Cars you've owned and loved

I remember years ago a friend being allowed to borrow his father’s Rover, beautiful leather and walnut interior appreciated as we piled in for a trip to the coast in our late teens. Nostalgic memories of carefree days.

Kalu

My favourite car has to be my Citroen Dyane, roll back roof, column gear stick, fold down side windows and all. Happy memories too of two DDs and two labradors on board for sunny day picnics. Air cooled engine also meant my car didn’t freeze up in winter as DH was stuck until his car defrosted.

And mine! I had to start mine in 2nd!!!

And once, we took 3 children and an afghan hound to the seaside for the day in it.

My other favourite was my Peugeot 505 with 3 rows of seats - handy for 5 kids and their 'stuff' and 2 dogs andwhich lasted for 10 years.

DH has had an on and off love affair with MGBs so we've had a few of those too. He also had a succession of Beetles - which were then given to each child as they left home which meant he had to replace it.

My first car has a huge place in my heart. Triumph Herald convertible. Black with white side flashes (called Minstrel) with red leather upholstery. Absolutely beautiful and could do 360 on a sixpence. Happy days indeed.

Just remembered my father's love of Alfas.The best for me as a kid was his pale green Alfusud.He was a bit crazy in it though with me as passenger racing around the streets of Wimbledon I thought that was the normal speed to drive

First car was old style Fiat 500 which sounded like a sewing machine but could take two children and a week’s shopping. Died of terminal rust but I loved it, and until recently owned the updated version in red and white which is now with DGD1 and regarded as immensely stylish.

VW Corrado G60 sports car, with CarmenGhia interior. A car of the 90s not many sold due to having them being built to order in Germany.
Owners always acknowledged each other.
Secondly, the fun cars 2 Citroen 2CVs! My DCs used to shout ‘ oh look, a Mummy car!’ If they saw another one.

Kalu

My favourite car has to be my Citroen Dyane, roll back roof, column gear stick, fold down side windows and all. Happy memories too of two DDs and two labradors on board for sunny day picnics. Air cooled engine also meant my car didn’t freeze up in winter as DH was stuck until his car defrosted.

Yes, but you had to wear a Sheepskin coat to drive, in the winter as the heater barely worked.

I have had my Porsche 911 since new - 17 years ago. I unexpectedly had a windfall. Still makes my heart miss a beat every time I see it even after all these years and the noise it makes still thrills me (though possibly not the neighbours). Not so thrilling is the car tax bill I’ve just paid - punishment for having a petrol car with a powerful engine.

My first car that I bought on my own. A Fiat 650, turquoise blue, with a soft roof that DS1 could sit in with his head poking out. I loved it and it went back and forth to Oxford when DD was in hospital. Big lorries used to catch us in the slipstream. When DH had no car, it ferried him regularly to London and back. Super little work horse, but did rust away eventually.

Loved my little Morris Minor. Sounded like a lawnmower but always got me from A to B She was caled Bertha.

J52 We also had a Corrado it was a beautiful car.I seem to remember the spoiler came out once you hit 70mph!
Made it easy for the Police?.

The car I loved the most was a Golf Cabriolet, the one I disliked the most was a Discovery.

Honda Prelude that motored on and on until some rotters stole it from our drive while we were away celebrating our Golden Wedding in Sicily.

I absolutely loved my BMW Z3 until I got to the point where I couldn’t get out of it with any dignity. It was old when I bought it but never let me down and it had a heater that kept you toasty warm with the roof down on the coldest days.

I've had various models of Vauxhalls for years. They have all been very reliable

Sago

J52 We also had a Corrado it was a beautiful car.I seem to remember the spoiler came out once you hit 70mph!
Made it easy for the Police?.

The car I loved the most was a Golf Cabriolet, the one I disliked the most was a Discovery.

Yes the spoiler raised at over 70 mph. It was 0-60 quicker than a Porsche at that time. Loved that car, we took it on a European road trip. When it reached 90,000 miles we sold it and bought a newer one with less mileage.

J52 It was known unfairly as a poor mans Porsche at the time?.

Ours was involved in a collision with a Landrover, it wasn’t written off but repaired and it never drove quite the same.

We did replace ours with a Porsche but we missed the VW.

I have never understood why they stopped manufacture.

My first car was a secondhand very old Morris 1100 called Millie. She had been owned by an elderly lady who only drove her for an hour a week and paid a man to wash her. I had her for 2 years then my brother took her. Then two cousins.

My favourite car was my bright red Nissan 200SX with cream leather seats. Fabulous car to drive except in the ice, when she gave me one or two bad moments. Had to get rid of her when it got difficult to get in and out as she was so low.

I loved my little black Renault 5. It was reliable, I could park it anywhere, and it was such fun to drive.
I had to sell it when the children came along and I needed a bigger car. Nothing I've owned since has come anyway near.

I didn’t get a car of my own until my DH was given a company car. It was a special edition Golf with no markings. I used to laugh as I could outstrip any young upstart on the motorways in Holland. Our neighbours son had it when we left as he had always coveted it.

My red 2CV when I was a District Nurse happy days..

I only passed my test in my 40s (after 5 attempts)?

Mini metro, CitroenZX, Honda Jazz (had that for 11 years, absolutely loved it) and now, Kia Rio (all second hand)

I'd forgotten my first car, an Anglia. I was so pleased when it featured in the Harry Potter film. Those were the days when you could find the dipstick easily!

Morris 1000 Traveller. Travelled all round Europe in it. Chugged up all the mountain passes. Never let us down. People used to point to it saying ‘Baum’? Still got his number plate. Learned to drive in it. Only when I then drove other cars that I realised the brakes in the Moggie were virtually non existent.

midgey

Oh my Fiat 500! I loved that little car, moving house with the broom handle sticking out of the roof….. The new ones are just not the same thing at all.

midgey I just love my new Fiat 500 first car I have ever bought on my own !!
Its Coral with all white/coral interior I am so pleased with it,its the biggest purchase I have made since I lost my beloved OH 2 yrs ago I am sure he would object to driving it and the colour but I love it

Two elderly SAABs. One had a two stroke engine. I put one can of oil into the fuel tank to every 4 gallons of petrol. It used to cause consternation in petrol stations.

The other had a normal engine but a battery terminal that kept coming loose and I would leap out at traffic lights ,open the bonnet, shove it back on and get back into the car and move off as the lights went green.

Since then I have had a series of sports cars, Triumph GT 7, Fiat X1/9, just about the worst car I have ever owned, road holding was dreadful and the headlights were so low on a wet day you had to stop every 10 minutes to clean them because they would be covered with mud and a Volvo 1800, but the red paint faded badly.

I currently own a bright blue Toyota Yaris. I have had it 14 years and it has never needed a major repair or broken down. It is nearly 18 years old and I will happily drive it for another 14 years by which time we will probably both have reached the end of our useful lives.