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List your first few cars. I bet mine were lamer than yours!

My first ride was a 1986 Chevy S-10 pickup, 4 speed manual. No power to speak of, but sporty looking enough in bright red.

My folks traded an old camper for it, and the truly icky part is that it became clear very quickly that the prior owner was either a prostitute or living in there. There was a really (really) gnarly foam mattress in the back (which had a topper I removed.) We found a massive bag of condoms and few loose rounds of ammo rolling around in there. I hope the camper was a nice upgrade for them!

Still loved that truck, and was lucky to survive long enough to leave home, the way I drove the roller coaster roads we have in the hills.

My folks traded it away to another high school kid when I left for college, but I miss it more than any other vehicle I've had since.

So, did you power wash every square inch of that truck with a concentrated bleach/water mixture, soon after buying it? Lol

The area of southeastern Pa where I lived from 12-19 years old during the 80s, had a LOT of hilly, curvy roads with zero stoplights, little traffic and a lot of forests and grassy fields on inconsistent terrain that went from completely flat, to rolling hills in a few hundred yards. It was a great place to learn how to drive competently. It was a popular area to live, because it is(was) pretty rural, but still relatively close to Wilmington De and the outskirts of Philadelphia. Driving out there did not prepare me for the boredom and annoyingness of city driving and never-ending stoplights, parallel parking etc, although I quickly became proficient at it.
 
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1st car 1952-54 or thereabout Business Man's Ford, sold new with no back seat, no windshield wipers, no signal lights, no lights, no jack, no spare, with at least 150k accumulated miles Paid $55:
from the same junk yard, 5 retreads ($10 ea), a free jack, hood mounted turning lights for each fender from a 39 Pontiac, plus free cable $2 each, 2 Spearman Frog lights and cable from a tractor of indeterminate age, $1.50 ea, drum brake set (4) from an unknown wreck, all from the same junk yard. Donated windshield wipers, no motor, a rope, and assorted mattresses from the Salvation Army for backseat (?) comfort. Put about another 70k miles driving between Syracuse, Oswego, Watertown, Kingston Ontario and assorted back roads in the countryside, Cortland, over 5 months and it met a bitter end at 3mph hitting a frozen oak tree as it slipped off the ice in a driveway as I attempted to get it off the road during a plow alert from a real blizzard. Couldn't see my hand 5" from my face. The engine cracked the chassis and firewall, ending up in the front seat next to me.

2nd car: An all wood body and chassis single stroke 36 horsepower motor, Morgan two seater, 4 wheels, plywood floor board, could hit almost 30 mph downhill with a good tail wind. Glove brakes for grabbing the driver's front wheel. It may have been British racing green at one time? From the same junkyard, $75, no modifications, lasted 19 days before being hit by lightening, burnt to a crisp while parked, sort of. I weep. That car restored today, upwards of $250k. Look up Morgan, a two year waiting list for the hand made 3 wheelers. As if I knew at the time. It kind of looked like an MG TD.

Thereafter a series of mundane American used cars of many varieties that got me where I had to go until 1978 when I bought the first Turbo Mustang, a beauty in Silver with tan leather seats, and the doors both fell off the second week. And kept falling off. Back to Ford under the Lemon Law, I bought a Jeep Cherokee, and a 1972 Fiat Spyder for fun. Both spent many hours in the shop. Somewhere in that mess, a 12 cylinder Ford Pantera, won in a card game, held for 4 weeks till I could find a buyer, that car scared me silly. Man was not made to drive 200 mph cars. Especially this man. (The prior owner later told me his wife said he goes or the car goes, or she goes. My wife said something similar, with more invective.) Then a Ford Explorer that lasted, and lasted, between 82 recalls.

Today, a mid 2011 Black Caddy CTS Coupe-V, with 54k miles, only a need to flush the brake fluid reservoir once, recently, beyond normal maintenance. I leave BMW's in the dust, same for tricked up Toyota's and Nissans the kids drive. 556 horsepower, comfort, a crappy CD player, which I replaced, and that's it. All the kids say it's the hottest looking car in the neighborhood, among the afore mentioned BMW's, Volvos, Jags, Mercs, Vettes. etc. Practical? No. 8 mpg.

My wife is only allowed in it as a passenger. She doesn't complain, likes being chauffeured in a hot car and has her own vehicle.

OK, so I know how to turn left because that's when everyone is blowing their horns. Garaged, not a scratch or dent on it. Hand washed weekly. A man has got to do what a man has got to do. :)
 
In 1979, before my dad and us were transferred from N.C. to Pa/De for the 2nd time, we lived in Kinston NC, where I had just reached the age where I was eligible to move up from Webelos to regular boy scouts. There I met a couple older kids whose family owned a LOT of Studebakers in all different conditions, from great to ok to wrecked donor cars. Supposedly they had a whole lot filled with like 30-50+ Studebakers. Everywhere they went, it was in a Studebaker. Now I NEVER see Studebakers on the road. I wasn't a big fan of their styling, mostly because, prior to the internet, it was difficult to find images of all Studebaker models and years. But since then, I've discovered several Studebaker cars I like, but even more Studebaker pickup trucks I like. Although I do own a work truck, I'm not particularly a pickup aficionado, however I like the slightly curved roofline styling of Studebaker pickups.
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How about the 1953 Studebaker American? Like the first hawk. Wowser, still a sleek piece and as stylish today as anything.
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Cars/Trucks previously owned

1959 Ford T-Bird 352 ci V8 auto
1964 Dodge Dart GT 273 ci V8 auto
1971 Mercury Comet 200 ci inline 6 auto
1964 Mercury Comet 289 ci V8 4 speed manual
1970 Dodge Step Van 270 ci slant 6 (later replaced with 383 V8 from police car) auto
1973 Pinto Station Wagon 2000 cc inline 4 - 4 speed manual
1966 Ford Fairlane wagon 289 ci V8 auto (very briefly - totaled in 4 days)
1966 Ford F-100 Step Side 240 ci inline 6 - 3 speed manual
1970 Crysler New Yorker 440 ci V8 auto
1968 Ford Galaxy 390 ci V8 auto
1980 Dodge (Misubishi) D50 2600 cc inline 4 - 5 speed manual
1978 Ford F-150 super cab 351 ci V8 auto
1985 Toyota Van 2000 cc inline 4 - 5 speed manual
1993 Ford F-150 super cab 302 ci V8 5 speed manual

Motorcycles previously owned

1970 Yamaha enduro 125 cc
1972? Yamaha enduro 250 cc (had been changed to 360 cc motor)
1973 Honda 360 cc (twin)
1974 Yamaha 500 cc (twin)
1976 Yamaha 650 cc (twin)
1978 Yamaha 750 cc (triple)
1981 Yamaha 750 Virago cc (V twin)
1984 Yamaha 600 cc (4 cyl)
1988 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 cc (V twin) - converted to belt final drive
1992 Harley Davidson Dyna Glide 1340 cc (V twin)

I no longer drive (long story) - I ride in my grifirend's cars now and she owns

1995 Ford Explorer 4L V6 - 5 speed manual (no longer driveable - now a tool shed)
2002 Chevy Tahoe 5.3L V8 auto

Trailers that I now own

19?? Homemade 5'x8' open utility - single axle
2007 Heartland Sundance 280RL travel trialer - dual axle
 
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My first three vehicles that I owned were:

1962 Chevy II
1973 vega station wagon
1974 Mustang 2

Only actually drove the vega and mustang. But not very much before I sold them (and the nova).

SO I consider my 1964 GMC stepside as my first real vehicle (since non of the above were ever actually legally on the road). Gave the GMC to my daughter when she turned 18.

Next two:

1974 El Camino
1980 Firebird

Couldn't keep tires on the El Camino very long, then figured out the frame was kneed back on the passenger side. The guy I bought from died then the family wanted to buy it back, thank you! Used the money to buy the firebird.

After that various vehicles some good some trash.

Now I drive a 1960 Chevy apache 1 ton stake bed. Wife drives a 1993 GMC Suburban 4x4. I still own some of those various other vehicles, I pretend that I will fix them up someday. Most likely I will part them out of just sale them. Though I might fix the firebird back up.

In early 1995, I needed a work truck for part time side work. It was to be my first ever pickup truck. I bought a 1966 Chevy C10 short bed, step side truck with the same body and styling of the 1964 GMC you spoke of, except that GMC trucks had dual headlights, while Chevy trucks had single headlights. Mine had the original engine & trans, never rebuilt, with over 120,000 miles. It had a 250 inline 6 cyl, with a beloved powerglide 2 speed auto. I drove it everywhere for 2.5 years, putting over 30,000 miles on it, til it finally swallowed a valve, and I sold it back to the guy I bought it from. Sad day that was...
 
1974 AMC Matador Station wagon.....It was so ugly and uncool, my sister frequently referred to it as "birth control with wheels".

pictures_amc_matador_1974_1_b.jpg
 
1974 AMC Matador Station wagon.....It was so ugly and uncool, my sister frequently referred to it as "birth control with wheels".



Yeah, I've always picked the mid 70s AMC Matadors as the ugliest American cars:


IMG_20181121_190303649.jpg
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the first few :

1983 Thunderbird. it was a great car, and i did a lot of work on the stereo and had some other cool upgrades installed. i still have it, but can't afford to restore it yet.
1990 Geo Storm. the people who bought it next had an accident. i think that they were ok, but the car didn't make it.
1993 Ford Probe. Calypso green. it was a really fun car.
 
First car was this - only so rusty from winter salt the rear bumper was wired on with clothes hanger wire and the bottom rusted out all the way around. But the green leather interior was in perfect condition.

531099737d58686e1b17f9c01fd47824--im-in-love-cute-photos.jpg


Rust it out and that's it. Paid $300 for it. Put a lot of miles on that old Lincoln, with that 460 sucking gas every mile.
 
How in hell do you go from a Firebird 455 to a 1971 Vega Panel Wagon?


You must have screwed up really bad.

It was that 455 engine. Two valve jobs, one of which also involved 2 pistons and a head.

Actually, the Vega was a nice car. It would run all day at 75 mph. I was in Savannah GA...4 hours from Daytona. Run down there Friday night, spend the weekend on the beach, drive back Sunday. No back seat...all bed.

Fun times.
 
'73 standard VW beetle
jTZyChE.jpg

4 speed manual, 1600 cc air cooled engine
This is actually pretty close to what it looked like, as I too, painted the sliver wheels black.
made the mistake of sand blasting it down to bare metal, priming and painting it. Shoulda just left it alone.

'75 VW Scirocco
volkswagen_scirocco_75_large_10666.jpg

3 speed automatic, 1600 inline 4 water pumper
A fun car to drive, and did put a lot of miles on it. Mine was this ugly faded red
Could tilt the rear seat back forward while sitting in the back seat to get at the beers in the trunk and pass them out for everyone in the car
(only did that once, and never again - stupid college stunt)
Down side? No AC

'85 Buick Skyhawk
1200px-Buick_Skyhawk_4-door_white.jpg

AC! Yeah!
Got it with low miles (less than 10k) and drove it until someone blew through a red light and broadsided me
Burned through 2 exhaust manifolds on that one, back in the day
 
1976 Datsun B-210. Sickly yellow green hatchback
 
The Reliant Supervan 3!

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I gave mine a subtle coat of rattlecan metalflake green.
 
My parents had divorced when i was about 15. So right before getting my license, my parents both made it clear that I'd NOT be given a car. Back in 1977 or 1978, at 9-10 years old, I had accompanied my dad on a 30min drive to a car dealership, in his old project car, an MG Midget. It was raining, and as usual, it's convertible rag top was leaking. We get to the AMC dealership, where my dad trades the MG in on a brand new, flashy Pacer, in sporty metallic copper! It had a 6cyl with a ridiculously long column shifter for its 3 speed manual trans.

Fast forward to 1984, and my father had just bought a new Mitsubishi Starion turbo, but unfortunately without trading in the Pacer! Lol. He decided to sell it to me on a payment plan, and just a day or 2 later, I secured a full time summer job at a machine shop to pay for it(plus insurance, gas etc). We produced high stall torque converters for drag racers and street cars.

But it wasn't more than a few days later, that the column shifter lost all interface with the transmission, and it was put in the shop. It took at least 2 weeks to get it back, but it failed again within a day or 2. Back to the shop for 1-2 more weeks, then I get it back. One day a friend, his older cousin and I go to a local creek, to a swimming hole with a high rope swing. We finish swimming, start to drive away, and it fails again, and it looks like we are stuck out in the middle of nowhere! Fortunately, the older guy with us has learned the basic mechanical knowledge that we, at 16, had not learned yet. He discovers a broken weld on the shifter linkage on the firewall. This meant the linkage would fail, and the 20" long column shifter would flap around, but not direct the transmission into any gears! But he was able to pop it back into the slot so that it was driveable until it popped out again, and He showed me how to quickly but temporarily get the car driving again. View attachment 67244710

I had spent most of my 1st summer with a driver's license, without a friggin car! I knew it meant the car was going back to the shop run by incompetent morons. So I saved up $400 over the next few weeks, and bought car #2, a 1974 Mustang II hatchback, with a 4cyl and auto. I returned the Pacer to my dad, ending the payment plan. Now I had a car that actually worked! It had aluminum slot mag wheels, fat tires and the back end was jacked up a bit, so it looked cool, although, it's 2 front fenders had rusted at the bottom brackets that connected them to the subframe. This meant that neither fender was connected at the bottom, so whenever I went over a bump, the fenders would flap up and down like wings! It looked like this car, but white instead of gray, and no hood scoop. View attachment 67244707

But then I turned it around. In early spring of 1985, I traded in the 1974 Mustang II on a used 1978 Mustang II Cobra II, with a 302 V8 and a 4-speed manual. It was all white with big blue stripes going over the hood and roof, and down the sides. It had low mileage and was in fantastic condition. I had a lot of fun with It. Even though cars from 1974-1994 had vastly reduced horsepower as compared with 1960-1973 cars, it was still a light car with a v8 and 4 speed! That's always a great combo...It looked exactly like this:

First car I bought was an abused 1970 454 Corvette. I bought it so my wife would shut up about the 1966 Corvette she got in High School... It had been wrecked a number of times. But when you whacked the throttle it ran like a scalded cat.

I was still in to motorcycles so didnt drive it much early on.
 
the first few :

1983 Thunderbird. it was a great car, and i did a lot of work on the stereo and had some other cool upgrades installed. i still have it, but can't afford to restore it yet.
1990 Geo Storm. the people who bought it next had an accident. i think that they were ok, but the car didn't make it.
1993 Ford Probe. Calypso green. it was a really fun car.

Try restoring it a little at a time. Just watch for available parts on EBAY. the rest is just elbow grease.
 
Try restoring it a little at a time. Just watch for available parts on EBAY. the rest is just elbow grease.

That's probably how I'll have to do it. Needs rewired, the interior needs redone, and some other stuff. I think that the engine and transmission are ok, but they might need a bit of work, too. Luckily, it has been garaged.
 
First car was an 88 Chevy Corsica, v6. It had an intermitant short, so I disconnected the battery all the time. That car was a turd. Bought it for 800 bucks, cash, traded it in for 900 bucks credit on my 2nd car, a 95 Oldsmobile achieva s. 5 speed. Bought it for 1,200, cash, after the trade in. That was a good car, ran me till 2005, when I bought my first new car, an 05 Honda civic ex, 5 speed. Still driving that, great car. Bought the 76 vette in 2007, for 1,500. Didn't run. Runs like a raped ape, now. I've put about 10k and countless hours into it. Worth it...but...the moment I can, I'm ditching her for a younger girl, a 5th gen Z06.
 
That's probably how I'll have to do it. Needs rewired, the interior needs redone, and some other stuff. I think that the engine and transmission are ok, but they might need a bit of work, too. Luckily, it has been garaged.

Motor and tranny are likely still solid. Interior can be expensive, though. And wiring harness is a PITA.

You got any tech magnate schools near you?
 
Motor and tranny are likely still solid. Interior can be expensive, though. And wiring harness is a PITA.

You got any tech magnate schools near you?

We have one of the best vocational schools in the area. That might be an option, but I'd have to look into it.
 
That's probably how I'll have to do it. Needs rewired, the interior needs redone, and some other stuff. I think that the engine and transmission are ok, but they might need a bit of work, too. Luckily, it has been garaged.

You would probably be better off in finding a used 83 Thunderbird somewhere in the US in better condition than trying to restore yours. Unless doing all the work yourself, I expect the costs would be $6000 or so for a basic restore. While I expect good condition Mid 80s thunderbirds should be available for less than $3500
 
You would probably be better off in finding a used 83 Thunderbird somewhere in the US in better condition than trying to restore yours. Unless doing all the work yourself, I expect the costs would be $6000 or so for a basic restore. While I expect good condition Mid 80s thunderbirds should be available for less than $3500

I'm attached to this particular car. We have a lot of history. There is no way that it will be worth the restoration cost monetarily. It's not a collectable year. It's more about fixing it up. I'll do it if I'm able to make it happen.
 
You would probably be better off in finding a used 83 Thunderbird somewhere in the US in better condition than trying to restore yours. Unless doing all the work yourself, I expect the costs would be $6000 or so for a basic restore. While I expect good condition Mid 80s thunderbirds should be available for less than $3500

I'm attached to this particular car. We have a lot of history. There is no way that it will be worth the restoration cost monetarily. It's not a collectable year. It's more about fixing it up. I'll do it if I'm able to make it happen.
 
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