First Cars??....................

[berettabone]

I'll start a thread about cars. First driven, first owned...........First driven, 1965 Ford Galaxie, 240 cu. in. 6 cyl. with a three on the tree. It was the old mans. He took me to a street called Barstow St. hill. He showed me how to stop and start on a very steep hill using the parking brake as an aid, without rolling backward or forward. In those days, it was on the driving test if you used a stick for your test........First car owned for all of you'se car heads.................1963 Chevy Impala, 327 cu. in. 450 hp, Holley 750, Edelbrock Spider High Rise manifold, solid lifters, Isky cam, Hedman Headers, Hurst 3 speed, 4.11 posi rear end, air bags with bars. Took it to Hales Corners Dragway a few times and grudge raced it. Two times down the track for $8 which was a lot of money back then. First time was a track test, second was a race. You win, you keep going, you lose you're done. You wanted to get your $8 worth. Had to get fuel from the airport, with higher octane. $ 1.15 a gallon, almost bankrupted me along with tires needed. Only car I ever owned where I could literally watch the gas needle move as it was idling...................

[jeepster09]

My first was a 1950 Plymouth. I bought it for $10 [when I was 10], drove it home parked it in driveway. At supper time my Dad asked all who's car is that in drive way? I raised my hand and his response was park it behind garage from now on. I blew a rod and moved on to a 1953 Ford....then came a 1956 Nomad, 1933 Ford hot rod and it went on from there.....many hot rods. All us kids in neighborhood had our own cars. We all drove the back roads. I lived not far from the Kennedy's in Massachusetts and the Kennedy's owned a gravel company. They let us all drive in the gravel pits and forest roads that the company owned.
Street racing was huge where I grew up. The cops even were into it. The cops out on the cape ran t-buckets and would entice you into race then throw the cherry up on dash and pull you over. Common police cars were Hemi Belvederes and GTO's. We all had a local spot we street raced at known as the A&M Raceway which was part of the freeway. There was a State Trooper there who's motto was "if you can out run me...you won't get a ticket". He drove a Hemi Belvedere with 2:76 gears in it. Very few could beat him. Here are a few old pictures from the A&M days.

[jeepster09]

Here was my first 55 Chevy. Sitting off waiting for my turn to race on the A&M Raceway

[Ken L]

My first car driven was a '72 Mercury Monterey. Ended up buying it from my dad, drove it for a few years and traded it in on a '77 Pinto. Yeah, boring. It sure was, going from that Merc with the 400/4bbl to that 2300cc 4 cylinder Pinto that could fit in the Merc's trunk. Drove that Pinto all thru college. But I learned that if I'd floor it and dump the clutch I'd tear teeth off of the ring gear. I did that twice. Maybe because I'm a slow learner. But I did get good at pulling rear ends out of Pintos and Mustang IIs at the junkyard.

Too many cars to count since then.

[O'Dell]

My first was a 1951 Rambler convertible which I couldn't drive legally for 6 months. Unfortunately, I left for the USNA 3 months later and it mostly sat for four years. Upon graduation I had a series of Corvettes, MG's, Porsche's, and Lotuses, all convertibles and most raced. Since then I have had many, many cars, mostly sports cars and mostly convertibles right up to my current BMW Z4 M40i. I usually have had a daily driver, currently an electric.

[68Firebird]

My first was a '41 Buick Roadmaster, straight-8. Came stock with two 2-barrel carbs, progressive linkage, three-on-the-tree. Because the hood raised from either side, it was easy to just lift it off and that's the way I often ran it. It had been my grandmother's car, which my uncle gave me a few years after she died. I was 13 at the time.
I was fortunate to have a few other cars through college, including a '57 Ford Skyliner and a '64 Dodge Polara 383, 4-speed which was a high school graduation present.
The first one I bought myself was a '69 Pontiac Grand Prix I bought as I was starting my first job after college. It's a long list since then!

[medezyner]

Cant touch this. First car: 61 ford falcon with a mind-blowing 90 hp 144 cu.in. engine capable of 0-60 in 15 minutes. I beat that p.o.s. like a rented mule and couldnt kill it. I had a push rod making dimples on the inside of the valve cover finally decided to turn it in for junk. Had a rot hole on the back floor that was big enough to lower down a six pack of cans if we got pulled over. "No sir, no beer in here officer." Peel back the carpet, grab the beer and we were off.

[getsome]

1st car driven was a 60 Chevrolet Impala 6 cylinder 3 speed my grandfather had and when he would stop by my dads Pure station he would let me drive it around the lot…..I probably put a couple thousand miles on it in that small corner lot….One day I got brave and took it around the block and when I pulled back in the lot he was standing there, hands on hips…..He gave me the stink eye and then winked and told me to park it for that day…..He was a cool guy and passed away a few years later and I miss him very much along with driving that old black Impala….

1st car I bought for myself was a 1 year used 73 Chevelle SS…..It was a nice car with swivel bucket seats and factory am/fm 8 track….It had a 350 with a 4 barrel but was a real smog dog, 185 factory HP on a good day so I removed the smog crap, put on an Edelbrock aluminum intake and a Holley 4 barrel which was too much carb for that motor but it said Holley so I didn’t care and the best improvement was putting in 3:73 rear gears which made it pretty quick in the quarter…..I sold it and bought a 77 Silverado 1/2 ton short bed pickup with bucket seats which was a very nice top of the line truck back then and I paid $4700.00 for it brand new…..I drove it until the kids came along then it was a series of mini vans…..

Last year about this time I was able to buy the only real hot rod I’ve ever owned, a 70 Chevelle SS which was originally a 454 car but currently has a GM crate 383 stroker with 700R4 automatic……It’s fun and plenty fast for this old man and I get lots of thumbs up from the other gear heads out there when I go by……

This song was playing on the radio the night I brought her home and this video never gets old to watch

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMZO6G7qFN0

[berettabone]

The only other relatively quick car I've owned was a 455 cu. in. 73 Olds 442..........I loved that car. Not the fastest bird out there but swivel leather seats, and all the bells and whistles of the day. I did own an interesting Buick Riviera that did everything but wash itself. Had a screen in the dash before screens were around. I used to freak people out at the grocery store. I'd put my stuff in the trunk and while I was taking back the cart, the car would automatically level itself out. It had heated seats that would also vibrate, power headrests, and the front of the seat would power extend out underneath your legs to take all of the tension out of them on long trips. I still think that there were a few options that I missed because there were so many.

[yqtszhj]

First car I owned was just like this one.

[JohnR]

Nothing special, just my dad’s hand-me-fowns. Boring Fords and ‘70s/‘80s Buick sedans.

[Armybrat]

First car driven was my grandpa’s 1948 Olds 88 Straight Eight with Hydramatic transmission when I was 10 (can’t say “tranny” anymore).

First car owned (in college) was a 1960 MGA roadster that looked like this one. Nice chick magnet, but not very practical when one actually got in it.

[Armybrat]

First car the wife & I bought together was this new 1967 Chevy Malibu coupe. Paid $2,685 for it. Second best car I ever had.

[AJBert]

First vehicle I ever drove was our neighbor's mid-70's Chevy C10 while working on their farm when I was around 15. Damn near rolled the truck within the first 100 yards. Luckily I didn't. First owned was a '76 Camaro that taught me how to work on vehicles as I was too poor to bring it to a shop. Loved the 4 speed manual tranny but EPA regulations didn't do much for power. Ended up changing out the clutch 7 times before I figured out it had the wrong clutch fork in it. Got to where I could change out the clutch, in a parking lot, in under 2 hours by myself.

[getsome]

Wow that brings back a memory or two…..In 76 when just married, my wife’s car was a 66 Chevy II Nova 2 door 6 cylinder 3 on the tree her aunt had given her when she graduated high school in 72……..In 77 I bought a new Silverado pickup and let her drive it to work and I took the Nova and we had a love/hate relationship for several years and many miles but I learned how to pull and rebuild a Chevy 6 cylinder motor and later learned that you can actually replace a clutch and pressure plate by yourself in the winter, on your back in the street and make it work again….I tell my kids I graduated from FIT-DIT university which means, Fix it Tonight - Drive it Tomorrow……Years later for some stupid reason I sold that rust free Nova for $1500 dollars because we were moving back to Atlanta and needed the money and kick myself all the time for letting it go………

[kenemoore]

First car driven: My uncles 1948 3/4 ton GMC truck, straight six, 3 on the tree, geared very low, top speed was about 60.
First car owned: 1967 F-100, 390 4-V, 3 on the tree, gas hog. Later swapped out the 390 for a 302.
Favorite car owned: 1966 Mustang 6 cylinder 3 in the floor. Fun to drive. The wiper lever/switch near the dimmer switch was awesome.

Never owned a hotrod, got into motorcycles, and spent all my money on them.

[Armybrat]

Never owned a hotrod, got into motorcycles, and spent all my money on them.
And you’re still alive!
You must have been a pretty good donorcyclist.

[340pd]

Pics of all buried somewhere in the house
First car, 50' Chev $125 followed by
52' Chev $150
55' Olds
First NEW car following my marriage in 1967
1967 Camaro RS followed three years later,
1970 Buick GS350 four speed.
Those were great years.

[tokuno]

Pics of all buried somewhere in the house
First car, 50' Chev $125 followed by
52' Chev $150
55' Olds
First NEW car following my marriage in 1967
1967 Camaro RS followed three years later,
1970 Buick GS350 four speed.
Those were great years.

My Dad's daily driver was a '50 chevy. had no rear floor mats, and there was a quarter-sized hole in the floor, so we kids took turns riding along with our eye pressed to the hole to watch the road go by. Never gave a thought to what might happen if debris flicked up . . .

[Armybrat]

74 years ago - Camp Hood (now Fort Hood), Texas.
Dad was CO of the 42nd Armored Battalion, 2nd Armored Division.

My family standing in front of Dad’s 1941 Buick. I’m the little shaver.
Our quarters were the first floor to the left - no insulation, no A/C of course.
Good times, good memories.

[iWander]

My first car was an 82 Mazda 626. My first car that I enjoyed was actually my third.. an 84 mustang gt, all black with louvers and super spoke wheels from 88.

[CM9]

Mine was a 1949 Oldsmobile 76(6 cylinder automatic) Dad and Mom bought it for me in1958…….my third year in college…bought it off a used car lot in Enid,Oklahoma. It smoked like a steam locomotive. Dad paid $150 for it.

[laserfish]

Wow, first car was a red 65 Mustang convertible. Bought for 450.00 with a brand new white top installed. A year later a girl hit me from behind while waiting to turn left into the school parking lot. Totalled the Mustang and the VW in front of me. Second car was a 69 Camaro with a 350, Muncie 4 speed with a factory Hurst shifter and a posi rear end. Man that car would fly. Paid 1100.00 for it and sold it for the same my Junior year in college. Had to pay tuition and for food. Sure miss those cars.

[berettabone]

I guess I was fortunate in the fact that I started working at a Dodge dealership at 16 when I got my license. I got to drive all the hot 1970 Dodge's on the lot. I had the envy of my friends. Then worked at an American Motors/Jeep dealership. Drove all of their offerings, Gremlins, Matadors, Rebels, Pacers, and got introduced to Jeeps. Moved on to an import dealership, and drove Fiats, Lancia's, Alfa Romeo's, and the occasional Citroen, Maserati, Bricklin, Datsun, Triumph, Porsche, Opel GT, Jaguar, many others. Then I worked for a Lincoln Mercury dealership. Drove all of the Lincoln Town Car boats. Bill Blass, Cartier, some nicer cars like the Mercury Cougar Eliminator, Mercury Cyclone, future State Patrol and Police cars. At one point, they had my dream car on the lot. A used 1970 Buick GS Stage 1 in a brown metallic. At that time, I had mothballs in my pockets so all I could do is dream about owning a car like that but I did get to drive it on a couple of occasions. At 2 of the places I worked at, we stayed late many a night, sometimes working on our own cars, which of course were always in tip top shape and clean as a whistle. It was one of the perks of the job. At one point, when I was between vehicles, I used a 1978 Corvette Indy Pace Car for a few days. When I worked at the import dealer, I took different cars home all the time. Plus, I had friends who had nice cars also. GTO's, Chevelle's, Super Bee's, Cuda's. It was a simpler world back then, and a lot of fun............................................... .....

[getsome]

Wow, I was watching some of the Mecum auto auctions on Motor Trend TV today and they sold an 83 Corvette Indy Pace Car edition for $148.000 bucks……Working at a dealership is an interesting job…..My first real job after high school was at Jim Letts Oldsmobile in Buckhead Ga as a parts driver/general flunkie but it was a fun job……..The lead salesman was Calvin Chatham AKA Cal Cheatum, we had pet names for the other salesmen but I couldn’t print them here without being kicked off the forum…….The owner Jim Letts senior was a really nice guy but his son Jim Jr was a total idiot nerd…..Daddy Jim gave him a brand new Cutlass 442 W40 which lasted less than a week before junior wrecked it…….The lead body shop guy loved it, he called Jim Jr. job security……….

[berettabone]

I watched some of that.....................saw a 69 Vette L88, only 116 made, went for $305,000. Also saw a mint 96 Cutlass with the 301 V8 with 40,000 mi. go for $7500. The wife and I talk about it, if the timing is right, we may go down when Mecum is in Chicago and purchase a car....................walking around there would be heaven...................

[berettabone]

The wifey was asking me about some of my early car days. I told her when I worked at the import dealership, I made $9.50 an hour. I did a little motor work but mostly tires, exhaust, brake jobs, and rustproofing. Rustproofing was an easy sell for them back then. I got $60 per car for doing them. The dealership charged $350 to the customer. They wanted me to do them fast, but I told them that when a customer is paying that much for an automobile, my conscience wouldn't allow me to do anything but a good job. I heard many a customer telling a salesperson that their car had been dripping for 2 weeks. 😄 Back then, we drilled holes so we could get the gunk everywhere, and I mean everywhere. Took an hour just to clean the side windows. Got inside frame rails, hood and trunk frames, rocker panels. Drilled a few small drain holes in specific places. Removed wheel well plastic liners and sprayed underneath and in the engine compartment. It was a real racket and moneymaker especially in my state where European metal lasts about a year before it starts rusting. The stuff really never dried. It stayed kind of tacky and collected rocks and road dust. That was probably the protectant. The dealership got $80 an hour for Alfa Romeo work, and $60 an hour for Fiat, and Lancia, and American work. Mostly doctor and lawyer owners. We would go to their home or place of business and pick up their car, take it back and do the work, and deliver it back, spotless. I really liked a few of the Fiat models. The X19 was a little midengine that was a hoot to drive. Felt and handled like a go cart. The Brava was kind of a family car but handled like a dream. The Spider was a little screamer. Drove one with dual carbs. Those little 4 cylinder engines didn't even start working until 6000 rpm. They would really wind up and you never had to worry about down shifting when you were at higher speeds. Going from 5000 rpm to 9000 rpm was a piece of cake. Never even come close to hurting an engine by over revving. They were kind of putting the American cars to shame back then as far as handling and engines. If they could/would have used American steel, they would have been great cars. I remember one of the salesmen telling me how he sold Alfa Romeo's. He just took them for a test drive. He would do a power slide at 50 mi. an hour and turn the car in the opposite direction just like you see on tv. He said they would buy every time after they changed their pants.

[getsome]

We may need some of that rustproofing stuff down here in Atlanta this weekend……It doesn’t snow here often but when it does it causes a huge mess…..Back in 2014 we had what is locally known as “Snowmageddon” which was a snow/ice event that started on a week day at 1:00 pm or so and when everyone hit the road at 5:00 pm to go home they got stuck in the ice and couldn’t move, children spent the night stuck on school busses, cars started running out of gas, it really was pretty bad…….The Governor looked bad and fired the D.O.T. Boss because they weren’t prepared for it…….Well since then the state went nuts and bought millions of dollars worth of snow removal equipment and salt brine spray tankers so now if they forecast even a slight possibility of snow they go crazy and lay down millions of gallons of salt brine mix and the interstate and bridges will be white like the beach with salt dust blowing everywhere for days…..They are calling for a possible 1/2 inch of snow Sunday afternoon so the D.O.T. is already loading up the brine tankers to start the salt storm Saturday at midnight…….No wonder you northern folks laugh at us……..

[berettabone]

I only laugh when you "southerners" have problems with just a little snow. Nobody can handle that ice/rain/snow mixture, not even up here. It takes down power lines, trees, sometimes roofs. Luckily in my area, the lines are underground. We have the road brine mix up here in larger cities but by me we're lucky to get a salt sand mix, mostly sand....................so far this year with all of the snows we've had, we're at about 18". Pretty mild winter so far..........................

[lesptr]

We may need some of that rustproofing stuff down here in Atlanta this weekend……It doesn’t snow here often but when it does it causes a huge mess…..Back in 2014 we had what is locally known as “Snowmageddon” which was a snow/ice event that started on a week day at 1:00 pm or so and when everyone hit the road at 5:00 pm to go home they got stuck in the ice and couldn’t move, children spent the night stuck on school busses, cars started running out of gas, it really was pretty bad…….The Governor looked bad and fired the D.O.T. Boss because they weren’t prepared for it…….Well since then the state went nuts and bought millions of dollars worth of snow removal equipment and salt brine spray tankers so now if they forecast even a slight possibility of snow they go crazy and lay down millions of gallons of salt brine mix and the interstate and bridges will be white like the beach with salt dust blowing everywhere for days…..They are calling for a possible 1/2 inch of snow Sunday afternoon so the D.O.T. is already loading up the brine tankers to start the salt storm Saturday at midnight…….No wonder you northern folks laugh at us……..

Don’t forget to run out and get your milk, bread and eggs.
It’s a French toast emergency.

[getsome]

That’s so funny because by noon Saturday the grocery stores here will be picked clean of everything not nailed down like we are going to be buried for two weeks and starvation is imminent….…..We might lose power for a couple days because we don’t have buried utility phone and power lines for some stupid reason but we do have lots of very tall pine trees that don’t do well at all in ice storms which is mostly what we get when bad winter weather happens so I’ll go early Saturday and get milk, bread, eggs and a couple pounds of bacon and then on the way home stop at the liquor store and pick up a half gallon of Jim Beam and all should be well with my world whatever Mother Nature decides to do……….

[BirdsThaWord]

beretta you brought up a long lost memory. An x19 was my 2nd car. Guy had it sitting in his yard with grass growing all around it. I think I gave $200 for it. It had a rotted out fuel line. Replaced it and the battery and drove it around town at age 16-17ish. Never got it titled, tagged (he gave me his old tag) or insured. Forget what I did with it, but think I got a small profit when I sold it. Yes, it was a little road hugger and if you hit a certain dip on a certain road, you could get it to launch so that all 4 wheels would come about 6” off the ground. Not sure what all the sparks were coming from on landing, but me and my buddies would take turns, seeing who could get the wheels the highest/generate the most sparks. Almost forgot about that. Good, crazy times.

[JohnR]

I used to lust after the X1/9. Very cool looking car for its day.

[berettabone]

beretta you brought up a long lost memory. An x19 was my 2nd car. Guy had it sitting in his yard with grass growing all around it. I think I gave $200 for it. It had a rotted out fuel line. Replaced it and the battery and drove it around town at age 16-17ish. Never got it titled, tagged (he gave me his old tag) or insured. Forget what I did with it, but think I got a small profit when I sold it. Yes, it was a little road hugger and if you hit a certain dip on a certain road, you could get it to launch so that all 4 wheels would come about 6” off the ground. Not sure what all the sparks were coming from on landing, but me and my buddies would take turns, seeing who could get the wheels the highest/generate the most sparks. Almost forgot about that. Good, crazy times. Your X19 was our 60 Chevy Biscayne. We bought it from a neighbor for $25. It had a 6 banger with a 3 on the tree. We used to take it to this bar where we could get in under age. It was on a lake with a very steep driveway about 200 ft. long. We used to let it roll back from the top and right before we hit the water, we would rev the heck out of it and let the clutch fly. Tire burn forever. We went through lots of tires. The drive was black from all of the rubber we put down. We eventually tired of the car and we actually tried to blow it up by holding the gas pedal down forever. Never could blow it up, so we sold it back to the guy we got it from for $10. Last I saw of it, it was still running. Don't even get me going about what we did with motorcycles............

[ripley16]

I learned to drive in my dad's 1960 something Plymouth Belvidere and my brother's 1970 Datsun 240Z. My first owned car was my college graduation present, a powder blue 1974 Ford Pinto. A very practical vehicle. The first car I actually bought was a fairly rare Toyota Corona Mark III which was a wonderful in-line six, comfy, compact jewel. Turned me on to Toyota quality and I've not looked back. Over that 46 year span I've owned nine Toyotas. Never left me stranded, never broke, always started, low maintenance and good values. I keep my cars a long time and my Toys have proven to be as reliable as a brand can be. Currently have a nice Avalon and a "grand-kid mobile" Sienna van.

[getsome]

Was watching the Mecum Auction on the Motor Trend channel today and they just sold a 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS-6 4 speed nicely restored car for $157,500 smackers………I bought my 70 Chevelle SS last year for 20 grand which I’m still reminded of every moment of my life by SHMBO but I don’t care, it’s an investment……My car has had several engine / transmission changes over it’s life and isn’t numbers matching but is a daily driver but I think I got a smoking deal after watching what 60’s and 70’s muscle cars are bringing in this auction…….The TV announcer said that in 1970 a fully optioned out Chevelle SS sold for a little over $4000.00 and people were having a problem when car prices climbed over 4K and sales fell off……The LS-6 454 engine option was a whopping $263 dollars…….

Some surprises from yesterday was when one seller brought out 3 early 90’s very nice ZR-1 Corvettes with the radical all aluminum double overhead cam V8 engines which back in the day was a $15,000 option….At auction was the original prototype #1 car which only sold for $52,000 and the other two cars for sale one was a 92 ZR-1 with 27, yes 27 original miles that sold for $49,000 and another with 7000 miles went for $48,000….I would have thought the #1 prototype car would have brought a million…….Who’d a thunk it……

[O'Dell]

Some surprises from yesterday was when one seller brought out 3 early 90’s very nice ZR-1 Corvettes with the radical all aluminum double overhead cam V8 engines which back in the day was a $15,000 option….At auction was the original prototype #1 car which only sold for $52,000 and the other two cars for sale one was a 92 ZR-1 with 27, yes 27 original miles that sold for $49,000 and another with 7000 miles went for $48,000….I would have thought the #1 prototype car would have brought a million…….Who’d a thunk it……

Six or eight months ago those 90's ZR-1's were selling for under 22K on Mecum's, some in the mid-teens. I knew that they were unique cars and would eventually go up. I think they're worth the 50K, but I wouldn't want to have to repair one.

[berettabone]

Was watching the Mecum Auction on the Motor Trend channel today and they just sold a 1970 Chevelle SS 454 LS-6 4 speed nicely restored car for $157,500 smackersÂ…Â…Â…I bought my 70 Chevelle SS last year for 20 grand which IÂ’m still reminded of every moment of my life by SHMBO but I donÂ’t care, itÂ’s an investmentÂ…Â…My car has had several engine / transmission changes over itÂ’s life and isnÂ’t numbers matching but is a daily driver but I think I got a smoking deal after watching what 60Â’s and 70Â’s muscle cars are bringing in this auctionÂ…Â….The TV announcer said that in 1970 a fully optioned out Chevelle SS sold for a little over $4000.00 and people were having a problem when car prices climbed over 4K and sales fell offÂ…Â…The LS-6 454 engine option was a whopping $263 dollarsÂ…Â….

Some surprises from yesterday was when one seller brought out 3 early 90Â’s very nice ZR-1 Corvettes with the radical all aluminum double overhead cam V8 engines which back in the day was a $15,000 optionÂ….At auction was the original prototype #1 car which only sold for $52,000 and the other two cars for sale one was a 92 ZR-1 with 27, yes 27 original miles that sold for $49,000 and another with 7000 miles went for $48,000Â….I would have thought the #1 prototype car would have brought a millionÂ…Â….WhoÂ’d a thunk itÂ…Â… I was watching when they were selling all of those LS-6's in a row. Crazy............there are plenty of people out there looking for "daily drivers" to restore. I have seen a few nice resto mods but I really prefer things be left stock the way they were. I watched an auction a few years back......a guy had 3 GTO Judges in 3 different colors, 2 with the 400 cu. in. Ram Air engines, and 1 with the 455 cu. in. engine. They sold in about the same price range as the Chevelle's.