Flawed but fun. What’s the car that made you smile but didn’t buy?

For me this was a Fiat. The late 500 had come out in the cheeky chappy form that appealed to women overwhelmingly. Then it got a turbo. I tried this despite many wounds from a Cinquecento that didn’t actually breakdown… it was an absolute hoot but you couldn’t see much behind you ( PRHT with the roof up anyone?) Also tried the boxy saloon with the same engine. Again a hoot but very noisy.
This latter car is often chosen as a car to have fun without much outlay whether turbo or not.
Whether it’s bargain basement or slick super cars the Italians seem to keep their reputation for cars that aren’t forgettable

My neighbour’s white 2+2 V12 E-type, very early one with carburettors and chrome bumpers. The auto-trans and knock-on-off wire wheels were both extra-cost optional extras.

He was forever having over-heat problems with it, especially when he wanted to take it to Italy for his annual holiday. Having read up on it, I knew how to fix it! (Or so I thought.) When I mentioned it to my two insurers (different for each car), both simply laughed; I never had a sensible quote.

Eventually, without telling me and after I had asked for first refusal, he traded it in (he said he did me a very big favour!) for a big Mercedes saloon. That’s still sitting on his drive, shiny and immaculate but with a duff auto-box for the last thirty-odd years - at the time a repair quote was more than the car was worth!

So I extended the house instead of splurging a small fortune (to me) on my dream car.

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Fiat Uno Turbo

Abarth 695 Rivale. I test drove it just before the first lockdown started. I ended up buying my MX-5 instead a few months later. The following year I bought my F56 Mini JCW. I still have the Mini and love it but also wish I’d owned an Abarth at some point.

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VW Corrado VR6

Couldn’t afford one in my youth , decent ones now like hens teeth and cost more now than they did back then :joy:

Tried one and didn’t like the engine. We had a VW GTi that had the long stroke engine. It was odd as it was brilliant if you wanted to drive swiftly in a relaxed mannner but just fell to bits if you revved it to go faster. I loved it and kept it for 60k and nothing went wrong, even tiny things. Sold privately at a 100k. It was so good the new owner just couldn’t bring himself to find fault. He did try. He took his hands of the wheel and noted it wandered to the left. I suggested that was because of the camber built into the road and as we were approaching a bridge it would be a good idea to grip the wheel again.
I got my asking price of £5000 and he came down 60 miles from Plymouth and we counted it in twenty’s.
Those are the good old days peoples😀

First car was MK2 Golf GTi 8v , then I went for mk 2 Jetta GTi…the latter I kept 10 yes and modified :grin:
TSR big valve head , race cam, Audi 80 2ltr bottom end , suspension etc etc :grin:Happy days indeed