13-04-2013, 01:48 AM
Here goes with my offerings.
First the worst I have ever owned.
It was a Simca 1100 like this one except it came in dark green.
Bits were for ever dropping off it. If I drove through a puddle the water used to literally wash the exhaust pipe off so that the noise came out under the front foot well.
The biggest nightmare was when the front left wheel dropped off.
The list of parts that remained attached to it was a long one.
There was the hub and the brake caliper.
Then there was the drive shaft complete with the inner CV joint.
It was only hanging on by the steering track rod end.
It was mandatory with these cars to have a scrap one at home.
I had to walk the rest of the way to get spare parts to fix it on the side of the road.
It was quite an alarming task as it was stranded just over the top of a hill.
The road was covered in rubber skid marks by the time I was done.
The other was a company car my father had.
It was a Ford Zephyr like this one.
It used to brake down so often that the locals used to come and watch it being towed away for repair for regular entertainment.
The best time was one of the many jammed starter problems it had.
We were about to drop my mother and two sisters off in Dorset while I went back with my father do do some DIY.
It was the usual push to get it going followed by a little bit of clattering as the starter pinion got pushed clear.
The best was when we set off again from the south coast.
It was parked facing down a long hill running towards the sea front.
The starter had been forgotten and was tried again but this time it got stuck a little bit more.
When it started there was a bang and it started to make a hell of a racket as the starter pinion was now loose inside the flywheel housing but the engine was running. My father was so fed up with this car that he just kept going.
As we passed through each town all the people walking on the pavement stopped opened there mouths and turned there heads slowly as we passed by.
Several cans of oil had to be added to company expenses as we proceeded to the contract hire place in London.
We made it and all the mechanics came running out of the workshop to see what all the noise was. My father shouted over the noise "where do I park it, it will not start again".
We got away in the loan car before the the oil patch had spread enough to get noticed.
First the worst I have ever owned.
It was a Simca 1100 like this one except it came in dark green.
Bits were for ever dropping off it. If I drove through a puddle the water used to literally wash the exhaust pipe off so that the noise came out under the front foot well.
The biggest nightmare was when the front left wheel dropped off.
The list of parts that remained attached to it was a long one.
There was the hub and the brake caliper.
Then there was the drive shaft complete with the inner CV joint.
It was only hanging on by the steering track rod end.
It was mandatory with these cars to have a scrap one at home.
I had to walk the rest of the way to get spare parts to fix it on the side of the road.
It was quite an alarming task as it was stranded just over the top of a hill.
The road was covered in rubber skid marks by the time I was done.
The other was a company car my father had.
It was a Ford Zephyr like this one.
It used to brake down so often that the locals used to come and watch it being towed away for repair for regular entertainment.
The best time was one of the many jammed starter problems it had.
We were about to drop my mother and two sisters off in Dorset while I went back with my father do do some DIY.
It was the usual push to get it going followed by a little bit of clattering as the starter pinion got pushed clear.
The best was when we set off again from the south coast.
It was parked facing down a long hill running towards the sea front.
The starter had been forgotten and was tried again but this time it got stuck a little bit more.
When it started there was a bang and it started to make a hell of a racket as the starter pinion was now loose inside the flywheel housing but the engine was running. My father was so fed up with this car that he just kept going.
As we passed through each town all the people walking on the pavement stopped opened there mouths and turned there heads slowly as we passed by.
Several cans of oil had to be added to company expenses as we proceeded to the contract hire place in London.
We made it and all the mechanics came running out of the workshop to see what all the noise was. My father shouted over the noise "where do I park it, it will not start again".
We got away in the loan car before the the oil patch had spread enough to get noticed.
