ian
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Isle of Man
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Post by ian on Jan 17, 2016 21:29:15 GMT
I was lucky enough to get a company car through the 80s, and it was a pretty good scheme. The company paid a fixed lease cost, couple of grand a year iirc, and you paid the rest monthly, so you could have anything you wanted, provided you were prepared to pay the extra. I had my TR6 & G5, so just went for cheapies. I got one of the first fwd escorts in 1980 - the worst company car I ever had. The new fangled auto choke used to leave me stranded if I stopped before the engine had warmed up, the electric sunroof kept jamming, the exhaust fell off on the M6 after less than 18 months & the steering rack had to be replaced! Oh, and I had to replace the tyres - never had to that with any of the others. I was never a fan of Capris, but got one as a courtesy car when the Escort was in for one of it's many repairs. Loved it! I got a 1.6ls when the lease was up on the escort, followed by a 1.6 laser, then a 2.0 laser. I ordered yet another 2.0 laser in '86, but they bounced it - no longer in build. Gutted, I went for the nearest thing to it, an Opel Manta GT. These went out of production shortly after, so I gave up & got another Escort - some people never learn! No, the 2nd escort, in '89 was fine, had no trouble with it. Years later, they changed the scheme & you could opt out & buy your own car. I had transferred to the island by then & didn't do big miles, so I opted out & bought a Capri! Do I love 'em? Oh, yes!  |
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Post by Fordy on Jan 18, 2016 18:06:14 GMT
Got to he the Capri for me, I still regret selling my Canary yellow 1.6LS, I was the dogs bollocks in that!
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Post by Fordy on Jan 18, 2016 18:07:58 GMT
That is a fine looking motor GB, enjoy it
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Post by mansell on Jan 18, 2016 22:49:22 GMT
So many iconic cars in the 80's the boy racers were in anything with a GTI badge, Golf, XR, 205 GTi etc but dads ( and reps) had Cortinas and Cavaliers, middle managers were in Granadas and Rover SDI's , the well heeled were in Audi Quattro' and BMW e30's and I could name every car on the road, even the model variant, nowadays I struggle to name 10% of what's out there...
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2016 13:01:36 GMT
So many iconic cars in the 80's the boy racers were in anything with a GTI badge, Golf, XR, 205 GTi etc but dads ( and reps) had Cortinas and Cavaliers, middle managers were in Granadas and Rover SDI's , the well heeled were in Audi Quattro' and BMW e30's and I could name every car on the road, even the model variant, nowadays I struggle to name 10% of what's out there... Do you remember these ?  |
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Post by wazzbo on Jan 19, 2016 13:13:28 GMT
I do, theres one in our workshop, my boss used to do a lot of rallying and he still has his talbot and occasionally does a classic rally with it,even though he,s 75...
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2016 13:56:35 GMT
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Post by mansell on Jan 19, 2016 14:08:31 GMT
I remember them well Nick, especially as I was I front of one on the Nuneaton road out of Hinckley, I was on my Rd 250 Lc and I wanged it up the road like a scolded cat, thinking I'd shown it a clean pair of heels, I glanced over my shoulder to see the driver grinning like a Cheshire Cat, practically touching my rear wheel, I wasn't exactly hanging about and the Sunbeam didn't break a sweat!!
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Post by mansell on Jan 19, 2016 14:10:09 GMT
... My mates boss had one also, he was a farmer, bloody thing saw more ploughed fields than his Massey Ferguson!
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2016 14:24:47 GMT
I remember them well Nick, especially as I was I front of one on the Nuneaton road out of Hinckley, I was on my Rd 250 Lc and I wanged it up the road like a scolded cat, thinking I'd shown it a clean pair of heels, I glanced over my shoulder to see the driver grinning like a Cheshire Cat, practically touching my rear wheel, I wasn't exactly hanging about and the Sunbeam didn't break a sweat!! Great story.  |
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Post by Somersetdreamer on Jan 19, 2016 15:51:18 GMT
Do you remember these ? I passed my test in one of these in March 1980 it was light brown in colour (diarrhoea) it rattled as I remember but probably as it was a abused all its short life being a driving school car - Peter marshall driving school Taunton long since closed |
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Post by richard on Jan 19, 2016 16:41:41 GMT
Fire up the Quattro............
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ian
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Isle of Man
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Post by ian on Jan 19, 2016 20:18:26 GMT
I had the cooking version in '79, Chrysler Sunbeam 1.6 GLS. Was in a queue at traffic lights watching a couple of guys hitching up a tow rope on a broken down Cortina on the other side of the road. As the tow car set of,,the Cortina veered straight across the road into the side of me. As it wouldn't start anyway, they hadn't put the key in & as he turned the wheel to pull off the kerb, the steering lock clicked in! Not sure my boss believed me ' till the garage involved paid up! |
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terryc
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Post by terryc on Jan 19, 2016 20:40:21 GMT
Hmm what was I driving in the 1980s, ahh yes If I was'nt on the bike I was in my Reliant Robin |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2016 22:17:11 GMT
Killing poor innocent hodgehegs that were aiming for the middle of your headlights, Tel?
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