Childhood car memories

first car i remember is actually a mk1 escort van, my dads and i only remember it because i fell out of the back and into the path of a double decker seatbelt laws anyone lucky i rolled out of the way,
then when my mum passed her test my dad brought her a mk2 escort harrier god i loved that car then and i was only 5 or so ;D

and i remember my family having a white sierra with a big "wing" on the boot
spot the trend here, and people wonder why I'm a ford head lol

My parents had 4 kids and an austin 1100 estate (same as Basil fawlty's, but ours was blue) It didn't lock, sometimes didn't start and had seat fabric that bonded instantly to bare skin in the summer but gave you freezer burn in the winter. We went everywhere in that car, even summer holidays were undertaken in the little car.. boot full, 4 kids on the back seat, roof-rack full of suitcases, no radio, 55mph flat out (although that sort of speed and wobblyness made us all seasick) but one year the hydrolastic gave up 250 miles from home.. the garage said it was probably terminal but obligingly let the fluid out of the other side as well so it sat level (but super low) and told my dad to keep below 30mph and ignore any scraping noises. Shortly after that trip we upgraded to a 5 year old Lada 1200 (bigger back seat, locks that worked, a radio and 70mph top speed, same seat fabric problem...) and the poor little Austin went to the scrapyard.

RIP BVN 480L, I miss you

Exactly like this one

Haha - my early car memories are that after a few hours on a summer's day, the bits of vinyl at the sides of an Austin Metro back seat are hotter than the surface of the sun ;D
My mum's old Metro is the first car I really remember, A939 DCF, red, beige and brown check interior. Carted five of us from South Bucks up to Butlins in Skegness or Minehead a number of times, to North Wales once, down to Devon, up to my grandma's in Hull... I don't ever remember it breaking down either.
I do remember it spinning spectacularly on the motorway and into the crash barrier after my dad forgot to put the petrol cap back on, conveniently placed so that petrol can slosh out of the tank onto the back wheel . I was about 4 or 5 and it was quite scary... Although I did get to ride in a big recovery lorry ;D

^Mate you were pretty small for 13-14... ;D

ohhh all this talk of austins just remined me my granddad had a maxi in a terracotta sorta colour, which he drove like nigel mansell everywhere I belive he had the engine tuned and still to this day I remember my nan coming home to find him spraying a new door in the KITCHEN, man did she flip out on him

and I also remember us going to visit the family up north in the escort, we were happily traveling along the motorway, me being a young un I was staring out of the window as you do and I see a wheel go rolling past us, turned out to be OURS! I never realised how dangerous this could have been till now

I like this thread ;D ;D

The earliest memory of a car would be my Dad's company Pug 405 saloon. I recall switching the Hazards on and then looking through the 'ski hatch' into the boot to see the lights flashing...

At the same time, he had a Scimitar GTE, which I remember going to Holland in - the rain on the way back was horrendous, and caused a serious misfire - and which was regularly hillclimbed and sprinted with the Aston Martin Owner's Club.

The 405 was then replaced with a Sierra 2.0 Twin Cam - nice car, although it did have a problem where the alarm wouldn't turn off. This went back when my Dad became self-employed, and was replaced for family duties by a 1.6 Meastro in black.

The Meastro which lasted about two weeks before being written off - a bus coming the other way along a country lane at night didn't have it's headlights on, resulting in a last-minute swerve by my Dad. Unfortunately, he hit a tree stump and bounced back into the bus. That was the first (and so far only) car crash that I've been in - it was quite an experience for me at about 5.

The Meastro was replaced with a Mk3 Escort in rust-and-white while the insurenace claim was dealt with. The Escort had what I now know to be a VV carb, which was always splitting the diaphragm and loosing power. I managed to lock the only set of keys we had for the Escort into it once...

About this time, my Dad bought a Capri to do the hillclibs and sprints in. Before the start of that season, however, the Scimitar died with blown head gaskets - it made for a fun drive home from my Grandmother's house, stopping on the way at a farmhouse that we knwe had a hot outside tap to fill the Scim up again...

The Scimitar was replaced with an SD1 Vitesse, which was the best tow car (for towing the Capri) that the car dealership had in stock. The Rover had it's fair share of issues (persistant running rich being the main one), but took us to greece in '94 without too many problems. On that trip, it did Bavaria to Hertfordshire in 14 hours, including the ferry crossing...

The Scimitar and the Rover are currently in storage, although they might emerge as projects soon. The Capri was in storage, and has now gone to my Cousin for him to use as a track car - he's reported that it fired up with a battery and some petrol, despite having stood for the best part of 16 years.

I wonder why I like cars?

Great thread this.First memory i have is being about 5 or 6 and every sunday we would hop in the back of my uncles grey A60 estate for a trip to the scrappies.We weren't allowed in tho,but with the noise coming from all the guard dogs,we didnt really fancy it. :oThis was in the late 70's and the oxford was held together with good luck and bailer twine and hay.
Then a few years later the old man had an austin 1800 in white,and living in cornwall there's plenty of country lanes.One morning, after picking blackberries, the old man comes whizzing thru a lane with me and my bro sat on the backseat,only to find a series 2 jag coming the other way.Needless to say we weren't on the back seat by the time we stopped and the 1800 soon sported hand painted brown bonnet,roof and bootlid.Still don't know why he couldn't get white paint ;D ;D
I suppose that's why i've always had british cars,like a lot of others here,cos the parents had 'em.

My dad had a VW type 3 squareback (at least I think thats what it was, not seen any pictures since I've been grown up).
I remember thinking it was cool and fast (injection?) but I always used to get told off for not sitting still in the back! The problem was there were no seatbelts and the rear seat was lovelly and shiny and the wallowing suspension meant I slid all over the shop!
(it was also fun to do...)

I can remember the number plate had KHU in it (we called it 'coo') and it was red..