Tell me about your crappy first car!

[kandrathe]

If you feel that way you can ignore me. My first car (I have only ever had two vehicles) was a brand new purple and white 1970 Plymouth Satellite. The cost was about $4000. Great engine. The breaks did not work, the rear lights did not work. The steering sometimes failed. It would go very fast.

I had one of those, #4 or #5 I think... It was used though. It was a great car, until I got t-boned by a red light runner, then I put the engine into a Chrysler Cordoba, with red Corinthian Leather seats. Up until I graduated from college, I never had a new car, only fixer upper ones mostly used up needing a little TLC to keep running. I've only had a few "new" cars. I tend to opt now for slightly used, about a year old, and with < 15K miles on them.

#1 195? pink Buick - it never left the farm -- I used it to learn how to drive, but it was never street worthy.
#2 1968 powder blue Ford country squire station wagon -- the family truckster hand me down. It's redeeming quality was that it had a 390 HP engine, and would do top speed at something ridiculously illegal (~135, don't ask me how I know that).
#3 was a 4-door sedan, 196? Nash Rambler my uncle was getting rid of. It still had a wonky suspension such that if you took a cloverleaf at just the right speed you'd end up spinning 180 on dry pavement.

#6 was a 196? Ford pickup that was still entirely steel, it weighed a ton, and I went through brake pads like Altoids. I earned it from an old widow women in the neighborhood who needed her garage re-roofed.