DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Everything Else... Your first car..

There was some discussion in here about poster talking about about another being 'upside down' in their loan..I had a pretty heated discussion with my youngest boy this morning before our family trip started this morning about this very topic.

He isnt just upside down..he might as well be drowned and dead.
My dear wife looks at me and says umm..FBHO71 what car did you have when we met and what did it sell for compared to what you had in it?? Then busts out some app on her phone that has timeline of your life with pictures..sorry don't know the name of the app I was to busy looking at nostalgia..my first ride.

A 82 Olds 98..with the crappy 307 taken out and dropped in pontiac 400..Blue candy paint with a nice rag top..The messicans was dropping them..the brothers was lifting them..so mine was lifted with limo springs..chrome dogs on the back barking..100 spoke wire wheels with the gangster white walls bling bling..and stereo system that would knock the fillings out of someone three cars back...the car was straight up 'hood'.

I was so upside down in that car it wasnt even funny..but damn
the memories of driving through the hood..And you hit that play button and all the people hear for blocks was "so you wanna be a gangster and all that sh..18's slamming hard in my g-damn trunk..and depending on which part of town we was "ridin high sidin"..crippin aint easy.

And all the attention from the womens fellow homies and just straight up haters was freaking awesome. And my wife brought all of those memories flooding back..One of the most dangerous times of my life but also some of the most fun too..

If any of you met me today in real life wouldnt believe in a thousand yrs I drove such a thing.

So anyone else want to delve into some memories of current/past rides that bring you entertainment/joy or absolute misery is fine also..anyone??

If I dont respond to anyone sorry posting on my phone between the island hopping and time to do so ..and my wife doesnt kill me for not being engaged with the family.

1977 Triumph Spitfire 1500.
$4500 out the door... brand new. Promised myself I'd keep it into my retirement years. Kept it for 12 years, and had to sell it to pay taxes.

What a blast to drive. What a pain to maintain.

New promise to self: when I retire, I'll get a vintage TR6 as my 'toy.' Time to play around under the hood, but a reliable ride for everyday.

Yes sir..that car I mentioned above I would give my left you know what to have back..but absolutely would not be appropriate at least to the stick up the behind folks where i live..

1972 Gran Torino Sport-My stepmother gave it to me when she got a new car.
Had a 351 Cleveland in it.

Did 105mph with 105k on it with a two barrel!

Here's a question to add to the topic: What's the fastest you've gotten your vehicle to go with you behind the wheel?

First car ended up in the junk yard after changing a few hands so I bought another one whilst in the service.

Had to rebuild the engine so this Torino had a 302 in it.

Got that puppy up to 111mph with a two barrel!

150 vno freaking lie..88 gta with a vette motor in it ls6 if I remember correctly..I was living in Newport News at the time..went to visit the wife at Fort Jackson when she graduated basic training..

We was in north caralina 3am doing said speed..my sons kept saying daddy go faster drive faster..go around a gradual curve and some idiot left their car parked halfway off the burm and in the middle of the outside lane..

almost creamed us..and I drove 55 the rest of the way after I cleaned my shorts.

First thing the kid says to mommy when we met up after the graduating ceremony...mommy daddy was going one five zero on the way here and we almost died.

Lets just say no nookie that day and man did I get it with both barrels from her.

By the way my dad had that same car when I was young..green I think it was.

First car I drove? Dad's hand me down 1982 Plymouth Horizon hatchback, 4 dr. 4 cylinder, 5 speed. Had 82,000 miles on it when I turned 16 and dad bought a new car for himself. Drove it till it died - 2 years later.

Dad bought me a Pontiac Grand prix then. Not sure of the year though. When I went to college, dad sold the car.

I had a kid at the middle of my Freshman year in college, and I got tired of, when I worked, having to load my son into the bike seat of my 10 speed, ride to the sitters house, drop him off, then ride bike to work, so I bought a 1985 GMC S-15 pickup. 4 cylinder, 5 speed, vinyl seats, no a/c. Had it till I graduated and got a job.

Traded it in on a brand new 1991 Pontiac Grand AM LE, 4 cylinder 5 speed. WITH a/c. No power windows though. 4 year loan (and with the truck trade in and some cash down, I was never upside down on that car). Paid it off in just under 3 years.

Started working at a Pontiac GMC dealership about a year later, so I got a demo car for driving to work and about town.

A number of years later, I became part owner of the dealership, so I sold the Grand AM and just drove dealership cars, although I did buy an old Chevy pickup - 2 w.d., mileage unknown.

After "leaving" the dealership (well, just prior to "leaving" in what amounted to a forced buy out) I bought a used Pontiac Bonneville SE. I had sold it new, the people that bought it had everything done at the dealership. 107,000 miles on it when I bought it (gave myself a good deal - $2000 - as I had a heads up that I was getting fired. )

Had that for a number of years, plus the old chevy truck. (took the bed off of that, put a wood bed on it, stained the wood Browns brown, and my wife and I painted the cab to look like a Browns helmet. Bro in law made a brush guard that resembled a face mask.

Had to get rid of that one spring, as it needed a battery, a new tire, and the tranny wouldn't shift out of second gear - although, during deer season, I drove it in 2nd gear - took a while to get where I was going as I could only hit about 35 without the engine sounding like it was going to blow.

To fix it would've cost more than the thing was worth, so I took it to a scrap yard and got just under $300 for it.

Ended up buying a used GMC half ton, reg. cab 2 w.d. pickup with 172,125 miles on it, to replace it - for $2000. Sold my Bonneville for $500 more than I bought it for.

I myself have never been upside down on a car. Ever.

I myself have never driven a "nice" car, other than when I was at the dealership.

My wife has had a number of GMC Jimmy's that we bought, at 0% interest for 3 years, and the most recent vehicle for here was a 2006 Hummer H3. It now has 126,000 miles on it.

Bought my daughter a Chevy Cobalt back in October. She can't drive yet, but dang, it was too prime of a car for a soon to be "permit haver" to pass up. 2009 39,000 miles on it. If need be, I could sell it within a weeks time for what I paid, plus tax - maybe even make a few hundred......?? Not going to though.

So, that's not just my first car - that's every vehicle I've owned since I was 19 (plus the ones for my wife and daughter). I've never been upside down.

For my personal vehicle, I've also never had a "nice" car. It's worked for me.

Now, my son? He's been a knot head on vehicles. Different story.

'67 Cadillac Coupe deVille with the super efficient 500 engine. Got about 8 miles per gallon, but gas was 45cents a gallon when I got it. Oh, the memories and stories.

I might of not been clear Arch..I didnt owe anything on it..but i sunk so much money into that thing I never would get it back.

I sold it to some drug dealer in Texas..don't know what happened to it..Feds probably got it for all I know.

I know he was a dealer because he offered that little tidbit for some ungodly reason:/

150? Dude! (so how does your son drive now? )

On the road, 149. At MIS, 145.

Like his stupid father used to..He has wrecked 4 different cars and isnt 25 yet..which was also part of the reason I was ripping into him earlier..he still won't speak to me on our family outing today.:)

And Arch I guess since you put out there what you currently drive ..I guess I'll do the same..My wife has a 15 Ford Edge all the bells and whistles..I have 14 kia optima thats been sitting in the garage for a year because I don't drive at the moment and my wife for some crazy ass reason won't drive it/

No payments own both out right and they are the least nice?? cars in my community I live. Maybe not least nice..more like the lowest cost vehicles in my community..

And I don't care I HATE even spending money on vehicles and thank god my wife feels the same way..

My wife WAS spoiled. Until I showed her how much we spent on getting new vehicles for her. She still hates it, but 9+ years is about twice as long as she's ever had a vehicle before.

I have no problem having a "nice" vehicle. And we're nearing the time when it will be time to get a newer vehicle for her. Not new, mind you, but newer.

As a business owner, I don't want to look destitute, but by the same token, I don't want to come across as "wealthy" (cause I'm not, #1, but also because I don't want customers thinking I make too much - which I don't anyway)

[quote=archbolddawg]My wife WAS spoiled. Until I showed her how much we spent on getting new vehicles for her. She still hates it, but 9+ years is about twice as long as she's ever had a vehicle before.

I have no problem having a "nice" vehicle. And we're nearing the time when it will be time to get a newer vehicle for her. Not new, mind you, but newer.

As a business owner, I don't want to look destitute, but by the same token, I don't want to come across as "wealthy" (cause I'm not, #1, but also because I don't want customers thinking I make too much - which I don't anyway)

[/quot

I understand completely..which is why I have business dealings where they want to sit in my home..probably to check out how I live I'm sure..I have my business partner pick them up..He has "the" car and I have the "home"

Or I'll just rent something to pick the client up if my partner can't get there which is very rare.

1972 Pontiac LeMans...had a big old 350 and was 2-door. Was my Grandfather's car back in day...pretty slick. Wish I still had it.. Lemans were the poor mans GOAT

One other thing since we talked about our children..My youngest was a complete knuclehead growing up..I told him if he got his sh..together and graduated school..which he was in serious danger of failing..and graduate basic training for army I would reward him with a nice ride.

He met the criteria..I bought him a brand new mustang gt..as long as he could afford the insurance..yes dad I can afford it..ok son..here you go.

Stupid little!!!!! traded it in to a dealership got a cheap ass piece of garbage and pocketed the rest of the money, didnt tell me anything about it..I found out about it from my other son when they both got stationed in Hawaii.


My wife says why do you care it was a gift and its his car..I'm still fuming over this one

1965 T-Bird Convertible 390V8 Automatic.

Now that is a nice car! Impressive first car w/ style - can I say 'chick magnet'?

And Daniel if your reading this which he might be and would recognize my board name..I'm still pissed..he hasnt spoke to me in hours which is why im posting on my phone instead of enjoying my time together here island hopping..I've been getting the stink eye from my wife for the better part of an hour to get off of the phone..at least my older son is fun to be around right now:/

Was 1972 when I got she. I was king of High School.

Everyone would go nuts when I electronically folded that top down into the trunk. It was like something from Mars!

1971 Mach I
351 Cleveland, duel carb, front and back wings.

Traction bars, air shocks.

Man that sucker would haul ass

first: '77 Chevy Monte Carlo

now: '14 Dodge Ram 2500 BigHorn edition

A 69 Chrysler New Yorker for me. Same 8 miles a gallon running pure premium. To say it was a smooth ride was an understatement. My friends called it my "narc" car but I didn't care. I could camp in that thing and that solid steel frame saved my cookies more than once.

1981 Buick Century. Light brown, vinyl top, plush brown interior baby!

For MrTeds question - fastest in a car, 9.2 @ 155 in the 1/4 mile. Turbocharged Fox body Mustang, currently in pieces in my garage. Man I miss racing

[quote]My wife says why do you care it was a gift and its his car..I'm still fuming over this one/quote]

I hate it when wives say stuff like this! I don't know what I'd do with that, maybe if they took the extra money and did something smart with it I'd get over it.

Maybe...

Got any pictures of that baby? Would even love to see that thing during the restoration process.

Justin Gilbert's first car:

I've come a long way since the Buick Century.

God love GMDAWG as he's solid people and he pegged you right away. Here we're talking about our own histories and our first cars and you post this garbage. What a freakin' troll.

My first car was such garbage that it's not worth showing a picture.

Yep..

MrTed..if he did something smart with it I wouldnt have been as mad..but he kept it a secret about what he did..has been making mistake after mistake..ones that defies human logic.

Drives an absolute piece of junk..And has the nerve to ask for money over and over because of bad decisions.

Raised my kids to be independent..gave them the knowledge to be successful..oldest son got it youngest thinks my money is his money and cant comprehend if he screws up in the army..which i wont talk about that in a forum..

plus I'm 99% sure he reads this board...he is not under any circumstances moving back into my home..I'll divorce my wife of almost 30yrs over this..I'm not kidding and so far the wife hasnt argued to much about that topic.

Man sorry to derail the thread..I'm in a bad mood when i should be having the time of my life this week..Thanks to my dumb dumb son..

How about talking about?? likes dislikes fun you had whatever..Damn man follow the bouncing ball its not difficult://

Ok I'm in a pissy mood its time to log off and force myself to enjoy the rest of the day..Its like 6pm here been on the go all day and dealing with stupid people and garbage all day.

Do whatever the hell u want berea..

Here at 'Chez Clem,' we drive cars until their last trip is to the junkyard. My current whip is a 14 year old Honda CR-V. It's perfect for my job, is only middle-aged for a Honda, and is still going strong. I'll drive it 'til it no longer feels safe.

Why? Because it feels GREAT to not be anchored to a monthly payment.


Mrs. Clem drives an '09 Honda Fit/sport package. We bought it when I had the 1994 Acura Integra hatchback hauled to the boneyard. That was 2 years ago. (What a fun little car to drive).

Yep- we're "Brand Loyalists." Hondas have served us very well over almost 30 years. They're dependable, extremely forgiving if you miss a service or two... and run for decades with only minimal attention.

If I allowed my OCD to seep into car ownership, I'd be paying the bank all the time. "What's next? What's the newest? What's the best?"

I REFUSE to get sucked into that trap.

Best part of that mindset: I don't envy others on the road who drive newer, flashier, shinier hoopties. My money stays in my pocket, to be used for other things. Things that matter more.

One other point about the 'bigger/better' mindset: just after we bought our house in 1994, the housing boom took off in grand style. Every 2 moths or so, we were getting bombed by loan agencies that wanted to convince us to sell our house, and buy a bigger, better home in a "better neighborhood." We resisted ALL of them. And this past Feb... we made our very last mortgage payment.

Several folks we know are currently either under water or 'treading water' with homes that are 2 times bigger than they ever needed. I pity them now... but I never envied them when they moved to the 'high-rent district.' (It's not a surprise that they're also driving newer cars than mine... and haven't paid them off, either.)

I can't imagine what it must feel like to be drowning in debt- anchored down by the weight of 2 luxury cars and a 1/3 paid-off house... as you madly try to dog-paddle back to the surface for a breath of fresh air. What a daily nightmare.

"Quality of life' issues, indeed.

__________________

The house is paid off.
The cello is paid off... and appreciating in value every day (It's now worth 6 figures, and growing...).
The CR-Vizzle is free and clear.
Stocks have rebounded.
We pay for the Fit... and 'monthly life bills' only.
Untouched money in the bank.

And now that I'm closer to retirement than I am to youth, I still sleep pretty well every night.

I guess the lessons that My Wife and I got from our 'Depression-Era' parents worked out pretty well:

1. Save before you spend.
2. Repair before you replace.
3. Buy the best you can afford, and NEVER buy more than you can afford to lose.

Never missed a meal, never lusted for stupid, frivolous things, never wanted for anything truly important. And now that I'm nearing "the age of reflection"... I don't miss a thing that I never had.

I do still miss my 1977 Triumph Spitfire 1500, however. It was the last production year that had chrome bumpers and body accents....




(my whip had the supercool chrome luggage rack on the rear deck... and a custom-installed Blaupunkt cassette/amp head powering a pair of Advent speakers in the footwells, and a pair of Pioneer TSX-9 wedges behind the seats...)


MAN... that car provided me some great memories....

Clem I hope the comment about people and their homes wasnt directed towards me?? I have made a couple comments about my home..it is 10 times the home my wife and I need..its just me and her now.

But when I built this place I didnt have to finance it was paid for in full. It is a good feeling..no payment. MOST of the people in my community are in similar situation..But i did go to one neighbors place and he has a giant home and didnt have a lick of furniture in the place..picture a 5500 square foot home and was empty.

I couldnt believe what I was seeing he puts up a good front..We drive the lowest value cars in the community..they arent junk by any means butt these people have nice stuff..but my home compares quite well and serves my purpose when I have potential clients to makes the monies and they feel at home in my house.

Love your threads and I could be WAAAY off in what I just wrote you. Its been a looong day and my brain needs to reset..and my most humble apologies if I was wrong good sir.

Have a great night I need to do something to relax and unwind have a great night Clem/all of the rest of you also.

I bought a red one of those from a buddy of mine in Dallas in the mid 80's. My wife and I drove down there from Oklahoma City to pick it up. We were on our way back to Okc when the alternator failed and we had to pull over at the only place that was lit at that time of night, an adult video store, something that Texas had but we didn't in Oklahoma and it was shocking to our sensibilities to say the least. My wife was asking about using a phone and I was thinking "damn, this is cool, wait a sec before calling my friend Mike.".

Let's see .....

My first car was a 1972 Grand Prix, that I bought from a friend of mine for $300. It was actually a pretty nice car, loaded, candy apple red, and ran decently. I put a transmission in the car myself. I wouldn't try that today. A guy I worked with was a real motorhead, and one of his favorite things to say to me was "Hey, give me ($20-$40) and your keys. I have something I want to try with your car."

He put a lift kit in that car .... put some kind of special rebuild kit in the carburetor .... did something to the transmission .... and made that car scream on the road.

I loved that car .... until this old guy ran a red light and smashed into me.

Next I had a 1971 Grand Prix. I was in mourning for my lost 1st love ..... and I was out driving one day and I saw this jet black Grand Prix at this lot. It was $500 (IIRC, it's been a while) and I didn't have the cash to buy it, but the guy let me make payments. I put down a couple hundred, and paid him something like $25/pay until it was paid off. He never transferred the title to me until it was paid off. (which was illegal as could be, and was also a huge risk on his part, because he could have been held liable if I'd had an accident) I got something like 8 temporary tags for that car. lol (also illegal) Anyway, this car made me completely forget my 1st love ..... even after it caught fire. The carburetor leaked, and 1 day dumped a ton of gas onto the hot block ... and that was not a good thing. I was visiting a friend of mine who worked doing maintenance for a school, and luckily it happened there, and he grabbed a fire extinguisher and out the fire out. My buddy who did all of the work on my other car had joined the service, so he wasn't around anymore, but I rebuilt that Rochester carburetor myself. (which I was told was really difficult, and it was) I replaced the wiring harness with one I got at junk yard. and got it all going again. The blower on the heater/AC never worked right again, but the car ran like a beast. Man, I loved that car. I moved to Columbus in that car, and almost moved back to YTown in that car. I say almost, because I only got as far as almost making it to the Mansfield exit on 71, and the car cut out. I was so mad. It was the weekend, everything was closed .... and had to have the car towed, and I had to cal a friend of mine to have him come pick me up. I had done an "almost complete" tune up on that car before I left Columbus ....and did everything except the points. Well ....the vibration of driving somehow, on that freeway, on a Friday evening ..... cause the points to back out enough that they stopped making proper contact. For that, I had to go through all of the headaches that little adventure caused. The shop tightened up the points to the proper gap, and I was back down to pick up my car, and on my way. I made it to Akron, and the car did it again. I tightened the points again, got home ... unloaded the car ... and drove to the parts store for a set of points.

I loved that car. I was so sad when it broke down and I had no idea how to fix it.

I have had an old Ford van, modified with a bolted in seat in the back to make it a car instead of a truck .... (lol) That was a great "camping" van ..... with a bed in the back, and tons of storage, including a special, "built in cooler" for beer.

Someone mentioned the Dodge Omni, or Plymouth Horizon. I had one of each, at the same time. There was nothing to those cars, and they were incredibly easy to work on. They always had problems .... but I always had a spare.

I had this beautiful Olds 88, that needed a motor. I really liked that car, but was never able to get a motor put in it. I wish I could have found the money to do that car, because it was beautiful other than needing a motor. lol (minor detail)

I drove an old Ford Torino that I drove when I moved to Cleveland. That car was an accident magnet. Nothing major .... but man, that car got hit more in parking lots than anything I have ever seen. It never broke down though. I didn't change the oil in that car for something like 2 years. I was trying to get the car to die so I could replace it. It never did die though. I burned up the tires on the way to the junkyard. That is the car I drove to go to Cleveland Browns Stadium to "camp out" for playoff tickets for the 1st AFC Championship Game against the Broncos. Man that was a cold night. Lots of fun though.

I bought this Nissan 200SX, that was a nice little car, except for the fact that the interior was all ripped up. I bought it at a ridiculously cheap price though, and took the car to an automotive upholstery place in Struthers, (they are still there today) and they repaired the upholstery for something like $150. I was stunned. They were able to save most of what was there, reshaped the seats with some foam rubber, and the car looked like new inside when they were done. Man, I drove the tires off that car. The only bad thing about that car was that it became increasingly difficult to get parts for it.

I bought a Chrysler Sebring Convertible years ago, and I loved that car. It was absolutely prefect, inside and out, and had almost no miles on it when I bought it. I bought the Dakota I had until a few years ago to drive in the winter, but I wound up driving it full time because my back would not allow me to sit down into the Sebring. I eventually had to sell the convertible. That was a sad day, but I wasn't able to drive it.

Today I have a Silhouette minivan, that has so much equipment in it that I still find new stuff the longer I own it. (I bought it used, and it has leather, a TV and VCR, rear air, that I never use, and the list goes on and on) I can get in and out of this van easily, and it is comfortable to drive. That was my primary concern. When I sold cars, I drove a lot of minivans, and I loved them. People thought I was crazy, wanting to drive a minivan, but they were so comfortable, and so useful, that "why not?". I took out one of the back bucket seats so that my dog can easily get in and out. He was so sad to see my truck go, because he loved riding in that truck. It's not as easy for him to ride in the van, because he has issues with the leather seats and sliding around.

There are about 10 or so others in there .... but these are the ones that immediately pop to mind. Threads like these bring back a ton of memories.

Are you going to leave that Gran Torino to Thao "On the condition that you don't chop-top the roof like one of those beaners, don't paint any idiotic flames on it like some white trash hillbilly, and don't put a big, gay spoiler on the rear end like you see on all the other zipperheads' cars. It just looks like hell. If you can refrain from doing any of that... it's yours. "