Cars you miss
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It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
My first car was one of these[^] which was a wonderful vehicle, bought for 75 quid off a recently divorced chap (it was his wife's) Loved it, but it needed about 300 quid to be spent on it (it was running on 3 cylinders for a while and used to overheat on any ling journey) and I didn't have the cash to fix her up... I ended up having to give someone a case of beer to tow it :( best feature? the windscreen squirter was a foot peddle!
MVVM# - See how I did MVVM my way ___________________________________________ Man, you're a god. - walterhevedeich 26/05/2011 .\\axxx (That's an 'M')
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It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
My first car was a 1973 Datsun 1200... I drove it 60000km in the first year I owned it (1990-1), then the engine went pop!! Replaced the engine and had it for another three years, averaging about 40000km each year... It got retired to a farm up near my parents place, where last I heard it was still going strong as a paddock basher... It did have one curious issue though - the thing destroyed diff's like there was no tomorrow... I think I replaced 8 in my time... I got pretty good at it after a while!! Edit: This is pretty much what it looked like - very similar colour and mags. clickety[^]
Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!
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It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
I once had a clapped out old XT Falcon[^] that just wouldn't die. Brought it for $200 in Queensland and drove it back to Sydney. Sold it 18 months later to a Swedish couple for $200. Gave them $20 back because they complained the spare was no good. They drove it around Australia! Then is was parked on the road until someone stole it. It had fishing line looped around the dash through the air vent, pull down to turn the wipers on, pull up to turn them off. Plus turning right in the rain was always a bit dangerous for the passenger, water used to pour out the air vent. It was still mechanically A1 when it was stolen.
"You get that on the big jobs."
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I once had a clapped out old XT Falcon[^] that just wouldn't die. Brought it for $200 in Queensland and drove it back to Sydney. Sold it 18 months later to a Swedish couple for $200. Gave them $20 back because they complained the spare was no good. They drove it around Australia! Then is was parked on the road until someone stole it. It had fishing line looped around the dash through the air vent, pull down to turn the wipers on, pull up to turn them off. Plus turning right in the rain was always a bit dangerous for the passenger, water used to pour out the air vent. It was still mechanically A1 when it was stolen.
"You get that on the big jobs."
RobCroll wrote:
old XT Falcon
I have a slightly less than clapped out XM Falcon - click the link below (Booger Mobile) to check it out!!
Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!
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My first car was a 1973 Datsun 1200... I drove it 60000km in the first year I owned it (1990-1), then the engine went pop!! Replaced the engine and had it for another three years, averaging about 40000km each year... It got retired to a farm up near my parents place, where last I heard it was still going strong as a paddock basher... It did have one curious issue though - the thing destroyed diff's like there was no tomorrow... I think I replaced 8 in my time... I got pretty good at it after a while!! Edit: This is pretty much what it looked like - very similar colour and mags. clickety[^]
Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!
_Damian S_ wrote:
the thing destroyed diff's like there was no tomorrow
Dropping the clutch will do that. I once had a '63 Valiant (or there abouts) that had a push button gear change, it was the weirdest thing. Rev the crap out of it and shove the button into 1st BANG no diff (all balls and no brains in those days).
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH
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It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
1st car Mini 850 Cost $600 Lifespan 6 Months Best memory - last car back from the drop zone in Winton with 8 parachutists and their kit! The reward for getting back was just what an 18yo dreams about!
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH
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_Damian S_ wrote:
the thing destroyed diff's like there was no tomorrow
Dropping the clutch will do that. I once had a '63 Valiant (or there abouts) that had a push button gear change, it was the weirdest thing. Rev the crap out of it and shove the button into 1st BANG no diff (all balls and no brains in those days).
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH
Mycroft Holmes wrote:
Dropping the clutch will do that.
hehe... very much so... Good fun though!!
Silence is golden... but duct tape is silver!! Booger Mobile - My bright green 1964 Ford Falcon - check out the blog here!! | If you feel generous - make a donation to Camp Quality!!
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_Damian S_ wrote:
the thing destroyed diff's like there was no tomorrow
Dropping the clutch will do that. I once had a '63 Valiant (or there abouts) that had a push button gear change, it was the weirdest thing. Rev the crap out of it and shove the button into 1st BANG no diff (all balls and no brains in those days).
Never underestimate the power of human stupidity RAH
Ahh, memories. A mate had a pushbutton Valiant way back then, and we managed to break off the 'neutral' button. That was fun for a while, until we figured out how the linkage worked. Cheers, Peter
Software rusts. Simon Stephenson, ca 1994.
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It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
And in a few years you will have a nice 2 seater convertible before losing teeth and hair and buying a Honda.
--------------------------------- I will never again mention that I was the poster of the One Millionth Lounge Post, nor that it was complete drivel. Dalek Dave CCC Link[^] English League Tables - Live
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It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
My first car was one of these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lancia_Beta[^] - The HPE 2000. Fun car: handled well, had good power for the time, twin downdraught Dell'orto staged carbs, both with accelerator pumps, and my household speakers (Mission 700[^]) in the back. Had a few minor design flaws: prone to rust if a cloud popped over the horizon, had to dismantle the cooling system to access one of the spark plugs, built with whatever happened to be in the factory that day so spares where a PITA, cost a fortune to insure and drank fuel like a fish, particularly with my lead right foot. Oh, and in summer you had to keep the heating on full and wear gloves to change gear or it would 1) over heat or 2) severely burn your hand. I even loved it when it's throttle cable broke on Westminster Bridge, London in the Monday morning rush hour...
Ideological Purity is no substitute for being able to stick your thumb down a pipe to stop the water
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It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
My first car was a Toytota Corolla 1.6 SR Coupe........it was great real wheel drive fun. I do however remember hitting a dog with it when it ran out onto the dual carriageway when I was doing 70mph, took a section of my front bumper off. poor dog. I do also remember pranging it into a wall in the snow one winter. Then I moved onto a Saab 900 turbo, again a lot of fun in the Sierra Alpha Alpha Bravo.....until somebody pulled out in front of me and hit them square on sideways. Got another under the insurance, but then traded it against the next car. Onto a Vauxhall Calibra 2.0l 16V, can't remember how long I had it, but was prosecuted for racing on a public highway and that put an end to that. After I sold it, the garage that bought it phoned me up to find out where I originally got it from, told them it was another one of their dealerships and asked why, turned out it was a 'cut and shut' and they couldn't believe this hadn't been picked up by their 'quality checks'.......So glad I foudn this out after I sold it otherwise I would have been left with a ringer worth nothing. I was living upto the expectations of a young 'oil man' at the time, so spent the next few years not very sober shall we say, and never bothered to get another car. Eventually I bought a house to renovate and needed transport to drive back and forth from the DIY shops, builders yards etc. so bought a Vauxhall Cavalier 2.0l 16V. It was christened 'Scabby Cav' although to be honest there was absolutely nothing wrong with it! I had left it at one of the airport hotels when I went offshore for a week, and when I came back, I found it sitting on bricks and some elephants has stolen my Mille Miglia Spider alloys..........seriously not impressed. Took the opportunity to replace them with bigger ones :) After a few years running around in 'Scabby Cav', needed something more fancy with more oomph....ended up buying a BMW 328ci Coupe. It was black, with Alpina alloys, full sand coloured leather, black tinted windows and really was a good car. Needing a bit more oomph, I than moved onto a BMW E46 M3, again alot of rear wheel fun. Had this for about 5 years, and now with a growing family the 2-door M3 wasn't really practical, needed a change, but where do you go from an M3??? The spirited driving, the distinctive exhaust rasp Answer, Audi RS4 (B7) 4-door Saloon, 400+ BHP, 4WD family car :rolleyes: Had this for 5 years (in July) and it really is a quick and solid car. Just getting too used to it now, so it is time for a change again. C
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It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
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It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
I currently drive a car I will miss in a few years... A 90' civic hatchback vtec 150hp. A go kart for the road :-D Small, somewhat economic, and most of all reliable. I bought one at 220'000km and now it has 301'000km and it never broke down although each time I drive it I hit the redline at 8'500rmp!!!
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It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
I miss my little Ford Fiesta. It was a good little car. The only fault I can find with it, if you could call it that, is that it was the 3-door version instead of the 5-door. Now, I drive a hybrid car, the one that came to notoriety in the US for all the wrong reasons. I've never had the problems that were so widely reported, but it really isn't the easiest thing to drive. I miss the MT on my old Fiesta, and there's something just more... "alive"... about fully petrol (or diesel) cars. It was a rare treat to get to drive a petrol car the other day as it went where I meant it to and did what I meant it to. It was an AT car, though... which was a shame. Having said that, my bum appreciated having the hybrid back, as the little petrol car didn't have much by a way of a suspension system...
Almost, but not quite, entirely unlike... me...
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It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
My first car was a 20ish year oldTriumph Spitfire[^]. I didn't do any archery though. I bought it cheap, it leaned one side but I wasn't worried. They often do this as the weight of the driver unevenly wears the transeverse leaf string that bolts onto the diff and the rear uprights. Problem was I didn't really know what I was doing. I replaced the spring, better but not right. I took it to get the brakes sorted (the one thing I wouldn't do myself),they put it on a jack. I immediately saw the problem: the chassis had rotted round a drainage hole and had be re-welded end to end, not strong enough in itself, and the weld was rotting. I ended up spending two months of weekends dismantling the car and putting it back together. Thats said, it was a mad laugh to drive. Very low to the ground, so it felt fast even if it wasn't, geared low so it would leave modern saloons standing at the lights though it got asmatic at speed (especially without the overdrive). I heard a rumour somewhere that someone got it to 98mph, top down. In the dry it handled like a peach, in the wet it was dangerously skittish. I used to keep a toolkit in the back in winter to put some weight over the rear axle. The second year I owned it the classic car insurers would cover me and fully comp was way lower than third party for my dad, who had & has a full NCB & clean history. I used to enjoy working on it (good job really) and it is surprising how many days of good topless fun you can have in the UK. One of the saddest days of my life when I realised I couldn't affort to keep it (I went back to Uni and graduted in 2001 - just as the jobs market collapsed) and sold it. It was very much my car as I'd pretty much rebuilt it. I bought another one when I got a proper job, but it wasn't the same, I miss that car.
Sort of a cross between Lawrence of Arabia and Dilbert.[^]
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A Dead ringer for Kate Winslett[^] -
My first car was a 20ish year oldTriumph Spitfire[^]. I didn't do any archery though. I bought it cheap, it leaned one side but I wasn't worried. They often do this as the weight of the driver unevenly wears the transeverse leaf string that bolts onto the diff and the rear uprights. Problem was I didn't really know what I was doing. I replaced the spring, better but not right. I took it to get the brakes sorted (the one thing I wouldn't do myself),they put it on a jack. I immediately saw the problem: the chassis had rotted round a drainage hole and had be re-welded end to end, not strong enough in itself, and the weld was rotting. I ended up spending two months of weekends dismantling the car and putting it back together. Thats said, it was a mad laugh to drive. Very low to the ground, so it felt fast even if it wasn't, geared low so it would leave modern saloons standing at the lights though it got asmatic at speed (especially without the overdrive). I heard a rumour somewhere that someone got it to 98mph, top down. In the dry it handled like a peach, in the wet it was dangerously skittish. I used to keep a toolkit in the back in winter to put some weight over the rear axle. The second year I owned it the classic car insurers would cover me and fully comp was way lower than third party for my dad, who had & has a full NCB & clean history. I used to enjoy working on it (good job really) and it is surprising how many days of good topless fun you can have in the UK. One of the saddest days of my life when I realised I couldn't affort to keep it (I went back to Uni and graduted in 2001 - just as the jobs market collapsed) and sold it. It was very much my car as I'd pretty much rebuilt it. I bought another one when I got a proper job, but it wasn't the same, I miss that car.
Sort of a cross between Lawrence of Arabia and Dilbert.[^]
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A Dead ringer for Kate Winslett[^] -
It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
My first car was an MG Metro[^], it was a really fun car and was extremely reliable. That got replaced by a Porsche 924[^] which I had until I moved to Hungary. As a carefree bachelor I got the only sensible car, a Trabant 601 Combi[^]. This was my favourite car that I no longer have. It was almost impossible to drive it without laughing :laugh: After we got married we had a Suzuki Swift X| , then an Opel Astra and now we have an elephant awful, engine eating Zafira. I also have an NG TA[^] and that is the best car.
Panic, Chaos, Destruction. My work here is done. Drink. Get drunk. Fall over - P O'H OK, I will win to day or my name isn't Ethel Crudacre! - DD Ethel Crudacre I cannot live by bread alone. Bacon and ketchup are needed as well. - Trollslayer Have a bit more patience with newbies. Of course some of them act dumb - they're often *students*, for heaven's sake - Terry Pratchett
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It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
In '91 I bought a 1979 (late bay) VW Camper - drove it all over the country and loved it but sold it a year later and went to live in a tent in Holland whilst doing odd jobs on farms and in local businesses over there. Last year my wife and I bought a 1976 VW Camper, we have restored it and we are having a great time going to VW shows, camps with other late bay owners etc.
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It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
My first car was a Datsun Cherry called 'The Babe', myself and my best mate paid a hundred quid each for it, another mate chipped in 50 quid and the three of us with one other embarked on an epic two weeks around Devon and Cornwall with that and a two man tent, telling each campsite the other tent had been stolen from the roof rack so that they would let two of us sleep in the car. We were all 17. We liberated loads of bits it was missing from local scrapyards, for example a wing mirror I bolted straight onto the wing and that folded in flat if you went above 60 - I claimed this was to reduce wind resistance at higher speeds. We had a Playboy sticker on the back, a turbo sticker on the gas pedal, and a Blaupunkt tape player gaffer taped to the parcel shelf. On the way down a bolt fell out of the rear window and one of the lads had to sit with his finger in the hole keeping it in place until we found a scrap yard. After a couple of days the battery packed up and we were given another that didn't fit the car so we had to either park on slopes or jump the car from this spare battery. We ran out of money well before we went home, and went to extreme measures to save fuel for the journey home, including pushing it rather than using reverse on service station car parks. Ran out of petrol as I drove down my street having dropped all my mates off. Kept it for about another 6 months until the insurance ran out and my mate's dad scrapped it. I think that may be me at the rear[^] Me in the driver's seat[^] Me in the stripey top[^] Me on the left of the car[^]
Every man can tell how many goats or sheep he possesses, but not how many friends.
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It's funny how a particular car you've owned is often associated with a period of your life. I had one of these[^] - a 1980 Holden VC Commodore wagon. I had it when I met my partner and we have a lot of fond memories of road trips around Australia, camping, moving house and some parking in it. It was also a really useful, practical car. The back seat was pretty much always folded down which left a surprisingly big, flat, space in the boot and given it was so old and worthless we didn't really care what got thrown in there. I bought it in 2005 for $1500 and sold it for the same in 2008 to a man who had 'love' and 'hate' tattooed on his knuckles. It never once broke down while I owned it, in fact I didnt do anything other than have it serviced a few times. Now we have a much more modern car with a five star safety rating, three child seats across the back, a blanket in the boot in case we need to bring some fertiliser home for the garden and a collection of Thomas the Tank Engine stories in the cd stacker. I miss that car.
And years from now you will have just as many fond memories of this one.
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