Do you still remember your first car?

[Roland]

I poured everything I had into getting my first car. Blue-booked for around $2,000, I got it at $800 of my father (who owns an automotive repair shop, and sells used Saabs; can ya guess what kinda car I drive? :)). I worked all summer, sweat and blood, to earn up enough money for it. I even had to restore it some, as it had been sitting for about 2 months or so when I picked it out (or, rather, he picked it out for me, since it was the only one in my price range, AND it was in reasonably good condition; just had alot of "sitting rot" to it, i.e. rust on the brakes, engine needed a tuning, etc.). We threw in new brakes, I test drove it lots (hell, I learned to drive on that thing), gave it a tune-up, oil change, new (used) tires (actually, they were pretty good tires; used, but a very good brand, and in great condition), I think we even replaced a rim or two. I washed it, cleaned it out, and got her all ready.

Got my license that same summer, got the car, and let it sit for about 6 months. :P Had no choice, though. I couldn't afford the insurance (at the time) until February of that year. But, that I also payed for myself. Well, most of it. I put in about half (around $1700, total, if I remember correctly; or was it $1800? I forget), at about $1000, while my folks chipped in the other $800. By then, it was my last year at High School, and so I missed out on the "big deal" of owning your own car (LOTS of kids got their cars as gifts from their parents; yes, there were quite a few new BMW's and Lexus' on the lot, among others; and yes, there was the usual run of totals within the first couple weeks / months, and the replacement to come from mommie and daddie). But I was still happy. I didn't manage to beat my best buddy's time to get a car (he had two old '74, and '75 Mustangs; he rebuilt one pretty much from scratch, using parts from the other; did everything himself with his father; he loved that car; _I_ loved that car; I told him if he was EVER going to sell it, it would be to me, or I'd kill him ;)), but that's ok. :)

She lasted me a good while. Up until last summer, actually. By then, the trannie was going (she was an automatic; my father, aside from the fact that he doesn't usually work on transmissions, deemed it inadvisable to throw $2000+ worth of work into a car that was worth, at best, just as much; I agreed :P). So, he set aside a VERY nice replacement (1 year old, and more mileage than when I got the first one, but in virtually mint condition; and a standard; talk about your crash course in learning to drive stick :)). We worked out a payment plan, I plopped down a third of the funds, and the car was mine (come to think of it, I still owe him the rest; eh, someday :P). We ripped the old AC out of my old car (actually, it wasn't that "old", considering how it was brand new the same year I got that car; birthday present from my father), took the tires (IIRC), and the stereo, and threw it all into my new car. She had a boatload of little problems that needed to be worked out, and more kept cropping up for awhile, but eventually it all got smoothed over. She's due for a checkup now, but other than that she's run great.

First car:
1987 Saab 9000 16 valve
Automatic transmission
Rose Quartz paint (think champagne color), with a deep burgundy interior (think cranberries)
4-door

Current (2nd) car:
1986 Saab 9000 16 valve
Manual transmission
Rose Quartz paint with deep Burgundy interior
3-door (also known as a "hatchback"; 2 doors on the side, like a convertible, with the trunk being the third "door", as it's much larger than your average trunk door, and shaped very differently; throw the rear seats down, and you can fit just about anything in the back of that car)

They both were my babies, in their time. I love my current car, and I don't want to change her. Unfortunately, she seems to be running down a bit. Transmission, or something, doesn't seem to be working like she used to, and acceleration seems to be dropping, as well. Nothing major, yet, but getting there. Mayhap it's just my driving, but something tells me I'm gonna have to take her in for some serious work. :P Let's hope it's something that's not too expensive to fix. If the tranny is going (which, unfortunately, is a possibility, considering how old the car is, and the fact that it's never been replaced; I don't even think the clutch has been replaced, although I don't seem to be having any problems with that; still catches where it used to, AFAIK, so it shouldn't be going), it's gonna cost a boatload to fix, no doubt. And, somehow I doubt my father, cheap as he is, will swallow that bill. I suppose, after all the years of free repairs ("free", for the most part, thought not always entirely) and discounted car sales, he's repayed his debt to me. Mayhap so, mayhap not. :P

It'll be a shame if I have to get rid of this car so early. She really has been wonderful, and I simply love her. I just hope it's not something really big that's going wrong, as the cost of repair vs. the worth of the car can be a big factor on old cars. Like mine. :(

Cherish your first car, and cherish it well. Take good care of her, and she'll (generally) take good care of you. Just so long as you're not stuck with one of those hellish cars where everything seems to go wrong, one after the other or all at once, for as long as you own it. :P My first car just ended up running down. It was old, and it was time for a replacement on the tranny (you know the tranny is going when it slips out of gear for as long as 15 seconds). Just too much money for too little gain. She server me very well, and I'll never forget my first car. I grew very attatched to her. But, that seems to be the case with most guys. :)

Good luck on the new car!

[Roland]

You sound like my father, although I don't think he had QUITE as bad luck with crashes. ;)

I still hear the stories, from his friends, coworkers, and local police officers, about how he'd race around. *chuckles and shakes his head* Ah, the legacy I WISH I could live up to. I may not like my father, in a variety of ways and reasons, but there are some things I just have to love him and respect him for.

[Kevin]

Yes, I remember my first car, I am still driving it. I was 21 before I had managed to scrouge up enough money and had enough income to be able to pay for one. I ended up getting a 89 Geo Metro (the first model year for the car). It is a manual (something I wanted), no tape deck, no AC, but it does have a rear window defroster that still works (and was really nice when I still lived in WI). Seven years later I am still driving that car. I went through last year and figured out how much I had spent on the car, including gas (though I had to guestimate since I usually only recorded gallons used and not prices, I used a flat $1.50 a gallon, which is high since lots of times I was spending less than $1 per gallon, and have never spent more than $1.87 a gallon on it), since I purchased it in 96. All told $5,750 (remember 40-50 mpg) for the purchase price, the few repairs I have done, oil changes, gas, car washes, insurance, everything. Can't say it hasn't been a good choice. Though this year is going to add about $600 to that for various reasons. It really has been the econobox I imagined. :)

Hopefully I will be able to afford another one here soon since I will finally be graduation in July and should have a job that will allow me to get somthing better. For those thinking hmm, 21 in 96, so probably graduated HS in 93 (which I did), wow 10 years to get a degree! I did take 3.5 years off from school and changed majors once that affected progress, and since I had to pay for school on my own rarely had time to take more than 14 credit hours a semester. I also flunked out one semester because I was stupid which meant no progress, so I don't feel bad about it it was 12 semester all told to get the degree, I'll have a 3.05 GPA (3.2 if I could erase that failed sememster) and am happy with the degree I got. But that has nothing to do with the car. :)

So, congrats on the purchase, I hope it gets you through as much stuff as mine has for me, and serves you well.

[Roland]

I never could see the appeal in a Geo. ANY Geo. But then, I'm blessed with a gift that makes it nigh impossible for me to drive any Geo (along with half the rest of the market, for that matter)?: height. :P When you're 6'2", and still growing a tad, Geo just won't do. ;)

40 - 50 miles per gallon? Eegads, I WISH I had that kind of economy on my car. I get around 20, average. 25+ highway. I can't imagine anyone paying under a dollar for gas. But, then, I live out here in Mass. where the cost of living is high. :P And, because of my car's high-compression engine, I have to feed her nothing but the best: 93+ octane. Anything less, and she just chokes. It's really sad to watch, and painful. I've payed almost $2.00 per gallon at some points. Consider yourself VERY luck to have such an economical car. :P

Still, I don't think I'd drive much of anything else aside from a Saab! :) And ONLY Saabs that came out BEFORE they got bought out by GM. These new-fangled contraptions just aren't Saabs. Yech!

[Kevin]

is that it is "tiny". I am six foot tall, and the Metro fits me very well. I have a friend who is 6' 4'' and he still has head room in the car. I fit that car a lot better than say a Taurus or Cavalier (which I think are still the flagship cars for Ford and Chevy). The back seat has more leg room and head room than either as well. Though I can't speak on other Geo's. My oldest brother did have a Prism I believe, and I had no comfort issues driving it or riding in the back seat. Both the Geo's I have had a lot of time in were a heck of a lot more comfortable than my in-laws Taurus.

I have fit dressers, beds, stereo systems, washing machines, 36 inch TV's and much more in it as well. Of course that is because it is a hatchback. And until recently when she started to have some problems (mostly from sitting to much and a really bad placement of the fuel filter which makes it impossible to change without dropping the fuel tank and me not having the money to pay someone to do it or me having the time to do it on my own) it could go up hills just fine and maintain 60 MPH with a full load. Now with the fuel intake issues she has, it drives like what everyone thinks a Metro drives like.

As to why it was attractive. I was a college student, paying my way through school, and being able to go 400-500 miles on a 10 gallon tank was nice. Living in MO and WI is why the gas was so cheap, though that sub $1 was all pre 2000 (but that was 4 years of the time I owned it, and it actually got most of its milage under me in that time as well). You said it yourself, 40-50 MPG is nice.

So, you actually would fit just fine in a Metro (at least an 89).

The biggest problem is that it has very poor acceleration (though since I have a manual and not one of the crappier automatics I can make up for a lot of that), and I know that if I get in an accident it would be totaled. Of course historyically Metro's aren't accident prone. A lot of this is because they don't have really good acceleration and you have to drive defensively. Knowing that there isn't much vehicle around you also makes you more careful. I personally think everyone should drive a little Metro-esque car for awhile so that they learn to pay better attention to the road and those around them. If they don't learn they will probably get in a fatal accident and then we don't have worry about them being on the road anymore. :)

[Copadope]

I bought it last August and she's still goin strong. Some of my friends call it a "granny car," but I disagree. It's a 4-door V6, auto, AC, power steering/locks/windows, AM/FM cassette, 96K miles when I bought it, and (this was a major selling point) the backseat windows go all the way down. Almost a year later and she's pushin 105K, I can hear one thing ticking in the front end, and the back end is developing some creaks and groans, but otherwise she's in fine condition.

I had just turned 20 when I bought it, payed for it all myself ($3K), and my parents gave me a sweet deal on insurance, i.e. they pay for it until I graduate college and get a full-time job. I really wanted to get a stick (still do), but my financial limitations kinda limited the number of cars I could choose from and we don't always get everything we want (especially the first time around). But I'm quite happy with it :).

Best of luck, and my advice to you is this: When parking, put it in neutral and apply the parking brake, then let off the other brake and put it in park. Makes it so you don't have to pull on the shifter so hard to pull out when you park on a hill ;) .

[Sir_Die_alot]

My first was a 1978 Ford Thunderbird (for those who know me on bnet know one of my accounts reflects this). It was a beast to drive, I found this on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...item=2415833823 that kind of shows what it was like to drive. The hood ornament was not decoration it was a target you used to aim! (Though it got stolen. Twice!) It doesn't reflect the length of the hood though which a full grown person could easily lie down on. A friend of mine commented once that my hood had its own horizon. :D Mine was white on top and green on the bottom with green interrior. It was weird even for its breed, it had things like manual windows when I think power was the standard. Half the reason I miss that car was it was so obnoxious, 18.5 feet long and so ugly. It was great to drive on the freeway though, it was like sitting in your living room couch. Once I was trying to go 80 and by not paying attention to my speedometer ended up doing over 100 just due to it being such a smoothe ride. :) If one day I win the lottery I would be tempted to buy another one in better shape, just because of the reactions this one got. :D

Now I drive a '96 escort. Being easier to drive is the only improvment. It's still ugly but worse, boaring to look at *sigh*. <_<

[Count Duckula]

Best of luck, and my advice to you is this: When parking, put it in neutral and apply the parking brake, then let off the other brake and put it in park. Makes it so you don't have to pull on the shifter so hard to pull out when you park on a hill .

Don't know if this was said to me or not, but anyway.

My driveway is at a steep incline and has a bend in the middle. The day I could navigate down that driveway backwards was the same day I went to get my driver's license. Rite of passage. So I have the whole brake thing under control. ;)

My parents want me good and insured before I take my new car out for a test drive. Then I'll apply the accessories: fuzzy dice, cap tassel, air freshener, steering wheel cover, HU license plate frame, sunshield CD case. Too bad my friends don't live here anymore. I would've taken them all out for a drive. :(

[Bun-Bun]

One does not forget one's first car. It was a faded red 1975 Super Beetle, $1500 in 1978 dollars. My fondest memory of it is chugging through a Houston flood, listening to the sound of the exhaust pipes going underwater. A cheery sound, and a great incentive not to let up on the gas. My unfondest memory is the many pushstarts it got, the battery being really bad.

Alas, my Beetle was killed by Channel 8. I was ripping along I-10 when a compact slid over three lanes and sideswiped me. I managed to steer the car to a halt out of a spinning skid, coming to rest mostly-sideways in the left lane. I was congratulating myself on my impressive skill as a driver for escaping that with nothing but a bent fender from the compact and a scratched bumper from the retaining wall, when I looked out the driver's side window. I thought to myself, "My, that's an awfully large Channel 8 logo!"

BOOM. The Channel 8 van slams into the Beetle, destroying the left rear wheel. Bye bye, bug. To add insult to injury, they pulled out the camera gear and got a live shot of the I-10 shutdown I caused. :(

My current car is a '98 Eclipse, currently in the body shop thanks to a hit-and-run a couple of weeks ago.

My rental is a Cavalier. I call it the Hamstermobile. :P

I miss my turbo. (sniff)

[BobThePumpkin]

Soon...

[Wapptor]

I will remember my first car...as soon as I get it...

[whyBish]

Then I'll apply the accessories: fuzzy dice...

I'm pretty sure those are illegal here... driver distraction.

[Kasreyn]

Your image tries to store a cookie on the viewer's system. Why? Bad form.

-Kasreyn

P.S. I have never seen a more hideous car than the PT Cruiser, in my life. Ever. And I'm including the Avalanche, Expedition, Focus, and the New Bug, all of which are hideous beyond belief.

[Walkiry]

P.S.&nbsp; I have never seen a more hideous car than the PT Cruiser, in my life.&nbsp; Ever.&nbsp; And I'm including the Avalanche, Expedition, Focus, and the New Bug, all of which are hideous beyond belief.

Aaaah, I see someone doesn't live in Europe. Have you checked what Renault and Citroen have in stock these days?

As for my first car, it depends. The first car I drove was a '97 brand new Chrysler Voyager (Dodge Caravan for you americans :P), 2.5 Turbo Diesel. My parents were about to buy a new car and my father decided that:

a. I was going to drive it. I could use it for my own amusement, but I'd also have to use it to run errands when they needed me to (and that happened often). Fair enough.

b. It was going to be big. If I could learn to drive that thing (I got my driver's license 1 week after buying the car) and park it in the center of Madrid, I could drive anything, anywhere.

When I moved to Iceland I bought my very own first car, a Mazda 626 2.5 V6 with 170 horsies, loads of fun to drive in the Icelandic wilderness :)

Some pics:
http://photos.yahoo.com/bc/bioram1976/lst?.dir=/Car

I've been without a car for about a year now, saving some cash and wondering if I shoud do the silly thing and buy a two seater roadster or the sensible thing and buy a four seater big car. Pondering...

[Sabra]

Ducky!!! How lovely! Come see me now. Just head south on 95 to I-4 West and call me. I'll give you direction from there.

Yes, I remember my first car, a blue VW Bug named Myrtle. I loved that car and drove it till the wheels fell off. I still think about Myrtle whenever I pass one of the newer Bugs, which lack all of the old VW Bug charms but are sufficiently reminiscient to get me going.

Big day for Ducky!

[Walkiry]

Hi,

Mine was a SIMCA Aronde '54 station wagon.&nbsp; Cost me $15, half for the car and the other half to get it towed home.&nbsp; But, no problem, I had almost a year before I could get a license anyway :D

Rebuilt nearly every part of that car.&nbsp; Chopped and channeled.&nbsp; Rolled and tucked and primed and sanded.&nbsp; And a year later got my license in it.

Now that car was *mine*!

--Pete

Specially for Pete, by Spaniard band "Los Inhumanos":

Soy pobre y sólo pude comprar
un Simca 1000 bastante vulgar.
Soy pobre y sólo pude alquilar
un picadero para ligar.

Y cuando alguna me quiero cepillar,
en mi coche me tengo que apañar.

Qué difícil es hacer el amor en un Simca 1000
en un Simca 1000. (BIS)

El asiento no se echa para atrás
y la postura a buscar tiene dificultad.
Pon tu pierna aquí yo la pondré allá
tendremos que abrir la puerta de atrás.
El volante me vuelve a fastidiar
ese no es el pito que debes tocar.
Cuando sea rico voy a comprar
un autobús para pillar.
Y cuando alguna me quiero cepillar
en mi coche me tengo que apañar.

Qué difícil es hacer el amor en un Simca 1000
en un Simca 1000. (BIS)

Qué difícil es hacer el amor en un Simca 1000
en un Simca 1000. (BIS)

Your post just reminded me of this song, the memories... :lol:

[Selby]

Wow... memories of first car... 1986 Buick Somerset. If you ever buy a car from the desert and take it to Canada without rustproofing it, in 10 years you will have what I had... a rusty piece of junk. I really didn't like that car... had a torque converter lockup problem so I couldn't drive it very far when it was warm out (which was pretty much 5 months out of the year).

Second car was a 1983 Suburban, then a 1985 F-150 (another piece of junk), then a 1979 Trans Am, then a 1990 Lincoln Mark VII (totalled and gone), then a 1972 Lemans (still have it and it has lasted longer than all of my previous cars combined), and finally a 2002 Saturn SC2 ("economy" car). I go through cars rather quickly... they tend to die or be pieces of junk.

Selby

[Occhidiangela]

1979: bought a 1974 VW Super Beetle, Sun Roof, no EFI. Paid cash. 1700 bucks, money I had saved up working after school.
1987: bought a 1985 Nissan 300ZX with T-TOp, no Turbo. (The Bug got mad at me for that.)
Let Bug go in January of 1989, and that was a decision I still regret. I loved that car.
Let Z go in 1995 before moving to Italy, as with two kids the two seater was getting hard to justify.
1995 bought used Alpha sedan, 1984 version, sold it in 1998 when we left Italy.
1998. Saturn SL2.

That' it.

Since I got married, bought two minivans, but those are not my cars. (1991 and 2000)

I don't like buying cars, really.

An SUV like The Hummer, which some of my neighbors drive, today costs as much as the townhouse I bought in Va Beach in 1984. And for that reason alone, I aint gonna buy a car in that price range, ever. Dont want to pay mortgage payments for a car. :)

[Occhidiangela]

The PT retro look can grow on ya. But yeah, it aint for everyone.

New Bug? Looks nice enough, but my Super Beetle had better head room in the back, and I could work on it myself. And at 16,000 per, :P TILT!

Any tank I will agree with you: no looks.

Focus . . . still not sure if it looks silly or not, but it is functional. Remember the Probe? :)

[kandrathe]

1968 Ford Country Squire -- It was my families car until it was passed on to me in 1976.



I was a bit embarassed about it until I realized it had a 6.4 L, 390 Horsepower V8. Man that thing would move!

It was also a big hit once I went to the university, as it is quite the party conveyance. Before the era of the van.