Chef Jim Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 First car was an '81 Mustang with a '78 straight six engine out of a Grand Marquis frankensteined into it. I-beams for motor mounts. God only knows what the transmission was, but the gearing was all cockeyed, so the spedomoter never read the correct speed. Through the car's life, it caught fire twice (both times I put it out with an extinguisher). My fondest memory is pirouetting on ice across Main Street in Williamsville with no control over the car. Oil pan gasket blew out 40k miles after I bought it. A garage quoted me $400 to fix the gasket, to which I said "Are you kidding me? The car's only worth $200. Screw it, I'll run it without oil." Another 40k miles later, I blew a piston ring...wasn't worth fixing either. Drove the car another 20k miles, with it burning some weird mix of oil, gas, and antifreeze. I finally got rid of it when the driver's seat fell through the floor WHEN I WAS DRIVING IT (fortunately, sitting at a light). That car was a complete menace to anyone within 500 yards of it. Completely indestructible, though. Great car. When I was a kid we had a Volvo. My dad hated it. My brother was driving it and it caught on fire. The quick thinker found some way of putting the fire out before there was any major damage. My dad has never forgiven him for doing that. "Let it burn you numbskull!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 1987 Ford Ranger. 4-cyl standard. She ran pretty well for me all through college ('99-'03). I could beat anyone off the line in a drag race...up to about 25 mph. After that the acceleration went to hell. If i wanted to pass on a 55 mph 2 lane road (ie rt 11 on the way to clarkson), i'd need about a good mile of run up acceleration. She was one of those trucks that was about 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide so anytime you took a turn at over 40 mph, you'd feel her start to pull like she wanted to roll over. I gave it to my younger bro when i was done with it and he drove it for a few more years. Somehow, in '06, he managed to sell the damn thing (with almost 200k miles, all in NY and PA) for $300 with a flat, broken water pump, cracked oil pan and no battery. And i didnt see a dime of it, that bastard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornerville Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 1984 Cutlass Brougham Edition...2 toned and a sweet ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewPort71 Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 First car I learned to drive was a '68 LeSabre. First car we ever had with AC. But MY first car was a '69 Beetle. Great car for college. I could pack everything I needed for school in it. Including stereo speakers that were 3 feet tall and weighed a ton. When my daughters packed for college, I commented that they took more stuff than Dwight Eisenhower took when the US stormed Normandy on D-Day. They both asked, "What's Normandy Beach...and what is D-Day?" I still shake my head at that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HopsGuy Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 '85 Plymouth Reliant SE (K Car platform) Looking back, I'm pretty sure the marketing folks at Chrysler snickered when they came up with that name. Most Memorable Moment: Had my first job out of college and I was picking up my next car in a few days. I was driving west on the Thruway in March and passing a semi. Hit a patch of ice and a second later I was looking directly at the car behind me while spinning into the median. Took a couple of breaths, restarted and drove off. Not a scratch on the car. You get the best automotive education while owning a POS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted June 15, 2009 Author Share Posted June 15, 2009 First car I learned to drive was a '68 LeSabre. First car we ever had with AC.But MY first car was a '69 Beetle. Great car for college. I could pack everything I needed for school in it. Including stereo speakers that were 3 feet tall and weighed a ton. When my daughters packed for college, I commented that they took more stuff than Dwight Eisenhower took when the US stormed Normandy on D-Day. They both asked, "What's Normandy Beach...and what is D-Day?" I still shake my head at that... No offense to your daughers...but wow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LewPort71 Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 No problem Sage. I knew that would be their response. Their HS 'education' was a joke. They have done well in college though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt. Dan's Revenge Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 My first car was a 1996 Chrysler Lebaron and, surprisingly, I still miss the damn thing to this day. Pushed it as hard as any car I've ever driven and it always responded. All it needed was gas once a week and an oil change every 4,000 miles or so. Was the most dependable piece of sh*t car on the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted June 15, 2009 Author Share Posted June 15, 2009 No problem Sage. I knew that would be their response.Their HS 'education' was a joke. They have done well in college though... As a guy that just graduated HS 2 years ago, let me tell ya...that's the absolute truth. I spent my entire pre-college educational career listening to my teachers pandering to the lowest common denominator students. After a while, there was AP but that honestly wasn't much better. I learned twice as much from reading/independent studying than I did from high school classes. When I have kids, I really don't think I'll trust the public education system in this country unless there is major reform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magox Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 88 RX7 Made a deal with my parents that if I got a scholarship to play soccer in college that they would get me a car. Good memories Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buftex Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 1973 Dodge Dart....it had about 150,000 mile on it, when I got it...it lasted about 1000 more miles, before the enigine, literally fell out of the body... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted June 15, 2009 Author Share Posted June 15, 2009 Great stories, everybody...definitely something special about the first one isn't there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WellDressed Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 '85 Plymouth Reliant SE (K Car platform) Looking back, I'm pretty sure the marketing folks at Chrysler snickered when they came up with that name. Most Memorable Moment: Had my first job out of college and I was picking up my next car in a few days. I was driving west on the Thruway in March and passing a semi. Hit a patch of ice and a second later I was looking directly at the car behind me while spinning into the median. Took a couple of breaths, restarted and drove off. Not a scratch on the car. You get the best automotive education while owning a POS. You might have to thank "Mad Men" for the name Reliant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zamboni Man Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 '96 Nissan Altima Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuckincincy Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 Great stories, everybody...definitely something special about the first one isn't there? Yep...good topic, Sage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buffaloed in Pa Posted June 15, 2009 Share Posted June 15, 2009 My first was a 62 T- Bird . Till I smashed it into a woman from West Virgina with a hairlip ,my senior year in High School. That woman still gives me nightmares. I then moved on to several muscle cars, couple camaroes ,charger, stangs,chevelle ss too many to remember all. My dad had a bodyshop,and I was always fixing and painting something. The good old days of American muscle. Dream-on kiddies.with your rice rockets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 68 Mustang. Had a dark purplish/burgundy color. Bought it a few months after the Blizzard of 77. Had it 2 weeks and a 16 year old girl T-boned me. My friends called it the bruised grape. Ended up in the junkyard. The floor behind the drivers seat was rotting. You could see the road through a hole in the rug. Eventually a crack formed that started to travel over the drive shaft hump. In the winter of 78, the doors would freeze and I couldn't get the latches to catch. Drove to class at UB once with both doors tied shut! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Anchorage Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 68 Mustang. Had a dark purplish/burgundy color. Bought it a few months after the Blizzard of 77. Had it 2 weeks and a 16 year old girl T-boned me. My friends called it the bruised grape. Ended up in the junkyard. The floor behind the drivers seat was rotting. You could see the road through a hole in the rug. Eventually a crack formed that started to travel over the drive shaft hump. In the winter of 78, the doors would freeze and I couldn't get the latches to catch. Drove to class at UB once with both doors tied shut! Real close. 67 Mustang bought it in 74 from my Aunt in Hamburg. I had to rebuild the engine before I could even drive it. You could see the leaf springs though the trunk"floor" 7 year old car! They really built em to last back then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 1979 Ford Fairmont Futura When I turned 16, my Dad said you want a car... get a job. So I did. A year later, I walked onto a used car lot and drove off in a smooth ride. It was light blue. The seat didn't move - luckily it was perfectly positioned for my leg length. I had that car just over 5 years; through high school and well into college from my first girlfriend to my eventual wife. On my first date with the girl that would become my wife the car was getting up there in age and the passenger door wouldn't shut all the time and she had to hold it closed all the way from the restaurant to her house. Second date, it died in the parking lot and we had to call a friend to give us a ride back. Lord only know what she ever saw in me - it certainly wasn't my car. But, I loved that car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fezmid Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 Gratz on the first car My first car story.... My first car was a 1998 Chevy Cavlier. My second car...still driving the first Similar story. My first car was a 1999 Toyota Camry. My second car...still driving the first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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