Your First Car!

[Caster]

First one to own was '67 Ford. Big 390 and it would run. First car to drive was a 1963 Rambler Stationwagon. Ah, those were the days.

Make that 4

1972 Ford F250 powered by a 390.

We're up to 5! I think the FE was Ford's best. They were all great:332, 352, 360, 390, 406, 410, 427, 428 plus the oddball Edsel and Lincoln 391's.

Edited February 9, 2012 by Caster

[analog_kidd]

I had a '72 Ford Pinto. My dad bought it for me for just a few hundred bucks, and thought that it would keep me out of trouble by keeping me in the garage. Backfired on him because other than an oil leak, the car ran great. I'd put oil in it when I put gas in it, and it kept on running.

The car had an AM radio that someone had added some kind of FM receiver add on. You had to tune it to a certain AM channel and turn on the FM receiver. IT also had an 8-track player on a separate system, with separate speakers. You could play the radio and tapes at the same time.

And this one never exploded

[Guest A10thunderbolt]

My first car was a 78 Dodge Aspen it was Puke Green and the Girls wouldn't ride in it. I used to say if a girls to shallow to ride then she ain't good enough anyway! When I finally got one to ride with me I married her, been Married for over 9 Years now.

[peejman]

Some of you folks had some cool cars. Mine was AWESOME!

1976 Chevy van.... aka the dragon wagon. 8 mpg with a 36 gal tank, good thing gas was under $1/gal. And no, it didn't have a mattress or a hot tub in the back. Looked like this but was dark/light green 2-tone. Big pimpin', yo.

[daddyo]

Some of you folks had some cool cars. Mine was AWESOME!

1976 Chevy van.... aka the dragon wagon. 8 mpg with a 36 gal tank, good thing gas was under $1/gal. And no, it didn't have a mattress or a hot tub in the back. Looked like this but was dark/light green 2-tone. Big pimpin', yo.

Not my first car, but I had a '76 Chevy cargo van with the 350 V8 (at least I think it was a 350) that I converted into a "party wagon" lol. I drove it from Orlando to Los Angeles with three friends back in September of '76 and we had a ball. Camped out every night and saw many wonderful sights, including the The Badlands of South Dakota, Mt Rushmore, The Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National Park.

I loved that van.

Edited February 9, 2012 by DaddyO

[Motasyco]

1964 Chevy Impala, 283, Powerglide. Engine was seized up when I bought it for $50. I was 15 years old and pulled the engine, tore it down, rebuilt, and reinstalled it. Every penny came from my paychecks working on a farm. Ran well till the day I sold it. Some memorable experiences in that car.

[oldogy]

I just noticed there were three of us running the old Ford FE motors here. Hooray for BBF!

Shucks, I am still running a restored 1973 F250 Camper Special with the 390 FE power. In fact, I drove it yesterday. I've owned dozens of FEs over the years, most of them powering Thunderbirds.

Edited February 9, 2012 by oldogy

[Guest Baddawg865]

1987 Pontiac Trans Am

The only thing i can remember about that car is that it was crazy powerful....Everybody in my family wanted me to get rid of that thing. I know it had a V8 but not sure what motor. My mom actually bought it off some oldler fella. He told her to be careful and not let me behind the wheel. She didnt listen. Got it a week later and raced that thing everyday after school. Made some good side money. Sold it to buy a POS 4x4 toyota to go muddin. Still mad at myself.

[laktrash]

'65 plymouth sport fury 383 4 barrel, bucket seat, auto in floor.

Nice car until Boones Farm and me got a hold of it. I wish I had it today but not in the shape I left it in.

[1gewehr]

In 1976 I bought a '67 Austin-Healey Sprite. It had been hit on the left front corner and needed the wheel and suspension replaced before I could even drive it. I learned the joys of tuning an SU carb, frequent master cylinder rebuilds, and the excitement of a genuine Lucas electric system! Yes, I did all of my own work. The first time it rained I learned that the convertible top only kept 75% of the rain out. The JC Whitney catalog was my frequent companion. The trunk stayed full of tools and spare parts.

My next car was a new '79 Toyota Corolla.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Around about 1973 for awhile I wanted an MGB in the worst way, but no way had the money to buy one. Not having any money saved me a whole bunch of heartache!

[tenchi_kioto]

Mine was a 1978 Mercury Cougar with the 302 big block. Was my big red boat! loved that thing at the time.

[gunrunner32]

When I was 12, Dad wanted to get a project car for he and I. I wanted a GTO, he wanted an MGB. He won, he got a '79 MGB. No seat belts, rough interior, brakes were shot, fuel system needed to be redone. Needless to say I learned a lot about cars, unfortunately dad worked a bit too much to help out most of the time. I never got to drive it since he sold it about 3 years later, and I had grown about 8 inches in that time.

Next was mom's '94 Oldsmobile Cutlass Sierra, silver with a maroon rag top and interior. Absolute babe magnet. I worked my butt off saving to buy a truck. With a little bit of help from mom and dad I got what I like to call MY first car. A '92 Chevy Silverado regular cab with a 350 and 2500 series suspension. It had 145k on it when I got it, when I left home I sold it with 210k on it, 3 years later. I drove everywhere, especially since most of my friends didn't have cars or their license. It had a 34 gallon tank IIRC, and it got a whopping 11 mpg highway and 9 mpg city. I ran straight pipes out of the headers and my parents could always tell when I was on my way home. I would put the muffler in to pass the emissions check Ohio had at the time and then take it back off once I passed. It was a fun truck and I got it stuck a few times in some corn fields and construction sites. It was a great truck and other than the fuel consumption I only had to replace tires, a fuel pump and a starter on it. I miss it, but I'm glad I got my new Silverado, much better gas mileage.

[Guest Lester Weevils]

When I was 12, Dad wanted to get a project car for he and I. I wanted a GTO, he wanted an MGB. He won, he got a '79 MGB. No seat belts, rough interior, brakes were shot, fuel system needed to be redone.

By some accounts, MGB's came that way fresh from the factory.

A few years later I wanted a Triumph TR7 in the worst way, but again, no money. Then made a friend who had a nearly new TR7. Beautiful car, but such a sad, sad excuse for a functional mechanical device.

By then had got the first van, 1977 Chevy G10. Which survived and prospered for nearly a decade under the worst possible conditions of criminal abuse and neglect.

[Guest bkelm18]

'90 Nissan Pickup. Good little truck. First car I bought on my own was a '91 BMW 325i. Loved that little car. Of course it cost a fortune whenever it broke down.

Edited February 9, 2012 by bkelm18

[Guest Ceolas]

1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme White with the White Vinyl Top

455 Big Block Out of a Toronado with the 3 speed automatic

[ls3_kid]

2005 G35 Coupe

I miss it. The girls in high school really digger it too. If I could ever have a complaint it would be that it was an automatic. Did/do I care? NO, NEVER. I'll take a redo the same exact way.

[TSprint1]

'64 Ford Galaxy 500,2dr HT, 390, 3 speed, Red, a screamer. Left it with my brother-in-law while I went on a tour to RVN. He took it for a Sunday drive, a guy ran a stop sign, T-boned him and totaled my car. While on the way home I ordered(for stateside delivery) what was supposed to be the newest and best car coming down the pike ..........a VEGA. Not many folks would admit to doing something that stupid.

[Rhodewarrior]

1968 Camaro- 327, turbo 350 trans, 4.56 posi. I was 16 and THOUGHT I knew how to make it fast! Totally mismatched cam/intake/carb/converter/gear combo! It came with a 307 I rebuilt (absolutely unnecessary, but like I said I was 16) using an inch/lbs torque wrench that my dad had, not even realizing it wasn't ft/lbs. The head gaskets were pouring out coolant so I just tightened them down as tight as I could, got it running and drove about 2 miles until #1 and #2 rods went through the oil pan! That's when the 327 came into place. I look back and wish I would have left it alone, saved all the money I wasted on bs and just drove it and been happy with what I had. Hind sight is definitely 20/20.

[subsonic]

1968 Chevy Caprice, 307 small block V8. Interior the size of a studio apartment and got about 23 mpg. Was my Dad's commuting car, had 86k miles when I took the helm, 186k when I sold her to a Chevy mechanic, saw it around town for another 15 years after that.

[JPR1959]

1967 Mustang convertible. A couple years after this picture, 351 with ported heads, huge cam, 11:1 pistons, C6 automatic w/stall speed, 4.63 gears, nitrous oxide injection just in case. It would scream.

[blizzard]

My first car was a '72 Toyota Celica GT . 4cl-4spd. My dad bought it for me when I was in high school for $450. I didn't even know how to drive a stick.He said it's yours take to the church parking lot down the street and learn.

[LagerHead]

My first car was a beaut! 1978 Plymouth Volare. Hadn't seen water outside of rain in years and the paint was spiderwebbed from front to back. The inline 6 wouldn't idle so you had to put it in neutral or park at stop lights. Well, it would idle, but only after it overheated and you turned it off. It would idle for about 15 minutes with the key off and out of it. The back floor had a piece of plywood over the 12" hole. The horn cover was gone and the horn wires would spark on the metal of the steering wheel. You could take the top of the dash off and set in your lap to write checks (remember those?). Every inch of the engine compartment was covered with oil and driving on the interstate meant waiting for it to cool down so you could put water in it again. It once went so long with a passenger's side windshield wiper there was a groove worn into the glass from the wiper arm. It came with carpet but I don't think there was a bit of it left when I got it. To be fair it did get me to Florida and back once or twice, and back to Florida again before it finally bit the dust. It even served as my home for a short time.

I don't miss that POS one bit.

[HOLEPUNCHER]

1973 VW Super Beetle. I believe it was called Skyview Blue. Worst heating system ever invented. Got it my senior year in high school. Would be at school before it ever warmed up. Fun thing about it, on the snow/ice you could get going, pull the handbrake up, hold it, and it would turn 180 degrees, release the brake and continue your journey.Still can't remember how i discovered that trick.

[SupaRice]

1981 Porsche 924

Pretty much just like this, same color and all only in left hand drive as you would expect. Got it at an auction, the odometer had stopped working at 189k! Had it for about 5 months before it was time to let it go, since during that 5 months it ran for about half the time. Just couldn't keep fixing it... =(

That was a good time though, cause I grew up in the sticks so the all the girls at school thought I was the man!

Edited February 12, 2012 by SupaRice