Which car do you wish you had kept...

1970 Jag 420G.

Which: 1965 1293 Mini Cooper 'S' in full rally trim, which I built myself from shell-up, and used to compete with until off-spring intervened.

Why: There was so much of me invested in it.

Why not: I intended to keep it and, and would be showing it now, but my ex- wife lent our run-about to a cousin, he wrote it off uninsured, and I desperately needed something sensible for work.

(Oh GGH319C, I miss you so much!)

Chris

Pretty well any car I've ever owned would be nice to have now - if in decent condition.

I only ever bought vehicles I liked. ;-) Feel quite sorry for those who buy a car just because it is transport.

1963 Mini Cooper, mildly tweaked by a family friend rally driver. Loved it, but sadly wrote it off.

Probably my first car. A ZA Magnette. The S1 Bentley I had for a few years probably second.

I did recently think about getting another MG 1275 Midget - but went for a Boxster instead. One 'classic' is enough to look after. ;-)

Clearly a "practical classic", there are more Taxed than SORN. No doubt they have taken advantage of the free tax and the ones on SORN are mouldy sheds.

Phew unlikely to be your mid life crisis car. "how many left" says None left on road, maybe some reg as "unknown" "missing" etc.

There is one 1981 one on SORN.

Last time there was 2 was 2002.

That really surprises me. It's pretty rare for a once quite common car to have none left.

The Fiat Croma CHT I had for 10 years became a rare car, I bough it from new then, probably because some money was lying around. But it was really a bad car, although I though this was 'normal'. The body was galvanised and didn't rust, except that it rusted around the window frames - oh dear, the must have forgot.

I didn't know how bad it was until I got into some secondhand Saab

9000s as I liked the Type 4 design and spacious room - with the Saab jump in reliability and general build quality.

I'm always interested in oldie cars that I see on motorways as it's becoming very rare. Sometimes old mercedes S from 80's 90's, people must love them.

I hankered after an MG but went Mini for about 10 years after passing my test (about 1980).

The S1 Bentley I had for a few years

Very nice! Bet that cost a few quid to buy/run. I've only recently, the past 10 years anyway, had a decent income which had in some part informed my choices.

The other is I've not had a garage since I left home at about 18 (I rebuilt a Mini down to the last washer, apart from the gearbox). I just don't like working on my car in the street.

I've channelled my mucking about with stuff fixation to making a hash of DIY instead ;-)

Yep, thought of a Porsche. A friend keeps trying to persuade me. He's had 911s for about 15 years - buys them carefully at 7/8 years, runs them for 4/5 years, sells for not much of a loss. Never a major repair despite 20,000+ pa mileage, maintains at a specialist for normal prices. Another bloke I know of does similar but buys repair insurance, claiming the cost is more than offset by the favourable depreciation.

Not sure. I'll probably start looking around xmas, and thinking of an MX5 at the moment. Might treat myself to a Boxster though :-) - Cheers, Rob

I had a 1980 99 - paid £100 and ran without a hitch for over a year. The radiator fan wouldn't come on, but the interior heater would keep the car just below boiling. Happy memories of sitting in the Rotherhithe tunnel in the middle of summer :-)

Loved it - amazing design and engineering for the price.

Indeed - I have a friend who ran one for a while, but cost him a fortune to keep on the road. Apparently the older ones are a pig to drive by the standards of modernish cars.

Please don't be. ;-)

I have only ever seen cars as transport and hence why I have never owned (wanted or lusted after) a 'sports car' of any sort (or sports bike or boat for that matter).

I did have a Co pool Caviler SRi for a few days and hated the fact that when you tried to pull away from a rainy T junction it just sat their spinning it's front wheels (when my Sierra estate would have just got on with it) and when it was actually moving the ride shook your teeth out.

Driving my mates SL63 AMG was 'interesting' for a while but it soon became just another car.

But then we live pretty close to London and so there is little point in having anything that goes faster than 30mph (if you are lucky) and I've never really seen the point of just driving for the sake of it [1]. Nothing wrong with *enjoying* a drive / ride from home to somewhere yes, but generally we would only be driving if there was a need.

Cheers, T i m

[1] The exception might have been when I was a lad and just got (built) my first cycle or passed my bike or car tests or if I had just done some service / repair work and wanted to check it out.

Nearly all the cars I've had have served their purpose (transport) but I guess a couple stand out because they did that so well (at the time).

2L GL Sierra Estate. Pros: it was the first company car I chose myself, I then bought it off them (£25) when it was about 8 years old (I didn't change it after 3 years as was the general rule but kept it on and took extra money instead (my idea)). It did everything and more I asked of it.

Cons: The dash split in the sun, the tailgate was rotting away and it had gone from red to pink. What then became a (final) con was getting given a Rover 218SD (£100) that proved (nearly) equally useful but did twice the MPG of the Sierra. I broke the Sierra myself with the intention of fitting the engine and gearbox in the kitcar.

The one I might like back was my first Morris Minor van, because again it would be economical, simple to maintain and useful.

Cheers, T i m

My ZA was about 10 years old when I bought it. I had several Mini vans too and loved them. But not something I'd like today.

It was bought in the early 70s for just over 1000 quid. Traded in my 3 year old Midget for it - plus a few quid. It was actually quite reasonable in running costs - with the exception of tyres. Very DIY friendly for repairs, and was pretty reliable. But rust was a problem.

I've no option living in London. ;-)

I was originally thinking of an MX5. But a neighbour with a 911 said to look at the Boxster (I wanted a convertible) A little research showed that a good used Boxster would have lower depreciation than a similar price MX5. And I wasn't that worried about having the newest car my budget would stand. As obviously the same money would buy a newer MX5 than Boxster.

The Boxster isn't perfect, but does bring a smile to my face when driving it. The whole point in buying it.

Even just driving to the shops on a reasonable day, I put the hood down. Can't be accused of posing at my age. ;-) It really does make driving a totally different experience.

It's odd the way some people think a fast car must also have rock solid suspension and be a pain to drive normally. It's really my definition of a decent car - one which is reasonably comfortable when you need comfort, but OK when pressing on too.

You sound like my dad :-) 'Cars - just to get me from A-B'. First thing he did when he retired was buy a brand new Jag with his lump sum :-)

I do enjoy driving, and being in the car. Not sure why. I'll often take a long route to wherever I'm going partly to warm the car through (I do less than 5000 miles a year), partly because I enjoy it.

I'm also interested in, and to an extent fascinated by, the design and mechanical aspects of cars. Think it's all linked - but I would add with some sincerity that I'm pretty much 'anti-status'.

Was that a factor in the ex-wife thing ;-) ?

Which: Mk1 Skoda Fabia vRS.

Why: because it was a both fun, and practical. Economical, slightly quick (felt faster than it was), reliable. Interesting for being a diesel warm hatch.

Why not: I find driving a manual car painful & awkward these days :-(, seats too soft, stupidly pale interior.

No! I forgave her, but never spoke to her cousin again as he offered a derisory amount to replace it, and wouldn't budge.

Chris