The Car and Bike list.

Like lists? This is, I think, every car and bike I have ever bought or had given to me by a company. My own pictures are few and far between unfortunately, but I've added them where I can and pinched the rest from the internet. There are some cars where I can't bring myself to find or even pinch a picture, like the Vauxhall Cavalier for example which was rusty from day 1 and the brand new Sierra Sapphire which hadn't been pdi'd and wouldn't do over 50mph.

Just for a bit of context I'm 61 now, so the list starts around about 1979/80 when I passed my test in a Fiesta Mk1 after 3 lessons - which if memory serves cost £3 each and which were given to me as a present for my 18th birthday.

OK, lets go.....67 and counting

Lambretta SX150 
Bought for £100 from an old chap in the Semilong area of Northampton who I used to work with at Boots the Chemists, (my Saturday job at the time). He had given up riding it and entrusted his pride and joy, which he had owned since new, to me. Three weeks later it was stolen from the car-park at the College next to the Racecourse in Northampton and never seen again. I didn't have the heart to tell him and every time I saw him after that I told him it was still going well. The only reminder of it is the hand book (below), which I still have.

I still have this handbook for my first ever vehicle - the Lambretta SX that I bought from an old boy who worked at Boots at the top of the market Square in Northampton, where I worked on Saturdays

Servetta Jet 200

A Spanish built Lambretta. Bought from a friend at the time to replace the first one that was stolen. I think I owned this for 2 years or so. It went really well and took me to Yarmouth and back, from Northampton, with no issues. I don't recall who I sold it too, but it went to pay for my share of our bands first single! (see elsewhere on this blog)

Opal Kadette 1.2
Bought from my (then) brother in law. He'd already crashed it about 10 times, so when I did, (in my first and so far only major crash), it fell to bits for good. We had it for three weeks before I did this and hadn't even finished paying for it. It was New Years day in the morning and I hit some black ice in Balmoral Road, Kingsthorpe, Northampton. The back end went up onto the path and put a crack into a chaps bay window, whilst the front end took out his car, which I think was a Morris Traveller. I cant remember when I last saw one. Nice car though and always far more popular on the continent than here - when the obvious GM product of choice in the UK would have been a Viva I guess. Got away with the crash - Police said it wasn't my fault as the road hadn't been gritted and I really was only doing about 15mph.

Ford Cortina Mk1 GT  (1962)

A really early genuine 1500 GT with the rev counter mounted on the steering column and the indicators separate from the front grille, for those of you that know your Cortinas. 

Cost £175 and was as rotten as a pear although it still looked great and went well. Steel Mk1 front wings were non-existent back then and so the O/S one was replaced with a fibre glass replica from Westbourne Mouldings in Leamington (or Warwick?). At that point I had the whole car resprayed by a bloke I worked with. This picture was taken just after the paint job outside my parents house in Yew Tree court, Northampton after dad had helped me change the piston rings. Not because he really wanted to, but because the folks were a bit embarrassed when I pulled up at the house enveloped in clouds of blue smoke. A properly pretty car mind, which eventually went when the clutch packed up and while changing a wheel, the jack went through the rotten nearside sill. 

Triumph Herald 13/60 Convertible 

Cost £200ish. Bought in Earls Barton to replace the Cortina. The doors flew open going round corners because the chassis was twisting. After a while it wouldn't go into fourth gear, so I bought another gearbox from a scrappie and fitted it myself. It could have been even worse, but actually it was ok, thank goodness!

Sold it when the O/S trunnion/vertical link collapsed on the Kettering Road in Northampton which was quite possibly my most embarrassing and dangerous motoring moment to date. I replaced the snapped upright and brass trunnion assembly with one from a scrap yard, which seems ridiculous now but was all I could afford at the time. I never trusted that front suspension after that and am surprised I bought the spitfire that followed it. (I've never had another Triumph with that type of suspension since).

It was pale yellow with lots of rust, but it still managed a trip to Yarmouth and back with the roof down all the way, and once to London and back with three mateson board. Eventually it was written off in Cloustham Street Northampton when an uninsured  drunk driver plowed into it and because it was third party only, that was that.

The Herald 13/60 with special flexible chassis and collapsing front suspension

Triumph Spitfire Mk3  

This replaced the Herald and was ok actually. Cost £500 from some cowboys, sorry, a classic car dealer in Northampton. Had it sprayed once by a bloke who was off his head on' illegal substances' and paint fumes. He got paint everywhere and I didn't have the money on me at the time to pay him, so he sent the boys round, if you see what I mean. Turned out alright in the end though, after they had escorted me to the cash-point and I eventually got most of the paint off the headlamps! Lovely little car though and never let us down. I swapped it in the end for the next car on the list...

Volkswagen Karmann Ghia Coupe  

The square one, not the more valuable and well-known round one. Swapped the Spit for it. Had it off my mate Paul, who took the Spitfire from me. (I'm pretty sure that just before the spit went one of its propshaft UJ joints had gone - which means that I sold my mate a duffer, which still makes me cringe today).This is another one I should have kept! Same as the one in the pic, only pale Blue with a white roof. Looked nice but was no more entertaining to drive than a beetle and oddly it smelled quite a lot of petrol and only seemed to do about 10 miles to the gallon. I didn't have a clue about how to mend it so it went very quickly

MGB GT  

My first MG. I swapped the Karmen Ghia for it at the dealership that the Spitfire came from (I think). The GT was white, non-overdrive  with a black vinyl roof and was the last year of the chrome bumper model so that would be a 1974 M reg I think. No need for a pic of this, you all know what B's look like!

Mini Van 850  

My first company car (Thank you Post Newspapers in Northampton - see elsewhere on this blog). When was the last time you saw one? There can't be many left if they were all flogged like this one and from what I can see, survivors are getting very valuable indeed . Mine was sign-written with 'Post Newspapers' livery. Had it for about a year and drove all over the Midlands in it. Real, proper fun and despite its diminutive size, quite a handy van. 

MGB GT  

Red, cost £1500. Not quite as rusty as the last one. Still had a vinyl roof though. This is the first car that eldest daughter Amy travelled around in, sitting in a baby chair that I had somehow bolted into the rear seat area! (no such thing as isofix in those days). I do like MGBs and there'll be another along later

Escort Van  

This replaced the works mini-van, only it wasn't an Escort Van as such, it was a two door estate with no windows. I can't actually remember what it was called and cant find a picture of one on the web either. I picked it up brand new from Alexanders, the (no longer there) Ford dealer next to the Weston Favell centre in Northampton. It was a petrol 1.4 and actually went like the clappers. I remember going in this to watch the Cobblers at Sincil bank, Lincoln and having a race all the way back with a Mk1 MR2. I think we won both, the football and the race!

Ford Cortina Crusader 2.0L.

After the two vans this was my first company car and the last model of Cortina I believe. It was comfy and went quite well but handled like a bouncy castle. We went to watch local Northampton heroes Bauhaus somewhere in London on 'massive storm night', you know the one, 1988, '89? It aquaplaned on the M1 on the way back and I actually span it. Everyone stayed asleep and I got away with it. It righted itself and 'proceeded in the correct direction' by hitting the central reservation very gently. A lucky escape (just shows you how few cars and lorries there used to be on the motorways in the early hours back then). Very rare now which is remarkable considering how many were made. It was alright, the Cortina.

Peugeot 405 Estate  

This came after the Cortina and I hated it. Not because it was a rubbish car, it wasn't. In fact it went and handled brilliantly. It had a superb chassis which you could steer entirely on the throttle I used to have to do a long early hours of the morning trip around various newspaper wholesalers taking in Reading, London, Chelmsford, Colchester, Cambridge and back to Northampton and on 'A' roads at 3 in the morning this was super entertaining. I think it was made out of cheese though. The dashboard fell to bits, various bits of trim fell off and the bonnet wouldn't open (no need to check the oil then). No wonder you never see them now. A little bit too lightweight for its own good. The reason I hated it - because I was given it with no choice of colour or spec, when everyone else had a choice, and that really annoyed me. Did my best to 'move it on' by driving everywhere in 2nd and 3rd and when that didn't work, stopped using the clutch. That did it.

MG Midget 1500  

Back to my own cars. I swapped the red MGB GT for a 1500 midget. What a stupid thing to do I hear you say and you're quite right.  I have no real or plausible explanation for this. I think I bought it with the deluded idea that I would learn to weld and restore it. Neither of which happened of course. The only car that I have ever bought but never driven. and even if it had been a runner I'd have struggled to drive it (my height you see). Try as I might I cant remember what happened to this one. And what a laughably un-pc name for a car!

My midget was like this, only yellow and very rusty. I never drove it and don't know where it went

Alfasud 1.5 SC  

A lovely car and the first of quite a long line of Alfa's. It was a 'Y' reg and remarkably not rusty at all. I think 'Y' was the last year of the 'Sud and nowadays, many of the survivors you see for sale are from that year (1983?), so perhaps they were specially rust proofed. It drove really well. I bought it in Luton for about £500 I think. The oil light came on on the M1 on the way home from picking it up, but it was just a bit low and never caused a problem again once it had a change and a new filter. Actually kept it for about 6 years which is a bit of a record for me. Survivors are now worth a few bob. Another one I should have kept.

Sierra Sapphire. The Sierra with the boot  

My first brand new company car. I nearly cried. What a load of rubbish. F-reg, same as the one below. I'm very glad there are none of these left. When I picked this up, (again from Alexanders in Northampton), it had a throttle problem they had missed at the non-existent pdi inspection. It wouldn't accelerate or go at more than 50mph. Even when it was fixed it was so, so slow (0-60 in about 14 seconds I think) and made almost entirely from cardboard. A really poor effort by Ford in my opinion and in no way a massive leap forward from the Cortina, but not nearly as bad as what's coming next.

Ford Orion 1.6 LX  

Another completely shit company car. Such a load of rubbish that it pains me to think about it. I thought there was nothing on the road more loathsome than the Sierra but there was, and this was it. I think my company must have hated me. If fact they must have, because I was made redundant whilst this was in my possession, which was probably a blessing because I had to give it back. This was Ford producing cars to the absolute lowest common denominator.

Vauxhall Cavalier 1.6 GLS 

Hmmm, a GLS no less. Slow, but at least I got to choose the colour! My second brand new company car. Rusty tailgate and bonnet from new. (Never, ever spend your own money on a Vauxhall, apart from my daughter Alice, who had a very reasonable Zafira that was only  recalled three times in case it caught fire).

The Cav nearly got nicked once - but it had good locks and they couldn't get it going. Damn! If I'd seen them trying, I'd have given them the keys. They bent the whole of the top of the drivers door frame away from the car - which was the way to do it apparently - which also wrote off the door, which was never the same colour again when it came back. Super slow, but to give it a little due, it was comfy and did cruise the motorways well enough which I guess is what it was intended for. I complained about this car so much that they told me if I didn't shut up they'd make me drive an Astra. So I shut up.

Volvo 240 2.3 GLE estate 

What a great bus. My first automatic and goodness knows how much petrol it used, but it didn't seem to matter in those days. Indestructible and oddly cool! Watch out because I will have another one of these one day, because in my humble opinion, they are still cool and still great value on the classic market.

Loved the Volvo bus - Auto, thirsty and still cool today

Land Rover Series 1's  

Wilma. £400 I think. From Cwmbran. What a brilliant bit of kit. Bought two more for spares, so at one point the back garden had three Landies in it.  Why oh why didn't I keep these - Series 1's are worth a fortune now! Got stuck in a river once and had to be towed out by the local farmer who relieved me of £10 for the pleasure! We've moved from Northampton at this point and these are in the garden in Abersychan, South Wales, surrounded by lots of lovely green laneing hills. The most fun you can have at 5mph (and flat out at 45).

Note the plywood numberplate

Range Rover 3.5 V8  

An early three door V8. How much? Can't remember and I have no idea how it had an MoT either. What a beast. We painted it in Tiger stripes and used to tool around the Welsh Valleys (until the gearbox went and that was that). I have absolutely no idea what happened to it. Perhaps its still stuck at the top of a hill near Pontypool.

Slight delay now while I get divorced and do what any self respecting chap should do under the circumstances. Pass my bike test

Ford Escort estate 1.8TDi  

Ford are at it again, building and selling really poor cars that they virtually give away to companies, who then give them to poor sods like me who don't have any choice.

My last but one company car. Broke down three times in a month. The only car I've ever had that left me stranded on the hard shoulder of a motorway. Twice. An injector kept coming loose spraying the entire car with diesel. Eventually It went back to Fordthorne on Penarth Road in Cardiff and was never seen again. I swore after this that I would never ever buy a Ford myself (but I did). I still hiss every time I drive past the completely useless dealer that this came from. In the pouring rain, they made me push it into a parking space after it had been unloaded from the breakdown truck while they watched from the showroom door. Tossers

Ford Mondeo 2.0TD  

The replacement for the duff Escort after it had been rejected under the "three strikes and I refuse to drive it again" rule. Actually the Mondeo was a very decent car, with a torquey motor which looked good and handled well. See, Ford can do it when they can be bothered. Third gear went on this after a year, necessitating a new gearbox.

I opted out of the company car scheme at this point, so everything on the list after this point is entirely my fault.

MGB GT  

What, another one? Owned at the same time as I had the Mondeo company car  This was Orange (Blaze) and cost £3500. It was actually in very good condition. I joined the MG owners club and spent a  bomb on it. The engine went bang eventually and I spent all of my savings on a reconditioned unit. At which point it was completely reliable and sorted, and so of course, I sold it! I think after me it went to live in Swansea which is a shame.

. 

BMW 520

This was the car bought with the MG money, to replace the company Mondeo as my daily driver - thus enabling me to keep the monthly company car allowance I was now getting without actually having to spend it.

A good wafter. F Reg and probably the comfiest and best built car I've ever owned. Engine gave up on the M4 near Cardiff in quite a spectacular fusion of steam, smoke and oil. Towed home and scrapped on the same day. I thing they gave me £200 for it. Incidentally, this came from the Williams Motor company on Penarth Road Cardiff, who have subsequently become quite (in)famous, for a lot of very bad reasons (you'll need to google it).

My 520 blew its head gasket on the M4 near Cardiff

Yamaha TDM 850  

The first bike on the list. Didn't know what I was doing, so bought the first thing I liked the look of when I passed my test. Couldn't ride on a bike on Monday. Passed my test on Thursday This has never ceased to amaze me and if you think about it, is a really stupid way of arranging things. The terror of my first ride home from ThunderRoad in Bridgend to my house in Riverside in Cardiff will live with me forever! This picture was taken in 1999 I think, or 2000, when I still had hair. As you'll see later on, this was the 1st of 3 TDM's. These are cracking machines, as common as muck on the continent, but never really popular here. 

Fiat Punto  

Bought to replace the dead BMW 520. Red and £1200. Well, needs must and I didn't have much money, but a good motor, thus proving how well Fiat did, and still do, make great small cars. Traded it when it started over-heating for a...

My first Punto, and still a cracking piece of car design in my opinion

Fiat Punto  

Another great little Fiat. £4000 on finance. Kept it for about three months. It came from Ken Thornes place in Cardiff. Turns out that as he was selling it to me, he was going bust - and the result of that was that it was never mine and was claimed by his bank as part of his insolvency. Anyhow, as soon as that fuss was over I traded it in for something far more interesting..

My second Puntos, which was nearly reclaimed by the bank due to the dealer going bust

Fiat Coupe 2.0 20V 

That's better. One of my 'must have' cars and it didn't disappoint, so I'm glad it made it onto this list. I'd have another tomorrow. In fact I did have another one later on in the list! Nothing spectacular to drive, although it did go quite well and even now one of my favourite cars to look at - even though it's a Bangle design, and I hate his BMW's. Totally reliable -  apart from one day when the windows went down and the sunroof opened all on their own. Apart from that, a great car. It was in really good nick, but its subsequent MoT history shows that after me it only lasted another couple of years.

 Triumph Daytona 900  

Bought to replace the TDM and to compliment the Fiat Coupe. A beast. £3500 from ThunderRoad in Bridgend.  Didn't know how to ride it and it scared me a bit to be honest. Still the fastest I've ever been on a bike on the road. Very few left now and may have to get another one day. A lovely old gent!

Daytona 900: Old fashioned even when it was new, but still a thing of biking beauty

Triumph Speed Triple  

This seemed like a good idea at the time and it was bloody fast. Other people  think they're great, but I never really bonded with it. Traded it in for......

Triumph Speed Triple - quick, but not my cup of tea.

Harley Davidson Roadking 1350cc  

One of my dafter purchases and the most fun I've ever had on a bike. Speed isn't everything on a bike and you soon learn that on a Hog! £12,000. Yikes. Only dropped it twice and nearly broke my back picking it up the first time. I know what you're thinking, but it isn't true, I've got three kids! Anyhow, what's wrong with leather tassles? I got this because I rented one in Las Vegas and rode along back roads to the Hoover dam and back, on my own, with a T-shirt and no helmet. Epic. Naturally, when I got back I decided that all of that would translate onto British Roads. So I road the Speed Triple to Riders in Bridgewater and came back on this. Looking at these pictures, after all these years, I still think this looks fantastic and if there's one vehicle on the list that I would definitely go out and get again, this is probably it.

.

My Hawg - all £12,000 of it. What a noise though!

Things are going to get a bit crazy now. Traded the Fiat Coupe and the Harley and about £5k for a.....

TVR Chimeara 4.0  

The most I have ever spent on a car. Loved it. What a brilliant lash up of fibre glass, dodgy wiring and that superb, utterly intoxicating V8 engine. It was my daily driver for a year. How I ever afforded the petrol I'll never know, but I'll tell you what. it never missed a beat and only a couple of bits fell off! Faster than the Harley that's for sure. Came from a TVR dealer in Cwmbran, who went on to sell Nobles after TVR went under. They were also a Rover dealer and when this went in for a service I was given a Rover Streetwise as a courtesy car!

PS: Got 6 points on day one, just before this picture was taken, blasting through the tunnels under Cardiff Bay with the roof down to hear what it sounded like. Idiot!

Honda Civic Type R  

The old bread-van shape. This was officially daughter Lily's fault. In a quest for speed and a bit more space I traded the TVR for it. I think I was too old. It wasn't my cup of tea at all. It was a bit like driving a video game and it was gone after three weeks! Yes, that's right, three weeks! And that is still a record.

I actually think I was too old for this - it was like
driving a video game and went after three weeks!

TVR Chimeara 4.0 

Only 1 month after getting rid of the last one, there's another TVR on the drive and isn't she a looker!. Thus followed another year of painless everyday TVRing. These are truly bloody marvelous things and this one was the bringer of my two best drives ever. Best thing about this one was that when I bought it I thought it had really low mileage. After a while it dawned on me that the milometer didn't work, so goodness knows how many miles it had actually done. But when I sold it of course, it still had really low miles. Result. Even now after all these years, I really miss this one.  

My 2nd TVR - gone but definitely not forgotten

Right then - its 2004 and I'm about to move from Cardiff to Liverpool. Can't afford TVR insurance in Liverpool and need a slightly more practical moving vehicle, so of of course, it's obvious isn't it - whats needed is a Jeep!

Jeep 4.0 Limited 

Great for moving, Actually quite liked it and I still think these are great looking cars - certainly much better looking than today's Cherokee. It was a 4 litre straight 6 and used more petrol than the TVR. Kept it for about 6 months before I saw in a shop window in Liverpool another..........

 Jeep Cherokee - one of the best looking 
American cars ever in my book

Fiat Coupe 20V 

This one was the iconic launch colour 'Broom yellow'. Great bit of kit and another year of happy Fiat motoring, with no issues whatsoever. But then the sun came out....

Saab 9-5 Convertible  

Silver with blue roof. Looked great. Handled as though it was two cars, one at the front and the other somewhere behind. Like a Tupperware box without the lid. Didn't leak though. Here it is outside my Liverpool local. I think this was the only time I ever been properly stitched up by a dealer. I do actually think it was a cut and shut job, or had been in at least one massive smash.

I still think these are fantastic looking cars though. Unfortunately it was a Vauxhall underneath it's very pretty dress which didn't bode well dynamically. Still love those wheels..

Another 4.0 TVR  

Enjoying life back in a convertible so obviously its time for another ....TVR. It went like the clappers, but was also the one that nearly broke the bank. Mechanically fine, but one day without warning its (Landrover) ECU packed up and that was that. It took the garage the best part of the summer to get it running again. Cost a lorra lorra money to fix. It was fine in the end, but well, you know, you're never sure after an episode like that are you, so it had to go.......

BMW M3 

M reg, just about mint. and a nailed on future classic WOW my first ever 'M' car. Only 40k miles and a really great drive. I never really took the time to appreciate this car, but from what I remember now typing this it was superb - brilliant build quality and of course, very rapid indeed.

Hang on a minute though, insurance is £1500 at my age! (and in the wrong postcode in Liverpool). Time for something cheaper to run.

Peugeot 207 HDi110  

Yes I know. What possessed me? I blame daughter Alice, for the colour certainly. (Orange). Still it went well enough and was cheap as chips to run. Proof aqain that Peugeot used to make great diesel engines and fine handling cars. But the roof didn't come off so....

Peugeot 306 CC 

This was so bad I can't really think of anything to say other than at least its gone. .I've got a picture but cant bring myself to post it. The car came with a major ECU problem - water getting in - and as a consequence I experienced possibly the worst case of customer service from Peugeot ever. I will never buy another.

Meanwhile bikes are back on the agenda and not sure what to get, to get back into the swing of it...I know, its got to be another...

Yamaha TDM 850  

Love em. Hardly anyone else does, but that's part of the appeal. This is the only bike I've ever had stolen. Some lads in Liverpool wheeled it up the road and tried to get it going, couldn't, and at the same time managed to rip most of its wiring out. The police found it before I realised it had gone and then charged me £100 to get it back! Kept it for a year and then got a...

Honda VFR 800 

(pre VTec). Very nice. Like a faithful Labrador. As good as everyone says they are. Did my first track day on it (yes really). Decided it wasn't fast enough so bought a...

Honda Fireblade 2002 RR2 954  

The choice 'blade apparently. I was never even remotely good enough to ride this properly. It used to shout at me 'faster, faster you idiot', but I was too scared. The only bike I ever did a wheelie on, down the back straight at Pembray in West Wales. I nearly cried, on the spot with fear not joy... so after 4 more track days I traded it in for.....another

 Yamaha TDM 900  

A 900 this time and a great all-rounder. After a year or so sold it to a bloke who came up from London and rode it back. I put some 'Fuel' exhausts on it. It sounded like a Spitfire, amazing! 

A really good trusty TDM and as it turns out, my last bike (until a bit later in the list)

Alfa 156 JTD 2005  

A beautiful disaster. Broke down more times than anything I can think of (apart from the earlier Escort and not as much as the Beemer later on in the list). It kept going into 'limp home mode' and eventually needed a new Turbo. The dealer very kindly had it back when he couldn't fix it and for a very strange reason, that I still don't quite understand, we got this:

Fiat Panda 100HP  

Brilliant fun, but with the worst ride imaginable. Literally, a pain. It towed the bike to track days unbelievably. The bike was about 1.5 times more powerful. Memorably one week-day night the Cobblers were away at Liverpool in the League cup and I had about 2.5 hours to get from Cardiff to Liverpool. Caned it and just made it. Parked it in the middle of Anfield and some kids said they would 'look after it for me' Unbelievably, when I got out, (THE COBBLERS WON), it was still there. They probably decided that they wouldn't be seen dead in it, so left it alone.

Ford Focus C Max  

Probably the dullest vehicle I've ever bought, although that's debatable, but also probably the best all-rounder. Yes really. Maxi the taxi did everything asked of it whilst sipping fuel. So good daughter Alice bought it.

Alfa GT 2.0 JTS Blackline  

A stunner. Over the course of 18 months ownership virtually everything fell off. Went out one morning to go to work, as you do, and the door handle came off in my hand. I think that's what Alfa call 'character'. Apparently it happens a lot and the dealer had a supply of replacements on the shelf ready and waiting. But you just don't care when a car looks this good. I still miss it. We worked out afterwards that it had cost around £100 a month to continually mend - on top of servicing etc. Still think they're gorgeous every time I see one.

Alfa 159 Wagon 

Saw it, liked it, bought it, used it for a year, sold it. A sort of soulless, but still great looking Alfa. And no, they haven't really resolved any of the reliability issues. Well. actually that's not quite true. It was generally ok but towards the end the headlights just started going out for no reason at all. You'd be driving along at night and all of a sudden, nothing, or flickering. Scary! Enough!

Mazda MX5. The new toy, a 1996 Mk1 1.8 

Bought in April 2014. Only 54,000 miles and all its service history from new. Its last owner kept it for 18 years or so. Cracking little car. A reliability triumph. You'll find an MX5 section on the blog with more info on this one. (Must get rid of that boot rack though). As of August 2018 mini Mazda is still with us, still faultless and just coming up to 63,000 miles. He's a keeper, definitely. (Oh no he isnt)

BMW 325  

A Beemer coupe to replace the Alfas in my life, and very nice it was to look at too. But...and bearing in mind I bought this because I though it would be reliable, almost straight away the engine light kept coming on, which basically means, STOP! It had 'vanos' issues, for those of you familiar with such things. We owned this car for 4 months and during that time it spent a grand total of 5 weeks in the garage. Quite possibly the most unreliable car I've ever spent money on. In the end the dealer offered to give us our money back, but because we were very short of time before a big trip - and for once in my life I just couldn't be bothered to look around, we took another car off his forecourt...and you're not going to believe what it is.....

Alfa Mito 135  

OMG, haven't you learned your lesson I hear you shout. Well, glutton for punishment I guess. It's was a very nice little thing. Went well, very frugal and reliability wise didn't put a wheel wrong. The ride was a bit jiggly and the interior a bit rattly, but other than that I think we got along. In fact we had to get along. Lost my job in Dec '14 and so for the time being the Mito was it!. At least this list will slow down a bit now, hopefully. 

2004 Mercedes C Class Estate  

Anyone who went in the back of the Mito was nearly sick and the ride was really poor and quite wearing. It was very reliable though. I took it for its MoT at our local garage in April '16 and they had a very nice old 220cdi Mercedes Avantguard estate for sale, so we did a deal.

This began a year of complete drama and disappointment, almost at every turn of the wheel. It kept going into limp mode, seemingly for no reason and with no warning. The garage were brilliant, they changed everything, they spent a fortune and never charged us a penny. They lent us a courtesy car for a month over Christmas while they tried in vain to fix it. The day came when they were due to give it back. They started it up, and it went straight into limp mode. They gave up and took it back - we gave them some more money and became the proud owners of a very fast estate.

Subaru Legacy 3 litre wagon  

This car was faultless. An auto with a 3.0litre flat 6, it went like a bomb. Really, it did. It sounded amazing in sport mode, had a great interior and (yawn) was a really useful estate. I also happen to think it looked fantastic too, in a sort of understated yet menacing sort of way. It also featured in the readers cars section of Pistonheads, so it was almost famous too.

We were so pleased with the Legacy wagon that when the time came to change it we popped along to the local Subaru dealer to see what they had and came home with this

Subaru BRZ

What a car. Read the reviews. You wont find a bad one. We kept this for three years and although we had to make space related compromises from time to time it really was quite practical. Back seats were useless, but apart from that it did everything asked of it. What a car!

Subaru XV

When it was time for the BRZ to go we decided to buy another Subaru, our third, and wanting a bit more space plumped for the XV. Not well known in the UK we've yet to see another. It still has the flat-4, the same as the BRZ, but is obviously heavier and 4wd so not quite so perky, but still a fine thing. And after two years it's still here so must be good.

Right. Here we are in November 2023 and that's the list pretty much up to date. We just need to make two little two wheeled additions

If you remember way back to the beginning of my motoring life I started off with a Lambretta. So during lockdown I decided to find myself a hobby and rebuild one. There's lots more on this blog about that in its own section so here's just one picture to make the list nearly complete...our fabulous 

1962 Lambretta Li150

And finally: Scoot came, was rebuilt and was sold. All of which takes 30 seconds to type, but in reality three years to complete. And once done he was on his way, to Swansea as it happens. So with much ado and a bit of a fanfare, for now we're arriving at the final vehicle on the list. Again, it has its own blog section, so we'll just leave a 'before' picture here and you'll have to check back in a few years to hopefully see the 'after' pics. 

Welcome vehicle number 67. 

1965 Triumph Tiger 90.