My first car that wasn’t financed by the First National Bank of Mom & Dad was a 1977 Corolla. $1675 as-is with a bad clutch, front tires that didn’t match, torn upholstery, a Kraco AM/FM 8 track, and a pair of speakers just lying on the rear deck.
First car I bought a 1957 Karman Ghia for $50 in the early 70s. It had a bad voltage regulator that I replaced for $6. Sold it a few years later for $500.
In 1972 I bought a 1964 Dodge cargo van for $600. Drove it around the US the following summer with a few friends to “see the country”. We did the trip on a shoe string and it was an amazing experience.
No, but there wasn’t a J2 that could keep up with it. Syncing the carbs on the J2 was very difficult so they rarely reached their potential. It had the E2 option engine, had been dyno-tuned and had the B&M kit installed in the transmission.
I remember that, the best way to go fast with a J2 was to take off the carbs and manifold and replace with a Holly 4 bbl. Nobody wanted to do that though because the three deuces were so pretty.
Perhaps I should explain why my 52 Plymouth was only $20. It had been parked in the fall with the intention of junking it. It belonged to the sister of a guy I worked with and he offered it to me for the junk price. It was a 4door sedan and with the doors open you could swing the door posts up a;most horizontal.
The floor did not extend all the way to the doors so I had to leash the dog to keep him in the car. I wish I could have found a 52 with a good body but instead I replaced it with a 54 that was nowhere near as good a car design.
The first car I bought was a 1969 Camaro, 307, 4 speed. I was in the Air Force, parents found it, I made payments to them on it.
The one car I wish I still had is actually my first car, a 1965 Chevelle Malibu station wagon, 230 CI 6 cylinder and 3 on the tree.
The one that got away was a 1963 Falcon Sprint convertible, 260 V8, 4 speed. My uncle wanted to sell it to me 2 weeks after I had gotten a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. At the time wanted the VW more.
The 53 and 54 Plymouths were ugly, and too small to compete, and had no power. They got it right in 55 though.
@old_mopar_guy. The 1953 and 1954 Plymouths could be classified as compact cars. These cars were about 2" shorter than the 1956 and 1957 Ramblers.
However, these 1953 and 1954 Plymouths had a surprising amount of interior space. Next to the Checker, these Plymouths became popular as taxicabs.
One thing that hurt sales in 1953 was that Plymouth did not offer a fully automatic transmission. The HyDrive was a three speed manual transmission behind a torque converter that allowed the car to start off in 3rd (high) gear. The PowerFlyte automatic transmission didn’t come along until midway through the 1954 model year.
If Plymouth had offered the automatic transmission in 1953 and offered the Dodge V-8 as an option which would have fit under the hood because the Dodge station wagon rode in the Plymouth chassis and it could be had with the V-8 engine, I think Plymouth would have had great sales.
1983 Tercel. It was my dad’s. But he sold it to me for fair market value because he didn’t want me getting the idea that I could float through life.
It did 0-60 in “yes,” and had all the luxury features you’d expect of a car with no luxury features. Great car, though. Absolutely bulletproof. It’d probably still be running today if it hadn’t been T-boned by an idiot in an Explorer.
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1952 Plymouth 4 door- 118.5 wheelbase
53-4 " " 114 "
55 " " 115 "
I found the 52 to be more comfortable and roomier ant the seats were higher. WE had no interstates in Western NY and the state speed limit of 50 mph meant the 80-85 mph top speed wasn’t a problem.
Plymouth had a reputation of being slow but finished 3rg in Nascar behind Hudson and Olds and ahead of the Ford V8s
My first car IS a 1999 Mazda 626. Got it up and running, can’t drive it yet since I’m too young to have a license. The poor thing was sitting outside for 3 years until I stumbled across it with my dad, and the owner only wanted $200 for it. Got it up and running in about 2 months (hardly knew anything mechanically about cars last year, lol) and now I’m waiting to sell it.
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Believe it or not, my first new car was a 1984 Hyundai Pony that I paid $4500. I switched to Toyota not long after having owned this POS.I became a Toyota fan for life.
If memory correctly serves me, the head of the Plymouth decision wanted to keep Plymouth’s as ‘economy’ cars, therefore resisted the V8 option.
Liking or disliking styling is in the eye of the beholder. I happen to like the 53/54 Plymouth and sister Dodge two door wagons. While the very best looking domestic 53-55s were the Studebaker two door hardtops and coupes, whereas much less attractive in four door and wagons.
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1950 Mercury with a chopped top for $50 in 1966. My dad said I overpaid. I wonder what it would be worth today? My dad and I painted it Sunoco blue with yellow lettering to advertise his service station. I got a free fillup if I drove it around town all week and parked it on the weekend at the corner of the lot. My dad sold the station a few years later and the new buyer traded me a black, 63’ Grand Prix for it. It had air conditioning so I took the deal. I saw it a few times over the years but it was repainted and sold as it became more valuable in the 70’s.
My first car was one my parents paid $200 for around 1984. It was a 1969 Plymouth Fury III coupe. (Image). The first new vehicle I bought myself was a Mitsubishi Mi
ghty Max subcompact pickup. I paid $5,999. My first new car I bought myself was a 1992 Honda Civic Si for which I paid $11,999
Plymouth Fury’s were once used by the New York City Police Department as their cruisers.
Back in High School, my friend’s father worked for the department as a supervisor in the motor pool. I asked him why Plymouth Fury’s were chosen, why the department always (then) went with Plymouths, etc. He told me that every year, the department made the specifications they demanded and forwarded these to the manufacturers. The Plymouth Fury was the only car that met the specs.
That’s a cool fact!
You are correct on all counts, but the head of Chrysler Corp. at that time was a guy named K.T. Keller, who was a very conservative individual who " knew it all". He wanted a car tall enough to wear a hat in, and he liked a clutch pedal under his left foot.
Interesting. My first car, paid for by mom and dad ($300) was a 1963 Rambler American with an E-Stick, a three speed manual with a vacuum operated clutch. When you took your foot off the gas, the clutch would disengage and you could shift.
Rambler’s e stick was very similar to VW’s automatic stick shift.