OT: Nostalgia-What Was Your First Car or Vehicle...?

[Mattingly23NY]

Once you got your drivers license, what was the 1st vehicle, you owned or drove...?

Excluding pre-drivers license wheels, ie. the old skates with steel wheels, and used a key to turn the clamps on the skates sides to tighten up against your shoes. Or the skateboards, also with steel "suicide-broken limbs" wheels....?

Mine was a Yamaha 100cc, 2 cylinder-2 stroke street bike.

Regular was 32 cents a gallon, Premium 40 cents per gallon. We rarely had mid grades. The Yamaha got 100+ mpg.

2 years later, I'd buy a 2 year old mint 69 Fastback Mustang, Hi-Performace Test Bed. 390 cubic inch motor, with 2 each 4 barrel Holly carbs, included with 2 additional electric fuel pumps under the hood, 2 more on the gas tank. Otherwise the 8 barrels of carbs would starve for gas.

Bought it for $2,400, only 10,000 miles on it, like brand new, my insurance the 2nd year, after 3 speeding tickets, jumped from $1,380.00 a year (full coverage) to $2,500 a year. Needless to say, I only owned that car for 2 years. I wasn't going to continue to pay as much for Insurance in 1 year as I did to buy the car...!

The Mustang got 9mpg, on the highway. Close to a Winnebago's mpg. Well close enough.

Needless to say, I sold the Mustang, bought a automatic 6 cylinder in-line Chevy Pick-Up, that could NOT go faster than 60mph, and speeding ticket issues were immediately resolved. NO power steering or breaks, I tore my back muscles turning its brutal steering the 1st time I drove it. Over-sized tires did not help its steering cause....Those were the days, so are these...!

 

[Mattingly23NY]

Two cylinders one jug, or 2 pistons one head...100 mpg...couldn't beat it. Costs an average of $1.25 a month; to ride it to work, school and back every day, for a month.

 

[Rick2583]

66 Lincoln continental with the suicide doors. I paid my friend $400.00 for it. And it was only 7 years old & in very good condition. DAMN! I loved that car.

 

[Yankeefan5545]

Learned to drive in a '57 Studebaker Silver Hawk. Loved those cars, looked like a dart going down the road with the upright grilles and low upswept tail fins. It was the old mans car, did not get to drive it as much as I'd liked to but one happy camper when so doing. 289 V-8, Borg Warner Auto, dual ehxausts and glass packs gave her a sweet sound. I got my license in '61, living in San Diego, no speed limit on the freeways if traffic and conditions were right. Yeah lets go out past El Cajon to Yuma and blow the soot out.

 

[yankeesince59]

...wow, you had a Silver Hawk?

...I first learned to drive in Dad's '64 Fairlane...first car I owned was a '67 Pontiac Lemans. ($700)

 

[totus44]

Learned to drive a '83 Monte Carlo and a '78 Ford pickup. First car I owned, '84 Mustang...project car totaled by a girlfriend. First car I loved....'89 270z followed by the '94 300zx and presently the '09 370z.

 

[yankeesince59]

..." '89 270z " ?...are you sure?..I remember them making a 240, 260, and 280 Z.

...I had 2 "Z" cars...1984 Anniversary Edition (Turbo)(and scary fast)...and 1995 300Z. (both 5 speeds)

 

[Mattingly23NY]

Learned to drive in a '57 Studebaker Silver Hawk. Loved those cars, looked like a dart going down the road with the upright grilles and low upswept tail fins. It was the old mans car, did not get to drive it as much as I'd liked to but one happy camper when so doing. 289 V-8, Borg Warner Auto, dual ehxausts and glass packs gave her a sweet sound. I got my license in '61, living in San Diego, no speed limit on the freeways if traffic and conditions were right. Yeah lets go out past El Cajon to Yuma and blow the soot out.

...wow, you had a Silver Hawk?

...I first learned to drive in Dad's '64 Fairlane...first car I owned was a '67 Pontiac Lemans. ($700)

My Grand Dad owned a hot Studebaker (Bat Wing) Silver Hawk. He swore by it, tho' he had other numerous cars and trucks, he'd only drive the Studebaker....

Tho' I first owned a Yamaha 100cc twin. Followed by the Mustang from Hell.

I learned how to drive a stick 63 VW, my Dad would latter Porsche-rize its engine, exhaust and gear box, drive train too. On to a 66 Ford Falcon, the same chassis as the early Mustangs. That Falcon had a 3 on the steering column shift. Those were cars I learned to drive in, but didn't own.

but then why would I want to own one of those things, when I had the 69 Mustang from Hell....

In the same time, my Dad bought my sisters a 64 Rambler (what a piece of shit)....while he drove a 63 Pontiac Catalina Station Wagon, which he still owns. The only Freeway Yacht around that still gives the passengers whiplash with its 442 engine.

His other vehicle is now mine, a 59 Mint Pan-Head Harley. Dad is the Original owner, & the bike doesn't even have 24,000 on its rebuilt engine, which was re-built in 1980. The only NON-STOCK component on the HD, is the primary chain was replaced with a Primary Belt....incredible how much vibration the belt took out of the bike...

The HD has been to 28 Antique and/or Classic Vehicle shows, and won Best In Show in 27 of them.

Almost as nice as Ron's Ford Tractor, but then the HD can't plow anything other than asphalt.

 

[Hammerojustice]

The first car I drove was my dad's cutlass sierra... tore the drivers side door off within a week of driving it.... Long story, but my friends were having a get together shortly after much snow.... one way street.... trying to parallel park on the side I wasn't accustomed to & the window was frozen shut & door mirror was iced over... so as I was backing up into chosen spot, the door got lightly stuck in a frozen snow bank.... Well, I freaked & hit the gas instead of the break... door bent the opposite way.... needless to say, I didn't have a good time....

First vehicle I owned was a Jeep Cherokee... had over 200,00 miles when I got it... lasted less than 2 months..... threw a rod north of Albany.... called my dad & he said, I'll be there in 4 hours...

I have had (for the most part) better luck since....

 

[Mattingly23NY]

The first car I drove was my dad's cutlass sierra... tore the drivers side door off within a week of driving it.... Long story, but my friends were having a get together shortly after much snow.... one way street.... trying to parallel park on the side I wasn't accustomed to & the window was frozen shut & door mirror was iced over... so as I was backing up into chosen spot, the door got lightly stuck in a frozen snow bank.... Well, I freaked & hit the gas instead of the break... door bent the opposite way.... needless to say, I didn't have a good time....

First vehicle I owned was a Jeep Cherokee... had over 200,00 miles when I got it... lasted less than 2 months..... threw a rod north of Albany.... called my dad & he said, I'll be there in 4 hours...

I have had (for the most part) better luck since....

Oh my, LOL....so if the door and window are iced over, parallel the car, and remove door....?

Good to hear you have had good luck since then. That's a horrible way to begin one's life of driving...!

 

[Yankeefan5545]

Bought my first car in '67 upon returning from overseas duty. Loved the looks of the Corvairs and bought a '65 Corsa 140 pancake 6 and four one bbl Carbs. Sharp two door hardtop, burgundy with white interior. It was no dragster but the damn thing had very good manners down the Massachusetts back roads. Took a friend to the local Triumph Dealer to pick up his TR-3 and the man was shocked at how well the car handled. Unsafe at any speed BS Ralph Nader I loved my Corvair.

 

[Mattingly23NY]

Bought my first car in '67 upon returning from overseas duty. Loved the looks of the Corvairs and bought a '65 Corsa 140 pancake 6 and four one bbl Carbs. Sharp two door hardtop, burgundy with white interior. It was no dragster but the damn thing had very good manners down the Massachusetts back roads. Took a friend to the local Triumph Dealer to pick up his TR-3 and the man was shocked at how well the car handled. Unsafe at any speed BS Ralph Nader I loved my Corvair.

Corvair's were indeed fun cars to drive....I agree Fo-Q Ralph Nader....!

My neighbor, (and 1st puppy love girlfriend), had a nice Corvair, then she got hit broadside going through an intersection by a F350 with a Camper on it. Made quick work out of her and her 3 girlfriends. DOA....She was but 16 years old; a very sad day....!

Still it wasn't the Corvair's fault, and armored car would of had as disastrous of result up against a big truck driving DRUNK at 65 mph, while driving through a red light.....

Those MG's were a blast to tear screaming through these Southern Cal Canyon's. A great little car in its time....!

I remember sitting with her in driving school not a year prior, hearing Green Lights do not mean GO..! "They mean proceed when safe".....!! words burned on my brain...! Then, and now..!

 

[totus44]

..." '89 270z " ?...are you sure?..I remember them making a 240, 260, and 280 Z.

...I had 2 "Z" cars...1984 Anniversary Edition (Turbo)(and scary fast)...and 1995 300Z. (both 5 speeds)

Sorry...typo it was a 280. My 94 was black, t-tops...not the twin turbo. Great car until some guy t-boned me blowing through a red light (2001). I was in a series of cars making a left turn at an intersection, he hit me about 12 seconds AFTER his light turned red...oops. Flatlined and resuscitated, enjoying life2.0 lol!

After driving a tank of a pickup for a few years I went back to the 370z, in black. Now that I own it and warranties are expiring, time to luck into some upgrades.

 

[totus44]

Learned to drive in a '57 Studebaker Silver Hawk. Loved those cars, looked like a dart going down the road with the upright grilles and low upswept tail fins. It was the old mans car, did not get to drive it as much as I'd liked to but one happy camper when so doing. 289 V-8, Borg Warner Auto, dual ehxausts and glass packs gave her a sweet sound. I got my license in '61, living in San Diego, no speed limit on the freeways if traffic and conditions were right. Yeah lets go out past El Cajon to Yuma and blow the soot out.

Nice! Back in '99 I was getting ready for business trip to Japan and had been waiting for snail mail to deliver my passport renewal. Long story short, they tried to deliver, needed a Sig, and the mailman was out of the damn yellow stickers. I would have canceled the trip except I was coming back to the states for a day and then flying out to Tahiti for my first real vacation. So I got ahold of the passport office in the Fed building in LA, off the 405 on Western ave. I had less than 2 hours to get there from Carlsbad, little over 100 miles door to door and included running the LAX guanlet. I did find out the top speed of the 300zx on the 5 in the stretch through Pendleton, hit the 160 peg on a slight downhill. Hooked up with a 911 in Orange County and played slalom, including that neat unused passing lane on the right....called the shoulder or something like that. 59 min flat to the parking lot in the Federal complex....hot rubber and that classic z snap crackle and pop as the engine cooled. The trip home took 3 hours, lol!

 

[yankeesince59]

Sorry...typo it was a 280.

After driving a tank of a pickup for a few years I went back to the 370z, in black. Now that I own it and warranties are expiring, time to luck into some upgrades.

...thought so, but wasn't sure. The '84 I had was unbelievably fast (turbo) and also had the digital dash (lit up like a Xmas tree at night)...it was silver and black (Raiders). Still miss that car...I also had 3 TR6's when I was younger...the '69 w/electric overdrive was by far my fav.

 

[yankeesince59]

...found it;

...found a pic of the dash too (pretty high-tech back then)

 

[Yankeefan5545]

Corvair's were indeed fun cars to drive....I agree Fo-Q Ralph Nader....!

My neighbor, (and 1st puppy love girlfriend), had a nice Corvair, then she got hit broadside going through an intersection by a F350 with a Camper on it. Made quick work out of her and her 3 girlfriends. DOA....She was but 16 years old; a very sad day....!

Still it wasn't the Corvair's fault, and armored car would of had as disastrous of result up against a big truck driving DRUNK at 65 mph, while driving through a red light.....

Those MG's were a blast to tear screaming through these Southern Cal Canyon's. A great little car in its time....!

I remember sitting with her in driving school not a year prior, hearing Green Lights do not mean GO..! "They mean proceed when safe".....!! words burned on my brain...! Then, and now..!

Actually in some cases nothing is safe, about 6 months ago some guy on a motorcycle doing 100 plus T-boned and totaled a Chevrolet Suburban. The bike ignited on impact but there was mucho damage to that Chevy. The one thing with Corvairs was the front end getting a bit light at high speed on the highways. A couple of people I knew put a couple of 50 pound sand bags up in the trunk.

 

[totus44]

59 that is awesome!

 

[totus44]

59 that is awesome!

But what the hell type of shoe are you wearing there? Lol!

 

[Mattingly23NY]

Sorry...typo it was a 280. My 94 was black, t-tops...not the twin turbo. Great car until some guy t-boned me blowing through a red light (2001). I was in a series of cars making a left turn at an intersection, he hit me about 12 seconds AFTER his light turned red...oops. Flatlined and resuscitated, enjoying life2.0 lol!

After driving a tank of a pickup for a few years I went back to the 370z, in black. Now that I own it and warranties are expiring, time to luck into some upgrades.

May I suggest, for your driving attributes, a very fine model tailored specifically for your type of driving enthusiasm....this:




I'll let you have this Pagani Zonda, cheap at 2.5 mil. I'll give ya' a break, trade me your Z and I'll knock $1,000 off, and throw in a case of Patron. I'm giving you a great deal now...! I'll even throw in some head and tail lamps...for free...!

Or a bag of Cheetos, take your pick....!

 

[Mattingly23NY]

...found it;

...found a pic of the dash too (pretty high-tech back then)

SWEET. very very SWEET...!

Was the pic taken on your property Ron, sure looks like Georgia Pine to me....man I miss JoeJah....one of the prettiest stunning landscapes in the Country.

 

[Mattingly23NY]

Actually in some cases nothing is safe, about 6 months ago some guy on a motorcycle doing 100 plus T-boned and totaled a Chevrolet Suburban. The bike ignited on impact but there was mucho damage to that Chevy. The one thing with Corvairs was the front end getting a bit light at high speed on the highways. A couple of people I knew put a couple of 50 pound sand bags up in the trunk.

Very True.....the idiotic thing about driving here in So. Cal. is none of the ass-wipes give a shitttt about anyone. It's a daily common affair, to be tail gated at high speeds, have ass holes speed up when your trying to get in a lane they're in, yet 100 yards behind me, or have cars pull out in front of you constantly. No courtesy in the Nanny Welfare State, the majority thinks they all have a sense of entitlements, even when it comes to driving.

Here, at a 4 way stop, everyone violates the law, or doesn't know how to navigate a 4 way, and all want to go at the same time. Hell, plenty of people don't even bother to stop....!

In Georgia, people were Soooo polite; at 4 way stops, drivers in the right away, all wave to you, "No, you go first, I insist, no you go first". Very polite people there. Here everyone fights over who wants to go first, not who has the right of way.

One reason I rarely ride my motorcycle these days, I've had to many cars on a 2 lane highway pass another car, into my lane, and force me into a ditch. A common occurrence. I think I'll add a missile launcher or a 50 cal. Gatling Gun to my HD. Problem temporarily resolved....

 

[Yankeefan5545]

Back in the dark ages when I was finishing up High School, Southern Cal was the place to be. When I saw "American Graffitti it was pretty much spot on about how things were. But even then there were "California Stop Signs" among other things. And the San Diego Police could be like the Gestapo at times but I still have good memories of the place and time. In '73 I was sent to reclassify for a 6 month period of time at Fort Mac Arthur San Pedro. Got down to San Diego quite a bit and found not much had really changed. Stopped there again in '81 and wondered what had hell happened would not like to think about what it's like now. Motorcycles, tried them out when I got to the Far East and after leaving a few the wrong way decided that for me they were the wrong way.

 

[Mattingly23NY]

Nice! Back in '99 I was getting ready for business trip to Japan and had been waiting for snail mail to deliver my passport renewal. Long story short, they tried to deliver, needed a Sig, and the mailman was out of the damn yellow stickers. I would have canceled the trip except I was coming back to the states for a day and then flying out to Tahiti for my first real vacation. So I got ahold of the passport office in the Fed building in LA, off the 405 on Western ave. I had less than 2 hours to get there from Carlsbad, little over 100 miles door to door and included running the LAX guanlet. I did find out the top speed of the 300zx on the 5 in the stretch through Pendleton, hit the 160 peg on a slight downhill. Hooked up with a 911 in Orange County and played slalom, including that neat unused passing lane on the right....called the shoulder or something like that. 59 min flat to the parking lot in the Federal complex....hot rubber and that classic z snap crackle and pop as the engine cooled. The trip home took 3 hours, lol!

Now, we know the 1st cars we cherished, and drove, what's some of your most memorable driving moments, albeit speed, or scraping the ice off of your windows via hammers methodology....

Drove the "back route" from Lancaster to Tijuana, via Hwy., 138 to the 15, then merged onto the 5. Left Land-scatter at 3 am. Averaged 120 mph, in my buddies Porsche 911 turbo. No traffic to speak of, only saw a couple of Black and Whites. Slowed down but a couple of times. Arrived at 4:45 am. 1 hr and 45 mins. 179 mile trip via the back route. tho' it took us 3 hrs and 50 mins.; to get home the straight route, I-5 to the 14, in heavy freeway traffic.- (and that is making good time even on a Sunday in L.A. parking lot Freeways) ....

Pomona to Lancaster, heavy 210 and 14 Freeway Traffic, in my 95 Cobra-Mustang, (who said Mustang's can't corner?), that time with my brother riding shotgun, (who was a L.A. Co. Sherrif Deputy). I hadn't owned the car but a week, while he accompanied me down to the Inland Empire. On the way back, I said, "I'd love to air this thing out, see what its got", he pulled out his Badge, and said "go for it, no one will ticket us, I promise"....
Never got below 120mph, didn't even slow down til we got to the off ramp. Time 45 minutes, to cover 69 miles, but in heavy NASCAR traffic...! A normal 3 hour trip due to heavy traffic.
Funniest f'king thing about that flight/trip, was a YUGO POS... trying to keep up with me at 100mph, with its little spare balloon like tires, (the fool)...

Bishop to Landscatter, 186 miles, 14 to 395 full of speed radar traps and Highway Patrols. A normal 4-5 hour drive, if one stops for food or gas. No stops in my 95 Mustang Cobra, 2 hrs. 30 minutes.

Wichita KS. to Lancaster, CA. 1183 miles, 21 hours in a VW Van. 2 each 20 gallon gas tanks, a port a potty, a fridge, no need to stop not even for gas, (yes, If I had it my way, I'd of never used that port a potty-stunk like hell). I wasn't driving then. That trip was hell....the damn VW could barely go 50 mph up a hill, and the driver my Uncle, had it pegged out at 80 mph going down all hills. One of the more miserable road trips of my life...! That was it, I'd never ride in his shitbox VW van again.

 

[Mattingly23NY]

Back in the dark ages when I was finishing up High School, Southern Cal was the place to be. When I saw "American Graffitti it was pretty much spot on about how things were. But even then there were "California Stop Signs" among other things. And the San Diego Police could be like the Gestapo at times but I still have good memories of the place and time. In '73 I was sent to reclassify for a 6 month period of time at Fort Mac Arthur San Pedro. Got down to San Diego quite a bit and found not much had really changed. Stopped there again in '81 and wondered what had hell happened would not like to think about what it's like now. Motorcycles, tried them out when I got to the Far East and after leaving a few the wrong way decided that for me they were the wrong way.

Totus-Tom, could tell you better than I, since he lives down near Diego...my last trip to Diego was in 08, and I was stunned beyond my worst imagination. Orange County used to be pretty wide open, more-so than other Freeways. Prior to that trip I can't think of any a building that was more than 4 stories high. Now Orange Co. looks alot like downtown L.A., or Wilshire/Westwood/Melrose and Century City. Tall buildings everywhere. The freeway's have been revised, with additional freeways, creating a real beast of a monster in So. Cal. What used to be wide open from this desert an hour north of L.A. is now wall to wall housing, business buildings, from Santa Clarita/Valencia (15 mins. north of San Fernando), all the way to the Mexican Border, a real nightmare, I do my best to avoid at all costs.

Seems it wasn't that long ago, in the late 80s, even early to mid 90s, San Fernando had sporadic gaps of open farmland, then south of L.A. in between Orange and L.A. Counties, more open lands, rural, and it was easy to make up lost time from the heavy parking lot traffic.

Now forget it, the AV Freeway 14, (1 hour north of downtown L.A.) is often as populated as the Santa Ana Freeway. Basically a trip to Diego here now, takes a good 4-5 hours, depending on Sig-Alerts and Traffic. A real hell hole if I ever saw one.

We're trying like hell to move to Coos Bay, Oregon. Not sure if it will ever happen, but its a must necessary move. I can't handle this heat, the people, traffic, rudeness, screwed up politics, and the overcrowding of vagrants, and minorities (which are majorities in all honesty)....and their self entitlement mentalities....

I know you'd be blown away Michael by the Beast So. Cal has become. Not even a nice place to visit IMO.

 

[JeterRules20]

I had a sleek two door silver Mazda 6 but I cant remember what year it was. It was standard and I loved that car.

 

[Mattingly23NY]

But what the hell type of shoe are you wearing there? Lol!

Definitely not the Blue Suede Shoes, I was expecting....

 

[Mattingly23NY]

I had a sleek two door silver Mazda 6 but I cant remember what year it was. It was standard and I loved that car.

I had a friend, who owned a 84 Mazda, (forget the model number), she had 300,000 miles on it, and only changed the oil, spark plugs, hoses, and belts in that period of time.

Winter of 96, she drove it from Tehachapi, CA. to Little Rock, Arkansas. We all warned her driving that far, with that many miles on her Mazda, in snow too, was not a wise option. She ignored us, and made it to Arkansas no probs.

On the way home, the car finally had enough and its engine seized up. On the freeway in downtown Albuquerque, she pulled off to the shoulder, called AAA, had it towed to the nearest Mazda dealer, and traded it in, on a brand new (same model) Mazda.

To this day, she has 200,000 on that new one, & its 18 yrs. old. Once again, she's not had an ounce of probs with it either....

 

[Yankeefan5545]

My first tour in Germany was Berlin, no car needed but on 2nd tour I wound up in Hanau and there you needed a car. Germany, fast car for the 'bahn would have been cool but I decided to go for a Triumph TR-6 which sold for around 2800 then. Problem was the insurance for the car was going to be 3600 per year so the TR-6 went right out the window. So I bought a Fiat 128 sedan price 2K insurance 950 a year still ridiculous. Fiat turned out to be an acronym for Fix It Again Tony. The X-19 was a piece of garbage as well.

 

[Hammerojustice]

Oh my, LOL....so if the door and window are iced over, parallel the car, and remove door....?

Good to hear you have had good luck since then. That's a horrible way to begin one's life of driving...!

I guess technically, the door was bent way past normal opening point... but yeah... parallel parking was the only option that day...