aries

During my half a century in Australia I owned only 3 cars, the longest held being a 1968 Holden Kingswood (from new) for 32 years. And it didn't have air-conditioning!! With Australia's summer heat I am wondering how I coped for so long.

It was a marvellous workhorse travelling a lot between Adelaide and Melbourne, and apart from taking furniture to my flat in the seaside suburb of Elwood, I carried a hoover twin-tub washing machine on the roof. On another occasion I towed a 16ft cabin cruiser from Adelaide to Cranbourne SE of Melbourne, the first time I had towed anything in my life.

My first car in 1960 was a 1953 Austin A30. A small car but amazingly easy to park, generally in or near Adelaide's Victoria Square. No parking meters in those days, just marauding "sticker lickers" who marked tyres with white chalk.

I received just one parking ticket in all those years, but I appealed and it was withdrawn. I had parked my little A30 on a small vacant space behind Victoria Square, but it was privately owned by a bank so the council had no jurisdiction.

I had one speeding ticket (in 1971), and I attended a driver's education course.
However I must admit that for many years I drove faster than the speed limit, on one occasion with my Kingswood, sitting on 160 kph for 45 minutes somewhere between Sydney and Adelaide. At that time the car had cross-ply tyres and drum brakes, so at that speed when I had to stop, it seemed to take an age.

ozzieeagle

6 cars in 35 years, which isn't very many, especially as we are a two car family. First one was a fantastic Aus Icon... a 1964 Valiant AP5 station wagon, which we took up to Cooktown, well almost Cooktown as it suffered a hole in the petrol tank on the road from Mareeba to Cooktown at Palmer River. Then a new Daihatsu Charade, A new Holden Apollo, and now for the past 15 years or so a Ford Falcon Station wagon, which I've still got and two second cars a Datsun 120Y great car and now a 94 Holden Barina.

Wont own a new one again as the wife must have French blood and insists on touch parking. A habit that is destined to never be broken by the looks.... At least she can get in tight spots I S'pose.

aries

Touch parking reminds me of when I loaned my then new Kingswood to a teenage neighbour who wanted to drive a mile for some shopping. She came back with the front bumper seriously dented! It must have been quite a knock because those metal bumper bars were very strong and made for bumps.

Charismatic

Well I buy and sell cars a lot, often I'll pick up a good cheap motor with a few little problems and turn it around for resale so I'm not going to claim any records.

Basically personally I've had three Hondas since 2003. Civic Shuttle which I bought for $600 from an American before he left, about 5 years later a $2700 Honda Inspire (like an LWB accord for the Japanese market) and recently I've currently got a Honda Airwave $4600 (Which is like a slightly biggest/slower Jazz/Fit for the Japanese market).

Kelli28

I'm not that old!!