Thread Number: 40650
Bureau of Silly Threads Presents: My First Car
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Post# 601245   6/5/2012 at 15:46 (4,314 days old) by Ultramatic (New York City)        

ultramatic's profile picture

Now, who doesn't remember that? Please post a picture or an advertisement if you can. Remember, make sure there are no watermarks or copyrights from individuales or websites.





Post# 601246 , Reply# 1   6/5/2012 at 15:49 (4,314 days old) by washernoob ()        

My first car?

Nothing too special. I suppose to the appliance nuts that we are this is the ideal vehicle! 1997 Ford Expedition XLT.


Post# 601249 , Reply# 2   6/5/2012 at 15:58 (4,314 days old) by Ultramatic (New York City)        
1970 Cadillac Coupe DeVille

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Dads hand me down. I have pictures of it buried somewhere. I was the only guy in high school who had one LOL! Mine was Nottingham Green Firemist.

 

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Post# 601253 , Reply# 3   6/5/2012 at 16:07 (4,314 days old) by StrongEnough78 (California)        
1963 Cadillac Coupe DeVille

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Technically this was my first car, however it wasn't running as I was planning on restoring it. I never got around to it though and sold it. I never got to drive her. So my first running, drivable car was a 64 Sedan DeVille. I have pictures of her, if I find one I'll post it. I have a love-hate relationship with that car. Loved her, but when she would break down I'd hate her. She's been in storage for a few years now. She just refuses to be on the road. Cosmetically though, she was beautiful and all original.

Post# 601254 , Reply# 4   6/5/2012 at 16:07 (4,314 days old) by arbilab (Ft Worth TX (Ridglea))        
Pic not needed......

arbilab's profile picture
......everybody knows what they look like. "My" first car was '64 Beetle in '67, light green. Though before that family got a new car and I inherited use of the '55 Ford station wagon which worked well hauling band equipment.

Post# 601257 , Reply# 5   6/5/2012 at 16:16 (4,314 days old) by washernoob ()        

But beetles were amazing! If you do have a picture post one if you can! :)


My first real car was and still is a 67 beetle! The red one. The blue is my dads 66.


Post# 601263 , Reply# 6   6/5/2012 at 16:33 (4,314 days old) by wayupnorth (On a lake between Bangor and Bar Harbor, Maine)        
Car of the year for 1963

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Not the most exciting first car to have in high schoolbut it was a free, hand-me-down. Mine looked exactly like this but was white with a maroon roof. Way underpowered 196 cid 6 cyl. that burned more oil than gas. For many years a derivative of that engine was the 4.0 liter used in Jeeps.

Post# 601269 , Reply# 7   6/5/2012 at 17:04 (4,314 days old) by washernoob ()        

A 196!? Wow! That engine was used in the 30s! Talk about time for an update!

Post# 601277 , Reply# 8   6/5/2012 at 17:56 (4,314 days old) by paulg (My sweet home... Chicago)        
1973 Vega Wagon

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I owned a 1973 Vega wagon which looked and ran great when I purchased it used in 1978 but literally decomposed continuously afterward.
I installed a furry black carpet in the back. I used that Zayre-type bathroom carpet. So cooool.
It was a totally fun car to own and drive and a perfect first car.
The quality however was deplorable and it consumed two quarts of oil per week at the end (about three years later).


Post# 601281 , Reply# 9   6/5/2012 at 18:21 (4,314 days old) by cuffs054 (MONTICELLO, GA)        

PaulG
I hadn't thought of Zayre in years! My bro had the pinto and vega. I had the gremlin. Oh yeah, there was the dauphine and yugo but some things are best left alone.


Post# 601284 , Reply# 10   6/5/2012 at 18:37 (4,314 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)        
1950 GMC 100

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Surplussed by Pacific Telephone & Telegraph in 1960, which is when my dad bought it.  It was mine to drive as soon as I got my license, at which time it was sporting a fairly recent coat of Bell System-issue "locker green" paint that came with the truck, and that I helped my dad apply with his Wards (of course) compressor and paint gun.  That's the 40-year old paint you're looking at in the picture below.  I still drive this truck regularly.  It has never sat idle for very long and is basically original (do not mistake that for pristine) inside and under the hood.

 

Experts will say it can't be a 1950 because the bed is from 1954.  Having worked for PT&T's successor and steeped in holdover Bell System culture for 17 years, my guess is that they changed out the old style beds for new ones with flat top surfaces that lent themselves to mounting a cargo box.  Such trucks still had years of deterioration to write off, and retrofitting made more sense than buying new.  They recycled their phones to death.  Their fiscal system likely didn't encourage selling off perfectly good assets.  This bed update created a gap in the area where a slightly different shaped fender met the existing running board.  A metal patch was riveted in place to fill it.  Easily reversible back to the original bed, but hey, look at the thing.   I'll never go there.


Post# 601285 , Reply# 11   6/5/2012 at 18:38 (4,314 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)        

rp2813's profile picture

The later bed:


Post# 601288 , Reply# 12   6/5/2012 at 18:53 (4,314 days old) by Tomturbomatic (Beltsville, MD)        

A white '66 Chevrolet Caprice coupe with a black vinyl roof, buckets, "woodgrain" console with "T" type gear selector mounted in it, gauges below the radio and the Chevy 327. I kept a special commercial acrylic floor finish with a metalic interlock (according to my father) on the roof and it gleamed just as black and even more shiny on the day I got rid of her than when new. The car introduced that beautiful roof line with the squared-off rear side windows. I remember when I put new tires on her with the red stripe facing out about 1970. Every fall I would have to take her in to the garage and leave her overnight so that they could reset the choke for cold weather while she was cold. I really appreciated the beauty of Constance Caprice because while she was being driven around by the dealer's wife so she would be sold as a demo, I had a red, 4 door '62 Corvair that was a bomb. She was never named, but was usually referred to as "that damn car."

It is amazing how much cars have improved. My 78 Monte Carlo, known as Grace as in Princess Grace, was so much better than the 72 Plymouth Grand Fury coupe which should have been badged Grand Mal as in the seizure. Her name was Golda because she was a sick old woman. My precious 86 Celica lift back whose given name was La Stella Azzurra, but was known affectionately as Baby Blue, was much better than Grace, 14 years and 160K miles of service instead of 8, and the 2000 Solara is much better than the Celica, but not more loved.


Post# 601289 , Reply# 13   6/5/2012 at 18:54 (4,314 days old) by twintubdexter (Palm Springs)        

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A 1962 Buick Electra 225 Sport Coupe (Sport?) It was the car I wanted my parents to buy when I was 12 so when I got old enough I bought one. I really wanted the 1958 Lincoln Continental "Breeze-Way Window" Coupe the neighbors across the street were selling but my dad said no. He was the Ben Cartwright "truck" type.

Post# 601290 , Reply# 14   6/5/2012 at 19:02 (4,314 days old) by rickr (.)        
.

rickr's profile picture
My first car was this 1958 Chevy. I bought it in 1972, when it had less than 10,000 miles on it, and still had the original tires! I put these tires and wheels on it shortly after I bought it. It had a 348 engine in it, power steering, power brakes, and a clock, and an am radio. The power steering pump was attached to the rear of the generator, and was driven via the generator. I kept this car for three years, and drove it about 40,000 more miles. It was sold at the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Auction in the fall of 1975.

Post# 601293 , Reply# 15   6/5/2012 at 19:16 (4,314 days old) by washabear (Maryland)        

My first car was a 1963 Plymouth Valiant four-door sedan, which my father bought me for about 50 bucks in 1976. It was white with a light-blue interior, and the exterior finish was horribly pitted. It had the push-button automatic transmission and burned oil like crazy, but it got me back and forth to college. I kept it for about a year and a half until I bought a 1968 Firebird.

Sorry, I don't have a pic.



Post# 601294 , Reply# 16   6/5/2012 at 19:25 (4,314 days old) by xraytech (Rural southwest Pennsylvania )        

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For me it was my mothers hand me down,
I had a 1990 Buick LeSabre Custom, we bought it from a neighbor of a friend in January 1996 with about 35,000 miles, when it became mine in March 2002 it was up to about 133,000 miles. It was finished in Medium Garnet Red with a matching interior, had the polished locking wire hubcaps, and every option for 1990 except a moonroof and leather seats. When I sold it 2 1/2 years later it had somewhere around 180,000 miles and still going strong. I loved that car and wish I had another like it, I especially enjoyed the reverse opening hood, the bulletproof 3800 engine, and it was so damn heavy no amount of snow was able to stop me.
I now cant be without a Buick in my driveway, my current one being another hand me down from mother.


Post# 601295 , Reply# 17   6/5/2012 at 19:32 (4,314 days old) by yogitunes (New Jersey)        

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My first was a 1972 AMC Javelin SST with the PierreCardin interior....bright red with a wide white stripe down the side.....paid $500.00 for it...lasted thru high school and one year into my first job

Second car was a 1977 AMC Hornet AMX.....


Post# 601299 , Reply# 18   6/5/2012 at 19:40 (4,314 days old) by cfz2882 (Belle Fourche,SD)        
'74 nova

bought a '74 4dr 350 nova in '85 for $200,green with black vinyl interior.
had bad brakes when i bought it,but the A/C still worked great


Post# 601314 , Reply# 19   6/5/2012 at 20:22 (4,314 days old) by appnut (TX)        

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1977 AMC Pacer X. Just like this one shown, but mine was a dark metalic forrest green. Car had very good visibility and I was just learning how to drive. bought August 1977 I believe. Was a demonstrator at the dealership.

Post# 601393 , Reply# 20   6/6/2012 at 05:22 (4,314 days old) by chuffle (....)        
1976 VW Beetle

While I learned to drive in a 1967 Beetle, took my driver's test in a 1973 Beetle, the first car that I purchased was a lime green (I think VW named it Viper Green) 1976 Beetle.

Joe


Post# 601397 , Reply# 21   6/6/2012 at 05:41 (4,314 days old) by Frigilux (The Minnesota Prairie)        

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1969 Olds Delta 88. I purchased it in 1975 from my stepfather who bought it in San Diego, CA. Mine was a dark green 2-door with a white vinyl top. 455 4-barrel. It was an awesome car! Owned it until I finished college in 1982. Bought a first gen Chevy Cavalier (big, big mistake, LOL!)

Post# 601403 , Reply# 22   6/6/2012 at 06:26 (4,314 days old) by polkanut (Wausau, WI )        

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Mine was a POS '79 Plymouth Horizon that spent more time in the mechanics garage than ours.  It was blaze orange with a god awful black vinyl interior.  YUCK!!!


Post# 601419 , Reply# 23   6/6/2012 at 08:02 (4,314 days old) by abcomatic (Bradford, Illinois)        
1968 Ford LTD

My first car,(no picture) was a 1968 Ford LTD Brougham. It was a brown/gold metallic with a black vinyl roof. The interior was a soft, black fabric with a split front seat. Power windows, brakes,steering, air conditioning. 390 motor. I picked it up on Christmas Eve of 1971 and drove it until October of 1976. It was a great car, better by far than my 1973 Lincoln town car.

Post# 601427 , Reply# 24   6/6/2012 at 08:55 (4,314 days old) by moparguy (Virginia)        
1973 VW Squareback

...which I had in college... and which I bought used and being a few years old was rusting and having (automatic) transmission and fuel injection problems... so soon after which I bought my first new car, a 1981 Plymouth Horizon that would run in any kind of snow or weather that trapped everyone else on Pittsburgh's hills, while returning about 30 mpg city/45+ mpg highway with it's VW Rabbit-based engine (way way way better mpg and faster than the VW Squareback, and the Horizon even had heat, something the VW lacked!). I will always fondly remember both of those cars, quirks aside...


Post# 601451 , Reply# 25   6/6/2012 at 10:44 (4,313 days old) by ptcruiser51 (Boynton Beach, FL)        

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1959 Ford Galaxie similar to this one.
Shot transmission, unremarkable acceleration, hit-and-miss radio reception, spotty oil pressure, and many other extras. Fortunately, we lived on a hill so I could roll it down to start when needed. Burned oil like crazy, I used to buy the re-refined stuff and put it in myself. I finally junked it when the engine mounts gave out.

I'm still a Ford guy, see avatar.


Post# 601470 , Reply# 26   6/6/2012 at 11:59 (4,313 days old) by washernoob ()        

Beautiful BUG! Love the color! Never seen that shade of green.

Post# 601482 , Reply# 27   6/6/2012 at 12:35 (4,313 days old) by 58limited (Port Arthur, Texas)        
1978 Mercury Marquis Brougham

58limited's profile picture

Bought it in 1987 for $1995.00, same color as the one in the picture, Dove gray vinyl interior. 351M engine got 12 MPG if I was lucky. Got most of my car repair knowledge from this car, replaced most things under the hood except the engine and most front end parts in the 5 years I owned it.

 

 


Post# 601484 , Reply# 28   6/6/2012 at 12:44 (4,313 days old) by whirlcool (Just North Of Houston, Texas)        

I had a 63' Chevy Supersport Coupe with the 327 engine and my first car. I bought it in 1967. It was white outside with a red interior. I liked the "Cold" light that came on when the car was first started up.
It was a great car and actually very reliable. I think the only problem was that I had to replace the clutch once ($100 at the dealer) and replace the dual exhaust one time.

The only negative thing about the car was the gas mileage. No matter how good you were on the gas I could never get above 14mpg. And when you are in high school with only a very low paying part time job even $0.39 per gallon gasoline ripped your budget apart. And the insurance was almost $500 per year, which was ungodly expensive even for the time because I was a teen driver and my dad wouldn't put me on their insurance for a better rate.

I originally wanted a 64' bug for a first car but I let my dad talk me out of it.
I liked the strangeness of the bug more than that of the SS. Now that I think about it I think he knew how much more expensive the SS would be to operate and that I would have to work so much to keep it up I'd probably never be home. And that was true, I worked two part time jobs and went to school. It was wake up, school, work, bed over and over again 7 days a week.

So right before college I traded the SS in for a Corvair which got around 20mpg.


Post# 601533 , Reply# 29   6/6/2012 at 16:16 (4,313 days old) by westie2 ()        

My first was 1966 oldmobile 98 LS.  My grandmother bought it when it came out in 1965 and died in March of 1966. 

big car power everything.  Did good to get 12 mpg traded it in 1969 for a Green VW Bug was commuting with wife to college 90 miles away.

Here is a picture of one but mine was Gold with white roof.

 

 


Post# 601545 , Reply# 30   6/6/2012 at 17:04 (4,313 days old) by ronhic (Canberra, Australia)        
A 1975 Renault 12 GL

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In orange....slightly darker than this.

1.3 L:itre, 60hp and would cruise all day at 120kph.


Post# 601630 , Reply# 31   6/6/2012 at 22:10 (4,313 days old) by Ultramatic (New York City)        
Ok...my second car...

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I lost the 1970 Cadillac 3 years later when I was hit by a truck that failed to stop at a red light. The car and the truck were totaled. I walked away without a scratch. The guy in the truck was not so lucky. I had some money saved up and I had the Cadillac bug bad, so I got, what else? A 1971 Cadillac Coupe DeVille.  Same colors as this advertisement picture, Casablanca Yellow with a Brown vinyl top.

 

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Post# 601669 , Reply# 32   6/7/2012 at 03:20 (4,313 days old) by hydralique (Los Angeles)        

My first was a '69 Citroen ID19, the cheaper version of the DS. It appeared on a used car lot very conveniently in '76 when I was in high school and beginning to need a car. I wanted it bad and so my father made a deal with me: he'd buy it for me if I'd learn to maintain it. Originally it was a greenish off-white but I repainted it medium blue, keeping the white roof. Somewhere I have a pic of it, but it was very close to the photo below which is actually a factory '68 color. Being an American spec car it didn't have the glass covers over the headlights or the turning and self-levelling light option.

 

The ID was a wonderful first car: reliable, comfortable, economical and very, very forgiving of a teenaged leadfoot. I took it to university for my first two years and found out that it was good for 93 mph on a rural Texas FM (Farm to Market) road, or the OSR (Old San Antonio Road north of Bryan), not too shabby for a 2 liter 84 hp engine in a rather large car. I could pretty much stuff an entire dorm room into it too. However, I really wanted a TOL DS21 Pallas with the bigger 2.2 liter engine and nicer seats and carpets, etc. My father found a '70 DS21 for me the summer before my junior year. It wasn't in as nice shape but I discovered that with the 115 hp engine it would run a real 100 mph. The cops stayed mostly on the interstates policing the obnoxious 55 mph limit, and while I generally didn't go over 85 hardly anything passed me on the backroads once I got either D model wound up - the suspension was designed for fast driving on bumpy rural roads. Once I had the ID absolutely flat out for several miles on the OSR right in front of an upperclassman in a brand new Malibu: I could go no faster, but I'd look in the mirror and see his crappy GM suspension absolutely having kittens with all the bumps. He didn't dare pass me until we reached the four lane highway which is when I saw his upperclassman parking stickers, but we both had to slow down in fear of cops. He gave the old ID (with underclassman parking stickers) a nasty sneer, I don't think he had any idea what it was but he was clearly unhappy at not being able to pass in his shiny new car until the roads were smooth!

 

The ID19 was kept in the family for many more years until it was finally replaced with an '83 Peugeot 505, I think it had well over 170,000 miles on the original engine and trans when it was retired.


Post# 601674 , Reply# 33   6/7/2012 at 04:16 (4,313 days old) by Spankomatic (Ukiah,CA)        

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1974 Chevrolet Vega Spirit of America... It always ran and always needed repair...


Post# 601685 , Reply# 34   6/7/2012 at 05:59 (4,313 days old) by toploader55 (Massachusetts Sand Bar, Cape Cod)        
First Car

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1970 Monte Carlo.

Similar to " Alittle old Lady only drove it to church on Sundays".

It was owned by an elderly tailor. The car had only been in the rain twicw and never saw snow when I bought it. Beautiful Car. I wish I still had it.

The pic is not the one I owned, but same color and different wheels.


Post# 601687 , Reply# 35   6/7/2012 at 06:08 (4,313 days old) by chromacolor ()        

Mine was a 1972 Pontiac Bonneville. I LOVED that car!
Here is a pix from the Pontiac brochure. Mine was a 4-door in this color.


Post# 601703 , Reply# 36   6/7/2012 at 07:15 (4,313 days old) by cycla-fabric (New Jersey (Northern))        

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My first car was a 1977 Ford Granada sport coupe, mine was black and when it was clean WOW it was a good looking car. It had a 302 V8 and was loaded with just about everything at the time. It was a very dependable car and never left me stranded. I wish I had that car back today, ugh!

Doug


Post# 601715 , Reply# 37   6/7/2012 at 08:38 (4,313 days old) by franksdad (Greenville, South Carolina)        
My first car

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was a 1959 Ford Ranch wagon that my brother picked up from his brother-in-law.  It was white.  It wouldn't run and we tried to repair it - but it never made it to the street.  I sold it about a year later to a scrap dealer for $25.00.  I graduated from high school in May 1973 then in June 1973 I bought a brand new 1973 Chevrolet Impala sport coupe 350 4 bbl.   I kept that car for 11 years.  An Impala was not my first choice, but I had an aging father and felt I needed a car he could get into and out of.  However, it was a GREAT car!!!!!  Many happy times and fond memories with that car!  This picture is not of my car but it looked just like it - same light copper metalic and black vinyl roof.




This post was last edited 06/07/2012 at 13:46
Post# 601759 , Reply# 38   6/7/2012 at 13:42 (4,312 days old) by kevin313 (Detroit, Michigan)        

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Mine was a 1979 Dodge Diplomat 4 door sedan in Cadet Blue with a dark blue vinyl roof. It had a 318 V-8 engine and it ran well. It virtually the same car as a Dodge Aspen, but upgraded with some nice features. It rode well - had torsion bar suspension and I had a lot of fun driving that car around. It had one of the early electric rear-window defoggers and I just thought that was the best thing ever. I traded that car in for my first brand new car - a Dodge Aires K Car! I thought I would help Lee Iaccoca save Chrysler, and he wrote me a letter thanking me for my purchase.

Here's a picture of a 1979 Diplomat 4 door in brown.


Post# 601761 , Reply# 39   6/7/2012 at 13:56 (4,312 days old) by franksdad (Greenville, South Carolina)        
This

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is what I drive now.  Sorry guys, I just figured out how to post pictures here. 


Post# 601763 , Reply# 40   6/7/2012 at 14:01 (4,312 days old) by westingman123 ()        

Mine was a '76 Mustang II, brown with a tan Landau roof. It was a manual transmission, which I knew little about except for driving the "three on the tree" truck on the farm. Mama and Dad paid for it, and I paid them back each week from my part-time job proceeds.

That little 'stang took me EVERYWHERE. I drove it until the wheels fell off, then moved up to a Cutlass, which is another story. My high school chemistry teacher used to switch cars with me when he needed a "bigger" car to drive, and I'd take his MG to work. Talk about sitting on the ground.


Post# 602065 , Reply# 41   6/8/2012 at 23:41 (4,311 days old) by pdub (Portland, Oregon)        
65 Mustang

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This was the first car I ever had. Back in 1976 when I bought it these cars were all over the place. Every used car lot you drove buy had several Mustang's for sale but typically lots of 65 through 68 models of all types were most abundant.

I fell in love with the Mustang after seeing the commercials on TV when they first came out. When my parents decided my mom needed a new car I suggested a Mustang. Of course that was vetoed as being "not practical" for a family with 3 kids.

When I got mine I looked in the paper and saw the ad for this convertible listed at $199.00 (This was 1976, Bloomington, Minnesota. The land of rusted out cars) My mom went with me and talked the guy down to $175.00 as she said you never pay what they are asking! I drove the car for a year before getting into a wreck and then selling the car as is.

This is a good example of what the car looked like. Wimbledon white with a black interior.

Patrick


Post# 602068 , Reply# 42   6/8/2012 at 23:55 (4,311 days old) by rp2813 (Sannazay)        

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Patrick!  I LOVED my '65 Mustang.  The favorite out of all cars I've owned.   That car took off like a shot and the steep streets of San Francisco were no match for it.  It didn't have power steering, and I liked it that way.  Wimbledon white with blue interior.

 

I purchased it in spring of 1978 for considerably more than you paid.  Early Mustangs have almost always been a hot commodity here on the west coast.


Post# 602071 , Reply# 43   6/9/2012 at 00:17 (4,311 days old) by pdub (Portland, Oregon)        
Ralph-

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Used cars were (and probably still are) much cheaper in the snowy area's that use salt on the roads during winter months. The cars rust very quickly and some people even have 'winter/beater cars' and store the good car to be used only during the dry summer months.

I too love Mustang's and always will. I currently have a '72 hardtop and a 2000 GT.

Patrick


Post# 602092 , Reply# 44   6/9/2012 at 02:42 (4,311 days old) by d-jones (Western Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh Area))        
I'm not kidding here folks!

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I know it's not a car but what the heck. I joined the Army when I was 17 back in 1980 as a tank crewman. My MOS was 19E, or 19 echo as the Army would have called it. I completed basic and A I T at Fort Knox Kentucky and was issued my very first drivers license ever, and the only vehicle listed on that license was the M60A1 main battle tank. At Fort Hood Texas I was assigned to Alpha Company 2/67 Armored and placed in 2nd platoon were I became the driver of Alpha 24(read Alpha two four)meaning 2nd Platoon, fourth tank. It looked pretty much like this one you see here, except it had the obligatory two by four on the front slope between the two headlights. I spent a great deal of time working on that tank, getting it back into shape after years of neglect. To this day the smell of diesel exhaust takes me right back to its drivers seat.

Post# 602117 , Reply# 45   6/9/2012 at 09:14 (4,311 days old) by hydralique (Los Angeles)        
d-jones . . .

I hope they didn't make you pass a parallel parking test to get that license!


Post# 602124 , Reply# 46   6/9/2012 at 09:51 (4,311 days old) by gizmo (Victoria, Australia)        

my first car was an Austin 1800 MkI.

It was standing unused on ther roadside near home, I asked the owner if it was for sale, I got it for $50. It needed a few minor repairs for roadworthy certificate, all up it cost me about $500. It was a great old car. Synchro on second was tired so I had to learn to double-declutch.
It was white with red interior.
The Austin 1800 had the hydrolastic suspension, which had no springs or shocks, but a rubber-cushioned cylinder ("displacer") over each wheel, the displacers were connected front-to-rear on each side.The displacers were filled with water, with a rust inhibitor added. The It gave fantastic handling and a very soft ride. Performance was...leisurely. But once you got it up to speed, you didn't have to slow down for corners...

Vey good memories of this car.

In the attached link, there are a number of versions shown. Mine was the Mk I, the same as the white car left column, three down from the top. (GA107) Rear of my car was the same as the grey car,middle column, second from top.


CLICK HERE TO GO TO gizmo's LINK


Post# 602127 , Reply# 47   6/9/2012 at 10:02 (4,311 days old) by hydralique (Los Angeles)        

IIRC the 1800 "Landcrab" also had a notably strong unibody for the era, no doubt part of the reason for the excellent road manners, along with the Hydrolastics and long wheelbase. Issigonis may not have known much about styling or marketing but he damned well knew how to make a safe, good handling and economical car. It's ironic that once BMC and Leyland merged to form British Leyland the best engineered small cars they made were Issi's sedans and not the MG and Triumph sports cars they were famous for. They never bothered with the Landcrab here in the US but sent the Marina instead, which was a huge sales flop regardless of the ads bragging about it having the same engine as an MGB. I don't know that the Landcrab would have done better but at least it would have offered a really good driving car, something that the Marina couldn't give in any way or form.


Post# 603938 , Reply# 48   6/15/2012 at 19:25 (4,304 days old) by 58limited (Port Arthur, Texas)        
I hope they didn't make you pass a parallel parking test

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Parallel parking an M60A1 is easy - just drive it to where you want to park it, irregardless of what is already there!


Post# 603954 , Reply# 49   6/15/2012 at 21:17 (4,304 days old) by 1952Crestwood ()        
Grandpa bought it new, then Dad got it in 78...

then I got it for my first car in 1980. 1968 Mercury Monterey 4 door sedan in Wimbledon White. I think this is a Montclair but it's just like mine from all I can tell. That 390 was wicked fast, and I startled more than one of the "cool cars" of the time by striding right past them in, causing some shocked faces. Never judge a book by it's cover.

Post# 603955 , Reply# 50   6/15/2012 at 21:18 (4,304 days old) by dirtybuck (Springfield, MO)        
1974 Chevy Vega GT

My sister owned the car at first and I took it over. The car was medium blue (an "exclusive" Vega color). I took it over in February of '75. I got out on my own when I was 19 and kept it until October of the same year There was ALWAYS something wrong with it (basically the carburetor and then the clutch, as it was a standard 4-speed) until I finally got it to one of the BETTER Chevy service departments. It costs me an arm and a leg, but after the bugs got ironed out, it did it's job until I bought a '75 Nova coupe.

The only thing missing on this picture is the white GT striping.


Post# 603979 , Reply# 51   6/16/2012 at 00:01 (4,304 days old) by washernoob ()        

Robyn! That Mercury looks like a gorgeous car. I have never seen that model.

Post# 604022 , Reply# 52   6/16/2012 at 06:24 (4,304 days old) by moparguy (Virginia)        
1968 Mercury...

Hey Robyn, those Mercurys are great... and Brandon, this relates to the tv show car thread... if you like them, look for some of the original Hawaii 5-0 episodes, McGarrett drove a 68 Mercury for several seasons!


Post# 604046 , Reply# 53   6/16/2012 at 10:03 (4,304 days old) by labboy (SD, CA)        
1981 Dodge Colt

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It was the Colt made by Mitsubishi and was red. Wonderful first car. It had 49K miles on it when I got it and over 200K when I gave it to a neighbor who was going to overhaul it. Got me all the way through college with only having to do brakes, tires and replace the starter.


Post# 604095 , Reply# 54   6/16/2012 at 13:45 (4,303 days old) by Blackstone (Springfield, Massachusetts)        
1965 Pontiac Catalina

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I was still in college, with no intentions of buying a car, but at a Thanksgiving dinner, a family friend was selling the Catalina. He was a traveling salesman, and the car had just been slightly damaged, with over 120K miles. He was selling for $100; my father jokingly suggested $50, and the deal was unexpectedly done. After college, sold the Catalina (for a profit), and moved onto Suburbans. Can't very well deliver a washer in the trunk of a Catalina, no matter how big it is.



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