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Cars I have owned.........
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![]() ![]() Send message Joined: 4 Sep 99 Posts: 3868 Credit: 2,697,267 RAC: 0 ![]() |
Don't know if I can list them all. Some were co-owned with Significant Others, sometimes had two at a time. 1965 MGB GT. Loved it till the hood came open on I-5 at a high rate of knots. 1967 Bug. Loved it until I discovered one of the several previous owners had used wrong spec brake fluid. The seals in the master cylinder dissolved at the top of a BIG hill with a traffic light at the bottom. Fortunately, got a green. 1974 Honda Civic, the first year Civics were sold in Canada. It was a blast, had to trade up to a "real car", so we bought a - 1976 Toyota Corolla hatchback. Actually a 1976 and a half, only sold in western Canada, confused eastern Toyota dealers with it when we moved to Ontario. One of my all time favorite cars. Used to transport a small sail boat on the roof and lots of gear inside at the same time. Installed a tape deck all by myself, and really big speakers. Ran it until 1985, but I was the only person who could shift gears in it the last few years. 1969 Datsun 1000 was added to the fleet in 1979, when work forced us to become a two car family. "1000" was a marketing lie, actually had a 950 cc engine. Fun car in a goofy kind of way, sort of like driving a Tonka Toy. Last car I really worked on myself, using hammers, pliers and files mostly. 1981 Tercel, nice reliable car. Actually had the radiator stolen from it in about 1990, I guess that means it was a car people liked. Heater died, repair estimate was enough to make us buy a new car in 1991. 1985 Tercel, our first four door car, with family about to expand. Very practical. Very boring. Very rusty when we got rid of it. 1991 Corolla, another lovely car. Drove it into the ground with long range commuting in Ontario winters. 1995 Ford Winstar. Needed a minivan to get into various carpools (hockey, gymnastics, cubs, guides, etc.) Probably the biggest mistake of my life. Even bigger than when I bought that Michael Bolton album. What a pile of crap (both the car and the album). Started falling apart within a few months (just the car). When we finally drove it to the wreckers in 2001, their yard caught fire a few days later. You can't prove it was us... 2001 Corolla. Nice car, but a bit of a let down after the 1991 though. Incredible highway cruiser for such a small car, very solid and quiet. Written off one year ago when an off duty cop went around a snowy corner a little too fast. I thought I was in trouble when the on-duty cop showed up at the accident and said to the other driver "Hi Mike, what happened here?" Fortunately Mike told the truth, and he got the demerits while I got the check from the insurance company. I still miss the nice bass on the four speaker stereo. 2005 Accord. Our limo. Biggest car we've ever owned (the Winstar wasn't really a car, it was a curse with wheels). Still going strong, touch wood. 2009 Civic, paid for by the insurance company. Superb gas mileage and handling, but a bit noisy. OK car, but I still get a little misty eyed when I see a 2001 Corolla drive by. ![]() ![]() |
John McLeod VII Send message Joined: 15 Jul 99 Posts: 24806 Credit: 790,712 RAC: 0 ![]() |
I tend to drive them almost until they have to be towed to the junkheap. Not unless you are willing to put a lot of money into a new engine, or a new transmission, or something else major. Generally, I beat the tow truck by only a few weeks... ![]() ![]() BOINC WIKI |
![]() ![]() Send message Joined: 30 Aug 05 Posts: 452 Credit: 142,832,523 RAC: 94 ![]() ![]() |
Don't know if I can list them all. Some were co-owned with Significant Others, sometimes had two at a time. I'm guessing that was two CARS at a time, yes ? :) mambo |
kittyman ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Send message Joined: 9 Jul 00 Posts: 51468 Credit: 1,018,363,574 RAC: 1,004 ![]() ![]() |
LOL... Glad you are all having fun with my car thread..... I did remember a couple that I left out of the original list. Somewhere between the Lemans wagon and the Buick Electras, I squeezed in a '69 Pontiac Trans Am with a 400cid and side pipes. Which I put around a telephone pole one New Years Eve. And a '67 Buick Wildcat with a 400cid, which was all I could afford after trashing the TA. "Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster ![]() |
kittyman ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Send message Joined: 9 Jul 00 Posts: 51468 Credit: 1,018,363,574 RAC: 1,004 ![]() ![]() |
And I gotta give street creds to the daddy of the street Buicks...... The GSX........ More motor that daddy ever knew his Buick had....... Meow...... One of the baddest Detroit ever made. This was stock, BTW. Only the exhaust was modded. "Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster ![]() |
kittyman ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Send message Joined: 9 Jul 00 Posts: 51468 Credit: 1,018,363,574 RAC: 1,004 ![]() ![]() |
Wanna see more crazy Buick shit? Go here.......... They cannot hardly hold it on the dyno... I know I was not doing 1000 hp........ We had it pegged at about 800 at the time.....not with the sophisticated shit these guys have.............. "Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster ![]() |
kittyman ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Send message Joined: 9 Jul 00 Posts: 51468 Credit: 1,018,363,574 RAC: 1,004 ![]() ![]() |
Gotta share this with the old car lovers out there.... This is just awesome. My Dad sent this to me, don't know where he found it. Some of the most amazing model work I have ever seen....gets hard to tell which are photos and which are the models. Be ready to be amazed...I was. Enjoy...Michael Paul Smith's models. "Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster ![]() |
Iona ![]() Send message Joined: 12 Jul 07 Posts: 790 Credit: 22,438,118 RAC: 0 ![]() |
A bit of a history, with motorised transport...can't remember the dates I owned various machines, as some overlapped, so, in rough order.... 1. 1974 Yamaha FS1E (drum brake model). 'Killed' in collision with a Police car; the officer concerned was found guilty of driving without due care and attention! 2. 1957 BSA C12 250cc. Fully restored, from a bike that used to be ridden in a field. Still owned, as are enough parts to make 3 others. 3. 1972 Honda CB250K4 (engine was later substantially modified to produce around 45 bhp at about 3000 rpm over standard - 12500 rpm - red-line at 13k). Made me very unpopular with local owners of 650s and 750s and could often be heard over 2 miles away (at night...quiet). The local Police hated it, too. Still owned. 4. 1973 Honda CB350K (standard bike). Wish I still owned it. 5. Triton 500cc. Heavily modified Triumph 100A engine in 'slimeline' Norton Featherbed frame, Norton 'Road-holder' forks, Marzocchi rear adjustable shocks with AMC 'box....modded to use auto-advance BTH magneto and an alternator (quite a trick to pull...various model Triumph 500 engine parts and specially made parts, to do it). Finished with hand-made leather racing seat and stainless steel mud-guards, Borani alloy rims, various John Tickle alloy components, a quad leading shoe front brake and twin leading shoe rear brake, fuel tank was 4.5 galls with a 1 gall integral oil tank in rear and oil cooler. Sold to a 'club racer'. Still in use in Sept 2009. 6. 1957 Matchless G3LS 350cc. Restored to full glory from a wreck. Hand painted with 17-24 coats of 'yacht enamel' and each coat 'cut back'; wiring loom was made from scratch in 'correct' colours. Engine and electrical equipment fully rebuilt. I made a small fortune on that bike! 7. 1976 Suzuki GS400....a truly lovely bike. A delightful mid-sized sports/tourer with engine balancer shafts and a 6 speed box. 8. 1978 Suzuki GS750EN...modified over a length of time to eliminate a known 'flat spot', improve mpg and torque - last of the 8 valve 4 cyl engines. Later modified crank-cases to be able to also use the cylinder block from the '850' and cross-drilled 'crank-case webs' to further reduce crank-case pressure at high rpm. Still owned and much loved. 9. 1979 Honda Accord 1600 'hatch'. The start of my long association with Honda cars, due to reliability and equipment levels, compared to UK Fords etc. 10. 1962 Rover P5 Mk2 3.0 litre saloon. A chassis that Brunel would've approved of and galvanised body panels. If you hit a truck with that car, the truck would've lost! Sold to a company that was looking for a car for weddings, at the 'market peak'. Still in use, as of December 2009! 11. 1974 Daimler Sovereign 4.2....ex Mayfair Club, London. So smooth and quiet. Very civilised transport, if a little 'juicy'. Replace most of the cheap electrical connectors, as I did, and it transforms the car. 12. 1985 Honda Accord 1.8 (1829cc 12 valve) 'hatch'....the most reliable car I've ever owned and the only thing I wished I'd never sold. Neither blizzards or floods stopped it. 13. 1977 Lancia Montecarlo, or to give it its full title, Lancia Beta Montecarlo. Two cars were bought to create one and have quite a few spare parts. Since I was working in AE Group, all the problems with brakes were quite easily resolved. Despite the well known 'screw-up' with the rear glass panel and its buttresses, I still feel it is a brilliant example of Italian design - modern designers, please take note. It still looks wonderful, today. Still co-owned with my brother-in-law. 14. 1984 Toyota Celica Supra 2.8 Mk2 (with Limited Slip Diff)....yes, the 'Lotus spec' model, with the wide wheel arches, chassis, suspension and dash, designed by Lotus Engineering. A brilliantly handling car, even if a little light at the back. Drove 6 laps of the Silverstone F1 circuit in it. Great fun. Never got around to putting a 'blower' under the bonnet....still have the 'blower' though! 15. 1988 Honda Legend 2.7 Saloon (5 speed man). The one with the rather 'odd' engine, that'll chew-out an Imprezza from the lights and return 37 mpg on a run to Devon. I love this car. It got me home, 15 miles, even with a rad holed at the bottom, with no damage done to the engine! A car that makes me wonder, if modern cars are really any better. Still owned. 16. 1988 Honda Legend 2.7 Saloon (4 speed auto). Standard UK spec car and bought 2 years ago, with a mere and genuine 56000 miles on it. Rear screen smashed by 'yobs' and at £600+ to repair, it is now kept, just in case a cheap screen comes along, or, as spares, for the above. Still owned. 17. 1992 Honda Legend 3.2 Coupe Auto. Why we never got an option for a 5 speed manual, I'll never know. Still a great mile-chewer, that looks great and is capable of lapping a certain circuit in Germany, almost as quickly (8 secs slower) as a BMW M5 (bigger engine) of similar age, in more relaxed comfort! Still owned. 18. 1993 Rover 216 Coupe (aka Tomcat or R8). Zippy little run-around with hugely reliable 1.6 Honda SOHC 16 valve engine. Needs a little work doing on it to sort out a few handling niggles (mainly due to previous owner using massive 205/50/15 tyres!). Great fun to drive, economical and reliable. Currently my daily transport to work. If anyone here has owned a Studebaker Avanti, I'd love to hear about it. Don't take life too seriously, as you'll never come out of it alive! |
![]() Send message Joined: 9 Apr 04 Posts: 8792 Credit: 2,930,782 RAC: 1 ![]() |
500 giardinetta stationwagon, 500 C (my father's) DKW 2-strokes 3 cylinders (also my father's) 500 C (my brother's) NSU Prinz (also my brother's) NSU Prinz (acquired by marriage) Fiat 128 forward traction (my first car) Fiat 128 1300 (inherited after my father's death; stolen in Milano) Lancia Beta 1800 second hand (crashed in Cernusco on a Fiat 125) Lancia Beta 1300, too slow Lancia Delta 1300, designed by Giugiaro; ended in a ditch in a Milano fog. Lancia Delta 1300 Lancia Y, bought new in 2002 My passion for Lancia car derives from the 1937 Lancia Aprilia which belonged to my rope companion Bruno Crepaz, who disappeared in the Himalayas in 1982. |
![]() Send message Joined: 9 Jun 99 Posts: 29138 Credit: 57,275,487 RAC: 157 ![]() ![]() |
500 giardinetta stationwagon, 500 C (my father's) I had to look to see what a 1937 Lancia Aprilia looked like. I don't think many of them made it over the pond. Here is a picture of one for the rest of us yanks. ![]() |
![]() Send message Joined: 9 Apr 04 Posts: 8792 Credit: 2,930,782 RAC: 1 ![]() |
It had a whole body frame, independent suspensions on all 4 wheels, a 1400 CC narrow V motor and the doors opening in opposite mode, the forward hinged forward and the back hinged backwards.Very good handling and a big fuel tank. Tullio |
kittyman ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Send message Joined: 9 Jul 00 Posts: 51468 Credit: 1,018,363,574 RAC: 1,004 ![]() ![]() |
It had a whole body frame, independent suspensions on all 4 wheels, a 1400 CC narrow V motor and the doors opening in opposite mode, the forward hinged forward and the back hinged backwards.Very good handling and a big fuel tank. Not a bad looking buggy, either. "Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." Alan Dean Foster ![]() |
![]() ![]() Send message Joined: 4 Sep 99 Posts: 3868 Credit: 2,697,267 RAC: 0 ![]() |
Tullio, in North America we call those doors "suicide doors" ;) I've known two Lancia owners here in Canada, and they truly love them. They go to extraordinary efforts to get parts and keep them running, and both would never own anything else. ![]() ![]() |
![]() Send message Joined: 9 Apr 04 Posts: 8792 Credit: 2,930,782 RAC: 1 ![]() |
My friend's Lancia had the steering wheel on the right side, which was OK for Great Britain and its Dominions, bad for Italy where you drive on the right side of the road. So I, sitting on the left side, had the task of telling him when the road was clear of an incoming vehicle when trying to overtake a slower vehicle such a truck. It was like acting as a second pilot in a plane. No safety belts, of course. Tullio |
Iona ![]() Send message Joined: 12 Jul 07 Posts: 790 Credit: 22,438,118 RAC: 0 ![]() |
It had a whole body frame, independent suspensions on all 4 wheels, a 1400 CC narrow V motor and the doors opening in opposite mode, the forward hinged forward and the back hinged backwards.Very good handling and a big fuel tank. It was a car that was years ahead of its time, even aerodynamically shaped - in my opinion the next car to come along that was so 'revolutionary', was the original Mini, over 20 years later. You may have heard of the Top Gear TV progamme...well, they rated Lancia as the top producer of brilliant cars. I may be a little biased, but I'm not going to argue with them - Lancia owners, do tend to have a certain passion for them, though. Don't take life too seriously, as you'll never come out of it alive! |
W-K 666 ![]() Send message Joined: 18 May 99 Posts: 18564 Credit: 40,757,560 RAC: 67 ![]() ![]() |
Another Brit who likes Lancia. Owned, from new, Fulvia 1.3 then the HF 1.6, probably the second best car I have owned. The best was the next car a Dino 246. Since then wives and kids have moderated the desire for handling and speed. |
![]() Send message Joined: 9 Apr 04 Posts: 8792 Credit: 2,930,782 RAC: 1 ![]() |
I've owned two Delta 1300, both bought second hand. On the first I reached 180000 km before ending in a ditch on a foggy winter evening near Milano. With the second, while working at Trieste Area Science Park I used to fill her up in Slovenia on Saturday morning, then driving to Milano to see my children and going back on Monday morning (about 400 km). Just before entering Trieste I put in about ten liters of gas to get home, then went back to Slovenia to fill her up with cheaper gasoline. The Guardia di Finanza at the border suspected me to be a drug smuggler to Milano since I just entered Slovenia and then came back. No. I said, I work with professor Rubbia at Area Science Park and this was OK. Tullio |
![]() Send message Joined: 9 Jun 99 Posts: 29138 Credit: 57,275,487 RAC: 157 ![]() ![]() |
My 2002 Jeep will break 200,000 mi. or 321,868.8 km this week. Probably tomorrow. I am at 199,987. Oh and I put it into a ditch early on. Just dug it out and kept going. |
![]() ![]() Send message Joined: 30 Nov 03 Posts: 65465 Credit: 55,293,173 RAC: 49 ![]() ![]() |
My 2002 Jeep will break 200,000 mi. or 321,868.8 km this week. Probably tomorrow. I am at 199,987. Oh and I put it into a ditch early on. Just dug it out and kept going. So far the 1999 Ford Escort ZX2(Hot Coupe) hasn't got more than 73,000 miles, so far. The T1 Trust, PRR T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, 1 of America's First HST's |
![]() Send message Joined: 9 Jun 99 Posts: 29138 Credit: 57,275,487 RAC: 157 ![]() ![]() |
My 2002 Jeep will break 200,000 mi. or 321,868.8 km this week. Probably tomorrow. I am at 199,987. Oh and I put it into a ditch early on. Just dug it out and kept going. I drive a little more than you. Think it might be time for a tune up. Last time I changed the plugs was at 100,000 miles. |
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