Fubar Posted February 19, 2013 Share Posted February 19, 2013 One of Beemerboy's posts and an episode of "Top Gear" (the good one, not the U.S. version) got me thinking: What kind of four wheeled vehicles have these motorcycle fans been lucky/cursed to drive on non-bike days? You didn't have to own it, but you did have to drive it somewhat regularly so test drives and borrowing your neighbor's Ferrari once DON'T count! And what is on their fanboy/girl, put-a-poster-on-the-wall list? I'll start but the tears will probably short out the keyboard. 1970 Dodge pick up - 3 on the tree. Learned to drive on this, my mom's truck, when I was 10 in 1972 1975 Dodge pick up (mom's) My 1st car(1978): 1973 Buick LeSabre -took all the abuse I could dish out and was easy to repair 1973 Buick Skylark - P.O.S. w/3 dead cylinders in a V-8 (family car) 1965 Chevy Bel-Air - 3 on the tree (family car) 1976 Chevy Vega wagon - 4 speed, baby shit green. Lot of fun, easy to drive fast-ish, easy to work on (my sister's) 1979 Buick Regal - P.O.S. (family car, then mine) 1995 Dodge Ram pick up (mom's) 1997 Pontiac Sunfire (wife's) 1998 Dodge Dakota pick up - current 2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 - Nice car, great mpg and tons of room (wife's) 1999 Cadillac DeVille - crap brakes, crap electronics (mom's) 2009 Kia Sportage - (mom's) 2012 Hyundai Elantra - wife's current and a great car Wow, for a 50 year old, my hads SUCK!!!! Too much of Detroit's crappiest offerings from the 70's. Well, that would include ALL of Detroit's offerings from the 70's. My list of wants: Ariel Atom Lamborghini LM002 Porsche Cayman Toyota Prius VW Jetta Sportwagen Jaguar E-type (my dad's favorite) Alfa Romeo 159 Sportwagon Alfa Romeo Brera Aston Martin DB9 Datsun 240Z Dodge Charger Daytona Subaru BRZ Cord 810/812 Shelby Cobra 427 1963 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray (the only one worth owning) Duesenberg Model J Most 1920's & 1930's cars Kenworth "Anteater" converted into a killer RV with matching trailer (containing, in part, a built-in brewery) an old fire truck an old hearse/ambulance (a la "Ghostbusters") 5 ton military truck (even I don't know why) Oh, and a garage to store them all in with a loft to sleep in over it. So, what you got? Link to comment
upflying Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Hmm, let's see what I can remember from my organic hard drive poking out of my shoulders.. 1955 VW Bug, $50 first car 1966 VW Type III Fastback, neat oversteer, totaled 1966 VW Bug 1300, Sierra ski-mobile 1971 Porsche 911T, good 1971 Porsche 911T, better, scary trailing throttle oversteer 1972 Ford Pinto, autocrosser, my last speeding ticket 1963 Pontiac Catalina Wagon, cheap commuter wheels 1976 Dodge Van slant 6, sin bin 1978 Ford Mustang II V8, junk 1979 Ford F100,302 V8, old school pickup, wish I still had it 1979 Ford F250, 460, trailer tow 1981 Chevrolet Citation X11, ahead of its time but also junk 1967 Toyota Corona, cheap commuter 1966 Ford Mustang coupe, 3 speed/6 popper, horrible brakes 1985 Honda Civic, gutless 1986 Toyota Corolla, bought cheap from an owner going blind 1986 Toyota pickup SR5, 4X4, nice truck, wish I still had it 1988 Ford Crown Victoria, trailer tow package, family car 1997 Dodge Intrepid, worst car I ever owned 1999 Honda Accord, best car owned 2005 Honda Accord, second best car owned 2007 chevrolet Colorado, mistake, oldman owning a kids truck 2010 Nissan Frontier crewcab, decent, practical useful, reliable 2012 Subaru Outback, escape from calif survivalist vehicle and finally my pride and joy.. 1986 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS,restored, stock, show winner, garage queen, owned for 13 years, here is pix of it.. What would I like to own? Money no object.. 1969 Plymouth Roadrunner, 426 Hemi, 4 speed Just like this one. Proudly, I have never owned a SUV or minivan. If I had to pick my next car today, I kinda like the VW Passat TDI. Link to comment
kmac Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Wants...nothing, cars bore me now...other than my '49 Stude C-cab truck. However my daughter wants a new 2013 Chevy Sonic...we drove a 1.4L turbo sunday, cool little car. Link to comment
Selden Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Not a "had" but when I was a kid, we had a Chrysler assembly line worker living at our house who had a red 1956 MB 300SL gullwing. It's still the coolest car I have ever ridden in. Apparently, the 300SL was such a flop that dealers were practically giving them away in the late 1950's. Link to comment
Skywagon Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 1962 Corvair - $115 Wish I had it back 1965 Ford Fairlane 1966 Impala SS - Wish I had it back 1971 Camaro modified with 454 400HP 1973 Grand Prix 1974 Mustang II First new car..Junk 1976 Olds Cutlass Supreme 1978 Olds 98 1980 Chevy Silverado 1986 Toyota Celica GTS - 2nd new car 272,000K miles All new from here on. 1987 Jeep Grand Wagoneer - Worst car ever made 1997 BMW M3 1999 Suburban 2500 4wd with 454 2008 Chevy Tahoe - One of my favorites and still driving with 30k 2012 Lexus 350 Wish List Aston Martin DBS Porsche 911 - Thinking about it... 2CV - They don't all have to be great Isetta 1958 Chevy with 348 and gangsta spare tire.... Link to comment
enfoman Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Great topic for sure to pass the cold night and reminisce. My own list of a few cars. I tend to want to keep them until they fall apart then run them till they die. '72ish Toyota pick up which I delivered pizza in for the family Business and went to school in. Not a good chick magnet but transportation 1949 English Ford Prefect My first car I ever owned and still do. Tons of stories on this one! 69 Caprice convertible great junkyard rebuild and ran real smooth. Traded for below because of high miles and guzzle of gas. (Should of kept it) 78 AMC Pacer Yea. the fishbowl. Factory V8 very rare. went everywhere when I was in the service. 85 Monte Carlo with T tops new style front bumper Lost in Divorce settlement 84 Honda CRX Loved that one too! Great gas mileage. Most long trips with the 1300 engine I got on avg. 50-65 MPG. Why can't they do that these days with the FI technology? Astro panel van Sold to future son in law and got ... 87 Ford Econoline conversion Van No longer had to commute great distances and had a new family relationship that needed room to travel. Taurus mid nineties Step son wrecked it Ford Sable Tranny died 99 miles from home. Good thing I had AAA plus 2007 Chevy Silverado New style Current ride 4 WD 1500 w/36K miles Ultimate wish list for 4 wheeled rides? Tough one-- I like so many. $$ no object it would be an early Rolls Silver Ghost or a '22 Bently and if time travel were real........ I would get back to the future in a DMC Link to comment
Paul Mihalka Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Wow, this going to be long... Let me divide it in groups. Cars I raced but did not own: Cisitalia Formula Junior Dyna Panhard Alfa Gulietta TI Alfa Gulietta Sprint Renault 16 - won the Venezuelan Rally Championship My dad's cars. Often I was the designated family driver: 1947 Studebaker Champion 1950 Chevy 1953 Chevy 1955 Chevy 1958 Oldsmobil 88 196x Peugeot 404 Won my class in a Mobil Economy Run 195x Citroen 15 My dad's partner's car who left it with us when he traveled. Won a race with it. My own cars, a looong list: 1939 Morris 8 1952 Austin A30 1954 Peugeot 203 1958 Borgward Isabella TS - won a few races with it, then totaled it in a cross-country race 1954 Wolseley 44 - just to have wheels after the Borgward 1958 MG A 1958 Ford Zephyr 1960 MG A Twin Cam 1958 Lancia Aurelia convertible Pinin Farina 1960 Lancia Flaminia Zagato Sport 1962 Rambler Classic 1969 Ford Mustang 1969 Mercedes 280S - won a few cross-country rallies 1972 AMC Hornet Hatchback with full Javelin riding gear. My car for two years in the USA with a work contract. Did well in SOLO II events. 1972 Renault 4 - back in Venezuela starting from scratch 1972 Renault 16 1973 Chevy Malibu 1974 Mercedes 280 1976 Range Rover Move to the USA: 1982 Saab 900 1986 Saab 9000S 1986 Volkswagen GTI 1987 Dodge Raider 1990 Ford Tempo 1994 Isuzu Trooper - current. Winter transport or mulch/topsoil storage in summer 1997 Infiniti I30 - current. Best 4 wheeled appliance I ever had. Future? Any comfy reliable 4 wheel appliance. Link to comment
Gregori Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Egads - I've had lots and lots of cars.. Aside from the pretty normal stuff that you'd never ebven notice walking theough a parking lot, I've had some interesting highlights: - My first car was a '70 Mercury Montego (Rebadged Ford Torino) with some kind of high-test motor. I recall it was a 460 interceptor something or other. I bought it for $250 from (literally) a little old lady who'd owned it since day one. I wasn't a gearhead, and didn't know a thing about it other than it fit my budget. But the kids who WERE gearheads absolutely drooled over the car. Went 0-60 in a cloud of burning rubber, but shook so badly at speed that anything over 120 was scary even to a fearless 16 year old. I had it for over a year before my parents found out. - An early 70's Jaguar E-Type (2+2 coupe) with a V-12 that when it ran right it was sweet as butter, but it had SIX carbs that were hell to sync. I thought it was ugly as hell, and was glad to be rid of it. (Kicking myself now - for what I had in it, I should have stored it for 20 years and retired.) - A 73 BMW 2002Tii that was (to a 19 year old) freakishly fast. I had it well over over 170 a couple of times, but at that speed the temp gauge climbed as fast as the speedo. Car was stolen by the shop where I took it to get it fedealized to import into the US. (Bastages.) - A 72 VW with a 3.2 liter Porsche motor and 5-speed transaxle shoehorned in the back. Would do wheelies in 2nd gear. It was a sleeper, and had stealth air dam and cold air intakes. It didn't have as fast a top end as the BMW, but the 0-100 times were WAY shorter. (I've actually had a whole slew of aircooled VWs - bugs, squarebacks, buses and variants thereof - including a 53 split-window bug.) - 1942 military Jeep MB - actually the Ford version of it - a GPW... - 1970ish Suzuki LJ20 (It's a golf cart sized vehicle, with a 360cc 2-stroke motor, and full-time 4x4.) Somehow, I convinced the California DMV that it was road legal, and actually got tags for it! - Several Unimog 404s - including the Doka (crewcab) that I still have. - Probably the rarest car I've had was a Renault R5 Turbo. Someone told me (after I sold it) that there were only 4000 of them ever made. Doh! Looks like a LeCar on steroids - but completely different car underneath: mid-engine, rear wheel drive - WICKED fun to drive, but a total POS mechanically. Twitchy as hell, but once you get the hang of it EXTREMELY controllable. - A series of Datsun Roadsters, culminating with an ultra-rare 3-seater Fairlady, with a factory option fiberglass hardtop. (It looked like a coupe with the hardtop on - you almost couldn't tell it came off the car without looking closely.) I was enjoying it as a daily driver until a collector offered me enough to make it worth my while to part with it. Some common but fun beasties - a whole slew of british roadsters (MGs, Spitfires, Austin Healey, Jensen Healey) that I was glad to transition out of into a Miata (of which I've had three, every one of which was red.) Oh yeah - a Porsche 914, one each of the Datsun 240/260/280 Z cars, and many more. I'm sure that there are probably a few that I've forgotten. Okay, maybe more than a few... Do I have a wish list? Nope - I'm just happy to see what lands in the driveway next. I've always kind of wanted a Lotus 7, but as I get older (and wiser?) I think a motorcycle is more practical. Link to comment
malcolmblalock Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Ummm--let me think. I'll go in chronological order from first vehicle to now: 1960 Bugeye Sprite (Red) Slow but fun Totaled! 1960 Bugeye Sprite (White) Replacement for red one 1965 Mustang 289 Automatic 1970 Oldsmobile Cutlass S Beautiful colors; kept it a long time 1970 Mercury Capri 2000 Fairly peppy and very reliable 1976 Chevy Silverado pickup 350 engine loved gas! 1977 Honda Accord hatchback First of many Hondas Factory replaced engine at 77,000 miles at no cost! 1981 Civic 4 dr Bought for son--I ended up with it 1983 Accord 4 door Great economy; no power! 1987 Isuzu Trooper 4 cyl 4X4 Better than the minivan I almost bought 1990 Accord SE Pretty colors, but it's the only car I wanted to burn! 1993 Accord 4 dr Good and reliable 1993 Isuzu Trooper SOHC Still own it! Loves batteries! 1992 Lexus 400 4 dr. smooth and more power than I expected 2000 Civic Si 2 dr cpe. Great car! Much quicker than most folks know. Still have it. It's the last car I'll buy unless it gets totaled Now for what I'd like to have: All of the above except the 1990 Accord. It was a dog! Link to comment
Danny caddyshack Noonan Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Want I'd really have to have a "PLN" license plate on it though. Have but, don't drive it since I got back into bikes once the neck fusion settled itself out. Link to comment
elkroeger Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 I took my driver's test in a '74 VW Camper. You should've seen the look on the examiner's face when he realized it was my test vehicle! Priceless! I've got a 96 dakota, which handles just like my first car - a 65 Dodge Polara. Those boys in Detroit don't change their minds very much. I also had a 79 Supra which didn't drive any better. One vehicle I drove for work that I was fond of was a beat-to-hell 1970 Ford F100 4x4. We did a lot of bouncing around in the woods. I didn't even know it was WORK! The guy I worked with used to say "All this and money too!" Link to comment
OoPEZoO Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Kind of a short list for me 1955 Chevy Belair 4-door (3 on the tree) 1985 Subaru DL Hatchback 1988 Subaru XT6 1997 Isuzu Rodeo 1986 BMW 325es (was my daily beater and track rat) 1985 BMW 325e (sold to be turned into a drag car) 1987 BMW 325i (sold to be turned into a SPEC race car) 1988 BMW 325is (Still have it in moth balls) 2008 Jeep Wrangler X (Current toy) We also have a 2003 Toyota Corolla that is was my Wife's old car, but is my current daily beater car. She currently drives a 2008 Grand Cherokee Limited. I love me Wrangler, and plan to never sell it. I'll sell that 325is as soon as I get the motivation to get it out of the garage and advertise it. I'm pretty much done with 4-wheel toys. I'd much rather save the space for a few more bikes. Link to comment
Rougarou Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 1977 Ford Courier 1979 Ford Pinto (yes, I actually did purchase a Pinto) 1980 Chevy Impala 1988 Ford Escort EXP 1983 Ford LTD Crown Vic 1973 VW Bug 1980 Mazda GLC 1994 Ford Ranger 1995 Jeep Wrangler 1996 Jeep Cherokee 1996 Jeep Cherokee (yes 2, the 2nd was the wifes and they were identical except mine had a lift and larger tires) 1980 Honda Prelude 1995 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 1997 GMC Yukon (wife's vehicle) 2000 Jeep Wrangler Sport (5.5" suspension RE long arm, 1" body, 37" MTRs (no beadlocks air down to 6psi on trail), 4.56s, Detroit rear/lockrite front, hub conversion, full cage, HS9500i, Tom Woods d/s, 1" engine lift,,....it was the baby I built from showroom to trail and regretfully sold at the wrong time) 2002 Ford F-250 Super Duty (wife's truck) 2005 BMW 545i 2006 BMW X3 Currently have the F250 and X3 left. Looking to get rid of the X3 to possibly move to an Infiniti FX50. Link to comment
tallman Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Random memories 1962 Mercedes 220 S w/4 speed on the column 1965 Karmann Ghia 1971 Karmann Ghia 1967 VW van 1966 VW van with sunroof and portal windows (yellow submarine) 1971 VW convertible 1972 BMW 3.0 coupe (started as a CSi converted to CSL w/3.5L) 1962 Lancia Flaminia 1966 Fiat Dino V6 coupe (won in a poker game) 1971 Fiat 850 convertible 1971 Triumph Spitfire convertible 1966 Cadillac Deville convertible 1968 Cadillac Eldorado convertible 1965 Cadillac Fleetwood limousine 1966 Chrysler 300 1968 Pontiac Firebird 1971 Chevy Camaro 198? Dodge van conversion 1988 Chevy van conversion 1982 Diplomat RV 1978 Honda Civic Hatch (first new car) !984 Toyota Camry 1991 Cevy Caprice 1995 Chevy Lumina X 1996 Chevy Impala SS 2000 Chevy Malibu 2006 Chevy Malibu 2007 Chevy Malibu 2008 Chevy Malibu 1963 Ford Galaxy station wagon V8 2003 Ford F150 think that is most of 'em. Want? 1967 Corvette Stingray L71 427 435HP roadster. Red, of course. Link to comment
baggerchris Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 1959 Plymouth 1963 Sunbeam Alpine w/removable hardtop 1967 Triumph GT 6 new 1967 Jeep CJ 5 V-6 1970 VW Bug new 1970 Toyota Landcruiser (bought new) 1972 Chevy Blazer new 1974 Jeep CJ5 V8 new 1972 Karman Ghia 1972 VW super beetle new 1950 Chevy torpedo back with 53K on it.Wonderful. 1950 Cadillac hearse (Ruby was her name) 1987 Toyota Four Runner new 1995 Toyota Corolla 1973 VW Super beetle 1972 pontiac Astra 2000 Toyota Tacoma 4wd new 2013 Subaru Outback new Wants; new Jeep Rubicon New Morgan 3 wheeler Link to comment
Paul Mihalka Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Couple I forgot: The importer's MG A Twincam, race prepped. Was competitive against Porsche Carrera Speedster. My brother's AC Bristol. Drove it a lot, incl. in endurance races paired with my brother. Link to comment
Rougarou Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 Ooops, you reminded me. 1972 MGB chrome bumper 1977 MGB rubber bumper How could I forget those two go-carts. Link to comment
Mike Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 There was a time when I remembered the model years of all of them, but that part of my brain is a little disused and rusty. Here's my best recollection, from the beginning, minus the model years: Rambler Rebel (First car. Despised it as an old lady's car.) Triumph TR-6 (A real British sports car!) Fiat X1/9 (Mechanically disastrous.) Datsun 280Z (One of my all-time favorites.) VW Rabbit (First taste of German engineering, a blast!) Mazda RX-7 (No torque.) Volvo GLT Turbo (My Euro-discovery machine.) Porsche 911 (Guard's red, of course. Oversteer!) Toyota MR2 (Perfect handling.) Ford Mustang GT (Sold shortly after first real snow.) Mercedes 300E (Wow! Solid as a bank vault.) Saab 9000 CSE Turbo (Turbo mania. Then mechanical heartbreak.) Mercedes C280 (Uninspired) Jaguar S-Type V8 (Fast sedan. Then mechanical heartbreak.) VW GTI VR6 (Fun, fast cruiser.) Chrysler 300M (See Mercedes C280.) VW R32 (The most competent vehicle I've ever owned, pretty fast, too.) BMW 535xi (Amazing competence in all conditions. Fast, with pumped-up twin turbos.) Toyota 4Runner (Would not die. Sold with almost 180,000 miles.) Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland V8 (Plush. Competent at hauling people, dogs, gear. Unstoppable, with good power.) My wish list: -Modern Porsche 911 or Cayman -Caterham 7 -Most of all, the new Corvette Stingray. I've been consumed with Corvette lust since well before I got my driver's license. Never owned one. Still fantasize about it on a daily basis. Link to comment
Albert Posted February 20, 2013 Share Posted February 20, 2013 When I was in high school I got a job with a large local Buick dealership. My official title was "car shifter". Essentially we'd park, pick up and deliver cars around the dealership or to and from customers. Sure I drove plenty of "deuce and a quarters" but that wasn't the cool thing. The "other" part of this dealership carried Jaguar, MG and Austin Healy. So I got to drive just about every XJx you can think of along with vintage MG's and Healys. But even that wasn't the cool thing. Because of the brands we carried the owner of the dealership "imported" 3 mechanics from the UK to handle the work. What this meant was anyone who had any brand from the UK would bring it to us for them to work on. I got to drive a vintage Rolls Royce, an Austin Martin and an AC Cobra (289) and some others I can't recall any more. Some of the owners were nuts. I remember a woman who brought her XKE in because she felt some kind of shimmy in it at around 80 mph. I picked her up in her car when it was finished and she proceed to "instruct" me to floor it through the gears on the way back so she could see if it was fixed. She was not a unique Jag owner either. It was a sad day when I graduated to the lube rack and had to give it all up. Link to comment
Bill_Walker Posted February 21, 2013 Share Posted February 21, 2013 Let's see. 1971 Plymouth Satellite Station Wagon (my Dad's). The car I learned to drive in, mostly. I think this was the second one. He made them take the first one back because it was a lemon. The last straw was when the differential let go. 1970 Dodge Challenger convertible. (my Mom's). "Rallye" suspension, fancy wheels, Hurst pistol-grip 4-speed shifter, hood pins, "Plum Crazy" metallic purple with a white top and interior... but only a 318 2-barrel. Fast enough for me! 1971 Saab 99 automatic (Dad's) 1972 Saab 99 automatic (Dad's) (my Dad was a manufacturer's representative, so he drove all over the state for work. He went through a lot of cars) 1973 Saab 99 EMS 5-speed (Dad's). Pumpkin orange with a brown vinyl top. On a twisty road, it was faster than the Challenger, but girls liked the Challenger better. A great car, but Dad decided the only way to have a Saab was to own two, so you had one to drive while the other was in the shop. He knew all the mechanics at the dealership by name. So he switched to Mercedes-Benz diesels (300D and 300SD) after this. 1974 Chevy LUV pickup. My first car. Yes, I was a spoiled only child and my parents bought me cars. Well, trucks, actually, because the insurance on cars was too much. 4-speed, wide aluminum wheels with too much offset, and 4-wheel drum brakes. You never knew which way it was going to pull when you hit the brake pedal! One day my Dad drove it and found out how bad the brakes were, which led to me getting a... 1976 Chevy C20 pickup. Automatic, 350 V-8, 4-barrel carb, 2WD, and dual gas tanks. It would pull our family boat, which was stored close to where I went to college. I often used two pumps at once to fill the two tanks. That fuel consumption led to... 1977 Mazda Rotary Pickup. Now this was more like it! This thing was a sports car cleverly disguised as a pickup truck. I had a camper shell on the back, and put cabinets and carpet in the bed to make it cozy. Man, that rotary would rev! 1981 Honda Civic. The first car I bought with my own money. As sporty as the Mazda was, I was fed up with pickup trucks. I put 105,000 miles on it, and the only thing that ever failed was the water pump. And that probably wouldn't have failed if I had changed the coolant on time. 1968 Austin-Healey Sprite. Finally, a sports car! It was old and ratty. I did a bunch of mechanical work on it, but the body and paint work was beyond me. Which may have been part of the reason that, for Christmas 1990, my wife surprised me with a... 1991 Mazda Miata. Red, of course. Lots of fun, but it did become a bit limiting as our daughter got older. So I got a... 1998 BMW 540i 6-speed. Awesome car, but really bigger and heavier than I like. When our daughter was in college, and every dealer visit started costing a couple thousand bucks, and gas shot up, I switched to a... 2008 Mini Cooper. I've left out a few "third vehicles", trucks and a van. And my wife's cars (she had a Mustang GT convertible and a 328i. Now she has a Prius). Link to comment
Fubar Posted February 23, 2013 Author Share Posted February 23, 2013 2000 Jeep Wrangler Sport (5.5" suspension RE long arm, 1" body, 37" MTRs (no beadlocks air down to 6psi on trail), 4.56s, Detroit rear/lockrite front, hub conversion, full cage, HS9500i, Tom Woods d/s, 1" engine lift Honestly, I'd ask what the heck all that means if I weren't so afraid that you'd actually tell me. More importantly, it means something to you and that's what the thread is all about. FWIW, I understood "psi" and "Detroit". Link to comment
moshe_levy Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 What a great thread! Well, I'm much younger than most of you fossils so my list is quite a bit shorter. Here it is, in conjunction with the life stages these beasts of burden accompanied me on: HIGH SCHOOL: 1st Car: 1987 Dodge Ram B350 Extended Wheelbase Van. (You know the airport taxi vans? Yes, it was that big. Two-tone blue. Made me popular in high school to have that much space). It lasted 6 months before I wanted to downsize. 1987 Ford Thunderbird Turbo Coupe 5 speed: Gray over red leather. Upgraded Kenwood audio system. Purchased with 78,000 miles, and blew it up totally by 130,000. In frustration at being towed again, I purchased whatever was lying around in the garage I was towed to off the NJ Turnpike, bringing us to.... COLLEGE: 1984 Nissan Stanza: First Japanese car - and a manual to boot. 134,000 miles, blue with sunroof. No radio, so I had a boombox sitting on the front seat plugged into the cig lighter. REAL high tech. A HUGE bloodstain on the rear floor carpet from whatever happened to the prior owner. I don't want to know. Naturally, nothing ever went wrong with it. Ever. But dad was looking to get rid of his old Jag, so..... 1988 Jaguar Vanden Plas: Ooooo, Dad's Jag was finally mine after I saved enough dough! Bordeaux Red metallic over cream Connolly leather. It ran well... most of the time. After awhile, it ran well less of the time. It had to go. I was broke, so mom gave me a good deal on her car as she traded up, which was.... 1991 Lincoln Continental: Pink Rose Quartz metallic over an interior with leather the color of baboon's ass, and acres of horrible fake woodgrain. Nearly killed me on the Tappan Zee Bridge coming home from school, when the tie rod broke. Lots of excuses at the dealer (we had been through this before with her prior car, a '98 Conti, of a less embarrassing hue). That was it - we were through with American cars. Besides, the untold humiliation of being in a pink Lincoln really motivated me to save for my first new car, which was..... 1998 Honda Civic EX: VTEC, 5 speed, with aftermarket foglamps AND leather interior. What a car! I loved my Honda. Racked up over 45,000 miles on it, and by then was finishing up college and had more than menial wages to go on, so...... 2000 BMW 328i Sport: Yes. Titanium silver metallic over black leather. 5 speed. Sport package with lowered suspension and 17" low profile tires. What a sweetheart! Still my favorite car that I've ever owned. Just a wonderful car in every respect, except space... 1st BABY BORN 2002 BMW 530i: A leftover, but new. Automatic. Ugh.. Dark gray over black leather, not many options, but... It was a 5-Series! Once that lease was up..... GRAD SCHOOL 2005 BMW X5 4.4i: What a beast this was! Heavy, thirsty, powerful, and brawny! $1,000.00 per month gas bills were regular for me. Ouch. And then that first marriage went south. Guess how much money that left over?.... 1996 Toyota Camry XE: Ahhh, how it pains one to fall so far, after being in BMWs for so long! This Camry had 120,000 miles on it. Its hood paint was gone, eaten away by tree sap from where it sat dead for years prior to getting roadworthy again by the guy who sold it to me. It was a miserable appliance that screamed "FAILURE" to every passerby. As a car guy, I was crushed. But it's not falling down that counts - it's getting back up. So I saved, and saved, for my next new car... 2008 Toyota Prius Touring Package #6: My famous Prius, the subject of endless debates right here at BMWST. Bought it new, and put nearly 100,000 miles on it by 2012. Utterly devoid of soul, but hey, I ride motorcycles when I want character. Still, it was time for a change.... 2012 Chevrolet Volt: And here we are today, Volt beta-testing, and loving it. 130mpg lifetime average, and rising as the weather turns warmer soon. I haven't purchased gas since January 8. I do love it! So, what do I want? I dunno. I spend more time lusting after bikes than cars. But I guess I could settle for one of these for commuting: And for the weekend, the car that gives me butterflies in the stomach whenever I see it: A late-1980s 5-speed air-cooled flat-six 911 Cabrio Turbo. In white, of course. Yep, I'd be happy with that! -MKL Link to comment
chrisolson Posted February 23, 2013 Share Posted February 23, 2013 Definitely an interesting exercise. In order of ownership as best I remember. u=used and n=new then model year. I guess I do classify within the fossil genus looking at the years of some of those "new" purchases. Can't argue with the truth ! First 6 were courtesy of my parents. Yes I was spoiled rotten as a kid. Last 5 are current. Lots of good stories / memories go with most of them. Looking back I now know why I always lived paycheck to paycheck As for wants ... hmmmm, how about a Bentley Continental GT u, 62 Buick Special station wagon - parents hand me down starter car n, 65 Corvair - 110 horse lots of room inside, Nader killed it n, 66 Mustang GT fastback - a classic, what more can you say u, 66 MG Midget - painfully small u, 59 Porsche Convertible D - one I wish I'd kept u, 68 Mustang convertible - on loan from parents while between cars n, 72 Pinto - yes I actually bought one new n, 75 Chevrolet Chevette - actually not a bad car for the time n, 76 Chevrolett Monza V8 - interesting and moderately fast n, 78 Toyota Corona - nice 4 door sedan, never any problems u, 64 International Scout - ugly and fun u, 69 Toyota Land Cruiser - blew up the motor u, 69 Chevy longbed pickup - gas guzzler n, 72 Datsun 510 - highly modified, super slalom car u, 75 Pontiac Ventura - boring u, 76 VW Rabbit - it ran ok, didn't break like many n, 80 Ford Econoline Van - stupid purchase u, 75 VW beetle - utilitarian u, 78 Chevrolet Impala - required corporate 4 door sedan u, 76 Chevrolet Luv pickup - wife's before marriage u, 84 GMC 4wd pickup - really liked this truck, went lots of places n, 86 Chevrolet Nova /Toyota Corolla - really great car, kept a long time n, 89 Chevrolet Metro - under appreciated u, 87 BMW 525e - first BMW handled great under powered n, 90 Toyota Tacoma - gas guzzler for what it was u, 90 BMW 750 - money pit n, 00 BMW Z3 convertible - stylish and fun car n, 02 Mitsubishi Eclipse - nice but noisy n, 02 Toyota Tundra 4wd pickup - brakes were horrible n, 04 BMW MINI - handled super, great gas mileage n, 06 BMW Z4 - stylish and surprisingly good gas mileage u, 04 Chevrolet Trailblazer - ultimate practical vehicle u, 99 BW Z3 Coupe - classic, hate or love the styling u, 93 Mazda Miata - modified track car and fun weekend driver, 200 hp at rear wheels u, 07 Volvo S60 - quick, does everything well, the Buick of foreign cars u, 63 Chevy C-10 pickup - hot rod mods V8 auto etc n, 12 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited - surprisingly good vehicle Link to comment
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