First car?
- Thread starter retroenzo
- Start date
Yep. The ear recognizes the time to shift from the sound of the engine, and the feet and hand all do their synchronized dance. It's a joy. Man, I miss that...
1978 Toyota Corolla.
It was my father's car, which he gave to me when he replaced it, since I was about to go to college and needed transportation. This was 1985, it already had well over 100,000 miles. The car would have lasted longer, but I was so ignorant about car care that I never even got it an oil change for more than a year. I think it only had AM radio.
It was my father's car, which he gave to me when he replaced it, since I was about to go to college and needed transportation. This was 1985, it already had well over 100,000 miles. The car would have lasted longer, but I was so ignorant about car care that I never even got it an oil change for more than a year. I think it only had AM radio.
Indeed. I think that's why automatics throw me.
G
Gul Sengosts
Guest
'86 Ford Fiesta 1.6d, one of these
I really liked it. Only 54HP, but a diesel engine in a 850kg car means unexpected oomph and excellent fuel consumption.
I really liked it. Only 54HP, but a diesel engine in a 850kg car means unexpected oomph and excellent fuel consumption.
Likely the same for me, it's just seems weird not to be using your left foot and a gear stick
The first car I owned was a yellow '71 Toyota Corolla 2-door coupe like this one, except with whitewall tires and stock wheels.
One of the few smart decisions I ever made was insisting that my first car have a manual transmission, so I'd be forced to learn to drive "stick." I've never regretted it. Driving an automatic is boring.
My mother had a dark green 1971 Ford LTD four-door. Goddamn, that thing was enormous. We used to call it "the bus" or "the tank."
Same here. All my cars have had manual transmissions. On those infrequent occasions when I need to drive someone else's car, I find myself constantly reaching for a gearshift and clutch pedal that aren't there.
One of the few smart decisions I ever made was insisting that my first car have a manual transmission, so I'd be forced to learn to drive "stick." I've never regretted it. Driving an automatic is boring.
First car: 1982 Mazda GLC 3-door hatchback, 5-speed manual.
One of the vehicles I learned to drive in was a '77 Chevette, 4-speed manual. The others were a 1962 Chevy pickup and a 1950 Ferguson TO-20.
Once my aunt (late teens) was driving the Chevette with me (c. 10 years old) and a bunch of cousins aboard. She wanted to show us a "gravity hill," where it appears that you defy gravity and roll uphill. She wanted to prove that the car was coasting, so she took her foot off the gas. "Look, I'm not pushing the gas!" She shifted into neutral and shook the stick. "Look, it's not in gear!" She reached for the ignition, shut it off and held up the keys. "Look, I took the key out!"
CLICK! The steering wheel locked into place. As she realized what had happened and fumbled with the keys, we left the road, bounced violently over a few rocks and ruts, and stopped in a barbed wire fence. In a few seconds, as we realized that everyone was OK after being thoroughly knocked around, we were all laughing almost uncontrollably. As we backed to the road, another car roll by slowly. It was my mom and another aunt, eyes like saucers, having watched the whole thing.
Thinking about it now, one of the oddest things was that there were, I think, seven kids 10 and under, plus the driver, packed into that hatchback. Seatbelts? Yeah, I think it had some...
Another thing that seems odd today is that those big full-size cars were available as two- as well as four-door. And the doors on a two-door were massive. My grandparents had a Monte Carlo (coupe only of course) when I was a kid, I swear I had to get a running start to swing one of those doors shut.
The Chevette is one of America's greatest crimes...
One of the vehicles I learned to drive in was a '77 Chevette, 4-speed manual. The others were a 1962 Chevy pickup and a 1950 Ferguson TO-20.
Once my aunt (late teens) was driving the Chevette with me (c. 10 years old) and a bunch of cousins aboard. She wanted to show us a "gravity hill," where it appears that you defy gravity and roll uphill. She wanted to prove that the car was coasting, so she took her foot off the gas. "Look, I'm not pushing the gas!" She shifted into neutral and shook the stick. "Look, it's not in gear!" She reached for the ignition, shut it off and held up the keys. "Look, I took the key out!"
CLICK! The steering wheel locked into place. As she realized what had happened and fumbled with the keys, we left the road, bounced violently over a few rocks and ruts, and stopped in a barbed wire fence. In a few seconds, as we realized that everyone was OK after being thoroughly knocked around, we were all laughing almost uncontrollably. As we backed to the road, another car roll by slowly. It was my mom and another aunt, eyes like saucers, having watched the whole thing.
Thinking about it now, one of the oddest things was that there were, I think, seven kids 10 and under, plus the driver, packed into that hatchback. Seatbelts? Yeah, I think it had some...
Another thing that seems odd today is that those big full-size cars were available as two- as well as four-door. And the doors on a two-door were massive. My grandparents had a Monte Carlo (coupe only of course) when I was a kid, I swear I had to get a running start to swing one of those doors shut.
And then the hinges on those doors went bad and you had to lift the door to close it properly.
I'm pretty sure my chevette (82) had two seatbelts. Not sure about in the back though. If it did have any, the middle seater certainly didn't have one and was usually gripping onto the two front seats. If it didn't, then the others wedged themselves in with their knees against the front seat.
I think (as it came) it only had one door mirror and no tape deck. No headrests either on any of the seats.
Edit to add - Yeah, mine only had front seat belts so I'm pretty glad I didn't have any accidents in it
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I'm pretty sure my chevette (82) had two seatbelts. Not sure about in the back though. If it did have any, the middle seater certainly didn't have one and was usually gripping onto the two front seats. If it didn't, then the others wedged themselves in with their knees against the front seat.
I think (as it came) it only had one door mirror and no tape deck. No headrests either on any of the seats.
Edit to add - Yeah, mine only had front seat belts so I'm pretty glad I didn't have any accidents in it
Did they have shoulder belts by then, or still just lap belts?
I remember the days of only one door (driver's) mirror and lap belts and AM/FM radios were a rarity (never mind any kind of tape player, though more than likely 8-Track).
In high school (late '80s) we cruised around a lot in my friend's '74 (I think) Galaxie, a big 4-door hardtop. It had the post-'68 lap belts of course but the shoulder belts had been an option. They were folded and secured up on each side of the headliner, just above the windows. I don't think anyone had ever tried to unravel and use them, they looked perfectly folded from the factory.
AM radios with one speaker right in the top center of the dash, I remember that well. Seemed like they would always pick up interference from the alternator. Also you could hear lightning quite a ways off.
Radio aerial wires built into the windshield was a thing that was tried for a while, too, but apparently didn't catch on.
1963 Dodge Dart with a slant 6 engine and push button automatic transmission. That thing was a tank that sipped gas. Then I got a '72 Plymouth Fury muscle car that was a hot rod.
I remember those. 2 thin wires imbedded in the center of the windshield.
It's funny, they went back that way in the 2000's on the back window like the defogger wires, also running vertically. I remember my 2002 Monte Carlo had an issue where the defroster/defogger would short to the antenna wires when I would turn the defogger on.
Maybe easier to replace if they actually did replace the wires instead of the entire window.
Mine had the shoulder belts. Next car had lap belts for the centre read passenger, but all I've had since then have had the shoulder ones for all.
I miss it too. My last car with manual shift (6 speed) was an Audi TT Quattro roadster. So much fun to drive. But it was impractical as a single car, so I'd kept my aging Nissan Maxima as the "utility" car. It worked out well... until I moved to a place where 2 cars was much too burdensome. I had to let it go. Because of heavy traffic congestion with commuting, I ended up letting go of the Maxima (which as a 5 speed manual), and got an automatic. It does have paddle shifters on the steering wheel and direct sequential gear access, which gives extra control when needed. But I sure do miss shifting with a foot clutch!
It was my FIRST serious sports car. My very first car was a rather bland old Volvo station wagon.
Probably a '73, because '74 was the first year that Ford fully integrated the lap belts and shoulder harnesses into one unit. One of my uncles had a '73 LTD (same as the Galaxie except for some minor trim differences) and that still had the separate parts.
Big two door cars? How about this 1971 Mercury Marquis that I found in google images. (One of my uncles had a 1971 Mercury Monterey 4 door and that definitely felt big when I was 4 years old.)
Wow, it's the USS Nimitz!!! you could put my first car in the trunk to use as a spare..Probably a '73, because '74 was the first year that Ford fully integrated the lap belts and shoulder harnesses into one unit. One of my uncles had a '73 LTD (same as the Galaxie except for some minor trim differences) and that still had the separate parts.
Big two door cars? How about this 1971 Mercury Marquis that I found in google images. (One of my uncles had a 1971 Mercury Monterey 4 door and that definitely felt big when I was 4 years old.)
I wonder how many tankers full of oil it needs to get across town..
Just purchased a commuter so I won't sacrifice my pride and joy to the commute god..
heck IT could fit in the trunk of that land yacht..
I remember at least one Cadillac dealer back in the 1980s that advertised "Buy a new Cadillac and get a Yugo free!"
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