General Chat

Learned to drive on a Standard Pennant In 1950s.

First car was a Morris Minor.

George a 1939 BSA SCOUT SPORTS TOURER,restored and in concours condition, is worth about £24.950. so it might equate to yours. **M**> Price from Classic car mag.January this year.

My first car was a 1965, grey Vauxhall Viva HA. It was passed on to me by my Dad. The only problem was I couldn't drive then. He took me out in it for a few lessons but I found it hard to drive. By the time I passed my test a year or so later, my husband had got so fed up with it taking up room on the drive that he got rid of it.

At that time we had a Vauxhall Astra estate, actually, I think it was an Opel Kadet, and so that was the first car I actually drove.

I found I was expecting my eldest son a couple of weeks after I passed my test and so had to give up riding my motor bike and swapped the bike for the car with my husband. Easier to put the baby in the back of the car than on the back of a motor bike even though baby car seats were pretty basic affairs in those days !!!!! M

Saved up and bought my first car for £30. It was a pale yellow Mini with a white roof.
The starter button was on the floor. The dip-switch was a button on the floor. The front windows didn't wind down, they slid from side to side. The back windows didn't open at all.
The driver's door didn't open properly, the handle was broken so I had to slide back the window and let myself out by the outside handle!!
The steering wheel was huge compared to today's cars, and the gear stick seemed about a yard long!!
There was no radio so I used to hang my tranny from a button on the dash - thought that was dead cool :-D there was no heater either.
I knew every puddle between home and work because I had to avoid them or the distributor cap would fill with water and the car would stop :-S
My brother was often at home in those days and he'd spend an enormous amount of time underneath my car fixing things.
I sold it three years later for £70.
Happy Days

I learnt to drive in an Austin Seven which my OH owned I used to practice on a disused aerodrome. My first car when I was 17 was a Ford Prefect which I had for 5 yrs, then when married a series of Mini's.

Carol :-D

A 1956 reg'd black VW Beetle bought in BAOR in 1960 and in which I passed my test. Semaphore signals. No petrol gauge, when it started to splutter you moved a lever near the foot controls and you then had (think) 5 litres of fuel left. Great little motor. Bought another one in 1976 here in the UK but orange this time and with a petrol gauge

I learnt to drive first in my dad's Triumph which had a large cc engine. He and I then bought a Ford Cosair Consul and I finished learning to drive and passed my test in that.
My first car that was solely mine was a Ford Anglia, then an MG 1300.
All these were very old secondhand cars
.I have driven a Mini van, Lancia sports car, Triumph 2500 PI and an Austin Maxi in my time.

When I got married my other half had a Austin 1300 GT and we both drove that. Next came an old Morris 1100, Austin Marina, Audi Avant 2.2.
Newer secondhand cars were Audi Avant 2.00, Audi Avant A6 2.6, Ford Fiesta 1.1.

I was given a very old Vauxhall Astra Merit 1.3 which I drove for several years and now I have an old P reg Vauxhall Corsa 1.2.

I really loved the driving experience of the Audis but I don't care what a car is. If it gets me from A to B safely and cheaply then I'm happy
:-) :-)

wipers!!! how lush - we only had one in the middle!!!!

Ann you reminded me. Once we were driving the Ruby on Dartmoor, 1961, there was a hill and the only way OH could get the car up it was in reverse. The windscreen wipers were very iffy too.

Like Dawnie, my first car was a blue Mini Clubman, bought for cash for £950 in 1974 - I'd saved hard!
Our fist family car was a Triumph Mayflower, which looked lovely but the engine was totally clapped out. Poor Dad spent a fortune on repairs!

our Morris 8 had a windscreen that opened outwards so you could let the air in - a windscreen wiper - just one - that operated with a knob above your head - the gear lever was about four feet long - the indicators popped out at the sides - one night on the way to a NYE party we ficked the indicator out and it went straight out - we had to go back and collect it

every time we went over water it came through the floor - every journey was an adventure and OH, an engineer - always carried a full tool kit - we went to London in it once - before motorways - going up Birdlip in Gloucestershire it failed, so we had to roll down backwards and take a run at it - got over it in the end

we had an Allegro once - a total heap of utter crap - three Morris Minors, all excellent, a Morris Marina and a big Ford with a black roof

OH then went on to BMWs and I had Micra's - I'm on my fourth one now, had it since 2003 and it's a little gem, they all have ben first class

In 1963, my dad bought a 1930's Studebaker. It was amazing - bit rusty so it was painted matt mint green. It lived in the garden, as, unfortunately, my dad never got a car licence, so it became our (the chidren's) toy. :-D

He decided a car was needed, so he bought a bright yellow Robin Reliant - he could drive it on his motobike licence. Not really suitable for a family with 4 children.

When he lived in Saudi Arabia, he got a licence there and drove a 1960's Ford Galaxy de-luxe - a classic ugly car!

A Honda superdream

LOL one of the blokes I worked with had one.......only he called it a nightmare!!

The 1st car I ever bought was a Jag E type Bought it and sold it the same day. (Well I was only 16 at the time). I made a nice profit on it without ever having the money to buy it ! I also did the same with a motorbike ..lol I had to push the motorbike 2miles to where it was to be sold ! A Honda superdream

The next car I bought was a reliant van, bless it, wonderful little motor, We had several cars in between time but the 1st car I actually bought for me to drive was a 3.5 Rover.

We now run around in a 20yr old Opal Nova cos hubby says it´s a car to drive not just sit in !

Myself and three friends after we finished our National Service decided to buy a car.

We did the usual tour of car sales and came up with a 1933 BSA sports car which cost us the princeley sum of £50-00.between us.It was a convertible the roof was just like you would see on a pram, good job it was summer, the rain just came in.

This was just what three guys in their early twenties wanted.The only problem we had that only one of us could drive, but boy did we have some great times.
However six months later the engine went pop and not repairable, we did not have the money for a new engine, even if you could find one, so it was scrapped.

I often wonder how much it would be worth today,i have seen a couple of these cars at vintage shows.

From there i went intially to a Lambretta scooter

First car i bought for myself was a Ford Popular, the sit up and beg one1948 model i think.

then a Ford Anglia

Ford Cortina

Ford Cortina XLS what a car.The days when cars had a "Tarmac roof"

Then a mad moment i bought a Austin Allegro, what a heap of rubbish.

Then i was fortunate to have job that came with a car so for thirty years or so, i had what was was provided.in all those years the best car i had, in my opinion was a Saab,i had two a 900 and a 9000 series.



Happy days

George

in 1961 we had a french fiat, the engine was in the boot of the car .
but was a good little car for us at the time .

I say WE because whats my OH's, is mine . and whats mine is mine lolol :-D :-D :-D. Just joking :-)
Hazelx

My Dad had an Allegro which I 'inherited' - he died when I was 18 and I didn't learn to drive for another 18 months. The suspension, clutch, electrics and bodywork were c**p, but it never once let me down in starting!!

My first was a tatty old 1936 Ford 8. My mum and I had a few good times driving around in that. Can't remember what I paid for it. Every time I went over a bump the cloth in the roof fell down on my head LOL
My next was a Morris Minor 1000. I sold it to a manager of SAAB Distributors as the no.plate was SAB 999.

1937 SS100, Cheap then ,cost me £45. had to do the body up( you could work on them then) tuned up the engine,nice little bird puller.Wish I had it now, be worth a B fortune.**M**

I couldn't afford my own car for 22 years after passing my test at 17. My boyfriend, later my husband bought a 1951 Riley 1500 complete with running boards for £60 in the late 1960's. I eventually bought my first car, a dreadful yellow mini clubman , in 1986. -jl