I found this old (hahaha 1999) picture of me with my first car. 1979 Porsche 928. It was oak green metallic with a manual transmission. I loved that car, put a lot of work into it, including a top end rebuild, and finally sold it for 1/8 of what I had into it because I found out the frame was cracked. I would love to have another 928 if they weren't such money pits. Great freeway car.
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Sitting at a backyard BBQ at home with my Dad, Grandfather and two of my uncles watching the big boys bullshit and drink beer when my Dad says 'if you can get that thing running, it's yours' and he points his beer bottle at his car that had quit running a year or so before. He had us come up to the corner and help him push it down the alley and in to the back yard next to the garage. There it sat... My uncle, who owned a Gulf station winked at me and the following Monday, showed up with his wrecker. We had that thing running in about 5 minutes. Motor mounts and distributor cap replaced along with a tune-up and all I needed was insurance...
Gave her a auto shop valve job and some other guys painted her... Gas gauge went left as fast as the speedo went right!!!
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One of my favorite pics of the car.
Boy what I would give to have it looking just like that now.. Loved the look of the car like that..
Yes this pic was scanned from the yearbook.
Well I have no pictures, but the car I wanted was a 67 lemans with sky blue mettalic paint. My parents surprised me with a car from my moms boss. You will thank me for the "no picture" due to the fact it was a 74 pinto in forest green paint with avocado green interior. I think they were trying to keep me from getting dates. I put 150,000 miles on that car and had a lot of great memories in it.
1977 @ age15
$500 1967 mustang w/ blown up clutch
289/4 sp.
what an experiment!
Can't find a picture of my first - '73 Super Beetle.
Here's my second; a '73 2.0 in a crappy photo from 1982
No picture, I don't think cameras were invented, but it was a 1952 Olds 88. It had a 303 Rocket V-8, four barrel carb and put out 165 HP (in 1952, that is) though a four speed Hydramatic trans. The trans had only 1st and 3rd gear left, so it would come thundering off the line, up to about 30 and then start searching for 2nd. Eventually it would give that up and with a loud "thunk", drop into 3rd. It was good for about 80 at top end. My friends called it an "FTO", get it?
It was faded blue, so I bought a couple of Krylon spray cans and started to paint it BRG, but quickly realized that I was gonna have more money in the paint than I had in the car, so I only painted the left side. A black tape racing stripe down the middle and I had a lateral two-tone paint job. Very cool.
I paid $9 for it in December,1966, put in a battery and drove it 9 months until the trans finally blew up. Sold it to the junkman for $6. Never had a better deal on a car!
Sadly, I have no picture of it.
1971 Type III Fastback from which I removed the roof and made a permanently topless roadster. It was a piece of shit, but I built a nice engine for it.
Second car: 1971 914.
No pics, but my 1st car was a 1952 split window VW; 25 hp and all non-synchro tranny. Bought it around 1962, and traded it after 6 months for a '56 VW van
The VW had been featured in one of the car magazine just before I got it.
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First car:
Second car:
Third 914 circa 1981( I had two before this one):
Plate from back in the day (still have it):
Me from back in the day:
No pictures and really wouldnt want any. Datsun 510. She leaked oil every where. And what a color. But she only cost me $100.00.
the 1st car I ever drove was a 34hp VW Bug (~MY 1970 or so)
the 1st car I ever owned was a 1985 Opel Ascona 1.8 E
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My first car....a '72 Chevelle SS. Had an accident and had cowl induction hood and SS stripes put on at the body shop....next was four 914's....'73 1.7, '70 factory six, '75 2.0, and current 914 '74 3.0 conversion....
Cream coloured 69 VW Fastback, sorry no pics, loved that car! Broke down in Quebec on the way home to the Maritimes in 1973, local VW dealer in Levis, Quebec told me it was gonna cost more to fix than it was worth. I took the bus, still think I was lied to but I was just a young private then and believed people were all honest!
Ian Stott
Moncton
Canada
928 Mark! Awesome.
Dad's car was my first car at 16... but I rode a Yamaha SR500 at 15.
I will totally cancel out all the cool first cars: 1978 Mercury Zephyr station wagon. With red vinyl interior.
Also, I crashed it. With only liability insurance.. so I went to the pick-n-pull, torched off a quarter of another car.. and welded it on. My father thought it was so insane, he took a photo. I think that was after I lit the headliner on fire.
A gallon of Bondo and rattlecan silver paint and it looked ok!
Bought my first car in 1973, it was a 1950 Willy's wagon, 2WD with a Studebaker V8. Absolute POS. Before exiting high school it was followed by an Austin A40, 63' chevy Impala, 59' TR3 and finally my first air cooled... 64' bug!
No pics but it was a 64 Ghia with a 356 super 90. It had Koni's and sway bars. Fun car for 1970.
1st car turbo corvair (pic the day I sold it, dropped seat)
2nd 914-6
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No pics, 74 Mazda rx 4, pretty fun car really
1st was a beat down 1970 914 1.7, 2nd was an 82 Ford escort 5 speed
I had to have the 2nd to drive while I worked on the first Cant find the pics.
Number one was a '50 ford two door, No. 2 a '55 Chev 210 2 door hard top, No. 3 '58 Chev Impala Covert in '58, etc, etc, etc. to many to remember the list is very long in those days. Now drive them until they drop. It took a long time to figure it out cars are a loosing preposition. But it was fun and exciting.
66 notch, all bondoed up...
59 Morris Mini Cooper
Talk about wanting a 'do over'. First car I owned (73) was a 62 356B Hardtop. Absolutely ravished by northern winters and after a year I traded it on the teener. No offence to the teener but God I'd like to have the 356 again. Not because of the current value - it just was just a lot of fun and fit me like a glove. You always remember your first.
Sold my first car, a 73 yellow vette, in 76 to buy a 914-6. Infant/car seat forced me into 911's until I saw the light again.
ugly green '68 Dodge Coronet 440, lot of memories.
In 1973 I had a 1958 Corvette, sold it in 1975 and bought a very nice 1971 SS454 Chevelle....I wish I had never sold either of them
You've probably heard this before, and I have no pics since the flood earlier this year ruined all the negatives.
First, real, I-owned was a 75 Dodge Dart, 273 balanced, blueprinted, magnafluxed. Crane cam, dual 4 barells, positvie linkage (all 8 barrels open all the time) 304 HP. Ran on drag slicks at 8 mpg (you could that in 1968 in Ohio). Used it for daily transport & weekend drags. Spent WAY mor that it was worth, though it was reallly fast.
Went from tha to a 65 Beetle & got married.
First was a 1960 Bug-Eye Sprite with a 64 MGB 3 main bearing motor and tranny. Real front end heavy. Broke a lot of axle shafts and had to scavenge them from all of the Nash Metros in the junkyards. Bought it for $50. Surprised a lot of 70's muscle cars at stop lights with the 4.22 rear end.
Also had a 1963 Plymouth Valiant Station Wagon with the slany six and the "Slush Box" Had a hippy flower sticker on the tailgate.
My first car Alfa Romeo Sprint
1970 Opel GT That particular yellow made every yellow jacket on the earth think it was "mommy". This one isn't my car but looks mighty similar from this angle.
I had it for 15 years and took it through big cams, Weber DCOE carbs, two blown 4-spd transmissions (same one a Vega had, turns out). Lowered and fast it was with low profile tires on wide wheels.
My best road-warrior friend drove a 1970 914 and we had great fun running mountain roads and other twisties until his burned to a crisp after some years.
I traded it for a Kaypro computer when I started LSU and needed that more than I needed a car. My daily driver after that was a Norton Commando for the next 3 years. Mine was black and then red/orange after a 1-yr restoration, but this ones very nearly the same.
Whole lotta fun in and on both machines!
After driving the folks' cars from 67-69 - 62 Olds 88 Wagon & 67 Chevy 3/4 ton Pick-up (327 cid 4-bbl) with a full cab-over camper - in Fall of `69 I bought a used Red 68 Opel Kadette 1.0L Notchback 2-dr sedan (baseline) for $800, which I drove "the living S out of" for the next year & a half (Spring 71), until I blew the engine screaming down from LA to San Diego, as I did almost every weekend during my first year in college.
I don't have any pix around, but it looked similar to this, but Red/Black interior & plain steel wheels painted silver with rubber mats on the floors, no carpet (this looks like an upscale model & European) .......
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After that I took over payments on #2 - my Dad's 4 door Pontiac Ventura (400 cid 2-bbl) in Metallic Olive Green with Gold interior for the rest of college & up to early 76 (when they moved back to Indy on a job transfer). Also no pix, but it looked similar to this ........
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Then I sold my Pontiac "Beast" after I got #3 - my 73 914-2.0 in Dec. 75, which I still own & am in the process of restoring/repair after being stored since May 85, when it was hit by a ditzy gal in the UCLA parking structure while I was in MBA classes - after spending $6500 ($20k+ today) on a rolling resto/overhaul of everything. No pix of it in gold metallic when I bought it, but this is it's current state ........
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At that time I got #4 my 85 BMW 325e in May 85 (178k now), and then later #5 the 88 Westfalia (208k now) - both were new & we still use them as out DDs. Here they are as recently refurbished ........
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My wife also inherited an 88 Honda Civic Hatchback DX from her brother when he passed-away (he and onother brother had owned it since new), which my son & I repaired, refurb'ed for he & his sister to drive. It was a practice car for the 914's resto for my son & I, but I'm losing my helper to the Army Infantry on Jan. 4th. This is after .......
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That's right - only 5 cars owned in my 44+ years of driving & I still have nos. 3, 4 & 5, and the latter 2 are still driven daily! Shows what regular maintenance, repairs & taking care of your cars can do, in addition to keeping the mileage down.
'76 Nova. It had the 305, factory rally wheels...I was so cool. My mom bought it new and then left it for dead. Luckily grandpa(who raised me) was a mechanic at the local Chevy dealer and we got it back into shape. Fun time and great memories working on the car with him.
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1983 Mitsubishi Tredia.. nothing but trouble........
Got out of the army in may 66, in June I bought one of these......
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68 gto conv. 400 with tri power.
Sold that and got a 65 mustang GT fastback.
Never should have sold either one.
Rich
67 Charger. Red even. Still had the 426 HEMI tags on the side of it. But the PO had taken it out to put it in his truck and replaced the hemi with a lowly 383. Sorry, no pics.
1978 BMW 518, crashed the car after 3 months, bought another BMW which was followed by a 914 2.0. Later a Mitsuishi Lancer Turbo, 1977 Beetle, GTI 16V, and a few others. The car I really miss was a Ford Escort RS2000 MK2, adjustable suspension, roll cage, and so on. Unfortunately the engine blew up and I gave it away for free since I couldn't afford fixing it during university Good thing was I lived in Germany so I could enjoy the Autobahn with all of them
1970 Opel GT
My first car was a H.S. graduation present from my dad who only drove Lincolns and 18 wheelers or larger (UKEs, etc.) He had asked me what I wanted and I told him a Triumph, I didn't even know that they MADE a f*cking sedan....but I came home from graduation and he led me into the garage and handed me the keys....what the hell do you do....? So while it was under the 6 month "warranty" the used car guy had given him I did my best to break something every week or so....about the 3 or 4th time in the owner took me aside and said, "Don't like this car much do you?" I said no, and he said maybe we can work a deal, we did and I left in a 1958 VW bus with 36HP...put in curtains and a sign on the back that said "Don't laugh asshole, your daughter is in the back." Made a lot of friends with that. It got me thru my first year at SJSU and I traded it for a TR3, then a VW Bug, then a Karman Ghia...then a "63 Corvair monza (POS), a 59 porsche 356 with a VW motor, a 60 356 with a "normal" motor, a 1957 speedster...and then I got marriedand we had a series of cars that were strange and stranger, including 2 914s, a 73 and a 74 ( after the 73 got killed), a red 914 with a 2.7L twin plug motor and a "GT kit" body which I collected too many tickets with...etc. over 75 cars/trucks/vans/campers later we're down to a Honda CRV, an Acura Legend, and THE GREEN MACHINE!
Like I said the Herald Convertible was hideous...but at least it was a black one with red "leather"....948cc .....always waiting.....
This is a 15 year old me taking delivery of my first car, a 1937 Plymouth.
And a photo of the Plymouth with my second car right after I bought it
a 260Z, my sister hit a snowplow & totaled it, when I left it home to get some minor maintenance done while I was at College
I never needed a car in high school or college, and I was poor, so I never bought a car until I had a job after college.
And here it is - granted towards the end of its time with me. My 1998 VW Golf. I bought it new and loved that car to death, which happened at about 127K miles when the car needed more work then I could fix or wanted to pay for.
I loved that, with a roof rack, you put put nearly anything either in or on that car. It hooked me on wagonz fo' life, yo! The car died a death of 1000 cuts, suffering from the standard poor quality that all of the A3 and A2 Mexican VWs suffered int he 90s. By 127K that poor car was totally used up. Some of that was me, granted. But a lot of it was the car.
Still, I loved that car.
Zach
(in 1976) 1966 Volvo 122s 4-door.
1964 VW Bug Convertible, red w/ a white top, had a serious list to the right. The PO had taken out the passengers seat an would carry a 1/2 ton or better of newspapers in it. Then a series of fastbacks and squarebacks.
Tom_T,
"Fall of `69 I bought a used Red 68 Opel Kadette 1.0L Notchback 2-dr sedan (baseline) for $800"
That is funny. That is almost exactly the same car I had as my first.
It was even red & I paid $800 for it in 82, but it was in perfect shape with low miles.
I considered it a rally car ;-)
It looked EXACTLY like this one, even down to the wheels:
My next car was a 72 Buick Skylark. When it croaked on me I traded it and $800 for a non-running 914. I slapped dual dellortos on it and drove it for ~5 years before selling it to a 16 year old for $1000 in ~95.
I wish I hadnt sold it. To find another in that shape would run me ~$5k now.
Stu
The first car was a '65 Mustang that I had to share with my brother and sister. My first car paid for by me was a '63 Ragtop Sunroof Bug. I paid $100 for it in 1976. It got lowered and I put a 1776 with dual carbs in it. The picture was taken on I-5 cruising home in the evening after going to one of the Bug-Ins at OCIR.
Here's my first ride. A '66 Mustang that I purchased at age 14 in 1987 for $1,200.00. It had a 200ci straight six when I got her, but the body was good. My dad and I spent the next two years putting in a 302, changing front end and rear end from 4 lug to 5 lug, trans, the whole enchilada! Probably would have been cheaper to buy a V8 car to begin with, but you can't beat that experience. I still have her today at age 38. Not a daily driver at 8 mpg but she still looks like the picture, but in Porsche terms she's Marathon Metallic Blue now.
57' chevrolet biscayne 6cyl...blue 3spd on the floor
(picture it in your head)
1947 ford two door coupe. Flat head V8. "Three on the tree".
55 Ford Fairlane 2 door. 3 on the tree. It had a rod knock from the day I got it, but I wound up blowing 2nd gear in the trans while driving my Mom home from the store. Dad wanted really hard to blame me, but Mom stuck up for me. Too many cars to count after that. One of the local used car dealers came to see me at the High school auto shop to warn me that if I sold one more car that year (74), that he was going to turn me in for selling cars without a lic (turns out I was selling more cars per month than he was).
1- 67 Impala
2- 77 Nova
3- VW Rabbit
OK--here's mine. Mom and dad bought it for me in 1987 for $1865. It was actually a second choice--I had spied a yellow 65 Corvair Monza at the same lot, but the transaxle was screwed up. So my Dad says, "hey--how about this little Ford here? (all 2 door coupes are "little" to my Dad ) Me and this big Ford have had some good times.
Well, I had heard too many folk speak regretfully about selling their first car, so I KEPT MINE! It's back in a garage at my folks' house. I drive it when I visit)
390, 4bbl, center console, stock AM radio. Maybe I'll finally get the American Torq Thrust D's I've been planning to buy for 20+ years
First car, 1967 Plymouth Barracuda, 383 Formula S, 4-speed. Embarassed to say, my second car is partially hidden behind it, a 1977 Fiat X-1/9. Got the Barracuda in college, then bought the Fiat after getting my first post-college job.
Here are cars #3 (the 912) and #4. Then I got married and was soon driving only a beat up Maverick.
This was my first car, 71 Capri, with a 2000cc 4 banger. I didn't even know where the oil went. Then I realized a V-6 was the ticket. Found one and rebuilt it, Holey 4bbl. then a Paxton Supercharger, then realized I had too much eneine for the car. I then bought a wrecked 914, rebuilt it and put the Paxton blown, Intercooled V6 into it. After 10 yrs $20 k later I sold it for $6k. here are what pics I have.
Engine ready for the new 914
The only pict of my first 75 914 circa 1983 or so
My first car I purchased in 1970 when I turned 16. It was a green with tan interior 1969 Opel GT. I saw a few others posted their first car was an Opel GT. It was a cool car.
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78 Plymouth Duster with a slant six. She was baby blue with a white top. Leaked a good quart & a half per fillup. Bought it for $70 bucks from my brother. Took out a big cement block doing fish tails at the park. Drove it home but it would randomly make a sharp turn driving down the road. Without turning the wheel . Drove it for a few days until I came way to close to getting in a wreck. Drove it to the junk yard the next day. Sold it for $75 after about 3 months of trashing it
It was 1964 and I was sophomore in high school in Kasierslautern, Germany. Dad found me a 1952 Renault 4CV. Engine was blown but that did not stop us. Dad dropped a Renault Gordini R-8 engine in (900cc vs 1500) and I was off smoking VW Bugs.
First new car was a 68 Cuda Coupe bright yellow, black interior. It was loaded up with black stripes,red line tires and wire wheel covers on the exterior. In side it had buckets and console. Sadly it was the slant six but it was a good running car.
Back in 1982 ... First car was a free 1964 Cireoen 2CV with centrifuge clutch. This car was bought by my grandfather and given to my father who gave it to me... who killed it in one year.
Then I bought my first rust bucket (150$)! a 1975 Renault 16... This was the top of the range when it was new and the answer of Renault to the Citroen DS... A car for doctors and lawyers, very comfy... last only 8 month.
When the Renault broke in two I got for free the old (1976 ?) Fiat 127 of my girlfriend (who just bought a newer 127 for her) This one lasted two years.
Then I got my first cash and bought an expensive sport car (700 $) a 1968 Fiat 850 Sport. I kept it 3 years and this is the first car I have actually resold... I made money with this one ! ... WOOHOO !!!
Those are not actual pictures of my cars but same models colors I found on the interweb ...
Van Halen - "I'm your ice cream man, stop me when I'm passin' by. . ."
My first car 1983; my '64 Baja Bug and a MUCH younger, more rebellious Nate (photo has been altered as not to offend )
First car was a 2 door maroon w/ white top 1978 Delta 88 Oldsmobile. Diesel. Loved that car!
Car one - 1976 Lancia Beta HPE
Car two - 1981 Fiat Spider Turbo
Mine was in 1983, a 1976 Chevy Nova Concours. That got totaled in 1984 by a lady that ran a read light. Dad bought me a K Car which after two weeks of driving the POS I told dad thanks, but no thanks I will ride my bike instead of driving that POS. Dad agreed it was a POS and sold it. Came home for a long weekend to find a 1975 Vega GT with a small block under the hood. in the garage. Damn that car was fun. I have pictures somewhere around here.
Found the pic of me and my Vega in 1984.
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My first car was 1968 Chevelle SS396, 4 speed, dark blue with black vinyl top and way too much power for a 16 year old. Bought for $700 with money I earned working at a restaurant (washing dishes, fry cook, etc.) Sold it after a year or so to a friend for $950, who sold it to another friend that offered to GIVE me the car several years later. It had been thoroughly worn out and beaten up by all three of us by then, and needed a lot of work. I didn't have the money to spend on it or a place to work on it at the time, so I turned it down.
Put me down as #4 Opel GT! Had a Craig PowerPlay Cassette player in it. Had a bunch of work done to it and then a lady pulled out in front of me and it got totalled, bent the steering wheel (unsuccessfully) trying to keep my head from hitting the front windshield. 126 sutures in my forehead, and a week later I got my 1st 914, a white 74 1.8
I really wanted an Opel GT for awhile. I love the look.
...... looks like a miniature Vette!
..... and look at the pic of Steve's below - it looks like it's a blur going by fast - even standing still !!!!!!!
1969 TR6, bought it while I was in VietNam. Actually, I had ordered its predecessor, a TR250, a warmed over TR4 with a six, but TR6 had just come out and I got #239 off the assembly line. The early number showed itself in the number of bugs it had, Lucas electrics included. Drove the crap out of it before I "upgraded" to a 72 914. After all those years, you'd think I'd learned something.
Tom
Great thread!
69/70 Karmann Ghia...drove it sporting a solid mullet in the late 80's. At age 15, I paid $100 and my Dad & I pulled it out of a farmers field. Found out that someone had welded the front half of a 70 to the rear half of a 69. Car was cut in the middle of the rockers and the rear window. Spent a year fixing it up to have it last about a year. Alignment was never right. I wish I had taken pics.
I've had so many 1st cars, but consider my 1953 Ford Cpe my first one!!
It started out with a warmed over Flathead with Jimmy Jones Custom Skirts then later a Black paint job followed by a 331 Chrysler Hemi conversion all done in my Dad's barn. I owned this car a long time and it was fast.
BTW: I left out the picture of me in my Powder Blue big lapel suit with my Blue Swede Shoes with a big head of duct tail combed hair. I was a cool dude in the 50's. I didn't know how much fun the 50's were till later in life. Today I am very conserative & wear Brooks Bros cloths and drive a restored Chrome Yellow 914-4. Life is good with a very quiet life style.
FYI:
I included some of my other first cars, I was into 1939 Ford Conve Cpe & 1940 Cps. (chopped & Stock) plus 1929 Ford Highboys that started out with a Flathead & later a Corvette Eng. Plus 1958 Chev Conv with the 348 Hi Po Plus 1933 Ford Cpe with an Olds Eng. Plus 1962 Dodge with the 413 Cross Ram etc. etc. Plus a few more misc.
Tom
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My photo isn't relavant since my first was a '62 bettle but here's what I got with the insurance money after it was stolen out of my driveway less then 6 months after I purchased it. This is a '74 1.8L. Anybody know which color of orange this would have been?
Kev
First car...paid 500 bucks for a 1968 Datsun 1600 Roadster...see the before and after pictures. I sure wish I had that car now! Oh, this was the mid-70's!
Before (my wife and I in the pic...although she wasn't my bride until 5 years later):
After:
Oh, any my future bride and her first car!
First- 1973 914 2.0L broken everything - age 14
Second - 1985 Celica GT-S-blown head gasket - age 18
Third- 1972 Pontiac Lemans - age 20
Me at 14 with my 914
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Okay, I'll come out and say it: No Fair. All you people who grew up in the 50's, 60's, 70's had such cool first cars.
First car I ever drove: My mom's 1983 Chrysler LeBaron convertible. I was 13 or 14, my parents weren't home, and I kept it in the driveway.
Once I got my license, I drove a beat-down 1989 Chevy S-10 Blazer. It was slow, 2WD, and had two options: Automatic transmission and A/C. Completely vinyl interior.
When I changed to a different HS and had a 30 minute drive to school every day, my parents leased a 1994 Nissan Pathfinder (also 2WD). That was a great truck, had a lot of good times in it.
In college, I inherited my grandfather's c. 1991 Plymouth Sundance - not a Duster, but still had some pep and was kind of fun. Handled the Boston winters remarkably well. Used it to pull a U-haul trailer containing a sofa from Atlanta to Boston.
I bought a 1959 Alfa Romeo Guiletta Spyder for $100 in 1964 a couple of months before I got my license. That was a lot of paper route money!
First car I bought was my 99.5 Audi A4...but the first real car I bought was 2 years later...my 914
1966 VW Bus, you might say this is what started me with playing with car parts, as this VW came with a lot of extra parts...
No picture, Can't find one right now. it was October of 1986, For my 16th birthday I bought it with my own money. Sold it later to a friend (had to sell in order to buy a 67 sunroof bug) with the stipulation that if he ever thought about selling it I would buy it back. Yep, he sold it without telling me. I would give my left nut to have that car back!
1965 VW Type III Variant "S" with sunroof, Color was Granada Red/White (two tone),1500cc and Dual Kadron carbs.
I had two first cars. 1972 914 and a 1974 Mazda RX2.
I didn't have any money or any brains back then, so no pictures. 1-195? Nash metropolitan 2 dr wagon, wish I still had it. Next was the 65 Mustang neither of which were on the road, I was 15. and then the 66 Dodge Van
1980 Ford F100 truck. Bought with my own money when I was 16. 300 straight six, three on the tree. Aluminum intake, headers, big carb. It was a great truck until I drove it off a 200 foot cliff and took out about 4 big fir trees. Only straight metal on the truck was the tailgate. To this day I am still suprised I did not get killed in that truck. Wish I still had it.
My first was a 1985 BMW 524td. It was a neighbor's car who was buying a new one. He was a lawyer in SF and drove it back and forth everyday, it had 330,000 miles when I got it. Threw a rod at about 340,000 and that was that.
On a cold morning, this car seriously did 0-60 in 20+ with the gas pedal on the floor.
1998
2009
2nd car
1999
2010
1971 AMC Javelin with the 360.
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My first car had 4 on the floor
First car was a 1967 Sunbeam Alpine powered by a Toyota Celica 20R engine. I cannot find a picture of that car but while looking for it I came across this picture of my green 1974 Subaru station wagon. If you look closely you will notice the wonderful bull horns I mounted on the hood like Boss Hogs Cadillac. This Subaru's clutch slipped. When going up the small hills in my neighborhood I had to get a good running start at them. If I did not make it up the hill all the way, I had to turn around and go up the hill in reverse as the clutch grabbed better going backwards.
72 beetle. Also my first custom. Made a Baja and started taking 1&2 place at the Bug Out in Manassas. 31x10.50 all terrains, molded fenders, Toyota Celica seats, 2 - 12" Kickers etc. Still have it, but thinking about selling it though. Too many neglected years and too many other projects. I might try to get a pic of it over the weekend
My 1st. I was only 4 years older than my son (he's the one in the pic) when I bought it. Time flies!
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Actually, my first was a '62 Bug with a rag-top sunroof. One of my brothers gave it to me after he spun #3 rod bearing, precipitating my first rebuild.
Finally found a pic:
Deja Vu.
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=50913
Mine was a 510, pic here...
http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?showtopic=50913&st=0&p=669601&#entry669601
I had a 1972 VW Superbeetle with the crank suroof. It was yellow on top & hoods and primer grey on the sides & fenders. Even had the optional rotted out floors that were replaced with a street sign.
Loved that car; lots of great memories, no pictures.
1966 VW Squareback
No pics right now...it was a 1975 VW Scirocco with a black "Kamei" front air dam and Kleber tires! Good little running car that was a blast to drive. My 2nd car is a 1975 914 2.0 purchased from the original owner in 1983. I still have the car and have been working for years converting it to a six!!
1964: I was 13 and my father bought a 56 ford 292 V8 w/ a cracked piston, handed me a Chilton repair manual (a good old hard backed one) and told me that if I could fix it I could have it. Are you shitting me? I could have forged that piston myself if it meant me having a car at 13. (this was Texas, we don't need no stinking license). I had to walk to the Auto Parts/Machine Shop and back with everything. But those ol boys saw my desire and kept me pointed in the right direction. One of them was nice enough to show me how to set the valves after I got it running. My Mom, my older sister and myself drove that car for the next 4 yr's. I traded it in on a 56 chev and dropped a 409 in it. Things really got out of controll after that and I eventually ended up with a 914 40 yr's later.
My first car was one of the biggest piles of crap ever made -- a booger green 1972 Chevy Vega. My Dad bought it new, thinking he would be patriotic and high-tech (since it was American made and had a newfangled aluminum engine).
I did learn a fair amount about cars with that thing, since I had to work on it just about every weekend just to keep it on the road. It went off to the junkyard some time in the mid 80's IIRC.
My 2nd car was an early 80's Toyota Tercel. Reliable as the sunrise but incredibly boring to drive and ugly as sin. That little thing went well over 200K miles with little more than oil changes and a set of CV joints.
Things improved dramatically after that.
First car was a yellow 73 Ford Capri V6 with a 4 speed. Gawd was that a great car. Plenty of torques (thanks Top Gear UK), and enough hp to get into way too much trouble as a teenager. It handled great, was more than comfy for 800 mile hauls and lasted for 160K before it virtually disentegrated due to planned obsolesence. The Ford parts manager always laughed when I bought replacement parts - he had a great time pointing out that a similar domestic part would cost 3Xs less. I doubt they sold a car which provided 1/2 as much fun. Totalled on the way up skiing at Mt Bachelor courtesy of black ice.
My first car was a 41' Plymouth Special Deluxe. That car was incredible, and I sometimes miss driving it, but do not miss buying parts. My 914 parts bills look almost sane compared to some of the prices for prewar Plymouth parts. I kept it stock the entire time I owned it. I'd probably still own it if not for significant, past financial difficulties. Here is a picture of a sixteen year-old me with the car. Ed: I've added a pic of the front end of the 41'. My apologies for the goofy pose.
I went on to own a 52' Chevy Styleline Deluxe as my second car, but I have yet to scan the photos I have of it. The rest of my cars have relatively unremarkable, and consist of a smattering of "modern" Honda, Ford, and Plymouth vehicles. Suffice it to say that I do not miss owning and repairing water-cooled vehicles at all, but the early American cars I owned fostered my love of mechanically and electrically simple transportation. BTW, nice first car Plymouth37.
1962 Plymouth Valiant slant 6 White with a push button auto trans...
Think: total grandma car ...w/ wings!
I drove it grand total of maybe 20 times and took so much flack at school that
it was given away. NO one would ride in it.
Did I mention it had a Blue interior
Back to my trusty 77 Single cam Honda 550SS...rain or shine.
I still think of my 2nd car (Truck) as my 1st...
1965 F100, fond memories of the rig.
that looks like an old Dart drop top, Nice!
I didnt have a pic of THE car (why would I keep one)
But here's one almost identical:
In 1969 my first car was a 61 Chevy Biscayne 4 dr that my dad gave me and I quickly sold it. So really my first car was a 60 bug that the 36hp motor blew up fairly quickly on. Rebuilt it and sold it and the girl who bought on a friday to was to give me the money on Monday when the banks opened drove it to Spokane and ran it out of oil over the weekend. Aleast she had it towed back to Seattle where I then installed a fresh rebuilt 1500 with dual carbs and drove it for two years. I also then bought a 64 SqBack 1500S
that I loved and miss...deluxe interior, dual carbs and also rebuilt it as a 1600, dual port heads and 8.5 to 0ne CR so that thing was fast...plus it had the gas heater for skiing trips...went everywhere in that car. Sold em both in 76 to buy a 76 Dasher SW and instead of a 914 a 72 Bus.... I miss the Square back from those days and not the wife that didn't like the 914's.
My alltime favorite car was a 70 Ford 250 that I rebuilt to a 406 Hipo using a bunch of 427 parts and a 4 barrel with a dual plane manifold. Roller lifters and rockers etc so it looked like a POS but would fly. Could lay scratch rolling along at 25-30mph with its C^ tranny and I hit 120mph a couple of times. Rebuilt the whole suspension too with later year Camper Special parts, big brakes, power steering etc....
Found a picture just like the Squareback 1500S I had.
1969 Camaro SS350, cold air hood and endura front bumper, purchased new at Warren Biggs on Vermont (now a shoppiong center in K Town, L.A.). TH 350 with a Fairbanks valve body, 2.02 Traco heads, ported, cyclone headers, 3863151 hyd. cam, Isky lifters, Marty special Q-jet 4 barrel carb, and 4:10 posi. I would flat-tow to Lions @ Long Beach and run hi 12s all day on 7" casler slicks. The trophy pic was on a hilltop lot...which would become Mt. Olympus in Laurel Canyon. L.A. skyline was quite virgin in 1969. I sold it in '74 to buy my first 914. It could never handle the twisties like my teener ! Last I heard, my old ZKR211 is somewhere in West L.A.
Marty
My first car was a 1969 Pontiac Firebird.
Put a 400 Ram Air III, slightly massaged, into it. Then I proceeded to take out 14 automatics and 4 manual transmissions before I got one that would hold up to the torque of that big Pontiac motor. Blew the U-Joints out of it 5 or 6 times, Lakewood U joints fixed that. Then I blew the rear end out twice, finally put a ford 9 inch rear end under it.
Had 4 wheel disks by the time I was done, with Centerline wheels. Would run 12 flat in a quarter, with a full interior and street tires. It would pass anything but a gas station.
Sold it one week after meeting Betty. She never saw the car. :-(
Wish I still had that car.
Booster seat, blocks on the pedals?
I actually dug out a couple of pictures of my 69 Firebird.
Ignore the skinny 18 year old with the baggy jeans and the lame attempt at a cheesy mustache.
I had only had the car 2 years at this point, and I had not finished any of the drivetrain mods that would come later.
Clay - I remember well the fun of driving my High School job bosses' brand new`69 Firebird 400 cid/4-bbl/Auto Red/White Inter. Convertible on errands for them!
Beautiful Car & great cruiser - especially around the Pacific Beach area of San Diego, where their shop was where I worked `66-71.
I got lotsa as a young kid driving such a fine & hot street machine!
I have really gone down memory lane in seeing all the cars each member has had as their first car. Very interesting in the diversity.
I guess I will have to show my age. Back in 1957 I bought a 1941 Ford Sedan with a Columbia two speed rear axle (vacuum overdrive) and a 1949 Ford Flathead engine. I paid $125.00 for it and it lasted me more than two years to finish high school. Really loved that car and wish I had it today. Went all over Northern California in it.
Sold it to a friend and he subsequently wrecked it.
Never find out what happens to your old "dream cars".
Steve Hurt
I bought my first car the year I went away to college. The guy up the street had an early Corvair that he had modified and I got to ride in it. That experience made me a convert. When I got to Santa Clara in 1968 I bought a 65 Corsa from the original owner. Forty-three years later I still have that car, it doesn't run but it is complete and some day after I retire it will run again...daveyboy
p.s. sorry, no pix
This isn't my first car (that was a 68 Mustang straight 6 rust bucket).
But this was my first foray into the 914 world. I was fairly sure that it was 73 2.0, but looking at these pictures, I suspect it was a 74.
My first car was 52 Chevy Businessman Coupe. Blue Streak 6 with three on the column! The radio was the old tube type that required about three minutes to warmup! Heavy steel gauge body and tank like bumpers. Did not have blinkers. You had to use hand signals. Your wipers stopped working climbing a hill because they worked off the vacuum. Paid $350 for it. Let my younger brother drive it and he wrecked it. This is not my car but is a business man coupe. Color was very similar. My top was dark blue not white.
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Morris Mini Cooper 850, while in high school it would turn up in unusual places caught some guys trying to get it into the tennis courts one day. Always would find it sideways in it's parking spot.... Sold it and got a 68- 390 AMX, i wish i still had both...
This is a picture of what my 75 brown TR7 looked like, Wish I had a picture from back in the day
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69 Triumph GT6+. Factory literature photo but same as my car, white w/ red interior. Bought it new while in the service in Merced CA.
Harvey
My'69 Austin Healey in 1983
It was set up for a/x by p.o. , big bore kit, etc.
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First car was a '72 MGB GT - mine had a bit more (ok, a LOT more) rust along the rocker area and other places but it did have the wire wheels.
First car I bought with my own $$$ was a '73 Alaska Blue Metallic 914 2.0 followed by a '74 Europa TC, another '73 914 (yellow), a Bumble Bee, a '67 VW Beetle (owned all at the same time) Ended up trading the MG for suspension console repair and repaint on the Bee.
Yep, a 72 1.7 was my first car. I have had a few since... a 75 1.8, and a 73 2.0. All Yellow!
My first car was a 64 corvair....it was free. Then I bought a 62 corvair for $50, installed new wheel bearings and a tune up, sold it for $300....my first project car!
The last 914 I bought put me at 45 cars and trucks since the 64 corvair.
Out of all of them, enjoying the 914 the most.
Jeff
'76 Chevy Nova. It had the 305 V8 and was an amazing car. My mom bought it new in '76. It sat and rotted from '82-'86. My uncle and I tore the motor down, got it running like new and then I saved up for the paint job from Maaco that you see here. :-) Good times.
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Ah, the good old days when we could buy VW bugs for $50., spend another $50. fixing them up and selling them for $300. Of course, this was back in the 60's and 70's.
I kept all my 'profits' set aside, and when I had $3k save up, started buying Porsches.
Cool pix
OK. I'll show my age and will probably hear the laughter down here. Mine was a light blue one of these. But at 15 yo it taught me everything about petrol engines I needed to know.
Mine was "hot. Ford 8 head to raise the compression and a sports coil. Three on the floor and good for 45mph-downhill.
72 austin America ( as close as i could get to my first mini back then.)
hydro elastic suspension.... Boy did I raise hell in that car!
Not mine but very close....
My 1st car was a 1969 beetle Baja. This is after I fixed it up and trashed off roading. This is where I started my love for the air cooled motor.
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#1. owned a $100 59 T-1 for 2 of the months i was stationed at ft belvoir va. if i wasn't on duty or sleeping i was GONE. 2 months hardly counts. i just left it for the provost marshal to handle when i went to germany.
#2. post service a 67' datsun roadster (1600). drove it to death. bought it for $1k and sold it for $1300 5 years later to some hapless individual that "had to have it".
My first car was a light green '67 Mustang Convertible.
Not the one in the photo but it looked almost exactly like this one!
My 2nd car was a 914.
My 3rd was a 76 Volvo 242 lowered with a turbo motor!
And a bunch of 914's, 914'6's, 911's, VW's, BMW's and Mercedes!
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Sorry, no pix, but first car in the early 70's was a 1956 Fiat 1100 TV. Red with white top and swivel seats. Had the engine rebuilt for $90.Never see those prices again. Should have kept it.
Gotta love these great older threads that keep resurfacing whenever somebody else "discovers" them.
Keep `em comin'!
My first car was the same one I rode home from the hospital in. 1984 T-Bird that my dad bought new (only one he ever bought new). I was crazy enough in high school to want to start working on cars and I asked him how to start learning. He pointed over to the weeds behind our house where it was laying with a blown head gasket and told me to have at it. I worked on it most of high school and got to drive it at the very end of my senior year. That car took me almost all the way through college and I loved every minute of it. It ended up having major electrical issues and I finally had it scrapped last month when my dad sold that house. Thought I would restore it the right way one day, and that it would be cool to say that I was still driving my dad's car. Instead, I'll inherit my grandpa's 1951 MG TD one day.
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76 VW Scirrocco
followed up by my 73 2.0 Black in mint condition purchased in 84 for $4100.
Not my car but looked just like this one.
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Well here is the complete list so far...
1. 66 Chevy Bel Air straight 6 with 3 speed, 1st car, silver blue 1972
2. 64 Chevy 327 4 door Impala ato, red, 1974
3. 70 Olds Delta 88 Vert 350 auto, maroon, 1975
4. 73 Porsche 914 5 speed, single orange, 1977
5. 74 Porsche 914 5 speed, silver then black w/yellow, 1979
6. 75 Eldorado 472 ci auto, baby blue, 1981
7. 73 Audi 100 5 speed, cream, 1982
8. 74 Audi 100 5 speed, green, 1983
9. 80 Chevy Citation auto, cream, 1982
10. 86 Ford Taurus M5 wagon. whit, 1986
11. 88 Honda CRX Si 5 speed. yellow, 1988
12. 90 Honda Accord 5 speed, charcoal gray, 1990
13. 83 Porsche 944 5 speed, Guards Red, 1983/1994
14. 86 Porsche 928S auto 5 liter, Silver, 1995
15. 73 Porsche 914 2.0 5 speed, Signal Orange, 1996
16. 89 Porsche 928S4 auto 5 liter, Baltic Blue/Linen, 1996
17. 85 Porsche 928S auto 5 liter, Black/black, 1997
18. 72 Porsche 914 5 speed, Phoenix Red, 1997
19. 74 Porsche 914 5 speed 2.0 slant nose, Yellow, 1997
20. 65 Olds Delta 88 425 ci auto, green, 1998
21. 99 Dodge Ram 4wd auto, Solar Yellow, 1999
22. 00 Chevrolet Corvette M6 Millennium Yellow/black, 2000
23. 03 Chevrolet Avalanche (new) Yellow, 2003
24. 69 Chevrolet Camaro Yellow, black interior 350 SS, 700R4 auto X11, 2004
25. 69 Chevrolet Camaro Cortez Silver/black interior 396 SS, auto X22, 2004
26. 69 Chevrolet Camaro Rally Yellow/black 350, 350TH auto X44, 2004
27. 06 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (new) Velocity Yellow/black-titanium, 2006
28. 09 Cadillac CTS (new) black/gray, 2009
29. 75 Porsche 914 5 speed 2.0, black (soon to be signal orange), 2010
30. 11 Chevrolet Avalanche (new) 4wd black/gray, 2011
My wife bought an '80 Scirocco from our brother-in-law. I told her it was too small for her and traded her my '76 530i for it
I got T-boned on the way to work (by a FULL-SIZED Bronco) a couple of years after we got it
I still miss it ... was loads of fun
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