diesel '87-'91
Peugeot 309 Diesel '91-'94
WV Golf Estate Diesel '94-'99
Nissan Micra mk2 '99-'03

[staffslad]

Re: My Dads Cars

Thanks, Darren. The Marina looked really smart when it was polished up, with the chrome bumpers and wheel trims gleaming. When my dad bought it in 1980 after getting rid of that awful Peugeot 304, it didn't have a vinyl roof, but the salesman said he could get one put on, and it really set the car off.

My dad rented a council garage before we had one built on our garden. When he had the Corsair, I would have to go with him and sit in it while he pushed it out. There was a gentle slope, so I had to swing the wheel while he pushed, then quickly put on the handbrake. He would then get in and start it on the roll. Once it was started it was fine, but if it had been left overnight it wouldn't start.

[darren]

Re: My Dads Cars

1976 MORRIS MARINA 1.8 LOOKS QUITE NICE ACTUALLY.


BELOW 1968 Ford Corsair 2000E

These are my dad's cars that I remember. He had an Austin A35 or A40 prior to this list but I don't remember that at all.

1962 or so Hillman Husky in two-tone grey. I used to sit in the boot area and watch the cars following, to their annoyance, no doubt.

1968 Ford Corsair 2000E in a dirty silver with vinyl roof. A nice car but very difficult to start in the mornings--a common problem with this model.

1973 Peugeot 304 estate in metallic blue. Horrible car and only kept a year.

1976 Morris Marina 1.8 in white with black vinyl roof. The Marina gets very bad publicity, but I have to say that I quite liked it. Someone nicked the wheel trims off it when I used it to go to college and it cost £25 to replace them.

1981 Princess 1.7HL in metallic bronze with vinyl roof. Very quiet and roomy. I liked this car a lot. It's only problem was the suspension. It would gradually go down on one side and we would have to have it blown up about 2-3 times a year at £10 a time. This was common on the Princess.

1990 Skoda Favorit in white. Yes, I know, Skoda. Actually, though, it was mechanically quite reliable and simple to fix. The steering was very heavy at low speeds. My wife drove it for a while and as she is only 4'11" and proportionately built it was too heavy for her. The paintwork was awful in that it was so thin and by the time we got rid of it rust was appearing even though it was only 4 years old.

1992 Ford Sierra Sapphire 1.8LX in metallic blue-grey. My dad's favourite car. I believe this model was the one favoured by reps and it was at its happiest cruising on the motorway. Roomy and comfortable with a large boot.

1993 Volvo estate in blue. Can't remember what model it was. He bought it to transport his labrador, who would invariably climb over the back seats before he was 100 yards down the road. Very heavy and thirsty car.

1998 Toyota Corolla 1.6CD in an odd blue-purple. Not too bad, but not as quiet and refined as the 'CD' would imply. Also, not as reliable as expected.

2009 Kia Picanto 1.1 in red. Reliable and a doddle to park. Not as frugal as you might expect, though that may be due to him only doing short journies now he is retired.

[staffslad]

Re: My Dads Cars

These are my dad's cars that I remember. He had an Austin A35 or A40 prior to this list but I don't remember that at all.

1962 or so Hillman Husky in two-tone grey. I used to sit in the boot area and watch the cars following, to their annoyance, no doubt.

1968 Ford Corsair 2000E in a dirty silver with vinyl roof. A nice car but very difficult to start in the mornings--a common problem with this model.

1973 Peugeot 304 estate in metallic blue. Horrible car and only kept a year.

1976 Morris Marina 1.8 in white with black vinyl roof. The Marina gets very bad publicity, but I have to say that I quite liked it. Someone nicked the wheel trims off it when I used it to go to college and it cost £25 to replace them.

1981 Princess 1.7HL in metallic bronze with vinyl roof. Very quiet and roomy. I liked this car a lot. It's only problem was the suspension. It would gradually go down on one side and we would have to have it blown up about 2-3 times a year at £10 a time. This was common on the Princess.

1990 Skoda Favorit in white. Yes, I know, Skoda. Actually, though, it was mechanically quite reliable and simple to fix. The steering was very heavy at low speeds. My wife drove it for a while and as she is only 4'11" and proportionately built it was too heavy for her. The paintwork was awful in that it was so thin and by the time we got rid of it rust was appearing even though it was only 4 years old.

1992 Ford Sierra Sapphire 1.8LX in metallic blue-grey. My dad's favourite car. I believe this model was the one favoured by reps and it was at its happiest cruising on the motorway. Roomy and comfortable with a large boot.

1993 Volvo estate in blue. Can't remember what model it was. He bought it to transport his labrador, who would invariably climb over the back seats before he was 100 yards down the road. Very heavy and thirsty car.

1998 Toyota Corolla 1.6CD in an odd blue-purple. Not too bad, but not as quiet and refined as the 'CD' would imply. Also, not as reliable as expected.

2009 Kia Picanto 1.1 in red. Reliable and a doddle to park. Not as frugal as you might expect, though that may be due to him only doing short journies now he is retired.

[darren]

Re: My Dads Cars

Thats impressive both the amount of cars etc and even the dates.
How did you remember the dates.

family car history:

Grandad:
1950 land rover (1962-77) - put in a 3500 v8 and did rally trials in it!
1971 rover 3500 (1977-82) - same engine, different car!
1979 vauxhall chevette estate (1982-84) - the shuv-it
1981 citroen cx25 safari (1984-87) - best of the bunch
1986 citroen bx (1987-93)
1987 citroen cx25 safari (1993-99)
1999 citroen xantia estate (1999-2014)
2014 citroen c4 grand picasso

nan:
1967 morris mini
1975 mini 1000
1982 austin minimetro city
1985 austin metro city x (five doors and a sunroof!)
1988 austin metro city
1989 citroen ax11tre
1990s peugeot 106
1990s rover 200
2000 citroen saxo
2006 citroen c4