What was your first car?

[Jem]

Just wondering what your first car was? Did you love or hate it?
How many vehicles have you had over your lifetime? Which was your favorite?

My first car was a '91 New Yorker, Fifth Avenue edition. It was a big old boat of a car. Burgundy in color, plush velvet seats and such a smooth ride. It was nicknamed by a couple of my friends as the "granny mobile", but eventually it ended up getting a new nickname...Chewbacca (or Chewy), because the power steering went on it and even after being fixed, it always made the sound of Chewbacca when I turned the wheel.
At first I didn't like my car because it was "old fashioned"...it wasn't cute and compact like what was popular with teens at the time. But Dad foot the bill, so he got to pick the "safe car". After a while though, I really loved my car. It was a beast but I felt safe in it, it rode very well in the winter, and was super comfy. I drove that thing until I literally was a hazard on the road. That car really was the best though. It was made well and didn't have any rust on it except for around the trunk lock and a bit at the edge of the hood. I had over 400,000 KMS on it when I let it go, but the engine was still in great shape...it was everything else that was falling apart (electrcal (all of it), fuel pump, hoses and belts, suspension/shocks, etc...it was just too expensive to fix) They don't make 'em like they used to....
Then I got a 98 Plymouth breeze....basically a piece of plastic on four wheels. It was red and cute and in my budget. At first I liked it, but that thing was terrible in winter, which is super important (for me). Drove that until it was a hazard too. But was glad to see it go. It was problem after problem with that thing.
Now I drive (with my husband) a 2014 Dodge grand caravan. I like it, but would have preferred an SUV, I just can't afford an SUV.
We also have a 2015 Kia Rio. It's a standard, so I have to learn to drive it, but we'll get around to doing that soon. My husband drives it 90% of the time, where as I drive the van. He will just borrow the van if he needs the cargo room. We haven't had too many issues with either the Caravan or the Rio, so, so far we like them...we'll keep our fingers crossed that over the next couple of years they don't start falling apart.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

My first car (I was very blessed to have grandparents that were able to pay for a car) was a 2009 Toyota Corolla. I loved that car. It was sleek and got great gas mileage. I was in an accident in 2017 that totaled that car. It broke my heart.

My next car was a 2003 Honda CRV. I was really unsure if I would like it because it was so much bigger than what I was used to. I grew to love that car. It was very basic, zero bells and whistles. It never gave me any issues, aside from needing a fan of some sort replaced and other general "old car" maintenance. I sold that car to a friend for what I now realize was way too little, but I know that he will love that car. He send me pictures of all the upgrades he has already done to it.

My current new (to me) car is a 2016 Honda CRV. I was between that and the Toyota RAV4. I liked them both, but the Honda was more in my price range. We upgraded because we are looking into having a kid within the next year or so and I wanted something a little more up to date safety-wise (not that I ever felt unsafe in my 2003 CRV). Husband also upgraded his 2001 Echo to a 2015 Prius, which he adores and constantly brags about the gas mileage he gets.

It was so funny. We went to a Carmax (I recommend them, I hate dealing with car salesmen. Carmax sellers don't make commission so there is none of that pressure, and our experience was very generally laid-back) and they asked us, "What features are you looking for?" B and I sat there for a second because literally anything would be an upgrade, and I finally said "I don't want it to have a cassette player." Our salesperson about lost it and promised us that there would be no cassette players!

 

[Jem]

I finally said "I don't want it to have a cassette player." Our salesperson about lost it and promised us that there would be no cassette players!

LOL! My first car didn't even have a cassette player! Only the radio...I had a CD player installed in it.
My second car only had the cassette player and radio. When I got my van, I was SO excited to have a CD player again.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

The new CRV has this really neat CD player. It has a screen for the backup camera, etc. When you press the CD button, the screen actually come out and flips up to expose the CD slot! I think I was more fascinated with that feature than anything else about the car!

 

[Father of furbabies]

Hmm, cars I have owned over the years.

• 73 Buick Skylark coupe
• 71 Plymouth Duster
• 75 Ford Mustang II (blue)
• 74 Ford Mustang II (gold)
• Mid 80s Nissan
• Early 80s Chevy truck
• A few more that I can not think of their year or make/model

My current vehicle is an 02 Ford Explorer (SUV) and I only own it due to our 07 Kia Sedona broke down due to electrical issues and we could not afford it being fixed.

My first car was the Skylark which my friends and I referred to as the green beast. It had a 350 shortblock with some cheap headers and straight piped back to some glass pack mufflers. This vehicle could be heard for miles when I stepped on the gas.

My most favorite car would have been the Plymouth Duster as I survived a blizzard in it. The previous owner had put shag carpet in the trunk (I mean they lined it completely: the trunk lid, the trunk floor, even the back of the fold-down backseat.) which allowed it to be turned into a bed of some sort when the backseat was folded down. Up north you always carried a quilt or blanket with you during winter so when I got stuck at work, I used the trunk for a bed. Quite comfortable and was rather warm in the middle of the blizzard.

 

[Winchester]

My first car (of my own) was a 1970 Chevy Nova. To be replaced with a 1974 Nova hatchback that was a tank. I took that car everywhere along the east coast on vacations. One time, we had it so packed that the car was literally inches off the ground. When we got back, my father was furious that I did it. Fortunately he wasn't home when we left because we'd have never gotten out of the driveway like that. Didn't do well in snow. I remember snapping off a phone pole when I skidded on snow on the road. It snapped the pole; barely put a dent on the Nova. I complained to Rick about trying to drive the thing in the snow and he said it was all in my head. Until he drove it in the snow and then he realized that I wasn't kidding. But I had that car for a good ten years.

1984 Plymouth Turismo 2+2 - my first manual tranny and excellent in the snow. I totaled it when I flipped it over twice and was going into the third flip when I hit a house. An interesting night.
1986 Olds Calais - nice car, but I got hit at an intersection (NOT my fault!) and that was that.
1988 Olds Calais - also excellent in the snow. I kept that car for quite a while.
1999 Sebring - worst car in the world. It had all the bells and whistles and I hated her with a passion. Terrible car. I used to pray to be in an accident, just so I could be rid of her. To be fair, I didn't want her. I didn't want anything to do with her. Rick decided that's what I'd get and that's what I got. When I picked her up at the dealership, I was in tears. The salesman said it was the first time anybody had ever cried because she didn't want a new car. To this day, if we talk about me getting another car, Rick stays quiet and it's always my decision.
2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser, whose name is Clarence - best car in the world and I still drive him, although not when there's snow on the ground. When there's snow, he doesn't know how to stop at stop signs. I bought the car, virtually sight unseen and have never regretted it. But I don't drive him when there's snow on the ground.
2012 Hyundai Tucson - it's OK. I can't complain.

Doesn't include Rick's cars and trucks; the above are just mine. He had three Mustangs, an Olds-something, and several trucks.

 

[Willowy]

The first car I was allowed to use was my uncle's old Buick that he kept here in the US (he lived overseas). It needed to be used regularly anyway so I got to use it. Then my parents had an old Mercury Sable that was the "kids' cars", we all used that one for a few years. The engine block cracked after my brother had used it for a while so it had to go.

MY first car was a 1999 Honda Civic that I got in 2002. I still have it. It has over 320,000 miles on it! And now I have a 2015 Honda Pilot that I just got last year and I love it.

 

[NY cat man]

My first car was a present to myself after I got out of the service in '71. It was a '68 Mustang, a candy apple red GT fastback with a stick shift and AM radio and 8-track tape player, and a 302 V-8, and I loved it. Since then, I have had 7 vehicles, the current one being a '15 Ford Explorer.

 

[neely]

My first car was a hand me down from my father-in-law that my husband and I shared. It was a Pontiac and I hated it. When I finally got my own car it was a Honda Civic which I loved and every car since has been a Honda too.

 

[MoochNNoodles]

A Buick Century. I found this via Google but it’s the car right down to the color. Except that mine was missing a lot of the paint when I had it. My stepdad bought it for $100 off a coworker. It stalled if you drove over a puddle. It went through a lot of oil. Sometimes I’d sit on one foot when driving to see better (and I’m not short). And we had to replace the ceiling fabric because it was coming apart and would rain down gritty bits when I was driving and that hurt worse wearing contacts! But it got me to school every day. Chorus was before school and I refused to ride the bus after school once I started my junior year. I was also able to drive my stepbrother to work every day and sometimes pick him up afterwards. I’d bring my stepsister to her friends too. So it was good for the whole family.

My freshman year of college my dad and mom split the cost of a repossessed 96 neon that the bank had for sale. (I loved that car.) So the Buick became my stepbrother’s and he killed it by running it out of oil.

 

[susanm9006]

A navy blue 1964 Chevrolet Impala. It had 60,000 miles on it and I bought it for $500. I am small and the car was huge so I drove literally looking through the center of the steering wheel. It’s amazing I never hit anything or anyone. I drove it for four years and thousands of miles but had to get rid of it when I was in college and could no long afford it’s repairs.

 

[Elphaba09]

A 1998 Ford Contour in Willow Frost named Rasputin.


Since then, I have had a 2003 Ford Focus in Arizona Beige named Titania, Queen of the Fairies and a 2011 Ford Focus in Ebony named Drusilla.

 

[EmersonandEvie]

My first car was a hand me down from my father-in-law that my husband and I shared. It was a Pontiac and I hated it. When I finally got my own car it was a Honda Civic which I loved and every car since has been a Honda too.

B's first car was a 2002(?) Pontiac Grand Am. It was a POS when his dad bought it for him when he was 16 and a new driver. He drove that thing until we got married in 2017 and my parents gave us the Echo. I DESPISED that car. Not only did it ride horribly, the ceiling was so low that B's head touched the ceiling when he drove it. I was always so claustrophobic when I drove it because I had to pull the seat so far up. That thing about blew up on the interstate once, it started to slow down and we pulled over right as another couple pulled over behind us to let us know it had been billowing smoke for the last few miles (how we never saw it is beyond me). B and his dad managed to make it work again. It sat in the garage for a few months before I got mad and told B that it had to go. We were still paying insurance on it to keep it legal. We wound up donating it because I was truly uncomfortable with selling the car...I thought for sure someone would die in a fiery crash. I hope it got stripped and sold for parts.

 

[Mia6]

My first car was a marriage of a 1963 Valiant. the trunk was another car but I don't remember what.
My dad was a mechanic and put it together for me. It was a metallic gold and it flew!!

 

[Tobermory]

My first was a ‘68 Buick Skylark convertible. It was my dad’s car that he “loaned” me during my senior year of college—and let me keep when I graduated in the mid ‘70s. I loved it! A convertible!

Dad was a car nut, and he passed the “must have a new car” gene on to both my brother and me. Here are mine over the years. I can’t remember the years for all of them. (The absolute worst one was the Camaro. I loved the way it looked, but it was a total lemon.)

‘68 Buick Skylark
‘76 Camaro
Mazda GLC
Datsun 310
Mazda 626
Honda Accord (sedan)
Honda Accord (station wagon)
‘98 Subaru Forester
‘02 Lexus RX
‘05 Lexus RX
‘08 Toyota RAV
‘11 BMW X3
‘14 Acura RDX
‘18 BMW X1

After my dad died in 2008, my brother and I found this list of cars he’d made starting with a 1930 Model A. Although the list stops in 1992, he owned at least six more Lexuses after that.

 

[Willowy]

That list is cool! Mine will probably have 5 cars on it when I'm 90, lol. Did he really have a Model A when he was 12? I suppose he meant the family car.

 

[Tobermory]

That list is cool! Mine will probably have 5 cars on it when I'm 90, lol. Did he really have a Model A when he was 12? I suppose he meant the family car.

Isn’t it a neat list! The Model A belonged to his parents, but he did drive it. My grandparents were sharecroppers, and Dad had to learn to drive very young to help on the farm and make trips into town. It was pretty common back then in rural farming communities for boys to drive early.

 

[Silver Crazy]

My first car was a HT Holden and ended up as a stink hot modified crazy machine. Best car I ever had but got written off by a red light runner. (had a cop on my tail at the time and he saw it all..made things really easy with insurance.)
But have had company cars all my life (I think about 15) and about 6 personal cars and 7-8 motor bikes..some good some bad.
What I have now is a Mitsubishi sedan, a Nissan Patrol company car and one Nissan race car.

 

[Silver Crazy]

My first was a ‘68 Buick Skylark convertible. It was my dad’s car that he “loaned” me during my senior year of college—and let me keep when I graduated in the mid ‘70s. I loved it! A convertible!

Dad was a car nut, and he passed the “must have a new car” gene on to both my brother and me. Here are mine over the years. I can’t remember the years for all of them. (The absolute worst one was the Camaro. I loved the way it looked, but it was a total lemon.)

‘68 Buick Skylark
‘76 Camaro
Mazda GLC
Datsun 310
Mazda 626
Honda Accord (sedan)
Honda Accord (station wagon)
‘98 Subaru Forester
‘02 Lexus RX
‘05 Lexus RX
‘08 Toyota RAV
‘11 BMW X3
‘14 Acura RDX
‘18 BMW X1

After my dad died in 2008, my brother and I found this list of cars he’d made starting with a 1930 Model A. Although the list stops in 1992, he owned at least six more Lexuses after that.
View attachment 329676
View attachment 329677

Your fathers list is awesome.
Being a car nut myself I would love to have just a tiny bit of those cars on his list.
If you still had all of them they would be worth incredible amounts for collectors..can only dream..lol

 

[Tobermory]

Your fathers list is awesome.
Being a car nut myself I would love to have just a tiny bit of those cars on his list.
If you still had all of them they would be worth incredible amounts for collectors..can only dream..lol

I remember that the ‘55 Olds 98 had a red interior (Why? Who knows! I was only two.) and I remember the ‘58 Caddy. Who could forget those fins? And it was peacock blue, an odd choice for a man who tended toward silver cars.