Automotive Brands You Have Owned!

[The Giant Noodle]

You buy a car..... you buy a truck.... you buy a vehicle...... which brand(s) were they??

Did you LIKE them??

Did you HATE them???

What was your experience? :2wave:

 

[soccerboy22]

I have only had one car. My Saab 93 and I loved it. It was a pretty safe car, got decent gas milage, and it fed my need for speed.

 

[Josie]

Chevy - 7 years old when purchased. Lasted me almost all the way through college. It was a pain in the butt near the end there, but it got me where I needed to go.

Ford - 3 years old when purchased. Loved it. I drove it for 4 years and then traded it in for a...

Dodge - a few months old when purchased. Love it. I've had it almost 5 years.

 

[Lord Tammerlain]

A used BMW 5 series

A used Ford Thunderbird

A Mazda 3

A Dodge Aries

I have also owned three bikes

A Suzuki Bandit 400

Yamaha FZR600

Yamaha YZF R1

 

[Gibberish]

I have my 01 GMC Sierra that I have owned for 9 years now and my 05 B6 Audi A4. Both have been great.

I'm currently looking into selling the GMC and getting an GMC Acadia or GMC Terrain. I never use the bed and with the growing family a SUV would be nice.

 

[Scarecrow Akhbar]

My experience?

My used Mustang died.

My Plymouth Duster died.

My Chevette died.

My Chevy S10 pickup died (bought because the Ford dealer was rude)

My Celica was murdered.

My GMC van has been killed by the teenager and resurrected. With stupid taxes as they are in California, I'm going to keep putting replacement parts in that thing until I've driven it to Mars.

All those dead cars had well over 100,000 miles on them. The van has 225,000 miles. It's almost to the moon.

 

[CaptainCourtesy]

'75 used Volvo... owned it for 6 years. Good for the first 6 months. After that, broke down almost every month. Blew the engine in '86.

'82 used Nissan Sentra... owned it for 9 years. Good car, but it went through brakes every 18 months. Blew the engine in '95.

'89 used Subaru... owned it for 2 years. Awful car, but mostly because the dealership I bought it from scammed me. The car had cracked heads and needed a full oil fill up nearly every week. Money was very tight, so I couldn't get anything else for a bit. Finally got rid of it in '97.

'97 new Ford Escort... owned it for 8 years. Great, great car. In the 8 years I had it, other than a snapped axel, it needed ZERO repairs. Traded it in, in '05.

'05 new Ford Focus... current. Also a great car. Other than normal maintenance, no repair work needed.

I am convinced that, if you can afford it, buying a used car is NOT the way to go. The new cars I've owned have been better in all respects.

 

[Andalublue]

MGB GT - drove like a tank, drank like a whale but sex on wheels

Citroen 2CV - 600cc, 70 mpg, made of recycled tuna tin cans, the best fun you'll ever have at 28 MPH!

Vauxhall Astra - when getting from A to B is all that matters

SAAB 93 Turbo - Barcelona to Paris, 650 miles in 7hrs!

Fiat Punto - 45mpg, $100 annual service, $300 fully comp insurance and fun to drive

 

[spud_meister]

........honest :mrgreen:

 

[bicycleman]

I notice you didn't put Studebaker in here. Now, that was a good car, and the first car I learned to drive.

I had an 88 Ford Ranger. It had 4 cylinders, 5 speed, nice stereo, cruise control, good fuel mileage, but everything leaked from the transmission to the AC. I found out the AC didn't work on my way back from South Carolina one spring day. I traded it after 8 months for a brand new 91 Dodge Ram 250 with a Cummins Turbo Diesel and 5 speed. Everything I own is a stick, plus the 2005 Dodge 2500 and my 09 Toyota Tacoma.

The Toyota is the best vehicle I have ever owned, and I have owned 3. The only automatic I ever owned was a 1985 Toyota 4 X 4. I don't recomend Toyota's electronically controlled automatics. That was the only drawback about that truck, but I put 230,000 miles on it and 274,000 on my 94 Toyota pickup. Try that with a Ford Ranger. It won't happen. Why do you think Rangers are so cheap, used? It's trash off the finish line.

The only Chevy I owned was the Silverado, I got from my new wife when I took over her payments and put my name on the registration. The 350 V-8 was tough on the wallet because I had to borrow it for 3 weeks to drive to work.

I now drive my 09 Tacoma to work. I bought in October 08 and already have 31,000 miles on it. I'm getting 30 miles to the gallon, and the 2.7 liter engine is bigger than the one I had on the 94 Pickup, plus the truck is larger, but Toyota merely dialed back the rear end ratio from 3.75 to 3.31 for cruising and gas mileage. Of course, using a serpentine belt for the engine and all the accessories, makes everything run much smoother and more economical now.

 

[molten_dragon]

My first car was a Mitsubishi, and It was a great car. It had over 270,000 miles on it when I sold it and it was still running strong. I only had to do about $500 per year in maintenance on that thing even then.

I now drive a Toyota Corolla, and like it pretty well too. It's reliable, runs well, and gets great gas mileage, which is important when you commute 150 miles a day.

 

[bicycleman]

'75 used Volvo... owned it for 6 years. Good for the first 6 months. After that, broke down almost every month. Blew the engine in '86.

'82 used Nissan Sentra... owned it for 9 years. Good car, but it went through brakes every 18 months. Blew the engine in '95.

'89 used Subaru... owned it for 2 years. Awful car, but mostly because the dealership I bought it from scammed me. The car had cracked heads and needed a full oil fill up nearly every week. Money was very tight, so I couldn't get anything else for a bit. Finally got rid of it in '97.

'97 new Ford Escort... owned it for 8 years. Great, great car. In the 8 years I had it, other than a snapped axel, it needed ZERO repairs. Traded it in, in '05.

'05 new Ford Focus... current. Also a great car. Other than normal maintenance, no repair work needed.

I am convinced that, if you can afford it, buying a used car is NOT the way to go. The new cars I've owned have been better in all respects.

I know people who have bought used cars and made out, but I never did. It's always better to buy them new and wear them out, yourself. Now, unless you can get a car that was only driven by a little old lady and only to the grocery store and back. Then again, if the old lady never put oil in the vehicle, all bets are off.

 

[Ikari]

What, no Yamaha!? For cars, my first was a Dodge and I now own a Chevy. For motorcycles, Yamaha. Solid, well made bikes.

 

[Andalublue]

I am convinced that, if you can afford it, buying a used car is NOT the way to go. The new cars I've owned have been better in all respects.

For some reason, used cars here in Spain are ridiculously over-priced. With the new car deals on offer at the moment you can often get a new car cheaper than a 1 year old with 20,000km on the clock! I'm not kidding. I just can't get my head around it at all. Hence, despite vowing never, ever to do so, I intend to buy a new car next time around, probably a Fiat 500 or a Citroen DS3.

 

[earthworm]

I have only had one car. My Saab 93 and I loved it. It was a pretty safe car, got decent gas milage, and it fed my need for speed.

I've owned a number of 93s; one where, as I recall, the previous owner installed an oil delivery tank in the trunk...Most nifty....
Are owners of imports more liable to be liberal?

 

[rivrrat]

VW Rabbit was my first car. Sold it with 200k miles on it.
VW Gulf was my second car. Gave it to my sis with 100K miles on it.
Ford Bronco II was my third vehicle. Gave me more trouble than any other vehicle I've owned
Chevy S-10 pickup was my fourth vehicle. Loved that ****ing truck. Had it for about 10 years sold it when I bought my 5th vehicle...
Chrysler Sebring convertible

VWs were the best for just ****ing running forEVER. Very little maintenance issues.
My Chevy truck was the best for utility and I wish I hadn't sold it.
My convertible is the best for ... well... it's a ****ing convertible. What more needs to be said?

All of my vehicles were purchased used.

 

[reefedjib]

A challenge! Let me see if I can reconstruct events:

• '71 Datsun 240Z - my first car and I fell in love. I am currently saving money to buy another, 40 year old car. Trying to decide if I go stock or with a model that has had a Corvette engine, transmission, rear end, and suspension installed. 480 horsepower baby!
• '83 Buick Century - a hand me down - solid car.
• '86 Audi 100 - in Germany. I blew the engine 4 times and rebuilt it each time....not my calling. I was driving to Austria, Italy, and Spain with a replacement head, cam, crank, water pump, seals, gaskets, and tools. Used more than once to make it back to Monday morning 5 AM formation.
• '88 BMW 535i - sweet car! I could go 180 kph easy on the autobahn. Sold it when I returned to the states.
• '87 VW Rabbit - college car. Lasted until Senior year
• '85 Pontiac Firebird - just to say I did the muscle car thing. Bought it for $500 and it was a rusty piece of ****, but it would GO man! Died and abandoned.
• '87 Toyota Corolla - My first one. It finally died at 170,000 miles
• '87 Toyota Corolla stick - My second one from my sister. Lasted forever, which means 5 years in my book.
• '77 Datsun 280Z - I got another one! Drove it for 3 years, then sold it as it was expensive to keep repaired.
• '00 Mazda Millenia - Great luxury car! Drove it until it got stolen and totaled.
• '07 VW Rabbit - I got another one! This runs great except I broke a valve spring last year. Warranty replaced it free of charge.

 

[Rightwingnutjob]

I've had experience with quite a few cars in my family.

2002 GMC Sierra 2500 HD: Definitely a piece of crap. The work done on that thing is laughable. It's probably cost twice the initial investment (some was under warranty, luckily) and now that it is out of warranty we need repairs to the fuel injectors, water pump for the AC, a window motor, and manifold.

A '99 Chevy Suburban: This vehicle was HORRIBLE. It would have fallen under the lemon law if it had not been for the fact that it was a business vehicle (this exempts it from the lemon law for some reason :/)

'02 Chevy 3/4 Ton Work Van: Also has all kinds of problems. Right now it randomly shuts down on the highway. We're waiting for funds to fix it.

'99 Hyundai Accent Hatchback (you didn't list this maker): This was my first car. It was slow as hell and tiny but very fun to drive. We picked it up cheap and uninspected, put all the initial repairs in for about $2600. It ended up costing that much in repairs over the next year and I eventually sold it with the transmission about to fail (the buyers knew this).

2002 Ford Explorer V8 with Towing Package: It was fun to drive but was also a piece of crap. Many repairs along the way before the engine finally blew at 130k (it needed a complete engine replacement).

'99 Honda Accord (4 cyl): Currently has about 180k on it with only regular maintenance. Great car!!

'04 Honda Accord (4 cyl standard): Only regular maintenance at about 130k. Also a great car!!

'96 Toyota Camry (4 cyl): It's pretty slow but it's a GREAT car. It has 135k with only regular maintenance. It was just inspected today with no problems!!

'98 Toyota Tundra: This was a work vehicle and you couldn't kill it. As the business was down-sized we sold it off. Despite the fact that it had been in a couple of fender benders and was over 100k it had only minor problems and regular maintenance.

In short... The American automakers SUCK. Their quality is horrendous and this is why they were going belly-up. No one wants to buy car that won't run... I'll be sticking to Honda and Toyota personally!

 

[earthworm]

For some reason, used cars here in Spain are ridiculously over-priced. With the new car deals on offer at the moment you can often get a new car cheaper than a 1 year old with 20,000km on the clock! I'm not kidding. I just can't get my head around it at all. Hence, despite vowing never, ever to do so, I intend to buy a new car next time around, probably a Fiat 500 or a Citroen DS3.

Thats "good".
Consider the resale value for the previous owner.
And Spain must be doing OK, which is even better.
The FIAT looks OK, but the Citroen would give me nightmares

 

[earthworm]

At least the Euro cars have personality and soul; ours do not have this and many are too troublesome. Have we not learned a thing from Japan ????
No
Before this can happen, an attitude change must occur.

 

[VanceMack]

Car talk! YES!!!

69 Chrysler Newport...OMG...what a car...Big as a battleship, drove like a caddy, flew like a rocket ship...Gas? Who CARES? It was 49 cents a gallon! When I bought my 66 Acapulco Blue Mustang I tried to kill it. Literally. Jumped it over the crazy bridge...bottomed out on the quick incline at 80 mph...anything but ramming it into something. It laughed at me and said "is that all you got, bitch?" Sold it for more than I bought it for.

66 Mustang...289 bored, 4 barrel, 3 speed competition clutch, too much rear diff power for that light car...man...I miss it! Got married and sold it for a

80 Dodge Ramcharger...cuz...when you are in a wreck you only want to have to worry about the other guy. DID get in a wreck...centerpunched an asshole in a van...bent the thing into a V...vehicle was never the same after that. ALWAYS push the insurance company to either total the car or threaten to sue if they dont COMPLETELY rebuild (dis and re assmble with new parts EVERY POSSIBLY AFFECTED AREA of the car...lesson learned.

1974 Ford Station Wagon...cuz...I wuz broke in Vegas. No AC...but, a modified 400 engine in that bad boy...the car looked like a monster but it RAN...oh man...

transfer to England...bought a Morris Marina...not sure what year...what a total piece of crap. 1980s era car with 1940's era technology. Inferior glass, inferior steel construction...led me to buy

A good ol American Station wagon...an 81 GM...engine blew up while I was deployed...hey...honey? That loud knocking sound? That smoke? That gauge that says you are overheating? Antifreeze, honey...antifreeze...oh well...its OK...we just bought a

84 Dodge caravan...thing was primo...not a scratch on it upside, downside, undercarioage or interior. Drove that for a few years...only downside was the 4 cylinder engine...the only thing a 4 cylender should ever run is a stinkin lawnmower. Still...it ran GREAT...right up until I loaned it to a friend to move some things. HERE'S a tip...when a friend says he needs to borrow it to maove somes stuff, ask him how much and from where to where. because you didnt say North Friggin Carolina, did you Eric? Dumbass...

91 Dodge Caravan...it was OK...but engine went out on it too.

Then for fun bought a 65 Ford Falcon...straight six...car has been back and forth across country...routine maintenance only...easy to keep up...

Also a Chevy S10...bad idea...had 200k on it...it was fine for city driving...didnt appreciate a cross country trip to Key West...

74 Chev Dual Wheel 4 door pick up...454...aluminum heads, racing cam, racing carb...straight pipes...It would FLY...and drank gas like it had a hole in the tank(s). Plural...cuz...thats why you need 2 tanks! But I loved working on it, playing with it. Custom interior, black on black with a batman logo etched onto the hood.

Several used cars bought for kids...all makes...not really a fair assessment of the cars...

Currently in addition to the bikes, we have a new mustang and a 03 Chev Sierra...

 

[Gipper]

I've only been a few years removed from my PT Turbo. That was a fun little car.

 

[TurtleDude]

as a HS and college kid drove my dad's old LTD. Lousy mileage but a big safe fast car
then a Mustang-not bad. Then I got a Mercury LN-7 (Ford EXP). It got totalled when on a sheet of ice, a Semi jacknifed into me. Got a mercury Lynx which was a gaping POS. then a Saab 9000-also Junk-thank God I bought an extended warranty since it needed two transmissions etc.

in early 91 I bought a 250 Lexus. Put 275K mostly trouble free miles on it. in 2000 I bought a used Lexus 300-worked pretty well-traded it in when my wife bought a new Lexus-I started driving her old 300 which I still have. its got about 140K on it-will keep it another 25K or so. It runs great.

I won't buy another brand car.

 

[Groucho]

Not counting pieces of crap I had in college, since graduating all my cars have been Hondas. I drive an ugly Element now. My wife calls it "The Toaster." She says it looks like if you press on the hood, the toast will pop up.

 

[reefedjib]

Not counting pieces of crap I had in college, since graduating all my cars have been Hondas. I drive an ugly Element now. My wife calls it "The Toaster." She says it looks like if you press on the hood, the toast will pop up.

Does it come with a surf board (and the know-how to use one?)?