What was your first car.

[Peach Wookiee]

The first car I drove was a 1980 brown Mercedes-Benz. My parents bought it used when I was ten years old and I started driving it the minute I had my learner's permit.
The first car I got was a 1995 black Volkswagen Jetta. I got it at the end of my junior year in high school (early 1998), and it lasted until early 2001 when my transmission died.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'd never googled the term before, but the results were pretty funny and accurate, including this poem:

REZ CAR
It's 24 years old.
It's been used
a lot more than most.
It's louder than a 747.
It's multicolored and none
of the tires are brothers.
I'm the 7th or 8th owner
I know I'll be the last.
What's wrong with it?
Well, the other day
the steering wheel fell off.
The radio doesn't work
but the heater does.
The seats have seen more
asses than a proctologist.
I turn the key, it starts.
I push the brake, it stops.
What else is a car
supposed to do?
--Jim Northrup

Very perceptive and almost Red Green-like in its simplicity.

 

[RandyS]

From 1990 to 2003, I drove a 1986 Chevy S-10 pickup.

 

[C.E. Evans]

A 1987 off-white Plymouth Reliant. A granny car, but one that ran faithfully for 21 years. I'd probably would still have it today if it hadn't been for a hole in my fuel line that I could have had fixed if I wanted to.
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2646/3772476738_1dcd3ebd0f.jpg

For some reason, that car had awesome gas mileage and didn't burn up a lot of oil (I once went two years without an oil change).

 

[Tora Ziyal]

If anyone else here has a significant amount of Native American in them, they'll have heard of a rez car.

Not Native American myself, but familiar with rez cars.

There's just something special about a rez car. We had another pair of them when I was a little older, two Pintos one brown and one orange!

My Duster would've fit in perfectly. I had her for 17 years. By the end, she was constantly stalling, and her rusty body was held together by bumper stickers.

I wanted to post the scene from Smoke Signals where they're driving in reverse, but I couldn't find it on YouTube.

 

[thestrangequark]

Not Native American myself, but familiar with rez cars.

There's just something special about a rez car. We had another pair of them when I was a little older, two Pintos one brown and one orange!

My Duster would've fit in perfectly. I had her for 17 years. By the end, she was constantly stalling, and her rusty body was held together by bumper stickers.

I wanted to post the scene from Smoke Signals where they're driving in reverse, but I couldn't find it on YouTube.

I love that movie! And would highly recommend The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven, upon which it's based. As well as any of Sherman Alexie's other books!

Here's the scene, thought the quality sucks:
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI1WBztE-Kg[/yt]

 

[137th Gebirg]

My first was a 1979 Chevy Camaro, bought in 1987. Copper paint ("GM #286 - Camel", to be exact) and tan interior. Still had it up until 2010 when, after a failed attempt at restoration, I wound up parting the whole thing out on eBay down to the last nut and bolt. Only the horn cap remains and I'm keeping that - will probably even be buried with it. I was sad to see it go, as I've been through much in my life with that old beast. Four years of Pennsylvania winters back in the late 80's/early 90's started the rusting process in earnest and I was financially unable to fix it up. Then, when I finally started getting the money together to resto-mod it, I discovered that it would take a minimum of $15,000 to rebuild the rear end alone, as it was almost completely destroyed by rust and sitting still too long on jack-stands. That would not have left much else in my budget to do the rest of the project, like a new engine, transmission, differential, paint, etc. So, with much sadness, I let her go along with all the parts I collected over the years in preparation for the rebuild.

I instead put my efforts into fixing up my more recent vehicle, a 1996 Chevy Impala SS, which is still in very good shape for its age. That one has a new LT1 383 Stroker, aluminum drive shaft and Behr multi-piston brake system. I'm slowly fixing up the skin - put a new fiberglass hood on it with dual forced air-induction intakes and custom front bumper cover w/ fog lights. Will probably be working on the interior in the coming years and doing a new overall paint job. Transmission, differential and suspension are all still rock solid and have no plans to do anything with them until they start to show signs of stress. The car still looks pretty stock with minimal cosmetic upgrades but runs like a scalded cat. I like my sleepers.

 

[auntiehill]

My first actual car was a 1984 Ford Tempo. It looked almost exactly like this one, just with fuzzy dice in the mirror:

Mine was silver.

I really appreciated the added safety measure, where if the breaks ever went out, all I had to do was crank up the A/C and the car would slow right the fuck down.

 

[Q2UnME]

My first car?

1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass 442

Son-of-a-bitch would pass anything except a gas station.....

Q2UnME

 

[Kenbushway]

My first actual car was a 1984 Ford Tempo. It looked almost exactly like this one, just with fuzzy dice in the mirror:

Mine was silver.

I really appreciated the added safety measure, where if the breaks ever went out, all I had to do was crank up the A/C and the car would slow right the fuck down.

 

[Peter Q Taggart]

1973 AMC Matador

 

[John Clark]

Mine was an old Vauxhall Chevette.

 

[Alrik]

1972 Plymouth Duster. Red.

How cool. Mine was a 1973 Plymouth Duster. Very much like the pic, but it had a 318 instead of a 340 and it didn't have the black hood with hood scoop. Fast/fun car though.

The first car I bought myself was a brand new 1988 Pontiac Fiero GT. It was almost identical to these. That thing was quick.

 

[Balrog]

A tan 1967 Volkswagen Beetle.

Tha first car I bought new was a black 1989 Pontiac Sunbird.

Both cars had manual transmission. I still make sure at least one of our cars is a stick shift.

 

[Holdfast]

My first car was a little 1.1L Ford Fiesta in bluey-green. It was a special edition so had insane luxuries like, wait for it, electric windows, central locking, metallic paint, an engine immobiliser and a jazzy seat fabric.

I kept it for 7+ years; it lasted me from the last year of school, through all my time at university, and then into the start of my first job. Pretty decent motor, though towards the end it developed a habit of rarely stalling right at the end of heavy braking and occasionally taking a couple of extra turns of the key to start up. Fortunately it happened to start perfectly first time when the dealer looked it over when I traded it in.

I liked that little car, though I haven't missed the fact that even when floored it would gradually slow down as it went up a steep hill on a nearby motorway... but it was a comfortable car, with OK handling and quite a nice gear change.

After that I got a Honda Civic Type-R which was an altogether different beast.

For the past 7+ years I've been driving an Audi S4. Every couple of years I think about trading it in for a new model, but I never do. It's fast, handles nicely, looks cool and is superbly practical so I suspect I'll keep it until it finally gives up the ghost.

 

[Captain Ice]

First car I drove: 1977 Chevrolet Caprice Classic. White with a green interior. Awesome car and I'd love to find another one.

First car I bought for myself: 1994 Ford Escort. Tuscon Bronze. Drove that thing for nine years and put about $1000 into new stereo components over the years.

 

[Mr. Lezar]

Mine was a 1982 Mercedes-Benz 240D.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I've been driving an Audi S4. Every couple of years I think about trading it in for a new model, but I never do. It's fast, handles nicely, looks cool and is superbly practical so I suspect I'll keep it until it finally gives up the ghost.

My dad has sworn off Audis because the last one he drove - this was about 30 years ago - broke down on him, in the middle of nowhere, while he was driving to Chicago.

 

[Amaris]

Plus, when I imagine you driving it, I can hear "The Lineman" playing in my head.

Oddly enough, when we were cruising around, I would often play Henry Mancini's them to Peter Gunn, which was featured in Blues Brothers and one of my favorite 80s video games, Spyhunter. That song was a big musical inspiration for Spence.

The Peter Gunn theme is still one of the most awesome themes ever conceived. Henry Mancini was brilliant.

My first actual car was a 1984 Ford Tempo. It looked almost exactly like this one, just with fuzzy dice in the mirror:

Mine was silver.

I really appreciated the added safety measure, where if the breaks ever went out, all I had to do was crank up the A/C and the car would slow right the fuck down.

A/C? What's that? If you turned on the A/C in my car, you got shot with dirt.

Still, I have to agree, lots of safety features on the ol' Tempos. Why, sometimes my car wouldn't even start if it felt I wasn't safe, and would leave me sitting in 12 degree weather until it felt I was.

I remember driving over some railroad tracks one night, and out of nowhere the car just shut down. I mean, everything quit. I coasted to a stop and had to wait a few minutes until the car started up again. Also, whenever I would drive above 40, the keys in the ignition would start rattling, the whole vehicle would start shaking violently (think Excelsior in ST:VI) and the radio would come on by itself. That said, I loved that car so much. I had nicknamed it the Funkmobile, and it served me well.

 

[Trekker4747]

A 1981 Toyota Corolla that my dad bought for me from my cousin for $500, got in in 1994. The car, by mileage, had driven to the moon. It lasted me for a good two years or so before keeping it in repair was just no longer practical (in the space of its last couple of months it needed a new alternator, one of the cylinders was mis-firing and it had a broken engine mount.)

The engine mount was the repair deemed not worth fixing so the car was basically scuttled since my recently deceased grandmother's car (1989 Ford Tempo) was now available.

The Corolla, oy. Zero power (which, I guess, is what every teenage boy needs) engine that sounded like someone blowing vacuum cleaner and the radio didn't work. The tape deck did so I always used that, coupled with a adapter to my CD player.

Also, whenever I would drive above 40, the keys in the ignition would start rattling,

You needed keys for your Tempo? Towards the end of her life my Tempo could be started just by turning the ignition slot with your hand!