Other cars.....dare I say it here....

I've has some really good performing cars £ for £. As a matter of conscience prior to splashing out on my 911 (though my mind was already made up!), I drove a few cars to see if I could satisfy my lust with something "more affordable". I haven't had that many cars, in an unimpressive order, a 1.3 Escort, a 16V Astra GTE (loved it), 16V Calibra which was a heavy disappointment after the GTE, a T-Bar Toyota MR2 which was fantastic and faultless and then a import Toyota MR2 Turbo rev 3 in black. It cost me six grand as the first UK owner and £ for £ I don't think you could buy a faster car! Awesome fun but a little skittish, no tration control or ABS. I then bought my first Porsche, a 2.5lt Boxster. The handling was undoutably better but it wasn't any quicker than the turbo. I then took on my current C4S which satisfies everything I have ever wanted but the devil reliably informs me there is better out there.....GT3's capture my imagination.. Anyway, the point of this thread is that on the way to my latest car I tried a Audi TT 3.2 Quattro & found it very capable but sterile. A Nissan 350Z which I found cheap and guttless and not an image I wanted. I had test driven a few 911 996's and a Cayman which I found like a more powerful hardtopped Boxster but very good nonetheless. I tried the latest BMW Z4 thing, can't remember what it was (M6 I think)and a Merc AMG SLK, seven gears quite striking to look at but no where near the handling of a Porsche. I finally tried the car I'd have bought if I could'nt have afforded the 911 which was the Honda S2000. I was so impressed with the revvy power delivery and the sharp handling. A very tidy package throughout. They are reliable too and aftersales which would seemingly put ours to shame. I have never been interested in Astons/Ferrari's etc having desired a Porsche since I was a small kid. A sad but honest admission is I remember seeing my first black 911 in a spoof superhero film called Condorman starring Gene Wilder! Anyway coming from quite a poor background I never thought I'd have one, now I'm living the dream . I just wondered what "other cars" folk here in the know favoured before reaching the end of their search for perfection.

several bmw m3`s before the 996c4 and finally ,my dream-the superbly handling beautiful atlas grey cayman s[ ]

Here's what led me to my 996. Wish I had some of them now: 1965 Vauxhall Viva Van HA 1967 Vauxhall Viva HB 1968 Vauxhall Viva HB 1965 Ford Cortina GT 1966 Ford Cortina GT 1965 Mini Cooper S 1968 Lotus Cortina Mk II 1969 Mini Cooper S 1970 Lancia Fulvia 1.3 Rallye S 1969 Ford Cortina 1600E 1968 Mini 1000 1966 MGCGT 1973 Ford Capri Ghia 2.0 1974 Fiat 132S 1969 Triumph TR6 1979 Ford RS 2000 1983 Vauxhall Astra GTE 1985 Audi 90 Quattro 1989 Audi 90 Quattro 1992 Audi S2 Coupe 1997 Audi A4 2.8 Quattro Avant 2001 Subaru Imprezza WRX 1994 Porsche 993 C2 Tip S 1998 Porsche 996 C2 Tip 1947 MG YA 1997 Mini Cooper 1990 Mercedes E280 Estate 1998 Ford Galaxy Ultima Yes, that really does say Viva Van!

The more interesting ones I've had include:- - Ford Escort MKII RS2000 (rear wheel drive, droop-snoot) - Clan Crusader (Plastic Imp-engined 70's sports car) - Matra-Simca Bagheera (mid engined, 3-seat abreast, French pseudo-sports car) - Opel Manta (Type A; original 1973 model) - Triumph Spitfire, - Toyota Corolla 1600GT (fwd, twin cam 16v) - Audi Coupe Quattro - Toyota Celica GT4 (4wd turbo) - Subaru Imprezza - Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo Got to say the 911 is all I dreamed of. No more turbo lag to live with, and after one year it looks like its only depreciated about £1.5K - much less than many of the above.

Oh come on guys - let's have the embarassing ones as well! Warts and all, eh!

Starting in 1989... 1982 Triumph Acclaim HLS 1986 MG Metro 1988 MG Maestro 2.0 1990 Rover Metro 1.1S 1986 Peugeot 205 GTi 1.6 1995 Ford Probe 16v 1996 Volkswagen Golf GTi 1996 Saab 900iS Coupe 2000 Mercedes C320 Avantgarde 2001 Jaguar X-Type 2.5SE 2004 Mercedes CLK 240 Avatgarde 1986 Porsche 944 lux 2001 996 Carrera 4 (current) 2000 BMW 523i SE (current) Well, you did say you wanted the embarrasing ones!

´69 Mini 1000 ´66 Mini Cooper s ´74 Mini 1275GT ´75 Allegro 1750 sport ´76 Lancia Beta Coupe Then the company cars, 1977 - 1997:- Marina 1300 Marina 1300 Ital 1700 Princess 2000 Vectra 1600 Sierra 1600 Vectra 2000SRi Sierra 2000 Ghia BMW 318i BMW320i Mondeo 2.0 Ghia Then back to my own cars.- ´96 Mondeo 2.5 Ghia ´96 Merc C230 Est ´00 Merc E280 Est ´03 BMW 330d Sport Tourer ´53 Merc E270 Est ´05 Volvo XC90 (until she dies) Toys: ´77-07 Triumph TR6 (1972) ´07- 996 C2 (1998) and I love it The love affair had a small glitch this morning when I squeezed my large 6ft 5in frame into the back seat to clean the rear window for the first time, and got cramp !! Still been for a drive since and forgiven her

This is excellent! Vauxhall Vivas, Triumph Acclaims, Austin All-agros - my goodness, we have had some exotic machinery! Keep 'em coming guys!

Uni years - 1986 Breadvan Polo (Gearbox died) 96-98 F reg Ford Escort 1.6S (white, wing, alloys, woohoo!) 98-99 M reg BMW 318iS (First big accident, followed shortly by.....) 99-01 T reg BMW 318iS (Friday car so dealer gave me a superb deal on.....) 01-03 Y reg BMW 325Ci (Quick but no sports car so.....) 02-03 R reg Lotus Elise S1 (Go-kart - flimsy, so.....) 03- X reg 996 C4 Cabriolet (only ever to be swapped for a GT3) 04-05 R reg Polo 16v (Town car - well you wouldn't want to park your 911 in dodgy north London) 05- X reg Audi Allroad (high mileage Q-car for work - 123k so far)

Hi Matthew. Well. it certainly makes me feel a bit more comfortable seeing what cars other people have had! (I think that I read a post the other day where a guy had gone from a 911 to an Aston Martin to a Lambo and then back to a 911 - and why not, as Barry Norman used to say!) Anyway, my form, previous, history, past, etc. is as follows: 1989 Citroen 2CV (602 cc, air-cooled, flat 2) One word: WOW! Cost me £50, had no floor so I had to weld one in. Took me all over the UK - at snails pace. Blinding!! 1991 Citroen Acadiane (Diane - but a van version) Left hooker. (602 cc, air cooled, flat 2) Did 'things' in the back of this. It was red and I got it from Southend and drove it all the way back to South Wales in drifting snow. I think the journey took me about 9 hours. Thin tyres cut through the snow though! Now I come to think of it, it was the first time I'd driven a left hand drive car, which was only capable of 65 mph - in drifting snow, on the M25! Isn't it funny how you're not afraid of anything when you're young(er)?! 1994 Citroen ZX 1905 Diesel - naturally aspirated, NO turbo. Ok. We're talking REAL luxury now, heaters that work, speakers for the radio in the back, sunroof, you name it! She's now done 155,000 miles and is going strong, never missed a beat! No, really. It's on the drive outside my house now! 2004 VW Passat 1.9 Turbo Diesel 'Sport' (NEVER forget the 'Sport' bit!!). This was like driving a small rocket compared to any other car I'd had - and it did 50 mpg! 2005 (Current) Porsche 996 C2 (MY 2003). Quite possibly the MOST expensive and MOST disappointing car I'll ever have! ONLY JOKING!! I won't bother going on about it - you know how mad they are. I spotted a red one on a petrol station forecourt in Norfolk in 1983 when I was about 12 and asked my Dad what it was. The rest is hysteria. It's quite embarrassing looking back over my list - but hopefully it will act as some sort of CBT or therapy?! Cheers! Adrian. P.S. I hereby challenge anyone to beat my 2CV with no floor, a leaky roof and a price tag of £50 (cash) - or less! Come on! Let's keep it real, Man!

Right Here are mine, from 1984 Hillman Avenger 1.6 (In pink!) Ford Cortina 1.6 Mk4 Ford Cortina 1.6GL MK5 Ford Escort XR3i Peugeot 309 gti (In Black) Peugeot 309 gti (In White) Peugeot 309 gti (Red facelift) Renault 19 16v Alfa Romeo 145 Cloverleaf (You have to have an Alfa to be a real driver!!) Subaru Impreza UK turbo Subaru Impreza RB5 Subaru Impreza UK300 Subaru Impreza Sti8 Prodrive Honda S2000 Porsche 996 C2 (Ford Ka as a second drive - Now for sale - Any Takers?) Along with Current company car (Vauxhall Vectra - Truly an awful car. In fact probably the wrost car i have ever had) soon to be an Audi A3 Sport back Oh and i still own the Porsche of course [ ]

My ownership started in 1987: Fiat Uno ~1.2 - Blue VW Golf 1.6CL - Metallic Blue - Stolen! VW Golf 1.6CL - Metallic Brown/ Champagne - Re-registered when I moved to England (not my idea!) MG Midget - Red (1965 with wire wheels) - 1st three weeks loan when I moved to the Caribbean - pedals so hot they cooked my feet, even through shoes! Daihatsu Charade 1.0 (Flat 3 cylinder) - Blue - Caribbean reality check - especially until a/c was fitted vinyl seats were interesting! Great engine for what it was. Suzuki Swift 1.3 - Red - Still in Caribbean - Knight Rider style turbo thrust facility (switch off a/c for steep hills!!) VW Golf GTi 2.0 - Metallic Black - 1996 model - return to UK - I hadn't realised the GTi badge had become a joke! Audi A4 2.0 Sport - Silver - 2001 model - my first (and only) new car - best car seats to date. Audi TT 225 - Almuret (?) Red - fantastic when it worked - rotten experience with Audi when I found out after a year that it had been crashed and improperly repaired despite being owned by their sales staff! BMW 330D Touring - Metallic Black - my first auto - superb car all round & BMW service the best I have yet experienced. 996 Targa - Silver - 2003 model - a bit quick after the automatic! Peter

I started out in 91 with my first car here is my list. Golf 1.1 85 Peugeot 205 1.6 GTI 88 Peugeot 205 1.6 GTI 91 Citreon 2cv (had no money after spending several months travelling brilliant car) VW Corrado VRG 2.9 95 (so quick after a 2CV) VW Golf 1.8T 2003 Caterham super 7 2001 Now own Porsche 996 C4 1998 (for fun) - Renault Clio 2005 (every day car)

Adrian, it was the fellow with the Aston, Bentley etc that inspired me to start this. I feel so much more at home now reassured that I am not the impoverished peasant to drive lesser cars in the club! This next bit may cause the eyes of some to glaze over; are there any Porsche driving bikers out there? I found some of the cars driven by the "more senior" members of the club to be fasinating. Be great to hear of some classic bikes as well as newer ones! Heres my bikes past and present; Kawasaki AR125- 1992 sees CBT, "L" plates and test past. Kawaski KR1S - 250cc- 2 stroke madness at 130mph & lucky to survive this one! Suzuki RGV 250M- As above.... Suzuki RGV P - Insaine again........ Kawasaki ZXR 400- Intro to track at Cadwell Park 1995 Performance Bikes Frenzy. Suzuki GP100 (Work hack) Kawasaki ZX6R G2 Yamaha YZF R6 Then it got all a bit silly, all at the same time....... Kawasaki ZX636R B1H Kawasaki ZX636R B1H track bike Aprilia RS 250 trackbike MY2000 Aprilia RS 250 MY2000 Kawasaki ZXR400 Then slowly settled down to my current bikes with the introduction of my Boxster & finally C4S to; Kawasaki ZX636R B1H (retained track bike) Aprilia SR50 (work hack, recently sold) Kawasaki ZX636R CF '06 Suzuki DRZ 400, my first trail bike to get down and dirty on, wonder if it was inspired by 4 wheel drive?...........needless to say I like my bikes!

I had a Raleigh Grifter when I was a kid.......

I had a Suzuki TS 125 trail bike when I was 13. My Dad got it for me to ride off road as he thought that it would "get it out of my system" and as a result I wouldn't want a bike for the road later on. It worked but now, at 72 years old, he wants me to stop messing about with Porsches and do my test and join him on his Honda Deville(?) which I think is 600 or 700 cc. My older brother had a Yamaha YZ 125 (Motocross) which, frankly, was as mad as a box of frogs. It had a power band and behaved more like a 500cc! I couldn't get anywhere near touching the floor on it - it was so high up. I used to dream of owning Suzuki RM 125 or 250 - "it would have been a palace to uz!!" My Dad is 72, not me.

And I bet it was called Kermit! Adrian, you are WAY out in the lead at the moment. The only think I can think of that would top that would be a Trabant, or an Isetta, or .............

Hi Richard. (I can't really believe I'm discussing this here but...). My mate Robin and I were really into the Woodstock Festival at the time and were (and still are) big C,S,N & Y fans. Apparently, one of the stage announcers at the festival was called Stan Cohen. We subsequently ended up calling the car Stan after him. (Stan Cohen - Cit-ro-en) I'll get my coat.

Richard I will come to the rescue! I had a three wheel BMW Issetta Bubble car when I was 16yrs old. Two wheels at the front - one at the rear driven off a 300cc motorcycle engine. In those days (1967) you could drive a 3 wheeler on a motorcycle licence so long as it didn't have reverse gear - or so I thought! I spent ages devising a method of disabling reverse gear and was very proud to drive my little car. I soon found out from plod that the law had recently changed and I could indeed use the reverse gear!!! All that time and ingenuity wasted! Ah well...! I had some great fun in that little bubble car. I remember once coming out of Manchester around north Salford area about 1am when all of a sudden I got a puncture in the rear tyre. I didn't have a spare either and it was in the day's pre of pre mobiles and not that many telephones about!! It was too late to try and find a BT phone so my pal and I settled down for a cold night ahead. Good job we were hardened northerners!! We had only been there about 15 mins when we both heard this instantly recognisable sound of another bubble car engine coming up the road behind us! What were the chances of that!!! We flagged him down and he took pity on these two kids - he leant us his spare and we even used his tools too. 30 mins later we were on our way!! As for nooky in the little beast - well that's another story.....!!!!!

Here's mine '93 E [88] Seat Ibiza 1.5 GLX "System Porsche" lol! (nearest I thought I was getting to one!) '94 F [89] Pug 309 1.6 '95 E [88] Pug 309 1.9 GTI '97 K [93] Renault 19 1.4 '98 J [92] Alpha 33 1.7 Cloverleaf Permamant 4 '00 M [94] Pug 306 1.4RL '02 G [90] Escort RS Turbo S2 '04 J [92] Toyota Celice GT4 "Carlos Sainz" '07 V [99] Porsche 996 C4 Cab TipS - childhood dream come true.....as for most of us I guess Some happy days motoring in that lot!........ David

Great post Richard. Here are some of mine... 1983-87 1972 BMW 2002 (rust bucket but I loved it) 1987-88 1980 BMW 316 1988-89 2 Ford Sierra 1.6L's 1989-90 Austin Maestro 1.6L (I was 23 at the time and absolutely hated it) 1990-91 2 Peugeot 405 1.6GL's 1991-92 Cavalier 2.0GLi 1993 Cavalier SRi 1994-95 Mondeo 1.6 1995-96 Rover 620Si 1997-99 Escort Si (great fun) 1999-01 VW Golf GTi 1999 1974 911 2.7S (it had been abused and I got rid fast) 2000-02 1991 964 C2 cab (also not a v good one, but great car) 2001-03 collection of Jeeps/Shoguns & other cheap cars 2003-04 Merc 270 CLK 2005-present 1998 996 C2 2005-present 2003 Impreza WRX tuned (significantly quicker than the 996) 2006-present Cayenne S (it gets better the faster you drive it) Unfortunately I think that the 996 will be going shortly, but it has been a great experience. It is my favourite of all the cars, although I have to say that the Impreza runs it fairly close.

From 1974 onwards to date here they are Daf 33 (6 volt battery, variomatic drive belts) Hillman Avenger (caribbean blue with black vinyl roof and go faster stripes!) Toyota Corolla 2 door Toyota Corolla 4 door Toyota Corolla 5 door Audi Avant Audi coupe Landrover Series 3 + BMW Z3 2.8 Discovery mk 2 + TVR Chimaera Discovery mk 2 + TVR Tuscan red rose spec Discovery Mk 3 + Porsche 911 Carrera 4 cab (current)

Starting in 1988: 1974 (M) Triumph Dolomite Sprint (Rust brown colour - engine blew in 2 weeks, fixed and ran for 18 more months). 1978 (S) Triumph Dolomite Sprint (British Racing Green - engine went after 12 months, didn't bother fixing it) 1982 (B) Ford Capri 1600 Laser 1990 BMW 3 Series 1995 Another BMW 3 Series (Yawn) 1998 Yet another 3 Series, but with as many toys as possible 2002 Porsche Boxster 2.7 2005 Porsche Boxster S 2005 Volvo V50SE

Oh dear, Richard ... you wanted the full list ... from learing to drive in 1980 ... here it goes 1967 Moris 1100 (sort of creamy whitish rusty colour) 1973 Renault 12 1978 Citroen GS (the yellow banana!) 1976 VW Golf 1100 (Mk1 of course - also yellow) 1978 Matra-Simca Bagheera (mid engined, 3-seat abreast, French pseudo-sports car) 1976 Ford Escort MKII RS2000 (rear wheel drive, droop-snoot - orange) 1972 Clan Crusader (Plastic Imp-engined 70's sports car - red) 1973 Opel Manta (Type A; original 1973 model - red) 1976 Ford Transit (purchased for £250 to be useful for moving house / setting up new home and rebuilding engine on Manta, sold 9 months later for £300!) 1974 Triumph Spitfire 1300 (red / black roof - fun car for honeymoon in south of france) 1978 Fiesta 950 (with towbar and caravan that I almost got stuck at the bottom of the dartford tunnel because it only just had enough power in 1st gear to get up the slope on the exit!) 1980 Vauxhall Cavalier Sports hatch (automatic, yuk!) 1985 Ford Escort MKIII Cabrolet 1976 Mini 1000 1986 Toyota Corolla 1600GT (fwd, twin cam 16v) 1986 Audi Coupe Quattro (5cyl, 4wd, but non-turbo charged - stolen and wrecked) 1993 VW Golf GTI (MK3 - 2.0l) 1991 Toyota Celica GT4 (4wd turbo) 1996 Subaru Imprezza Turbo (sportshatch) 1996 Jeep Grand Cherokee (6cyl, 4.0l) 2002 VW Golf (MK4) TDI 130bhp (only car bought new - now done 95,000 miles!) 2000 Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo (5cyl, 220bhp) 2000 Porsche 996 C2. BTW: My vote for most embarrassing car goes to Julie's Daf 33. My dad had one of those (briefly) and it was truely basic.

Yep, I reckon it's a tie between Julie and Adrian at the moment, but the caravan element of that combo gets you close to the top 3 (or should that be bottom 3).

I had an s2000 for 3 years before I bought the Porker, it was a great car.

Yep, Condor Man was responsible for my Porsche yearnings, too. I've had some chronic cars, but some fun ones. Sorry about long list of crud. We were poor! '79 Mini 1000. Pushed it further than I drove it. borrowed dad's Volve 340... the girls loved it. Not! '75 Beetle. never saw the road. hateful thing. '84 Mini 1000 25th aniversary. still in my shed rotting away. '80ish Fiesta 1.1 van made into a car. every panel bent including the roof. but great fun. '80ish Fiesta 1.1 car. rubbish! '84 Fiesta 1.1 25k miles. no wonder. it was horrid to drive. '86 Fiesta XR2. rust mobile but first taste of sporty motoring. '65 Morris Cooper. sold on eBay after 7 yrs ownership and regretted deeply ever since. '88 mk2 Golf GTi... the start of a slippery slope. '88 mk2 GolfGTi with lots of mods... money pit! '90 mk2 Golf with 2.8 VR6 engine.... 150mph and sounds fantastic. Still have in bits in garage. '90 VW Polo 1.1. £40 so can't really complain. '95 Mk3 Golf GTi... slooooooooooooooooooooooooow! '82 mk1Golf 1.6. great! '83 mk1 Golf 1.3 still got in garage awaiting a 20vT motor. '95 Corsa... first and last Vauxhall! '83 mk1 Golf 1.8 GTi '02 Lotus Elise 120... still hard to beat this budget racecar... but drove it under a truck! '54 Lotus Elise 180...frighteningly fast and flimsy. '04 Renault Megane 1.9 DCi.... La French Sh1t! '95 993.... not before time! off to look at a 1979 mk1 Golf GTi tomorrow... will I never learn? mik

Richard - you fail me!!! My beloved bubble car must surely win!! See post above. After I rolled it (after 1 week of ownership - I decided that it needed sprucing up so I put a full size black racing circle on teh side with a ver large number 5 in the middle. I have no idea why I chose that number - but hell - I had some fun in tat little car. Wish I still had it. [:-]

Sorry Peter, you are on the list! My brother had one too - bright yellow, and a death trap! My bottom 5 so far (in no particular order, as they say): DAF33 Citroen 2CV Ford Fiesta Mk 1 (wouldn't normally qualify, but the caravan combo gives it the edge) BMW Isetta (rolled, even better) Viva Van (I have to admit, it was cr*p) Sooner or later we might have to vote on it, maybe after another page or so - I'm sure there are more skeletons in the cupboard. Come on guys and gals - own up!

RE my Daf 33 i should point out that for the first 6 months i thought the red button was the hazard warning lights (far too sophisticated for that car) it was in fact the low ratio hold button which i found out when my brakes failed going down hill!! It wasn't much use for that either!

Grifter XL here "¦

Lambretta Li150 Triumph 1500 Austin Healey Sprite Mk111 Audi 80 Auto ! Lancia Fulvia Dolomite Sprint Ford Corsair V4 Lancia Delta 1300 MG Maestro BMW 320 Austin Maestro 1300 [&:] (company car ) Austin Montego Countryman diesel Estate [:'(][:'(][:'(] ( co. car ) Various Peugeot diesels 309 , 405 , 406 company cars Renault Espace ( co. car ) MG Midget ( 1340cc and 2" SU's ) Porsche 914 Alfa 155 V6 Mk I Golf GTi Porsche 914/6 * Jeep Grand Cherokee ( co. car) Porsche 914 * Alfa 155 2.0 Porsche 944 Porsche 944 Turbo lhd Landrover Freelander ( co. car ) Alfa 155 2.0 Ford Sierra Sapphire RS Cosworth Porsche 944 Turbo Porsche 944 ( same car as before - bought it back ! ) Alfa 155 2.0 * Porsche 944 Turbo 302bhp Porsche 911 Targa 1970 * Mercedes ML 270 * ( co. car ) * still got these ! I'm sure i've missed a few

Excuse the rubbish photochop:

1968 Hillman Hunter 1970 3.4 Mk2 Jaguar 1972 MGB Rodster 1973 Lotus Europa Big Valve Special JPS Company Cars 1976 Fiat Mirafiori 1978 - 1989 Vauxhall Cavalier L x 3; Cavalier CD x 1 1990 BMW 520 1994 BMW 320 1997 BMW 325 2001 BMW 330 Tourer Retired 2004 Porsche 996 C2 The Lotus was great but required a lot of tlc ! Picture attached hopefully.

Thats cool Richard great collage. My Bubble car also had the large hoop style chrome bumpers (fenders to our colonial cousins) either side at the front. Now that we are chatting about it - I find that I really miss the little chap. I bet the wife would execute me if I bought one now. Certainly she wouldn't get in it !!

Whilst I am here I nearly forgot that I also had a 1970 Lotus Europa S2 - the one with the Renault engine. It broke down so often, that in the end I was so proficient in getting out the engine and gearbox that I could do the job in 1hr 20mins!! And that was including dismantling the back suspension that pivoted on the gearbox!! I took the little beast off the road to fully restore it (new front end, re-gel coat all over, retrim etc etc) so I need another car. I was a hard up sailor in those days (1985) and I managed to find myself the perfect run around in a 1968 Renault 4 "" it had a 6v electric system. What a comfy and fun car that was. I juts loved the dash board gear stick. I had it for 6mths until MOT time when it failed due to severe tin worm. I sold it to the local breakers for £30 scrap. The Lotus was still being rebuilt so I needed another car. Next was an Austin A40 which I was given that was even taxed and MOT'd. They couldn't get it started and wanted rid of it. All it needed was a set of points. Free motoring for 3 months and then £40 in my pocket from the scrap yard when the Lotus was back!! Hey up!!! Those were the days eh!!

What a great thread, my cars were: Renault 18 (My Dad owned a Renault Garage) Renault Feugo Renault Feugo Turbo Vauxhall Calibra 16v Audi TT 2.2 Coupe Before my 996 I looked at all the cars you did and they all had good and bad sides, the S2000 was superb for handling but I prefer more torque to high revs. By the way, I know what you mean about Condorman with the black 911's, but it was our own Michael Crawford not Gene Wilder! Alex

I too had an RS 2000 in 1979, black - it was a hoot. Des

2004 Porsche Boxster 2.5 Tiptronic (MY '98) 2006 Porsche 996 C4 Cab' Tiptronic (MY '02) 2008 Porsche 996 GT3 MKII (MY '04) I do like my Pork![8D]

Alexoctagon, Yep, its been pointed out to me it was our own Michael Crawford, someone kindly attached some footage of Condorman. I thought when I started this thread everyone would think I was stark raving mad and never heard of Condorman, how wrong I was! I remember the Renualt Feugo, it looked very similar to a current Mazda with a large glass hatch, I really liked the look of those cars when I was younger they looked well ahead of their time, cheers.

Rodney, you must have had some veg before your pork? Be surprised if your first car was a porsche!

I'm a bit of a spanner only getting my license when I was 27! So yes no veg for me!

Seamus My father had a lotus Europa JPS special, spent a lot of time having work done on it but a very quick car in its day, he ended up selling it to a guy who exported it to Japan. Seeing your picture brought back some memories. He had a few lotuses then my mother conveinced him to buy a 911. Phil

Philippe, I was looking for an Elan Sprint at the time as it was the best handling 2 seater of the day. Went to the Lotus dealer in Norwich who had various Elans but no Sprint available. We got talking and he asked me if I had considered the Europa which I had not really thought about. Turned out he had a brand new Europa "out the back" which they had built from a kit for a customer who had written off his car. By building the kit they had technically broken the law as the tax benefits only applied to an individual not a garage ! As it happened the guy who they had built it for was unable to get insurance at a reasonable rate so they wanted to move the car ASAP. A fully built Europa from Lotus sold for around £2,700 but we did a deal on the car for £2,100. I sold it several years later to Hendon Way Motors for £2,300. Best deal I have ever done on a car. Was based at RAF Marham in those days where Lotus was the most popular sports car among the single officers. There was usually at least one car at any point in time being rebuilt at the Hethal factory; indeed we were such good customers of Lotus that Colin Chapman used to send us Christmas cards. Happy days!

Here's mine then, 75 - 1963 VW 1200 Beetle 77 - 1971 VW 1300 Beetle 79 - 1973 Audi 80 Blue 81 - 1977 Audi 80 Brown Metalic! 82 - 1979 Ford Cortina (needed a reliable rep mobile as I was now on the road with my job!) Company Cars 83 - 1983 Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6 86 - 1986 Vauxhall Cavilier 1.8 88- 1987 Vauxhall SRi (Changed companies) 88 - 1987 BMW 318i 89 - 1989 Peugueot 405 SRi 91 - 1990 Cavalier 2.0 CDi (Changed companies) 92 - 1992 BMW 518i 93 - 1992 BMW 318is (changed companies) 95 - 1994 BMW 320 saloon (changed companies) 96 - 1996 BMW 323i Coupe Came out of car scheme 99 - 1999 BMW 328i Coupe 01 - 2001 BMW 540i Sport Saloon 06 - 2005 BMW X5 4.4i Sport Porsches all 911's 1993 - 1984 3.2 Carrera Sport (realised the dream, loved it!) 1998 - 1985 3.3 Turbo (animal!) 2000 - 1993 3.6 Turbo (Awesome!) 2002 - 2002 3.6 996 Carrera - still got it today, cost a fortune and is quite unique!

Seamus That is interesting nice to hear you made profit on the Europa, spoke to my father last night he informed me that his Europa was no 22. Can you remember which one yours was? Phil

This is a brilliant thread wish I had found it earlier, made me try and remember what I have driven in the past, I remember with great shame my parents had a robin reliant, red it was and I hated it then as a little kid!! Since then they had a vauxhall viva , and a chrysler simca (yuk, bet you lot don't know what they were!) but after a brief time with a Morris Marina they saw sense and bought a vw passatt which I thought was rather cool, I learnt to drive in it, the training of hardly being tall enough to see out the rear view mirror was great training for the club sports seats!! Then the shameful list of my cars, well first car ever a ford fiesta 950cc in undercoat grey/purple colour, then we thought we really went upmarket with a peugeot 309, followed by a pug 405, then the start of genius a golf gti 1.9 16v in black, no power steering (really loved that one) then a volvo 850 T5, went rather fast, got pinched off the drive early on and police chased but couldn't keep up! It had a tracker, but they ripped the inside trim out and got rid of that! so werent caught[:'(] It was mended and kept despite regularly being broken into, was a ram raiders car apparently. Had that for 10 years, really ran it into the ground, did 137,000 miles but I refused to travel in it abroad anymore as the air con broke and would have cost more that the car was worth to fix!!, My husband has always wanted a porsche since being a little kid, it has been his dream, apparently he used to take photos of them with his camera whilst on holiday! So when he gave me the choice of a conservatory or a Porsche (and we had tragically lost a friend recently) I thought it was about time he had his dream car. So the first Porsche 996 C2 in Arena red was bought (mind you I was eyeing up Jenson Buttons Ferrari road car that was also for sale as I have a soft spot for the Italian cars, yes I know not practical!!) We then replaced the Volvo with lexus 400 hybrid, great car, carries everything so lazy to drive, automatic everything, lights wipers, gears etc. Recently we went to Ragley and my hubbie asked the local Porsche dealership what the wait was for a GT3 was and was told they had closed the order book, well that was like a red rag to a bull, websites were searched and before I knew it the GT3 was sitting proudly on our drive and I had a very big smile on my face! (didn't realise that driving a car could give you such a big smile!!!) So guys sorry for rambling but you have really made me quite nostalgic!!!

Hi Jan. The Robin would definitely have got you on the list for the bottom 5 if it had been your own. Sorry. [ ][ ]

1988 - 1986 Vauxhall Nova 1.0 base model. 1990 - 1990 Vauxhall Nova 1.4 SR. 1996 - 1993 Mk3 Golf GTI 1997 - 1993 Mk3 Golf GTI & 1993 Honda Fireblade 1998 - 1993 Mk3 Golf GTI, 1993 Honda Fireblade & 1986 Ford XR2 (track toy) 1999 - 1999 Honda Integra Type-R & 1993 Honda Fireblade 2001 early - 2001 Audi S3 quattro. 2001 later - 2001 Audi S3 quattro & 1996 Mk3 Golf GTI 16v Anniversary 2004 - 2004 Carrera 4S & 1996 Mk3 Golf GTI 16v Anniversary 2007 - 2004 Carrera 4S, 1996 Mk3 Golf GTI 16v Anniversary & 2007 Skoda Fabia vRS SE ...and there is only one of me driving them. No plans to change...as the inevitable 'big mortgage' hit a few years ago...but I'm tempted by the new Nissan GTR. Glen.