Following on from the V70 thread, I began thinking about my 'brand' loyalty.
Obviously it doesn't exist because of those I remember, the total is 14! The most is BL with 4...aMini Clubman estate, 2 Marinas (a TC Coupe and estate) and a Spitfire.
Audi x 2 (80 Sport & Ur quattro) BMW x 2 (v old 520 & 330Ci.. my current wheels). Fiat 124 estate, Renault 5 Gordini, VW x 6 (Mk1 Polo, Mk 1 Gti, 4 Transporters inc an early rear engined Syncro 1600TD). Ford x 2 (RS2000 & XR 4x4) Volvo x 2 (240GL estate & 340)Subaru x 2 (Legacy estates) Morgan (4x4) Lotus (elise) Chrysler (Avenger estate) Saab (9000 Carrlson) Peugeot (Mk 1 205 Gti) MB x 2 (C180 & E200 estates).
No Alfas or Citroens in the list, although I did have use of a Sud for a few months.
Probably a few more I have forgotten back in the mists of time
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Three, or two if you lump PSA marques together. From first car in 1982 to date:
BL - Mini x 2
Peugeot - 104 & 205
Citroen - BX x 2, Xantia and Berlingo.
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Oh, and a Mazda 626 bought off the HJ site classifieds, and a Polo 16V from BCA Brighouse. I went to buy a large esate, was outbid on several, then bought it late in the day, ran it for a year and sold on for a tidy profit which made up for the inconvenience!
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Alfa Romeo (1)
Rover (2)
Audi (2)
BMW (1)
Opel (1)
Ford (2)
Subaru (1)
Toyota (1)
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That's an interesting one:
Austin: 1100, 1800 and Princess.
Vauxhall: HB Viva
Talbot: Alpine
Skoda: 130 Rapid, Favorit and Octavia.
MG: MGB
Rover: 416
Ford: Galaxy
Land Rover: Discovery
Opel: Zafira and Vectra
Toyota: Prius
A total of 10 then. Austin and Skoda tied for 1st with three each. I've deliberately omitted fleet "filler" cars that I had for less than a year.
I reckon you should break your BL group out into seperate marques to avoid muddying the waters as we're comparing apples with pears. I could lump a load together as "BL", except for the inconvenient fact that two of the Austins and the Rover were made while there wasn't a BL, while the Princess and MGB would fall under that group.
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Marque wise we've owned or been in charge of (company cars) the following:
Audi
BMW
Citroen
Fiat
Ford
Mercedes
MINI
Peugot
Renault
Toyota
Vauxhall
Volkswagen
Volvo
Least favourite was the '92 Ford Escort (company car) and most favourite was probably the 2005 BMW 330d!
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My cars over the last 40 years and some of SWMBO's over last 28 years:
British Leyland - 2 minis 850 and 1000 plus use of my mum's 1275GT on occasion
Kawasaki - kh250
VW - Derby, Golf GTI Mk 2 and Mk 3 (bad car), 2 x Pasat estate - 115 and 130 PDs, 1.9 auto saloon
Volvo 960
Toyota -Carina and Previa (because I had to)
Jaguar MKII 3.6
Ford - Scorpio, Focus Tdci, 2 x Mondeos 2.0 duratec and 2.0 tdci much preferred the petrol one
Citroen - AX, ZX Volcane, 2CV, Picasso 2.0 Hdi, (all good cars and reliable)
Mitsubishi - Shogun and Colt
Land Rover - Defender
Yamaha 350 4wd quad bike with road kit (great at going fast up and down very steep inclines, not so good at turning on them, plastic parts expensive)
Subaru - Legacy JDM 2.0 turbo (nippy) Outback diesel Legacy 3.0 H6
Alfa - Sprint Veloce 1.5 (sigh!)
BMW - 323i company car - wrapped around a tree and then as punishment given a
Audi 100 auto (served me right)
Mercedes 1989 200 estate (slow but should have kept it - bulletproof)
Hyundai Santa Fe (current car)
So 17 marques and I suppose Ford, Citroen, Subaru and VW for number of returns to the marque.
Last edited by: NeilS on Wed 29 May 13 at 13:14
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Yamaha YG 80
Morris Minor
Ariel NH
Norton ES2 Mk2 (Matchless engine, some Norton parts like forks and gearbox. Still going.)
Hillman Imp
Ford Escort (bought new - what a plonker! New engine required in 6000 miles - dealer paid. Down to mechanic fouling up at service)
VW Derby
VW Golf 1.1
VW Golf 1.5
Ford Escort (Gift from FiL)
Proton auto (Gift from FiL)
Volvo 240 auto saloon (the most boring except for the Proton which was in a league of it's own!)
Audi 80 TDI
VW Golf GTI (the Mk 3 2-slow version)
VW Passat TDI
Honda Civic type S
Toyota Yaris (French built - gearbox woes due to shaft seal problems. Got rid whilst under warranty)
Honda Jazz
MINI Cooper Clubman
Skoda Yeti 1.8TSI
Civic and Jazz were kept for 8 years. Both good in their way.
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Austin x 2
BMW x 2
Citroen x 2
Datsun
Direhatsu
Ford x 5
Honda x 3
Jaag
Land Rover
MG
Mitsubushy x 4
Nissan
Peugeot
Renault
Riley
Rover x 2
Saab
Scooby doo :)
Suzuki
Toyota x 3
Triumff x 2
Vanden Plas
Vauxhall
VW x 3
Vulva
Bikes
Honda
Um Lambretta x 2
Suzuki
Last edited by: Dog on Wed 29 May 13 at 13:50
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Morris - 1100 Traveller
Datsun - 180B Estate
Ford - MK2 Cortina/MK1 Escort/MK4 (?) Escort
BL - Mini/Marina/Allegro
Vauxhall - Viva HC/Carlton
Austin - Maestro/Metro
Citroen - BX/ZX/Xsara/Xsara Picasso
Renault - 12/18/Megane x 2
Peugeot - 207
Kia - Cee'd
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This is harder to remember than I thought it would be but here goes...
1 Wolseley
2 Triumphs
2 MGs
1 Land Rover
15 Fords
6 Vauxhalls
2 Audis
2 BMWs
2 Mercedes
1 Citroen
1 Westfield
1 Renault
2 Nissans
3 FIATs
2 Rovers
3 Volvos
2 Volkswagens
1 Peugeot
Might be some others I've forgotten but I think all the brands are covered.
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Ah, bikes as well?
Put me down for a Honda and a Norton then.....
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8 brands over 14 cars. 5 x FIAT, 2x Vauxhall, 2xPeugeot, 1xAudi, 1xRover, 1xSAAB, 1xVW, 1xVolvo.
The one's that stick as most enjoyable: FIAT Coupe 20v turbo; VW Golf GTi (Mk2); Volvo S60 D5.
If I were to go out an buy something today it would most likely be the new Golf GTi as it does most things I need from a car these days.
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Honda
Suzuki
Yamaha
Kawasaki
Reliant
Morris
Ford
Vauxhall
Peugeot
Citroen
Volkswagon
Rover
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Bikes: Honda CBR600FV; Kawasaki ZX636R and Suzuki GSX-R750
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5 brands over 11 cars, 9 company 2 owned
2 Renault 16 fondly remembered
1 Cortina Mk5 estate company then owned
1 Vauxhall astra only car that wasnt a company car at any time
1 Ford Escort 1.6 great fun
2 Vauxhall Cavaliers - great family cars 250k miles between them without a hitch
1 Vauxhall Vectra CD - first "posh car" ie more than basic gadgets
2 Saab 93, one hatch, one saloon great comfortable, quick, economical cars
1 BMW (current) great car to drive not the most practicable but now not required to be
plus
Mrs C 3 cars 1 Maker VW Polo 1978 - 1988, golf Mk2 1988 - 2001 (then both sons had it as their first car) Golf Mk4 2001 - present
then
the Commer 1987 - present (bought from wife's dad who had it from 1 year old) , great vehicle, sentimentally never to be sold, had (& still having) great times in it , over time had just about every breakdown type known to man but never the same type twice.
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>> 8 brands over 14 cars. 5 x FIAT, 2x Vauxhall, 2xPeugeot, 1xAudi, 1xRover, 1xSAAB, 1xVW,
>> 1xVolvo.
>>
To put some meat on the bones:
5 x FIAT - FIAT 128 Sport Coupe (5 tonnes of body filler my father had from new in 1975); Strada 105TC; 127GT; Uno turbo; Coupe 20v turbo
2 x Vauxhall - Nova SRi and Mk2 Astra 1.6L - Nova was OK, Astra was grim.
2 x Peugeot - 306 XRdt (only)company car and 206 XSi - 306 was good for it's day, 206 was a nice car with aircon, full leather interior and sat nav for 2001 in a small hatch - previously main-dealers wife's runabout.
1 x Audi 80 Quattro - nice car but had a coolant/over heating problem which main dealers could not sort out.
1 x Rover 216S - Lovely interior engineering Crock of ****. Head gasket gone at 30k miles. Rust in seams which I had never seen in ANY Italian product yet people scoff at Lancia.
1 x SAAB - 900 V6; GM engine and handling built into a SAAB interior. Handling was woeful in the wet. Fantastic car for long distances at 26.9mpg regardless as to whether this was city, B road or motorway driving.
1 x VW - Mk2 Golf GTi 8v average MPG 38mpg was better than subsequent 306XRdt which averaged 36mpg over same journeys. VW not the fastest car on the planet but well made only issue was rusting sunroof wind deflector.
1 x Volvo - S60 D5 Sport. Just does everything without any fuss. Surprises a few people with over 200PS and over 420Nm.
The above are no tin chronological order.
Reading everyone's replies I need to go get that Lexus IS-F just to get my numbers up.
Last edited by: VxFan on Thu 6 Jun 13 at 01:11
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Owned:
Austin Rover (Mini, Rover 216 Efi VdP)
Ford (Sierra, Couple of Fiestas, Mondeo),
Vauxhall (Astra mk2, Cavalier mk2)
Peugeot (106, 306)
Volkswagen (Polo, Golf)
Mazda (MX-5)
Volvo (S60)
Renault (Grand Scenic)
Alfa Romeo (1/3 share in a 156 V6)
If you include company cars, and exclude those I've had use of for less than 3 months you can add:
Ford x2 (both Focus)
Peugeot x2 (another 306, plus a 406)
Renault (Megane)
BMW x 3 (318i, 318d, 320d)
Loyalty? I definitely lean towards Ford because every single one above was reliable, good to drive and generally a pleasure to own, and that seems to still be the case today based on anecdotal evidence. I loved my 80's Vauxhalls, but the more modern stuff I've tried has left me cold. I wouldn't say I'd never own another, but I'd always look at Ford first.
If BMW reliability matched the rest of the package, they'd be probably the best cars in the (semi) real world. Sadly, none of the three I've had custody of, including the current one were even close to trouble-free.
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Vauxhalls ( several )- from the Viva via many Cavaliers and Vectra company cars.
Hillman (1) - Avenger
Datsun (2)- Violet and Cherry
Fiat (2) 131 and .....128 Sport ( great fun but a rustbucket)
VW (2 )Polo Classic
Ford ( 1 ) Escort
Audi (1 ) 80 ( This was the worst car I have ever owned ! Kept overheating ....)
Toyota (3 ) Yaris ( SWMBO still has latest one)
Honda (3 ) Civic , Accord Tourer and Accord 2.4 EX ( which is parked outside)
Bikes -its twenty years or so since I rode a two wheeler in anger.
Started off in the 60's with
Lambretta LD150 and a
Lambretta J125 Starstream then moved onto a
Yamaha 100 cc twin on which I passed my test...and bought a Triumph Bonneville ( which then expired in a pool of oil on the old A1 )
Various Yamahas ( ISTR an RD 250 ) and ended up with an MZ....originally a commuter bike but earned me a few quid as a courier when times were hard....
Still have my bike licence but frankly they scare me these days - too much power and too vulnerable .
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Used:
BL - 1978 Austin Allegro
Fiat - 1989 126Bis
From new:
Nissan - 1987 Micra, 1990 Micra, 1992 Micra, 1993 Sunny, 1998 Primera, 2001 Primera
Toyota - 1996 Corolla, 1998 Corolla, 2006 Corolla, 2009 Auris, 2012 Auris
Honda - 1994 Concerto, 2000 Civic
Mazda - 2003 323, 2003 Premacy, 2007 Mazda 2
Hyundai - 2012 i20
Last edited by: Auristocrat on Wed 29 May 13 at 15:05
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Owned (in 36 years of driving)
Vauxhall - 1 (for 4 weeks or so)
SWMBO has owned a few and I have had a few company cars.
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5 Triumphs
3 LandRovers
6 Volvos
2 Saab
1 Renault
1 Ferguson
Three of those were bought for parts so don't really count.
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4 wheels
Ford x 5
Vauxhall x 2
Peugeot x 2
Renault x 2
VW x 1
Seat x 1
Mitsubishi x 1
Fiat x 1
BL x 1
Two wheels
Honda x 2
Ducati x 1
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Morris (BL)
Austin (BL)
Ford
Rover
Vauxhall
3 Landrovers (Discovery, Defender 90, and Defender 110)
2 Morgans (4/4 and a Super Sports Aero)
I do tend to keep cars for substantial periods and had the Morgan 4/4 for nearly 30 years.
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5 Fords
1 Fiat
1 Triumph
1 Jaguar
(all saloons except the Fiat Uno)
I also tend to keep cars for substantial periods. The above were over about 50 years.
Two of the above were write offs ( not my fault guv!) after just a couple of years and the Fiat was a second car that my offspring often drove early in their motoring life.
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Including Mrs H's cars and 2 cars I bought for son & daughter
3 Austins - Cambridge, 1100, Montego (company)
23 Citroens - Dyane (2), 2CV (2), Ami 8, Bijou, GS, DS (2), CX (4), XM, Synergie, C8, AX (3), C3 Mk1, Mk2, BX (2), Visa
4 Fiats - 1300, 126, 128, Strada
Mercedes - 280CE
2 Renaults - 4, 16
Rover - 2000
Singer - Chamois
2 Suzukis - Bandit and V-Strom
2 Triumphs - Toledo, 2000 Mk1
3 Vauxhalls- Cavalier Mk1, Mk2, Belmont (all company)
Volvo - 760
VW - Beetle Mk1
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Riley Motor Company (Not BL.. 1929 Riley 9)
BL - several.
Rover - several pre BL.
Jaguar -BL
Standard - pre Standard Triumph
Triumph - pre BL.
Mercedes
BMW - a few
MG - pre BL TB Tickford.
Peugeot
Morris - pre BL (Minor)
Toyota
Honda
Lotus 1967 S3 Elan with 130bhp
GTM kit car
Ford
Audi
No Vauxhall, Simca, Citroen, Opel, VW, Ladas,Moskovitch, RR, Aston, Bentley. Ferrari, Porsche, Maybach, Fiat, Lancia or any American cars ... thus proving I am a motorist with limited means but some discernment :-)
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Wow hawkeye, a Citroen man! And you even had a Bijou... I wonder if you thought it as horrid as I did?
I've owned very few cars, starting 1962 or so.
Mid-thirties Fiat pillarless four door, 1.5litre 6 cylinder
Citroen Light 15, twin carbs and sports steering wheel, lhd
Citroen Bijou
R Type Bentley
Citroen Dyane (only new car)
Singer Vogue estate
Simca 1100, one of our little failures
Lada 1200 estate (ugh)
Renault 18 GTX estate, excellent and good-looking
Peugeot 205 diesel (stolen or might still have it)
Arna 1350
5 Skoda Estelles: 120 GTsomething, 2 I30 saloons, one 130 coupe and a 136 coupe
Ford Escort 1600 twin cam estate
Chrysler Cruiser
kept some for ages, some only for weeks, often had two or three at the same time but seldom all working... only four or five were more or less immaculate when I got them, most were roughish or very rough.
Damn: forgot VW 411 Variant
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Wed 29 May 13 at 17:17
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>> Wow hawkeye, a Citroen man! And you even had a Bijou... I wonder if you
>> thought it as horrid as I did?
>>
Never drove the one I owned. Bought in bits and on spec. after driving an acquaintance's. The problem seemed to be the 'lightweight' British grp bodywork which robbed the suspension of some useful travel and the engine of nearly all of its power. If one can imagine Sir Nigel Gresley dabbling with glassfibre, the Bijou bodywork might have been the result. It took 2 strong chaps to lift a door FFS. As you say AC, horrid. For a while I cherished a dream of sticking a GS engine in it but the thing was vandalised and torched in storage. The villains showing some rare discernment ...
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Ford Cortina mk 2 1600 super.........8 months
Triumph TR7................................2 years
Ford Cortina mk 4 1.6L..................2 weeks
Ford Escort mk 2 1.6 Ghia..............9 months
Rover 2600 SD1 auto.....................9 months
Jaguar XJS V12 coupe....................6 weeks
Ford Sierra 2.3 GL manual..............3 years
Ford Escort XR3i................ ...........18 months
Volvo 244DL..................................3 months
Triumph 2000 mk 1 auto.................23 years to date
Mercedes 200.................................3 months
Rover 414SLi..................................18 months
Rover 620SLi auto...........................5 years
Jaguar S Type 3.0 SE auto................11 years to date
Jaguar X Type 2.0 d SE....................7 years to date
So most populous marque = Ford
Most time i've owned anything = Triumph
Most recent = Jaguar
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Metro City (1st car after test - 1986)
MG Metro Turbo x 2 (1st was nicked, 2nd blew it's head-gasket and then started cutting out under load).
VW Golf Mk2 (1st grown up car!)
VW Golf Mk4 TDi
VW Golf Mk5 TDi (1st new car! 2006 to Date)
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(In reply to hawkeye on Bijou topic drift)
Still, the interior with that nice steering wheel looked cute at a glance. Didn't wear very well though. The headlining became unstuck in mine and came down on everyone's head.
Damn slow too, 425 cc, flat out at 60 on the flat. I did get it up to 90 once down Cleeve Hill in Gloucestershire, yee-hah! but usually it was a reluctant little beast. My efforts to make it go fast often caused trouble with passengers and observant constables. I think that body was heavier than a proper 2cv one, or anyway just as heavy and far less useful.
For DS owners' wags I think...
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Wed 29 May 13 at 19:39
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Morris Minor MM - NUG37
Morris Minor S2 - MMM631
Morris Minor 1000 convertable - 631MMM (wish I had kept the pair of numbers!)
Riley 1.5
Morris Minor 1.5 (transplant from above)
BMW car 700 temp
Morris Minor 1098cc
Hillman Imp 998 special
Singer Chamois
Triumph Herald
VW Beetle 1200 (free gift from an American returning home - he left it at LHR)
Vauxhall Viva Van
Hillman Avenger 1600
Hillman Avenger 1600
BL Maxi 1750
Volvo 240 Estate
Ford Granada (company)
Vauxhall Carlton Estate (company)
Ford Fiesta
Volvo 340
Golf GTi Mk2 8v
Citroen 1.7 Turbo Diesel
*Triumph TR7 Convertable
*Ford Fiesta
Citroen Picasso 1.6HDi
*Fiat Panda MJ
*Citroen 1.9 D
*Citroen Berlingo 1.6 Hdi XTR
* current
No real loyalty other than sourcing subsequent cars to use the spares in the garage.
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Five
2 x Ford
1 x VW
1 x Peugeot
1 X Skoda
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As an aside ( well, what do you expect ) what would you say was your favourite car you've had?
I'm going to surprise even myself really by admitting it was a Mk1 Fiat Panda. I loved that car. So deeply uncool it was cool if you see... Oh never mind, can't explain it, but maybe anyone who's had a scruffy little mongrel who turned out to be the best dog ever would know what I'm getting at.
I think some of the appeal was that you could more or less drive it like a witch on a burning broomstick in most circumstances without getting into too much grief.
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Wed 29 May 13 at 20:01
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>> >> As an aside ( well, what do you expect ) what would you say was
>> your favourite car you've had?
Oh easy peasy. Any one of my numerous capris, the 3.1 litre probably, followed by the Laguna.
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I've got a good word to say for nearly all of them, even the most painful and unspeakable. But the Light 15, the Renault 18, the Peugeot and the first Skoda Estelle were all real favourites.
I quite liked my Plymouth in America, another one forgotten.
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VW x 2
Ford x 3
Rover X 3
Saab x 1
Renault x 1
Citroen x 2
Audi x 4
Smart x 1
Peugeot x 1
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Cars, vans, etc;
Austin (A55, Mini)
BMW (525TD)
Citroen (BX)
Ford (Fiesta)
GMC (1001 pick-up)
Hillman (Hunter estate)
Humber (Sceptre)
Hyundai (Coupe, i10)
Jaguar (Mk2 2.4)
Land-Rover (S1, S2)
Mercedes-Benz (Sprinter)
Morris (Marina)
Rover (2000TC, 213)
Volvo (340x 2)
VW (Beetle, Polo x 3)
Bikes; loads of 'em but as far as marques are concerned, Puch, Garelli, Honda, Kawasaki, MV Agusta,Triumph, BSA, BMW, Yamaha, Suzuki, MZ and of course Harley-Davidsons. Might be a couple of others which slipped through, can't have been any good or I'd have remembered them!
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Just looked at me list again and realised I'd forgotten one of me old favourites.... Renault 16 TS auto. Bit of a rotbox but probably the best passion wagon I ever had.
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Volvo, five.
Hillman, one.
Austin/Morris, four.
Land Rover, one.
Range Rover, one.
Rover, four.
Chevrolet US, one.
Ford US, one.
Ford GB, five.
Vauxhall, two.
Renault, one.
Peugeot, one.
Datsun, one.
VW, one.
Fiat, one.
Toyota, three.
Citroen, one.
Mitsubishi, one.
Mercedes, four.
Some of these i'd forgotten about and would have been quite happy not to have recalled.
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Between myself and other half, as circumstances dictated 1 or 2 cars.
Triumph Herald (later used as the donor for the Spartan kit car)
Austin A40
Spartan
Mini Traveller
MGB GT
Triumph Toledo
Chrysler Sunbeam
Volvo 345
Volvo 360 GLS
Volvo 360 GLT
Citroen Zantia
Volvo 440
Fiat Uno
Peugeot 306
Ford Fiesta mk2
Volvo S40
Ford Fiesta mk3
Vauxhall Astra
VW Golf mk3
Volvo V40
Volvo V50
Seems to be a leaning towards Volvo otherwise a mixed bag.
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Cant believe I have missed my current car off my list
Volvo x 1
Guess my list is telling in that there is no Japanese metal in there
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So, no one's owned (or admitted to) Yugo, Wartburg or Trabant?
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>> So, no one's owned (or admitted to) Yugo, Wartburg or Trabant?
No, I think penicillin clears them up now, no need to tell your partner.
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Just the one bod who owned a Reliant on this thread so far then, a Scimitar GTE I'll wager.
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>>So, no one's owned (or admitted to) Yugo, Wartburg or Trabant?<<
I had a Wartburg in the late 1960s and I have pictorial evidence.
I just answered the OP's question on the number of marques and didn't see much point listing the 50-plus models I've owned - every one paid for by me.
I guess if other people had answered the question literally and ignored the British obsession with driving cars owned and paid for by other people and the general public this thread would be a good bit shorter.
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Very fair point Mike and indeed I'm one of those "guilty" of having included "company" cars in my list.
However, it could perhaps also be reasonable to argue that all, or at least most cars have been paid for directly or indirectly by the jobs which provided the funds to make them available to their users. At what point the funding took place, as in before or after appearing on a pay cheque, is the moot point.
Where it gets further more complex is that for many years now there have been user chooser schemes for many company car drivers where the option to top up or part fund company vehicles personally have been commonplace. Then there are the car allowance schemes where the vehicle wholly belongs to the driver but is funded in full or in part by the employer. Even when I was self-employed and ran my own cars for business use, the Inland Revenue made some of it possible through tax allowances. It all gets a bit woolly when you try to define the difference between wholly owned and funded in some circumstances. Not to say there aren't black or white examples too of course.
Rightly or wrongly, I took the spirit of the thread to mean listing those cars we've had long term daily use of however they were paid for. I'd have to create at least 6 sub-sections in my list if not.
1/ Company cars ( provided at no charge by an employer, well, if you choose to ignore bik )
2/ Cars funded in part by car allowances but owned by me
3/ Cars I've wholly owned and funded
4/ Cars I've shared with a spouse
5/ Cars I've run through my own business ( technically company cars but it was my company )
6/ Cars provided by an employer but financially subsidised by me to obtain a "better" model
Last edited by: Humph D'Bout on Fri 31 May 13 at 11:15
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Thanks Humph for your reasoned reply to my somewhat acerbic challenge. It must have been something I ate.
I once had the use of an office Ford Fiesta 1100 that was one of the worst cars I ever had the misfortune to drive. I think it strengthened my resolve to go my own way.
The only time I ever tripped up was when I went for a job interview and parked my very nice Mercedes 280 coupe beside a lesser Merc in the company car park. While killing time before the interview with the MD we looked out of the window and he asked if the 280 was mine. I said yes. It turned out the lesser one was his. I didn't get the job.
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That has just reminded me Mike, a squillion years ago I was taken on by the British division of a Swiss company as a management trainee. In those days just about the only staff who didn't get a company car in the British company were the cleaners, and I wouldn't have been surprised to have learned that they at least got a company van !
Well anyway, the cars weren't fabulous, but conversely not bad by the standards of the day and I was given a brand new Cortina 2.0 GL ( sexy uh ? )
After a few months working in the UK I, as this young fairly useless oik, ( only difference now is age really ) was sent to work at the Swiss head office on a temporary basis as part of my "training".
The Swiss parent company didn't issue company cars and even the most senior people ran their own.
I rocked up to the new job in my new company car and parked next to a fairly tatty not-in-the-first-flush-of-youth Taunus.
It was the managing director's car.
He was fairly astonished to learn that I had that Cortina. He was I suppose, now let's see, my boss's, boss's, boss's, boss's, boss.
Caused a bit of trouble that Cortina did.
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I'm sure I posted a list once in t'other place but I can't find it...
Austin: 8 - Allegro, Metro x3, Mini x4
Vauxhall: 3 - Cavaliers
FIAT: 1 - Strada
Ford: 11 - Cortina x2, Sierra x3, Transit x1, Escort x3, Mondeo x2
Renault: 1 - 1983 11 hatch
Peugeot: 2 - 406 x3
Nissan: 1 - Bluebird
Honda: 1 - 1982 Civic hatch
Skoda: 1 - Octavia
Toyota: 1 - Carina E
Mazda: 1 - Mazda6
SAAB: 1 - 9-5 Vector Sport estate
32 cars; a dozen marques. I thought it would have been more.
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>> what would you say was your favourite car you've had?
My immaculate Sunburst Red XR3 was pretty neat, as much for its, ahem, magnetic properties as for its handling and performance ;)
Most of my cars have had good points, and they've all had bad ones. I reckon my favourite car ever is my current one, because a) it's got more toys than anything I've ever had before and b) every single one of them works. If I had to name a gripe, it's that the auto dimming mirrors aren't quick-reacting enough for me. #firstworldproblems
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Favourite = Jag S Type
Least favourite = Escort XR3i
The Jag was incredibly good at doing everything I needed of it. More lately fuel economy became an issue, its only Achilles Heel. It is now in a shed on a Sorn.
The XR3i to me was soulless and underpowered. Yes it handled extremely well, but to me it was a nothing car.
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I think there was only one Simca there, owned by m'Lud. Well, I had one as well, 'cept mine was a van, used as a service van for the breakdown work.
Spent more time broken down than it's clientele ! It may have been badged as a Talbot, it was an '86 model...possibly one of the last.
I still have a soft spot for the two Hillman ( Hillmen ? ) Super Minx convertibles I owned in the late 60s.
2 wheels
Raleigh x 2
Suzuki moped
Ducati moped,
Ariel 350
Tiger Cub
Velocette LE still got one
Condor A340
BMW R65
Velosolex
BSA Bantam in bits...anybody want a project ?
Honda Gold Wing 1200 Interstate......to heavy to push round at home !
Honda FJS 600 still with me.
3 wheels
Bond 250
4 wheels
Wolseley 15/60
Herald 12/50 ragtop
Hillman Super Minx ragtop x 2
Mini Cooper 970S
Hillman Minx estate ( Arrow )
Jowett Javelin still here
A dozen or so other Jowetts. rescued and passed on.
Cortina MK2
Renault 6 Ventoux.
Talbot Samba
Citroen Visa/BX/2CV
Datsun/Nissan Prairie MK1 and MK2, 120Y auto, LWB Patrol, Note...current
Suzuki 3 Vitaras...one current.
Ford MK2 Escort, MK2 Fiesta, Escort Van, Transit.
Chrysler 2 litre
Polo
Rover P4, 2000, Range Rover, Land Rover LWB Safari.
Riley Elf
MG 1300, Maestro.
Simca 1100 van
Pug 206
Fiat 241 pickup, Punto diesel
Renault 5 x 3, 4 van, Scenic.
Opel Kadette estate.
Number of Ladas.
Merc 190.
Volvo 340.
Ruddy heck ! That included wifey's cars and a lot of the others were just for re-sale.. There are probably more wot I've forgotted !
Ted
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>>Hillman Super Minx ragtop x 2
Nice.
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Since 1996....
11 Citroens (3x BX, 3x Xantia, 2x ZX, Xsara Picasso, C4 Picasso, Visa convertible)
1 Pug 306 (short duration, to replace a broken Xantia)
My Dad has had an (almost unbroken) string of Citroens (20 I think*) going back to 1976 - there was a short period with an emergency All-aggro (to replace a broken GSA). His only other cars were a Ford 100E van and a BMC 1100.
*2 Amis, 2 Dyanes, 3 GS / GSA, 2 BX, Xantia, 4x Visa, AX, Xsara, C4, C4 Picasso, 2 x Relay motorhomes
Last edited by: RichardW on Thu 30 May 13 at 08:09
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The late Alan Clark's list would be primarily:
Jaguars(SS100, XK120 notable)
Bentleys ("Big Red" turbo and many others)
Rolls-Royce plural (1923 Silver Ghost ) Shadow bought for the plate alone1
Porsche (little silver)
with the occasional Citroen (DS decapotable) tinyurl.com/ocfemqf Best looking car IMHO.
and Mehari
Chevrolet Impala (2)} at the Erribol estate
Buick Phaeton}
sundry VW Beetle, Land Rover etc
The car list of envy:)
Last edited by: NIL on Thu 30 May 13 at 08:29
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>> As an aside ( well, what do you expect ) what would you say was
>> your favourite car you've had?
>>
>> I'm going to surprise even myself really by admitting it was a Mk1 Fiat Panda.
>> I loved that car. So deeply uncool it was cool if you see... Oh never
>> mind, can't explain it, but maybe anyone who's had a scruffy little mongrel who turned
>> out to be the best dog ever would know what I'm getting at.
>>
>> I think some of the appeal was that you could more or less drive it
>> like a witch on a burning broomstick in most circumstances without getting into too much
>> grief.
>>
My Saab 9000i normally aspirated was one of my favourites for the same reason as you, I used to thrash it mercilessly but had no trouble with it. Took it to over 200,000 miles.
I didn't mention the Renault Megane 1.4 that I bought for my son when he was learning to drive, and he later used for 4 years after that. Once again, you could thrash the nuts off of that without getting into trouble! Lovely little engine in that car, the oil used to come out at every annual oil change as clean as it went in. Pretty basic, but easy to just sit in and drive.
And of course my current Saab 9-5 Aero estate takes some beating as an all-time favourite. The only thing I'd change about that is the fuel consumption ;-)
Last edited by: Mike H on Thu 30 May 13 at 18:44
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BMC Minis (x3)
Renault 6 (x1)
Renault 12 (x6)
Renault 18 (x1)
Ford Cortina Estate (x1)
Triumph Acclaim (x1)
Saab of various types (x 19)
Remarkably few in 43 years of driving!
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I forgot the obligatory Morris Minor....a white half-timbered version, 1966 reg.
Ted
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Morris Minor 1000
Ford Anglia 105E 1200
Vauxhall Magnum 1800
Fiat Miafiori 1.4
Fiat Regata 1.6S
FSO Polonez (stop gap!)
Hillman Minx 1725 (last of that model)
VW Jetta 1.3
VW Jetta (big bumper version) 1.6 TX
VW Bora 1.6 petrol
VW Jetta 1.4 TSi 170 Sports
Also bought a Triumph Dolomite, Triumph Acclaim and a Ford Escort for the offspring - the Acclaim was a cracking car.
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Ford Popular
Wolseley 6/80
Mini (lots)
Metro
Cortina 1600E
BMW 2002TII (Borrowed by Motor as a “Golden Oldie”)
Sierra
Avenger 1300
S4 Elan
Micra
Fourtrack
Primera - Series 1 - what a fantastically smooth engine
Peugeot 205
Laguna
Yaris
i10
A4 Avant
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I fear my list is perhaps the least impressive so far
Ford -100E
Isetta
Austin Mini
Ford Anglia 105E
Simca 1100
Talbot Alpine
Lada Riva 1200 (2)
Skoda Estelle
Nissan Sunny
Ford Orion
Ford Focus
Ford C Max
Skoda Octavia
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In chronological order from 1953:
MGTC
MGTC
Alvis (pre-war)
MGTD
Landrover
Austin 7 (prewar)
Volkswagen Beetle
2CV Citroen
Sunbeam Alpine sports
Volvo P1800
Morris Minor Traveller
Ford Fairline
Ami6 Citroen
Renault 4
Mini
Triumph Spitfire
2CV Citroen
Renault 5
Autosleepers motor caravan, on Bedford chassis
Renault 5
MGBGT
Mitsubishi Colt
Mitsubishi Colt
MGtf
Fiat Punto
Mitsubishi Colt
Skoda Fabia
Hyundai i30
Hyundai i10 (current)
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>>Velosolex
Good God! My French company tried top sell these into Malaya (as was) just as Jap mopeds were beginning to sell in shiploads. It failed and had to offer the whole consignment to its own staff at about £20 each but got no takers.
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As near as I can jot down in a few minutes....
Citroen 18
Land Rover 6
VW 6
Audi 5
Rover 5
Triumph 4
Ford 4
Vauxhall 4
Renault 4
Saab 3
Alfa 2
Fiat 2
Toyota 1
Lancia 1
Mini (old) 1
Volvo 1
Subaru 1
Daihatsu 1
Wolseley 1
Must be a few missing as the total is a bit low.
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I have not had many since 2007.
Ford x 3
Vauxhall x1
Fiat x1
My dads not had many either (since 1971)
Morris X 2 (minors)
Austin x2 (minis)
Ford X3 (2 Fiestas, 1 Escort)
Lada X2 (Rivas)
Fiat X1 (Punto SX)
Nothing exciting at all.
Last edited by: RattleandSmoke on Fri 31 May 13 at 12:25
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Blimey Fenderlander, howl comes you've had all them!
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4 Wheels:
Mk 1 Escort 1300GT with arches and all the rally wanabee kit. Rotten and wrapped round lampost.
Mk 1 Escort 1300L with unbent bits incuding 1600 pushrod transplanted therin.
Mk 1 1600 GT Capri in black
MK2 2Ltr JPS Capri
Opel Ascona 2Ltr
MK2 Ford Granada Injection
Mk2 Ford Fiesta XR2 X 2
2 Ltr Sierra Sapphire Ghia
MK2 RS2000 Custom (sold to fund rallying - only car I've made money on)
Talbot Sunbeam Ti rolling rally car shell
Talbot Sunbeam Ti MOT failure (rotten) to build above but abandoned and sold in favour of:
Mk2 2Ltr Pinto Escort Rally Car
Mk2 Vauxhall Astra GTE 16V Rally Car
MkIV 2Ltr Cortina Estate (Service Barge)
MkIV 2Ltr Cortina GT(?) write off. Bought it for the back axle for above and cylinder head
2.8 4X4 Sierra Ghia Estate(Better Service Barge)
FSO something or other [temporary stand in for some reason I cant remember :( ]
Peugot 405 Estate [Kids born and end of rallying :( ]
Peugot 406 Executive Estate
Hyundai Sante Fe
Kia Sorento
Kia Ceed SW3
2 Wheels:
Triumph Tiger Cubs X 2 (trying to make one good one)
BSA C15 Cafe Racer
Suzuki GT350 (Then got into 4 wheels)
Yamaha Fazer 600 (Born again biker)
Triumph 1050 Sprint. Still in stable along with:
FJR 1300
Mrs FC:
Simca 1100
Mk1 Escort
Avenger Estate (cracking car in deep snow that the XR2s wouldn't move in)
Talbot Sunbeam
MK1 Fiesta 1.1 Ghia
Peugot 306
Mk2 Focus 1.6 petrol saloon
Mk2 Focus 1.6 petrol estate
First time I've really sat down and compiled a list. No wonder I have so many Haynes manuals in the garage :)
Last edited by: Fullchat on Sat 1 Jun 13 at 00:09
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>> Avenger Estate (cracking car in deep snow that the XR2s wouldn't move in)
Some would say, thats's impossible.
'RWD's are useless in the snow, FWD is the only way....'
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Q winter tyre thread.
Skinny tyres on Avenger against fat tyres on XR2 which just created a big lump of snow infront.
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Some would say, thats's impossible.
'RWD's are useless in the snow, FWD is the only way....'
As a broad generalisation, that is true, but it's not the be all and end all. The original Mini acquired a reputation as a good car in snow, but the crucial point is the weight distribution. The Mini engine is all iron, and directly over the driven wheels.
Rear wheel drive estates are often better than the equivalent saloon simply because they are heavier at the back.
Likewise, the width of the tyre counts. Nice narrow tyres are the way to go in the snow, not for nothing do the rally boys speak of putting bicycle tyres on cars in the snow.
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Since passing my test in 1998, around 30 Citroens, a BMW, a Peugeot and a Rover.
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>>>Blimey Fenderlander, howl comes you've had all them!
Well we've certainly had a go at a few over the years, that list is self and Mrs F which seems a reasonable way to add it up as we've been together since we both started driving and often have just taken the one on the end of the drive rather than my car or her car.
Wasn't ignoring you BTW, new "retirement job" using quite a lot of time these days.
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>> new "retirement job" using quite a lot of time these days.<<
I'm having that problem too!
Pat
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>> new "retirement job" using quite a lot of time these days
Best of luck with it F/L - I could do with one myself ;)
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Thanks Dog. It's a very modest self-employed endeavor related to "collectables" in the broadest of senses. Couple of outings a week, bit of researching, refurbing, some interest in handling/using the things in the time they're here and no great stress to meet any time or effort targets.
Interestingly some of the most keenly sought items I've noticed in my dealings are the bits associated with railways which Zero's pals seem to compete for with great enthusiasm.
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How many marques have you owned? - Bromptonaut
