Vehicles I have owned
My very first car was an Austin A38. A great car, it was unreliable, had useless brakes and very little power. Just what you need to begin.
Austin A30 - Registration Number TAM 893
The first car I ever purchased was an Austin A30. It was black and cost me £60, we nicknamed it Tammy. It was a very unreliable car often failing to start. One very funny memory we have of this car was when we were returning from a day at Bigbury bay where we often went. As we came around the corner we were faced with a stationary tractor and trailer. On the trailer was a very high load of hay. I literally stepped on the brake to witness in slow motion the hay coming towards us. When it seemed as if we were going to career into the back of the trailer we stopped. All we could see from the windscreen was hay. Another six inches and the car would have been buried in hay. When we eventually sold the car it was to Ron Beasley for £80.
As you can see I look ever so cool against my car. I think when the photo was taken I was dreaming I was leaning against a Ferrari.
Having a car when so young gave you enormous freedom. When the weather wa good we used to drive up onto the moors. We would drive around until we found an ice cream van and then we would stop. One such day we spotted one in a parking area and so I turned in. Unfortunately I turned in rather early and my left wheel mounted the low bank which left us grounded with both left wheels off the ground. We were at an angle of about 45 degrees meaning I could not open my door and Sheila was trying not to fall down onto me. There were a group of men stood near the ice cream van and they came over and lifted the car off the bank. We said thank you but were so embarrassed that instead of staying for our ice cream we drove away again.
What is the point of a car picture if you have not got a lovely girl posing on the bonnet.
Triumph Herald - Registration Number 488 ROD
This picture was taken outside of Netley Road and in this picture Sheila is pregnant. Because of the number plate we nicknamed this car Rodney. It had a 1200cc engine and we thought it was really special.
As this picture shows we kept the car until after Gary was born. We had decided that we needed a bit more space so were going to sell the car. When we were driving back from Newton Abbot one day we got half way and I suppose as we were going to be getting rid of the car I thought I would give it one more blast. I started to acelerate and was rewarded by an awful noise coming from the engine. The big end had gone.
Morris 1100 - Registration LJY 765H
This is the car that Sheila learned to drive in. It was a nice little car but had many problems one of which was the gear box. It had almost no synchromesh on the 1st and 2nd gears which meant you could not change gear without grating them. When sheila took her test she had to tell the examiner about this so he would not mark her down in the test. We finally had to lay this car to rest when the steering failed. It would have cost far too much to repair so we ended up getting rid of it.
Vauxhall Victor 101 - Registration Number JAL 935D
This car was a bit of a wreck when we bought it. The engine was sound but the body work was in a poor shape. It had a huge roof rack which we did not need so I remember selling it for about £8 which was quite a lot.
It had a bench seat which meant you could sit three people in the front in comfort. Of course it was before the law about seat belts having to be worn. To allow for the bench seat the gear stick was on the column. It was a three speed gear box and it was a lovely smooth gear change.
When Sheila went into labour I remember dashing up to the hospital and being in such a hurry that when I parked I hit the tree with the offiside front wing. It did not seem to have done any damage as the wing was already dented. The interesting thing about this car is that it was a victor 101 that my day had when I was learning to drive and so I was very used to it.This is the car that Sheila learned to drive in. It was a nice little car but had many problems one of which was the gear box. It had almost no synchromesh on the 1st and 2nd gears which meant you could not change gear without grating them. When sheila took her test she had to tell the examiner about this so he would not mark her down in the test. We finally had to lay this car to rest when the steering failed. It would have cost far too much to repair so we ended up getting rid of it.
Vauxhall Viva - Registration Number RAE 881G
This was the first of two Viva's that we had. This car was like all our cars a bit old. We had this one when we lived in Ilchester and at the time I was working at the language centre in the evenings. I remember driving to work one night when it was snowing and when I had finished I got into the car to drive home. I had to reverse to turn and the reverse on this car was found by lifting the gear stick and pushing it back. Well i lifted it and it came out in my hand. I was able to slot it back in to engage forward gears but could not get reverse so had no choice but to drive in a circle. This meant driving over his lawns and leaving two large tyre trails in the grass.
Hilman Imp - Burgandy
This was probably the first car we ever had that was really in good condition. The imp was not a big car but it was lovely. It was a deep burgandy red with tan upholstery. The engine was in the back and for its size it was really quite nippy. The car in the picture is not the actual car but does show the style of the car.
Simca 1301s - Registration Number NLB 954P
Although it does not look a very big car in the picture it was actually 14 foot long. It was a french car and considered quite an upmarket car. It was the first car I had ever had with electric windows and an electric ariel.
Triumph Aclaim - Burgundy
This was another of my favourite cars. The colour was lovely and it had tan leather seats. It also had twin carberetta whlch meant it was quite fast.
Vauxhall Viva - Blue
This was our second Viva and was not a bad car. It was roomy enough for the whole family with the children being small
Datsun Sunny - Registration Number JEU 818X
We had this car when we were living in Bristol and it was the first brand new car we had ever owned. If my memory serves me correctly it cost me £3,800. I was very proud of it, a few days after we had bought it I took Gary to sea cadets at the top of Gloucester Road and when we came out it was about ten o'clock and dark. I could see a dark shadow on the bonnet of the car and when I looked closely at it I found it was black gloss paint that someone had tipped over the car. It was still wet so when we got home I used every sort of liquid and spray that we had to dilute and remove the paint. I did not know how successful I had been until the next day but apart from some on the bumper I had got it all off.
Datsun Bluebird - Registration Number PAE 910Y
When I sold the sunny I bought this car. It was classed as a large family saloon and cost me £5,200. It had pale blue velor trim and was quite plush inside. This was the last of the Datsuns, after this they became known as Nissans.
Ford Cortina
White We had this car for a short time. Because we were not using the bluebird it seemed a waste so we sold it and bought this car. It was not a bad car but a bit too old perhaps.
Nissan Sunny Hatchback - Blue
This car was Sheilas car and was a very nice car. She had it in Newton Abbot when I was ill. Being a hatchback it was a very versatile car.
Vauxhall Chevette - Yellow
This was another old car which we obtained when we bought the business. It was an estate car and we painted the business name on the side. This is not the exact car but it is the same colour and style.
Nissan Bluebird - White
This was a very sporty looking car with go faster stripes on the side. Probably one of my favourite cars of the time. Very fast and had a strong engine. I used to tow a caravan with it and hardly knew it was there.
Nissan Bluebird GLX - Red
This car was not really red it was what is called burnt orange. It was a colour that they had discontinued but when I told them I had set my mind on it they contacted the factory and were able to do a one off for me. It had a two litre engine and was very quick for its time. Unfortunately this is not the actual car but it was the same style.
Rover Sterling 800 - Green
This was an ex directors car and was the top of the range. It had a 2.5 litre engine and had every extra you could have wished for. It had leather upholstery and was a very smooth car to drive. We had it in british racing green with grey leather seating.
Rover 75 Estate - Silver
This was a very nice car and very sturdy. We had a ford escort crash into the rear of the car doing some damage but completely demolishing the front of the ford. This car had a 2 litre engine. This car was meant to be the executive replacement for the Rover above. It was very plush with huge seats and it had a huge boot. It was nice and we enjoyed having the car but it never quite felt that if had the same presence on the road that the Sterling had.
Ford Mondeo GLX
Ford Mondeo GLX
Ford Mondeo - This was one of the early cars but it was great to drive. It was the first of two that I had with the following one being the top of the range.
Nissan X Trail Columbia 4x4 Silver Registration Number R16 GJM
Six months after buying my X Trail Sheila gave me a personalised number plate for my birthday. I was really pleased with her choice. This was a really nice car and was the first 4x4 I had ever had. It was known as a soft offroader which meant it was okay off road as long as you did not try anything too ambitious.
One day Gary called us to tell us that he had heard on the news that there was going to be a meteor shower that night. It was due to start at about 11pm. We decided to go and watch it but because of the lights from the prison which cast an orange glow we drove out towards Yelverton. We stopped in a parking area on the moors but found we were still getting too much light pollution from the prison and yelverton and plymouth. I suggested that it might be better if we went back through the village and out past two bridges. This we did and soon found it was much darker. We drove down into a valley and decided to park at the bottom where there was a parking spot near the bridge. It was very dark either side and as I turned off I was not really able to see anything as my lights were too high at that point. The next thing we knew we lurched down into a ditch and ended up at an acute angle of at least 45 degrees, does this sound familiar. Anyway I attempted to drive out but as we went forward we lurched again and this time nearly went over. We had no choice but to call the fire brigade. We had a fire engine and two police cars attend and they only just prevented an ambulance from coming as well. We had to be towed out by the fire engine and it was all very embarrasing as they were from the village and my explanation that we were there to watch the meteors seemed a bit feeble, anyway they all had grins on their faces.
Hyundai Santa Fe CDX 4X4 Grey
Had a little trouble finding this car. When we were getting ready to buy it the government had just introduced the scrappage scheme which was aimed at small cars. To capitilise on this the car manufacturers were concentrating all their efforts to import as many small cars as they could. This was the only Santa Fe available in the country. The garage bought it two months before I was ready to have it just to make sure it did not sell to someone else.
We bought this caravan in March 2011 and it is 26 foot long and weighs 1.7 ton. I can definately feel it on the back but as long as I bear that in mind it tows it perfectly well. Fuel consumption is down but better if i do not use the cruise control. It is harder to reverse and you have to get it in the right position from the start as you cannot push it after wards.
Peuguot 5008 2.0 HDI 163 Allure
We collected this car on the 27th July 2014. The rearmost seats have been folded down so that we could fit the hoist to take my scooter.
To be honest it was a smart looking car and quite big but I never really got on with it as I just could not get the seat in a comfortable position for me. I did keep it for nearly a year but in the end I changed it.
Mazda MX5 Convertible in Bright Red
This was a lovely car that Leigh had. It was totally impracticle and there was not a lot of room. It was fine for Leigh but I had to struggle to get in and out. At the time I had a wheelchair that came completely apart. I used to dismantle it and put the pieces in the passenger footwell. It was great fun to drive.
Nissan Micra - Tow Car
This car was purchased with the sole intent of towing it behind the Motorhome. We only used it a few times as we sold the Motorhome a year of so later. It was surprisingly a fun car to drive.
Puegeot Traveller Allure - 8 Seater
This is a picture of the car when I picked it up. You can see it still has the old number plate. It was brand new and is the best vehicle I have ever had. It does not corner as well as some nor is it the fastest although the 187 horses under the bonnet do not hang about. Its really to do with the fact that it is perfect for every occasion. It has 8 full seats so room for all. It still has a boot large enough to take a hoist and a scooter without having to move any seats. It is large and roomy and comfotable and lovely to drive
The side doors are electric which is good because they would be very heavy to move by hand.
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