What car?

[Gemini]

If you drive, what sort of car do you drive?
Big or small? Automatic or manual? Old banger or top of the range?

I have only been driving 12 years (a late starter LOL ) My driving instructor suggested I may progress quicker in an automatic, so I changed , and passed my test in one. This means I am only licenced to drive an automatic, but that is no problem.

I have never had a new or expensive car. I wouldn't want one, unless money really was no object. I don't want to be worrying about scraping it!

My first few cars were whatever I could afford in a small automatic. Cheap, and lasted me a couple of years. My present car is the first one I have chosen. I spent quite a while finding the right one.It is a blue Nissan Micra. Nothing special, but to me it is, I love it
It was 6 years old and in perect condition when I got it, which must be 5 years ago I think. So far it has sailed through all its MOTs!

[Plantaholic]

I drive a BMW automatic, I could do with a smaller car now and one with higher-up seats. I changed it after my OH died and stuck with BMW as the dealership is quite close and I have confidence in them to look after an elderly lady. It is 5 years old now so might have a look around.

[Oma]

I had a automatic licence too Gem much easier to drive , we now have a Automatic top of the range large Nissan I can't spell it so if I say cash cow you will now the one , it's not the nicest car we have had and the first Nissan(won't buy again ) and thinking maybe next year changing it , I passed my test in limited edition Vauxhall Cavalier ,oh I loved that car and actually cried when we got rid of it , Brian likes his sporty cars ,we have had hard top convertible,s , BMW,s etc etc but he has difficulties getting in and out of low cars now that's why we chose the Nissan this time , we will go for another high car but not that make

[Plantaholic]

I am having problems with double posts atm, must talk to admin about it.

[ZIZI]

Oma my first company car was a Galaxy. It was great for piling all my gear in for working in schools. My next one was a Meriva and that was very good when husband had his knees done, just the right height for getting in and out of if you have a disability and also not too big to handle. I now have a Hyundai which is the same one I had when I first met all you ladies. Next year my car will be changed but I am going to take th cash alternative as it is £5000 a year and it will mean that I will have four years to buy a decent car using that money ready for retirement.

I learned to drive in a BMW, then got a Nissan Micra second hand with an insurance recommendation from the dealer who was a "friend". We had the shop then and I got stopped in a random check and asked to produce my documents which was when I realised that I hadn't received the full insurance document and only had the cover note. Turns out the car was stolen "to order" and the insurance chap was a fraudster who had nicked a book of cover notes from the company he worked for and was pocketing all the money he received. I ended up in court for no insurance as apparently it is up to YOU to ensure that someone you give your money to is really an insurance dealer and not a thief! I then had a fight to keep to the car as we were very broke at the time. Later I had a Renault 5 and then a couple of Fiat vans as they were more practical and we didn't need to ferry children around any more then I got another Renault 5. A year before I started work with my current company (nearly 16 years ago) I saw a Peugeot 206 Cabriolet and I went home and said to husband "I have died and gone to heaven, I have seen the car of my dreams" we both agreed that it was unlikely in the extreme that I would ever get one but two years later I got a metallic pea green three year old one. It was a bargain, the managers demo vehicle. Three years after that I got my brand new beautiful blue one which was built to my spec with black leather heated seats etc. A year later I was told that I had to have a company car and I planned to keep my beautiful car for weekends but it didn't happen. Eventually I sold it to my dil who still has it.

[Oma]

My oldest sister learned to drive and passed her test in a Rolls Royce , my uncle had a wedding business and taught her how to drive in one of his wedding cars , it was a massive thing and she passed 1st time that was in the days when you had to use hand signals etc The test examiner said it was the first time that anyone had taken their test in a Rolls 😊

[Daisy]

Oma - now that's what I call style, learning on a Rolls Royce!

I didn't have a car when I learned to drive (in the early 60s), and the first time OH and I had two cars and I felt I could call one of them 'mine' it was an ancient A40, hand painted with windows that din't work. The other car, the only brand new one we've ever had, was a Vauxhall Viva estate. I always seem to end up with the car OH thinks is a bargain! But I did choose my current car - a very elderly Citroen Picasso which I've had for about 10 years. I'd much rather drive a manual car than an automatic.

I think the most fun car I ever had was a SAAB 96. SAAB had a lot of rally success with this model (mine wasn't souped-up though!), and it had column change and a freewheel option which was very fuel efficient. It was a bit like travelling in a steel drum, but was still good fun. We gave it to my DS1 when he was 17 and he learned to drive in it - and he's still got it 27 years on!

[Plantaholic]

I learnt to drive in an Armstrong Siddely Safhire, was the car O H had before we got married. I took my test in it and passed first time, I think the examiner was more impressed with the car than my driving.

[Gemini]

When I met my OH she had a Chrysler PT Cruiser. A car I love - ex husband and I had one for severl years. Maybe I wouldn't have continued seeing her if she had a car I liked less A few years ago we exchanged it for a brand new Chrysler Dodge Calibre. It's OK, but we miss the cruiser!

[Avo]

We both have a Mercedes, mine is an A Class and DH is a C Class. They are both automatic. We like automatic gearbox and will stick with them even though we have a licence to drive both manual and automatic. My A Class is now 4 years old and is the last of the old style (sit up and beg we call it! e.g. high up) Next time we change our cars, probably next year, we will buy a medium size sit up and beg and DH will buy a newer van than his current old banger and so we will share the car. He likes a van to take stuff to the tip!

[Gemini]

Avo, we have a trailer, and a towbar on OHs car. Good for the tip. The downside being others want to borrow the trailer, which in reality means borrowing OH and her car too!

[Glammanana]

We have been through various model of cars since the children where small from VW Camper Van down to Citroen 2CV which was a lot of fun,I learnt to drive in an old x Army Landrover which belonged to my neighbour who used it at her stables,after passing my test first time OH bought me a little mini to take DS2 back and forth to school (i loved that little car) I then progressed to all different models and sizes until I ended up with Company Cars which where either bmw's or audi's depending who the Company went to for the lease contract.OH now has a new Range Rover which he loves (can't understand why he needs such a big motor,he's only got short legs) and I am still driving my Audi TT which I bought as a present to myself,I must say though that I haven't had too much use this past year due to the shoulder injury OH would rather take me to work and shops etc until the decision has been made re the recovery process.

[ZIZI]

Glam I am considering buying something a bit non-grandma next year when I swap to car allowance, even just for a couple of years. I quite fancy an Audi TT as well although I might change my mind. I loved my Peugeot cabriolet, made me feel really special but been there and done that now, need something else. Anyone got any ideas?

[Daisy]

We both have a Mercedes, mine is an A Class and DH is a C Class. They are both automatic. We like automatic gearbox and will stick with them even though we have a licence to drive both manual and automatic. My A Class is now 4 years old and is the last of the old style (sit up and beg we call it! e.g. high up) Next time we change our cars, probably next year, we will buy a medium size sit up and beg and DH will buy a newer van than his current old banger and so we will share the car. He likes a van to take stuff to the tip!

Avo - your last sentence made me smile! OH has a Honda Accord saloon - not even a hatchback - so when he wants to use the trailer or get big loads into the car he uses mine. The rest of the family call my hard-working Picasso The Skip! But they don't mind borrowing it when they need it.

[Shemadee]

We had an E class and the Viano. Sold the E class a while back and will be changing vehicles soon. I won't miss scambling in and out of it but occasionally it is very useful for carting things (and family) around. I passed my test first time when I was 19 but hardly drove at all and now have no desire to. OH is thinking about a Seat Leon. I am notorious for not knowing one car from another,