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cats16
Half-elven
Apr 29, 12:56am
Post #1 of 37
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Tell us about your first/favorite car!
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It's a lovely spring afternoon here - nice driving weather! - and in the spirit of a "getting to know you" thread, would love to hear about everyone's first or favorite car!
Did you save up and pay for it yourself, or was it a gift/present (or a hand-me-down)? Any special reason why you got the car you did? Any special memories that come to mind?
When I was younger, I drove a bit of an old lady car - no offense intended to any old ladies! It was, in fact, an old lady's car before it was mine. She had recently passed away (when we heard about it, I thought she had died IN the car, but thankfully I had misheard), and I think the family just wanted to get rid of it, so they sold it at a very cheap price, considering the good condition it was in. And a new set of tires included, too!
In the end, it was a great car. Was it flashy or cool? Not at all, but the gas mileage was quite nice for the time.
How about you? Any cars in your life that you hold special in your memory?
Edit: Thank you to Kimi for pointing out that it may be unwise for some folks to divulge specifics about the make/model of their first car, so I've revised this post to be more welcoming.
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
(This post was edited by dernwyn on Apr 29, 11:35am)
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Kimi
Forum Admin
/ Moderator
Apr 29, 1:49am
Post #2 of 37
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(No, not the make or model of my first car! Sounds a good one, though.)
This is a not-uncommon security question, so if you ever do use it in that way, it's worth taking care over the context in which you divulge it.
Your first car sounds an excellent choice, Cats!
I did pay for my own first car, a model that will remain anonymous, using money saved up from holiday jobs, when I was in second-year at uni. Second-hand, and did good service over the next several years.
Memories: Mr Kimi had a car before that, an older and less reliable one. The "new" one was a good deal less likely to leave us stranded in the wilds (happened once with the previous one), have the gear lever fall out (happened quite a lot), or to have the brakes fail leading it to roll down the hill from the carpark when we were at church, leading to a breathless person rushing in to tell us the family were holding it in place so it couldn't go onto a busy road! That incident precipitated buying the newer one, which was too reliable to give us such colourful memories.
The Passing of Mistress Rose
My historical novels
Do we find happiness so often that we should turn it off the box when it happens to sit there?
- A Room With a View
(This post was edited by Kimi on Apr 29, 1:57am)
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cats16
Half-elven
Apr 29, 6:08am
Post #3 of 37
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Thanks for flagging.  So much runs on two-factor authentication now that I didn't think about that when typing this up.
And yikes re: his less reliable car. I hate that feeling of "will this thing get us home in one piece?"
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Apr 29, 3:21pm
Post #4 of 37
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The first car I actually owned was a used, brown Toyota Corona (yes, Corona, not Corolla) that I purchased during the time when I was an active USAF NCO stationed in Misawa, Japan. I had her for a couple of years and nicknamed her the Millennium Sparrow.
“Hell hath no fury like that of the uninvolved.” - Tony Isabella
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Annael
Immortal
Apr 29, 4:40pm
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My dad let me have his Beetle my last year of high school. This had been our family car at one point, and when we were little the entire family of 7 could fit in it - parents in front, the three older children in the back seat, and the two littlest in what we called the "wayback" which was really just a space behind the back seat. Dad did install seatbelts by the time it came to me. I remember taking it up skiing one time and getting blown into the next lane by a strong sidewind - fortunately no other car was there at the time! It was surprisingly good in snow.
FAVORITE car would be a tossup between my Dodge Dart and my 'Subaru Legacy wagon. The Dart seated six (bench seat in front) and had a huge trunk that could accommodate four full-sized backpacks. I even got a full-sized mattress (folded in half) into it once. Many road trips when I was in my 20s in that car. I bought it when it was 10 years old for $700 and sold it 10 years later for $400. Ran beautifully. They never should have gotten rid of the slant-six engine.
Bought the Legacy when I moved to Boise and needed a solid snow car. Drove it all winter in the mountains and never once had to put chains on, never skidded - it handled 18 inches of fresh snow just fine. Also did well on very rough roads in the backcountry. I once went exploring in the mountains and found a road that the map said would take me over a pass and back down. It did, but on the far side it devolved to basically a creek bed. Pre cell phones, and no one knew where I was, so I was sweating by the time we got back onto a reaonable road - but the Sube managed it beautifully. Sold it when it was 28 years old to a man who wanted a stick-shift car for his daughter, but every time I see it around town he's driving it and loves it.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
(This post was edited by Annael on Apr 29, 4:45pm)
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Apr 29, 6:46pm
Post #7 of 37
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Good point about online security -
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you can never be too careful! However, that's not a question I ever use, so I'm happy to share. My first car was given to me in '74 or thereabouts by a friend who was moving to the Midlands; she thought it probably wouldn't survive the drive. It was a fairly clapped-out green Ford Popular. Three gears, no syncromesh on 1st/2nd so you had to double declutch to change gear. It lasted for a while and was very useful, but we lived at the bottom of a steep hill in North Wales and we killed it eventually. I saved my friend the decorative horn ring from the centre of the steering wheel when it went to the scrap yard. I think, of all the cars I've owned, my favourite was a Vauxhall estate. It was a comfortable and reliable workhorse and, when camping, if the weather was too rough I could just about sleep in it.
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CuriousG
Half-elven
Apr 29, 7:56pm
Post #8 of 37
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Fun question, Cats.
My parents bought it for me, used, and it had an 8-cylinder engine, meaning it had all kinds of power, plus it was lightweight. I was especially proud of it when I'd drive over most arduous passes of the Rocky Mountains at about 55 mph while leaving most everyone else puttering along at 20-30 mph if they were lucky.
It was much cooler than I was and gave my status a boost. It wasn't the classic Mustang shape, alas, but the name still carried a lot of cache.
My cars after that were more utilitarian and less flashy, like a Taurus, but for awhile in the 1990s I had a bright blue Pontiac Grand Prix, so blue that I still remember going inside a gas station to pay for a fill up. The cashier said nothing else but, "Does it glow?" which I took as a risque remark and asked what she meant, then she said, "That fancy car of yours--does it glow at night?" lol.
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Annael
Immortal
Apr 29, 9:28pm
Post #9 of 37
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Ah yes, I remember those days. I was good at it.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
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NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Apr 29, 9:45pm
Post #10 of 37
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when she asked if it glowed blue, you could have said 'Only when Orcs are near'! Of course if she didn't know what you were talking about that would be sooo embarrassing...
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cats16
Half-elven
Apr 29, 10:05pm
Post #11 of 37
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One of those that could almost still be running, if someone kept it in decent condition.
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
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cats16
Half-elven
Apr 29, 10:08pm
Post #12 of 37
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Some pretty nice ones you've had!
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Except for the "getting blown into the next lane" part about the Beetle. 
It seems like just about everyone in your region drives a Subaru. We've started seeing even more of them down here too, and actually would love to get one ourselves if/when the current one needs replaced. That's amazing yours is still running so many years later, as I'm sure you put quite a few miles on it too!
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
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cats16
Half-elven
Apr 29, 10:12pm
Post #13 of 37
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That's fun you kept the horn ring!
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I've never had a car that had anything worth keeping in it lol, so that sounds nice. Climbing that hill does not sound fun, though, either by car or foot!
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
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cats16
Half-elven
Apr 29, 10:15pm
Post #14 of 37
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It's funny how a car, like a fresh haircut or outfit, can give that little confidence boost - especially in the younger years when all of that feels infinitely important, haha.
Seems like you missed out on a NASCAR career, though, with those Rocky Mountain drives!
Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
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cats16
Half-elven
Apr 29, 10:16pm
Post #15 of 37
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Join us every weekend in the Hobbit movie forum for this week's CHOW (Chapter of the Week) discussion!
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Annael
Immortal
Apr 30, 3:23pm
Post #17 of 37
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lots of folks in these parts ski or otherwise go into the mountains a lot
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which is the Sube's home territory. They really are awesome on snow.
I know there's a myth that it's a lesbian car, which makes me laugh as I am not one but my sister is and she drives a Ford Cmax. But my old wagon was the perfect compromise between a car and a truck after I got divorced and no longer had access to the Ford 150 my ex drove (also a great car!), and I think a lot of single women did choose them. The new ones don't have as much cargo room alas. I don't know if they last as well, either. I put 225K miles on mine and it was going strong still. I once met a guy who had an 89 Legacy with 415K miles on it.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
Apr 30, 10:08pm
Post #19 of 37
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for the friend who gave me the car, as a memento - she was (in fact still is!) really sentimental about that sort of stuff. The hill was a nightmare. Even the gritter came unstuck on it once and bounced off a few cars on the way down.
(This post was edited by Greenwood Hobbit on Apr 30, 10:10pm)
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
Apr 30, 10:20pm
Post #20 of 37
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This is a pic a TORnsib made for me years ago! It still always makes me smile
It doesn't have to be a convertible; but red would be fun! :D When I was in the 5th grade art class in 1963, we were handed a piece of wood and told to "carve something". Yes... they actually trusted us with tools! There were a lot of whales, boats, etc. I made a car... and was shocked at how well it turned out and how much I loved it! It was like a solid silhouette, but distinctive. During the following year, it came up missing. Then, in late 1964, the first Mustang was released. It was MY CAR! Lee Iacocca (Ford Mustang Developer) must have stolen it! So... the 64-65 Mustang will always be MY CAR, and I've dreamed of having one someday; but the odds ain't looking so good ;)
  
My current beast is my 2010 Sterling Grey Ford Escape (Escape in the Ford!) with the license plate "hobbity", I dearly love my SUV, though I'll always long for my Mustang ;)
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
(This post was edited by grammaboodawg on Apr 30, 10:30pm)
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Annael
Immortal
Apr 30, 10:27pm
Post #21 of 37
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lovingly restored. That's THE Mustang imho.
I am a dreamer of words, of written words.
-- Gaston Bachelard
* * * * * * * * * *
NARF and member of Deplorable Cultus since 1967
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Ettelewen
Rohan
May 1, 10:49pm
Post #23 of 37
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1977 VW Rabbit was my first car
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That was probably the most reliable car I've ever owned. My Dad had an autobody repair business and got it cheap, then presented me with it for high school graduation. I drove it everywhere! Stick shift and front-wheel drive, it was great in the snow.
My favorite is an '89 Porsche Carrera 4, sadly up on blocks awaiting a badly-needed engine rebuild. We got it inexpensively as a wreck, fixed it up and drove it for years. What a fun car! I've told my husband that's the car I want restored  .
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Greenwood Hobbit
Valinor
May 2, 12:59pm
Post #24 of 37
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That red Mustang creeps me out...
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I had a random dream many years ago that Pete Duel drove up to my door (we wish, eh, ladies?! I was a big fan) to give me that red Mustang because he didn't want it any more. The next day I learned that he had died. <meep>
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grammaboodawg
Immortal
May 2, 2:48pm
Post #25 of 37
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It was so sad to learn he had died; but for him to visit you with that gift... wow!
We have been there and back again.
TIME Google Calendar
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