Your first car...

[Pete Hanlin]

The first car that I actually owned was a 1980 Ford Pinto (which I purchased soon after getting my driver's license in 1984). It sported (if one dares to use the word "sport" in the same sentence as "Pinto") a clear glass hatchback with a sunroof and a cassette deck that I installed. That four cylinder/four speed took me to college and back for two years and survived being passed down to my two younger brothers. It also survived my early attempts at mechanical prowess (water pump, exhaust system, etc.), and only sent me to the hospital once (never wear a class ring when you're working with battery terminals ). Finally, with 186,000 miles on the odometer, we drove it to the junk yard (it still ran, but only on three cylinders). The "260" airconditioning still working perfectly (you roll the two windows down and drive 60mph! ;) ).

I've had a lot of cars since, but I've rarely enjoyed one more than that brown Pinto with the orange pinstripes!

What was your first set of "wheels?"

Pete

[John R]

Ah them were the days
Well mine was my mother's hand me down an Datsun cherry in canary yellow, what a car many ah happy time spent in there :D and under the bonnet, sadly went to the great scrap heap in the sky as all good ? jap cars do minus most of the body work rust to you ...

[Blake]

The first car I actually bought was a '76 BMW 5-something (518 or 520 or something like that.) This was in 1994, when I was stationed in Germany. It was almost as old as me, but ran great! I could get on the Autobahn and just let 'er go.
Before that, though, I had a Chevy Citation. It was burgundy, no A/C, and I had to install the radio sideways. But by far the worst part was the leaky sunroof. When it rained - and it always rained - it looked like I had wet my pants.

Blake

[stephanie]

Ahhh yes my little grandma car...1984 Dodge Aries. I only had it for about 2 months since some nice man was paying more attention to the cop car coming the other way then of the car stopped to make a left hand turn. Talk about mad!!! I saved up for 3 years to be able to buy a car and then in a split second car was gone. Luckily I was alive to tell about it. I was only out of work for 3 months!!!
Steph

[chip anderson]

It was '49 Merc 4 door. It would carry 10 friendly people, a lot of junk, and took us every where we wanted to go and in Texas this was a lot of places. It cost $ 200.00 and I got my own loan at the bank by myself at 6% interest. Sure miss those old flatheads.

Chip

[optyx]

My first car was a 1955 Triumph TR-3 which I
bought in 1964 in Louisville, KY. I drove it
for a year and a half, then sold it to buy a
1964 TR-4.

Time passed. In 1983, in Georgetown, TX I saw a '55 TR-3. After talking to the owner I thought it was possible... he scraped a bit of primer from the right side and there was the fibreglass filler I'd put in 20 years earlier.

Made me realize how much I don,t miss driving in snowstorms with no weather sealing.

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Dan

[PAkev]

A 1977 Chevy Nova family hand me down here. Ironically, it was the car I learned to drive with, had my first date with, and taught my brother to drive 6 or 7 years later. It was maroon until I took it to school one day and got a black and grey paint job by the shop class for only $50.00. It served me well through high school and most of college without any major problems. Maintence was a charm with the straight 6 cyl. I was able to change plugs, oil, and filters in 15-20 minutes.

Kevin

[Joann Raytar]

I learned to drive in my folk's old Buick Century.

My first car was a used '84 Ford Mustang. It was the last 6 cyl made. It ran great.

My first new car was an '87 Ford Escort. It didn't run so great. Felt like Fred Flinstone trying to get on the highway. I never got it through my head that I wasn't going to get any pick-up until I shut everything off, rolled up the windows, crossed my fingers and shifted into second gear; it was an automatic. I kind of miss the way it did that weird violent shake thing after every oil change.

The fun thing about both cars was that people who got in them and thought they were going to just drive away didn't. At the time Ford had a fuel line cut off and you had to push in a big plastic button under the steering wheel in order to start the car.

[JRS]

Austin Healy - Sprite.

Which a friend and I went in togther on in 1964 so we could get around in high school.

[Homer]

This ol Kansas farm boy bought his first car, a '52 Chevy 4D two-tone green, in his first year out of high school(1962). Only Uncle Chip seems to be of this vintage ... though he was of a higher calss with that fancy Mercury (slick car, Chip) bein' for oil rich Texas and all. :)

[Night Train]

73 Forrest Green Camaro with two Bold Racing Stripes down the center of the long hood (my girlfriend at the time enjoyed demonstrating the purpose of that particular feature many times)

[Cindy Hamlin]

A candy apple red VW bug with a sunroof. The old VW bug with the levers for the heat that I could never figure out so froze most of the year! God, I loved that car(I say with a large tear in my eye)! :)

[hcjilson]

Mine was a forest green '52 chevy purchased for $200.00.Ran like a top for the from '59 to '61.I had to put in a gavanized floor to keep the puddles out, and you couln't drive it over 55 without it boiling over...but what a car!

Pete, thanks for bringing back that memory! :)

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Harry J

[This message has been edited by hcjilson (edited 05-01-2001).]

[Diane]

You guys were all obviously better off than my family. I learned to drive on a '53 Ford Pickup and was promoted to a '58 Ford to drive to school. I married 3 weeks out of high school, so my first car was actually my husband's, a '64 Mercury Cougar, which we dated in for the 2 years prior to marriage. The first actual car that I personally bought was a '84 Buick Olds 88. Burgundy with a huge engine. I could get 4 teenagers (willingly) into the back seat.

OK, my story was't as good as yours. :(

Diane

[This message has been edited by Diane (edited 05-01-2001).]

[mullo]

A 4 door 1995 used Mercury Topaz. More a family car, than for a single young 23 yr old stud. Even had the fake wood panel inside of the doors. Used to drive the chicks wild.....Mullo

[EyeManFla]

a 1969 glow in the dark green Chevy Nova.
it was the coolest car in high school......

[shanbaum]

'67 Mustang 390GT. A little nitro in the tank, I could go back in time...

[Pete Hanlin]

Shanbaum,

Ohhhh, you're killing me! The 390 was one of Ford's short lived experiments with the Stang (though I'm sure it had plenty of get up and go to spare), but that sounds like one sweet machine. Tell us more- what color, what options, where is it NOW!?!

When I was 15, my dad offered to help me purchase a '66 convertible a fella at his office was selling. Being a "responsible" 15 year old, I couldn't stop thinking about all the costs associated with such a car... I'm convinced that I'd still own that Stang if I'd been smart enough to buy it (of course, I probably would have wrapped myself around the first tree I found after procuring my license ;) ).

Mustang- the original pony car, and the best example of American automobile styling- ever.

Pete

[Jim Seebach]

My own very first car was a 53 ford coupe. Flat head 8, with a three speed hit it if you could find it transmission. I had the front lowered and the rear end jacked up. Sometimes I felt like I would fall out the front windshield. It had a few go fasters on it and I thought anything on wheels was fair game. Tough motor thouse old flat heads. Jim Seebach

[Bev Heishman]

69 Camaro metallic blue with 2 white stripes.
110 no problem.

[Shwing]

Well, the first car I drove was mom & dads '81 Ford Country Squire wagon. Oooff, big. Same mileage as a tank, honest.

First car I owned was a Lebaron, but it was nothing but trouble.

At age 24, however, I bought my DREAM car from my mechanic. He was the second owner, and the previous was some little old lady (yeah, I know, but I bought it from my mechanic of many years...)

It was a '75 Chevy Chevelle Malibu Classic. Oooh, my heart...

MINT condition, white, chrome everywhere, sunroof (after-factory), and new Alpine deck...

SWEET. 230km/h is what I topped at...

Banff Park gates to Calgary city limits: 23 minutes! (with two witnesses)

Now, here is the story:

Since I was about 17, I had this 'premonition' that I would be dead by my 25 birthday. Weird, I know, but whatever.

Well, On Friday, June 30, 1995 (6 days before my 25 birthday) my darling youngest brother borrowed my car while he was looking for a job for the day.

He picked me up from work, and we then proceeded to drive North to Red Deer (an hour up the highway) to pick up my kids (the ex was living in Edmonton, and Red Deer is halfway).

I let him drive to Red Deer, and I would then drive back to Calgary once the kids were in the car, and this allowed me to rest after work before the drive back...

Well, I was asleep at Airdrie (20 minutes out), and my darling brother was asleep at Olds (40 minutes out)...

Yup. He fell asleep at the wheel, on the #2 on the Friday evening of a long weekend. When he did, the car drifted left and entered the wide grassy meridian, with his foot on the accelerator, which is when we both woke up.

Paralyzed with fear, he grabbed the wheel, but never did take his foot off the gas, and in fact, floored it (reflex?).

He pulled us back onto the tarmack (keep in mind the long weekend traffic, which had now backed off) but he never let off the gas.

Well, at about 160km/h, my car kinda gets a second wind, and she bolted, which my darling brother wasn't expecting, the *** -end kicks a bit, and he overcorrected.

Well, we left the highway to the right doing about 190 km/h (about 120 mp/h) when the car flipped... Remember my death "wish"?

The car landed on the wheels, after one full Dukes of Hazzard mid-air roll, and one on-the-ground roll.

I opened the passenger door, walked around the front of the car, saw smoke, walked to check my darling brother (alive), and got out the fire extinguisher from the trunk. That's when help arrived.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I literally walked away, sustaining only minor skin grafts to the back of my left hand (from when the car rolled on my hand as it flew out the sunroof while upside down).

My darling brother was hopitalized over night for observations, and released.

My car, well, I had a sunroof, now I had a convertable (thanks to the Jaws of Life).

Thanks for letting me tell my story, the Doc says this kinda thing helps with the recovery... (my car would be an antique now, sniff, sob)

Shwing

P.S. ALWAYS wear your seatbelt.

P.P.S. I'll scan some pix to my website in the next day or so of the car.

[Judy Canty]

A '63 TR-4(not the 4A), drove it until it wouldn't drive anymore and I didn't have money to have it fixed. So, with some more help with a boyfriend/foreign car mechanic, I got a '65 MGB. Both ragtops...those were the days!

[Darris Chambless]

Cars???

My First car was a 1970 Triumph TR-6 with real wire spoke wheels, knock-off hubs and electric over drive. It was originally my dad's car but it started having problems and he bought a 1973 TR-6. I rebuilt the 1970 and drove it for a year. We still have both of them too.

The first car I BOUGHT was a 1970 Monte Carlo, 300 horse power stock and posi-trac rear end. It was huge and would out run just about everything on the road at the time. I even got into a race with newer model Monte Carlo SS (1985 model) and all he saw of me was my tail lights. It was fun but stupid. There's no replacement for displacement ;-)

Take care,

Darris C.

[hcjilson]

Judy, My 3rd car was a NEW 64 MGB-Do you ever remember trying to put the ******* top together in the pouring rain??or driving around in December with the Toneau Cover on, driver side unzipped, heat blasting like mad :) :) But it was Sooo Cool!Powder Blue with narrow-wide-narrow racing stripe on center.Wire wheels with knock off hubs.The first thing you had to do with those cars was hacksaw off the resonators so it sounded as good as it looked! another happy memory!

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Harry J

[This message has been edited by hcjilson (edited 05-02-2001).]

[Steve Machol]

'62 Ford Falconstation wagon. Ten of us used to get in it and go to a local drive-in movie theatre that charged $1.00 a carload!

Also drove that car acoss country twice. Not a bad deal for $225.00.

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