The "Your First Car" Thread

[the Teuton]

That's so annoying when people do that.

It's the worst in ads for cars on craigslist where the seller is a bit, eh, rural. "Has engine, needs fixed." NO GODDAMMIT! HAS ENGINE NEEDS TO BE FIXED!

I worked today. I have not much energy. My level of caring is under 9,000.

But I appreciate the correction nonetheless. Thanks.

[dazzleman]

Seems like a hell of a long time ago to me...

My sense of time is very different than yours, because I'm so fucking old.  To me, 1970 was recent.....   (well, not really, but you know what I mean..)

[Rupert]

I worked today. I have not much energy. My level of caring is under 9,000.

But I appreciate the correction nonetheless. Thanks.

This is the most gracious acceptance of a nitpicky internet grammar correction I have ever seen. 0_0

[dazzleman]

This is the most gracious acceptance of a nitpicky internet grammar correction I have ever seen. 0_0

For an English major, he makes a lot of grammatical errors.  He really ought to have about a 1.5 GPA in that major....

[the Teuton]

This is the most gracious acceptance of a nitpicky internet grammar correction I have ever seen. 0_0

You deserve a check plus for the day. There's nothing wrong with proper English. I'm thankful you caught that.

[Rupert]

Jolly good, wot!

[TBR]

1995 Dodge Neon Highline 5-spd
$1400, my money
Had it for about 3 months before I managed to total (hit a light pole in a parking lot. Not wreckless, just stupid).
Well, the Prelude is nicer, but I'd probably still have the Neon if I hadn't totaled it. I certainly would have saved a lot of money.

[Laconian]

1990 Toyota Camry
$3200
Had it for 5 years. Only problem was a shitty ignition coil design, and a crazy alignment problem following an accident. Otherwise it ran like a top.
It also suffered from an unintended lack of acceleration.

[SVT666]

1978 Chrysler Cordoba

- Got it for free from my parents when I turned 16.

- I had it one year because at the end of one year it failed 47 of the 49 points in the safety inspection. 

- No, I don't ever want to see it again.

It was just like this one:




But, I would love to have another one if it was like this:

[cawimmer430]

1992 Mitsubishi Galant GTI 2.0 DOHC 16V




Handed down to me by my father after he bought himself a Nissan Cefiro Elite 2.0 VQ V6.

From about 1998 to 2001.

Sure. It was a great car. You could reach 70 km/h in first gear! 

[cawimmer430]

1978 Chrysler Cordoba

- Got it for free from my parents when I turned 16.

- I had it one year because at the end of one year it failed 47 of the 49 points in the safety inspection. 

You Americans don't know how lucky you are to have experienced these awesome landyachts! That thing is hot! 

Late '60s to 70s and 80s American cars are the coolest IMO. 

[JWC]

1969 Mustang Sportsroof 302 V8
Grandfather picked it up for $1,000 and gave it to me.
I had it till I started college, then picked up a 1973 Celica.


I'd take it back in a split second if it hadn't been rolled three times by the guy I sold it to a month or so after selling it.

[dazzleman]

1969 Mustang Sportsroof 302 V8
Grandfather picked it up for $1,000 and gave it to me.
I had it till I started college, then picked up a 1973 Celica.


I'd take it back in a split second if it hadn't been rolled three times by the guy I sold it to a month or so after selling it.

Those are both sweet cars. 

[Onslaught]

1987 Mazda B2000 Pickup Truck- Black with bench seat and factory chrome rims.
Don't know how much dad paid for it. The original owner had wreaked it 3 times having my dad fix it each time. The last time he hit something my dad made him an offer for it and the guy sold it then my dad fixed it back up. I wasn't old enough to drive so my father used it until I was 16.
From the age of 14 to 19. I traded it in on a brand new 1993 MX-3 GS
Yes, I would love to have it back. Those trucks are slow but they handled great for a little truck. The ride quality was really good for what it was too. Much better than the Ranger/Mazda trucks that replaced them. And you could not kill one. It was the perfect size for what I'd need in a truck. And it didn't drink any gas. It was the perfect little truck.

[S204STi]

-1994 Subaru Legacy L wagon, green.
-Gift from my Grandmother.
-Owned it for 5 year IIRC, put about 90k miles on it.
-Oh yes.  But I know where it lives now and the people who own it take good care of things, so I'll be content with where it is for now.

[Jon?]

Okay, here's the game:

-What was your first car?

1973 Chevelle

How much did you pay for it/how did you receive it?

$200.  Bought it from my manager while working at Wendy's.

How long did you have it?

2 years.

Would you want it back if you could get it back?

Yes, it was a nice car.  I wish I had more money back then, I would have hung onto it and fixed it up.  It was a nice ride.  



Not my actual car but pretty much identical to what I drove, right down to the color.

[sportyaccordy]

Okay, here's the game:

-What was your first car?
-How much did you pay for it/how did you receive it?
-How long did you have it?
-Would you want it back if you could get it back?
-Etc.

1995 Nissan Maxima SE
Dad got a new car and just kept it
I had it for about a year in college but didn't get to keep it with me (it stayed at my parents' place)
I would have liked to have kept it longer. It was a special car- black on black, fully loaded, 5 speed. I thought I totalled it, but it was all cosmetic. If I had known then what I know now I would probably still have that car; it would have been an easy fix.

First car I bought was this Accord:



Got it for 1800 stock, 93,000 miles from Virginia. No rust. Car really taught me a lot. Had to ditch it when a "friend" botched a motor swap. I love this car though. Thing handled perfectly and the engine pulled + sounded like a raped ape right up till the oil pump went. I think as long as it's practical for me to have one of these cars I will have 2 or 3 as daily drivers and weird projects. But that's way in the future.

[dazzleman]

1973 Chevelle

$200.  Bought it from my manager while working at Wendy's.

2 years.

Yes, it was a nice car.  I wish I had more money back then, I would have hung onto it and fixed it up.  It was a nice ride.  



Not my actual car but pretty much identical to what I drove, right down to the color.

That car is sweet, man.  That was one I always wanted, but never managed to get, when I was younger.

[2o6]

1992 Mitsubishi Galant GTI 2.0 DOHC 16V




Handed down to me by my father after he bought himself a Nissan Cefiro Elite 2.0 VQ V6.

From about 1998 to 2001.

Sure. It was a great car. You could reach 70 km/h in first gear! 

Cefiro? Were you not originally from Germany?

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Mine was a 1980 Buick Century that I got for $975 (1990) and drove for 10 months before the 3.8 V6 locked up.

[CALL_911]

-1994 Subaru Legacy L wagon, green.
-Gift from my Grandmother.
-Owned it for 5 year IIRC, put about 90k miles on it.
-Oh yes.  But I know where it lives now and the people who own it take good care of things, so I'll be content with where it is for now.

1. So our cars were almost the same?
2. Wait, you're, what, 15 years older than me and your car is 2 years newer!?

[280Z Turbo]

1976 Datsun (Nissan) 280Z 2+2
$1100
Owned since 2003

Before I bought it:


When I first got it:






Driving to school for the first time:


At the track:


Now:

[the Teuton]

The American bumpers for that car were huge.

[Vinsanity]

- 1984 Volvo 240 sedan (244DL)
- $1,000 of my own money + $500 from my parents
- owned from summer of 1998 through summer of 2000
- sure, if I had the room and the know-how, I'd love to keep it around for a Chevy 350 project. I'd even paint it flat black with red scallops

visual representation:



only mine had the quad sealed-beam lamps, and couldn't dream of being that shiny.


I actually had a 1986 V6 Mustang for 3 months before that, but I had to sell it when my family moved, so I didn't get as attached to it as I did the Volvo.

[FoMoJo]

Okay, here's the game:

-What was your first car?  1951 Mercury coupe
-How much did you pay for it/how did you receive it? $300/off a used car lot
-How long did you have it? 3 years
-Would you want it back if you could get it back? Absolutely
-Etc. Bought it when I was 17 after working for the Summer picking tobacco.  I was influenced by "Rebel Without a Cause"

It looked something like this, although the one pictured is a 1950...

[93JC]

- 1993 Jeep Cherokee!
- hand-me-down from Pops
- a couple years
- Absolutely. It's still kicking around, too. My dad has it stored.

I'm still attached to the 1990 Dodge Spirit too. A hand-me-down from Mum, drove it for six years. I don't really care to have it back though, I'm quite comfortable driving El Tres. Mum still drives it though, so I see it often. I've had the Mazda for five months now, and in those five months I've driven the Spirit a couple times.

[Laconian]

You Americans don't know how lucky you are to have experienced these awesome landyachts! That thing is hot! 

Late '60s to 70s and 80s American cars are the coolest IMO. 

Maybe if you see them as pieces of rolling sculpture. Taken as cars, they fail miserably.

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/curbside-classic-1978-cadillac-eldorado-biarritz-classic-coupe/

Read the article and the many anecdotes in the "comments" section. These land yachts were terrible from day 1.

[J86]

I kinda had two 'first' cars, depending on how ya define it.  Hand-me-down 1996 Accord DX in high school.  Left it at home when I went to college so my brother had something to drive in high school, and I bought myself a 1993 Subaru Legacy L sedan for $1600.  Had that for just over a year, then a lady backed into me and it made more financial sense to take the insurance money and sell the rest of the car than fix it.  Then I took the Honda back when my little bro went to school overseas, and I drove it until I killed it in December of 2008 when I was driving too fast in an ice storm and put it ass-first into a guardrail at 50.  That hurt.  That thing still got me almost 400 miles home after that too, after I spent 6 hours in a junkyard cutting the back half of the exhaust off (as well as a large part of the rear end) and bolting new taillights in so I wouldn't get pulled over.  I still kick myself.  I LOVED that car, moreso than the Subaru that I paid for myself.  So many memories in that car.

The Honda after I drove it home damaged.  Note the aerodynamic duct tape (there is no metal under there.) 



Honda in happier days:



Subaru in it's natural environment:



Subaru doing it's duty as a workhorse.  (Every car I have owned I've put a trailer hitch on... and use it!)

[S204STi]

1. So our cars were almost the same?
2. Wait, you're, what, 15 years older than me and your car is 2 years newer!?

If I'm 15 years older than you that would make you 10.

But yeah, my car looks pretty much like yours.

[S204STi]

1976 Datsun (Nissan) 280Z 2+2
$1100
Owned since 2003

Before I bought it:


When I first got it:






Driving to school for the first time:


At the track:


Now:

You win "Coolest First Car", I reckon.