My First Car
Salvage Cars No Comments »Do you remember your first car? After spending years riding to college through wind and rain on both cycles and motorbikes I was determined to save for my first car. First cars are like first loves, never forgotten and provide hours of bliss. On researching I decided I wanted to own a classic car. I could not decide on my favourite as they were all beautiful; the ford Cortina 1600e, the mk1 Ford Escort, the TR7. I decided on my budget and started saving all the money I could. When I had finally saved enough money for my first car and I started my search by scouring the local papers. There was no EBay or Internet to assist and you had to hone the skills of a detective to find your classic car. I had decided to purchase a mk2 escort which was all the rage along with floppy fringes, leather thin ties and dodgy white socks with black shoes.
I had saved up £700 and was hoping to find a bargain and it was probably not enough with hindsight. I wanted the car to resemble the Mexico version; spoilers, alloys, quick engine. It was fulfilling all my boy racer urges. After checking every local paper I found 3 cars to view. For those readers over 40 you will recall anything over three or four years of age was starting to rust and it was a mammoth task to keep this at bay. The first car I looked at was a 1975, N registered and needed so much welding it would never have passed its mot test. The second viewing was equally disappointing as the engine had done 78,000 miles which was a massive amount back then and meant the engine would struggle and all the doors where rusting badly. All I could think of was the yearly trips to the mot station and my hard earned cash being spent on welding and repairing the holes in the floor.
I finally found my dream car. It was a 4 door model, in mustard yellow; a horrible colour but I was blinded by love. Compromises were made as I wanted the sportier, 2 door model, but it had minimal rust and had done 56,000 miles. I fell in love the instant I took her for a test drive. Looking back today I cannot believe how basic it was compared to cars today. The car was 6 years old and was already starting to rust, but I had wheels and was smitten.
The improvements and developments in cars are amazing in the last 30 years. Cars don’t rust and can you believe it that the engines run for up to 200,000 miles without problems? They have every feasible extra and accessories are on a new level to tackle every breakdown and issue you might have on the roadside. My son bought an amazing invention which has given my wife peace of mind and this is a Jump Starter which he keeps in his boot bought from Argos. Any low battery or cut out problems and they are fixed in seconds and keep him safe on the roadside as they have built in hazard lights as you are mending the car. He has also discovered he can charge his iPod and phone too. If the youth of today do not have issues with rust or mileage then they do have issues with extortionate insurance costs and soaring petrol costs. Miles to the gallon and fuel efficiencies were not an issue thirty years ago when it cost 70p per gallon and it cost me just over £6 to fill her up.
I loved my first car even though it was like painting the forth bridge chasing the rust, buying spray cans of that horrible mustard colour and enough filler to build a new shell. It played havoc with my love life as I spent all weekend filling, sanding, spraying and polishing; only for the rust to appear again the week after. Those were the days.