Your First Car

[ATR-DRIVR]

Yeah man! Two cars later it was the 70 GTO Judge!!! Ram Air 4, 400, 4-speed. All original. Stupid, I sold it and 4 days later the dipshiite wrapped it around a tree...cried for a week...

 

[English]

1969 Volkswagen Bug. Custom-painted the same as my favorite shirt at the time, peach.. Yes, peach, not pink, peach. Hey, this was the '80s, and I was 15 1/2.

I bought for $200. It was yellow with alot of primer on it. I put in a new interior, including a headliner. I replaced the panel and all instruments. I took off the running boards and replaced them with aluminum louvered running boards. I took off the bumbers and put on T-bars. I put eyebrows over the headlights. My dad cut the strut strings for me and we lowered the front. Custom wheels. We cut out a portion of the top and put on a ragtop. it was the only way I had to connect with my dad, so we spent ALOT of time on it.

It ended up being featured in Hot VDubs in 1988. I sold it that year when I went off to college for $2500.

 

[Jump Pilot]

Grey 80 GMC 1/2 ton purchased in 1982. Had the big leaf springs in the rear so it was a "heavy half" with the rear taller than the front.

I tricked it up with:

Astroturf for the floor
brush guard with driving lights
painted the grill black
headers
28" glasspacks with chrome megaphones infront of the rear tires
cb with dual antennas
gun rack
saddle blanket seat covers
chrome american racing wheels
am/fm/8 track with a full stable of Quite Riot/ACDC/Ozzy
plastic Copenhagen spitter on the dash

I did get much better acquainted with the special areas of a few young ladies in that truck.

 

[JB74]

First car was a '69 Camaro SS project
427 alum block, Holly 1050 double pumper, Muncie 4sp, big cam to where it almost wouldn't idle. I could bark the tires at 80 going into 4th gear. Took my father and I almost a year to complete it (finished it just before my 16th birthday). That car got me into a TON of trouble.

Received my drivers license in Apr of '90, had my license suspended in May of '90 for excessive points, father sold said car in June of '90 when my little brother told him I hit 140 mph on I-25 south of Denver on our way to Castle Rock (where I lived at the time)

Man I miss that car.

 

[TR4A]

1967 Triumph TR4A
<===== Like this one.

 

[mainah]

1995 Saab 900S hunter green with tan interior 4 door. Looked nice but was always in the shop, there were way too many **CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED** service issues.

 

[wildbill]

A 1961 corvair monza.. Two cars later 1970 Dodge Charger R/T.
440 Magnum interceptor. Wish I had it now.

 

[DenverDude2002]

Well, call me spoiled, but my first car is/was a 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport 4x4 Had 47K when I got it at 16, 4 years later it now has 111k and is pretty beat, but still runs good and gets me around.

 

[Dan CFI/CFII]

1942 Ford Jeep (the Ford company liscense built tham cause Willys'-Overland couldn't build enough). But I sold it before I got it restored completely (or before I knew what it was worth!). That was when I was 12.

Right now, I've got a 1991 Toyota Pickup and it's the first vehicle I bought that I could actually drive. It's actually parked inside the shop at home for my brother to drive it enough to keep it fresh, but Lord help him if he puts a scratch on it.

But I've also got a "few" old Dodges, and the beautiful 1949 White you see to the left. Hopefully one of these days I'll get home and get that one running. But it coasts good--if you don't need brakes! That's a 2-3 year project. I got oil control ring chunks when I drained the oil. Luckily, sitting beside it is an overhauled (30 years ago) 120A engine (the right one for that truck). 26,000 pounds pulled by 15 forward gears, 110 HP, and stopped with juice brakes.

I'm a nut!

Dan

 

[huncowboy]

Can't remember actual model year but the 1st one that was bought for me (for something like 1500 DEM about $900 USD at that time) in 1989 was a 14 years old BMW 315i.

The first ever car that I bought for my own money was here in the USA, a probably 1990ish or older Ford Festiva (red)with well over 200k+ miles. We loved that car after riding the bus for 2 months. It had a working A/C. We got it for $800 and sold it for $600 and it did not break down once, but I had to throw in a quart of oil after every 100-200 miles.

 

[Gulfstream 200]

Mid 80's full size Buick Electra Wagon. Big.

Everyone laughed until they needed a place to drink a 1/4 keg and/or get laid.

(every fri/sat night)

We even used to know a girl named Heather (aka "header") who used to do her thing in the far back (with whoever) as we drove around.

miss those days sometimes..

 

[Tripower455]

66 GTO, 389, six-pack, 4-speed, 390 gears...yeah come on......

I got one of those....... only it's got a .030 over 455 with TRIPOWER .............. The only six pack at my house is in the fridge!!!!!!! No Mopars around here!

It's finally getting painted next week!!!!!!!

 

[CSY Mon]

First car ever was a 1959 Volvo Amazon, 1.6 L 4 cyl.

The car was 16 years old at the time, I was 17.

Drove it to every country side dance I could find.
Loaded with buds, moonshine and a good time.

Due to coolant leaks and a general lack of maintenance, it would over-heat now and then, especially up the long and steep hills in the old country.

We took turns getting out and taking a pizz in the radiator to replensih the coolant.

It ran happily thereafter, for a while.....

 

[bobbysamd]

First car

Mine was a '62 Corvair Monza with four-on-the-floor.

Originally posted by wildbill
Two cars later 1970 Dodge Charger R/T . . .

I had a good friend who bought the same model Charger. Totally cool car that he bought new. He didn't keep it all that long, and I never knew why.

Speaking of Oldsmobiles, I had two. A '78 Cutlass with a little V-8 and five-on-the-floor. I bought it used with 7K on the odometer and kept it for ten years. It was nice to begin with, but deteriorated into a piece of junk. The plastic insert in the steering wheel disintegrated in my hands. The headliner collapsed. It eventually looked worse than many "airport" cars people drive, which made it appropriate for me at the time as a new professional pilot and flight instructor. I put in at least three clutches, a tranny and a new engine. Not one of GM's better efforts.

I then got an '89 Cutlass Calais International Series. It had the Quad Four engine and a five-speed. This was a much better car. Quality was much improved. That car took me from job to job across the country twice and to a couple of interviews while I was flying. Good road car and fun to drive, but it lacked torque and real acceleration, undoubtedly because of the four-banger. I traded it in after six years for a Pontiac V-6 with much better acceleration.

 

[redshirt]

1985 Mercury Lynx wagon. Ran it up to 180,000 miles. Cleaned the spark plugs twice a week and went through more oil than a 2 stroke lawnmower. I sold it to a guy I knew for $50 bucks; $200 for the stereo and -$150 for the car.

A couple weeks after I sold it, I was driving down the beltline in my new (used) '84 CRX. Suddenly I smelled burning oil. "**CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED****CENSORED**", I thought, "I just bought this car and it already smells like my Lynx". About a half a mile ahead of me, there was a lone car on the road. "Maybe it's the car ahead of me". I speeded to catch up to the car ahead of me to check it out. Through the blue smoke, I recognized my beloved Lynx. After I funished laughing, I pulled the new owner over, and bought him a few beers.

I learned how to drive stick, and many other things, in that car.

 

[Vladimir Lenin]

1991 Honda CRX HF, still the best car've ever had

 

[Kingairrick]

'68 Firebird Convertable. 400, 2 barrel, 2 speed automatic trans, factory 8 track. My sister totaled it the week after I turned 16 in 1980...I still haven't forgiven her.

 

[Dubya]

ummmm.....yeah....

....1977 Ford Pinto....silver.

My best friend had an orange Chevy Vega.

I had to work for a couple of years to get outta the Pinto...though it was a great first car. A serious trade up to a 79' Trans Am when I was 18.

W

 

[PUflight]

86 sh*t brown Toyota Corolla. Was great until she threw a rod. When you're 16 you don't pay attention to the Oil light.....woops!

 

[FLGator911]

1977 Chevy Vega, had 'er two weeks, lost a stare-down contest with a deer...deer actually got up and walked away, swear I heard him laughing.

 

[rstev1955]

1960 Studebaker Lark. Had a 3 speed with overdrive. Got that sucker up to about 120 one night on a deserted road out of Phoenix.

 

[cezzna]

1971 VW beetle purchased wrecked from a junkyard with the parts to fix it. Replaced the generator about five times. Purchased for $400 and sold three years later for $600. Then I upgraded to my grandparents 1971 Ford van which wasn't very shagadelic if you know what I mean.

 

[Birdstrike]

If I could do that over again

Interesting to note how many of us expressed regret at getting rid of that first car. Another V8 moment. Who knew someday we'd regret trashing those early wheels. Should have parked one of them in Aunt Sophie's garage for 30 years and it may have been worth something today.

 

[Timebuilder]

I agree.

The guy I sold the Charger to trashed the thing in short order.

 

[jarhead]

Every fall in my little town, there is the annual town celebration, with scheduled events like a rodeo, parade. Carnival, etc. Also, there is a two day display of automobiles sponsored by “The Minnesota Street Rod Association”. It is held outdoors in a large park. There is every manner of car on display there, numbering around 2 to 3 hundred vehicles. It looks like a scene out of the movie “American Graffiti” Clearly, there are some among us who did something better than park a car in Aunt Sophie’s garage. These vintage cars from the 30’s, 40’s, 50’s 60’s and 70’s, are in better shape than they were coming off the dealers floor when they were new.

I always attend that show, and the owners of these street rods, are mostly guys who owned cars like these in their youth. I always find those cars that were like ones I had, or my friends owned when we were in high school. There are paint jobs on those beauties that are 7 layers deep, waxed and shined to a mirror finish, and chrome just gleaming, and not a speck of dirt or dust anywhere. All the exhibitors are very open and approachable, and enjoy questions about their “pride and joy” I too, wish I had saved my first love of a car, and had it preserved well enough, both physically and mechanically, to be able to cruise main street on a summer Saturday evening.

 

[tuna]

My first car was a '77 Datsun 200sx. We callled it the "disco mobile". Once fit seven people in it (me driving, two in the passenger seat , three across the back, then rolled down back windows so my buddy could put his feet out one side, and his head out of the other!) Man, I did some stupid sh*t when I was 17 !

 

[Unchilled]

Can't remember actual model year but the 1st one that was bought for me (for something like 1500 DEM about $900 USD at that time) in 1989 was a 14 years old BMW 315i.

The first ever car that I bought for my own money was here in the USA, a probably 1990ish or older Ford Festiva (red)with well over 200k+ miles. We loved that car after riding the bus for 2 months. It had a working A/C. We got it for $800 and sold it for $600 and it did not break down once, but I had to throw in a quart of oil after every 100-200 miles.

A Ford leaking oil? No way!

I'm 20 and my first car was a 1984 Mercury Cougar that I got when I was 16. Not only did it leak oil but it also burned oil. At around 245k I accidentally let it roll down my driveway and into a brick wall and totalled it. Now I have a crotch rocket.

 

[I.P. Freley]

1972 Chevy Monte Carlo. 350cid V8 and a TH-350 automatic.

It was well and truly clapped out when I acquired it, to the extent that you could put small items in and out of the trunk from the outside without actually opening the trunk lid (no lie!). I won't even get started on the AM-only radio. Had a boombox in the back seat to play my tapes.

It went away after the front suspension broke. Big potholes in the NYC suburbs...

Nicknamed: The Urban Assault Vehicle (hey, it was the mid-80's and "Stripes" was still fondly remembered!)

 

[Dizel8]

1977 Cadillac Coupe DeVille with 95K miles or so. White with green interior. Bought from a Mexican used car dealer, whose office was a trailer. The choice was between that and the Lincoln Continental. Price 950.

Everything worked to perfection, except the dashboard clock.

Sold it 6 months later for 1500.

 

[typhoonpilot]

1972 Chrysler New Yorker 2 door with the soft top and a 440 engine. What a land yacht that was. A Toyota pick-up hit me from behind once and it left a tiny little dent in my bumper while trashing his entire front fender

Typhoonpilot