We had one of these, my dreams were already fulfilled 🙂

and obviously

I think this thread will reveal how old/young the respective posters are quite nicely 🙂

Wanted

Rover 3500 (SD1)

or

Ford Capri 2.8i special

or

Audi Quattro

Probably varied almost daily at that age.

Had

VW Jetta Mk.1.

All I wanted was a Sierra Ghia with pepperpot alloys.

I thought rear headrests and electric windows were a revelation!

Ended up with a Cavalier GLS, which was somewhat disappointing, but still pretty cool compared to the crap cars we had before (renault 4, renault 6, renault 14)

My Uncle had a Renault Fuego, but I told all my friends he had a Porsche!

I remember my dad wanting one of these when his company car was up for a change.

The guy who ran the car fleet said no and that my dad should come up with an alternative… So he put together a list that contained this and others like it.

He got his.

Can’t really remember exactly what I wanted him to buy, but around that era he went through a number of spectacularly unreliable motors ranging from Austin Allegros and Princesses to Morris Marinas.

What I DO remember is that my brother and I crashed his brand new Marina the day after he got it. I was 8 and he was 7. Dad took it over to show his father and left us in the car WITH THE KEYS IN THE IGNITION.

When you’re 8 years old in the 1970s, your only knowledge of how to drive a car comes from bad saturday matinee movies where the action is filmed against a moving backdrop while the actor moves his hands rapidly from side to side. Cue collision with immovable wooden telegraph pole and a soundly-smacked arse. Didn’t do me any harm though…

Wanted

Had

At around that age my dad had a company helicopter at his disposal so what car didn’t really come into it! If my memory serves me right he drove a Jaguar Mk IX at about that time. Blimey, how pretentious does that make me 😳

This. Yeeeeeeeeee Har!!!!!!!!!!!!. (and the bows with the flaming arrows to match)

Can’t believe no ones mentioned this.[ur Quattro]

After his 2.8 injection Capri, he bought one of these (older, not the 20v, but in Nautic Blue). Flash git was only in his mid-30s.

After his second Quattro (black, natch), he nearly changed it for one of these…

Told you he was flash….

At various times he had

Lime Green Escort Mexico

White Manta – seen rallying as late as 2003

Black 5 GT Turbo – Hard to find a picture of one that hasn’t been “modified”

Green E36 M3 Evolution

I would’ve been 8 when he had the Renault 5, I can still remember the noise and the rush when the Turbo kicked in.

He has got a lot more sensible in the last ten years and now wonders why I am so interested in performance cars 🙄

I always wanted to see a Rover SD1 on the driveway, instead we were treated to a succession of Austin 1100’s, Maxis and Mini’s. I guess it was this that taught me car maintenance – I spent many an hour at weekends amongst scrapyards with my dad…

Rancho – My 4 yr old son is now playing with a toy rancho I had as a youngster – the real thing might not have been as tough as it wanted you to think it was but Corgi can build one with bombproof build quality!

One of these 6 wheeled buggies. But couldn’t decide between the Space 1999 one:

or the Banana Splits ones:

Thinking about it now it’s a no contest. NA NA NA, NA NA-NA NA….

As there were five kids by then, we wanted space, so after he drove one of these

under a lorry in the fog, we got one of these

though years later after a Victor we eventually got round to three rows of seats with a Saab 95, 504 Family and a CX familiale. Never thought of sports cars at all till later.

An Austin Princess, tin gin palace, if I remember correctly! He nevre did get one tho’, too swanky.

but we had one of these

1985, so obviously I wanted him to buy one of these:

..but he bought one of these:

Pretty good match I thought. God I loved that car.

Stu_N > you are me and I claim my five pounds.

(apart from the ‘owning a Jetta’ bit)

A white Rover SDI wedge shaped thing. With a big viking ship tastefully painted on the bonnet of course.
Or this

1923 Ford Model T Hot Rod by splattergraphics, on Flickr

Or this

Beach Buggy front by kittikatt, on Flickr

We had one of these

1974 Wolseley Six by Austin7nut, on Flickr

Life’s kinda like that isn’t it

Great thread! Always wanted my dad to get a

but he just got a boring 2litre version on steel wheels.

Then he had a couple of Rover 800s before turning into a boy racer and having 4 of these:

I remember reading about the Ferrari Mondial as a kid and thinking it would make a great family car – 4 seat you know!

Wanted : land rover series 2 – just like grandads

Had

Mk 2 xr2i followed by an 88 audi 100 sport and a massey fergusson digger ( when your 8 that is ultra cool )

doesnt work without pictures ….so

Wanted

Had exactly like that minus them spong like driving lamps …..

to that in white (bleugh)
with a side helping of

to even things out ….

now rocking

Fast and comfy – for 2 ….. 3.5 V6 CDI. has 4 seats but at 6ft 3 my knees hit the dash with the seat right back and there is about 3 inches for rear passengers legs …. but by **** it shifts !

i best not have kids any time soon – ill be the ultra uncool father … a partner van and a land rover 90.

When I was 8 I wanted him to buy this:

or at least this:

However as there was no Corvettes or Batmobiles in Poland at that time so we had this:

followed by this:

Wanted a Ford Capri, obviously because of the Professionals, alas, we had this.

The dashboard was quite cool though.

Three of them I think, followed by this, a Citreon BX

Mind you someones done an up to date concept version of the GSA which I wouldn’t have minded if I was still that age.

Had to settle for a MK2 Escort Poular (i.e not even a radio) 1.1 in Signal Orange.

At least you could find it in a car park…

Another kid lusting after an SD1, instead we had a litany of crud that reads thusly;
peugeot 404 estate in powder blue
Renault 12 estate in metallic blue
Polski Fiat 125p estate in beige
Lada Riva
Lada Cossak beige again
Proton 1.5 twice mint green
I decided to leave home at that point

Something that didn’t smell, break down constantly or that cost more than about £50 would have done 😥

wanted

got

still remember it fondly and pretty sure this is why I have had a few 106 rallyes and gtis and can’t quite bring myself to buy another sensible family wagon

when i was 8 pops was changing the company car from the 1.6 gl cortina in blue to a 1.8GL sierra in white! i used to think you could get 15 people in it!! i was very sad!! (stil am come to think of it!!)
honestly dont remember wanting anything else, how sad am i! lol know i got super excited about getting the next new company car in 1990 and that was a sierra 1.8 GLX in blue! and would argue till blue in the face that it was Far superior to Any Vauxhall as it was a Ford and they were simply better! haha!

My dad got one of these just after I passed my driving test and his company insurred me on it.

It was brilliant. It is probably the reason why I bought The Mighty Vectra 20 odd years later.

I was quite happy. My dad had one of these.

I thought the fins over the brake lights were the coolest thing ever. but then I do work in IT now so I’m probably not the best barometer for what’s hip and down with the kids.

When I was older mind, my dad got the most awesome car on earth.

Now that’s a car to learn to drive in. No wonder I’m such a brilliant driver now.

I always wanted my dad to get something like this

Me and my brother used to spend hours designing them as kids and wanted one so much. I was always going to make my own when I grew up.

have you made one yet?

Cavalier Calibre. A real dreamboat at the time. We ended up with an Ital.

Have I hell.

I was also going to buy a truck and travel across Africa.

Not done that either.

Wanted

Got (at the time)

Then later he finally came good with…. x2 (+ a 147)

and… (this actual one)

crap cars we had before (renault 4, renault 6, renault 14)

Hmmm my 1st car was a 14….

Oh my next door neighbour had a Dino for a while in the 70s.

When I was 8 I wanted my Dad to get one of these

we had one of these

Later on we had

Then one of these identical to this, which I put into wall and wrote off.