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Your first car

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DustyBin

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I'm glad to hear it, the interior certainly seems well specced.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the Fiesta's appearance, compared to the older model. In saying that, the RS performance model looks fantastic. I will definitely be happy if/when I upgrade!

I have a 2019 ST Performance Edition (it’s the orange limited edition, you can’t miss it!) and my GF has a 2017 ST200 (the light grey one). They’re great little cars, very quick point to point in real life.

(Pedantry alert: There is no Fiesta RS unfortunately, the last RS was the Mk3 Focus which I also have in my little collection :D).
 
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D365

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I have a 2019 ST Performance Edition (it’s the orange limited edition, you can’t miss it!) and my GF has a 2017 ST200 (the light grey one). They’re great little cars, very quick point to point in real life.

(Pedantry alert: There is no Fiesta RS unfortunately, the last RS was the Mk3 Focus which I also have in my little collection :D).
My mistake - I always get two letter initials mixed up :oops:

The ST or ST200 is exactly the upgrade I'd like to have, although I'm a bit anxious about going keyless. How has your experience been?
 

DustyBin

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My mistake - I always get two letter initials mixed up :oops:

The ST or ST200 is exactly the upgrade I'd like to have, although I'm a bit anxious about going keyless. How has your experience been?

The only issue with keyless entry is security (I presume that’s what you are concerned about?). Fortunately I don’t live in a car crime hotspot but we do have a disklok for the ST200 which I’ll be honest we don’t always use (when out and about). Ford seem to have significantly improved security on the MK8 so I don’t worry too much about the Performance Edition. If you are looking for an ST keep an eye out for MP215s which are otherwise standard STs but with an engine upgrade (basically the same as the ST200). I had one from new on a 64 plate, it really shifted! If you want any more info let me know, I have a fair bit of experience when it comes to fast Fords.
 

raetiamann

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My first car was a Ford Anglia 100E. That won't mean much to many on here. It was a two door, three speed gearbox, no syncromesh on first gear. The windscreen wipers were vacuum driven, meaning uphill sections in the wet were a real challenge. Cost £45.00
 

Eyersey468

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My first car was a Ford Anglia 100E. That won't mean much to many on here. It was a two door, three speed gearbox, no syncromesh on first gear. The windscreen wipers were vacuum driven, meaning uphill sections in the wet were a real challenge. Cost £45.00
My grandparents first car was a Prefect 100E which was the 4dr version, they had it for about 9 years and it was approaching 100k when they traded it in. They replaced it with an Anglia estate which kept cutting out at junctions, they never got to the bottom of why it did it. After about 3 years they lost patience with it and replaced it with a Mk1 Cortina.
 

ATW Alex 101

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Passed my test in 2001 two days before my 19th birthday, but used Mum & Dad Rentacar for the first few years. My first car that was truly "mine" was a 1994 Renault 5 Campus Prima (one of the last batch built) with a 1390cc engine that I paid the princely sum of £425 for in 2006.

Seeing as everyone is putting the number plates in too, this one was L234PYA. I sold it for scrap after I'd lost control due to aquaplaning, and gone over the top of a traffic island which smashed the gearbox to bits. It was in otherwise good condition and if I'd known the first thing about how I'd have tried to repair it. I do wonder if anyone rescued it from the scrappers, as it had only 47k on the clock and had spent its early life as a granny's runabout in Minehead.

Sad to say the car perished after you sold it to the scrappers..
 

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gingerheid

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Passed test in I think 2002, and didn't drive regularly until 2015 (I hate driving) except for a few hired automatics from a car club. Got a 13 year old Ford Ka with enough months MOT for me to work out if I actually needed and / or wanted an automatic, and then bought an ex demo UP once I'd established that I didn't.

Still hate driving; self driving cars can't come soon enough!!!
 

Dave91131

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A one make man here..

Passed test Jan 2006 aged 17, first car a red K10 Nissan Micra on a H plate. Handed the keys by my dad after he'd replaced the cambelt and carried out various MOT repairs at his garage and the owner couldn't afford to pay the bill, so agreement was reached that the car would suffice as payment! Had 12k faultless miles out of the little thing in a year, during which time I'd decided I'd prefer an automatic..

..which, in the form of a light blue 54 plate Almera, was duly purchased in the February and almost exactly 14 years later is still perfectly adequate (admittedly after very light use), only has 43k miles on the clock and causes me to be on the end of "surely you've not still got that old Nissan" quips from friends.

In 2015 I bought a 55 plate Micra for the now ex-Mrs to learn in and ultimately drive, that is now the day-to-day runabout as it came with me when me and her went our separate ways (seeing as I paid for it and all associated costs).

Once Covid has done one, I'm considering seeking out a late 80's or early 90's Bluebird which both myself and my dad could enjoy - few and far between now!
 

ExRes

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Mine was a black 1958 Austin A35, cost me £40 in 1973, learned to drive in it, took my test in it and then shortly afterwards it expired and moved on to the great scrapheap in the sky

If the owner of Fiat Uno Turbo ie E915GPK is out there? I'd love to know if it still exists, shows as tax expired 01/08/2000 but perhaps it was given a personalised plate?
 

Stathern Jc

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The first "vehicle" I learned to drive was a small and ancient dumper truck my dad had on the smallholding, also the first driving experience for several friends and relations as it spluttered its way around the field. It didn't do much more than a brisk walking pace and would always come to a stand when you tried changing up a gear so no danger to anyone.

When reaching 17 in 1975 and venturing onto the road it was the "farm van", a 1965? Morris Oxford ex Gas Board van in their standard brown livery. Nowadays I describe it to people as the sort of thing you saw on Heartbeat. As an homage to Blaster Bates's stories the pals christened it "The Flying ****e".
I used to do some repairs on it for Dad, which included replacing a section of the exhaust.
On the 17th birthday I was proudly making progress on the country lane above Belvoir Woods, with Dad supervising and one of my best pals sat on a pile of cushions in the back to witness the event (No rear seats or seatbelts then). Then ahead and in line with the offside wheels appeared a substantial heap that a horse had left behind.
Deciding I didn't want to clean all that off I moved over to the middle of the road, and I still have a vision of it disappearing under the bonnet. Three ..., two ..., one ..., Clunk ..., ROAR!!! Sod's law had struck and the heap of horse**** had fouled the exhaust and pulled apart the repair I'd done a couple of weeks before.
No alternative but to pull onto the verge and crawl under to do as good a roadside repair as I could. Judging by the amount of steam coming off the hot exhaust the horse wasn't very far down the road, and with a pal there to witness my first road drive there was bugger all chance of keeping it quiet!
After a year or so Dad replaced that van with a Mk1 Escort Van which had a bit more cred.

The first car of my own was a 1969 Sunbeam Rapier Fastback. 1725cc, twin Stromberg carbs, and overdrive which worked on 3rd & 4th gears which was great for overtaking. Very smart in metallic gold, but a bit overtaken in style by the Capri.
I bought it for £450 on Christmas Eve 1978. With the needle on empty I went to fill her up on the way home and just seemed to keep filling and filling and filling. The tank was obviously bigger than I'd been used to and on reaching 10 gallons I lost my nerve. At 80p a gallon it had swallowed up £8 all in one go and still had room for more!!! That was a bit of a shock, and on Christmas Eve I obviously needed to hang on to some beer money.
"Sybil the Sunbeam" gave me several years of happy motoring. Went on then to a Hillman Avenger 1600GT.
 
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LowLevel

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2010 I passed my test and bought an 18 month old Black VW Polo 1.2 with one owner. It was a good car when it worked but I always suspected it had been involved in a shunt of some sort - the drivers door, after a few months, never closed properly at the top leaving a gap and tightening it up never really fixed the problem as it worked loose again in a few months, several mechanics failed to get to the bottom of it. As a result it got water into the electrics and I had to take the fuse out of the central locking because it kept randomly opening itself.

The rear brake drums also seized up and the handbrake stretched itself to death in short order.

Then the exhaust fell to bits following a few years of driving along a potholed A road, the dodgy door developed rot at the bottom where the water had gotten in, the gaskets failed on the rear light clusters so they filled with water and I noticed the **** who sold it to me hadn't even put rear headrests in it (I rarely carried back seat passengers!) - I did notice the radio aerial was missing and he just unscrewed one from a neighbouring car on the forecourt and stuck that on.

It also needed replacement cylinder coils.

All in all I was surprised that a car with a reputation for being fairly trouble free had so many issues and got rid of it.
 

507021

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My first car was a red Volvo 940, which was written off after someone crashed into it when it was parked outside a shop.

At the moment, my daily driver is an 03-reg Renault Laguna which has given me sterling service for almost six years now. I also have a 17-reg Renault Kadjar, which is driven by my partner, and a project car in the form of a V-reg BMW 5 Series. A 51-reg Rover 75 will also be joining the "fleet" once restrictions are lifted.
 

ainsworth74

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2010 I passed my test and bought an 18 month old Black VW Polo 1.2 with one owner. It was a good car when it worked but I always suspected it had been involved in a shunt of some sort - the drivers door, after a few months, never closed properly at the top leaving a gap and tightening it up never really fixed the problem as it worked loose again in a few months, several mechanics failed to get to the bottom of it. As a result it got water into the electrics and I had to take the fuse out of the central locking because it kept randomly opening itself.

The rear brake drums also seized up and the handbrake stretched itself to death in short order.

Then the exhaust fell to bits following a few years of driving along a potholed A road, the dodgy door developed rot at the bottom where the water had gotten in, the gaskets failed on the rear light clusters so they filled with water and I noticed the **** who sold it to me hadn't even put rear headrests in it (I rarely carried back seat passengers!) - I did notice the radio aerial was missing and he just unscrewed one from a neighbouring car on the forecourt and stuck that on.

It also needed replacement cylinder coils.

All in all I was surprised that a car with a reputation for being fairly trouble free had so many issues and got rid of it.

That reminds me of a friends first car which he bought when he was 17 having just passed his test which was a Citroen Saxo. I can't recall all the problems with it now (though they were many!) but perhaps my favourite was that the front passenger seat no longer gripped its runner in the floor so as he accelerated and braked the whole seat would move backwards and forwards accordingly (which could make for a very uncomfortable journey for the rear passenger). He finally gave up on it when he took to a garage and they broke the news that it was, in fact, two different Saxos welded together :lol:
 

LowLevel

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That reminds me of a friends first car which he bought when he was 17 having just passed his test which was a Citroen Saxo. I can't recall all the problems with it now (though they were many!) but perhaps my favourite was that the front passenger seat no longer gripped its runner in the floor so as he accelerated and braked the whole seat would move backwards and forwards accordingly (which could make for a very uncomfortable journey for the rear passenger). He finally gave up on it when he took to a garage and they broke the news that it was, in fact, two different Saxos welded together :lol:
Oh dear! Bloody cut and shut! I think what frustrated me most was that said duff car was bought from a VW main dealer!
 

ainsworth74

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Oh dear! Bloody cut and shut! I think what frustrated me most was that said duff car was bought from a VW main dealer!

Oh yes I can see how that would be annoying! I can't recall where my mate got the car from but it's safe to say that it wasn't a Citroen dealer!! :lol: :lol:
 

busesrusuk

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Interesting thread. My first car was a Monza red Rover 3500 P6 auto with PAS, black vinyl roof and cream leather interior. I passed my test in January 1982 (first time) when I was 17. My dad had a Mexico brown 2200TC hence why I went for a Rover.
It was a great car but required a lot of TLC and petrol(!); when it went it was a great car but needed constant attention, especially with the twin carbs and spark plugs. It was designed to run on 5star petrol but by the time I bought it that had been phased out so had to use 4star instead.

I had it for a few years but the girlfriend (and subsequent wife) couldn't drive it, apparently, so we got rid and bought a 1.0 Mini Metro - the worst car I have ever owned and a world away from the Rover!

Rover 3500-2.jpg
 

Flange Squeal

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A 10 year old Citroen Saxo. Was 20 when I passed my car test, having ridden motorbikes until then (did my CBT at 16 and got my bike licence at 17).
 

dgl

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Youtuber/Car journalist, Hub Nut, had a Matiz as his first car he had new (brought from Halfords of all places), he sold it just over a year later yet due to him mentioning said car on a motoring forum and the current owner searching for the reg online and finding said post ended up asking if he wanted it back, he said yes and £100 later he reacquired the car he ha brought in 1999, quite an interesting story.
Also interesting that the 2nd hand Subaru Impreza he replaced it with only lasted a couple of days when he found out going fast has it's drawbacks after totalling it!
 

alexf380

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I passed in Feb 2015 and initially acquired my grandad's 52 plate Fiat Stilo. 1.4l engine, 6 speed gearbox, cassette tape player, everything a young man needs. It was a fantastic car, and as he'd only used it to go to the shops every so often in the 10 years it was his, it was only on 45,000 miles when I got it!
Replaced it with a much newer Corsa at the end of last year however as it was starting to need a lot of new parts. Hardly unsurprising for an 18 year old rust bucket!
 

Horizon22

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An '02 VW Polo in a lovely deep blue. It suffered from water ingress from time to time which was a pain, but a great little car and mechanically very reliable (excepting the water ingress issue). Unfortunately this car ended up getting written off in the end - it wasn't particularly badly damaged after a scrape but the age of the car after 15 years didn't make it worthwhile.
 

pieguyrob

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I passed my test in 1999. My first car was an M reg Mini 35. It was a nice car until I went sideways through a hedge.
 

A0wen

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I passed in Feb 2015 and initially acquired my grandad's 52 plate Fiat Stilo. 1.4l engine, 6 speed gearbox, cassette tape player, everything a young man needs. It was a fantastic car, and as he'd only used it to go to the shops every so often in the 10 years it was his, it was only on 45,000 miles when I got it!
Replaced it with a much newer Corsa at the end of last year however as it was starting to need a lot of new parts. Hardly unsurprising for an 18 year old rust bucket!

They were rare enough when new - amazed one lasted 20 years.... most Fiat's succumb to the scrapman long before that, not due to rust nowadays, usually due to electrical maladies which drive their owners mad......
 

Mike99

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Very old school for me, 5378 HK a chocolate brown Morris Minor 1000, I passed my test in 1975 but I had owned it before ,driving on L plates with a licence holder next to me. The leather still smelt of leather!!! and the first time the gear lever came up and into my hand, I found a phone box (remember them) phoned my girlfriends dad who said, don't worry push it back in and carry on!!
 

Kingspanner

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My first car in '88 was an old Cavalier MK1 in GL trim and with 80K on the clock. It only did 20mpg, because as it turned out the camshaft was worn. So I got a replacement cylinder head from a scrapper and put that on.
Magnifico for a week, then the piston rings went (probably because the top end was so tight now). This had the effect of producing copious clouds of grey fumes inside and out, because the leaky rings allowed partially burned fuel and exhaust vapours to pressurise the crankcase and puke out of the rocker box breather.
So I got a replacement engine off another scrapper and then managed to sell the thing for £800 which was what I paid 10,000 miles earlier.

I got married and ran about in my new wife's old Mini Kensington. That was the first car that I ever crashed into a ditch. Every Sunday for a year I battled to get it match fit for the Monday morning commute.
One Sunday I went to the Lucas Autospares shop in Durham which is now a housing estate and managed to buy replacement brushes for the wiper motor. Installing them required three fine screwdrivers to push the contacts back against the springs while with whatever other grasping limbs were available slid the assembly onto the spindle. Then it turned out the gears were seized it wasn't the brushes at all. Cue immersion in a bucket of penetrating oil.

Later I learned to change wheel bearings (frequently) shim up the suspension (frequently), extract and change the steering rack (once only), and I also had to do something to the rear radius arms and some U-bolts.

Once when it had a blowing exhaust valve, my late, great father in law Tom (who could show James May a thing or two) and I whipped off the cylinder head, replaced the valve, ground it and the other valves back in, improvised a valve spring compressor from a floorboard, and successfully reassembled the top of the engine, exhaust manifold, head gasket and all. WooHoo!

But, ladies and gentlemen, pride cometh before a fall.

Now as some of you will know the 1L Mini engine featured a curious cylinder head bypass hose which was a short concertina rubber number, essential to the working of the cooling system.
Fearing the reputation of this little hose I had acquired two spares at Sewells in Billingham from an old man in a brown dustcoat. Sadly, when the engine was reassembled and restarted, water was pouring from this bypass hose. On examination it was apparent that someone (OK, me) had clumsily put a screwdriver through it.
According the the bible (the Haynes Authorised Version) "It is nearly impossible to replace the cylinder head bypass hose without removing the cylinder head". Note "nearly". It was 7PM on a Sunday night. No time to strip the engine again. Somehow by trimming the hose ends, applying lubricant, and forcing the thing with a pair of tongs we contrived to get the spare hose in place, and the two jubilee clips tightened up. (Do anyone else's knuckles twinge at the thought of a jubilee clip?).

I flogged that Mini, got a better job, started buying three year old cars in the 2nd hand market and paying someone else to fix them. I haven't worked under the bonnet of a car since 2003 and I'm not starting again. But I can say "I was there".
 

J-2739

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Still yet to pass my test - was nearing test standard in March 2020 but then Covid messed everything up. Eventually I booked a test for 22nd January 2021 but that’s obviously been pushed back, this time to 1st April 2021 (I’m not optimistic about it even going ahead then)

Started learning on my 17th birthday in September 2019 in my instructors 09 plate 1.4 Chevrolet Aveo and in November 2020 I got insured as a learner on my father’s 17 plate Seat Mii 1.0 FR Line
Hey! I also started learning after my 17th birthday in the same month :), and passed more than a year later in October 2020 (after dealing with THAT stressful queuing system). My original test date was also delayed like yours due to the pandemic, but it's like after learning to ride a bike; you never forget how!

I would probably get a Toyota Aygo as my first car, but not till after uni.
 

Bishopstone

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1980 W-plate Vauxhall Chevette hatchback in Jamaica (banana) Yellow.

Arguably not the least cool vehicle in the sixth form car park, as a friend had an Allegro...

Learnt to drive in a BSM Maestro 1.3, but for reasons I can’t recall, took my test in Dad’s Volvo 240, and passed first time.
 
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