Ground Control

 

 

Puch Moped

 

I left school in 1975 and started work as a trainee TV engineer in my cousin's business "Holt Hi Fidelity" in Swansea. I had to travel 9 miles to work from the small town of Pontardulais every day and ended up buying a second hand Puch moped from Gordon Pantall's dealership in Gorseinon. This was a particularly slow vehicle with  0 to 30 time of about a day and a half and a top speed of 42 MPH with a tail wind. It had a huge engine which was 50cc, it's physical size was down to it's cooling fins, it also had no battery, Amazingly it came with a rev counter which sort of jumped round at low revs. At one stage the big end bearings went and after a rebuild the bike was part exchanged for:-

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kawasaki KH100

A Kawasaki KH100, brand new and with a top speed of about 70 MPH and fuel consumption of about 80 MPG. This took me to work and college for quite a while and it was while I had this bike that I passed my car driving test and was allowed to drive our company van, a harvest Gold Morris Marina 1300. One winters evening while suffering from a dose of flu, I ran out of petrol and discovered that I was already on reserve, I pushed the bike to the nearest petrol station and realised that I had left my wallet in college. The people at the station let me have a thankful and I got home and borrowed some money from my father to pay them back. By this time I was feeling particularly unwell and tired as we were at college from 9.00 AM to about 8.00 PM. On the way back to the garage I fell asleep for a minute and woke up about 5 foot behind a parked van while travelling at 30 MPH. I just glanced the van with the bike and slid along the floor. Several days later I started along the 6 miles to the garage in the hope that I would recognise where I had the accident and after about 2 miles noticed a van with a dent in the back. The bike had been taken in by some people living on the road and I managed to ride it home. This was my last ever bike although I eventually became one of the founding members of the Pontardulais Motor Cycle Club along with Ian who was called Henry and Brian who was called Torque Wrench.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hillman Avenger 1500 DL

This was my father's car and I took over it so to speak, the car shown is not the actual one which was a metallic green reg number CWN90K. The car eventually died after a long slide on it's roof due to some over enthusiastic driving on my behalf and some dodgy cross ply remoulds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vauxhall Viva SL 90

The Viva in hand painted black was the replacement for the Avenger. Cost of the car was £50 and it came with a blowing exhaust and a myriad of replacement exhaust parts in the boot, none of which fitted. During it's first few weeks of life it went through several clutch cables until I modified the clutch peddle with a big hammer. Unfortunately trying to start the car and drive without a clutch took it's toll on the differential and we ended up changing the entire back axle in my friends garage one evening. The car also required a new starter motor during it's period with me and many refittings of the exhaust till it eventually sort of managed to stay in one piece.

The only piece of the car that had not been hand painted in black was the roof and so one day my friend Ashley and myself decided to finish the paint job off. After a break and a couple of drinks, we decided that the car had fins on the back a bit like the Batmobile and we took it on ourselves to spray big red bats on the door, bats on the sun visors and the words Gotham City Cruisers on the back. This caused great hilarity especially when one night in Llanelli we raced round a one way system to offer some assistance to a struggling policewoman. Unfortunately the Batmobile failed it's MOT on just about everything and was scrapped.

 

 

 

 

Hillman Avenger 1500 GT

 

The next car was another Hillman Avenger with as my friends reminded a 1500CC over head sump engine, a reminder of the way the last Avenger ended it's life. This car had a broken speedo cable and a faulty fuel sender when purchased, but had a lovely pinkish glow from the instrument cluster. The car eventually sported 100w Cibies on the front, a set of front and rear fog lights. All the rear lights flashed independently of each other due to some spare flasher units and relays mounted in an overhead centre console. The roof lining was eventually replaced with a furry one which was fitted by David Miles and myself, we had furry hands for days after that. I tired of the car and wanted a van so the car was sold.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bedford Beagle

 

A Bedford Beagle van with a 1256 cc engine was purchased so that I could get away occasionally and sleep in the back if required. This only happened once as far as I remember. The van itself was quite reliable and the handling was quite interesting due to it's antiquated suspension. The whole van as was usual for Vauxhalls of this era was prone to rust and eventually failed the MOT and was consigned to the great scrap yard in the sky. It was during the ownership of this van that I first got involved with CB radio and became one of the original members of the Sunday Club as we used to call it, This was basically an excuse for several people who knew each other on CB to get together for a drink, mainly at the Glamorgan Arms just outside of Pontardulais. Members include myself or Major Tom as I was known, Mobile 1 in his MG, The Smiler, The Red Dragon, The Green Machine and several others whose names or handles I cannot now remember

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ford Escort Mark 1 Automatic

 

A 1300cc Ford Escort with an automatic gearbox fitted was my next vehicle. This was my first introduction to automatics and taught me to tuck my left leg out of the way, otherwise your left foot came down very heavily on the brake pedal instead of the clutch. The car was bought from a local garage and suffered from numerous electrical problems and body rot and was eventually disposed of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini 850

 

I needed a car to get to work and a B reg mini 850 came on the market for about £80. part of the front suspension needed to be replaced before I could drive it and one of the valves broke on the way into work one day. Thankfully my friend David Evans (The Arab) and his magical garage got me going again when he fished out a complete mini head from a box in the back. The car had the long gear stick, a starter button in the middle of the floor and sliding windows and was great fun to drive It was eventually sold and my car for the next few years was another Mark 1 Ford Escort, this time in a lovely chocolate brown.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vauxhall Viva HC 1800

 

The next vehicle was an 1800 Viva automatic, this car was marvellous and quite fast but a bit thirsty. I can't remember why I got rid of it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Morris Marina Estate

A Marina 1800 estate was the next purchase, nice big roomy car with bloody awful handling and reliability to match. God knows why I bought it, I had in the past delivered many Morris Itals for a local dealer and should have known better. It soon went to be replaced by something better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hillman Avenger Mark 2 1600 Estate

The something better was a Chrysler Avenger estate, the idea was that it could be used to carry TVs around in and was generally fairly comfortable. An emergency carburettor repair was needed to the Stromberg carburettor one night due to a hole in the diaphragm. There was no way a replacement could be sourced in the evening so some cling film was fitted and lasted the night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vauxhall Chevette

 

A Chevette was my next car, this was basically a Viva with a different body. The car was quite reliable and good to drive and the mechanics were quite similar to the old Vauxhall Vivas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Datsun 180B Estate

 

The last vehicle I ever purchased in South Wales was a Datsun 180B estate with a bit of wood grain plastic along the back. The car was quite advanced and had all sorts of little toys. Eventually the head warped and the car went away.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vauxhall Astra Mark 2

 

A long gap ensued with several company vehicles and eventually while living in Merseyside the next vehicle that came my way was a Mark 2 1300 Astra. I had used a Mark 1 as a company vehicle previously and expected the Mark 2 to be vastly superior. How wrong I was. The car itself was quite good and travelled many miles without any real problems, it was eventually replaced by several company vehicles while working in Scotland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ford Sierra 2.3 Diesel

 

Having moved back to Merseyside, the next purchase was a 2.3 Sierra diesel, the car showed 80,000 ish miles but looked as if it had gone round the clock at least twice. It was quite noisy but was extremely powerful and economical due to it's Peugeot engine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Citroen BX 1.9 Automatic Estate

 

After another series of company vehicles, I purchased a Citroen 1.9 BX automatic estate. The car was very comfortable, reliable and a pleasure to drive. It eventually expired due to a hydraulic problem.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peeugeot 405 1.9 Diesel Estate

 

The Peugeot 405 diesel estate with sunroof, electric windows and the wonderful 1.9 diesel engine. The car when it eventually left me had done 250,000 miles or from the Earth to the Moon with just a new alternator. Economy was in the high 40s and even better on long runs. I do miss this car.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jaguar XJ6 2.9 Litre (XJ40)

 

 

My first Jaguar, a 2.9 litre XJ6 automatic came next. The car was a bit underpowered and taught me how to keep XJ40s going cheaply. The car was quite reliable and needed very little doing to it despite a trip to Cornwall and many trips to London. It was eventually sold for some cash and a laptop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volvo 480 1.7ES

 

This car was picked up to use as a day to day run around while the Jag was used for weekends and holidays. It cost £385 at an auction and is one of the best cars I have ever owned or driven.

Eventually sold due to lack of space.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Renault Laguna

 

A Laguna was obtained next from a local dealer, the car had many problems from the day it was purchased including exhaust, a possible blocked heater matrix, ABS failure which was announced by the onboard computer after travelling several hundred yards. The bonnet failed to open once and on presenting the car to another dealer as a part ex, I discovered that it had been in an accident and was in fact an insurance right off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jaguar Sovereign 3.2 Auto (XJ40)

This car without the delightful young lady was acquired as a replacement for the 2.9. It was originally a 2.9, but the engine had been replaced with a 3.2. Although cosmetically very good the mechanics were lacking and it returned to its original owner with the addition of some nice starfish alloys. This was my first car with cruise control.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jaguar 3.0 S Type

 

My S-Type, a 3 litre v6 manual with electric seats and all sorts of goodies. Lovely car to drive, loads of power and the handling was excellent, due to a redundancy and divorce it had to go and was replaced by yet another Jaguar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jaguar Sovereign 3.2 Auto (XJ40)

 

3.2 litre Sovereign with cruise control, MOT and Road Tax and a total cost of £700.  The car went remarkably well for it's age and it's 160000 + mileage, suspension was  a bit worn and the exhaust had a slight blow but it sailed through it's MOT and the only reason it had to go was down to the fact the my job moved from half a mile away to about 30 miles and the economy although good for a car of it's size was no good for the daily run to Runcorn.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Peugeot 406 Diesel

 

Based on the way that the old Pug 405 ran I had great expectations of this car. More toys, styling more up to date, instead it turned into a nightmare. The auxiliary belt broke twice, the car would occasionally open up to full throttle by itself and then cut out completely, the rear tyres wore excessively quickly on the inside, power steering fluid leaked everywhere, I gave up on it and have now decided that anything newer than the 405 is not worth touching. So off it went to a local breakers yard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rover 420D

 

Next up, the Rover 420 Diesel, not the most powerful or quiet engine going, the car cost £550, was quite comfortable and economical, passed the MOT with some work and then did a 1300 mile trip without a problem. There is nothing marvellous or wonderful about the car, it had a slight problem with the drivers window but apart from that it just worked. Spacious enough inside to fit a double bed widthways and that's about it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Renault Espace

 

We decided that we wanted something van sized but with seats in the back so we could take passengers, we missed one or two vehicles then this Espace came our way. The advert said it needed some TLC.

We drove to Runcorn first to bleed the brakes, I then had to get the tracking done, exhaust manifold and sections of the exhaust changed, I discovered that there was no thermostat and replaced this along with the top hose. The hose alone cost £57.00, bloody French.

In May 2008 the Espace started giving up, the brakes were going, the cooling system kept failing but to be fair it had done well considering the mileage covered and the initial purchase price.

 

 

 

 

 

Renault Laguna Mk2 1.9 TD

 

For some strange reason we got another French car, to  be fair it's nice and comfortable, has a 6 speed gearbox and a 1.9 diesel engine. Fuel economy looks promising and the only initial problem is a blown headlight bulb.

However, it failed an MOT and needed rear bushes, this should be an easy task. Thanks to the French it took almost a whole day and needs special tools.

And then the wiper motor went, I have never had to change a wiper motor before, the local Renault dealer quoted me £193. One was sourced from a scrapyard for the princely sum of £40.00 delivered.

Oh well, almost 9 months after buying it the turbo blew in a spectacular fashion. While travelling along a road near Lancaster, the car decided without consulting to me to effectively put it's foot to the floor and no matter what I did the engine carried on even with the key removed. Apparently the turbo sucks the oil out of the sump, takes the engine to limits and only stops when there's no oil left. Result is a car that needs a new engine, turbo, intercooler and probably catalytic converter as this was was probably buggered when we reduced the visibility on a 100 yard stretch of road to less than an inch.

It's not worth repairing and I have no confidence in the damn thing anymore, it's already cost about £600, no more French cars for me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rover 420D

So it's back to another Rover, £550 with 12 month MOT, time will tell if it's as good as the last one.

Well time has told and what a superb car this Rover was too, so many miles travelled with no probelms other than a leaking core plug and a worn rubber hose that leaked some diesel, total parts coset here was less than a tenner. It travelled round Scotland, Devon and Surrey with no problems at all and returned excellent MPG and then just after Christmas through no fault of it's own a drunken neighbour decided he was going to try and get in it and ripped the door handle off the drivers side and half pulled the passenger one off too. This seemed to cause an electrical problem that blew a fuse and made the engine cut out. It soldiered on till the end of January and then gave up once and for all.

It was a sad day when we received a Certificate of Destruction in the post but it went out fighting.

 

 

 

Nissan Primera

When the Rover died, I spent ages running round trying to get a replacement diesel, another Rover of the same colour and age was found but as it had been taxed by a registered disabled person wasn't sortable quickly enough. Then we came across a Nissan Primera 1.6 petrol engine vehicle and bought it. Generally it's not in bad condition apart from some worn bushes on the suspension, but it goes well enough and seems to be returning about 40 MPG, sso let's see how it behaves.

As the months went on and the mileage went up, the noises from the front got worse, it was also apparent that the handbrake wasn't quite right, the trackig couldn't be adjusted properly resulting in excessive wear to the front tyres  and to be honest quite a lot of money needed to be spent on it. On October, the car was nursed back from Cornwall to our new  Rotherham home and a replacement was decided on. 

The Nissan went to it's final resting place on the 6th of October 2011 and was replaced by a:

 

BMW 523I

And so, on the 6th  of October 2011, I took delivery of a T reg BMW 523I with about 236,000 miles on the clock, driving it doesn' t show that and it goes  incredibly well.  The car belonged to my friend and best man John Lydon and came along at about the right time, let's see how well time treats it. About the time I took ownership of the car, I changed jobs and started working in Newark, a daily drive of just over 100 miles but working a 4 day week and car sharing to keep costs down. The BMW behave pretty faultlessly until the 21st of March. Coming off the M1, I couldn't put the clutch all the way down and had to put the car in gear and start off with the key. Having got onto the home stretch, the clutch eventually decided to go all the way down and I could change gear. But there was no drive, the clutch had expired and the cost of that along with new tyres and some other remedial work was too much for me to spend on such an old car with a mileage that would have taken it past the moon.

On Thursday the 22nd, the 2.5 litre BMW was replaced by a:

1.2 litre Chevrolet Aveo

Hardly in the same league but small, economical with cheap tax and insurance and with the cost of fuel spiraling upwards this is what is needed at the moment. Despite it being of Korean manufcature, it's not bad really. It goes reasonably well especially when you urge it on with a shout of POWER!!!!!!. It's very manouverable and it's got to last us about 5 years which it probably will as the engine is basically out of a 1.2 litre Corsa and the body, well it's blue. SO I've owned a Jaguar a BWM and now a Chevy.