Your Very First Real Car

[Foxer]

My first was bought in 1964 from my aunt who owned it since new, a 1951 Plymouth Cranbrook. I was just in college and poor, so the $75 price was right. It had the old L-head 6 and maybe 70k miles on it. It ran ok but never wanted to start in the New England winter until the day I sold it. My Dad would back his 56 VW Kombi into the driveway and me the Plymouth in front. It would push start in about 5 feet, but rarely on it's own. Since school was taking all my cash I made some freshening to it by painting all the metal trim inside gloss black and dying all the doors and headliner black. The seats were some covers from J C Whitney. The crowning touch was red seat belts added to the front seats. The wheels in the photo are just fake mag wheel covers from JC also. Not exactly a read burner, but it got me around and I learned to shift (3 on the column) on it.

Edited September 9, 2009 by Foxer

[FujimiLover]

I often wonder what happened to our old gems. My Dad and I often think about a classic Buick that my Dad used to have. I remember it was a pearl white "bomber" of some sort. Don't recall what year or what model but I do remember we had traded it in for my brother's first gold-colored Mazda RX7. This was the first generation RX7 sport's cars.

If we still had that Buick today, I bet I'd be turning it into a classic Hot-Rod by now!

Sometimes we think that somebody out there has done just that to our beloved Buick! LOL!

Edited September 9, 2009 by FujimiLover

[RodneyBad]

My First car I bought off my Dad how picked it up to make a RaceCar out of.

I saw the Body Style and fell head over heals in love with it.

A 1969 Plymouth Sport Satellite

Same as the 69 GTX with bucket seats and A/C (never worked anywhoo.)

We Painted it from the ugly flat Yellow to

A Bright Corvette Yellow.

We Built a 360 4bbl for it with Dual exhaust and 30"inch Glass Packs.

Yaaaa whoooo.

Wouldn't stop or corner worth a Dang but in a straight line, It was perty fast for a first car.

A model of it I started 20yrs ago.

Finding a stock flat hood has been a hold up till now (From R&R Resin but had to buy a whole 4dr kit for it)

BTW: FujimiLover, Cute first car.

Probley wouldn't have drove one back then, But I'd drive one now just for fun.

Mmmmm, A V-Tech motor in one

[James Flowers]

Mine was a 1962 Ford Fairlane 2 door 6 cly auto in 1971. Paid $300.00 bucks for it with the motor just rebuilt in it. The thing would run a flat hundred miles an hour on top speed. I painted the interior with black interior paint and put a set of bucket seats in it from a 65 Pontiac a buddy of mine had wrecked. I bought one 5 years later only it was a four door same color and all as the first one. It just never felt the same so I sold it.

[67PontiacGTO]

i don't have one yet,but I am trying to get my hands on a GMC 1500HD Crew Cab Long Bed. Yes a 1500 HD! Kool Huh!

Clutch

[Joe Handley]

Heres one of the last pics of my first car, an '85 Lebaron GTS Turbo, bought it with 101k on the clock in '95 for $2300 and scrapped in 8 years later in early 2004 with 150k on the clock. I jumped the timing belt and it ran well enough to get home and ended up replacing it for good with the Cherokee I'm currently driving because the car was so rusty. It was a decently reliable, suprisingly fast little car that was also fairly easy for me to work on. It's also the only FWD car my Dad has ever driven that he could actually trusted to push hard and even gave a few guys in a then new mid 90's Impala SS (with loud exhaust and cross flags on the front fenders) a serious run for their money, Dad just doesn't know how fast they were going since the speedo only went to 85 MPH but the guys in the Impala were looking at him awful funny My little sister even drove it during high school and when of her friends and co-worker announced that his '91 Caprice was "The Beast" (yup, all 305ci of TBI thunder ), another friend and co-worker told him "Your car isn't "The Beast", Nicki's is!"

Wouldn't mind finding another, this was a pretty fun and stealthy car!

[horsepower]

I'm really looking, my first real ride was a '56 Chevy Bel-Air sedan originally Plum Rose, 283 Isky cam, four speed,Holley four barrel carb on an Edelbrock C3bx intake. final version was stripped interior, front bumper & grille assy. painted '69 MoPar code f 6 Bright Green Metallic, with fenderwell exit cyclone headers. a true 13 sec. car, five miles to the gallon on the freeway. the girlfriend hated it, she is now the wife of 37 years & wishes she hadn't made me sell it.

Edited September 9, 2009 by horsepower

[Gregg]

I LOVE THIS THREAD!!!

Maybe when I sober up I'll remember what my first car was.... and where I parked my FJ Cruiser.....

[Dr. Cranky]

Mine was my father's 1965 Dodge Dart, and then I moved on to a 1980 Mustang hatchback . . . afterall these years, I wish I still had the Dart!

[beefheart22]

Just bought my first about a month ago. A black '09 Ford Ranger Sport. Up until then I was driving the girlfriends 01 Nisan Sentra. The Ranger is way more fun to drive with the 4.0L and gas-charged suspension through the back roads during fishing trips.

[Aaronw]

my first car was a mid 80's Mazda 626, nice car unfortunately I only had it for about 6 hours when the front wheel / axle detached from the car dragging me into a wall on the freeway. Needless to say the car dealer I got it from (and who supposedly had done a safety inspection on it) gave me a pretty good deal on an '89 Toyota Tercel (which I later found out had the rear springs cut to lower it, the dealer provided a new set of rear springs after my mechanic explained why the car kept leaning to one side). Needless to say I have a bit of a distrust of used car dealers.

That Tercel got me around for many years, I put more than 200,000 miles on it. That car always did have a black cloud following it around though.

I traded it in to a dealer when we bought my wife a Suzuki Sidekick. About a month later I got a phonecall from the dealership looking for info on the car. Apparently one of their mechanics stole it before they documented the VIN and such. It turned up later when the police caught him trying to get into Mexico. I heard from the car about 1 year later when the new owner bought it from a CHP auction, but the DMV wouldn't register it because I still showed up as the owner.

Unfortunately I don't think I have any pics of the car, it is possible that it would not show up on film anyway.

Edited September 9, 2009 by Aaronw

[Raul_Perez]

My first car was a '64 Falcon Sprint. It had a 289 with the factory chrome package on the engine. It was like this one, white with red interior, but mine had chrome wheels and baby moons.

Later,

[Jared Roach]

Hey guys, I don't usaly repley or comment on things because I am sooooo busy with school and stuff like that but I do check this sit alot!! My first( and current ) car is a 1999 gmc sonoma. My dad past it down to me and now I have it. I don't have my liesence yet because I'm only 14. Alot of people I know think it's a peace of ######, but it's not. it's only got 84000 km on it and is rust free except for a cab corner. I evetially want to lift it up, convert it from 2wd to 4wd and install a small block chev in it but thats later on in life when I get some money. I spend most of my cash on my models!!! My truck is my baby, hands down. I love it!! here's the pic, hope you enjoyed!!

[LUKE'57]

I inhereted the family car when my dad bought a '59 VW beetle as the next family ride. I didn't mind because it was a '57 Ford Fairlane 500 and I had already seen Thunder Road a couple of times and knew what it was capable of.LOL Here's the only shot of my first car that I bought when I went to work. It is from a faded and cracked 1" X 2" photo that is the only photo I have left of it. It was that beautiful copper color called Emberglo and it got waxed once a month whether it needed it or not. I was seventeen, working 48 hrs. a week, six cays a week but I still found time to learn how to powerslide that sucker on those wet country back roads to overcome the understeer caused by that big 390 up front. Anybody recall power induced oversteer?

[Nick F40]

Heres one of the last pics of my first car, an '85 Lebaron GTS Turbo, bought it with 101k on the clock in '95 for $2300 and scrapped in 8 years later in early 2004 with 150k on the clock. I jumped the timing belt and it ran well enough to get home and ended up replacing it for good with the Cherokee I'm currently driving because the car was so rusty. It was a decently reliable, suprisingly fast little car that was also fairly easy for me to work on. It's also the only FWD car my Dad has ever driven that he could actually trusted to push hard and even gave a few guys in a then new mid 90's Impala SS (with loud exhaust and cross flags on the front fenders) a serious run for their money, Dad just doesn't know how fast they were going since the speedo only went to 85 MPH but the guys in the Impala were looking at him awful funny My little sister even drove it during high school and when of her friends and co-worker announced that his '91 Caprice was "The Beast" (yup, all 305ci of TBI thunder ), another friend and co-worker told him "Your car isn't "The Beast", Nicki's is!"

Wouldn't mind finding another, this was a pretty fun and stealthy car!

Now that's what I'm talking about, if that ain't grassroots I don't know what is! That can compete in the 24 Hours of LeMons with no modifications! That's a hot little car, but WAY to much for that

[Corvette.Jeff]

I think most of you here know my first car

1984 chevy corvette completley stock except for a stage two shift kit and the sound system.

Seriously considering switching from the cross fire injection to a carb'd setup to get about 400 h.p. out of it.

Edited September 10, 2009 by ThatOneEmoKid

[Corvette.Jeff]

Also the falken 255's all the way around, switching over to 300's in the rear next year!

Edited September 10, 2009 by ThatOneEmoKid

[FujimiLover]

That is a sad yet almost funny story. I wonder if your cousins were laughing at you for making the same mistakes they made?

Gravel road is tricky, I always feel nervous when driving on it for some reason. Even though I'm very careful not to induce over steer!

[gasman]

no pics, but my First car was a Purple 1995 Geo Prism, base model car, with a 5sp. manual. only options where a dealer installed power moon roof, and a set of American Racing rims, great car. ran like a top, sold it with 140,000 miles on it and should'nt have. I had it through High School and my first year of College.

[Nick F40]

Well, this is a cherry 1985 GTI! With 8 valves of full on VW NA power! This girl really gets up and goes though for less than 120BHP.......and 337,000 on the clock:lol: I want to do SO MUCH with the engine. I was thinking Weber 45's or a Megasquirt with ITB's and so on. I just recently put on Raceland coilovers. I need to adjust the front.

It's Grassroots all the way, SCCA here I come!

when I got it

and recently

Edited September 11, 2009 by Nick F40

[PatRedmond]

78 Volare Wagon. In the crate. w00t !!

[dartman]

I cant find any pics but my first car was a '69 buick GS.The motor was gone so I put a 430 with a cam,intake,and headers.With air bags in the rear springs that car would hook and book.Darn I miss that car.

[dartman]

I cant find any pics but my first car was a '69 buick GS.The motor was gone so I put a 430 with a cam,intake,and headers.With air bags in the rear springs that car would hook and book.Darn I miss that car.

[Nick F40]

very cool little GTi Nick! dropped down quite nicely

Dave

Thanks I'm quite happy with how simple it was. I do have to raise the front a little though, it rubs a bit

78 Volare Wagon. In the crate. w00t !!

I love the avatar!!! Where'd you get it? You do them?

[Nick F40]

Nick it's supposeed to rub! if it doesn't rub, scrape, drag, vibrate like hell or make you fear speed bumps and driveways it's not low enough.

Dave

It rubs, it scrapes, it doesn't drag but it definetly vibrates like hell, even before it was lower!

I make sure to look out for the speedbumps although I could just go full snot and jump them, touring car style and for driveways, ehhh, it's slow, I jsut scrape.

Edited September 12, 2009 by Nick F40