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[FRE07962128]

just thought of one my Dad owned when i was a kid. A Polski Fiat 125p
 imagine a Lada1200 .It didn't breakdown, started first time every time
but it was pea green with a brown roof  
 Iknow the saying that 2nd class driving is better than 1st class walking , but who ever thought that up never saw my Dads car it was gross  

My dad had one of them, rather awful thing.
The steering wheel broke off as he was driving it.
Good job he was only pottering round the streets.

to my eternal embarrassment it was the only car that passed the private hire mot test first time

Talking about steering wheels;  did anyone ever own or drive a Austin Allegro in about 1972 with a SQUARE steering wheel?  YES, I am NOT joking, British Leyland introduced their new Allegro with one as a new initiative!  Bloody fools!!  That was in the days when us tax payers paid for the survival of the British car industry, and we ended up as the joke of Europe or 'sick man of Europe'!   Lizzie Zoom  

[waspy]

austin morris marina 1.3 bag of poo...

This was my first car when i was 17. I had a white 1.3 super (goad knows what it stood for, certainly wasn't) with rust patches every were, i bought some big Wolfies for it, which was its down fall as the tyres where £120.00 each & i needed one for the MOT, so i found a 2nd hand one, which blew out on my way home & it sent me through a dry stone wall & i hit a tree. The copper looked at me, looked at the car & said "how did you walk away from that", i didn't have a mark on me, but the car was very much a right off, because it rolled over many times before hitting the tree which totally flattened the back of the car. I was very fortunate

[Gaffers]

I learn to drive in a BSM vauxhall corsa, the very first model.  Hated it with a passion.  In corners it rolled more than a cheap hooker in the hay.....

[phil her up]

heres what iv'e owned in the last 30 years ...WARNING ..It's like watching paint dry reading this list
VW beetle 1300  
vauxhall cavalier mk1 1600  
Alfa Romeo guilietta 1800  
Ford capri 3L  
volvo estate  
peugeot 505 est  
ford cortina estate  
vauxhall viva van  
honda acty van  
renault 20 TX  
morris ital van  
Peugeot 505 est auto  
Rover SD1 2L  
VW passat 2.1 est  
talbot express van  
ford granada hatchback  
MG maestro 2l efi  
volvo est auto  
ford escort mk3 van diesel  
renault 21 2l est  
fiat uno 1l  
VW passat petrol est  
VW passat diesel est  
ford granada mk2 2.8i ghia x  8-)
renault trafic diesel van  
Austin maestro van  
ford sierra 2l xr 4i  8-)
mazda 2L hatch  
vauxhall senator 3L  
Renault Laguna Diesel  
VW transporter  van diesel  
vauxhall omega 2L est  
Renault trafic diesel van (current)  :-/

Iv'e probably left a few out, but they all had good & bad points some were slow, some were fast, thirsty, economical etc worst cars were the volvo estates Best cars were the Alfa Guilietta & the MG maestro 2L efi ,very fast & lots of fun  

[mars]

Worst car I have owned reliability wise is a toss-up between a '79 Rover SD1 (Circa 1989) and a '89 Peugot 205 1.9 GTi (circa 1998). Seem to remember spending on both on an almost weekly basis. Rover bled me dry after 12 months, Pug after about 6 months!
 

[phil her up]

Austin allegro square steering wheel, yes was a bit odd they called it a Quartic or something, but was it ahead of its time? look at the steering wheels on F1 cars they aint ezactly round

[ffcgary1]

 It has to be the 1973 Hillman avenger.I WAS FOREVER REFITTING BITS OF TRIM THAT FELL OFF EVERY TIME YOU PUT THE HEATER ON.

[FRE07962128]

heres what iv'e owned in the last 30 years ...WARNING ..It's like watching paint dry reading this list
VW beetle 1300  
vauxhall cavalier mk1 1600  
Alfa Romeo guilietta 1800  
Ford capri 3L  
volvo estate  
peugeot 505 est  
ford cortina estate  
vauxhall viva van  
honda acty van  
renault 20 TX  
morris ital van  
Peugeot 505 est auto  
Rover SD1 2L  
VW passat 2.1 est  
talbot express van  
ford granada hatchback  
MG maestro 2l efi  
volvo est auto  
ford escort mk3 van diesel  
renault 21 2l est  
fiat uno 1l  
VW passat petrol est  
VW passat diesel est  
ford granada mk2 2.8i ghia x  8-)
renault trafic diesel van  
Austin maestro van  
ford sierra 2l xr 4i  8-)
mazda 2L hatch  
vauxhall senator 3L  
Renault Laguna Diesel  
VW transporter  van diesel  
vauxhall omega 2L est  
Renault trafic diesel van (current)  :-/

Iv'e probably left a few out, but they all had good & bad points some were slow, some were fast, thirsty, economical etc worst cars were the volvo estates Best cars were the Alfa Guilietta & the MG maestro 2L efi ,very fast & lots of fun  

Wow! What a list.  I  notice you have rated the Senator and Omega   8-) well, which is certainly my experience with these cars. Indeed I thought the 3.0 CD Senator I owned was THE best; very exciting and a real pleasure to dsrive; why did I ever get rid of it!!   :oI note you had a "ford granada hatchback"; was there such an animal? Was there not just the Estate & Saloon?  You never had a VX Carlton which is a shame, as  I rate the 2.0 CDi (1990) saloon company car of mine as tone of the best, with the last models right up there in the points stakes. .  Lizzie Zoom  

[FRE07962128]

Austin allegro square steering wheel, yes was a bit odd they called it a Quartic or something, but was it ahead of its time? look at the steering wheels on F1 cars they aint ezactly round

True; more like aircraft steering 'wheels' ; Lizzie Zoom

[robbo299]

Agree about the 2.0cd Carlton Lizzie. I had one for 5 years. 48mpg on a run to Cornwall. Did 60k in mine before the dreaded chassis rust finally took its toll. There was only so much welding it could take! Loverly motor.  

[FRE07962128]

Agree about the 2.0cd Carlton Lizzie. I had one for 5 years. 48mpg on a run to Cornwall. Did 60k in mine before the dreaded chassis rust finally took its toll. There was only so much welding it could take! Loverly motor.  

And they are still going around if the dreaded rust as you say has  not got to them.  Carlton 'Diplomats' seem to be surviving well in Kent for some reason.  If I have seen one 1 have seen about 10! They are so good perhaps owners are prepared to keep them running?  

They were easy to maintain and repair (rarely!) as well; I actually purchased my first company car 1986 Mk 2 Carlton 1.8 (at 120K 18 months old in 1988) and kept running before p/x ing at 188k in 1997.  I loved that VX  as well.
Lizzie Zoom    

[FRE07962128]

austin morris marina 1.3 bag of poo...

This was my first car when i was 17. I had a white 1.3 super (goad knows what it stood for, certainly wasn't) with rust patches every were, i bought some big Wolfies for it, which was its down fall as the tyres where £120.00 each & i needed one for the MOT, so i found a 2nd hand one, which blew out on my way home & it sent me through a dry stone wall & i hit a tree. The copper looked at me, looked at the car & said "how did you walk away from that", i didn't have a mark on me, but the car was very much a right off, because it rolled over many times before hitting the tree which totally flattened the back of the car. I was very fortunate

How could you ever drive one of those?  You deserve a medal for "Marina bravery in the course of driving"   The MBCD   Lizzie Zoom  

[mars]

Hi all,
showing off here, but, I once owned a 1973 Moskvich 412 Saloon. A Russian piece of cheap crap.
It was the colour of diarrhoea & turned sharp right every time I hit the brakes. (Saved a bloke's life once!)  He just stepped out in front of me, I stood on the brakes & finished on the pavement.
Worst car in the world.



I used to work for a gardening company, and the boss was a bit of a motor wheeler and dealer, and we had a Moskvich as a company run about for a while. I must say it never let us down, though it was very basic...lol
The windows were the winder with a coil of wire round it which went over a pulley at the top of the door and onto the bottom of the window. The weight of the window sent it down and the wire pulled it up. Oh how this name Moskvich brings back memories

If I remember right they were smokey because they were designed to run on anything going in Russia. ie petrol oil mixture or paraffin or diesel.

Suddenly I feel very old cos this was going back to the early Eighties.

Wasn't there another car in the same sort of league called "Wartburg Knight?" Again probably Russian, someone correct me if I am wrong.
 :-/