Car Fashions

[Richard A Thackeray]

Saw one of these the other day

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Not really my thing but i turned my head and is pretty good looking up close .

The father of a girl, my daughter went to School with, had one - in black
Just about the only B*W I've liked, since the 2002 Turbo

 

[Smokin Joe]

I take my dog with me. He wouldn't fit on a bike and he refuses to walk home from the pub.

What do you drink, orange juice?

 

[tyred]

My Dad's 1979 Mk4 Cortina 2.0GL (WVK 90T) estate in Oyster Gold metallic, black vinyl roof, with a state of the art Ford P21 push button radio. He had one of the first ever Lada's that came to the UK before this, a 1974 1200, on the motorway it sounded like an an old noisy washing machine on spin speed, so this was like luxury with cloth seats instead of cheap vinyl that was scorching hot in the summer. Just looks all bonnet and boot to me, little passenger space.

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I remember the one my Dad had in the mid 1980s - a 1979 model, but a super basic 1600cc one in white with vinyl seats and static seat belts (which weren't used then anyway). Registration number KZE 969. It had rusted away by the time it was 8 or 9 year old with cracks around the rear suspension mounts.

I have remember sitting in the boot along along with assorted cousins on sea-side trips in the days before health and safety and child restraints. I'm sure the modern way is much safer but I'm pleased I grew up in the bad old dangerous days as it was more fun!

 

[tyred]

So if a 60 year old car is deemed roadworthy without having an annual test to look for faults and defects,how come for example a 3 year old car that's done maybe only 8,000 miles isn't deemed to be roadworthy unless it's MOT'd? I can accept the not paying 'road tax' as the car's probably had loads of 'road tax' spent on it over the decades,but to be exempt from an annual safety check I can't understand. I stand by my point about MOT's being a con if a car doesn't need one just because it's very old.but other cars do because they aren't very old.

The sort of people who own classic cars are enthusiasts who know exactly how their car works (probably more so than many MOT testers) and will take pride in looking after it and probably don't cover huge mileages. They will also drive it carefully as having sunk considerable time, money and effort into the thing, they will drive it carefully. When was the last time you heard of a driver of a Ford Prefect or Citroen Traction Avante being convicted of any sort of motoring offence?

The average owner of a three year old (insert model name of suitable bargain basement tin box) most probably has no interest in the thing, has no understanding of how it works and is probably incapable of topping up the windscreen washer, detests spending any money on it and will keep driving it into the ground so long as it continues to run.

 

[tyred]

My mother had a series of Cortinas in the 60s and 70s.

Reliable family motoring, although Fords were not without their critics.

'Dagenham dustbins' as some called them, then there was the couplet: 'bits of tin and bits of board, go together to make a Ford'.

The bigger Fords - Zephyrs/Zodiacs and later Consuls/Granadas - were said to be 'brickies' motors' - a snobbish reference to the social type of the Ford buyer.

A true gentleman, people would say, does not drive a Ford.

My late uncle (from the wealthy side of the family) was an avid fanatic of the Ford Granada and wouldn't drive anything else. He covered huge business miles in them and always maintained that nothing else he ever tried was as comfortable. The final one he had (a 1992 Scorpio 2.9L saloon) he ran to astronomical mileage as Ford had stopped building them. He reluctantly bought one of the bug-eyed E-Class Mercedes which he always maintained was nowhere close to the Granada for comfort. The fact that it was built during Merc's rusty phase and needed the front wings replaced under warranty did not endear it to him much. He hated that Merc with a passion. He eventually changed it for a Toyota Camry which he felt was much better than the Merc.

 

[Accy cyclist]

The sort of people who own classic cars are enthusiasts who know exactly how their car works (probably more so than many MOT testers) and will take pride in looking after it and probably don't cover huge mileages. They will also drive it carefully as having sunk considerable time, money and effort into the thing, they will drive it carefully. When was the last time you heard of a driver of a Ford Prefect or Citroen Traction Avante being convicted of any sort of motoring offence?

The average owner of a three year old (insert model name of suitable bargain basement tin box) most probably has no interest in the thing, has no understanding of how it works and is probably incapable of topping up the windscreen washer, detests spending any money on it and will keep driving it into the ground so long as it continues to run.

Yes,i see where you're coming from,but supposing they take loving care and attention doesn't mean/prove that they do. How about this one! 'Hey you don't need insurance for your old car as we know you won't drive like a maniac and therefore won't be involved in accidents resulting in claims against you'.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Yes I know. When the MOT is due in August I might sell it. Though i'm pretty sure it won't need any work doing on it apart from maybe something like a new windscreen wiper blade.

My Octavia estate is going for its MoT test next week
I'm going to ask for new rear shock-absorbers to be fitted, as I very much doubt they'll pass anyway, as there was what appeared to be broken foam (either an internal bump-stop, or the internal liquid?) that had escaped)
I found this out, whist; removing both rear wheels, due to new tyres (& a puncture, that broke the bead outside home)
It had 2 front shockers last year (after 2 years of 'Advisories')

Mindslt you, they've survived 8 years , & 136,000 miles, so I'm happy to pay for a new pair

 

[Proto]

Nice!!


Even rarer, if it's a South African Perana (pronounced like the South American fish)

There was also an XR6 on that market ('Mk 5' Cortina) & a Perana Capri, with a 302ci V8

My BiL had Ford Cortina ‘Big Six’. Great car. I used to drive it around Cape Town, thought I was Jack the Lad

 

[Cletus Van Damme]

My Uncle had a thing for Austin Allegro's, I remember he had 2 of them. Himself and my Auntie didn't have kids until really late and used to take myself and my brother and my cousins on trips. I'll always remember travelling to Blackpool from Workington (probably 120 miles) me and my brother and two cousins in the back, aged from about 6-10. Fighting in the back of this car and tormenting each other, no seat belts and my uncle going absolutely crazy, shouting, proper red in the face, but we still carried on and were giggling etc, making him worse. No seat belts, my uncle smoking, he was a bit of an @rsehole to be honest, still is.. Those were the days in the 70's.

 

[Andy_R]

My Octavia estate is going for its MoT test next week
I'm going to ask for new rear shock-absorbers to be fitted, as I very much doubt they'll pass anyway, as there was what appeared to be broken foam (either an internal bump-stop, or the internal liquid?) that had escaped)
I found this out, whist; removing both rear wheels, due to new tyres (& a puncture, that broke the bead outside home)
It had 2 front shockers last year (after 2 years of 'Advisories')

Mindslt you, they've survived 8 years , & 136,000 miles, so I'm happy to pay for a new pair

Same here. New shocks fitted last year, and a new clutch slave cyclinder this year. I've only had my Occy for 10 years and done 170,000 miles, so I'm not very happy with the reliability at all........

 

[screenman]

If you enjoy your Skoda look up Tony Dickinson racing, I used to watch him on tv many years back, his son is now one of my customers after taking over his late fathers business.