Best car owned?

General chat topics, anything and everything you want or need to discuss
User avatar
KungFooBob
Posts: 17501
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:04 pm
Location: The content of this post is not AI generated.
Has thanked: 627 times
Been thanked: 9495 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by KungFooBob »

Nobby wrote: Mon Feb 17, 2025 10:30 am
KungFooBob wrote: Sun Feb 16, 2025 8:44 pm
Nobby wrote: Sun Feb 16, 2025 8:41 pm Most fun car.... Citroen Dyane. Used, abused. Engine transplant of the Citroen GS1220 which went straight onto the gearbox once the flywheel was modified. Left a trail of carnage across northern France the summer of 87, four up with camping kit to Le Mans.
Blimey. That’s it. Have I posted the story of the journey ?
Yeah, because you're incapable of working a computer you sent them to me a few years ago to add to a thread.
Nobby
Posts: 802
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 5:04 pm
Has thanked: 175 times
Been thanked: 766 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by Nobby »

KungFooBob wrote: Mon Feb 17, 2025 10:33 am
Nobby wrote: Mon Feb 17, 2025 10:30 am
KungFooBob wrote: Sun Feb 16, 2025 8:44 pm
Blimey. That’s it. Have I posted the story of the journey ?
Yeah, because you're incapable of working a computer you sent them to me a few years ago to add to a thread.
I still can’t use a computa. I have a tablet and phone. I can now post pictures on my phone if there’s not too many bits.
v8-powered
Posts: 3053
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:37 pm
Location: Colchester
Has thanked: 2849 times
Been thanked: 1609 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by v8-powered »

Hard to define best....

Best workhorse and likely most comfortable was a Peugeot 406 Tdi in GLX spec. Not the quickest but ran on fumes and was so comfortable on a run - I sold it at around 175000 miles to a cab driver
roadster
Posts: 263
Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2023 9:05 am
Has thanked: 29 times
Been thanked: 214 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by roadster »

I like trying different cars so I've had more than a few! As a mental exercise I decided to apply the strict criterion of only mentioning a couple that were most enjoyable when actually behind the wheel. This produced a quirky answer namely
MG Metro Turbo
MG Maestro 2 litre.

Basically dull cars that had engines dropped in that were more powerful than they could easily cope with. No fancy suspension or tyres, so they could start to misbehave even when driven at almost legal speeds. I've owned much faster sports cars such as the Toyota MX5 but the fact is that to find the limit in those means driving at a speed that constantly challenges other traffic, so it is only enjoyable on deserted roads or on the track.

Good old British Leyland, every journey an adventure!
User avatar
KungFooBob
Posts: 17501
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:04 pm
Location: The content of this post is not AI generated.
Has thanked: 627 times
Been thanked: 9495 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by KungFooBob »

I had a Toyota MX-5, but sold it to buy a Mazda GT-86.
User avatar
Rockburner
Posts: 6033
Joined: Sun Mar 15, 2020 11:06 am
Location: Hiding in your blind spot
Has thanked: 10963 times
Been thanked: 3995 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by Rockburner »

roadster wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2025 10:53 am I like trying different cars so I've had more than a few! As a mental exercise I decided to apply the strict criterion of only mentioning a couple that were most enjoyable when actually behind the wheel. This produced a quirky answer namely
MG Metro Turbo
MG Maestro 2 litre.

Basically dull cars that had engines dropped in that were more powerful than they could easily cope with. No fancy suspension or tyres, so they could start to misbehave even when driven at almost legal speeds. I've owned much faster sports cars such as the Toyota MX5 but the fact is that to find the limit in those means driving at a speed that constantly challenges other traffic, so it is only enjoyable on deserted roads or on the track.

Good old British Leyland, every journey an adventure!

When I did my skid-training course at Silverstone, the John Watson Driving School :D, (after A-levels soo.. 1991?) the car on the trolley was an MG Maestro (iirc)
non quod, sed quomodo
User avatar
gremlin
Posts: 7856
Joined: Wed Jul 08, 2020 3:12 pm
Location: Kent (AKA God's own country)
Has thanked: 1102 times
Been thanked: 5881 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by gremlin »

I have a soft spot for my old MR2. It was just nice to drive. Prices are a bit mental these days, but I do hanker for those pop-up lights.

(I also remember my first car fondly. It was a shit Fiat Panda. Bits would fall off, it was full of filler, the engine would or wouldn't start for no reason, but I fucking loved it as it represented freedom and I could go and see the lovely Mrs. G (or Miss P. as she was then) more often)
Remember Anne Diamond!
roadster
Posts: 263
Joined: Sun Mar 05, 2023 9:05 am
Has thanked: 29 times
Been thanked: 214 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by roadster »

roadster wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2025 10:53 am I like trying different cars so I've had more than a few! As a mental exercise I decided to apply the strict criterion of only mentioning a couple that were most enjoyable when actually behind the wheel. This produced a quirky answer namely
MG Metro Turbo
MG Maestro 2 litre.

Basically dull cars that had engines dropped in that were more powerful than they could easily cope with. No fancy suspension or tyres, so they could start to misbehave even when driven at almost legal speeds. I've owned much faster sports cars such as the Mazda MX5 but the fact is that to find the limit in those means driving at a speed that constantly challenges other traffic, so it is only enjoyable on deserted roads or on the track.

Good old British Leyland, every journey an adventure!
Got my Toyotas and Mazdas muddled there! never had a Toyota MR2.
Wossname
Posts: 1306
Joined: Fri Apr 10, 2020 7:14 pm
Location: West of the Tamar
Has thanked: 357 times
Been thanked: 919 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by Wossname »

First “enjoyable” car was a Fiat 131 Sport (OIA7187, became PRL192Y when I moved to Cornwall) but it literally disintegrated at 4 years old due to living near the sea, and being a Fiat. Then my first Golf GTi, Mk1 1600(TIA122>>ORL98X), then 3 Mk2 GTi’s (8- valves, B475CRL, D675MAF, G920CRL) then a VR6 (K768ORL) which was the best of those after I chipped it and modified the suspension. They were all enjoyable but not as good for vet work as my Forester turbos, of which I had 6 between 1999 and retirement in 2020. They were brilliant fun.

Can’t really choose “best”.
User avatar
Taipan
Posts: 19333
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:48 pm
Location: Essex Riviera!
Has thanked: 20859 times
Been thanked: 13676 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by Taipan »

A stand out car in the history of owneing or driving just about eveyrthing the motor trade offered during the 80s, and beyond that, is a Citroen Xantia! :wtf: I bought a 1.8i version for buttons at the time and found it to be one o fthe most comfortable cars i've ever owned. Went to northern Spain in it over teh course of 2 days and it was super comfortable and was returning around 40mpg. Cracking car that! :thumbup:
NC750X mpg Image
User avatar
ChrisW
Posts: 3492
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2022 8:46 pm
Has thanked: 3714 times
Been thanked: 3027 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by ChrisW »

Taipan wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2025 6:39 pm A stand out car .... is a Citroen Xantia! :wtf: one of the most comfortable cars i've ever owned.
I can well believe that - I had a Citroen BX GTi for half a year or so in the early nineties & the seats and suspension were outstandingly comfy.

Not sure I'd have liked it quite as much when it was a few years old though !
User avatar
Mr Moofo
Posts: 5908
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:41 pm
Location: Brightonish
Has thanked: 1926 times
Been thanked: 1728 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by Mr Moofo »

ChrisW wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2025 7:23 pm
Taipan wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2025 6:39 pm A stand out car .... is a Citroen Xantia! :wtf: one of the most comfortable cars i've ever owned.
I can well believe that - I had a Citroen BX GTi for half a year or so in the early nineties & the seats and suspension were outstandingly comfy.

Not sure I'd have liked it quite as much when it was a few years old though !
I had a Citroen BX GTI 16v for two years - It spend 25 weeks being repaired, it had intermittant electical faults that said it was over heating. The sensors lied so much that I ignored them whne it shed all its hydraulic fluid in the centre of Birmingham.
It was awful - so noisy that you couldn't hear the radio. Solved by opening the sunroof and moving the sonic boom backwards.
It even made the SAAB 9.3t i had look good ...
User avatar
ChrisW
Posts: 3492
Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2022 8:46 pm
Has thanked: 3714 times
Been thanked: 3027 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by ChrisW »

Mr Moofo wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2025 7:41 pm
ChrisW wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2025 7:23 pm
Taipan wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2025 6:39 pm A stand out car .... is a Citroen Xantia! :wtf: one of the most comfortable cars i've ever owned.
I can well believe that - I had a Citroen BX GTi for half a year or so in the early nineties & the seats and suspension were outstandingly comfy.

Not sure I'd have liked it quite as much when it was a few years old though !
I had a Citroen BX GTI 16v for two years - It spend 25 weeks being repaired, it had intermittant electical faults that said it was over heating. The sensors lied so much that I ignored them whne it shed all its hydraulic fluid in the centre of Birmingham.
It was awful - so noisy that you couldn't hear the radio. Solved by opening the sunroof and moving the sonic boom backwards.
It even made the SAAB 9.3t i had look good ...
I must have been lucky! Plus, company car and only had it for a short while.

I refer you to my closing point in the earlier comment. I bet the seat bolsters turned to dust on its third birthday, too.
User avatar
KungFooBob
Posts: 17501
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:04 pm
Location: The content of this post is not AI generated.
Has thanked: 627 times
Been thanked: 9495 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by KungFooBob »

I had a first gen 406 GLX, was the thirsty 2l petrol rather than the more common HDI.

It was probably the most comfortable car I've ever had, it handled like a boat tho'. Was quite quick in a straight line, if you could get the power down without the front end topping out and the wheels spinning.

The remote fob only ever worked once... which locked me in the car. You had to unlock it with the key, then enter an immobiliser code using a pop-out keypad under the dash near the steering wheel.
Mr. Dazzle
Posts: 16347
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:57 pm
Location: Milton Keynes
Has thanked: 2417 times
Been thanked: 6369 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by Mr. Dazzle »

Most comfy car I ever had was a Saab 900 (the Vauxhal Cavalier one). My colleague had a Saab 9-3 at the time which was also supremely comfy.

My mate had a Volvo 850 with super comfy arm chairs too.

Must be a Swedish thing.
User avatar
KungFooBob
Posts: 17501
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 1:04 pm
Location: The content of this post is not AI generated.
Has thanked: 627 times
Been thanked: 9495 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by KungFooBob »

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2025 8:43 pm Most comfy car I ever had was a Saab 900 (the Vauxhal Cavalier one). My colleague had a Saab 9-3 at the time which was also supremely comfy.

My mate had a Volvo 850 with super comfy arm chairs too.

Must be a Swedish thing.
The seats in my S90 aren't quite as comfortable as the ones in the old V40, the S90 seats do have Swedish* flag tags on them which makes up for it tho.




* Despite it being made in China.
Mr. Dazzle
Posts: 16347
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:57 pm
Location: Milton Keynes
Has thanked: 2417 times
Been thanked: 6369 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by Mr. Dazzle »

t'old 850 was made in Gothenberg and had the Volvo home brew straight 5 engine :wub: Safest car ever, if you crashed it you had ample time to just get out of the car before the impact reached you.
User avatar
Count Steer
Posts: 15906
Joined: Mon Jul 19, 2021 4:59 pm
Has thanked: 8036 times
Been thanked: 5694 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by Count Steer »

Mr. Dazzle wrote: Wed Feb 19, 2025 8:43 pm Most comfy car I ever had was a Saab 900 (the Vauxhal Cavalier one). My colleague had a Saab 9-3 at the time which was also supremely comfy.

My mate had a Volvo 850 with super comfy arm chairs too.

Must be a Swedish thing.
The seats in my V70 were :thumbup: too. TBH the seats are one of the things I pay particular attention to when evaluating cars as potential purchases. Some German cars aren't bad at all. Lots of small cars have v short seat squabs (? - the bit you sit on) and they're only fit for a quick trip to the shops.
The plural of 'anecdote' is not 'data'.
Couchy
Posts: 2494
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 2:56 pm
Has thanked: 360 times
Been thanked: 2246 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by Couchy »

Best hmmmmm

1987 Corolla GT coupe
1990 Peugeot 309 gti
1989 Mazda MX5
2006 MG ZT260
2005 Porsche 997S
Nissan Elgrand E52

Have good memories of all of them, current transporter will prob be on the list soon too 😃
Nordboy
Posts: 1144
Joined: Mon Mar 16, 2020 4:04 pm
Location: S. Wales
Has thanked: 580 times
Been thanked: 830 times

Re: Best car owned?

Post by Nordboy »

My best car is usually the one I'm running around in at the moment.

Purely because I've bought it as I got bored or wanted something different to my last 'best car'.
Post Reply