When you were 8 years old what car did you want your dad to buy?

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
[/url]
1923 Ford Model T Hot Rod[/url] by splattergraphics[/url], on Flickr

Or this
[/url]
Beach Buggy front[/url] by kittikatt[/url], on Flickr

We had one of these
[/url]
1974 Wolseley Six[/url] by Austin7nut[/url], 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.