Corsachilli - Skeletons?

Malc

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corsachili
This may lead to a new thread in which we divulge the skeletons in our automotive and motorcycle closet........

....... Finally, BMWs work. They work well, they work always.

Skeletons....
Triumph Tiger Cub - Watching all the screws back out with the vibrations was fun, assuming it was going.
Mini - hasn't everybody had one?
2CV - I was a poor student at the time 425cc of glorious power
MGB - sold after 22 years of ownership in luvely russet brown :roll:
Fiat 131 - cracking engine, great handling, fell to bits
Fiat Strada (Ritmo), Italian Golf GTI, fell to bits
Jaguar XJ6 - drank fuel like Oliver Reid, abit "where's my pipe and slippers" but could be hussled much to the surprise of others on the road.
Vauxhall Cavilier - Horrible company car, boring
Ford Sierra - yet another horrible company car worthy of the ditti "Bits of Tin, Bits of board, nailed together make a ford"
BL Montego - cheap, nasty, Terrible build quality, wrote it off in a road rally - yes!
BL Meastro - cheap, handled well, terrible build quality, filled up with water when it rained!
Saab 900 - the classic shape - quircky, have an "old man" image, but with tweeks become a real wolf in sheeps clothing.
Lada Riva Estate - Humm Eastern Fiat 124, bit of a tractor, fell to bits, on the plus side it was cheap :)
Zaztava Yugo - Croatian Fiat 128 bought as a joke, got turned into a rally car and was pretty good.
Alfa Romeo 33, except for the Gorilla driving position rather good

and BMWs........

BMW 320 - rusty bag of bolts, wipers had a mind of their own. Steering geometry always seemed to be "out"
BMW 323i - constantly broke down, ate valves, dodgy electrics, fuel injection a pain to get sorted
BMW 2002 - dodgy brakes seemed to warp brake disks once a week, overheating.... (Yes I know I got another one!)

Oh and just to add

Still have....

MGA - The most fun you can have at 30mph
Saab 900 - Another one, winter hack, see above
BMW2002Tii - goes like the clappers. Injection really could do with an overhaul, eats oil (why?) bit thirsty when loud pedal is used
VW T4 Transporter van - 4 wheel drive syncro, made into a camper, rust getting a hold must tidy up, slow
BMW M535 - the brick, falling to bits, electrics suspect, rear axle bushes gone, but doesn't half go!
Land Rover 110 V8 - drinks worse than Oliver Reid but great tow barge
Mercedes Benz 230Sl Pagoda - total wreck , needs restoration.
3.0Csi - the bucket
3.0Csi - Organ donor


Malc
 

CookeD

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Malc,

That's some funny stuff right there...!

I'm stateside, and have had a lot of cars. Here's far and away the worst:

1973 Gremlin X - Orange, white stripes, chrome roof rack, rust, crazy space-age black/orange combo vinyl interior. Was given to me by a friend of a friend at college with one working drum brake (which I fixed, of course). Ahead of it's time, maybe... But, positively hideous.

During semester break I fixed it, sold it, and bought my first good GTI!
 

Quendil

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Hmm,

Starting with the worst cars

Ford Escort Estate - No rust but knackered engine, caught fire on M40 services
2 Ford Escort cars MK3 - Horrible
Austin Metro - I was young
1958 Morris Oxford - Took in PX, really scary to drive.

As for BMWs

E28 525I - First BMW really reliable and fun, engine went in the end.
E28 525I - Second BM really good nick eventually sold on, probably knackered now.
E23 728I - Like to use a lot of fuel with a three speed auto only just sold.
E21 323I - Bought for my missus to drive. In the end had to restore a mini for her as it was easier to park!
E24 628I - First 6 Series and fun for a file, PX with Morris oxford.
E24 628I - Bought for spares but too good and sold on.
E23 735I - Didn't last long
E24 635CSI - Auto went well but sold on.
E23 735I - Used for 6 months for motorway crusing then sold on.
E24 635CSI - Old 3 speed auto, USed it for a while and sold it on.

I have also had about another 7 E24's which I have broken for spares alond with a E23 728i, a E9 CS and CSI , two E12 M535I's and a 1974 E14 525. All gone to scrapyard heaven.

I still own :

Morris Minor Van 1971 - First car(van) and will never sell, It need restoring again.
E9 CS - Restoration finished earlier this year. Although I always find little bits to do on it.
E12 M535I - Hopefully on the road by end of June.
E3 3.0SI - Next project
E3 2500 - Spares for above
E24 635CSI - Manual version, spent loads on it and is now for sale
Alvis TD21 1958 - well its my Dads really

Cheers

Dave
 

pj

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1965 Opel Rekord 1st car shag
1972 Opel Manta Rallye Sweet Car
1972 Opel Manta Sweet Car
1983 XR3i Great car for tooling around London in the 80s
Suzuki Jeep Moment of Madness
Peugoet 205 gti 1900 Turbo would own again in a heartbeat
1974 Camaro piece of crap but i just got to the states
Toyota 4x4 work/ski vechicle
1984 Chevy Blazer k5 wonderful
1951 Willys Truck 150 mph engine mated to a 60 mph gearbox ,it could lift the front wheels about 3" of the road when you launched it.Fun
Various work trucks Nessasary evil , I am a masonry Contractor
1989 525i Start of my Bmw bug
1992 525i Touring Great car still own her
1999 mercedes 320ml Best sports ute out there (wish I had a amg 500)
1973 Csi My mid life crisis
1972 csi donor car available

Wow , this has brought back some memories
 

Paul T

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My drive down memory lane starts with a Fiat 126:

- Yellow Fiat 126 bought for £25 - Bored to 850 and tuned to give 80bhp. Excellent fun if I could keep it together and the front wheels on the ground. I once got 120mph racing a Capri. Very funny.

- Morris Marina Coupe (mustard yellow and called Molly)- turn off the engine, lock the door and walk away. Come back after the movie and the engine would still be coughing and spluttering.

- Fiat X19 - Best bit was the four pipe ANSA exhaust.

- Alfa GTV - Bertone. Turned to dust.

- Mk2 Golf GTI - Probably the best all rounder I have owned

- Various boring company cars followed including an orange Metro that enabled me to get to know every AA breakdown man in southern England.

- Porsche 944 - Nice. Should have kept it.

- Porsche 911 - a bit like the Fiat but more reliable and LESS of a problem in the wet. I will never forgive myself for selling it but £££needed.

- Porsche 944 Turbo - 300bhp. Perfect GT car in every way but too perfect, it was no 911.

Currently:

- BMW 3.0 CSL. Enough said and this one I will be keeping.

- TVR Vixen. Race car in pieces. Part of a six month rebuilding exercise, currently in it's eleventh year.

- BMW 530d. Fantastic mile cruncher. Just don't have the window down when it's cold. Someone call a cab?

Fancy:

- a 7 ltr Iso Grifo. I don't know why just always have.

Paul
 

KirkT

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Wow. You've all had some great cars!

Mine..in order.

1973 Chevy Impala 4-door (the Green Weenie) - apparently still going.
1973 Chevy Pickup
1984 Blazer
1984 BMW 318i (start of the fixation)
1979 Pontiac Catalina
1986 Chevy Impala 4.3L (driving a couch)
1973 Chevy Impala (again)
1984 Cadillac Eldorado (ahhh, DFI)
1972 Oldsmobile NinetyEight. 4door hard top 455ci TH400 auto (shiftable)
1985 BMW 635CSi Euro
2000 Ford Taurus (toaster)
1970 BMW 2800CS
 

x_atlas0

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I have no such lengthy vehicular history:

1988 Saab 900- red pleather interior, got hot as the dickens in the summer. Mom blew it up.
2000 Jeep Wrangler- Lots of fun, but I could almost run faster than it would accelerate. (4 cyl, stick)
1994 540i- still have, although the dealer may have killed with with their inept service
1972 3.0CS- still in progress, but at least it now moves.

But, that is what I get for only being 22.
 

AndyM

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I need to show my wife this thread so she understands I'm not the only crazy car guy out there. Here's my list -- mostly in order:

'70 Opel GT
'71 Opel GT
'74 Karmann Ghia
'71 VW Bus
'80 Jeep CJ 7
'79 RX-7 (w/BAE Turbo kit -- blew two motors in six months before I decided to sell it)
'84 VW Scirocco (loved to hydroplane -- the front end met two rear bumpers in the year I owned it)
'67 VW Camper (walk-thru splitty)
'72 VW Bug
'64 VW Bug
'78 VW Camper
'86 Jeep Cherokee
'88 Saab 900 Turbo Convertible
'84 Alfa Romeo Spider
'92 BMW 318ic
'98 BMW 323ci
'96 Grand Cherokee
'70 BMW 2002 (I restored it, then sold it and have regretted it since)
'86 Saab 900s (the silver bullet!)
'66 Jeepster Commando (I still have this one -- no one else will take it!)
'86 BMW 325e (goes and goes and goes -- its still going last time I heard)
'74 BMW CSi (rusty -- then wrecked -- ouch)
'02 BMW 330i (too nice for me)
'85 BMW 535i (the blue streak -- its still in the family)
'90 Range Rover County (the most unreliable car I have ever owned)
'02 VW Passat Wagon (bro' in law wrapped it around a tree and walked away w/o a scratch - amazing)
'03 Jeep Grand Cherokee (my wife's car)
'05 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited (my current daily driver)
'75 BMW CSi (my ongoing project)

I'm sure there are more (edit -- there were -- I added two more). I'm not even going to begin listing the motorcycles.
 

Daxklynsmith

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Shees! Nice thread, Malc

The ones that stick out as either the Good,The bad and the Ugly and struggling to remember their Registration years:

"50' MG TC- Forced to sell by parents as the RF hub would auto-rotate and come off at in-oportune moments
'50' Ford Prefect 10HPMost popular guy at a party as I gave lifts home afterwards if you were Female and pretty.Still attending shows in SA
Austin Healey 3000 which I had to give back after the Girl-friends Debutante Dress got wrapped around the prop shaft through the open inspection cover,Only time I saw her in panties, no G/F,No Car
1977 VW 1500- Ended up at the bottom of a very steep hill 3weeks after reciept as a graduation present
Citroen 2CV Bought in London for 20 Pounds and toured Europe for 2 years.Amazing car!!
Mini Cooper 1098_ Raced and Rallied, best fun I've ever had
1972 Nissan 1800 Coupe-Given as a bribe so I would return home from Europe.passed on to brother
1963 MGB GT_ Red and wire wheels,known as the Hoover as it picked up all the Fluff
82 ? Porsche 911 SC- the only car that had the potential to convert me to devout Christianity!!
The rest are a mishmash of Company cars,3 Alfa-suds,2xFord Cortina's
2x Mercs BMW 528 E12,E30 320's etc etc
But!! what stands out is my VW MK2 GTi Golf!! That was fun

Now: 69 2800 CSA
75 3.0 CS
76 E3 3.3l Organ Donor
80 635 CSiA-which the tin rot will get to before I do
2xAlfa 155's when the wife lets me
 

velocewest

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We always get around to this, don't we... :)

1969 Datsun 510 -- what a boy buys when he wants a 2002 but hasn't the price of entry.
1974 Ford Capri -- strong with a 2.8 Cologne V6, almost the same shade of blue as my current e9. Built like tank -- I fell asleep, hit a utility pole, and the pole lost. The car was totaled, all I had was a cut lip from the steering wheel.
1970 Chebby El Camino (a ute, for the Oz crowd) -- I succumbed to the big-block siren. All the worst things about American cars embodied in one, but once the tires stopped spinning it was bloody fast in a straight line.
1974 VW Super Beetle -- bought with the gas money I saved by leaving the El Camino in the driveway.
1980 Yamaha 850 Special -- I was still living at home, so 2 cars and bike was possible. Owned it a year, sold it when I realized I had no innate fear of crashing and was therefore soon to do same.
1978 Fiat X1/9 -- the first flirtation with an Italian engine. About as much power as a well tuned lawn mower, but damn -- what a noise at full song! Learned much about trailing throttle oversteer, too.
197? Plymouth Satellite -- ex-cop car bought at auction. Had a Fiat, still needed to go to work each day. Dubbed the "Flymo" after a late night excursion through an orchard removed most of the "Plymouth" script . Doubled as a ski car, we bolted the ski rack right through the roof and sealed the holes with RTV.
197? AMC Pacer -- Yet another car required by Fiat ownership. Still unrivaled in interior space vs. exterior dimensions.
1963 VW Beetle -- Package deal with fiancé'. Full Cal-look with dropped spindles and 356 wheels. Almost didn't get to have the wedding when we were pummeled in the bug by a 70's Cougar driven by an epileptic with no license or insurance. Bug gave its life for us, they're tougher than they look.
1980 Subaru GL 4x4 wagon – the lil’ white wheelin’ wagon. Great ski and camping car, funky hidden fog lamp in middle of grill (why?). Jessica’s favorite of all time, still gives me crap about selling it.
198? VW Dasher (Passat) – I finally sold the Fiat, allowing the Pacer to move on to a better place. The Dasher was the worst name possible for the car – it had a slushbox, which made a slow car slower, and if you gave in to temptation and turned on the A/C, it wouldn’t go over 50mph. It was quite well built, and I still find them oddly attractive.
1978 Ford F150 – ski boat tow rig extraordinaire. With a full size truck with canopy, I was the pack mule of choice – everyone else would show up, load all their crap in my truck and boat, and off we’d go. Why? Because the Ford would cross the Sikiyous with a full bed and the fully loaded boat on the back at 70mph without even breathing hard.
1984 BMW 318i – Jessica’s “suit and briefcase” car. She was still doing the corporate dance, and this was a good combo of yuppie posturing and gas mileage for her to drive across Tennessee and Mississippi.
1990 Ford Ranger 4x4 – Traded the F-150 and the boat to a friend for this, purely because it had A/C. Believe me, when you grow up in the PNW, you don’t move to Memphis without A/C. Had it in 4wd maybe twice in the 3 years owned.
198? VW Rabbit P/U (caddy) – replaced the Ranger when we moved back to Portland and the remodeling projects got serious. Why trash a nice truck hauling building supplies?
1969 BMW 1600-2 – Finally got my boyhood dream car. Underpowered, rusty, smoked like a steam train on a grade. Kept it 6 years, loved every minute of it.
1992 VW Jetta (Bora) – Bought when we returned from an expat stint in Hong Kong. Got if off lease, only about 20k miles on the clock. Really a good car, although the trim was cheap, broke easily, and cost too much to replace. Drove it for 8 years, sold it with about 150k on the clock, still running strong.
1988 Dodge Raider (Mitsu Montero/Pajero) – The other “new” car after Hong Kong, had about 100k on the clock but had been owned by a preacher who perhaps was worshiping a false idol – the car looked new. Reliable as the sunrise, built like a bunker, slower than grass growing and thirsty as Munich in October. A “real” SUV, with serious off road capability. Now owned by my brother, probably has 200k on it, still running strong. If I ever again decide I need an off-roader, it will be a Mitsu.
1974 Alfa Romeo GTV2000 – as we realized the benefits of property appreciation and I managed to get a raise or two, a toy was in order. Giulia coupes have always been on my list, and this one fell I my lap as I was looking for another BMW. A lot of fun to drive, almost as much fun to wrench on. Should have kept it, will have another.
1970 BMW 2800CS – What to say? Another car on the “gotta have one” list, and another car that came my way as if by providence.
1972 BMW Bavaria – how do you say no to a $300 car? My wife could tell you, but I can’t. All it needed was a driveline and a good mucking out. Drove it for a few months, sold it to a friend of a friend for $700. He’s since dumped thousands in to it with a 5 speed swap, body repairs, FI swap, wheels, etc.
1977 BMW 630CSi – package deal with a 1979 528i parts car, another “too cheap to pass up” deal. Someone else’s engine swap project that needed final assembly. Turned out the engine had been left sitting with no spark plugs and had water in it. Ended up trading the amazing clean rust free shell for upholstery work on the e9. The 3.3 is in my garage in pieces, probably destined to be built into a 3.5 and dropped in the e9.
1980 BMW 323i – Another bargain car. A rusty Euro with a great drivetrain and full Alpina running gear. Drove it for a year, sold it to a friend who promised he would strip it and put all the goodies in a clean dry shell. The bastard now has it all cut up and is trying to fix the rust. His wife won’t talk to me.
2001 Honda CR-V – replaced the Jetta as Jessica’s ride. She loves it, I use it as a parts/lumber/garden hauler, much to her dismay. My first Honda, and I have to say, it may be an appliance, but it’s an marvelously engineered and assembled appliance.
1975 BMW 530i – the current project/daily driver, running a built 3.5 with chipped Motronic, Alpina suspension, 235/45-17’s all around on e39 style 5’s.

Along the way there have been more than a few parts cars, I figure those don’t count since they weren’t actual transpo. I still have an e21 and e12 parts car, and just disposed of an e23 745i that donated its turbocharged engine for eventual install my current 5er.
 

Philip Slate

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Thanks for the memories. You lot have really woken up what is left of my brain cells as I try to relive forty some-odd years of driving pleasure...and pain. Over dinner one night, my wife and I tried to count all the cars I’ve had and when we got to 50 (which might explain my current financial situation), it seemed like a good idea to stop. While most of them were junkers, a few were kinda ok (‘*’ indicates currently owned, which is subject to change at a moments notice). In much abridged form:

-1968 Opel Kadett touring. Great SoCal surfing car. In '68, a friend and I did a surfin' safari all the way down to Acapulco. After a year, the engine was completely trashed (you have to change the oil?)
-1968 Ford Cortina GT. Fun car. Put truck springs on the front 'cause I thought that would make it handle better...actually created furious understeer. After a year, the engine...well, you know.
-1967 Fiat 850 Spyder. The last year of the sloping headlights so the car looked way cool. Was constantly outdistanced by old people using walkers (the car was painfully slow). And for some reason, bugs kept getting in the float bowl of the Weber carb and thence stuck in the main jets, so I got pretty good at road side bug removal.
-Manx dune buggy. Had a sick VW engine which I replaced with a Corvair unit. Could not keep the front wheels on the ground.
-1966 Sunbeam Tiger MK 1A. Put 289 heads and 4BBL intake on the 260 engine. No longer bothered by old people with walkers. Owned this car for 20 years, sold it in ’91, good memories. Ah yes…Lucas electrics…had a Lucas electric fuel pump that used points to trigger the pump. The points would often not work right but luckily the fuel pump was under an access door behind the passenger seat that could be easily reached by the driver. One simply had to remove the cap covering the points and manually…er…excite the points to get them to work for a few moments and continue such nonsense until safely home.
-VW bug with modified Porsche 356 engine. Way quick…until the engine caught on fire (you’re supposed to clean out the ring grooves and not just hammer the cylinders on to the pistons?)
-1968 (Stuck in the ‘60s…me?) Toyota Corolla touring…what a nice little car.
-1969 Triumph Spitfire GT. Cool looking car. Did absolutely nothing well.
-1970 Datsun 510 Coupe. The Japanese start scaring other car manufacturers (remember, the ‘Z’ was introduced in ’70). This car handled well, was very quick, looked pretty good, and during the gas crisis of ’73 got 33 mpg.
-Forget what year Opel Manta. Called it “The Belushi Mobile” because it was yellow with two black ‘racing stripes’ down the hood, roof, rear deck (you do remember Saturday Night Live?)
-*1968 MBZ 250SE estate. A very rare custom coach work car modified in England by Crawford Design. This place turned sedans (saloons) into estates, (tourings, station wagons…trying to cover all languages here) and no one knows how many were built. They also did the same conversion to Bavs (3.0S). Met a gentleman at a car show (Beauleigh auto jumble) with a Bav and the attachment part was identical to the one used on the Merc (of course)(he also estimated that there were maybe five Mercs converted). Bought the car in ’80, used it for many years and it has now been in a perpetual state of restoration since about ’92.

….and so many others…
A Mini (60s, of course)
1965(?) Datsun 1600 Fairlady
Another Tiger
1964 Triumph TR4
etc, etc….

…and some Detroit Iron…
-1966 Shelby GT 350
-1966 Shelby GT 350H
-1967 Camaro RS SS. One of the cars I’d like to have back. Had almost every option available and was a very beautiful car. Sold it in ’85 for $5K…worth about $35-40K today (in other words, I’ll never get it back)
-1969 Camaro Pace Car Convertible. Needed complete resto. Was driving down the road, felt a clunk and then saw a rear wheel and axle assembly pass me on the right shoulder. I hate when that happens. Sold it as was.
-1991 Corvette ZR 1. A very, very nice car. Too nice for me, worried about chipping the paint every time I drove it, had to sell it.

…and a couple ‘a BMWs…
-Early 80s 320i. What a lump.
-1973 Bavaria. Owned this car concurrently with the GT 350H and found that as the Shelby approached triple digit speeds, it started feeling unpleasant, whereas at the same speeds the Bav just hunkered down and flat got with the program. A four door sedan (saloon) that whoops butt on a performance car…who wouldda thunk it?
-1992 525iT. Too darn slow. Sold it.
-*1994 530iT (current driver) Not slow. If freeway off ramps, on ramps are any gauge, out handles most other cars (a bit too much push as you go over the limit…thinking of maybe some front camber plates). 180K miles and still going strong.

…a couple ‘a not BMWs…
-1991 MBZ 300TE 4-matic. An absolutely terrific car, except that it was very slow …and got poor gas mileage. Very comfortable and quite good handling. We did a lot of ‘soft roading’ and the car never even flinched. Whether in the snow, ice, mud, soft sand, loose gravel, whatever, the all wheel drive made this car
a great go (almost) anywhere ride.
-1991 MBZ 500E. This car can’t be real. Very quick, unbelievable handling, every bell and whistle available in ’91, wow, wow, wow. Better than a ’91 M5?

…and Porsches…
-1973 911. Got this car for cheap in ’86 due to an engine fire (no, I didn’t hammer on the cylinders of this one). Rebuilt the top end of the engine, spliced in a new wiring harness, had it painted and wow, what a nice looking car. My first 911 and I was absolutely shocked at how quick it was. After front engine cars all my life, the handling of a car with the engine hanging off the arse end was a bit un-nerving.
-1973 914 2.0L. Way too slow. Got rid of it
-1973 914-6. This car was built by a friend and owner of a Porsche repair shop as his personal track car which means it was done right. Damn, this car was good. Won a few Porsche Club championships with it
I used to flat tow the car to the track (it was licensed for the street) and one year the tow vehicle broke down at the entrance to Laguna Seca (that’s what I call a faithful horse). Had the tow vehicle towed to a fix it place, withdrew from the track event and my wife and I spent a lovely, relaxing weekend around Monterey. When it was time to go back to SoCal, we were able to fit all our stuff in the cabin and the two trunks and only had to leave the race wheels/tires in the Tow vehicle. The ride home was quite pleasant (and was the first time my wife ever set foot in the car, ‘cause it was ”just a Volkswagen, after all”. Her high school boyfriends had 911s and taught her to look down her nose at ‘mere’ 914s)
-*1986 928S. Another street/track car. Used to commute to LA (about an hour and a half) on the weekdays and do track events on the weekends. In the summer no matter how hot it was outside, I’d be cool and comfortable sitting on the freeway with a couple hundred thousand of my closest friends as the duel A/C worked it’s magic. And the engine temp gauge never even approached the half way mark. In ’93 it became my wife’s car but when I needed a track car at the end of last year (TBL was non-op) she gave it back to me (subtle way of saying it was time for her to get a ‘new’ car).
-1967 911S. This car had been bastardized with flairs, a whale tail and box rockers but was basically a very sound car. Had all that crap removed and the stock body panels put back. I completed the assembly and the car turned out very nice and was a pleasure to drive.
-1965 911. Street/track car and my entrance into vintage racing. Lightly modified. A friend who co-drove it for an enduro gave it the nick name “Robocar” because it did whatever you told it to do (within it’s limits…don’t ask)

-*And, of course, The Bat Lady, AKA TBL. 1972 CS/CSL. Privateer built to run IMSA in the USA where it ran a few seasons including the 24 Hours Of Daytona in ’78 and ’79. Then went to SCCA for much of the ‘80s and was rescued and restored by Arthur Porter in the early ‘90s and taken by Arthur to the Monterey Historics in ’92 (Steve Earle, who runs the Historics, was a co-driver of the car for the ’79 24 Hours of Daytona). TBL now sits rather forlornly waiting for me to get busy and put in that ’91 M5 engine that’s been sitting next to her since December.
 

marc

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1966 Triumph herald 13/60.Only car that's ever had a name . T.Bag, 101 perforations... learned to drive in it, got smashed up on the way back from Motorhead and Girls school`s St. Valentine day Massacre, I had way too long hair. I can still be seen to this day on the VCR....
1976 ford escort 1.3 estate. Really worried my girlfriends parents.
1979 ford escort 1600 sport. Really Really worried my girlfriends parents
1982 BMW 323I really worried my parents.
married
Alfasud 1.1 thing . rust rust rust , body filler, new mot. rust, yep it was rusty
Ford escort 1.3 linnet. yawn yawn yawn.
Renault 4 van for work. I looked like a french onion seller.....
1966 e type ( still got some fab pics in a really nice shirt and I still had hair...)
198? vauxhall carton
198? escort van
1972 Porsche 911 rs lwt
1970 mini 1340 mini race car (12 mpg on the road I was older enough to no better)
198? lancia delta hf turbo (rust rust, scared the life out of me, then more rust)
1987 merc 250 td. did 200k miles in it. big smash and it saved our lives.
the drunken woman and her kids took 6 hours to cut out. We walked but have suffered every day due to it with back and head trouble. We hit her that hard it pushed the crown wheel trough the back of the diff and pictures are still used by Mercedes. I`m drifting a bit.... I made the decision as i was doing 70 and she had pulled out into my path head on I decided to hit her side ways so I took the blow rather than my wife and then realized my Daughter was in the baby seat behind me. Lucky for me she changed direction and I hit her fair and square between the doors...
199? Vauxhall omega 3.0ltr elite estate. quick but made out of paper
1989 Mers 300 te , Gas converted and run on gas pumped from 100lt lpg heating bottles @ 17p a ltr. 120k trouble free miles.
19?? peugeot estate (crap)
1996 Jeep Cherokee 2.5 td.
2001 Merc Ml 270 cdi 7 seater ( currently doing 45k miles a year.... poor build quality but been pretty reliable besides ) still own and maybe washed any year soon.
Haven't included the present `play` cars

marc
 

ScottAndrews

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Good grief! AN dI THOUGHT I was bad about having a lot of cars!! I feel positively chaste!

Let's see.. The List.. A bit like old lovers I suppose...

Have Owned:

1940 something Velocette Motorcycle.. Basket case given to me by my dad. Never did get that thing running...

1958 Morris Minor 1000 convertible.. A fine car as longn as you only had to go 50 mph.. beat the crap out of it on the LA highways. Sold to myu dad for $500 to buy....

1967 MGB GT.. Primrose Yellow. Fun car, cool looking, drove like a truck...Dad turned around and sold the minor for 3X what he paind me for it.. I still haven't forgiven him...

1980 VW Rabbit (Golf). Fine car..my first new car. Not very fast; Totaled by my 1st wife. It was a disater, she was OK.

1976 2002 My first BMW. OK Car, but it was an auto which is the stupidest ting I have ever seen (a 2002 auto???). Drove like it was on rails..Damn engine oil liget was always flickering (an $800 head rebuild would have fixed that).

1983 Rabbit Cabriolet.. Totally fun car for zipping along coast highway with the top down

1984 Saab 900 What a pig.. and expensive to repair

1986 Acura Legend Coupe.. My 1st 24 valve 6.. Man that was a fast sweet car..SOld it when I moved to Japan

1989 Volvo 740 Turbo Wagon (hey, the kids were little...) Solt that when I moved to japan

1996 RAV 4 RHD Cute convenient car in Japan. Had wireless computer and traffic system. Sold whan I moved back to the US.

Currently Own:

1934 Riley Kestrel.. (OK It's Dad's).. In restopration for the past 40 years! Probably my only inheritance...

1980 BMW 635 Euro.. M90 motor. Bought from an ad in the paper.. I had always like the 6 series, an dthis one was cheap and I had the cash. Had no idea it was a euro spec car. It has been reborne as Rosanante.. the Estoril Blau 6er you see in some of the pics. Hella fast. The Truth.

2000 VW Jetta VR6.. Nice fast comfortable car for those thigns you need a fast comfortable reliable car for.

1988 BMW635 5sp. Smooth, heavy, but reliable and fun.

1972 BMW 3.0 CS Dual Webers, needs resoration. about 500% LESS rust than Malc's Bucket!

1969 Ford Bronco 4x4.. A Bucket rivaling Malcs Bucket

1973 Ford Bronco.. Undergoing full frame-off resotration. Should be ready for prime time this summer.

We have other kids cars of lesser interest...Toyota Previa Van, Toyota 4Runner, Ford Mustang Convertible,
 

vraned

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Man, it seems like we should start a Former Opel owners club:

71 Honda MiniTrail: first trip to the emergency room, 1973.
71 Mustang: about 200 iron-oxide-lbs lighter than original.
76 Opel Manta: tried to put the Mustang motor in it. Didn't work.
76 Capri: $1000 engine in a $50 car. left the road in Miles Standish State park.
71 BMW 2002: beater. Great drivetrain, most unstable front end ever.
76 VW Westfalia Bus: rustier than the Mustang. Sold to a Rasta for $500.
71 Triumph TR6: loved this car! Rustier than VW Bus. Took it apart with restoration hopes and never put it back together again.
76 Opel Manta: Drove the cam lobes off it. Only took about 600 miles.
74 Triumph TR6: Drove it to my mom's house, and then never again.
78 Datsun 810 Wagon: sleeper. T-boned Ford F-150 after final exams.
78 Ford Pinto: ex-postal. Automatic. More embarrassing than taking the bus.
78 Datsun 810 Wagon: 115-mph all day long. Blew EFI module.
80 Plymouth Horizon: Abandoned on Mass Turnpike w/ blown CV-joint.
71 Datsun 510 Wagon: Fun car. Dual SU's. Abandoned in rental garage when couldn't make rent. Sad.
78 Honda Civic 1200: Blew thrust washers & cam. Drove another 2K. Thereafter, interesting clutch action around left-hand turns.
71 Datsun 510 2-door: Aluminum V8. "Cops" episode in GA. Sold to pay for defense attorney.
82 Skoda Super Estelle: Given to me during 5-mos in UK.
69 Volvo 142S: Will not die. Don't have heart to kill it. Anybody want it?
74 BMW 2.5 CS: Don't want to talk about it.
72 BMW 3.0 CS: $60K later and I'm still not driving it.
76 BMW 2002: Head gasket. Not worth the time away from CS project.
72 BMW Bavaria: Uses oil faster than gas.
86 Toyota Pickup: Newest car I've ever owned.
 

ScottAndrews

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Location
Petaluma, CA
Observations:

An awful lot of E9 guys have history with:

British Leyland products

Opels

Alfas...espacially reall sleek and totally impractical Alfas..

Maybe there is a lesson in this somewhere, but for me, the inspiration is.. I gotta get me an Alfa GTV...!!

S
 

pj

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Santa Cruz , Ca
I loved my two old Mantas , I belive they were designed by Karman or had something to do with them.
My Red one was in custom car magazine (is that still out in the uk),
It was a ferrari red had a 2.4 motor, 5speed, rallye rear end , pegged the speedo at 130 on the M40. Classic lines great handling .
 

corsachili

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Los Gatos, CA, USA
4 wheeled skellies

00-Ford F150-dogs, motorcycles, mountiain home, you do the math
73 3.0 CS-now in Canmore, sold only to finance the acquisition of the CSL
93 740i-amazing such a big car could go so rapidly
E30 325is-my first BMW, and I still miss this car
65 MGB-owned it for ten years, she was actually a great little car
74 TR6-stupid POS but the engine sure sounded cool
74 Shitfire-rescued from abandonement at SFO, enough said
57 VW Oval Window-seemed so cool at the time, in retrospect, "what was I thinking?"
66 VW Bus-see above
67 Ford Falcon Station wagon-first car, hand me down

2 wheels
05 BMW R1200GS-uber moto..............ride the globe
95 Ducati 916-current, and the benchmark for what an Italian motorcycle should look and sound like
70 Norton Commando Fastback-silly silly bike
87 Suzuki RG250-two stroke GP replica, so much fun
95 Ducati 900SS/SP-miss this one big time
93 Ducati 900SS-built on a Friday after lunch by a drunken Luigi
85 Yamaha RZ350-son of the original hooligan bike. Kenny Roberts rep, I want another
69 Triumph TR6-before I saw the light that was Norton
69 Triumph Bonneville-dumped thousands in to her.........looked great, was never going to be a great example of her kind........but what a beautiful machine
63 Vespa GS-the original Mod machine
70 Lambretta GP150-I want another
74 Vespa Rally 200-my first scooter
78 Vespa P200E-lacked classic looks, but a great scoot
 

kealaiki

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Honolulu
'67 MGB-GT: It would overheat if driven in stop & go city traffic for more than 8 blocks. Fun but terrible reliability. It made me swear off English cars forever.

'66 Mercedes-Benz 230S: Safe as houses and about as quick. At the time I figured only the very well-heeled could afford the $1,200 valve job it eventually needed.

'68 BMW 1600: The obsession started here. Not much to look at when friends were driving 'Cudas, Camaros, and Boss Mustangs. This car ran like a bat out of hell.

'73 BMW 2002tii: Fast but relatively thirsty. Bad synchros caused me to trade it in for my first brand new BMW.

'75 BMW 2002: Arktikblau with gray skai. After 15 months, the clearcoast cracked and checked. Entire repaint under warranty. Mental note to self: No more German metallic paints!

'77 BMW 320i: Occasional "vapor lock" problems. Not a bad car but could have been better with 25 more HP.

'79 VW Beetle Cabrio: The most problem-free car I have ever owned. Zero-defects, zero issues. Ran like a top. Much better AC than the 320i.

'01 BMW M5: A rocket with incredible brakes. This was the first BMW I owned that seemed to lack a "soul". Almost Honda-like in its perfection.

CURRENT CARS:

'85 BMW 635CSi (Euro): Out of all the BMWs I've owned, this is my favorite. It has it all - power, handling, brakes, looks, comfort. I never plan to sell it.

'75 BMW 3.0CS (Euro): A fickle mistress. Pretty but demanding. Spend my entire paycheck on her and she still wants more. A veritable money pit.

'71 Mercedes Benz 280SE 3.5: Invincible German engineering. Made at a time when Mercedes Benz was king. "Das Bestes oder nichts!"

'72 Citroen DS Pallas: French weirdness and quirkiness. Many parts hard to find. Knowledgeable Citroen mechanics even harder. Unbelievably smooth ride but it scares kids and dogs.
 

Daxklynsmith

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Galway, Ireland
Scotts Observations

Think the common thread is we are addicted to cars that rust quickly and badly!!
Do you think its Genetic??
Dax
PS: really enjoy the humour and the writing talent
 

Roger S

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Location
Queens, NY
Daily Driver:
NYC MTA Trains and Buses (Hey, its faster to take public transportation)

2004 G35 Coupe 6MT*
2000 Ford Mustang
1997 Dodge Caravan* (Malamute transporter and supply carrier for weekend construction projects)
1996 Isuzu Rodeo
1990 Honda Accord
1986 Isuzu Impulse (First car, purchased in Hudson Valley/Catskill region and died of cancer/rust. Lost some parts from engine compartment on highway and realized what was and was not essential to operating vehicle.)
1983 Porsche 911sc (Targa)*
1976 BMW 2002* (It doesn't take a 1/4 tank to travel 25 miles?)
1973 BMW 3.0csa*
1970 BMW 2800cs

Road test:
1987 Hyundai Excel (5-speed/sedan; Mom)

Learned to Drive:
1978 Caprice Classic (Grandfather)
1976 BMW 2002 (light clutch, little more agreeable to underage driving)
1974 Capri (Clutch was high and hard for my then weak, 10 yr old legs. Every time the clutch went down and the car went into gear, I could not muster the strength to turn the steering wheel.

First Ride:
1980 Mongoose California-BMX* (Financed by making and selling of Macrames)

*'s denote "rides" currently owned.
 
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