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Jan 18, 2009 18:08:10 GMT
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Got to thinking why all my life i prefered or gravitated to retro cars and why i dislike modern stuff. It all goes back to being young and influenced in my case an older brother who worked in a Ford main dealership in the 60 s and going in the showroom looking at cortina s under dust sheets awaiting launch day and lots of other Ford stuff. Anyone got a tale to tell
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Jan 18, 2009 18:18:28 GMT
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Not really a tale as such. I'm 21 next sunday, i have a 1987 opel manta and a 1976 manta. My dad used to like them YEARS ago and we looked at a few in the late 90s to replace the Granada that came to an unfortunate end. Thats what i can remember from me liking mantas.
But the thing is, old cars are simple and put a smile on your face to drive. I hate all this plastic fantastic crapola you see nowadays. Nothing has style, character or heart put into it now.
I helped my mate do the clutch on his 1986 capri yesterday (ok, they sent the wrong clutch so old had to go back in) but it was sooooo much easier on that car than it would be on a new car!!!! Heck i even did my manta 1800 clutch on my back.
I'm cant wait to get my 1800 back on the road this year, ive missed driving it!
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1987 Opel manta GT 2.0 16v 1976 Opel manta s project 1985 Opel Rekord E 2.2i 1992 Vauxhall Carlton 2.3TD 1989 Mercury Grand Marquis 2005 Landrover discovery 3
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Jan 18, 2009 18:18:59 GMT
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No real tale but my first car was my mums nova.. it taught me to wield a spanner.. then being full of myself and 18 I brought a triumph spitfire.. as it was convertable and 'cool' needed a lot of work but I got it running, That was foloowed by a 309 gti.. obvious boy racer influence but sticking by my having something different, then a nissan 200, which fell foul of a HGV since then its been cars to fulfill my needs.. An XM as it was cheap when I was in need, a series 2 LR cuz I wanted a defender but couldn't afford one, then a defender V8 cuz I could, that changed for a discovery for the fuel savings, closely followed by my current volvo 240, at the time found as it was cheap, different and cool, obviously I found it here and have been here ever since!
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Daily: Spazda Mx5
'A52's Fastest steak eater 2010'
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Jan 18, 2009 18:41:23 GMT
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no tale really just like older cars, new cars have no soul and are just anonymous
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Jan 18, 2009 18:43:27 GMT
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I learned to drive in a nissan bluebird, that was it for me. I just like straight lines.
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qwerty
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 2,416
Club RR Member Number: 52
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Retro What was your influenceqwerty
@qwerty
Club Retro Rides Member 52
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Jan 18, 2009 18:44:39 GMT
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Old Speckled Hen.......well thats what "influenced" me into buying the Cortina haha.
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Jan 18, 2009 18:45:54 GMT
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no tale really just like older cars, new cars have no soul and are just anonymous Old cars were new once Mine is definitely my dads fault, he owned lots of older cars when I was growing up, I went to school in a Wolsely 16/60, which he replaced with a Mazda 323 GT (relatively modern at the time, but just cool enough), then a Rover P4 ... with a whole bunch of Minis and MG 1300's and the like in between. We went to watch motor racing at Brands Hatch most weekends, but he also bought Street Machine and Custom Car. I had a full on mix of motoring infulences, which is pretty much where this place comes from as well. So you can blame my dad.
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Jan 18, 2009 18:57:56 GMT
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For me, about 25 years of classic car shows in the summer, and countless winters of autojumbles kind of sealed the deal for me. Classics have always been there for me, in the 80's and 90's the cars I was around all the time were from the 50's 60's and 70's, so car wise I guess i grew up in the 70's! There is history of banger racing too so i got it from all sides. I guess to me old car are just better at everything.
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Jan 18, 2009 19:12:08 GMT
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I don't like retro cars any more than new cars.
However I can afford cheap late 80s/early 90s hatches which are now coming under the 'Retro' banner. You get more for your money with retros as long as you know what you're looking for and looking at.
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1997 TVR Chimaera 2009 Westfield Megabusa
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Jan 18, 2009 19:13:57 GMT
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In general,i just find 'most' of the cars with moulded bumpers,n cap saftely ratings and extensive wind tunnel testing dull and faceless. I just tend to like the cars that were about when I was at my most impressionable,before I passed my test, so '70 to mid eighties.....anything newer just doesn't cut it as retro for me (not to say I don't like any newer cars.) I've always leant towards japanese stuff though with a smattering of Opel love from the 70's and some Renner as my dad always owned renners when I was growing up. I like anything old and interesting though now.....interesting to me that is
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Jan 18, 2009 19:14:06 GMT
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My Dad was always into hot rods & muscle cars and so I took a natural affinity to them, going to Wheels day and things like that. Picked up on the magazine habit too, Custard car, Street machine (RIP) and various other classic magazines. Neighbours were in on the classic thing too which probably helped.
I always wanted a Stag (after seeing one on TV) as my first car but at the time just couldn't afford it - then on a museum trip to Stondon saw a Dolomite, so that was my first car (all the way back in ....2005, hehe!). Close! Few years later I did get a Stag, mind...
Part of the drive was that I knew I could get a more powerful, more interesting car in my budget, if I went for a classic, at the time.
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Last Edit: Jan 18, 2009 19:17:28 GMT by Lewis
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Jan 18, 2009 19:22:48 GMT
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Well, being given my very own Volvo Amazon caravan to let loose on as a 6 year old kind of did it, hehe....
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Jan 18, 2009 19:24:43 GMT
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I have always hated driving what everyone else is driving, back when my retros were new i was mucking about with old cars then, for some reason if i'm in a "normal" car i just cant deal with it, how weird is that?
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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Jan 18, 2009 19:26:57 GMT
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Cause i came from a family of skint travellers, Old nails are in my blood! ;D
Seriously tho. We struggled to get by when i was a kid so there was no option but to spend a few 100 quid on a car and do what ever it takes as cheap as poss to keep it on the road!
My first car is old.... and was when i got it for £150 when i was still a student, no money from a well off mom and dad to help me run it either, just £30 EMA a week ;D. I guess things are better now and i could have a new car if i wanted to, hell ive spent enough on my Fiesta for it to be a 12 month old Zetec-S. But never really grew out of old cars! I like fixing em, and keeping em on the road for very little £££. It also makes no sence to me to buy a £8000 new car when a £50 old car can be just as, if not more reliable and economical!
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Jan 18, 2009 19:37:35 GMT
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no tale really just like older cars, new cars have no soul and are just anonymous Old cars were new once yep but they had shape and weren't built to just be transport most cars now days are hard to tell apart. granted some are nice looking cars but I'm yet to drive a car built in the last 15 years that gives the same feel of being part of the driving that an older car does you used to have to drive a car now days you are just another passenger in a car and I just enjoy driving . plus there used to be much more cars that drove the correct wheels the back ones ;D
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harris66
Part of things
drive it, break it, fix it and make it quicker!
Posts: 699
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Jan 18, 2009 19:38:16 GMT
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when i was 5 i helped (or thought i was helping dad restore his jowett javlin) , that was 1971, grew up through the 70s, as a kid i had the dukes of hazard, the profesionals, the sweeney, had the movies of the time, vanising point, crazy larry, dirty mary, mad max, all had a v8 soundtrack, and so i carried on the brain washed youthfull years, for me a chevy engined 70s brit car is a dream drive, ive built 4 v8 vivas and no they aint quiet, comfy or economical, but it does it for me, and i aint got a clue why!
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1.2 corsa daily, 1.8t a4 avante, 6.3ltr austin a40....
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Jan 18, 2009 19:50:50 GMT
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When I was growing up, my Dad was a salesman for an electrical retailer. he always had Datsuns as Company cars. After that he worked for a car dealer. The showroom he worked in sold off all the trade ins for the rest of the group (a chain of Datsun/Nissan garages) so I grew up surrounded by J-tin!
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Jan 18, 2009 20:22:42 GMT
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Old cars were new once yep but they had shape and weren't built to just be transport most cars now days are hard to tell apart. granted some are nice looking cars but I'm yet to drive a car built in the last 15 years that gives the same feel of being part of the driving that an older car does you used to have to drive a car now days you are just another passenger in a car and I just enjoy driving . plus there used to be much more cars that drove the correct wheels the back ones ;D New car 'style' is now more dictated by the wind tunnel,crash protection and interior space rather than the actual designer. The only features it seems they are free to play with are the lights and grille.
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Jan 18, 2009 20:59:18 GMT
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Everything going wrong wheel drive didn't help matters at all, no matter how much people try and tell me they handle great and are fun to drive i just don't like the feel of a fwd car.
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Volvo back as my main squeeze, more boost and some interior goodies on the way.
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bortaf
Posted a lot
Posts: 4,549
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Jan 18, 2009 21:18:14 GMT
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Mini cabbing It gave me an appreciation for cheap, reliable motoring with the option of doing it myself, neither of me pairents were into cars but me mum gave me her Mk5 cortina for me 18th birthday, cos she was sick of all the Mk3s shitters i was parking outside it was 4 years old at the time and still the newest car i've ever owned
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R.I.P photobucket
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