Safe Speed Forums

As a complement to the "What do we all drive?" topic:

The only red Ford RS200.

Ten days after my driving test in 1990.

Very carefully.

Long story.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

The bosses 2 litre Jaguar X type. Bottled out for fear of getting caught at 110 on the M4, but it had plenty more in it.

I'll give the besst and worst. Best was an original shape MX5 on Surrey's back roads. I nearly bought one afterwards in spite of the hairdresser comments I'd inevitably have got from some of my friends, but that boot was just too small to live with. I'm happy with my Prelude as a compromise, but since Mrs Gatsobait is also keen on an MX5 maybe if we're ever in the position of getting a third car... Yeah, I wish.

Worst car was a Vauxhall Ashtray that was inflicted on me as a company car. I waved goodbye to an old Cavalier that I'd have been quite happy to carry on driving in spite of the poverty spec on it, and got an absolute dog in return. Okay, it had leccy windows and a few other nicities, but it never gave the fuel economy it was supposed to and the tightwads I worked for wouldn't let me have it properly checked out (not rountine servicing ). It also had a QC failure sticker above the front passenger door hinge, which I was less than thrilled to find. Woof woof.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

an old fiat X 1/9




Brakes were crappy, so where the gears! (you really had to thick about what you where doing.)
But it handled like a go kart



oh my 147 ain't bad ethier

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Oct 11 Birmingham Half Marathon. I am running for the British Heart Foundation.
http://www.justgiving.com/Rob-Taylor

That's a really tricky question... What would one call "best"...? And, bearing in mind that I'm an old git and so have driven (and owned!) an awful lot of cars over the last 40-or-so-years...

Rolls Royce - wonderful for tootling up the motorway in silence and comfort (as long as someone else is paying the fuel bills!), but a right handful cross-country...

Other end of the scale-

(Just about) road-legal Le Mans Porsche on trade plates...

... and lots of others that I'm keeping to myself as I don't want to appear even more of a flash git than I probably do already.

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"Politicians are the same the world over... We build bridges where there aren't any rivers." - Nikita Kruschev

They're great aren't they? I managed to persuade 'Juliethegirl' that an MX5 mk1 was her ideal car, as being a hairy-chested male, I could never buy one myself, but it's ok to drive it!

Best car I've driven is probably a Porsche 911 - 3.2 Carrera S(I think). Not as out-and-out quick as I was expecting, but handled nicely and sounded awesome. Another candidate was a fettled Mk1 Golf Gti. It was seriously fast, and in the real world too as the power was available from about 1500rpm. Been a passenger in a Bentley Arnage T, but for some reason my mate wouldn't let me take it for a spin.

As for worst car, it's probably got to be a Saxo diesel. Couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.

In my case it was the 1990 Honda Accord I owned for 13 years, until some boy racer smashed it up along with his car and two others.
2.0l carburettor engine, never failed on emmisions, reliable as anything, and a real comfortable drive. Pulled well when I wanted it to, had 120mph out of it on the Autobahn, admittedly when it was still quite new.
Comfy ride, econimoical for it,s size, a real joy to have owned.
A really sad day when it got creamed.

Worst I've driven, 77 Morris Marina, dreadful car, no weight in the back end, lost it big time in Manchester going round a corner, back end just went, had just started drizzling after about six weeks of dry weather, ended up heading towards a bus.
Carburetter was a pig as well.

Worst as a passenger, VW Beetle, going up the M5 in a heavy side wind, kept changing lanes without steering input, bag of sand sorted that.

Last week I was driving a DAF 95xf 480hp, loaded with cardboard boxes, about 6 ton, brilliant drive, huge cab and the most comfortable bunk I have used in a long time.

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Semper in excreta, nur quantitat variat.

Best car- Jag XKR (lent by a mate). Bloody beautiful, full stop.
Worst car- NSU RO80, with the clapped-out rotary motor replaced with a Ford 2.0 v-4.

Make Capri's mouth water - Zephr ( about 3 .0 L ,i think) V6 AUTO - effortless - only problem was someone had nicked a pedal.
Humber Sceptre - early 60's as passenger - when the "ton" was a magical figure - cornered like a dead duck, but on the straights --- wow ( or at least in those days)
Old Merc belonging to wifes boss ( old - had the sig "Benz" on the dash)--felt like a routemaster.( handled like i'd imagine one would).

Worst - government Viva vans with the speed governer ( metal plate in inlet manifold) ---0 - 45 (tops) in 4 days, or the morris minor 850/1000 with similar speed restriction .HGV think the speed limiters are bad - wow - you should have tried these

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

hmm... best was a BMW M3 - anyone want to buy a kidney?
Worst is a toss-up between a clapped out Fiat Panda, a 1960s Holden ute with a 3-speed column shift and a karmann ghia.

Best: Bentley Continental GT, BMW Z3 Coupe (the M version)

Worst: Anything French - I have not been in a French car that has not failed in some way, particularly Citroens.

Best car - Audi A3 Quattro it was a company pool car that I was borrowing till mine came through, picked it up the day we had all the heavy snow that blocked the M11 a few years ago, utterly sure footed and a hoot to drive, got me out of the way of idiots a couple of times. I worked at St Albans and live in Chelmsford normally takes about an hour, that night left at 20:00 and arrived at 04:00.

Worst - Vauxhall Astra (latest version) an absolute heap, electrical problems galore, utterly unreliable, thirsty and a truly bloody awful car to drive.

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

My best drive: Lexus IS200 SE Sport. Britsh racing green, straight 6 2.0litre, 6 speed manual and electric everything (including stuff that really didnt need to be)

My worst drive: Hyundai Pony 1.3, 4 speed. Took it for a test drive when my 1st car broke and and decided before id got past 2nd gear (eventually) that it was utter cr*p. Took to riding a pushbike for a couple of weeks instead.

Other stuff ive driven:
Peugoet 205 GRD. 20 years old but still mechanically perfect until the clutch actuator lever failed approaching a roundabout. Not quick but then I never needed to slow down for corners.
Clio 1.6RXE. Top spec. but no feeling or feedback. intrusive engine managemant
Peugoet 406 estate HDi 110bhp. top of the range including exta rear seats in the boot. Would have brought it if i didnt drive the Lexus straight afterwards. Went back to the TD Escort as i couldnt make my mind up.
Fiesta van in diesel flavour. 250K on the clock and it felt like it had worked for every one of them! Gave me transport until i fixed the power steering so cant complain too loudly
Transit 90 SWB TDCi. brand new from hire company. comfortable and plenty of room in the back. Loud stereo too!
Also driven C5 HDi 110, Picasso HDi 90bhp, Galaxy TDi.
P.S. I learnt to drive in a Corsa CDTi
I love diesel so feel free to poke fun at me....

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The police ARE the law, not ABOVE it!!!

Pug205GRD am a great fan of diesel too, wouldn't go back to petrol. Be even better when biodiesel is readily available !!

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

The best is still the TR4. Nothing needs more work to get it round a few good bends (or a tight car park)
however I have driven
loads of fun cars including a Delorean(petrol stations and toll booths are fun)
4.2 jag. (just watch that petrol gauge sink.)
classic snails include
comma van (fun in the ice)
1 ton morris truck with holey wooden floor boards
Ford 1 ton box van. 3.0l, 6 wheel. (Slid off the road into a ditch at 5mph and turned it over)
a few heralds and vitesses (blew a dif up at speed EEEKKK)
I owned a ford popular (3 gears, air powered wipers that stop going up hills)
Triumph 1300 & 1500
mini van (wicked fun off road)
I have driven mk 1-4 cortinas
escort mk1 ,2 &4
Morris Ital van
skoda (fan blade sheered off and stuck through the boot lid)
Vauxhauls too bland to name
Fiesta mk1,2 & 3
2.5 petrol landrover (2nd worst)
GPO polecat (wicked off road)
Sherpa Van
and a load of pool cars and vans, test drives, hire cars
But the worst of the worst was the Bedford HA van in Buzby yellow.
bikes CZ125, CZ175 trials, Yamaha 1300 , (why mess about with little bikes when youv'e passed yout test?)

Most reliable was the Toyota Corrola.
Never had an injury accident on the public road.

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

edited

Best for comfort and speed: Daimler Sovereign (4litreV8 XJ shape)
Best for fun: MGA Twin Cam
Best for pride: Jensen Interceptor(restoration project over seventeen years)
Best for excitement: Mecedes SLK350
Best for reliability: Renault Extra van (owned for 17 years)
Best for street cred(in the sixties): Hotted up Mini

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Shooting is good for you and too good for some people.

For many years the best was my uncles TWR conversion Jaguar XJS (Tom Walkinshaw Racing - official Jaguar European Touring Car Championship winners of 1984).

But happily I have to admit that now it is my current car! Subaru Impreza WRX SL PPP. 4 door saloon with AWD 265PS 0 - 62mph in 4.9 secs, heated leather seats, CD changer and a very nice noise out of the exhaust pipe. Not the hardest or fastest, but a realistic compromise for real world driving.

best- probably my mates BMW Z8.

worst- probably the ford fiasco a car dealer lent me that appeared to have viscous steering linkage and perhaps odd sized wheels.

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Fear is a weapon of mass distraction