First Car

My first car was a 1947 Pontiac Streamliner 6 that I bought when I graduated from college at age 20. I paid $75 dollars for the car. It got me to graduate school 350 miles from home,even though I added a quart of oil every 250 miles. The cluster gear in the transmission was worn, so it made a horrible noise in first gear, so I shifted to second as quickly as I could. I also had coolant getting into the oil. When I removed the cylinder head–no big deal on a flathead 6 – I found that the block was cracked around one of the valve seats. I put it back together, poured some K-W seal into the radiator and solved the problem. When I got to graduate school, the Pontiac became my second car. My first car was the railroad line. I could make the 350 mile trip by rail within 20 minutes of the time to drive the distance and I could study along the way. The old Pontiac was just used around town, but it got me and my worldly possessions to graduate school.

1985 Toyota Camry, purchased used in ‘91 when I was 19. Cost was $3000. Got it with 70K; drove it until 130K, when the transmission died the day after a fluid change (the “leave neglected ATs alone” wives’ tale was true in my case).

Was a decent car…a good car to learn car repair on, as the I4 had a CAVERNOUS engine bay. Alas, rebuilding the AT would have cost more than a rebuilt engine, so it had to go. (Oh, and it ate tie-rods for breakfast!)

I was 17 or 18 when I bought my first car a demo from the dealer. It was a 1965 Sunbeam Imp I paid $650 for with only a couple thousand miles on it. It was 875cc water cooled rear engine. Really strange car with large solid chunks of rubber for CV joints and 12 inch wheels.

It survived a collision with a Greyhound bus on the freeway (no injury to me - Greyhound driver had fallen asleep) and was finally totaled years later after I had sold it to an employee who fell asleep on night and crashed at 70 mph into the back of a Chevy Impala parked on an exit ramp, he got away with a couple of bruises from the seat belts. All in all a very good car.

'56 Chevy wagon. Cost me $85 about 40 years ago. Drove it for 3 years. I think that was the last financially sensible thing I’ve done.

Second year in college, I bought a 55 Desoto for $150. Sold it 2 years later for $35 when the trunk would no longer support the spare tire because of the rust. Parked the car overnight with a pan under the tranny to catch trans oil I could refill in the morning.

'71 Dodge Charger SE, purchased after my second year as a teacher.
(My father insisted that I use his car for my first two years of full-time employment, in order to build up my financial resources. As a result of his wise counsel, I purchased that Charger–and all of my subsequent cars–for cash, thus saving a small fortune over the years by not having to pay financing or leasing fees.)

It was a really beautiful-looking car, it was comfortable, and it was also reliable. The downsides were crappy brakes and gas mileage that topped out at 17 mpg, with 13 mpg being a more typical figure. And that was with the 318 V-8, the smallest V-8 that they offered!

1980 Dodge Champ my mom bought for me when i turned 16(it was the same age as me), she sold it not long after since I wasn’t keen on driving at that time. When I got my full license(age 19), I bought a 91 Chevy Corsica with my own money.

My first car was a 1948 Chevrolet Stylemaster (stovebolt 6)which I bought for $125 in 1958 as a college car. It lasted me till 1962 when I gave it to my kid brother who drove it another 2 years.

In the 4 years I drove it I put $600 into maintenance and repairs.

my first was a 1967 Pontiac Catalina. This is the only car I have had that I wish I still had.

My first car was a 1961 VW Beetle, bought in HS when I was 16. Or maybe I was 17. I forget exactly. It was the '60s, long long ago.

my first car was a 1966-plymouth fury,in 1973.it cost $400.00 i work all summer to get it.i love that car.that was back in the days,when you could work on them yourself.

I was 19- Dodge Intrepid- was supposed to be my starter car but now it is three years later and I still have the dam thing! LOL. I will miss it when it finally does croak.

My first car was a hand me down 1966 slant six Dodge Dart. My mom ate lunch in it during her work break and left a cigerette in the car. The fire department extingusished the flames and I replaced the bench seat with bucket seats. The tires were bald so I went to the junk yard (now recyclying facility) and picked up three spare tires. On the return ride I jammed on the drum brakes and went off the road getting three blowouts, talk about luck!

1967 Pontiac Catalina 2 door coupe.
Only car I wish I still had. Bought it from my grandparents for $125.

1950 Chevrolet an uncle sold me in 1960 for $15, with bad manual transmission. I thought I was king of the universe with my own car.

1977 Lancia Beta Zagato targa top. I was 18.5 at the time, the car needed some work as it had been sitting for 10+ years.

The only car for which I feel any nostalgia was the 1936 Chevrolet. That car was fun. I think it was maybe my second car. It had comfortable seats, and could go in ice, mud and snow when nothing else would.

But, I am a realist and would not take a 1936 Chevrolet as a free gift. They just took too much maintenance and fuss, and too often simply would not start, and I am past the stage of enjoying that. That is why my 2002 Sienna is the best car I have ever owned.

Yes, it has needed repairs, though not many considering the use it has had. But, when I leave my house in McAllen (when I am there) to drive to Virginia or Ohio or Florida, I (so far) have gotten there and back.

I enjoy nostalgia as much as the next person. But, give me a modern car with all its advantages.

And, in many cases, not all, if people had that first car back again, it would be sold for exactly the reasons it was sold the first time.

My first car was a 1957 chevy wagon that the neighbor had for sale. It didn’t look to rusted and ran pretty good. I had to save the $500 to buy it (this was 1970) and my dad would insure it.
It was a great car as a teen and plenty of room in the back for riders and beer kegs.

We did find a rusted out area that went right thru, but never knew about the hole untill a buddy fell asleap…passed out…in the back and woke to find the back of his head soaked from the rain splashing up thru the hole and onto his head.

Sold it 4 year later for what I paid for it, but never pointed out the rust hole.

My first CAR is a '55 Hudson Hornet, which is more Nash than Hudson after their merger in 1954. It has a 320 CID V-8 that Hudson bought from Packard. I have owned that car three times. I was 15 the first time I got it, and about 30 the last time. I still have it.

Before the car, I had a '31 Chevy farm truck. I was 13 the summer I got it in payment for tearing down the shed that it had been parked in 16 years before. The truck was at least partially supporting the shed. I attacked the shed with a four foot wrecking bar and a hand saw. Once the rotten lumber was stacked for burning, my dad and I towed it home. He got it running after rebuilding the fuel pump with a kit from the local harware store. I wish I still had that one.

My fourth vehicle was the MGA that I have now. I’ll probably drive it to my 45th anniversay HS class reunion in a few years. I was the only student to drive their same car to the ten year reunion. I’m sure my record will still stand.

There have been far too many others to remember or mention, but only one first CAR.

I had 3 cars that I bought from my parents in 1979, 2 years before I got my license. A gold with a white top 1965 4 door Chevy Impala with a 327 hipo and an aluminum powerglide that would fly, a 1968 Dodge polara that we sold before I even drove it, and a 1963 Ford E100 van that was an old Iowa power and light van that was a real junker but we used it like crazy