School Car - Which Car Did You Learn To Drive In?

[Sintra]

I learnt in my mums Renault 4 not that she knew about it lol

 

[telectrix]

as i said in another thread, a 1956 ford thames 5cwt van. only 3 gears, no heater, then a ford anglia.

 

[Rizla]

Datsun Cherry for me as well.

 

[R G]

Ford Escort Mk 1 took the test in 1974 , then owned a 1966 hillman minx as my first car, oh also had some lessons from a guy at work in a vauxhall victor 101 with 3 speed column change and a nice big bench seat up front...

 

[7029 dave]

Ford Escort Mk 1 took the test in 1974 , then owned a 1966 hillman minx as my first car, oh also had some lessons from a guy at work in a vauxhall victor 101 with 3 speed column change and a nice big bench seat up front...

Hi Ray, I once owned a Ford Zephyr mk11 low line. 3 speed bench seat.

 

[ruston]

Lol. I had a 63 Cresta 3 speed six cylinder with the full bench seat.
Flying machine in it's day. Pass anything but a filling station.

 

[R G]

My father in law had a vauxhall ventura , that had a 3 litre straight six engine , and it was fast but drank fuel like no other , other car I had which I really liked was the Triumph Mk 2 , the 2 litre one, I would have liked the 2.5PI , oh and a 1600 Corsair as well , all those old cars seem to rust well though...

I spent more time trying to treat and control rust than driving them though , especially as they were quite old when I got them ..

 

[Rpa07]

Makes you appreciate modern cars, bikes and vans. Less or no rust, efficient and clean engines and gadgets - saying that, I did see a bright red Mk1 escort today and had a little tingle!

 

[Rpa07]

Except for the Mercedes vito vans for rust - what's that all about?

 

[ruston]

Makes you appreciate modern cars, bikes and vans. Less or no rust, efficient and clean engines and gadgets - saying that, I did see a bright red Mk1 escort today and had a little tingle!

It's not the rust that put's them in the scrapyard now. It's because the become beyond economic repair when their sophisticated electronics are a fortune to replace.
Some of the higher marques ; if all the air bags are deployed in an accident , coupled with the damage makes most of them beyond economic repair.
In the day , most could look after their own car, a trained mechanic is unlikely to get home now if he/she were to break down. But yes the are on the whole more reliable and nicer to drive.

The rust with the Mercs, could they be made out of old Transits ?
There is always a cost.

 

[Rpa07]

You're always assured parts available on flea bay because of this reason alone - we truly are a throw away society but also a buy second hand and fix it ourself society - I'm definitely in that last catagory but saying that because of what we do as a trade, we probably all are.
My first car was the family Hillman imp, turquoise in colour. I knew every inch of that car. Stupidly scrapped it when it had such a bad oil leak that it came out faster than I could put it in - I strapped a baking tray underneath strained it and put the oil back in. The centre told me it wasn't worth repairing and then I found a white Peugeot 205 diesel and the rest was history - modern car took its place!

 

[ruston]

I liked the Hillman Imp. One of the ,I think, only car in it's day that you needed a micrometer to do the tappets. They were great in the snow too.
I still have an old 405 estate, it's been tucked away for a few years now , but one day...
I have a VW Sharan , I know there is an engine in there somewhere , one day I will find it , the next I might even be able to get at it.

 

[Rpa07]

It's like the unknown in a modern engine bay but so so pretty! Trouble is a man cannot open the bonnet and just look at the engine any more - it's like being castrated if you get the context!

 

[ruston]

Slave cylinders IN the clutch , Lovely. Dual mass lovely , £800 average for the kit. Unless as you say , Ebay,
Technology costs lol.

 

[Rpa07]

Sometimes you get a keeper and sometimes it's a lemon - 'you pays your money, you takes your chance' - always buy the extended warranty!