How it all began

A brief history of my history of Vehicles - by way of context and background

So - I left school in 1979, in the UK. Available funds were very limited, and my succession of rides include:

• Morris Minor Panel Van - more rust and holes than tin
• Austin 1800 - great car, but not compatible with my foolish teenage driving style
• Honda CB200 (running a car proved too expensive)
  
• Kawasaki Z750 (CB 200 a bit to slow and small - I am 6'4'', so it was a bit uncomfortable)
  
• Norton Commando MkIII (ex police) - Engine exploded when I hit a brick mid corner
  
• Bedford Beagle Van (based on Mk1 Vauxhall Viva) - I drove this car from London to Athens, then ferried across the Mediteranean to Israel for 1.5 yers on a kibbutz. The car, which lasted about 6 months in Israel, only cost me £100
• Honda 750K2 (Back in the UK now) - some time in 1982
• Honda c90 Stepthru (for when I had the 750 in bits)
• Honda CX500 (got nicked) now at Uni - around 1984
• Suzuki GT500 (eventually disintegrated - although it worked quite well as a 250 single for a while, as long as you didn't mid getting petrol all over your left foot)
• Hilman Superminx (1964 model - also eventually disintegrated - student funds not compatible with running wheels) This was my last student vehicle
  
• Rover 3500s (manual P6) - now 1988. Was a bit clapped out - Good trips to France - was like no car I'd ever had before
  

All of the above cost between £50 and £600 each

• Rover 110 (P4 overdrive model) Huge fun, - but eventually the lovely English winter weather ate it
  
• Various sales rep cars, including: Citroen BX19, at least 3 Vauxhall Cavaliers, BMW 520, Ford Probe and a Peugeot 405

Then I emigrated to Australia (1995) - by this time married for 4 years with a 6 month-old baby

• EB Ford Fairmont
  
• Knackered VC Commodore Wagon, which smelt of wet dogs (had to sell Ford to buy a house)
• In succession over 12 years, Two sensible Mitsubishi Magna Station wagons and a Nissan Maxima (all new or almost)

So, at the tender age of almost 48, with two school-age kids and the usual Mortgage, 2 family cars, sport and school fees, desk job and intense work-related stresses, I do the right and proper thing and have a mild mid-life crisis

The result?

• Decided not have any more new or boring cars, with pointless features like reliability and air conditioning
  
• Sold the Maxima at 5 years old
• Roadworthied the Fabulous Leyland Marina
  
• Bought the Rover P5 - a 1963 series II 3-litre
• Still happily married, still got the kids and mortgage and bills - so as mid-life crises go, I think the fall-out was relatively minor. My wife still has the family people-mover, so she maintains a reasonable level of tolerance...
  

I now have the Marina and the Rover sharing the task of daily driving in and around Melbourne.

Future posts will (I hope) tell of my life with both cars and some of my past experiences with the others.