First Car Stories

[Steven Hockstein]

Chris' request about the car got me to thinking about my first car. In 1976 I bought a 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix with a 400 engine. It was green and the hood was really really long. I think I got eight gallons to the mile. That would be a cool car to own now.

My first new car was a 1978 Datsun B210. Much better mileage. The payments were 96 dollars a month and my parents had to co-sign the loan.

Anyone else want to share their first car story?

[mgbinspect]

My first car was a 1967 Opel with a hand cranked sun roof. It had a little 4 banger with plenty of get up and go. I loved that boxy little car. My first new vehicle was a 1972 Datsun Pickup that I drove for 207,000 miles and sold still running.

[homnspector]

I bought a 1963 MG Midget in 1972. The floorboards were rusted out, when it was wet out and I drove through a puddle, It would soak the passenger with muddy water. I had some fun with that.

One night I was driving down Route 40 near my home in MD and the seat fell through the floor. I dropped about 6 inches and all I could see were sparks below me. I stuck in a piece of plywood and drove it for another year. It was a fun car. Constantly wouldnt start. I learned quickly how to work on cars.

[DonTx]

My first vehicle was a 1974 Chevy 1/2 ton 4x4 with a 350 and 4 speed tranny. I thought that beauty was a tank! It stayed mud colored most of the time I had it. You learn real quick where you can and can not go in a stock 4x4. I also learned the value of upgrading to after market accessories that helped me get out of places I shouldn't had a stock 4x4!

My first new vehicle was a 1987 Jeep Comanche 4x4. My friends nick named it "The Sheep". It was silver & black and came without a radio and with a 2x6 rear bumper. It was probably the best stock 4x4 I ever owned (including two Fords, 4 Chevy's, 1 Isuzu and 1 Toy). Sadly, the Pugeot tranny crapped out at 150,000 miles. I had to let her sit a while before I found an acceptable replacement that could be modified to match up to the I-6.

I Love my trucks...never been much of a car person....

[chrisprickett]

My first car wasn't the Falcon, it was a 70' VW squareback, but the Falcon was my first REAL car!

I rode motorcycles pretty much exclusively until I was 24 (other than the VW) I got the 61' Falcon for $200 from the original owner. She was literally a lilttle ol' lady who only drove around town. I bought in 83' with only 29,000 miles. Problem was, it was a Connecticut car than never saw a garage.

Yes the floor boards were rusted, and it had a ton of exterior cancer, but that straight-six ran like a tank! I drove it for 2 years and just changed the oil and put in a battery.

I was driving home one night, on I-95 in Greenwich, in a major blizzard when an 18 wheeler stopped dead in front of me. I instinctively hit the brakes. Bad move! I went into a spin (felt like a carnival ride) and ended up perpendicular to three lanes of interstate traffic. I punched it and prayed, and that ol' Ford proceeded to dump me right a snow bank on the shoulder-safe and sound!

I finally sold it when the wipers rusted off. I sure miss the old girl. After that, every vehicle I've owned (other than my bikes) have been just a mode of transport.

[Terence McCann]

1963 Lark. Flat 6 with a three on the tree. Bought it for 100.00 and sold it for 100.00.

Regarding sports cars, I owned a 1968 Austin Healy Sprite, 1966 Austin Healy MKIII 3000 (loved that ride)and a 1978 MGB. My brother had a 1966 Triumph Spitfire, that was a fun ride too.

When we was fab.

[Scottpat]

OK, I'll be honest. My first new car was a 1975 Green Pinto station wagon! My wife had a 1976 Vega!

Yep we were the envy of the apartment complex!

[kurt]

I had one of those old Chevy mail wagons w/the sliding side doors & the seat on the right side. Paid $100. Drove it for about 100,000 miles. Finally got rid of it when the leaf springs rusted out & the whole thing collapsed on the rear axle.

[hausdok]

My first car was a 55 chevy 4 door. I bought it for $5. from Lloyd Woodcock in 1963. I was 12. The starter was burned out so we used a John Deer 4020 to bump start it.

I'd put her in gear with the key on and the car in gear with the clutch in, Jerry McEnroe would back that tractor up about 10 ft. get a running start and then hit the back bumper with those back tires to give her a jolt and I'd pop the clutch to start 'er.

We drove it around the field for about 3 weeks until the clutch gave out then hooked a chain on it and hauled it up behind McEnroe's 100 acre lot and rolled it down the hill into a big old tree. Best $5. investment I ever made. Just wish I'd known then what those babies would be going for today, I would have just stripped it down, oiled and wrapped everything and put it away for a rainy day.

I bet it's still there today.

ONE TEAM - ONE FIGHT!!!

Mike

[kurt]

[:-eyebrowThat's a pretty good $5 playdate.

[Paul MacLean]

This old fart wins the prize! My first car was a 1950 Dodge Wayfarer coupe with a 6 cylinder engine and fluid drive. Fluid drive for the uninitiated was a stick shift with a fluid clutch. You had to shift, but it was very forgiving.

Paid $100 for it in 1959. It promptly burnt the the valves and was followed by a smoke screen that would blind the following driver. It fouled spark plugs so fast that about every two weeks I had to sand blast the plugs to keep them firing. Otherwise it it ran on only four cylinders. In 1960 I was proud to get $25 for it.

My first new car was a 1963 Dodge Dart. Air conditioning was a luxury I couldn't afford back then, even in Texas. But I loved that car. I think I'd still have it today if I hadn't got drunk and rolled it - but that's another story...

[Bill Kibbel]

After getting broadsided on a motorcycle, my first car was a 1963 VW bug, then a '71. Sure I wanted a muscle car like all my buds, but every one of them came to me after they spent their paycheck on gas by the 3rd day after payday. We would all pile into the bug once every week to go to the Jersey shore. I could get there and back, to school and then work on $3.00.

Every one of them rolled and totaled their Chevelles, 'cudas, Grand Prixs and GTOs within a year.

I then made real money and a bought a slightly used '76 Lincoln Continental Mark IV. I could run over VWs and wouldn't feel it.

[mgbinspect]

Scott, now that you mention it, the Datsun truck has to have been my second new vehicle, because I too owned a brand new Pinto fastback the first year they came out. (I just couldn't remember what year that was and it has to have been before the Datsun.) At that time they were selling for $1919.00

Truth be told, I LOVED THAT LITTLE CAR! It had the 2000 overhead cam 4 banger and it was a BEAST off the line! The gearing was really peculiar! It would literally leap off the line and leave everything in the dust, but... no top end. Past about 60 Vegas would walk away! Curses! Believe it or not, I used to red line that thing all the time and beat V8s in the short run.

But, when I became a mason, of course, I became a truck guy and over time during the 70's and 80's it seemed only the Ford could take the punishment of masonry. (At that time, Dodges would rust right off the frame like Japanese vehicles and we couldn't keep transmissions in the Chevys) I owned a 1972 F-250 which was a glorified tractor. (Bought it used when it was about 9 years old and had a 100,000 on it. Granny gear was unstoppable)

Just a side note about that Chevy 350 V8, though. That was a fabulous engine! I got a whopping 284,000 miles out of one of those in an Astro Van and when I sold it, the only problem was a sticking lifter.

Presently, I have a Ford F-150 with 166,000 mile on it and you'll have to sit down for this one... it has it's original clutch! No kidding! (That has mostly to do with how I drive these days. No more stop light racing.)

Bill, I too was broadsided, but on a Fugi touring bicycle. Miraculously, no broken bones just a lot of trauma. Took a while to walk again.

Oh, and Paul, as kid I distinctly remember fighting constantly with my brother, who was 18 months younger, over who was going to push the silver starter button on our family 1955 Baby blue Ford Fairlane sedan. I was probably 5 and my brother, 3. There were no seat belts back then and one time during a panic stop I flew over the front seat which had no latch to keep it from folding forward and put a permanent dent in the steel dashboard with my chin. I guess I was pretty lucky.

[Bradd Judd]

Man, were getting old.......as I listen to the stories, I remember my first car was a 70 GTO my mom gave to me. It had head gasget damage and I learned everything about an engine that I ever wanted to know. It finally, after 160,000 miles had 2 dead cylinders and was also tired of working on it. I was on my way to a Rodney Dangerfield Show in Denver, CO. and a freak spring snowstorm showed up and I was involved in a big fender bender from road conditions and it totaled the car, and That was the end of my mucle car days.

Brad

[Jack Ahern]

My first car was a 58 VW beetle. Two tone black and rust. Learned about 90 weight oil after 2500 miles. Blew a hole in the block. My first NEW car was a 66 VW beetle Paid $1688. Drove it 185,000 miles and traded it for a NEW 68 Volvo 122s. After that had a series of s---boxes. Got me where I needed to go. I had no pride.

Started in Business and needed vans. After 10 vans, Now I have a black one. Ready to scale down to a reliable mini van. I'm not a "car guy". If it works and I can put my stuff in it, I'll own/drive it.[:-banghea

Jack Ahern Needham on the Charles

Bridgton, Maine

[slinger2k]

1971 Toyota Corona. My dad worked at a naval contracting shop and when they moved in, there was faded yellow car sittin in the weeds. When I got around to driving age, he said "Son, if you can get it to drive home, its yours." Invested a whopping $350 and had it running that weekend. Typical hot rodder with no coin....slot mags, self painted metallic blue paint job, rocker panels and floor boards rusted thru replaced w/ sheets of aluminum formed on a bender and riveted to the car, a Kraco radio, those stupid fuzzy dice hanging from my rearview and a lot of shag.

Liked to do "donuts" in the school parking lot. Sold it about 6 months later for $500. Later found out the gentleman couldnt find a shop to pass it thru inspection. So goes life.

[rlskfoster]

My first car was a 67 puke greem Mustang coupe my Dad bought for me in the spring of 75. 289 two-barrell and a three speed standard. I went throught that car from front to rear fixing what I could at 1.90 an hour. Rebuilt the engine with a mild Mellings cam, caste iron ford ford four barrel intake, Holley 600 with vacuum secondaries, mallory dual point ignition. I found a beat up ford top-loader four speed and rebuilt it with new brass and bearing. Man what a sweet transmission. I found a Hurst Comp plus shifter and man I loved shifting that thing.

I had 2:79 single trac rear end and I had some zoom 4:11's replace those tall gears. It was still a single trac rear-end.

The body and paint was in pretty good condition.

When Dad first bought it he said learn what you can and it will always come in handy. Wise man. He also said never let an inanimate object beat you. He usually said this after something on the car had been whipping my butt. We would stand back take a new look and sure enough I would finally fix or remove or whatever had been beating me up. I use that little saying today and i bet my two boys have heard it enough already.

First trip down the quarter with a tired 289 and 2:79 rear-end was a 15.90

Best run over the next four years was a 13.92 at 104 mph with the 4:11's, single trac and a cheap rebuilt clutch.

One of these days I am gonna get me another old Mustang and do the things I didn't have the money for back then.

Damn! I'm gettin misty eyed thinking about thqat old car and My dad. Couple of great teachers.

[Tom Barber]

Beat you Paul, my first car was a 1949 Plymouth station wagon. That my mechanic father gave me when I was 12. It would not run and dad would not help me fix it. I finaly figured out that the carb needed to be rebuilt and spent a great summer driving it around when my parents were not home. Until I decieded to drive through the local farmers corn field, WOW was dad pissed. That ended my driving till I was 16 and he sold me a 1955 Ford 2 door that had a punched out 272 engine and a 2 speed automatic transmission that could not be killed.

Tom Barber in VA

[Les]

Gentlemen,

My first vehicle was an ox cart. 42 inch Oak wheels, leather control devices, olivewood double yoke(for extra power), and corinthian leather interior. That baby would fly! 0 to 11mph in 80 seconds! I used to pick up pocket change racing it around the town square and taking people back to Syria.

I might be stretching it a bit but not much!

[Bob White]

Ah,, Ricardo Mantalban and the Chrysler Cordoba's "Rich Corinthian Leather" ---

My first car (1968) was a '64 Dodge Dart convertable, slant six, bug-eyed headlights and 8-track equipped.

Broke a rear axle in the N. GA mountains treating it like it was a Can-Am car.

Great memories in that car. My one and only ragtop.

[Jim Morrison]

Stephen,

My first car was also a 1978 Datsun B210 ( 4 speed, dark green), but I didn't get it until 1988. That thing was like an extra strength can of "Chick Repellent".

[Gerry Beaumont]

Hi to all

"Chick repellent" I gotta remember that one Jim

My first car was a 1967 Triumph Herald sedan (yeah one of funny little Brit cars) it had a 1200 cc (about 3ci) engines putting out a stump pulling 40ish horse power. I span it on ice and then learned how to replace drive shafts that got bend, it vibrated quite a bit before that job got done!!

I have to admit things got better after that and having been a "Petrol Head" all my life has meant that I've had some interesting stuff over the years, from the sublime to the rediculous, a 1967 Jaguar/Daimler 420 (pure class and goes like hell) and the other end of the scale goes to a 1959 Isetta Bubble-car (one door right on the front).

I am currently classic-less at present, but I do see a British sports car in my future again sometime soon.

Just for laughs, the image is of a Herald as many over here would not know them. this one is the delux version with round wheels and "see through" glass [:-magnify

Regards

Gerry

Download Attachment: trherald.jpg

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[mgbinspect]

Jerry, My sixth grade teacher had an English Ford that looked pretty similar to that car. I thought it was pretty cool. Watching him get into and out of that care at 6' - 3 was funny too.

As a matter of fact, my very first car, a 1967 Opel had that same mini-boxy look too. It had a hand cranked sun roof.

[hausdok]

Hi Gerry,

Those were sold in this country but I forget what they were called over here. I had a friend who had one.

OT - OF!!!

M.

[RobC]

A 64 blue VW BEELTE

chasing ambulances on Friday night

interviewing Johnny Cash, Jefferson Airplanes, The Who

The heater wasn't worth a DA#! but who cared.

My buddy survided a 62 Corvair roll over.

"I grabbed the steering wheel for dear life" was his words.

Those were the days, when the commies(sp) were our biggest worries.

LOL, I've got 20 gallons of gas in the hills - just in case.