hammerchick
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posted on November 30, 2000 05:02:25 PM
What was your first car and what happened to it? My first car was a 1971 Mustang. I thought I was cool riding around in it with my portable 8-track tape player in the seat (the kind where you had to turn the knob to change the tracks!). One Christmas all I asked for was accessories for the car. About a week later, a kid who had just gotten his driver's license rammed into my car and totalled it. I HAD been known for being the shy, quiet type . . . but I remember the policeman trying to calm me down as I was shaking my fist at the kid, banging my fist on the car and cursing like a sailor. What's your story? 
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snowyegret
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posted on November 30, 2000 05:13:23 PM
'63' Dodge Dart with reverse and drive only. No carpet, but someone had put leather seats in it. That tank made it from Mexico to Canada. Got mashed. 
My 2nd car ended in an interesting way. It was a '66' Olds Delta 88 (huge, drove like a boat). Came home, heard a huge crash, look out and my car was gone. Oh no it wasn't, it was wrapped around my neighbor's tree. It was hit by an FBI agent speeding down a side street on his way to work.
Those 2 cars were the bomb!! 
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UpInTheHills
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posted on November 30, 2000 05:22:59 PM
Mine was a '71 Chevy pickup. I still have it!!! My Dad wanted to get rid of it about ten years ago. I told him noooo, so he gave it to me.
It wasn't very cool when I was driving it. Bet it will be when my kids are driving it in 12-13 years.
edited to add: My brother nicknamed it years ago. It's name is The Glob. Now...isn't that attractive?
[ edited by UpInTheHills on Nov 30, 2000 05:24 PM ]
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mouseslayer
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posted on November 30, 2000 05:26:25 PM
Mine was a '78 Datsun B210. I tried for 7 years to drive it into the ground...finally traded it in because it had some electrical problem and wouldn't always start. Can you believe they actually gave me $1000 for it?!? And it wasn't a special I almost cried when I drove off the lot 
The one accident I was in with it almost flipped it. The axle broke and the rim hit the ground, bent and sheared part of it off. It wasn't until my dad told me how serious it was that I really freaked out! But hey, a $60 axle from the junkyard and $20 rim and a $30 tire and it was good as new! (That is if you didn't look at the huge dent in the side, fortunately no in a door )
But it did leave me with one lasting memory...after driving a car with a crooked seat for 7 years, my back is even more messed up 
~~MouseSlayer is not a cat =^..^= ~~
[ edited by mouseslayer on Nov 30, 2000 05:29 PM ]
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eyeguy6
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posted on November 30, 2000 05:39:30 PM
1971 Olds Cutlass. 350 Rocket engine and floor mounted 8-track. Has anyone seen my "Orleans" tape?
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hammerchick
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posted on November 30, 2000 05:48:21 PM
Eyeguy - It's probably in the same place as my Eric Carmen "All By Myself" tape.
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brighid868
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posted on November 30, 2000 05:57:40 PM
My first car was a 72 Ford Courier pickup. I bought it in 1985 with my high school graduation money ($600) and the money I had saved from working as a waitress after school ($400). The thing had a brand new Earl Schieb teal-blue paintjob. Everything else was falling apart. After 6 months I traded it to a friend whose car was also falling apart. I guess we wanted to trade problems. Her car which became mine was a 68 Volkswagen fastback. That lasted a few years. Couple hundred dollars worth of repairs and I gave up. Bought a 76 Oldsmobile from my elderly uncle and had it until 1990. Also had a 63 Chevy Impala during a few of those years, but sold it cause it sucked gas like a thirsty camel. Bought a series of 3 small Japanese cars in the early 90s which each had over 100,000 miles on em. All died of tranny trouble and engine problems, then got a Ford Escort from a relative. Had that a couple years. Bought a new GMC truck in 1997 but sold it in 1998 because I got sick of making payments. Bought a 87 Mazda truck in 1998 and have been driving it ever since. Adore my current truck and plan on being buried in it.
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eyeguy6
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posted on November 30, 2000 06:01:02 PM
Hammerchick --- I'll see your Eric Carmen "All By Myself" and raise you a Starland Vocal Band "Afternoon Delight".
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bunnicula
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posted on November 30, 2000 06:29:57 PM
My first car was a 1965 Plymouth Sport Fury. Red with black interior. Bucket seats. Radio had been connected to a reverberator that sounded *incredible* I bought for $100. What a car that was! I got it in 1973 when I was in college.
I'd still have it, but when my mother became ill I was doing all the driving and couldn't support two cars. Since she had a 1976 Volvo, *that* was the obvious choice to keep. So, I sold my Fury for $400 to a chicano who planned to make it into a low rider.
Wouldn't mind having a '65 Fury again, someday...
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Meya
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posted on November 30, 2000 06:31:41 PM
Well, I never had a car when I was a teen so I'll mention my husbands first car. He got it at 17, and still had it when I met him (he was 19). It was a 1969 Pontiac LeMans convertable. It was a goldish brown in color, I think the interior was dark brown. It was soooo cool...We saw one the other day at the bank. Whew
Right before we got married he sold it to his sister, and bought his other sister's '73 LeMans.
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rawbunzel
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posted on November 30, 2000 06:33:50 PM
My first car was a 1955 Buick Century convertible that the boys across the street gave me in 1969.Used to die pretty regularly and when it did it lost the power brakes so I would roll it into telephone poles to stop it. Then we had to pour gas into the carb to get it started again.The convertible top would blow up when you went over 35 so me and my friends would get out ,get on the roof and bounce it back into place! It went through oil like water and I used to buy bulk oil by the gallon. Ran good even when dry .That car could haul a**! I used to drag race it at the beach where everyone went to party.Beat a corvette once!
Dang I loved that car! My mother made me give it away after it died out front and we couldn't figure out how to get it started again.
Saddest day of my young life when I watchedthe group of Hippies I gave it to pushing it down the street. Wish I still had it! My mortgage would be paid!
My current car is a 63 Oldsmobile, 394 engine goes real fast!The one before this was a 67 GTO. Still have it but it's parked in the back yard awaiting restoration.
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yellowstone
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posted on November 30, 2000 07:11:25 PM
1959 Lincoln and it was pink. It was a 2 door, all electric windows and seats and it even had a slanted back window that would roll down. I paid $50.00 for it. I was 15 years old at the time and I asked my mom if I could buy it, she said no because you don't even have a drivers license. I bought it anyways and parked it at a friends house. 2 months later she found out that I had it and for how long I had it and she said, well if you have had it this long and have been driving it without any problems then I guess it's ok and you can keep it, but you are going to get your drivers license, I didn't argue with her on that point and I got my license. Man that car was fast, I only lost one street race in it. It had a big engine and an automatic transmission. I remember one time I drove it from Albuquerque to Santa Fe and I made it from town limit to town limit, 60 miles in about 37 minutes. This being my first car I had no idea about how to maintain a vehichle. I guess I forgot to add transmission fluid when it got low and the tranny blew in my last street race and I ended up selling it to a junk yard for $15.00, I wish I still had that car and if I did I would surely repaint it another color.
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macandjan
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posted on November 30, 2000 07:14:17 PM
[ edited by macandjan on Dec 3, 2000 08:59 AM ]
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SAABsister
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posted on November 30, 2000 07:33:54 PM
When I was in high school my father bought a 1960 Triumph (TR3). He and I used it - my mother refused to learn to use a stick shift. Since he had a government car for work, I drove the TR3 to school and on errands. That car was basically a lemon and after about six months, it was traded for a 1962 Austin Healy 3000 - another lemon that only looked better and lasted two years. The first car I bought with my own money was a 1966 VW bug.
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xardon
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posted on November 30, 2000 10:03:45 PM
A 1965 MGB. It was fun but required major repairs daily. Wheel fell off, hood popped at speed, batteries dropped out through floor, brakes failed regularly, no heat and a real pain as a drive-in movie car. Had to park it on a hill to get a rolling start in the morning.
Someone stole it and managed to get about a mile away before they wrapped it around a tree. It looked as though the wheel fell off on a hard right turn. It was a lousy car but it did have a sense of irony in the end. I remember it with fondness.
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SAABsister
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posted on December 1, 2000 05:22:45 AM
xardon The British sure made some unreliable but good looking cars back then. My father settled for the Austin Healy after somebody bought the MGTD he had been lusting after. (Everytime I see a stunning looking Jag now, I tell myself that it probably spends most of its time in a repair shop - a consolation which may no longer be based on fact.)
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lswanson
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posted on December 1, 2000 07:41:15 AM
Rawbunzle and Yellowstone should be declared the winners, hands down!
My first was a used 1966 Olds 442, purchased in '74. It came with 400 c.i. big block, stock Hurst shifter with 4-4-2 and "H" engraved on the side, and a 4.10 rear end. It pumped out about 350 hp and was geared low enough that I could burn rubber through all four gears (cha-ching $$$).
I had wanted to buy and restore a '57 Chevy but Dad said it was a waste of time and money. Instead, he showed me this little Cutlass he'd found. Little did he know....
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goingfishing
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posted on December 1, 2000 07:48:08 AM
1965 Plymouth Satalite with a 318. It moved nicely. My dad had it running nicely and helped me to maintain it. I was going to fix it up(painting & such), but the transmission went out and I traded it in on a Pinto. I still miss that car, it was great fun.
(the Pinto on the other hand only ran about 1 week out of 3 regularly)
have a good day
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fred
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posted on December 1, 2000 08:07:55 AM
First Car. 1936 Ford coupe with a rumble seat. I still have it in like new condition.
We have a lot of fun with it.
Fred
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RainyBear
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posted on December 1, 2000 04:11:20 PM
'72 VW beetle, light blue, which I spray painted black with granite-textured fenders. I put stickers of my favorite bands in the back window and on the dashboard, and I also had a flower made of Starburst wrappers up front. I'm pleased that the new beetles come with a fake flower already built right in to about the same spot!
My bug deteriorated a few years later and I eventually had a towing company come and take it away. I made the mistake of not removing the license plate, though, and a few months later I received a parking ticket in the mail from Las Vegas.
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busybiddy
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posted on December 1, 2000 05:21:46 PM
You know, you USED to be able to pick up a beater car for $50-$100. Now, you can't get crap for $1000!
My first car was a '66 Dodge Polara convertible. I was the only one of my friends with a car so I got to pick up everyone and drive them to school. I think we had 8 people in that car on most occasions. I remember gasoline was 45 cents a gallon.
The car was great until I drove it through an automated car wash one day. The convertible top was dry-rotted and the force of the water spray just ripped it to shreds. It was pretty weird to be in the car wash, blasted with soapy water, in a car with no top! Got a lot of looks as we came out the other end of the tunnel.
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hammerchick
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posted on December 1, 2000 05:24:56 PM
eyeguy6 - I am listening to Firefall's "Just Remember I Love You" in your honor this evening.
brighid868 - Was that the same Earl Schieb who would paint any car for $99.95 - on Graaannd Avenue?!
rawbunzel - Your story reminded me of one time I caught a ride to Chicago in this car that every ten minutes they had to jerk it wildly to one side or the other for something under the hood to fall back in place. There was no sleeping on that trip!
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xardon
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posted on December 1, 2000 06:17:32 PM
hammerchick - I think you fell for the old "jerk the car back and forth to let something under the hood fall back into place" trick.
Were you the only girl in the car?
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bootsnana
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posted on December 1, 2000 07:11:22 PM
1956 Oldsmobile two-tone (aqua and white) It was the family car that was handed down to me when Dad bought a brand spanking new 1963 VW micro mini bus to travel cross country.The Olds passed everything but gas stations and inspection. Great times, great times. Thanks for the memories.
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yellowstone
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posted on December 1, 2000 08:41:40 PM
I know this thread is supposed to be about first cars but it has reminded me about other vehichles that I have owned and the troubles and experiences that I have had with them.
I have owned alot of vehichles in my time. Another one that was a favorite was a 1954 Willy's jeep wagon that had a 144 Ford 6 cylinder flattop engine in it.
The headlights didn't work and I couldn't figure out why, but it didn't matter because I had a couple of flashlights that had those flat magnets on them and at night I would just stick them to the tops of the front fenders and drive around barely able to see where I was going.
I didn't use the flashlights to see where I was going as much as I used them just to keep from getting into an accident.
I could never figure out why someone would put a Ford 144 engine in it until one day about 6 months after I bought it, it all became perfectly clear. I had the hood up and I was checking things out and I happened to look up, at the underside of the hood and there was faded black spraypaint that said in big letters OIL and a question mark ?. I guess someone else had probably forgotten to add oil and they blew up or seized the Willy's engine. I laughed my a$$ off when I saw that.
The motor for the windshield wippers didn't work either. So I tied the ends of a string on each one and ran it around the sides and through the little windows. When it rained I would work the string back and forth pulling the wippers one way and then pulling them the other and it worked just fine.
I have been able to figure out all kinds of quick fixes for different parts on vehichles.
The heater didn't work on a Suburban that I owned once so I taped a can of sterno on the dash and it sufficed as a window defroster. It was nice to use because it burned with a blue flame rather that a yellow flame so that I could still see where I was going without glaring up the window. I would use it to warm my hands while driving also.
How many of you have used a rag instead of a gascap? Hoping that it didn't ignite and turn your vehichle into a giant molotov cocktail.
Boy the car stories I could tell you. I got a million of them. Well ok, maybe just a few hundred.
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ubiedaman
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posted on December 1, 2000 09:42:31 PM
Hammerchick and Eyeguy
Call and raise you Henry Gross.."Shannon"
NEXT!
Keith
I assume full responsibility for my actions, except
the ones that are someone else's fault.
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BlondeSense
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posted on December 2, 2000 12:17:47 AM
I will always remember fondly my old red Gremhog (gremlin) purchased from my uncle. When you lived that close to Kenosha WI back then, you were pretty much required to drive AMC.
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cariad
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posted on December 2, 2000 07:46:51 PM
My Dad got me a 57 Mercury Comet in 1964. Stick-shift, navy blue, it went by the name of Midnight. Broke down one day near my apt. and when I walked to the gas station to get help this gorgeous bedroom-blue eyed Marine, home on leave visiting friends, came to help.
Why the hell we ever got rid of Midnight, I can't remember. Shoulda enshrined that car.
cariad
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rawbunzel
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posted on December 2, 2000 07:58:24 PM
My second car was a 1958 Chevrolet Belair,3 speed on the column.Nicknamed Lurch Green Slug because it did and it was. Didn't have any trouble with power brakes on that car,just the brakes in general. They would go out whenever they felt like it.It was nearly impossible to go up steep hills, that car just didn't have any power at all.Really was a let down after that '55 Buick!Finally sold it to a man that wanted it for his wife. Always felt sorry for her.
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preacher4u
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posted on December 3, 2000 08:42:52 PM
My first car (Bought w/ my own dough) is a 2001 PT Cruiser I just bought a week ago!
 
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Many miles away, there's a shadow on the door of a cottage on the shore of a dark Scottish lake.
http://members.ebay.com/aboutme/preacher4u/
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