Mk1 Ford Cortina – Deluxe (it had a heater). A car I received from my dad when I passed my driving test at 17, he had bought it new before I was born. All those memories of being in the car on holdays growing up.
I kept the Cortina until I was 23, I drove it to the south of France & over Col de la Bonette, 5000 mile trip over 8 weeks, wore out a track rod end & a voltage regulator, both £12 items.
Was it any good? by 1960s standards it was a reliable Daghenham Dustbin, it was better than most other cheapish cars of the time as it was very simple. At the end of its tenure someone drove their VW Golf into it whilst parked & the bits of the Golf were all over, the Cortina had a dented rear wing.
Best things about the Cortina Mk1 – The sprung seats were always comfortable, the interior ventilation was remarkably good, the boot was massive, mechanicals & electrical were basic & easy to repair.
Compared to modern cars it had dodgy steering, narrow wheels & tyres, no seat belts in the back (my dad had put seatbelts in the front himself), and it had vinyl seats.
My son told my dad that the 1997 Pug 306 with the turbo diesel engine & 84k miles on the clock that I’d given him was rubbish, my dad told my son that it was an awful lot better than the Cortina Mk1 he’d given me with 120k miles on the clock. Truth is as first cars they were both ideal as it didn’t matter if they got abused.