Got a Niced New Car Today.

[c.j.]

Well, i think you all got me beat. I just got rid of my 93 corrolla (gave it to my brother). No power at all, had crappy speakers but it still ran great with 150K miles on it. minor maintence things, thats it. I just got a 98 camry fully loaded, which is very nice. Powered EVERYTHING, except seats.

 

[aero99]

ok, I'll play.

Just turned in the Suburban last month- no the lease wasn;t up but what are they gonna do? Screw up my credit?-too late.

SO, my father-in-law gave us his old car. Its a '91 Park Ave with 125k miles on it. We went to Asheville for xmas to pick it up and drive it back to Dallas. If you have never been in a Park Ave, its the car you see gramps driving 35 mph on the interstate. Has more articulating seat positions than a $10.00 hooker. The engineers must know something about old people needing more positions to sit in than known to man. Anyway, 200 miles on our way back to Dallas we started having ignition problems. Was only able to run 5 of the six cylinders 725 miles back to Dallas.

After a $850.00 bill, the coils were replaced and new intake gasket replaced. And we thought it would be a free car.

I think I'm gonna get some customer plates that says "old fart" to better fit the glove.

 

[TriStar_drvr]

Not my car, but one of the best was the airport car one of my former employers kept for us at Grand Canyon Airport. It was a 73 or 74 Olds Cutlass four door. None of the doors closed correctly and you could usually see some daylight in the gaps. The windows didn't fit well either, so there'd usually be some leakage when it rained (much like the airplanes I flew at the time). All the tires were bald. Usually we'd load it up with as many pilots as would fit for the drive to the park cafeteria for our free lunch (Canyon pilots, do they still do this?). The combination of bald tires and overload caused many blowouts. I think I changed tires three times in the year I flew there. We'd throw on the spare, and put the blown tire and rim in the back of a Chieftain for the trip back to Burbank. Then we'd go to a used tire place and replace it with another bald tire for $10, and fly that one back to the Canyon.

The keys were kept on the gas cap. We never worried about it getting stolen, because no thief, if he wanted it, could figure out how to start it. You used to have to pump the gas as fast as you can and then when it caught, you floored it in hopes of keeping it running.

Once it was covered in snow and hit by a snowplow. The plow broke the tail lights. We couldn't find a replacement lens in the junkyard, so we put red tape on. That or the broken windshield would get us pulled over by the park police regularly.

Finally we took it to the only mechanic in the park one day for an oil change (don't know why). He wouldn't let the car leave his shop until he replaced some front end parts. Said he couldn't sleep at night if he'd let such an unsafe vehicle back on the road.

Ah yes, those were the god old days...

 

[jetexas]

My Honda is beginning to smoke. I hope I can get hired on with a major before I become 'Mosquito Patrol'.
At least its not as bad as the Jeep I had that would backfire and stall. Chics dug that one!
When I was in Desert Storm, there was an old Buick that had a huge 8 cylinder in it that we would drive into Riyadh for administrative duties from where we stayed. Man, that car was dirty - solid brown from a white paint job. One of the struts was blown and it had a 'ghetto look' as it sagged to the left rear. It would also do about 120 mph. It had a speed 'warning' that would beep if you went over 60. Me and my buddy drove it so fast one night that the speed warning stuck on. It sure was funny the next day to see the look on the Major's face as he drove by in our compound at 20 mph with a constant "beep" emitting from the inside of that car.
One day, when I was on the base, we decided to put rocks in the hubcaps. We drove by a large group of journalists at Riyadh AB that were waiting on their a/c to get refueled. So there we were - hunched back in our ghetto mobile with about 50 reporters ducking down to look under the rattling car as we drove by slowly. Who says you can't have fun in the military!

 

[Ravengirl]

mine's interesting, if not really bad

I have a 1995 Saturn SC1. It's nicknamed the Plastic Fantastic, because, well- its body is made out of plastic. It's white and therefore attracts all the freeway grime and leaf parts that SoCal throws at me. The inside is that odd gray color that always looks filthy, and is approximately the right size for a circus midget. I am 5'9 and drive with my seat all the way back. No one sits in the back unless they sit sideways across both seats, because there is no leg room. It sits low to the ground, low enough so that you strain your hip flexors getting in and out of the thing. The bass speakers have an odd buzz to them, my CD player is an old Discman with a tape adapter, and the radio is insanely loud if you're listening to an AM station, for reasons still unbeknownst to me. The inside has a permanent smell of pine, probably from one of those "car scent in a can" things that I just haven't found yet because it's stuck in some random place. The car so light that it gets a horrid shimmy to it above 75 MPH, and while it's not underpowered, I wouldn't take it out of Southern CA, not for a second. On the back window is a sticker with that ugly FAA bird that reads: Kiss a Pilot and Enjoy the Difference, and a red rubber ducky with satan horns hangs from the rearview mirror.

I love my car. Cheers!

Ravengirl

 

[knelson]

Can't top most of those, but here's my sob story:

1994 Honda Accord 201,000 miles and runs like a champ. Has a burn in the back seat from some unidentified object about five years ago, still haven't figured that one out yet. Front left fender has some beautifully customized body work done by a couple high school kids in the Wal Mart parking lot. Milldewed carpet and an exhaust system that sounds horrible, but still runs!

Cheers

 

[BluesClues]

I'm an ex-Canyon Dog, Here's the specs on our lovely crew van we used to go into town.

1970 something chevy van. Only the drivers door could be opened from the inside. The sliding side door would swing open unexpectedly when making a left turn. (Very exciting if you happened to be sitting next to it) No key, a screwdriver was used to start it. Leaked more oil than the Exxon Valdeez. Engine had more knocks and pings than a bowling alley. One day while I was PIC, the muffler and entire rear section of the exhaust system departed the vehicle as we cruised down the highway. You definatley did not ever want to park it on any sort of incline because the parking brake was broken and it would pop out of park sometimes. The thing actually did roll away from someone once and ended up in a ditch. (NO, not THE ditch. That woulda been too darn funny.) It was retired shortly there after.

 

[kilomike]

Loved all the car stories!

Until this past summer I had a 1987 Chevy Nova Hatchback. That car had 142,000 miles on it when it finally died and went to car heaven. At the end of its life it would stall out in the rain, the windshield wipers stopped working and the electrics died on it on the way home from Boston. That car held so many memories! It had been in every state on the eastern seaboard. RIP dear old 90Y (I called it Niner Zero Yankee because of the last three digits of my license plate when it was registered in Florida)! I bought that Nova new back in 1987 and it was a faithful friend for so many years. I now own a Hyundai. Nice car but it does not have the personality that old Nova had!

 

[jetdriven]

1983 pontiac firebird

wilh all of these car stories..Ive got to tell mine. I was 18 years old, and had a real woody for "sports cars". I had this 1984 plymouth turismo (think ugly 2 door k car) and I had wrecked and hammered the fenders straight. I traded it and some cash for this red 1983 pontiac firebird. 350 V-8, 4-barrel carburetor, black interior, and a nice rumpity-rump exhaust note. I was sold. Being young and stupid, I bought a car that used to be a 6-cylinder (backyard conversion) with roll up windows, it had 250,000 miles and had 12 owners!! (car was 9 years old then.) It also got about 8 mpg.
Two weeks after i bought it i made a left turn at an intersection and hit an oncoming car, it was my fault. Wiped out the whole front end of my beloved red firebird. You would think the story ended there but theres a whole lot more.
I took it to the body shop for an estimate, and it was 1200$. Being young and naiive i was determined to "save" a "good" car from the wrecking yard. Looking back it was like trying to save a hooker from her pimp. I had no job or drivers license (because the wreck i caused i also had no insurance) so i worked a whole summer to pay off the repairs. The next year i replaced the exhaust system, engine, transmission, rearend, wheels, and tires. driving the car down the road it continually bottomed out, and inside it smelled like exhaust fumes. No air conditioner.
Finally the fuel pump quit left me on the side of the road. I tried to open the door to get out and it broke off in my hand. I crawled out and went around to open the door from the outside and it too broke off. I kicked the door in !!!
later i sold the car to my friend for 200$

 

[navigator72]

My car story

I have a 1990 Toyota Celica with 208,000 fun filled miles on it. No A/C but hey it's winter!
I hope I can find a job soon before it dies.
My Blaupunkt CD player still rocks

 

[Green Banana]

here is a Horizon fo ride!!

1978 Wagoneer!!!!!

Woody and rusty!! Glub GLUB GLUB goes the 401 V8 as it sucks my pay check down. By the way, I got it from a QX Capt!!

ALOHA ALL

 

[Bluestreak]

Motorhead stuff....

I think I have this one in the bag:

Car #1:1976 Chevy Vega-133K miles,still going strong.I drove it to STL when I was training at TSA.Hugger Orange,mag wheels,new carpet.I paid $150 for it in 1988.It even has the original owners manual.No rust and only minor body dings.People ask me stuff like "Is that a REAL Vega ?"I even drove it to the GM plant in Lordstown,Ohio where it was built and took a picture.

Car #2:1978 Porsche 924.I have had this almost since high school.I reckon it has 200K+ miles on it-the odometer quit working at 31K.After the fuel injection system started acting up,I just trashed it,built an intake and put on a Holley 2 barrel-works good and parts are cheap.The heater blower quit and Porsche wanted around $300 for a new one,so I "massaged" one from a Chevy pickup and it works OK.Needs seat upholstery BAD-the springs will rip your pants.Next time the electrics act up ("Bosch" is German for Lucas) ,I'm just gonna grab a hunk o' wires and pull,and do it myself.

Car #3.1930 Ford Model "A" sedan.307 Chebby small block,Turbo 350 automatic,9" Ford rear.TCI 4" drop tube axle on the front,stainless 4 link coil over rear.No fenders,primered,leaks in the rain BAD.15 years and 50K miles so far.1200 mile "shakedown cruise" to OH and PA in November 1995-no interior and it was 5F and snowing-only one windshield wiper,with periodic stops on I-77 to clear the windshield.The heater was working overtime,but with no interior (insulation) I could still see my breath as I cussed my idiot judgement.

Car #4 is not a car at all-just my crusty,dusty 1975 Chevy Scottsdale fishin' truck.

Amen I live in the South,elsewise rust woulda claimed em' all (especially the 70 year old Ford).Cars get you where the airplanes are.We did drive the FBO car in Gadsden,AL all the way to Birmingham once,so we could eat at DreamLand BBQ.It was a mid-70's Ford Thunderbird,with the headliner sagging.It cut off a few times and the rear view mirrors were gone,but we made it back OK.

 

[Bluestreak]

Pix

Here's a link to some pix,if yer so inclined.Mostly cars and airplanes.

http://community-2.webtv.net/captdaver/CaptDavesHangar/index.html

 

[skeezer]

I had two cars:

Car #1 was a 1977 Chevy Caprice Classic Station wagon. My "shag wagon" was built like a freaking tank. It killed one car without taking much damage, and had it's bumper completely ripped off by another car leaving scars that still stand (never found the bastard who did it cuz it was late night and my car was parked). She knocked like a mother F if you stomped the gas, and the AC didin't work to well which sucked in CA in the Summer because that car has more windows than most greenhouses. over 250,000 miles on the OG engine so far. Nowadays it takes 3 minutes for the tranny to go into reverse and about 1 for drive.

Car #2 was a 1982 Mazda RX-7 that leaked oil constantly. I love the rotary engine but that oil leak sucks. If I ever drove for more than 30 minutes or got stopped in traffic it would begin to billow smoke (very slight oil leak onto exhaust I think, I was too lazy to ever investigate). I probably ony had about 1/2 the paint still on the car My car cover had more holes than swiss cheese. The engine needed an overhaul so bad that a buddy who had an old saturn could get to 60 faster than me! Still it cornered and braked better than anything else I have driven. But driving down the freeway and looking up to see the tops of truck tires is a little freaky.

Both those cars suck, but I am not gonna get rid of them. Too many memories. Besides, if you can get a chick to go out with you knowing you drive a crappy car you can be assured that she actually likes you.

Skeezer

 

[V1Cutt]

The Vega bit made me laugh, remembering that the last time I saw a Vega (about 10 years ago) it was on the side of the road burning.
I had a '78 Olds 98 (the worlds biggest car). The wife and I were on the home stretch of an 800 mile journey one August when it suddenly began to get very hot. The A/C had stopped working, so I tried to roll down the electric windows, which suddenly didnt work either (alternator had failed). So now she starts running like crap cuz there's barely any spark which causes raw fuel to be dumped overboard into the clogged catalitic converter. Suddenly, there's an explosion under the car and what's left of the converter is dragging the ground and smoke is seeping in to the cabin of a car with no A/C , the windows stuck up in the middle of Hickville, Louisiana on the hottest day of August - and I'm trying to milk her at 10mph to the next exit 5 miles away, on I-20 with the door open.
I almost got divorced over that one.
Love my T-Bird now.
V1Cutt