What was your first car?

[Lily Powers]

Do it Lily. They are great cars and life is way too short to drive around in something other than a convertible. (I've had both the 'Ghia and the VW beetle convertibles and loved them both.)

Oh, I so agree about convertibles! After the Ghia I bought a Fiat spider (technically it was a Pininfarina, the 1st year that name was actually on the body). Oh sure, I heard all the Fix-It-Again-Tony, First-Italian-Attempt at-Transportation jokes, but man oh man, was that body style sweet, and I'm happy to say, that car ran solid for 16-years. I still drive a convertible and it's a great way to travel (except on a rainy day like today, then it's a slightly damp way to travel - the little bugger leaks a bit in heavy downpour).

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Those desmogged 351's are a snappy little engine. Now, let's talk about the 77 Country Squire with a 460!

lol lol The 351C, by that time, had all kinds of smog stuff on it, was detuned and it didn't live up to its potential----stock. You could have really wrapped yourself around a few poles if you tuned the heck out of it and replaced several parts with high performance parts.

 

[jamespowers]

Those desmogged 351's are a snappy little engine. Now, let's talk about the 77 Country Squire with a 460!

Or the 75 Eldorado's 500.

 

[Angus Forbes]

Speaking about modifications (50 Chevy post), I remember seeing a lot of kids put some kind of blue lens in the tail light assembly to make the brake lights appear purplish. Also, there was the infamous "flamethrower exhaust" mod - especially for old Mercurys. Hey, youse guys Scorpions?

 

[AtomicEraTom]

I know a guy who's got a Caddy 500 in an AMC Pacer.

Or the 75 Eldorado's 500.

 

[jamespowers]

Speaking about modifications (50 Chevy post), I remember seeing a lot of kids put some kind of blue lens in the tail light assembly to make the brake lights appear purplish. Also, there was the infamous "flamethrower exhaust" mod - especially for old Mercurys. Hey, youse guys Scorpions?

Yes, the blue lights are outlawed out here because they are distracting. They are still available though and no one gets tickets so......

 

[jamespowers]

I know a guy who's got a Caddy 500 in an AMC Pacer.

A beautiful engine in an ugly car.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Very true, but it's fast! I have another friend who had a Hemi in a Gremlin lol

A beautiful engine in an ugly car.

On the Pacer note, as much as I am a fan of my favorite singer, I question his taste in automobiles.

 

[Spitfire]

Got my driving license late in my life - who needed one, anyway?
I had calculated that I could drive an awful lot in taxis for the price of a car - and I did!

Anyway - my first car was my wives used Peugeot 205. Cute and very feminine!!!
After a couple of years in that, life became funnier: A JEEP Wrangler.
Drove that crazy thing for 5 years - but after a couple of very long drives, and loose kidneys - I sold it to get a bit more comfort: A Landrover Freelander.
Great car!!!
Drove that baby for another 8 years until it became too expensive petrol wise. (9 km pr liter is not much with the prices we pay for petrol over here)
So now it's a VW Golf Plus 2.0 Diesel - it's German. It's effective - and doesn't do anything for my image. I have become responsible!

 

[Carl Miller]

Yes, the blue lights are outlawed out here because they are distracting. They are still available though and no one gets tickets so......

I had bluedots on a couple of old VWs and not one word from the cops for years, but as soon as I put them on my 59 chevy 2 ton and went through a weigh station I caught all kinds of hell from the CHP. (they were temporary while I restored the original glass lens lights and housings that came on the truck)

 

[Mrs Chaddsley_Corbett]

A Very un Glamorous but very easy to drive ford Escort by the name of "Goldie" when I sold her, I told the young Chap "Goldie" was her name, he laughed and said "Not anymore Mrs" as he drove off laughing

 

[jamespowers]

A Very un Glamorous but very easy to drive ford Escort by the name of "Goldie" when I sold her, I told the young Chap "Goldie" was her name, he laughed and said "Not anymore Mrs" as he drove off laughing

Now its name is Zeus.

 

[jamespowers]

Very true, but it's fast! I have another friend who had a Hemi in a Gremlin lol



On the Pacer note, as much as I am a fan of my favorite singer, I question his taste in automobiles.

Fast and sacreligious. A hemi belongs where it started. In a Gremlin it looks like a body builder in a dress.

 

[Mocheman]

Good man! This is the same body style as my '52 except mine was the standard model which had way less chrome trim. About everyone my age would add the chrome teeth from a '54 chevy grille, switch out the wheels for 15" Chevy station wagon rims which were wider, and when you could find them add the ribbed bumpers from a'49ish Plymouth. Those of us with part-time jobs, while living off our parents, would add split exhaust manifolds, and two single barrel carb's also on aftermarket intake manifolds. Big bucks for a kid.

Unfortunately at the time I didn't have the money nor the wrenching experience to really fix it. The motor ended up going and I had it "fixed" by a mechanic who took me for a ride. Months after the supposed "fix" the motor threw a rod. So then it sat for a number of years and finally my parents told me it had to go. When they came to pick it up I couldn't even look out the window.

I did however, keep the hood ornament and the side "Deluxe" lettering.

One day I'll get another one and this time I have the experience,knowledge and funds to fix whatever needs to be done. They are very easy cars to work on.

 

[Carl Miller]

A Very un Glamorous but very easy to drive ford Escort by the name of "Goldie" when I sold her, I told the young Chap "Goldie" was her name, he laughed and said "Not anymore Mrs" as he drove off laughing

that is a VERY neat little car. Probably not to many in the states though. A friend of mine is into Lotus Cortinas and it looks like one of those escorts would be the perfect car to compete against them.

 

[TimeWarpWife]

My parents gave me a 1979 Camaro Rally Sport for my 18th birthday-graduation gift. It was two-toned metallic light blue with a dark blue hood - the same colors as my favorite football team, the Dallas Cowboys. I called it "Mario" after Mario Andretti - what me speed? Never. I miss that car. I learned to drive in my parents' 1972 Chevy Impala and I took my driver's test in my dad's 1965 Plymouth Barracuda (that was a cool car!) because it was smaller and my dad thought I'd have a better chance of passing with it - he was right.

 

[scottyrocks]

A beautiful engine in an ugly car.

Yeah, but what a sleeper!

 

[scottyrocks]

My parents gave me a 1979 Camaro Rally Sport for my 18th birthday-graduation gift. It was two-toned metallic light blue with a dark blue hood - the same colors as my favorite football team, the Dallas Cowboys. I called it "Mario" after Mario Andretti - what me speed? Never. I miss that car. I learned to drive in my parents' 1972 Chevy Impala and I took my driver's test in my dad's 1965 Plymouth Barracuda (that was a cool car!) because it was smaller and my dad thought I'd have a better chance of passing with it - he was right.

I took my road test in a '73 Malibu station wagon. Aced the parking in it, too. What a boat that was.

 

[scottyrocks]

A Very un Glamorous but very easy to drive ford Escort by the name of "Goldie" when I sold her, I told the young Chap "Goldie" was her name, he laughed and said "Not anymore Mrs" as he drove off laughing

What a cool car! Of course, this one has some cool mods to help it out.

 

[jamespowers]

Yeah, but what a sleeper!

An UGLY sleeper.