Sunday 15 July 2012

cars i have known and liked

i should call this post 'pimp my ride' but i hate that expression.  i've been feeling a little nostalgic lately.  i don't know why.  i took the grandkids on a tour of my old neighbourhood recently and saw the house that i grew up in and places i used to go.  my old school etc.  which brings me on to the subject of some of the cars i've/we've had.  the first car i remember was an old black vanguard.  it was huge.  dad was a chauffeur before he went into surveying and he used to clean and polish those cars  to perfection.  his garden, shed and cars were always immaculate just like mum used to keep the house. i remember when i was about 4 bleeding in it all the way to the hospital.  we weren't allowed to sit on the bed when it was made.  omg.  how things change. these days i often don't even make the bed, but that's another story.

the vanguard

this is old betsy.  i used to illegally drive her a few hundred miles to visit my mother and sister.  no licence. i have one now.  convenient for putting the scooter in the back when necessary
dad later got a lovely cortina.  i think i got a ding in it at the shopping centre

i think my fx was my fave.  no suspension and i had to hot wire it to start.  i loved this car.  i left my teddy bear in it when i sold it.  dad gave me my teddy when i was born.  grandpa bought me the fx. much to my parents displeasure 
my first boyfriend's fiat 500

i foolishly bought my first husband a customline when i got my inheritance.  very large car and very small inheritance  

my late husband's kingswood v8.  i could change the spark plugs, do the timing and fix the auto choke thingy. it used to stick all the time. very heavy on the petrol too. i love the sound of a v8 engine

after my husband died i got the charade.  so tiny after the kingswood.  not a popular choice with my son at the time


and this is my current car.  very common and ordinary.  the g/kids wish it had four doors, esp. as they get bigger.  we've had lots of fun times in this car.  i got it the year my grandson was born so it's getting on in car years.   

in between are some scooters.  i drove a honda 90 to school and my late husband and i had yamahas.  his was bigger and he used to pillion our daughter around.  an old (well he would be now) boyfriend had a vespa which i've always had a soft spot for. these days i drive a bike in bali, which everyone says is very brave of me.  however, i have to disagree and say it's more like stupidity. have you ever seen bali traffic? but i love it.  i've been thinking of getting a scooter again.  my sister has one.  not the best mode of transport in the winter time but wonderful in the warmer months.  and most importantly, you can always get a park. 





7 comments:

  1. Lovely memories, wonderful cars...thanks for sharing.

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  2. The older cars just seem to have so much more personality than cars these days. maybe I'm just a sentimental old sap.

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  3. Such a great post! Thanks for sharing these wonderful memories....The first boyfriends fiat looks very cool...
    I am glad to hear that you can do some car things.. like change spark plugs, hot wire cars etc.. i call RACV because i don't have a clue... i was too busy helping mum in the kitchen when my step dad was fixing the car.. i didn't want to get dirty with all that grease! :-)

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  4. thanks for your comments everyone. these days i call the RAA (same as RACV). i've mellowed in my old age :) i haven't hot wired a car for years

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  5. Great post, full of memories for all of us. You were a handy mechanic in those days. I used to have a scooter. You sure are brave riding one in Bali.

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  6. Lots of memories there! Your yellow Charade looks a lot like my son's old nissan pulsar (1985). His first car, with an one lady owner before him. He's 18 on Sunday - I can't believe it.

    V8's don't sound like they used to. Mine sounds like a kitten (sleeping). And it goes through fuel at a scary rate. Still, after 20 years of driving a volvo, I thought having a car with grunt would be good!

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  7. I love old cars they are so wonderful and have more character then a lot of the modern cars and yes I know thay may not be as safe but hell they are still awesome

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