I had a triumph herald. They actually had a button on the starter solenoid that would turn over the starter motor when pressed that you could access under the bonnet which you opened by undoing the exposed clips on the outside of the car. Other than having to short the ignition switch, they could not have been much more steal-able.
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Fantastic cars and tough as old boots. I had the Carlton versions, well two actually. Best cars I ever had. The old MK I chrome bumper awaiting recycling in front of it's Mk II replacement.
Okay it's probably a dose of nostalgia and middle age that makes me think this way, and yes I know they weren't as robust or safe etc, however I miss the cars of my younger days on many levels. Basic, less to go wrong, could tinker more easily yourself, and I even miss some of the creaks and groans.
Obviously we're more cossetted in our vehicles now, however to me some of the enjoyment has gone.
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RAC, sadly, I didn't have that experience.
Mine was a 1979 model.
The autobox was clunky, the engine would die coming off motorways (??), the rad leaked badly, needing an emergency eggy fix and the auto choke went.
It was great when it drove, but I think it spent more time broken down.
Eventually, it died altogether.
It was an ex company car and I reckon it was a Friday afternoon car, driven hard by a rep who didn't give a shoite.
Mine was a 1979 model.
The autobox was clunky, the engine would die coming off motorways (??), the rad leaked badly, needing an emergency eggy fix and the auto choke went.
It was great when it drove, but I think it spent more time broken down.
Eventually, it died altogether.
It was an ex company car and I reckon it was a Friday afternoon car, driven hard by a rep who didn't give a shoite.
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Sure!
Even I could easily do most maintenance jobs on a Metro. Oil and filters and pads, thermostat, that kind of stuff.
And the A+ series engine would go forever.
Getting nostalgic for that first gear whine...
Loads of old British cars had that and if it didn't have it, a spanner across the contacts did the same job.
Sounds like bad luck with the Rekord, though they reckoned they were better quality as they were built in Germany whereas the very similar Carltons were Luton built. Had the Mk I for 11 years (was 11 years old when I bought it) and the Mk II for 19 years. Not too many problems with them. I always look after them and get my money's worth. Had my current van for 15 years.
My first car was a 3 door mk4 Cortina, think it had a 1.3 4 speed box. Brown in colour. It was pretty past it when I bought it tbh and on my commute to work its engine also died when coming off the motorway. I got it down to a fine art starting it again whilst still moving!
It got me back home from Bristol area to Fife, although I couldn't go above 55-60 or it would overheat! Passenger footwell became a pond whenever it rained
Ah the good old days ...
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Well, when I got rid of it, it had 72K on the clock, but was an older 5 digit clock, so it could easily have been 172K!
Quite a lot of thefts on Fiesta's are just for the headlamps/grill/bumper to facelift an older model or for parts to repair an accident damaged vehicle. I saw this on my way to work this very morning. The bloke regularly parks his works van round the corner to his house, opposite someone else's house as he doesn't want it spoiling his view out of his front window. It's a London Borough of Newham van. I bet he parks it where it can be seen in the future.
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Had a similar experience in my MK 1 Cortina, my dog was in the back and started howling when the skid started.
Saw another one this morning on my way to the country park. Someone will be driving around in a facelifted or newly repaired Transit Connect by this evening.
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Driving and taking pics - naughty.
How quick can they do that and wouldn't the alarm go off?
Driving? Are you stupid?
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Funnily enough I was watching the BBC news tech prog last night and they were discussing the increasing demand for spare parts as folk look to keep their existing vehicles on the road for longer. And how unscrupulous retailers are basically nicking to order. The segment covered the introduction of an independent body that spare part retailers can sign up to and become an accredited member of. Each part they sell needs to have history/provenance to prove it came from a legitimate source, thus giving the consumer a degree of confidence in what they're buying.Saw another one this morning on my way to the country park. Someone will be driving around in a facelifted or newly repaired Transit Connect by this evening.
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Before the usual suspects start, I'm aware there are no doubt still ways to circumvent/cheat such checks
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