Your first car

[WPOZZZ]

So what was it? Technically this was mine, a 70 Satellite with 318 in tennis ball green and a vinyl roof and hubcaps. My aunt sent it to me from the Big Island. Then my brother took it. I only got to drive it a few times until that happened.



My actual first car that I got to drive was this. A 1980 Mustang 4.2 V8 hatch, 14" aluminum wheels, not the TRXs, and no T-top. However, it did have the factory Recaros.

[wildthing]

In the Philippines, I drove my dad's cars all through high school, and a little in college -'69 Beetle mostly, a few Corollas. The one I bought with my own money was a 98 Corolla, and I bought it used. I immediately upgraded the sound system, two Rockford Fosgate amps, separates in front, probably MB Quart or Focal, can't remember, a Kicker sub, a CD changer...

[Ayles]

1978 Cutlass Supreme Brougham

[Baz]

'62 Buick special..........with a V6!

[fanaudical]

I got my license in the mid-80's. I learned to drive in my mom's '66 Dodge Coronet (383, police package, fun). My dad loaned me his '66 D100 truck (slant 6, 3 on the three - still fun) for a couple years. First car I bought for myself was a '76 Audi Fox and kept that for ~20 years...

[jyl]

No photo of my first car, but it was one of these

1977 (?) VW Dasher station wagon. A remarkably excellent car for a student. Good gas mileage, carried everything I owned, I could sleep in it, reliable. Handled okay too, after I put on the incredibly wide and sporty 175 section tires!

[Pazuzu]

1985 Mitsubishi Galant. It was 1992, I was a sophomore in college.

It was totally 80's style blocky sharp edged cool! It had speed dependent wipers! The rear seats reclined! Automatic temperature control! It was more Cadillac than a Cadillac!!!


Of course, the early Galants turned out to be technological nightmares, and all of the money went into the tech instead of the drivetrain, so they were absolutely crappy cars.

But reclining rear seats!!


I had it for maybe 9 months. Blew an engine, then had a Lexus cut me off, and it totaled the car.

[LWJ]

My grandparents bought a 1963 Impala 4 door new. It was a 4 door with a 2 barrel and a two speed powerglide. NOT fast. It sounded like the Starship Enerprise with all the whining from the transmission. Grandma gave it to my brother and I circa 1983. It was mint, including the clear vinyl wrapper on the seats. Had different hubcaps but was the 4 door no-post version like this. Same color. If you were in Portland in the early 1980's, you probably us saw driving around, jammed to the gills with teens.

Car got sold for 300 or 400 back about 1987. My hope is that it got 40K worth of hydraulics and some gold wire wheels.

[Bill Douglas]

This was my first car. I also owned a small truck and a motorbike. Sure it's a little bit scruffy but I was only 13 at the time.

[wdfifteen]

I suppose technically this Henry J was my first car. It was spring and I was 10 or 11 years old. One of our Holsteins had dropped a bull calf that was sick. Dad was busy with planting, it was a nearly worthless Holstein bull, so he was ready to let it die. I saved it, nursed it back to health, and later traded it to our neighbor for this Henry J. Of course I never drove it on the road but I beat around on the farm with it. Dad eventually sold it.



The first car I actually bought to drive was the Arktis Blue bug on the right. Then I bought the bus, and then the black '63 VW

[GH85Carrera]

A 1960 VW Bug, with eh mighty 36 HP engine. On flat ground with no headwind, 0 to 60 was 72 seconds. Any headwind or incline and it became infinite.

When I was 15 & 1/2 I asked my dad what car he would get me. He laughed and said whatever you can afford. He gave me an interest free loan, and I had to pay 100% of every cost except insurance. That is when I learned to work on my cars and save money. I bought some tools, and a set of metric sockets, spark plug socket, two extensions and the ratchet back then that I still use.

The only photos I took of it were for my high school yearbook. It is in there with me loading camera equipment in it for a posed shot.

[jhynesrockmtn]

1963 Beetle, crap blue paint job, rear fenders were plastic. Paid $400 for it in 1979.

[jhynesrockmtn]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

A 1960 VW Bug, witht eh mighty 60 HP engine. On fat ground with no headwind, 0 to 60 was 72 seconds. Any headwind or incline and it became infinite.

When I was 15 & 1/2 I asked my dad what car he would get me. He laughed and said whatever you can afford. He gave me an interest free loan, and I had to pay 100% of every cost except insurance. That is when I learned to work on my cars and save money. I bought some tools, and a set of metric sockets, spark plug socket, two extensions and the ratchet back then that I still use.

The only photos I took of it were for my high school yearbook. It is in there with me loading camera equipment in it for a posed shot.

Unless you had a "built" motor in that 1960 Bug, the horsepower was a mighty 40

[GH85Carrera]

Nope, a typo, it was the stock 36 HP engine. My 73 Super Bug had the 60 HP engine, and man it was a rocket fast after 36 HP.

[rfuerst911sc]

A 1964 2 door Dodge Dart GT . My brother had it and had the 225 slant six bored out . A Crane cam was added along with an Offy manifold and Holley 390 carb . Exhaust was Clifford Research long tube headers . The car had the rare option of a Hurst 4 speed floor shifter . My brother gave me the car for my 16th birthday as he had moved onto a 69 Porsche 912 .

That Dart was quick and sounded great . Horrible for hot starts as the headers cooked the fuel in the carb when sitting . I beat a lot of 289 Mustangs in high school with that car

[Steve Carlton]

My parents offered me their 1968 Bel Air wagon with a 283 if I quit my quest to get a motorcycle in 1971. I turned it down. As I turned 16, their mechanic suggested a customer's 1968 Firebird hardtop with the 4.1L OHC six cylinder engine with a three-on-a-tree transmission. It had 99,000 miles and was in excellent condition for $1,100. My parents kicked in towards the purchase price and I was on my way. Went looking for a 4-speed to install and found one for $75 with a 389 V8 for $125 more. For some unknown reason it ran out of oil almost instantly and seized 6 rod bearings. Rebuilt it, then spun a couple of rod bearings again a couple of years later revving it to 7,000 rpm on the freeway 200 miles away from home. I was an idiot. I should have left it stock. I should have taken the free wagon, which was green on green. The Firebird was red on red.

[flatbutt]

A 1963 Ford Comet with 3 on the tree. This isn't it but mine was also white. At least where there was still any body panels.

[Steve Carlton]

Comet was always one of my favorite car names.

[Rick Lee]

$800

[IROC]

My first car (not my actual car, but same color)...1978 Mazda GLC. Couldn't pull greasy strings out of a cat's butt.



I turned around and bought one of these a year later (again, not mine but same color). 1973 Opel GT. Loved that car...