What was your first car? Mine was a 1965 Chevy Impala -aqua blue and 9 years old. It was a tank for

[debm55]

Last edited Wed Mar 22, 2023, 09:18 PM - Edit history (3)

friends and gasoline. Four door, automatic. It was a gift from my parents for graduation. My second car was a Pinto--it sucked. I could walk up hill then that car could drive up hill. No comparing the two. Started driving it when I was 15 years old.

[Enter stage left]

1. 1958 white Triumph TR-3.

Fun, fun, fun...until the darn thing broke.

[debm55]

3. My brother wrecked mine by driving through a field, while he was drunk with his friends.

[Enter stage left]

5. Bummer

[Lochloosa]

12. TR's were always broke. But, damn they were fun to drive.

[Enter stage left]

23. You are soooooo right...

When that TR gave up the ghost I bought a Black/black/black 59 TR-3. That car was so great, I kept it until 1967 then bought a brand new, ordered from the factory, 67 TR-4A with IRS, overdrive and the SU carbs (5 more HP than the Strombergs. It was also black/black/black. It also had a heater and a AM radio. Both were optional and cost extra.

Ran many dozens of solo events with that car(sometimes called gymkhanas) and won lots of trophies. Had to part with it when my daughter was born and there wasn't room for 3 of us.

Still miss the TR-3 the most. One of the most fun cars I've owned.

[Codifer]

31. I had a 1957...

Small grill (not a TR3A), no door handles, no radio and a joke of a heater. This is the time I learned that orange groves felt 20 degrees colder than the rest of the world but oh, how wonderful the fragrance in the night. She finally ate one of her valves. I had presumed at the time that the engine was strong seeing that it was derived from the Fordson tractor engine. It could pull stumps but got very clackety at high revs.

Little British Cars always find their way to me... most I wish I had kept (Austin Healey 3000, Peerless) I have a '67 MGB now.

The sporty one I loved most was an '57 Alfa Romeo 750b Sprint. All alloy twin cam and a stance like a puppy ready to play.

Those were the days. I learned to drive in a 1946 Dodge coupe.

[Enter stage left]

36. 20 degrees colder...LOL...

We used to drive the upper road from Farmington to Bountiful late in the day to play tennis at their lit courts at night.
(I sunburned so bad, couldn't play during the day) That road is just one hill and valley after another. We had the top down when weather permitted, and were usually shirtless after sweating playing tennis. The road was on the bench of the Wasatch mntn range, with peaks about 3500-5000 ft higher than we were. Talk about COLD, the bottom of those dips were 10-25 degrees colder than the tops of the hills.

We LOVED it, because we were doing what we wanted to do in a vehicle we loved. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, if I was assured my heart would continue to beat.

[Scottie Mom]

44. 1965 VW Bug

New.

Gawd, I loved that car!!!!

🚗

[Walleye]

2. 1956 Buick station wagon. Peach and white.

My high school friends called it the pink bomb. Eight cylinder engine with Dyna flow transmission. Gas was $.27 a gallon.

[debm55]

6. Yes mine was a tank for gas, but when you are looking for change on the floor to buy gas it wasn't

that bad,

[Walleye]

10. Been there, done that

[Arkansas Granny]

13. When I started driving, gas was 15.9 cents per gallon.

[RobinA]

60. Yes! Yes!

I want one of those peach and white cars. That and a pink Cadillac with fins.

[grumpyduck]

4. 1971 VW Super Beetle.

Had it for about thirteen years. I had so much fun in that car it was pitiful. Took me all thru college, then drove it from CA to MA for grad school, and then two years into my first job. Hated parting with it, but it was time for a new car.

I still dream of someday buying one and restoring it.

[patphil]

7. Mine was a 1960 Ford Falcon.

I had it for only 4 months and then a guy turned left into me at an intersection.
I really felt my next car, a 1960 Chevy Impala convertible, qualified as my first car...soooo much cooler. I had this one for several years, and only sold it because I had to volunteer for the Air Force to prevent being drafted and going to South East Asia.
It was pretty well trashed by then; you know how young guys are with cars.
But I did love that car.

[Faux pas]

8. ...

66 mustang 3 yes old. It was great until I got married and my ex totalled it. Lol he wasn't my ex at the time.

[Lochloosa]

9. 67 Delta 88. Same thing. Tank I miss her.

[Arkansas Granny]

11. 1956 Dodge Coronet. The gear shift came out of the dashboard instead of being on the column

[Lochloosa]

14. Nice. Bet you still wish you had it. 😳

[debm55]

17. Wow nice car. Is that your car? Going into Los Vegas, they had a strip mail with all these odd

things. AND they had a 1965 Chevy Impala in aqua blue. I got someone to take a picture of me sitting on the hood. I never
realized how big it was.

[Arkansas Granny]

35. No, mine was two-tone gray. Chrome everywhere.

[dem4decades]

15. I had the same car, 4 door 1965 blue Impala, 283. The lead sled.

[debm55]

19. Wow, It drove like a tank didn't it? Loved that car. However, had to sit on a pillow so I could see

over the steering wheel. Help me, but I don't remember safety belts. Did they have them?

[dem4decades]

46. Belts but not shoulder straps. I can remember having 4 friends with me.

We were high school kids back around 1969, the guys in the back were putting firecrackers in the ashtrays and blowing them out of the doors. They'd go right back into the door rest after they came out of course.

[Baked Potato]

16. 67 Chevy Biscayne, Government surplus from my high school.. $75. Nt

[multigraincracker]

24. 58 Chevy Biscayne that I bought for $25.

Replaced 2 spark plugs and drove it for over a year.

[Baked Potato]

39. Mine had a gutless 283, but man it was a car, you know what I mean. Lols nt

[happybird]

18. 1983 Toyota 4x4 truck

It was the family’s getting a yard of mulch machine and taking trash to the dump vehicle. I had to get a new back window from the junkyard and clean out some sort of nest/bedding (possibly raccoon?) from under the bench seat.

I loved that truck. I do not miss having to get out to turn the hubs when the 4WD was needed, though.

[Silent Type]

20. 1957 4-door Ford Fair Lane with 8-ball manual gearshift knob, Thunderbird

engine, baby moon hubcaps, and more junk. Loved that junky land cruiser.

[wnylib]

21. 1967 Plymouth Fury 4 door hardtop, metallic blue

It was 6 years old.

[Lefta Dissenter]

22. '67 Chevelle

The color of an old band-aid. It was ugly, but fast! I paid $300 for it. After I had had it for a while, it was smooshed in a hit-and-run. Insurance company totaled it. So they paid me $300, we used a wrecker to pull the fender back out and I drove it for another year or two. Ugly as it was, it was a really fun car.

[kimbutgar]

25. 1966 Ford Mustang

Only car I brought that I sold for more than I paid for. I worked the summer after high school and my Dad said he’d match what I saved working which was $350 and he paid $700. It got me though my college commute 4 hours from where I lived. Sold it for $1500. Every time I see one I chastise myself at my stupidity for selling it and buying a junk car an orange Plymouth Arrow! UGH!!!!

[Wounded Bear]

26. 1952 Chevy BelAir 4 door sedan, powder blue...

In line 6 cylinder engine with a 53 head on it. 2 speed slushamatic transmission.

[montanacowboy]

27. 1962 Ford Fairlane Convertible

Black and White! what a car - gorgeous!

[dclarston13]

28. 1966 Dodge Coronet 440

Ended up wrapping it around a Cadillac.

[Ferrets are Cool]

49. Now that was a hella car.

My wife owned one just like it.

[CountAllVotes]

29. 1968 VW bug

You know, the ones that had a sunroof that rolled back on it?

I loved that car. I'd still have it today if I'd had my way.

Sadly, it broke down too much and my father made me get rid of it and I ended up with a 1982 Toyota Corolla.

[CanonRay]

30. I also had a 65 Chevy Impala

but a convertible in Evening Orchid. Otherwise known as "The Purple Pile". Man, I threw a lot of money into that heap. But it was the "family" car and I was the only one with a license. I had to drive everyone to work and me to sch, then pick everyone up and go to work. My girlfriend loved it.

[MOMFUDSKI]

32. 5-Speed Peugeot built like a tank

and don't remember what year it was. In England with Air Force husband in 1966. Bought it from some airman going stateside after his tour there. That is how it worked. A car kept being passed on to the next party that got stationed at that base. I did not know how to drive stick but the price was right. So husband would drive to base and I would wait until he got inside and then off I would go like a crazed jackrabbit all the way down! It was a hoot. Stop sign? Well, I couldn't quite come to a FULL stop, or the car would kill because I didn't fully understand the mechanics of the stick thingy. I got around and that was the point. Memories are so fun . . .

[MuseRider]

33. 1962 Mercury Monterey

It was old, this was 1971, it was HUGE and I was tiny and peach colored and it was rusted. No power anything so I had to park it off campus as I could not get it in or out of a parking lot space. No air conditioner except the old added kind that dripped water on your feet. We could fit 8 of us since there were no seat belts so it was good for a skip.

Thanks Dad! It went on to my brother and he gave me an old Cougar and it was wonderful for me. After that, as a poor worker bee just out of college I had some real doozies.

[mopinko]

34. 63 bug. turquoise.

10 yrs old, about 50k mi, iirc. rotted running boards, no heat. and the latch on the hood was hinky and a big truck going the other way occasionally caused it to pop open. always fun.
someone pulled out in front of me, hit her, didnt get hurt, but cracked the windshield. sold it.

[ironflange]

37. Your Pinto must have had the four-banger in it

I used to drive one with the V6 in it, and it went like spit. Not my first car, that would be a light blue 1971 Beetle. It was a leisurely ride.

[debm55]

38. Maybe it was the Colt. It was the last one in the series-Mustang, Pinto, Colt. It was so slow. I

Last edited Thu Mar 23, 2023, 08:00 AM - Edit history (1)

couldn't complain because my cousin gave it to me after my brother wrecked my car

[ironflange]

63. The Colt was a Dodge

But it was notorious for its sluggishness.

[debm55]

65. I am pretty sure it was a Colt--very slow. On flat ground it was okay. We have alot ot hills around

Pittsburgh. It was terrible.

[UpInArms]

40. 1956 DeSoto Fireflight

It was awesome … push button transmission … its name was Uriah Heap

[Conjuay]

86. Mine was the '57 FireFlight

Two tone, yellow and white. Hemi engine and two speed push button transmission. (?)

Original keys were aluminum.

[Ocelot II]

41. 1967 Toyota Corolla with a stick shift.

[Chakaconcarne]

42. 1967 Sunbeam ALPINE

[markie]

43. Pinto

soon totaled in 5 car pile up in Houston (after driving from Michigan)... surprised I came out alive

really, my 1st real car was an $100. old run down 1969 Ford F-100 that I learned about auto mechanics on (brakes, radiator, exhaust, etc. done all by myself! ) drove that truck back and forth from Michigan to Vermont many times... drove it until I could see a good portion of the payment at my feet

[2naSalit]

45. Used '68 (?) Chevy Bel Air...

Wagon with a 327 engine! 9 Seater, serious urban assault cruiser, known around the neighborhood as the boat. But gas was only $.36/gal.

The next one was a '58 VW Beetle, really liked that one. Had that one when I learned how to drive semis, it was an interesting transition from work vehicle to VW. Sometimes I would sit there, in my car, and laugh at how absurdly different it was.

[central scrutinizer]

47. 1957 Plymouth Savoy

Got it up to 105 mph on I-80 once.

[Ferrets are Cool]

48. 1965 Biscayne

Given to me by my grandparents when I turned 18. Like your Impala, it was a tank.

[LudwigPastorius]

50. Photo, not mine...only for reference.

Best thing about it?

It had a great hiding space in the rear quarter panel, accessible from the trunk. Just big enough to hide a bong and a full baggie.

[WestMichRad]

51. 72 VW Bus

… named Grover. Good vehicle for a student on the move.

[GReedDiamond]

52. 1970 Opel GT...

It looked like this:



I was forced to sell it after I was pulled over by the local cops, and they beat the shit out of me when they found an oz of weed.

I was charged with six felonies. Along with the weed charge, there were five other "trumped-up" charges claiming I assaulted the cop who beat me.

I was forced to trade it in on a very tiny Honda, when they first started selling cars in the US.

The relative who bailed me out and hired the attorney that got me off with only a $500 fine - no jail time or probation - thought the car was too flashy for a teenager and it likely attracted the attention of the cops.

[Auggie]

71. My family had two Opel GTs, both 1970 models

One white, one red. They were great cars. I have dreams about them all the time. The white one wasn't "my" car, but I sure did drive it a lot.

[GReedDiamond]

74. I liked that car a lot...

...I was not too happy about downgrading to the Honda.

[Mr.Bill]

53. '57 Ford Fairlane Club Coupe.

Perfect car for me then, because I was a total gear head and that car required a lot of attention. Hardly a day went by without having to open the hood and check or fix something.

[Laffy Kat]

54. A powder blue, semi-automatic Volkswagen bug.

Last edited Thu Mar 23, 2023, 09:32 PM - Edit history (1)

I have no idea what year it was, yet I began driving in '75 and it was used. So much fun to drive!

On edit: Oh, I saved up to have an eight-track installed.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

55. 1976 Plymouth Gran Fury

It was a gigantic car with a V8 engine, but it was about a decade old and already falling apart when I got it as a teenager.

I just realized that my current Honda Accord is even older, but it still looks and runs great.

[Emile]

57. I bought my first car at 13. Saved my allowance and spent $20.00

For my neighbors 1946 Chevy sedan.

[Fla Dem]

58. Brand new 1968 Lime Green Ford Mustang!! Loved that car!!

[debm55]

59. Nice car

[RobinA]

61. Powder Blue

1973 Plymouth Duster. A rust bucket but a great college car. Inside was vinyl everything. Good for learning to drive in the snow, because it would get stuck in anything and was always happy to ride rear end in front if it was at all slippery.

[debm55]

62. My husband had a Duster when we met. We called it the Flintstone Mobile because it had a large hole

in the hole of passenger side floor. His next car was a Mustang. You do not drive a Mustang in the snow and hills of Pittsburgh. Alsways fishtailed it down the hills, even when in neutral.

[ProfessorGAC]

64. 1973 Ford Pinto

I had money saved up to buy a car. Had my eye on a 3 or 4 year old Super Beatle. My dad didn't want me to get it because they were too dangerous.
So he made up the difference to buy a brand new Pinto.
How ironic, right? Later we found Pintos could burn to a crisp in a rear end collision and this car had Firestone 500 tires. You know, the tires with steel belts that could cut through the sidewalls on highway speed.
And the VW, was too dangerous.
But, the Pinto served me well. Drove it until late '77. Sold it to my cousin that drove it another half-dozen years. Neither of us had any mechanical issues with it.

[LuckyCharms]

66. You're not going to believe this.

Like yours, mine was also a 1965 Chevy Impala, aqua blue, 9 years old.

Mine was a 3 speed standard shift, with the shift stick on the steering wheel column, or "three on the tree". 283 engine. Heavy clutch pedal made it a tough vehicle to learn on at age 16.

[debm55]

69. Hi Lucky, It was very hard to steer. Steering wheel felt very heavy. It was automatic, as I was a

complete failure on the VW stick shift on the other car. I was allowed to start driving at 15 in PA at the time, it was called the Cinderalla license. Yes, indeed it was a hard car to drive. No, power streering, you realing had to turn the wheel. But I liked it. Still wish I could have learned to drive using the sticft stick. PS--I had Driver's Ed in school--let you drive earlier and insurance rates were lowered. Had to be in by 12 and have a licensed driver with you. What did you did you do with your car? PS, mine had F. R. N as the three speeds and was located near the driver's wheel.

[LuckyCharms]

70. Hi Deb. I drove that car right into the ground until it

literally fell apart!

I loved driving that car. Yes, no power steering and you really had to crank on that steering wheel.

I learned to drive with that car, but I took my road test on my girlfriend's father's big old Buick, which was an automatic.

I was glad I learned on a standard shift though. The shifting pattern on the Impala was:

1st gear: Down and toward you

2nd gear: Up to neutral, forward, and up again

3rd gear: Straight down to neutral, then all the way down.

Reverse: Down and away from you

[debm55]

72. Lucky, the steering wheel--took my driver's test on that car when I turned 16. I took it in

Greensburg, Westmoreland County. I remember being really afraid of doing the 3/4 point turn as I really had to tug the wheel. To this day I never park parallel. I bought a Jeep Liberty . I had one hell of a time finding one without stick. Loved that car. It was an all road. Had a guy stop me at the store and ask if I would be interested in selling it as Jeep stopped making. It was at the time, 10 years old and only had 35,OOO something miles on it.

[sakabatou]

67. A black '98 Nissan Sentra

[Emile]

68. I had a 1965 Malibu SS convertible when I was in the Navy.

Stationed in Florida back in the days when you could cruise up and down the beaches.

[Generic Brad]

73. I can't even remember the make of the 1962 car I started with

It was ugly. It cost $100. It took more oil than gas.

All you have me doing is remembering my second car - a 1970 Chevy Impala with a 350 engine. And I installed a very loud sound system and cassette player. And I loved that car more than any other I have ever had. Man, I miss that one.

[3catwoman3]

75. 1973 Toyota Corolla, with a stick shift, black vinyl interior...

…and no AC. Given to me by my parents when I graduated nursing school.

The no AC was not a big deal in Rochester NY, where we lived, but was a major problem when I joined the Air Force nurse corps and got stationed in San Antonio TX. No covered parking on the base, so the black vinyl interior baked in the sun all day. Driving home in the late afternoon in a high collared uniform blouse, a wool blend uniform skirt, and panty hose was utter misery.

[debm55]

76. 3catwoman3, would they add an AC for you? I had a car that I needed for a new job. Bought the first

one with a decent price. No AC, I thought well it did have a sunroof. Couldn't stand the heat. Took it back to the dealer and even though it was less than a week old, he said it was worth less because of the lack of AC, and he couldn't give me the Blue Book price because once I left the lot it devalued. Never bought from them again. You must have sweated mighty hard in Texas with no AC.

[3catwoman3]

77. Growing up in New York, I mistaken thought all of Texas was flat, brown...

…and dry. San Antonio is hilly, green and HUMID!!! I was totally unprepared for the humidity there. You could sweat just standing still.

[debm55]

79. Yes the humidity in a non AC can be terrible

[roamer65]

78. 1976 Chevrolet Caprice Classic.

4 door, metallic dark blue with same color vinyl top.

A real boat and I loved it.

[moonscape]

80. 1954 Tan Ford

[nuxvomica]

81. 1970 Ford Torino convertible

White body with blue, iridescent stripe on the side, and a black ragtop. My dad's car that he gave me for college when he bought a 1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme.

[Emile]

82. I tell people I married my wife for her 69 Grand Torino fast back.

I love her, but that car was awesome.

[onethatcares]

83. 63 chevy bellair

283 c,u,, 3 on the tree, 4 door, crap brown.

I paid $200.00 for it in 1969.

Wish I still had it.

[DFW]

84. A 1961 Chevy Corvair

In retrospect, it's a miracle that wreck ever made it out of the parking lot, mush less made the trip from Philadelphia, PA to Falls Church, Virginia and back a few times. I'm not sure what would have been the more appropriate resting place, a junkyard or a museum. I never found out, but I suspect the former.

[Wicked Blue]

85. Blue 1966 Dodge Dart

A wonderful car.

[Rhiannon12866]

87. 1971 Plymouth Duster which I inherited from my mother who got a new car every 10 years...

Notice the Duster decal next to the passenger side taillights.

[debm55]

93. My husband had one when we met. Was it Taz in a dust cloud?

Last edited Sat Mar 25, 2023, 05:26 PM - Edit history (1)

[Rhiannon12866]

94. I loved that car. Here it is:

[csziggy]

88. 1958 Buick Special - emerald green with white vinyl roof. four door, automatic

It'd been my grandmother's car, bought new, then she gave it to my Dad when she bought a new car in 1964. Mom forced me to start driving as soon as I could (1966) so she didn't have to carry hay and horse feed in her car. I got to use it until I started college - freshmen were not allowed cars where I started.

When Dad sold it, he thought the paint job was in bad shape. The buyer found out that I'd paste waxed it, but never polished it. The paint was perfect under all that wax!

Second car was a silver 1968 Buick Skylark. Damn near got me killed several times since it tended to blend into the road color. That's when I learned to drive with my lights on even in the daytime. I drove that poor car through the National Forest, forging streams and slogging along dirt roads. Wore it completely out in two years. When I limped home so Dad's mechanic could look at it, it had compression in 3 of 8 cylinders - and those weren't too good.

Third car was a Datsun 510 station wagon. Great little car, shit on dirt roads ( ), but ran great as long as I had it. Not only did I carry feed and hay in it, it also transported goats, dogs, and cats - not at the same time.

[Mad_Dem_X]

89. A used Chevy Chevette (can't remember the year)...

The radio only got AM stations, which I hated at first, but then I got hooked on an oldies station and grew to love it. The car itself was kind of junky, but it had a kick-ass heater. LOL

[debm55]

90. Did anyone here the bare essentals car? Don't know who made it. Had to be in the early 1980's. It

Last edited Sat Mar 25, 2023, 03:15 PM - Edit history (1)

had no add on--no radio, ashtrays, seats had very thin covering,. It was small. I believe it was put out after the long gasoline lines of 79 and the price of cars going up in cost. We took one home to test drive. A clunker. We returned and husband got a fire engine red Mustang. Never hear of those cars again.

[Cadfael]

91. 1972 Fiat 128 SL

How I learned to drive stick with only one new transmission….had a manual choke too.

[jmowreader]

92. My first car was a motorcycle

I had a 1982 Yamaha Vision.

?w=1126&ssl=1

Mine didn't have the little fairing that's on this one. The bike rags say this is "good for short trips" but I rode mine from Fort Campbell, KY, to St. Maries, ID in three days...and after I got back from Korea I was planning to ride it from St. Maries to Fort Hood, TX. I would have too if the thing would have started consistently after I got home.

[debm55]

96. My boyfriend at the time had a Yamaha. That was in 1974. He would go around the curves and it

felt like we were going to tip over. It scared me so we started taking my Pinto.

[sinkingfeeling]

95. 1956 Nash Metropolitan, aqua and white.