Ask the Best and Brightest: Your Entire Car Owning History Please

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329 Comments on “Ask the Best and Brightest: Your Entire Car Owning History Please...”

• 	gzuckier March 2nd, 2009 at 8:54 am
  1964 Corvair Monza, 8 years old, which got hit by school bus, whose crankcase/crankshaft and assorted parts moved into 1965 Corvair Corsa 4 carb purchased with rod through crankcase for $75, complete rust bucket but fun; got stolen long pause, many bicycles 1976 Mazda Cosmo (the RX5 version) 5 years old, fast and smooth promptly blew engine seals, new engine, got totalled (twice, long story) 1982 Plymouth Sapporo, my only new car ever, remarkably troublefree and loyal for long time; eventually got cracked head disease, replaced with ported and polished head, HKS cam, Weber carb, lots of fun, still in great shape when it got totalled 197? Datsun B210, purchased just to tide me over while waiting for Sentra SE-R (which never did get delivered), even at $100 I got completely ripped off, no brakes whatever and not enough functional parts left to repair brake sytem, leaked everything, but still ran reliably; used only to go to supermarket after 2 AM when there was no traffic 1992 Honda Civic EX, “program car” one year old but with only 1000 miles, never registered; radiator troubles from birth, led to blown head gasket at age 10, led to swap of (badly maintained) Japanese DOHC 170 hp engine with limited slip transmission, great drivetrain chassis combo, still trying to pass emissions, body rusting, radio, heater controls, security system all defunct.
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• 	JMII March 2nd, 2009 at 9:29 am
  Oh this is fun… 1983 Mustang GLX – not a GT, but not an LX either, it was my first car so beggars can’t be choosers. It had the straight 6 which drank gas like a V8 but accelerated like a 4 banger. Automatic tranny with a cheap red vinyl interior (hot & sticky) and boring metallic tan (faded?) exterior. Thankfully it was stolen 8 months after I got for reasons I’ll never know. The thing was a POS, it often over-heated, there was an “information center” full of idiots lights that came on for no apparent reason at times, the gauges jumped around too. It got stuck in park if you were not careful… basically you had to stop, shift into N then P – if not the car would not start later as a safety lock out. Typical Ford junk (sorry oval fans), I guess ‘Stangs are popular because they are cheap for the power you get, but that’s it. 1985 Civic S (1500) Hatchback – 5 speed, Red on grey (two tone) with black interior. Great car – awesome gas mileage, fairly quick, very responsive and handled great. While underpowered it was still fun to drive and felt very connected to the road. This hatchback had tons of room with seats folded down. This is the car I wanted when I got the Mustang but my parents said imports were too pricey to fix – but this car NEVER broke down. The car had 120K miles on it at trade-in and zeros problems other than a leaky value cover gasket, bad fan switch for the A/C and CV boots that were too easy to tear up (maybe my fault for taking corners too quick?). I liked this car SO much that I added power windows to it and an insane competition stereo system to it. I beat the crap out of this car by using it for a delivery van of sorts and it came back for more. I truly miss this car, I really loved it and wish I still had it to this day. 1988 Chevy Caviler – wife’s 1st car (we were only dating at the time), black exterior/gray interior, auto tranny, biggest piece of sh!t ever! made my Mustang look like a BMW in comparison. No acceleration, top speed of 82 MPH (UGH), sloppy handling, cheap & horribly designed interior with typical GM junk: oversize Fisher Price buttons and wacky knobs in odd places. The alternator crapped out twice in 6 months and every time you drove thru a small puddle the power steering would stop working as the belt was too low on the engine. Luckily the car was totaled in accident. Even the factory paint was sub par with swirls and pits galore. This car alone is a prime example of why GM just doesn’t “get it” when it comes to designing and building vehicles. There was nothing inspiring about this car – it was basic transportation… nothing more. 1993 Civic EX Sedan – wife’s 2nd car, metallic red with gray interior, sunroof, 5 speed. Bought after she drove my 1985 Civic and realized what a REAL car was. Never a single problem and held it’s value thought the years. Still the quietest car we’ve owned with triple door seals, amazing considering its reasonable price tag. Added 16″ rims with 60 series rubber and the thing cornered like is was on rails. Incredible gas mileage, but a little weak torque wise, snappy gear box with crisp shifts and a larger interior & trunk then most people think. This car was just right in almost every way, if only it had more torque it would been perfect, excellent road managers, very predictable with a solid feel – once again very impressive considering it’s just your basic, small import sedan. 1989 Honda Prelude Si – school bus yellow color (with matching factory fog lamps), sunroof, 5 speed, black interior. Best handling car I’ve ever owned, this thing could take corners at insane speeds. Great seats, well laid out interior, awesome clutch takeup. The seats were perfect – firm yet supportive with lumbar and side bolsters, God I loved those seats. Brakes could have been stronger and the engine was typical Honda: great on gas and flew at high RPM, but low on torque when you needed to pass on the highway. Only problems were a bad clutch seal and it leaked brake fluid at times (could have been my driving style). I beat this car silly for years like my ‘85 Civic and loved every minute of it, truly a joy to drive at the limits. 1996 Iszuz Rodeo – green with gray interior, V6, 5 speed, roof rack & large 4X4 tires. Bad, bad choice… I should have never sold my Prelude! I though because Honda was selling this as the Passport it must be an OK vehicle – boy was I wrong. Typical SUV: crap handling and gas mileage, funky buttons on the dash and an under-powered engine for the vehicle’s weight. Too high for the wife to get into because of the 4X4 tires. Accessing the back was a pain since you had to lift the glass, swing the spare away and drop the tail gate, plus you had to remember which way the spare swung so you were clear on that side of the truck to actually load it – stupid design. After only 8 months and one near death accident I could no longer stand this ill handling SUV and went back to a small car. The only good thing about the lifted stance of this truck was that driving in the rain put you above everyone’s spray. 1997 Eclipse GS-T – green with tan leather interior, sunroof, 210HP turbo! WHOOOSH. I loved this engine – tons of low-end torque (214lbs @ 2,000 RPM) and power to spare. It went from 30MPH to 90MPH in 3rd gear in the blink of an eye, but still got 30 MPG since it was just a boosted 4 banger. Able to toast Mustangs and out handle them as well. However this car had a horrible turning radius for some reason, I think the engine bay was too wide. I blew the #3 cylinder TWICE under warranty and it leak oil constantly. Leather was 2nd grade stuff and thus not worth the coin at all, interior was tight squeeze, it wrapped around you a little too well. However, just the sound and power of the turbo made this car worth owning! Wish I could have dropped this engine into my Prelude, it would have an unreal combo. I got rid of this car once the warranty ran out fearing the engine might blow up – something was wrong in there I tell ya – it was not my driving… well maybe. 1996 Ranger Splash Extra Cab – we traded our 93 Civic for this… then wish we hadn’t. Black exterior with gray interior, sunroof and the 4.0l V6 (same as an Explorer) so I could tow my boat. OK for what is was, but the tranny was not optimized for towing it hunted for gears on the ruler flat lands of sunny Florida! Horrible I-Beam front suspension made it rock from side-to-side, questionable cruise control (sometimes it worked) and the A/C never worked even after dropping over $2K into various fixes for it over three years. The interior & seats were nice for a truck, but that’s about the only plus. Fit and finish overall was very sub par or typical Ford depending on your point of view. The 4.0l was not that powerful, fuel injectors were questionable as I had to keep my foot to the floor to hit 65MPH with my small (16 foot) boat in tow and while running the recommended 87 octane it pinged badly and got only 14 MPG – not impressed with that. Wife hated this truck even more then the Rodeo simply because the constant maintenance it required to keep it in running half-way decent. 2000 VW Passat 1.8T – wife’s current car, blue with tan interior, sunroof, 5 speed, turbo. We traded my Eclipse for it after my brother raved about his ‘99 Passat Turbo. Awesome German engineering, fit and finish above average, tight handling, trick stuff like windows that roll up when you turn on the alarm, cool blue & red gauges – this car felt (and looked) like it should cost more. I guess that because it really an Audi A4. Only gripes is a somewhat rubbery 5 speed, serious lack of interior storage (tiny center console and glove box) and soft brakes. However it had an impressive little engine – 150HP and 150lbs of torque. That does not sound like much but this car has some serious get-up-n-go and still gets 30 MPG thanks to the turbo. Great car for long road trips as it cruises smoothly, had comfy seats, accelerated quickly even in top gear and has useful trip computer than calculates all sorts of info. Only problem were that the interior literally fell apart after about 4 years: I’m talking about peeling plastic and fabric sagging on the door trim pieces. The left turn signal just feel off one day and the windshield wiper washers also gave up the ghost. It leaks coolant and any parts/service for it were way overpriced, a prime example was a replacement antenna = $300! Must be one those Audi parts! And why on earth did VW not put the cruise control on the steering wheel? And the most worthless cup holders on planet earth. Like all VeeDubs great for the first 3 years then it starts to sting you in the wallet. 2002 Dodge Dakota Quad Cab – my current truck, 4.7l V8, limited slip diff, silver with chrome accents/bumpers (SLT package) and a dark gray interior. Not too big, not too small… this truck is sized just right! Engine has plenty of smooth power all over the curve. It’s quick (by truck standards), but still has the grunt to tow my boat. Plus it actually accelerates on the highway and does not hunt for gears while towing. Fuel mileage is the same as my old V6 Ranger which is not bad, but 13 mpg is nothing to write home about. Back seats have almost as much room as our old Civic 4 door. Interior could be better designed because the A/C vents are in bad locations and the seats are very uncomfortable, but the center console holds more cups, CDs & phones then most office desks do! Handling is not bad either (thanks to sway bars), much more stable then my Ranger, cornering has reasonable feedback. Exterior fit of body panels is below average, you can clearly see places along the doors and hood where the panel gaps are big enough to lose a #2 pencil in. Given how hard I worked this truck (90% of my mileage is highway towing) it has never given me any problems, best US domestic vehicle I’ve own by far! Only recently has the headline started to fall down, this seems to be a built-in “feature” of most domestic brands.
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• 	tigeraid March 2nd, 2009 at 9:31 am
  Whew, heck of a comments list. Here’s mine: 1990 Dodge Caravan Cargo, 3.3 L Ultimate winter beater, had 490,000 km on it when I finally retired it when the tranny started to slip and I didn’t have the money to fix it. Bought the van for $150. 1972 Chevy Monte Carlo, 350/350 My first “real car,” it was rotten but I didn’t care, I was young and it was a muscle car. Bought it for $700, spent a bunch of effort on small stuff on the motor, went through two trannies, learned a bunch, then sold it for $1000. 1991 Nissan Sentra E Still the best compact I’ve owned so far, I loved this car. Fun to drive, tossable, slow as balls, bbut reasonably stylish. 215,000 on it when I sold it, for money for a trip. Would otherwise probably still have it. 1969 Firebird, 350/350 Baby blue, originally a 4.1 SOHc but the original owner kept the motor due to its rarety. Former drag car, I had barely gotten started on it when I had to move to London, ON. Sold it for that. 1990 Honda Accord Easily the worst piece of shit I’ve ever owned, just about swore me off Hondas forever (still haven’t gone back.) Distributor, fuel pump twice, A/C didn’t work, handled like crap, cramped, couldn’t fit in it right, absolutely gutless. Solid it about 4 months later. 1994 Chevy Caprice 9C1 (Police Package) Boy I miss her. Deep gloss black, cop wheels, all the cop goodies, loud exhaust, small 4.3L V8 but great on gas, tons of fun to drive, and everyone got out of my way. Only reason I sold it was to buy the wagon version of the car, to haul shit. I *will* own another 9C1 in the future–there is no better 4 door performance platform, in my eyes. 1994 Buick Roadmaster Estate LT1 Basically an LT1 Impala SS with a big ass, I still own it and love every minute of it. Runs 14 second quarter miles, handles good despite its size, gets 25 mpg highway, carries 8 people, and can tow my racecar. Oh, and 91 cubic feet of cargo space, more than most 1/2 ton pickups. 1996 Chevy Cavalier, 2.2 As much as I shit on it for being agonizingly slow and boring to drive, it was dead reliable. Only changed an alternator and a wheel bearing in three and a half winters. 2003 Chevy S10 Pickup, 2.2 My latest daily beater, former delivery car for Carquest, who I work for. We keep good care of our delivery vehicles, contrary to popular belief. 250,000 but in great shape. Should serve me well for a while. Chevy Monte Carlo Super Stock My racecar. About half-built, to compete in the Whelen Weekly All-American series. 350 with a Powerglide, direct-drive coupler (no torque converter), typical circle track stuff. With any luck, done in time for this race season.
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• 	michaelhagerty March 2nd, 2009 at 9:37 am
  1966 Ford Falcon 4-door sedan. Icebox white, blue vinyl interior. 170 CID 6 with an automatic. I wanted a ‘66 Mustang, but it was $925…this was $625 and I was anxious to get on the road. Actually, a pretty good first car…built like a tank, a bit underpowered, with a great Ford AM radio (important since I lived in a remote area and lived for distant signals). 1973 Ford Pinto. 9 months later, I traded the Falcon and some cash for a brand-new Pinto. Exactly three options…the 2000 cc engine, radio and heater. Manual transmission. Compared to the Falcon, it was quicker and handled better. I actually liked it. No troubles until a woman in a ‘67 AMC Ambassador ran a red light in front of me and I t-boned her. The body shop put it back together, but it shook, rattled and groaned. 1974 Capri 2800 V6. Traded the Pinto within a week of getting it back for a brand-new Capri with the 2.8 and a four-speed. Great car…but plagued with electrical gremlins. Had several friends who bought them 6 months earlier who said “it gets worse…get out.” I did after a year and a day. Now I wish I’d toughed it out and figured out how to cure the issues. Instead… 1975 Ford Mustang II V6 2-door. See, I figured the electrical isues were part of that “foreign car” temperment I’d always heard about (hey, I was 19)…so I ran back to a domestic Ford. Same engine and transmission as the Capri. What a mess. Windows falling into tracks. Window cranks and door handles breaking in two. Transmission popping into neutral on deceleration (great fun in San Francisco) at 17,000 miles and speedometer cable shot at 40,000. Which is about where I bailed. 1978 Toyota Corolla SR5 Liftback. I liked the faux Volvo 1800 ES styling. I loved the reliability. 5 years, 70,000 miles. Not a single thing went wrong. 1984 Honda Civic Sedan. Even better than the Toyota. 14 years and 144,000 miles. Still running strong when I gave it to a friend. 1987 Mitsubishi Cordia Turbo. My wife’s car when I married her. A lot of fun when the turbo kicked in, but a disappointment in terms of fit and finish compared to the Civic. 1993 GMC Suburban. I don’t know why I loved this thing. Maybe it was because it was exactly what we needed with two babies needing a double stroller, a Pak-N-Play, two weeks worth of diapers and assorted baby stuff for road trips. But reliability? No…no…not reliability. We used to joke that the only thing original remaining on it when we sold it after 10 years were the door locks. Chronic ABS issues and a new engine (despite meticulous maintenance) at 43,000 miles. 1988 Honda Accord sedan. My mom’s. Inherited when she died in 2005. Had 90,000 miles and you could eat off any surface. Sold it to a friend whose daughter is using it to commute between Phoenix and Tucson weekly. The driveway’s been filled with press fleet vehicles since 1997, so we didn’t replace the Civic or the Suburban, but we’ll probably buy one or two cars in the next couple of years. My wife loves the Tahoe, and my daughter wants an F-150. Me? If I had to go buy a car, it’d probably be another Honda.
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• 	nicke March 2nd, 2009 at 10:02 am
  81-BMW 320i Bought it from dad, at end of lease, great little car… 84-Alfa Romeo GTV6 Loved it! (Unfortunately one of my best friends pretzeled it on an on-ramp, being squeezed by a Cosworth Mercedes that thought it handled better and created a Jersey barrier hamburger…) 85-Mitsubishi Montero 2-Door 4-Cyl. Good truck. Moved to NYCin ‘89, had no car for a while… 93-Honda CRX Si, first New Car. Why Honda US didn’t sell it with the proper twin-cam engine I’ll never understand. Current stable: 84 Alfa Romeo. Love it! It has the MOMO steering wheel of the first one… http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/02/automobiles/collectibles/02EGO.html 06 Saabaru. Looks better than the WRX. Got one of the last ones, stole it.. (second new car) 69 Alfa Romeo GTV. Almost restored… Will be running this summer. 95 Range Rover Classic. LOVE IT!
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• 	MidLifeCelica March 2nd, 2009 at 10:03 am
  1972 Datsun 510 – Learned to drive stick on the car I ‘bought’ from my Dad for $1! I dreamed of turning this puke gold rust-bucket into a cool rally car…this dream died a quick death, which was good for all concerned. 1979 Z-28 auto – Yellow POS, had a bad tranny, bad rear diff (“That fluid shouldn’t be silver, should it?”), but cheap. One year later, 3 days after making last payment, was T-boned by truck running a red light. RIP Z-28. Good old American steel though – I walked away without a scratch. 1981 Z-28 manual – Fully loaded car, half paid for with insurance money. I put on so many old-school mods (Edelbrock manifold/Holley carb/Rancho suspension/Hurst line lock). The red monster…it ruled the streets of Calgary! My favorite car to this day. When it came time to trade it in, two salesmen took it for a test drive – they came back scared and shaken, priceless expressions on their faces. I bought this car for $9000, they offered me $6500 on trade in – I couldn’t say no. Sometimes I think I’d like to rebuild an old ‘81 Z-28 someday and feel the power again. Nostalgia makes me forget that at the end it leaked every fluid known to man, including gasoline, freon, and brake fluid, and the timing chain ate a hole in the chrome cover. 1985 Mustang 5.0 GT – Fresh off the showroom floor – a ton of fun in the summer. Come winter – the rolling deathtrap, even with winter tires and sandbags in the back. So many accidents…it seemed to suck other cars into it when it wasn’t spinning around in the parking lot. 1989 Mercury Topaz – Financial dark ages…don’t ask. Yet another POS. 1992 Mazda 626 – Moved to East Coast. Money still tight…a POS beater with half the sensors shot. Ran out of oil and seized up on the highway in less than 6 months. Cost of ownership – about $120 a month..not so bad! 1993 Ford Escort – The sun starts to come out…at least this car was brand new, and red! I was actually impressed by a Ford product after being a Chevy fan for so long. 1995 Ford Escort GT – I liked the old Escort so much I got a sportier one to replace it. It actually performed and handled well for what it was, went 10 years with no major repairs, and could carry a ton of stuff with the seats down. 2002 Nissan Sentra – My wife chose this car for her own, since she doesn’t drive stick. Cramped, useless POS that practically lived at the shop. Swear off Nissan forever as a result. 2003 Toyota Celica GT-S – The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades. Favorite modern car. It’s like a motorbike with 4 wheels and a roof. A blast to drive and can also hold a ton of stuff with the seats folded. 2004 Chevy Impala – Sentra replacement for wife. The rolling living room. Good for long trips with guests, suitcases, etc. Bland but reliable. Couldn’t talk wife into SS model.
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• 	Dave March 2nd, 2009 at 10:08 am
  1980 Dodge Maxivan – 360cid V8 / 3spd auto. Bright orange paint, captains chairs, rear seat folded to bed, shag carpet, wood paneling. Great for camping and such. 1978 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 – 350cid V8 / 4spd manual. White on white without A/C or t-tops but with all the performance options. This car was great – I had headers on it so it sounded lovely and load. Sold it to buy our first house. 1988 Ford Bronco II – 2.9L V6 / 5spd. 4×4. Rusted white exterior with red interior. Beater that I had for 6 months or so. Never took it off road as it had overheating issues. 1998 Honda Civic DX Hatchback – 1.6L I4 / 5spd. Less said the better about this junker the better. 1996 Ford Mustang GT – 4.6L V8 / 4spd auto. Traded the above Civic for this. Good fun even with only 215hp and a slushbox. 1988 Ford Taurus Wagon – 3.8L V6 / 4spd auto. Bought it for cheap, fixed it up, wife refused to drive it. 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport – 4.0L I6 / 4spd auto. 4×4. Wife insisted on this one. Another dud. 1974 Triumph Spitfire 1500 – 1.5L I4 / 4spd manual. Great fun little car! Cheap, easy to work (except for behind the dash) and handled well. 2000 Chrysler Neon – 2.0L I4 / 5spd. Was a daily driver for years – very reliable car. 1969 Reliant Scimitar GTE – 3.0L V6 / 4spd w/overdrive. Rare hand built British GT car. Project car that I never finished. 1981 Mazda Rx-7 – 1.1L 12A Rotary / 5spd. Very, very nice shape – picked it up for a great price. Lovely rotary engine that just purrs. Totally rust free. 1986 Hyundai Stellar – 1.6L I4 / 5spd – Intended as main locost donor. * 2004 Nissan Quest SE – bought for the wife. Has a gutsy 240hp 3.5L V6 and 4spd automatic. Has a DVD system built in to keep the kids amused on long trips. 1986 Mazda B2000 – bought for hauling the engines and transmission for the Seven. 1997 Ford Escort Wagon – 2.0L I4 / 5spd. I added Miata alloy wheels but didn’t own for long. 1985 Mazda Rx-7 GSL – 1.1L 12A Rotary / 5spd. This car looked good but had lots of mechanical and electrical issues. Wasn’t unhappy to see it go. 1998 Ford Taurus Wagon – 3.0L DOHC V6 / auto. Pure beater I bought off my brother. Was my Dad’s car before that. 1988 Ford Tempo L – 2.3L OHV I4 / 5spd. Bought this one for $50 – put in a new battery and it fired right up. Rather dirty and lots of mileage but runs strong. Got it cleaned and it replaced a few parts with junkyard bits. *1962 VW 1200 – 1.2L flat four and foru speed. Neat car that is a rare Canadian Standard model. *Luego Locost – my Seven clone – still not done. *1989 Toyota Hilux SURF – rhd 4Runner
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• 	chuckgoolsbee March 2nd, 2009 at 10:15 am
  Robert.Walter: I didn’t name the daily driver in my “leadfoot’s guide to avoiding speeding tickets” article because it is boring as hell, not because I’m trying to hide it. ;) Beyond the E-type Jaguar, I’ve driven in and around some amazing machinery (my father is something of a sports car collector and we participate in vintage rallies many times a year) so why show pictures of a dull commuter car when I can illustrate with eye candy? –chuck
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• 	285exp March 2nd, 2009 at 10:15 am
  In Order of Appearance: 1976 Plymouth Arrow 4spd 1.6 liter. Bought new when I was in college, with help from my dad. My other choice was a 1975 Dodge Dart, ’nuff said. My dads best friend was a Chrysler Dodge dealer. It was totaled when an old lady plowed into it, leading to: 1976 Plymouth Arrow, 2 liter 5 spd. Big upgrade, even had air conditioning that occasionally worked. 1981 Dodge Challenger, 2.6 liter, 5 spd. Graduation present. 1977 BMW 320i, 4 spd. Can’t say enough bad things about this POS. Once it caught on fire; I pulled into the parking lot of a local watering hole and put fire out with the help of a few beers donated by onlookers. 1985 Mazda RX7 GSL-SE. 5 spd. Loved that thing. Totaled it by driving it upside down in drainage culvert. 1989 Honda Accord LX. 5 spd Excellent transportation applicance. Sold when I got a 1982 Mercedes 300 SD. Gift from my dad. Wife liked it, I wished we had kept the Accord 1980 Dodge 150 4X4 Power wagon 318 V8 auto. Inherited from my dad. Excellent hunting truck, marginal tow vehicle. Later sold to my sister for $1. 1992 Honda Accord SE 5 spd. Replacement vehicle for the RX7, had a kid by then, so no more sports cars for a while. 1997 Lexus ES300 Bought for my wife to replace the Mercedes 1997 Ford F150 extended cab 2WD 5.4 auto, replacement for the Dodge; much better tow vehicle, much worse hunting vehicle. 2001 Ford F250 Crew Cab 4X4 V10, replacement for F150. Even better tow vehicle, tired of getting stuck in 2WD F150 2004 Lexus ES330 Oak tree limb fell on 97 Lexus. Repaired the ‘97 and passed it down to my daughter when I bought: 2000 Lexus ES300 My current daily driver. Not very sporty, but comfy and reliable. Someday child will be out of college, and I’ll be able to afford something more fun
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• 	OffCamber March 2nd, 2009 at 10:47 am
  1985 Volvo DL wagon 1987 Toyota Supra 1988 Porsche 944 Turbo 1992 Honda Civic DX 1986 Porsche 944 1995 Honda Accord EX coupe 2003 Mazda Protege 5 – current daily beater 1988 Porsche 911 – track car 2008 Toyota Highlander – wife’s car and kid hauler
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• 	kericf March 2nd, 2009 at 10:52 am
  1988 Subaru Justy AWD Turbo 1.0L I3 5spd – Sold with 235,000 miles for $500. 1986 Pontiac Fiero GT 2.8L V6 5spd – Blown oil lines, failed oil pump at 86,000 miles. Traded for $500. 1991 Ford Thunderbird XL 3.8L V6 Auto – Sold at 140,000 miles, AC not working. 1998 Ford Ranger XLT 2.5L I4 5spd- Sold for $1500 with 180,000 miles. 2001 Ford Taurus SES SOHC 3.0L V6 Auto – Sold for $2000 with 98,000 miles, leaking oil, coolant, fuel pump failing. 1998 Isuzu Rodeo LS DOHC 3.2 V6 4×4 Auto – Still Own, 215,00 miles. 2005 Nissan Pathfinder SE DOHC DI 4.0L V6 – Still Own – 65,000 miles
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• 	PartsUnknown March 2nd, 2009 at 10:56 am
  i know no one is reading this, but I’m curious if I can remember them all… 1978 Toyota Celica – bought used. Automatic. Brown. Sheepskins. Pimpin’. 1987(ish) Mazda 323 3 door hatch – my college car. A 5-speed, so chicks really dug it. I can’t remember why, but I remember really loving this car. 1983 VW Rabbit diesel 4 door. Bought for $500. HVAC fan stuck on high. Sold to uncle w/ 201K for $500. (Car had 201K; uncle only had about 60K on him) 1986(?) VW Quantum Syncro wagon. Fabulous car in all respects. Drove 5000 miles across country from MA to OR, not one problem. A keeper. Until… 1993 Nissan Pathfinder. Bought new. It was a 5 speed. That’s about it. 1994 VW Jetta. Bought new, this was the “new” third-gen Jetta. Nice driver for back then. But traded on a whim for a… 1983 Toyota FJ60 ‘Cruiser. She was a vision in light tan paint with brown sport stripes. 4 speed manual, straight six, leaf springs… drove back across the US in this one, OR to MA. No problems, but almost ran out of gas in Montana. A keeper. Until… 1995 VW GTI VR6. VWoA bought this one back under the lemon law, bad tranny. So naturally, the next whip would be a … 1995 VW Jetta GLX VR6. Up to this piont, the most fun to drive of any car I’d owned or driven. The VR6 was as smooth as a BMW inline 6. Loved this car. So of course about a year later, I traded it for a… 1996 Land Rover Disco – 5 speed, white, called it the Fridge. Owned for 3 years and about 40K – not one single problem with it. After which it was on to a… 1999 Saab 9-3 5 door hatch, 5 speed, factory sport exhaust. One of my faves. Had some brake issues, otherwise dead reliable and I became a Believer. So, of course the next vehicle would be a… 2002 Land Rover Discovery II. My first automatic since the Celica back in the day. Discos take a lot of flak, but I loved this truck. It was big, had a great sounding V8, great seats, and once again – put about 45K on this thing and had not one – not even something small – not one problem. 13 avergae mpg was a problem though, so it was on to a… 1999 BMW 528i. 5 speed. The perfect car. That is all. 1986 Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe. Intoxicating. The perfect car. Paired with the BMW, this was my automotive apogee. 1968 Land Rover Series IIa – I knew I’d forget one. Owned briefly, bought without telling my wife. Note to self – tell wife before buying a 40 year old truck sight unseen, from a guy in NC. 2006 Honda Pilot – to replace wife’s crappy Jetta when our lovely daughter arrived. Said wife left her lucrative job and stayed home with said lovely daughter so the BMW and Porsche had to go in favor of a… 1998 Saab 9000CSE – Auto (ouch). A disappointment. Within two months, needed a water pump, fuel pump, heater core…whaddya want for four grand? 2004 Saab 9-5 Arc – Auto. Impulse buy after 9000 experience. Nice car, didn’t like the auto for every day use, so naturally stepped up to a… 1996 Saab 9000CS – 5 speed (finally). Where I am today. No problems so far, love this car. Definitely a keeper… 2003 Saab 9-5 Linear wagon. Wife hated the Pilot…
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• 	200k-min March 2nd, 2009 at 11:11 am
  1984 Oldsmobile 88 – A high school car/boat. I thought the 305 (or was it 307) V8 had power like a corvette. How little did I know. Car was a POS. Sold it before I graduated. 1990 Ford Taurus – Bought it with about 110k on the odometer for about $4k. Sold it with about 210k for $1000. Bad design for the TFI module left me stranded a couple times, other than that it was a rock solid vehicle. Not flashy, but it was cheap reliable transport for several years. Was worth so little I kept it in storage for several years, always going back to it when I needed a vehicle. 1992 Ford Taurus SHO – Not mine, but college roommate had this and shared it with me. American flag racing stripes…it was hideous. But the 5 speed and Yamaha engine with over 200 ponies on tap was bad assed in the mid-90’s. It was a let down to go back to my Vulcan V6 Taurus over summer break. He graduated and traded the SHO in on a Maxima. Says the SHO was more fun to drive, I believe him. 1993 Saturn SL2 – Was like driving a go-cart. Twin Cam engine moved it out quite well too. Was doing a lot of highway commuting and though it would be a good runner. Bought used from family member. Alternator went out and cost a small fortune to fix. Sold and went back to running the Taurus. 1995 Toyota Camry – bought used…must’ve come from a chop shop. Terrible, just terrible car. Was literally rattling apart from the day I drove it home. Wanted a good runner, but it did not live up to the Toyota reputation. Sold it soon after for same price as I bought it. Someone elses problem now. 1999 Honda Accord – (current daily driver) Bought when I started making “real money.” Hands down the best vehicle I’ve ever owned. Over 250k on the odo with nothing more than standard maintenance and some new rear wheel bearings. Mostly city driving where the 4cyl has plenty enough pep and have done 35mpgs on the highway if I keep it below 65mph. 2003 Pontiac Grand Am (Ram Air) – Wife bought this car new before we got married. Not my choice but it’s been decent enough. Not quite 100k on it with no major problems. It spends a lot of time in the garage as we usually drive the Honda. 2003 Mazda 6 – Decent fun to drive with V6 and 5 speed. Not the same build quality of the Honda but it was acceptable. Felt tinny and lighter (cheaper) than both the Honda and Pontiac. Got a good deal on it used and planned for it to replace my wife’s car. Was a complete pig on fuel, way more than wife’s Pontiac with 3.4 V6. Sold it because it was ridiculous with $4/gallon gas las summer when the Accord was such a sipper. Still have the Pontiac, but she just found a lightly used 2007 Acura TL Type-S. Just might be the next one in the stable.
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• 	nino March 2nd, 2009 at 11:48 am
  I know it’ll keep you guys up at night (yeah, right, sure) but the years on my Supras were wrong. They were 1984, 1982, and a 1993 Now you guys can sleep.
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• 	Kurt. March 2nd, 2009 at 12:03 pm
  WOW, what a turn out! OK, not counting the two X-wives or the current one and not counting cars/trucks bought for resale. Obviously some of these vehicles overlap: ‘51 Ford Pickup ‘74 Pinto Squire Wagon (RF, was yours yellow with fake paneling?) ‘73 Dodge Club Cab Longbed Pickup ‘69 Dodge Van (4×4 and 440) ‘71 Challenger Convertable ‘73 VW Bug (Porsche 912 engine) …Then I turned 21… ‘70 Porsche 914-6 ‘74 VW Van (Porsche 914 engine) ‘67 VW Squareback (Porsche 914 engine) ‘71 Porsche 914 ‘84 Dodge Pickup ‘72 VW Bug (a VW engine!) ‘85 Dodge 1 Ton 4 door 4×4 Pickup ‘73 Toyota Celica Supra ‘89 Isuzu Tooper ‘89 Dodge Conversion Van (put 600k on it!) ‘87 Honda Accord LX ‘85 BMW 318 ‘85 Chevy Suburban (x-fire truck) ‘89 Fiat Punto ‘89 BMW 520i ‘81 Corvette ‘88 For Fiesta 1.6 diesel ‘87 Suzuki Samurai (Toyota 2.4 turbo engine and axles) As before mentioned, that is inaddition to cars bought purely for repair and resale. An assortment of x-military 4×4’s and a plethora of Porsche.
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• 	Ryan Knuckles March 2nd, 2009 at 1:54 pm
  1985 VW Rabbit Cabriolet – Bought for me by my day with $500 and his ‘88 Aerostar. After 2 years with it, I can say that I will never see what you VW guys are talking about. Horrible, even for a 15 year old car. 1996 Geo Metro LSi – Painfully slow, ugly as sin, and dangerous in any kind of collision, but I wish I had another one now. Decent MPG, comfortable to drive (unless there was a crosswind), reliable, and cheap to maintain. 2000 Ford Focus ZTS – A pretty comfortable car. It had lots of little problems, and then one big one. On my daily commute, the spring on the front, passenger side suspension broke, fell onto the tire and axle. $1200 of damaged covered by the dealer as a recall, but no car for 2 weeks. I decided it was time for a new car. 2005 Honda Civic LX – First car bought new. It was..a Honda. Nice looking, ridiculously reliable, great MPGs, cheap to maintain, but a sight from being a fun car. In the end, I went deer hunting on the interstate. The insuranced decided to trade me a check for my car. 2006 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V – Other than the maddeningly long name and a few mystery rattles – best car I have ever had. A hoot to drive, decent MPGs, nice looking. For the money and my commute, I haven’t found anything else I’d be happier with yet.
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• 	cretinx March 2nd, 2009 at 3:47 pm
  Robert – you had 2 Carrera 4s – what years were each of them? as for me? http://www.geocities.com/cretinx/cars.html
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• 	Becomethemedia March 2nd, 2009 at 3:54 pm
  My car history begins in 1988 shortly after finishing high school. 1972 Datsun 120 ( I think) – Puke green with an auto trans, RWD,massive steering wheel and chronic overheating, Died on the highway when I turned on the blower fan two months after buying it. When the impound yard called for payment I said they can keep it. A total POS and I should have never bought it, replaced by… 1976 Honda Civic – Bought it because Honda’s were supposed to be reliable, just not this one. Burned oil, constant electrical issues that drained the battery. Had to park it on a hill to jump start it which was interesting when it was -20. Six months or so later it finally died and I sold it for scrap. Another total POS that I should never have bought , but I was learning, 1982 Ford Escort – my first real car, and the first of other Escorts to follow, It was also the first car I could drive on the highway for some distance without worry of a breakdown. It was quite reliable and became quite attached to it, but wrote it off after making a illegal LH turn in front of a Chev 1/2 ton. The engine lived in a friends 81 Escort wagon for years after. During this time I bought a 81 Escort LX for my girlfriend with a 3 speed semi auto trans and bright yellow paint job. It was slow, handled poorly and rust was always an issue but we kept this thing for 7 years and was a faithful second car. Finally sold it to a teenage girl for $700 who’s mom later told me she drove it all over western Canada. Last saw it looking very rough and worn in 2000. 1986 Ford Escort – Yup another Escort, it’s not like I have a fetish for these things but they’re cheap and easy to work on. Had a 1.9 L engine and was slightly more refined then the others,but right around the 160000 km mark it started falling apart. Door handles, inside and out broke off , seat frame snapped like a twig, window regulator fell apart, kept slipping out of 2nd and 4th gear, and it seemed to be taking longer to get to highway speed and stay there. Ironically built doing the “Quality is Job 1″ era Ford Escorts taught me how to tinker, since taking them to a shop every time was not an option budget wise and there were so many to choose from at the junkyards, so parts were plentiful. But the 86 was the last straw. Sold it to some kid and never gave it a second thought. Sometime during the mid 1990’s I acquired a 1977 Dodge short wheel base cargo van for free with the intention of making it into a camper or something. It had a 318 and 727 trans which was mechanically strong but alas the quarter panels were rusty and previous repair jobs made it worse. For the life of me I can’t remember what I did with it. 1986 Mazda 323DX with 5 speed.I loved this car, bought it with only 72000 km in 1998 and it was everything the 86 Escort was not. Well built, handled well, spot on reliability and except for rear struts, tires,exhaust and tune ups I did nothing else for 120000 kms. It had a Thule roof rack that carried all kinds of stuff, and was the pick up truck of the family. When it came down to replacing it I delayed the inevitable for six months, then asked an impossibly high price, blocked certain people from buying it – smokers, tuners, people I just didn’t like etc – but finally sold it to a nice guy who fit my criteria, and instantly regretted it. Of all the cars, I miss this one the most. I’d buy it again if I can find it. 1993 Mazda Protege LX – First family car for my wife and she loved this car as well. Like the 323 it was reliable, fun to drive and further strengthened my bias towards Japanese cars. However, it started rusting badly above the windshield and she had to go (the car, not the wife). 2001 Acura EL – Basically a fancy Honda Civic for the Canadian market. Good car, very reliable, high resale value, but boring and under powered. This was the first model year without the double wishbone suspension and it showed, again a very good car, but meh. 2004 Subaru Impreza wagon – The replacement for the 323 and still in the family today. This car has really grown on me and I intend to keep it for years. 2008 Audi A4 Avant – AKA Sabine – White, S-Line package,2.0 TFSI, 6 speed manual, my first new car. Yeah the rear seats are a bit cramped, the ride can be stiff, and there should be more cargo capacity but I love this car and my god does it go like hell, with sublime handling and that “get out of the way please” front end. In the summer we dust off our 73 Celica ST for the occasional drive. Except for the Datsun and the 81 Escort all came equipped with a manual transmission but I’m not too sure how long this can go on as they’re getting more rarer by the day.
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• 	peoplewatching04 March 2nd, 2009 at 4:52 pm
  1997 Plymouth Voyager SE: My parents, having only one child and no pets, inexplicably thought this vehicle would be a practical move. Needless to say, once I turned 16, I “got” to drop my dad off at work at 6:45 so that I could take it to school and be laughed at. 1998 VW Jetta GLS: With 103,000 miles on the odometer, my father naturally thought, “what a catch!” In the first year of ownership, the battery died (due to a faulty starter motor, which died soonafter), the clutch kicked, the alternator failed, and the radiator needed replacement. Disappointing all-around, but a much needed life-lesson about cars. 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee: Apparently, I didn’t actually learn my lesson from the VW and thought that it would still be worthwhile to get a vehicle that was more “cool” than “reliable.” The Jeep was a fun car and I made lots of great memories in it. Even if it only went off-road a handful of times, they were all memorable. 2006 Toyota Prius: My “real” first car. After moving to the city and realizing that reliability, functionality, and gas mileage were key, I figured this would be the best choice (even though I actually hated the car in almost every other aspect). Three years later, with almost 70k miles, three cross-country trips, and about 9,000 dents from parallel parking in Queens, it still runs like it did the day I got it, and hasn’t given me any trouble. People may say what they want about it, but the Prius has been good to me. (Knock on plastic)
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• 	npbheights March 2nd, 2009 at 6:07 pm
  I turned 16 in the summer of 1995. I did a lot of driving of my parents stable of cars at the time. Logged Thousands of miles with those cars and I loved most of them so I will include them: 1985 Lincoln Continental Givenchey. Rosewood Metallic with Rosewood Velour interior. My dad bought it brand new for my mom. She drove me to my first day of 1st grade in it and I drove myself to my 1st day of 12th grade in it. 1981 Cadillac Sedan De Ville. Black with Burgandy Velour Interior. V6 4.1 Sharp car, albeit slow. 1989 Toyota Camry V6 LE White With Burgandy Velour interior. Sunroof. Quick. Very reliable. 1990 Nissan 300ZX Twin TurboWhite with Black Leather interior. T Tops. 5 speed. Learned to drive a stick on it and drove it to my Junior Prom. (note: My father had a used car dealers license and an auto body shop) My First Car: (owned from 1996-1997) 1979 Lincoln Continental Town Coupe Dove Grey with Black Leather interior. Huge Sunroof. Very Thirsty. Had a “my car is longer than yours” contest at school with a guy with a Suburban. I won. My Second Car: (owned from 1997-1999) 1971 Cadillac Sedan Deville. Candy Apple Red with White Leather interior. My father restored this car for me. My friends in High School almost died when they saw it. I loved it and still miss it. My Third Car: (Owned from 1997-1998) 1988 Acura Integra. Red with Black Interior. Father gave it to me to drive to college as to have to rely on the 1971 Cadillac. I didn’t enjoy driving it and it broke down on my first day of college. The Cadillac was more reliable. I hated the car and gave it to my uncle. My Fourth Car: (owned from 1999-2000) 1996 Toyota Avlalon XLS. Sage Green with Tan Leather interior. I complained so much about the Acura that my dad gave me this. Such a sweet car. 26 MPG average. I still miss this one. Wrecked it into my half brother’s truck on I-95. (long story) My Fifth Car: (owned from 2000-2001) 1995 BMW 525i. Black with Tan Leatherette Interior. My dad gave it to me to replace the Avalon. (my half-brother was pissed and yea, I was slightly spoiled) Sweet Car. 18″ rims before everyone had them, automatic start, M5 style body kit. All show and no go. Very unreliable and has stupid, very expensive to fix problems all of the time. But the girls loved it. My Sixth Car: (owned from 2000-2001) Honda Civic EX. 2 Door. Forest Green metallic with Grey interior. 5 speed. Sunroof. My dad gave it to me as second car to keep the BMW nice. Cheap and junky. Hated it. Drove the BMW way more. My Seventh Car: (owned 2001-Current) 1999 Cadillac Deville. Cashmere with Neutral Shale leather interior. Sold the BMW for this. Alwasys wanted a Northstar powered Caddy. Was twice as fast as the Bimmer. Kept it 8 years. Put 129,000 miles on it. Never stranded. Great Car. Overheated it, blew the head gasket last summer. Still in my garage. Can’t part with it yet. Anyone have a good Northstar engine lying around??? My Eighth Car. (owned 2001-2002) 2002 Hyundai Sonata. Grey with Grey interior. Dad gave it to me as a second car shortly after I got the Cadillac. Junk box. Sold it a few months after I got it. Didn’t like it at all. Didn’t need it. My Ninth Car: (owned 2001-2002) 1979 Lincoln Continental Mark V Collector’s Series. Dark Blue Metallic with Dark Blue “Kasmin II” cloth seats. One of only 6,262 made. Awesome car. Always wanted a Mark V. It ended up needing an engine (rod knock). I wish I would have fixed the car. Sold it waaaay too soon for more than I paid though. Did not know what I had at the time. My Ninth Car: (owned 2003-Current) 2003 Chevolet Silverado. Pewter with Charcoal Interior. 4.8L V8. Very reliable. Have put over 85,000 trouble free miles on it. Ice cold AC. I use it to tow my boat a lot. My Tenth Car: (owned 2007-Current) 1979 Lincoln Continental Town Car. Dark Turquoise Metallic with Medium Turquoise Leather Interior. 1.6″ White Walls. Museaum Quality piece. I have a thing for 70’s Lincolns and I was nostalgic for my first car. Gets more attention around town than a $100,000 car. I absolutly love it. My Eleventh Car: (owned 2008-Current) 2009 Toyota Corolla XLE. Super White with Bisque Interior. Bought it over the summer as my daily driver when the 1999 Caddy died and gas was expensive. I thought it would recapture the feeling of the Camry and Avalon of my youth. It doesn’t, but is thrifty. Getting bored with it though. I do not have a great track record with economy cars. I am trying to resist the urge to sell it and buy a 2006 and up Cadillac DTS.
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• 	npbheights March 2nd, 2009 at 6:15 pm
  The Honda Civic EX was a 1996 by the way. I can’t edit my reply
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• 	redseca2 March 2nd, 2009 at 6:23 pm
  My list is short, I tend to buy and hold. 1965 MGB: My father was killed in a SCCA race in the 1950’s in his superchaged MGTD, so all of mom’s and mine freudian fantazies were realized when I brought home my first car. 1963 Jaguar XKE, Series I: This neatly resolved all the issues I had with the MG and the Jag ironically proved to be the most reliable car – it started right up after being dug out of a snow bank after a month at Portland airport. 1957 VW Van: With the little windows. I joke vehicle that woudl run out of steam trying to climb over an overpass. 1972 Peugeot 504: I ran out and found me one of these when I cam back from a summer in (former French portions) of West Africa. When every vehicle that you see in Timbouctou is a Peugeot, it somehow seems important. 1963 Mercedes 300SEb: The huge coupe with the vestigal fins. I ran this for 25 years including a complete “ship the drive train to Germany” rebuild. After 20 or so years of ownership, a little red light came on nestled in the speedomoter. Consulting the owner’s manual, I learned that this was the first time I let the gas tank get that low. 2005 Jaguar XK8 Coupe: Never having any room to offer a ride – Priceless. And many motorycles for when you really need to get somewhere.
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• 	funnyboi March 2nd, 2009 at 10:21 pm
  My list is short but I hold onto cars because i am cheap, young, and would rather hit myself in the head with a baseball bat than talk to a car salesman My car history starts in 1996 when I turned 16 1985 Olds Delta 88. Learned how to drive on it… Car ran good till 194000 miles till I traded it in for a Saturn. Replaced many parts but always started and usually shifted. 1988 Buick Regal. It got good gas mileage but had those stupid door mounted seatbelts. Got this one from my parents. No clue on the miles on the car… Odometer broke at 87k… had to have over 200k though. Fuel gauge busted too. I totalled it when I hit a parked pickup truck. Rand great till the end 2003 Saturn Ion. Still going strong at 85k. Good car overall… only had to repair bushings an O2 sensor and the darn ignition switch. Will run it into the ground… Would make a good winter beater in a few years…
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• 	Mullholland March 2nd, 2009 at 10:37 pm
  Here’s my list: 1971 Honda CB 750 1972 – 1962 Corvair Coupe, Fully oxidized white paint with red vinyl interior. My first car was this free car that a buddy of mine and I liberated from the curb at the front of my Aunt Nevada’s house in Las Vegas. Fixed three flats of the four tires, bought a new battery, fired her up and set out across the desert for L.A. Left at sundown, an hour or so out of Vegas discovered that the car threw off the serpentine fan belt that cooled the engine and ran the alternator. Making for the longest Vegas to L.A. run ever (car had to be stopped and belt reattached every 20 minutes or so when the headlights went out). Once home I fixed the belt and the car ran fine…for a while. Car was subsequently spun on an elevated freeway cloverleaf on-ramp going to Grandma’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. My Guardian Angel ruled the day. The car spun and hit the rail twice but no other cars on the ramp behind. It made the narrow shoulder high on the arching two-lane ramp and while still rolling I slammed the shifter into first gear and off we went. The only casualties were a red bump on my younger brother’s forehead and a pair of bashed in front headlamps lost to the guardrail. A week later, I installed a new lighting system courtesy of a pair of black dune buggy sealed beam headlamps bolted to the tops of the front fenders. This functional and completely one-of-a-kind “custom” solution made the car look like some kind of bug-eyed alien. 1973 – 1960 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, Firemist Red with a white top and black and white leather/cloth interior (back seat still covered in that plastic your grandma wrapped her living room sofa in). Bought the car from my GF’s step grandfather for $500. Drove it for a while, the brother/passenger in the Corvair incident took his date in the Caddy to the Junior Prom. Sold it for $400 when the driveshaft started to go. 1974- 1973 Fiat 128 SL MT Dark Blue with a tan interior. Dealer demo w/1000 miles. Fun car to drive. After a couple of years it developed an electrical problem that shorted out fuel pumps, which were located between the rear wheels. I always traveled with a spare. Other than that, it was pretty reliable. I sold this car to my best friend (didn’t want to do it, but he BEGGED me) he was going broke trying to keep an MG Midget running. The 128 was not as reliable for him as me and the car kind of ended our friendship. Several company cars ensued after college graduation and the real world. 1978 Buick Skyhawk, White V6 4MT 1979 Buick LeSabre Coupe, Met. Brown V8 AT 1980 Toyota Tercel, Black SR5 MT 1981 Dodge Colt, Greenish/Goldish (Mitsubishi) MT 1979 Mazda RX-7 S, Silver 5MT 1981 Mazda 626 Coupe, White 5MT Sunroof 1982 Mazda RX-7 GS Charcoal Met. Gray 5MT 1985 Mazda RX-7 GSE, Red MT 1986 Mazda 626 GT Turbo, Back, MT End of company cars 1986 Mazda B2000 Pick-up MT 150,000+ miles no hassles. 1998 Dodge Neon Sport MT: 185,000 relatively trouble-free miles: one new head gasket and one new clutch both covered under an extended warranty. Still own this car, but having problems getting it to pass a CA smog test. 2001 Kia Sedona van AT, bought new. AT replaced under mfg. warranty at 60K. No big trouble yet but am worried as this vehicle has just gone over 100K miles. Little stuff as been a problem: mirrors on visors,windshield developed cracks, big heavy vehicle eats brakes and tires. But it is a very comfortable vehicle for a family of four on long distance runs from SoCal to NoCal or Vegas. 2006-1994 Miata R-package, Laguna Blue, bought on e-bay with just under 36,000 miles. Most fun-to-drive car ever. Will make you a believer in the fun of driving a slow car fast. Have one of the best two-lane twisty roads in SoCal just minutes away. Usually make this road a part of my daily commute–coming or going it always puts me in a better mood. What have I learned so far? 1.) I miss the the first three cars and appreciate how different they were from each other–the differences made driving all of them fun. 2.) I’ve driven a lot of Mazda’s and never had a bad one. The RX-7’s and the Miata are my personal favorites. 3.) And between surviving a freeway spin in a Corvair and a 185,000 mi. Neon, I’m a very lucky person.
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• 	JaysonAych March 3rd, 2009 at 12:37 am
  My first car was a 1978 Mercury Cougar 4-door sedan. It was a goliath, though not quite as big as my friend’s near-mint ‘65 Chrysler 300 (this was in 1994, btw). The Mercury was a great first car in that once you learned how to properly drive and park it, you could drive just about anything else. U-Haul trucks seemed fairly small in comparison. I miss it a lot, but I’d crashed it once and thereafter it leaked copious amounts of fluids faster than I could replace them. Next up was a 1986 Oldsmobile Delta 88, practically a BMW in comparison. Despite its heavily-faded paint, it was actually a very nice car. If it didn’t break down every 3 months, I’d probably have happily driven it all through college. Comfortable, easy to drive, with the peppy 3.8 V6, it was a great car, but it was completely unreliable, like much of what GM built in the 80s. It ate a tranny, an oil pump, a water pump, and several other bits and pieces before its time was over. I got rid of it and replaced it with an ‘87 Oldsmobile Firenza. You’d think I’d have learned. It was also very good for what it was: a spry fuel-efficient car that could get about 200 miles on a quarter-tank of fuel if I was careful, and it was IMHO the best looking of the J-bodies. But again, it was complete garbage in terms of reliability. My folks took that car and used it in a trade-in and gave me their ‘90 Ford Taurus. It had been a rock-solid car while they had it but it was beginning to age. After a couple of years, it was not long for this world…it developed a major fuel system problem, was about to chew up the tranny, and needed new CV joints. After dumping all that money in the Delta 88 years prior and having nothing to show for it, I decided it would be best to get rid of it before I had to pour thousands into it. So by now, my last year of college, I had an ‘87 Ford Tempo to pour thousands into. It was the worst piece of crap Detroit ever conceived and sat in a garage being fixed 10 times over the year I had it. It worked flawlessly when I later gave it to my Dad, but for me it was a never ending nightmare. With my post-graduate money, I bought a new-at-the-time 2001 Hyundai Elantra. It shamed everything else I’d ever owned. Granted much of what I was driving before were old high-mileage cars, but I’d never had a car that just worked before. And it was a Hyundai of all things! I put 45,000 miles on it over two years and only had a warranty repair on a non-disabling electrical problem done in that time. But I needed something bigger, which brings me to where I am today. I’d traded the Hyundai in on a 2002 Dodge Stratus V6 that was being cleared out as the 2003’s were on sale at the time, so I got a hell of a deal on it. I still have it, and it still runs wonderfully 92,000 miles later. I’m now wanting something sporty so I imagine either a Genesis Coupe or a Camaro are soon in my future, but I don’t want to get rid of the Dodge. Others may have had horror stories with Chrysler products, by the sales and service for mine have been stellar, and the car is bulletproof. The only cars I’ve had that weren’t complete garbage were cars that I bought new…cars that I bought and cared for properly, following the maintenance schedules to the letter. And they never let me down. I’ve learned that if you buy used, there’s a very good chance that the schmuck who owned it before you didn’t take care of it at all. And you’re the one who suffers for it. So as long as you can get a stripped down Nissan Versa for less than 10 grand, I’ll never buy used again if I can help it.
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• 	Styles79 March 3rd, 2009 at 12:54 am
  Well here’s mine: Mum’s KE70 Corolla wagon DX (82) 1.3 4-speed! Woo hoo, the car I learned to drive in, and the car I learned to thrash. Man, that thing took the abuse like you wouldn’t believe, even got it to 140kmh one morning. Stupid 15yo boy at the wheel, and it just took it all, never a problem, except the body slowly changing from blue to this reddy-brown colour…… cue upgrade….. EE90 Corolla 5-door XL (90) 1.3 5-speed. Way faster than the KE70, got it to 160kmh-ish one night. Legendary front wheel burnouts, and a great car to learn to handbrake in! On to my own first car: ST162 Celica liftback (86) 2.0 GT. 3S-GE, 5 speed, and being a GT, no power anything. Crashed it the day I bought it, but nothing too major. Wrote off the Fiat Uno I crashed into though! Did some work on it over time, ignition, head, cams, computer, clutch, suspension, and wheels. I reckon it was one of the fastest N/A Celicas around my city at the time. With the money I’d spent on it I could’ve got something way faster. Still it was unique, and took down a number of V8 Commodores and Falcons, and a few Skylines and Legacy RS’s too. Lunched the ‘box recing a GT-R (1st mistake) and couldn’t be bothered fixing it so sold it as is (2nd mistake), but hey, you live and learn. Back to using the Corolla for a while, then a change in scenery to: KA8 Honda Legend (Alpha Spec JDM) ‘91. Good cruiser, and surprisingly quick for it’s size and weight. A surprisingly good handbrake turn too…… wicked front-wheel burnouts….. re-shaped it on a tree. Company E25 Nissan Caravan DX 3.0 disease-al (01) did the job Company Y11 Nissan Wingroad (07) Good little wagon. Good for my job as a sales rep. Not very fast though, with 1800cc and CVT trans. Flappy-paddle manual shift a joke. Changed jobs, and no more company car so…. GF Mazda 626 (96) 2.0 AT. This was just a hack, one owner, and less than 100,000kms on the clock, was pretty far from inspirational, but it did the job. Changed jobs, and back into a company car… T31 Nissan X-Trail ST-L (08) 2.5 CVT. I like this car. Just wish it was a Ti grade (leather, 17″s, and sunroof) could do with a bit more grunt, but certainly does the job OK, plenty of room for dive/MTB/camping gear, so it’s all good. With the recession starting to bite car companies though, who knows what I’ll get next……
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• 	KMII March 3rd, 2009 at 10:51 am
  Actually a very short list. For a long time I was studying abroad so until I was done with Uni there was no point in me having a car – so it was pretty much borrowing my mom’s Volvo 850T-5R when I was home. Then in not so quick succession I inherited three cars from my parents and am slowly off to retire the last of them :) Audi A4 1.8 – this was the first car, which was considered to be mine. My dad got it as a second car, when he bought the T-5R, to use for short trips, and basically because otherwise he’d get nothing on trade in for his Audi 100. He drove it for a while, it broke down a lot, my mom drove it for a year, then it was put up for sale but noone wanted to buy a 5 year old car with only 21k miles. It seemingly looked dodgy. When I inherited it it managed to have a capital engine failure – the belt broke – within the first 1000 miles – there was a recall, which the AUstrian dealer where the car was bought charged to Audi for the car but never carried out the repairs. Eventually we got compensated for some of it but the whole engine head, valve train etc. needed to be renewed. I drove it for 9 months, added another 30k miles to it (it was moderately reliable after all the early faults were remedied) and was happy to be able to give it up. It worked OK in the snow but was a pain otherwise – crap to drive, extremely inert, the engine was the least fun one could possibly expect from one – all 5 valves per cylinder of utter hopelessness – revving it out equated soundwise to skinning an animal alive and the acceleration could be very adequately measured with a calendar. It also made me semi deaf, as it had no AC and I often drove it at up to 125 with the sunroof open, resulting in not hearing much for several hours after such a journey. :) - Volvo 850T-5R: After my mom inherited the S80 from my dad I finally got the car I always wanted. The 850 was fully my idea in the first place, my dad starting to cooperate with Volvo workwise and as a result having to change cars to a Volvo. He initially thought it was to be a 960 but I was adamant that the T-5R presented a much better car. He was far from convinced but when he went to the dealer and testdrove the 960, he came back very crestfallen and decided to heed my advice and give the T-5R a try. It was ordered 10 minutes later, much to my joy. It was an autobox one but I still maintain that it has one of the best self shifters I have ever experienced, in spite of only having 4 gears. Got the car with around 90k miles (many of which were mine to begin with) and it finally returned back to the parental hunting grounds for an easy retirement last September, with 230k miles on the clock. And much fun was had with it. Up until 125k miles there was not a single fault with it, then small niggles started appearing, then the engine went at 140k (conrod on third piston broke) and we replaced it with a brand new one, then things started getting relatively unreliable at around 200k. But then again it did a sterling job for many many years and cannot be faulted. It still works in its entirety but it became a bit risky for the long journeys I still occasionally make, so we mutually decided to leave it in Slovenia and for me to take my mom’s S80T-6, while waiting for a new car. S80T-6: so far the final chapter in the saga. While similarly quick overall to the T-5R, very refined, quiet, comfortable and not even particularly thirsty, when it comes to fuel, it represents valium on wheels – there is hardly any pleasure to be had from it. Sure, at top speed on a German Autobahn it’s somewhat appealing and a lot more stable than the T-5R but in any other circumstance it’s just an appliance. And a horribly unreliable at that. Believing that because it had 95k miles and was five years younger than the 850, the likelihood of it going wrong was lower, was very erroneous. Within 2k miles the gearbox went for good and several other issues emerged, all to top off previous rather frequent visits to the dealership. Not nearly as bad as the W211 E class my old man had subsequently but bad enough. My family subsequently switched over to a pair of hyrid Lexi (GS450h and RX400h), which seem to meet their retirement vehicular needs perfectly, as for me, I hope something new is on the horizon in the next couple of months :)
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• 	black turbo March 5th, 2009 at 12:42 am
  After about 2 and a half years of driving, I have had 2 cars, and driven 3 regularly. In the order they were acquired: 1992 Saab 9000S 5-Speed-Bought it in 2005 with 170000 miles on it in need of a slave cylinder. Fixed it with my father and mechanic, and drove the car for 10000 miles until the transmission blew up while I was being relatively irresponsible. Twice. Two separate transmissions. 1996 Saab 9000CS 5-Speed-Dad’s car, he let me drive it for a summer because he didn’t really need it, having 2 other Saabs at the time. Only 100000 miles or so, practically new. Transplanted full black Aero interior. It was involved in a T-bone collision with a Toyota FJ Cruiser. I was driving and had 2 passengers, and thanks to Saab safety, the car was the only casualty, even with 18 inches of crush at the B-pillar. 2000 Saab 9-3 Turbo 5-Speed- The only GM Saab in the family, and also the highest purchase price. Not a bad car overall, but definitely not a real Saab. However, it still has the old 2.0L genuine Saab Turbo motor rather than the GM Ecotec that the newer ones have. This car was born early enough in GM’s takeover of Saab that the interior is still nice, and it is still stone cold reliable. My father has owned Saab’s since he was my age, with only a brief hiatus while he was married to my mother. He’s got me convinced there’s nothing better out there. Unfortunately, they don’t build real Saab’s anymore. However, if anyone has a 9000 5-speed they’d like to pawn off, I am looking to replace the 9-3.
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• 	austincooper April 28th, 2009 at 12:19 am
  My first 40 cars: 1. First car: Triumph TR4 in 1966 2. Jaguar Mk1 (beat-up) 3. Jaguar XKE (weak brakes – but cool) 4. MGB GT 5. Sunbeam Tiger 260 (awesome) 6. VW Beetle 7. Citroen 2CV 8. Citroen Ami 6 9. VW split-window bus 10. Porsche 356 11. Peugeot 403 12. BMW 2002, first car bought new 13. Chevrolet Biscayne Station Wagon 14. VW Kharman Ghia 15. Austin Mini 1000 (fell in love with Minis) 16. BMW 3.0 (same as Bavaria) 17. Austin Mini 1000 – very nice one 18. Dodge Aspen Station Wagon 19. VW Super Beetle (wiring caught fire) 20. Honda Accord 21. Toyota Van 22. Honda Civic, bought new 23. Pontiac Firebird V6 24. Mercedes 240D (no freaking power) 25. Nissan Maxima 5-speed (bought new) 26. Jaguar MarkII (awesome) 27. Renault 5 28. Subaru Loyale Station Wagon 29. Ford Granada 30. VW Vanagon Westfalia 31. Triumph Spitfire* 32. Nissan Maxima 33. Mercedes 350SL 34. Acura Legend 35. Austin Mini Cooper! (rebuilt as new) 36. Ford Mustang Fastback (restomod, nice)* 37. Buick Riviera 38. Honda Civic 39. Subaru SVX* 40. VW bus 73 weekender restomod* * Currently owned PS. I need another Mini (a real Austin or Morris), but with a Honda V-Tech engine in it! So many cars, so little time…
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