Favourite car my dad (mum) owned

[blades]

Back in 1970 when i was two years old my Dad bought a 1969 Mk1 Capri 1600GT XLR, in Amber Gold with a Black anti sun glare bonnet (YWB 2G)

I absolutely loved that car, as a family we called her Suki, my Dad sold her 10-12 years later, i was a little up set to say the least as he then bought a Mk4 Cortina (no comparison)

I would love to own one the same now

Nick

[Jupiter8]

Mid 70's my dad had a 1973 Mercedes 230 4 in white, lovely car that was built to last. He kept it until 1983 when it was exchanged with just shy of 200,000 miles on the clock for a new MK1 VW Jetta.
Haven't seen a 230 for ages. COOL CAR.

[Martin Evans]

If you mean during the time before I learned to drive, I suppose the two cars I enjoyed most were my father's first MGB GT V8, that he bought in 1974 or the Lotus Elan Sprint, that he bought in 1977. He bought and sold a Morgan 4/4 in 1978 and going to collect that from Morgans was a nice experience.

My mother had a new Beetle in 1972 and that was a nice well built car (A bit more robust than the F reg 850 Mini she had before the Beetle). I shall always remember the day she collected it. My parents had been looking for a car to replace the Mini and looked at all sorts of things from another Mini (I think 1000), Datsun Cherry, VW Beetle to a Morgan 4/4 ). On the day in question, I was about to get on the school bus (A Leyland PD2), when my mother appeared. As we walked along to the car, I saw this nice red Beetle and asked my mother if that was the kind of Beetle she would like. With that she took out the keys and opened it .

When I learned to drive, my mother had a VW Polo and I began going out in that and even though I then bought and old Mini 1000, I used the Polo for my test, as I was more familiar with it. My father's Renault 18 TS estate was the first car I drove at 100mph, so I suppose these cars have some significance.

When I was very young, I remember there being a racing car in the back garage but then it wasn't there any more. Sometime later (I suppose it was a year or two but that's a long time when you are under five), I remember hearing a very loud noise on the drive and climbing up to look out, I saw my father in another racing car. After my father sold it some years later, the car disappeared but it was "Found" (The chassis at any rate) and rebuilt during the 1990s (With the help of some old photos we still had) and here you can get some idea of what I heard way back in 1968/69 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L7fNwgyZA0.

[MidgetSaab]

That's a fantastic way to be introduced to motors as a kid. My introduction was to sit inside while he repaired it at the weekends to see him to work the following week. I learnt the most swear words when he had to replace the wiper motor in an Austin 1800.

[Martin Evans]

That's a fantastic way to be introduced to motors as a kid. My introduction was to sit inside while he repaired it at the weekends to see him to work the following week. I learnt the most swear words when he had to replace the wiper motor in an Austin 1800.

My paternal grandfather was a fitter (He worked for the AEC from about 1930 - 1946) and was because his father was killed just before my grandfather was born, he was brought up in his grandmother's home, where Welsh was still spoken. He used to swear in Welsh and my father can remember some of the phrases he used. However he doesn't know what they mean

[jpsh120]

Well the H120 that we still own would have to be my favourite!

The Maxi on the other hand, urgh! Whenever I was picked up from school in that thing it had to be round the corner.

Imagine my horror when I caught myself admiring the quality of a maxi on show at the NEC this year - it was mint. And looking back the maxi was actually pretty good I suppose. 5 speed box, huge load area and pretty comfy!

I should stop now before I get carried away and buy one.....

[JPB]

........the maxi was actually pretty good I suppose. 5 speed box, huge load area and pretty comfy!

I should stop now before I get carried away and buy one.....

Who in their right mind would want....... Ah.
Favourite car that Dad owned was one of his series of 8 consecutive Maxis. He used these for work as they were the only car long enough to accommodate his salmon rods inside with the hatch closed and pull the various caravans that the company used at Game Fairs as mobile offices. Not even the much longer Granada estates would do the first and they were below average at the second on account of their overhang.

But which one? Hmm, must be the first of the HL models, SJR***N. Damask Red, far quicker than those that came after it. That car covered Dad's average annual mileage of around 130,000 without incident during its 3 year stay with him. RFT897S (Brooklands Green), which followed, was a huge sack of pooh by comparison; both slower and thirstier, rusty within a few years, unreliable as it was a Hydragas version - they never seemed as willing to stay inflated and long since scrapped, hence my not bothering to hide its number.

Of Mum's cars, I liked all of the minis but especially the late MK1 Austin Cooper, MVK***F. Embassy Maroon (or maroon B, I never could tell which was used when) with a black roof, this was a bonny one, not an S, but still cool enough to be seen in as a 5 year old, it was a "wet" version so was like a real mini, but quite comfy to travel in.

[mach1rob]

Hmmm, probably the 1969 Rover 2000 SC, first car I remember dad owning, this was followed by a 73 Dolomite 1850HL when the Rover met an unfortunate demise by being T boned by a Citroen DS and punted into the path of an oncoming bus. The fire crew said it was the P6 that saved his life.

[JPB]

a 73 Dolomite 1850HL

[anorak]No such animal, Pre-'75 cars were all badged simply "Dolomite", the HL tag and the badge that told following traffic the capacity of the engine appeared in early 1976 along with the smaller engines.[/anorak]
Ironic thing is that now I'm fond of Dolomites and Maxis, but back when Dad was running the FWD, fluid-suspended cars I used to find the small Triumph saloons quite amusing, mostly as a result of the number of Dad's colleagues whose examples had to be towed out of muddy fields after events by one of the Maxis. Nobody minded because being towed out by the FWD car meant that all of the wet mud ended up along the flanks of the towing vehicle whereas those contestants and exhibitors who'd been tugged off by the "official" tractor ended up with a good inch of mud all over their [frequently expensive and chauffeur-driven] cars.

I suppose that it must have been some kind of poetic justice that saw my blue, '72 Dolomite towing a Maxi out of a dyke in the late '80s, when I found that the car and its red-faced driver had fallen off the road attempting to navigate their way from Otley to Adel in snow.

[mach1rob]

Well it were the posh one with rev counter and wood and bri nylon seats