Copied from a Pistonheads post a year or so ago
It started off with this, inherited from my grandparents. This isn't the actual car (I never got a picture of it), but it was great to finally have my own wheels. It was a 1.3 L - bottom of the range, manual everything (including choke!) and dog slow. I drove it like a eighteen year old everywhere, until the point where it started using almost as much oil as petrol, and starting it up in the morning produced clouds of smoke like an oil refinery on fire.
That then gave way to this - the first car I bought myself (sorry for the terrible picture). Fiat Punto 1.2 Sporting.
In hindsight it was terrible, but as soon as I saw it I was sold. Side skirts, seats that resembled buckets, six speed gearbox - I loved it. Unfortunately, it was a true 'Friday' car - anything that could drop off did, and then the gearbox disintegrated and required a rebuild. It was never quite the same after that...
The Punto then made way for this, after my parents told me to 'get something sensible and reliable'.
It lasted all of eleven months before I got 'Itchy V5 syndrome' and part ex'd it for...
...My first Puma.
I loved this car - it drove superbly and I had a stupid grin on my face all through the test drive. Even on P6000 tyres, the ride/handling balance is superb, and there is just enough power to have fun. I kept it for two years, but had a hankering for...
A Racing Puma. I'd seen several at Puma meets I'd attended over the last two years, and I always promised I'd own one. I'd had a bonus at work, and instead of putting it away in savings, I blew it all on one of these. For a sense of occasion when driving, very little beats one, plus with only 500 made (and even less left now), they're rare too. Mine was #013 of 500, and I really miss it now. I still hear from the new owner on Facebook, and it looks superb these days after getting the full respray it deserved (that I couldn't afford!). One of only two cars I genuinely regret selling.
I'd had several 'sheds' whilst owning the FRP as winter runaround cars. Two Fiesta's (both becoming known as 'Sh*t Fiesta #01 and 02' due to them being utter dogs (I know they look OK in the pictures - there was plenty of 'turd polishing' going on to make them vaguely more acceptable!)
I then bought this Starlet off a mate, after getting thoroughly pissed off with both Fiestas.
It was lowered, and on Yaris SR alloys. Despite this, the ride was awful, and it handled like soap. Still, it was great fun in a perverse kind of way. I should have kept it for longer.
The FRP then made way for a Mini Cooper S. I had no idea what I wanted to replace the FRP with at this point, and having tested so many different cars I was still none the wiser. I drove this one, quite liked it, and then got talked into it by the Mini salesman. Not one of my best ever decisions, as after about six months I realised I really didn't like it at all, but tied myself into a stupid finance agreement on it. Never again...
I eventually managed to VT the Cooper S after two years, and decided I needed something small, cheap and fun. After reading the buyers guide on here, I found myself looking at Clio 182's, and bought this one a few weeks later
This is the other car I really regret selling. After the Mini, it was light, fast, well equipped, and such a laugh to drive. I'm still tempted to this day to sell my current car and find a nice Trophy. I sold it after a year as I was developing a hankering for an MX-5, and rear wheel drive...
...which led me to this
I wasn't convinced by it at first. Compared to the Clio, the engine was coarse and nasty, and it wasn't all that fast. Once I had all the geo sorted at Wheels in Motion, it drove a lot better, even with completely worn out suspension. Unfortunately, a whole winter of use did the bodywork no favours at all, and the rust started erupting everywhere. I did warm to it eventually, and did plan to fix the bodywork, but then decided I'd someday own a mint Eunos instead.
I sold on the MX-5 for a Civic Type R.
I've had it for six months now, and if I'm honest, I'm still not sure. The engine and drivetrain are great, but the ride is truly awful, and the build quality has been a bit lacking. The whole car has just been a bit underwhelming really - it's slightly annoying as I've toyed with buying one on several occasions before, and was put off by mixed reviews. I don't think it deserves the slagging Clarkson gave it, but he is correct on quite a few points.
I eventually part exchanged the Civic after a year and a half of bone shaking miles for my current car, a Ford Fiesta ST-3
I bloody love this car. It's very much like a modern Clio 182 in that you can bung it into corners at pretty much whatever speed takes your fancy
The interior is great, seats are brilliant and it's got some nice tech as well. To think I didn't actually like the look of it at all when it came out...
