Well in my case it was visiting a museum today and seeing a model of my first car and mine was just a few years younger than this when I bought it new



Wire door openers (some will know ) and starter button on the floor and after a couple of years or sooner if you were unlucky rust at many panel joints.
Happy days ? Yes

 

Your first car was NEW? You must come from serious money?

 

FTFY

Add the golf club length gear lever that was heavy enough to pull the 'box out of 3rd gear on backing off throttle, fug-stirrer heater, no screen washer, desperately uncomfortable seats "To keep the driver awake " [Sir Alec Issigonis]. Oh yes.

Still, my second Mini in "S" basic form with a lot of modifications under the skin is the car I would most like back.

 

The Mini was my dream. But I didn't have enough money. So this was my first car in 1966. FIAT 500

 

[QUOTE="Alpha, post: 1149274, member: 1389" [/QUOTE]

Now wait! Redial spotting time

Museum's description says "Morris", but that is not the Morris grille, not really Austin -- looks painted to me, and what is that ring of bolts around it?. MINI-MINOR on boot (trunk) lid is correct for Morris though. Bumper (fender) over-riders and wheel-trims are "Deluxe", but the chrome surround for the radiator intake should have tails under the side/indicator lights on a Deluxe.

Arrrgghhhh, it's 44 years since I last owned a Mini and I can remember all this Abandon all hope.

 

When you need to ask that question…………….

 

When you think there’s no effin’ way that a watch made in 1985 should be considered vintage.

 

No just long hours of manual labour

 

Now wait! Redial spotting time

Museum's description says "Morris", but that is not the Morris grille, not really Austin -- looks painted to me, and what is that ring of bolts around it?. MINI-MINOR on boot (trunk) lid is correct for Morris though. Bumper (fender) over-riders and wheel-trims are "Deluxe", but the chrome surround for the radiator intake should have tails under the side/indicator lights on a Deluxe.

Arrrgghhhh, it's 44 years since I last owned a Mini and I can remember all this Abandon all hope.[/QUOTE]

You are obviously a true aficianado

 

And before that -- how many BSA Bantams to hone your skills at fettling fine (ahem!) machines and avoiding unobservant dingbats on the road?

I had to go straight to a 6 year old rusted-through Mini. My mother considered my crash record on bicycles should keep me off motorbikes, she and my dad being ex-motorcyclists themselves.

 

Ask me about camshafts, g'wan you know you want to

 

Camshafts no but often used to remove the cylinder head on a Saturday afternoon if I wasn’t working, replace and grind in new valves and then flaf about refitting and worst part was attempting to scrub my hands clean before heading out on the pull

 

What? With the cost of new valves and a gasket set you still had money to go out? That ole Gemini4 had you measured mate!

 

Babes in the woods. A 1949 Mercury, my first car. Bought in 1958, when I was 18 years of age. Bought it for $495.00 at the time. One of these today in any kind of shape would be a LOT of money.

 

When you talk about your first car and you mention bench seats in the front, and no seatbelts and the young ones look at you in disbelief with this look on there face


When you see William and Harry on the news lately having kids and marrying and you remember their parents courting.

 

Maybe when you're expecting your grand grand child

 

When you have been working at your job 10 years longer than most of the newer employees have been alive.

 

All my favorite music is on the "Oldies Channel"

 

That’s the equivalent of buying a watch and sticking it in a sock drawer .

That Mini should be allowed to roam the streets and be as I remember it - as basic as you can get, great fun to drive although fairly hair-raising going into corners when loaded, rusting away consistently through its annual dose of sleet and salt, and lastly (but most importantly) seeing how many humans it could accommodate. I can’t recall how many we squeezed in (cos I’m old, but I think it was 12), but the world record is 23 I believe .

 

A few years back one of my buddies pointed out that I could get a "historic vehicle" plate for my 350 Jawa as it was 25 years old. It was my first real road bike, purchased new before I got my first car (a 71 VW Type 3 fastback). Damn! That made me feel OLD!

Now on my 30th bike I still have the Jawa, its now 42 years old and still wearing its original paint and plating.



although... it does have an easier life now than back in my college days...