I leased a 1995 Nissan Altima before I bought my first car.
The first car I purchased on my own was a 1988 Acura Legend, in 1997.
Poll-The first car you bought yourself, not from Mom or Dad?
I bought an '87 Saab 9000 Turbo back in '02 from my father for $500. He helped me out with it so it didn't really count. After that died around a year and a half later I went a took out a loan on a 45k mile red '90 miata. Had that for 7 days before I went sideways at 80 mph into a telephone pole. Soon as the insurance payed it off I went and bought a white '90 miata w/ 55k on it. Got it for $4500, drove it for 2 years and sold it for $3500. That is the longest I have ever owned a car, and I have had 9 since.
Here are pics of the red one
And the white not long after I got it.
The only car I've ever missed other than my white miata is the '95 Saab 9000 Aero I owned during the same period as that car. It was my DD through the winter and rain.
Here are pics of the red one
And the white not long after I got it.
The only car I've ever missed other than my white miata is the '95 Saab 9000 Aero I owned during the same period as that car. It was my DD through the winter and rain.
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DaRedRocket
- Posts: 4285
- Joined: Feb 12, 2006
- Location: San Diego, CA
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I thought it was awsome! That is until I was going 100mph in 4th gear and tried to go into overdrive and it was a no go, I was planning on taking it all the way to 120...oh well. That was the only time it ever gave me problems. I would still have the car if I could have solved the cold start problem. I want to get another one day...wkohler wrote:4-speed with electronic overdrive (A.K.A. the worst invention ever).
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Ted in T.O.
- Posts: 3412
- Joined: Feb 12, 2006
- Location: Mississauga,Ontario
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Wildstoats
- Posts: 496
- Joined: Sep 06, 2006
- Location: OH -> PGH
Yeah my first car was a piece. 1982 Chevrolet Caprice with the 4.4L V8. Yeah, remember that engine GM made for one year and everyone forgot about? It's that engine. Paid $900 cash for it (my own money saved up from odd jobs and working at the local burger joint). Then I ended up sinking my entire savings into it because I was 16 and didn't know when to cut my losses and run. Oh well, live and learn 
It's great when it works, but since I've spent a lot of time with stuff not working, I don't like it. It makes the transmission 3x heavier than it should be and costs a crapload. I'm not a fan. In '87, they had a 5-speed option. I'm waiting to get my hands on one of those.1985bmw535i wrote:I thought it was awsome! That is until I was going 100mph in 4th gear and tried to go into overdrive and it was a no go, I was planning on taking it all the way to 120...oh well. That was the only time it ever gave me problems. I would still have the car if I could have solved the cold start problem. I want to get another one day...wkohler wrote:4-speed with electronic overdrive (A.K.A. the worst invention ever).
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Kyle in NO
- Posts: 17638
- Joined: Feb 12, 2006
- Location: Nasty Orleans------> Batten-Rooehjch------>More Souther LA
1982 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham...gray w/ white vinyl top! Equipped with the EVIL 4.1L V8 engine, generating about 6 horsepower IIRC....Purchased it from my grandmother for $100 after my grandfather died. Had sentimental value, but it was one of GM's bad jokes and did not run long enough for me to drive it legally....sold it for $400 though!
Learned most of my automotive basics owning this car for 2 years. Bought it when I was 12!
Learned most of my automotive basics owning this car for 2 years. Bought it when I was 12!
first car dad payed up front, i reimbursed total sum over the course of the following months. it was a 1972 bmw 2002 aptly named Napoleon (short mans complex). i had big, big plans for that car. it was rear-ended by a blonde in a jetta, insurance totaled it. i pulled it all apart, chained it to a tree and winched out the bulk of the damage, used a BFH to get the rest close enough and auto-xed it, then sold it to a tech at BMW in san diego. i believe he still has it.
the dumb luck was the correlation between that and my second car. went and looked at a 85 528e, silver/black, 5spd. and was hit on the way home. it was only fitting to go back and buy it. the eta went through hell in the time i owned her, but when i found my last car the chain of events proved serendipitous and she lived out her final days in a blaze of glory as a finishing car in the 24hrs of LeMons last year. RIP Noel
the dumb luck was the correlation between that and my second car. went and looked at a 85 528e, silver/black, 5spd. and was hit on the way home. it was only fitting to go back and buy it. the eta went through hell in the time i owned her, but when i found my last car the chain of events proved serendipitous and she lived out her final days in a blaze of glory as a finishing car in the 24hrs of LeMons last year. RIP Noel
My first car in 1977 was an http://jalopnik.com/cars/down-on-the-st ... 264715.php the exact car. In 1981 traded it in for a 1977 Dodge Colt, due to the high cost of gas and poor gas mileage 
.The Colt has good gas mileage 
.
and poor gas mileage .The Colt has good gas mileage .-
Ted in T.O.
- Posts: 3412
- Joined: Feb 12, 2006
- Location: Mississauga,Ontario
OK, everyone else who hasn't posted forever like me got me motivated me to ad my sad story. First car I totally paid for, no help from mom & dad, 76 2002 parts car that ran I bought from local BMW independant repair shop. But that was really the 3rd car, my first was 1970 Datsun 510 station wagon, faded red paint & ton of bondo on one rear quarter. Got to learn how to R & R the head on that one, 2nd time I blew the headgasket, I lucked out & bought a 73 2002 with like 45K from some kid at my highschool, I was the 2nd owner. He didn't think the 2002 was cool, cuz you know what girls would say "is that a volvo ?", so he got a Chevy Monte Carlo instead, then told me at school a year later, how the BMW was so much better than his Monte Carlo. It only lasted about 1 year before it got totalled, drunk driver hit me going about 60 when I was stopped, insurance paid OK, we bought the 73 back for salvage. Then I got a nice 74 2002 amazon green, with 55K from original owner, had that one forever, maybe 15 + years, then dumb kid on qualludes or something pulled out into my lane on local hiway, was the end of that one. By then I had the 3rd car sittin in my driveway & made it my daily driver. Then bought 76 2002 from my friend, he let the rust get it, but again I fixed it up enough to get few more years out of it before I cut it up. Then the 83 528e from another friend, had been sitting for about 3 + years, wouldn't start etc... he had sanded it down to the base coat & was gonna repaint it then lost interest. If I get it painted I'll eventually post pics up here. Then I had to get another 2002, bought a 75 on ebay from Dallas, talk about a bondo job, man, well it was priced almost as cheap as a parts car, so no tears there. I didn't mention the old 83 Ford Van, it's not a car, but hauls more stuff from Home Depot than any of the BMW's.
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slammin_e28
- Posts: 6140
- Joined: Aug 05, 2007
- Location: 24477
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sonofsaturn
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Aug 25, 2007
- Location: Alberta, Canada
1970 Pontiac Tempest, three speed auto and a pontiac 350. The front bench seat was removed in favour of buckets from god-knows-what. Front end was shot. Block froze and cracked one winter when I did not have the loot to insure it.
I wound up donating it to the Fire Department, who performed a simulated rescue using the Jaws of Life to remove the roof, doors, and steering column. It was a sad end.
I wound up donating it to the Fire Department, who performed a simulated rescue using the Jaws of Life to remove the roof, doors, and steering column. It was a sad end.
First one that I personally sought out was a 68 Chevelle SS 396, Black/Black, all option car, with 63K on it, all it needed was a new windshield due to the neighbors kid...
paid a whopping $1300 for it....
traded it 9 mos later for a 69 Chevelle SS 396,
which later I traded for a 69 Camaro Z28 with 427 high option car including houndstooth interior,,,
which I traded for a a 72 Chevelle SS 350,
which was traded for a 78 Z28 with TTOPS baby
and then got tired of buying gas and traded it for a 78 280z which I totaled and then bought a 1980 Mazda RX7...
all that plus a 49 Ford Pickup @ 14 yrs if age and a 65 Mustang Ragtop at 13 yrs old that was given to me by my uncle... all this from 13 to 19 yrs old....
I wish I had never have sold any of the muscle cars now...damn it......
paid a whopping $1300 for it....
traded it 9 mos later for a 69 Chevelle SS 396,
which later I traded for a 69 Camaro Z28 with 427 high option car including houndstooth interior,,,
which I traded for a a 72 Chevelle SS 350,
which was traded for a 78 Z28 with TTOPS baby
and then got tired of buying gas and traded it for a 78 280z which I totaled and then bought a 1980 Mazda RX7...
all that plus a 49 Ford Pickup @ 14 yrs if age and a 65 Mustang Ragtop at 13 yrs old that was given to me by my uncle... all this from 13 to 19 yrs old....
I wish I had never have sold any of the muscle cars now...damn it......
Saved up all my lawn mowing, paper route, odd job money for a year so that I could buy a car after I turned 16 and got my driver's license. Had my heart set on a '67 Mustang Fastback, but found a '67 Cougar, dark metallic blue, 289, black interior. Out bid another kid by paying the outrageous sum of $1,600 for it (in 1976). Added a bunch of upgrade goodies (air shocks.............remember those?) and learned a lot about the mechanics by tearing into it and figuring out how to put things back together. Took forever to get the sequential turn signals in the tail lights to work. Never could get the hideaway headlight's vacuum control to work (it would end up "winking" by having one open, one closed). Used to Armour All the vinyl interior so much that riders in the back seat would slide around when I took corners (oh yeah........the car had no seat belts!).
Like many of us, I've often thought about how great it would be to still have that car.
Like many of us, I've often thought about how great it would be to still have that car.
Well the first car I bought myself was a 1989 black Honda Accord. An awesome first car, 5 spd, and only 900 bucks. Good mileage and ended up selling it 6 months later for 1600 bucks, could've gotten more but my dad wanted to sell it early. Then I used that money plus some other to by my euro spec sixer.
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Das_Prachtstrasse
- Posts: 5616
- Joined: Sep 10, 2006
- Location: Melbourne, Doooown Under
First car i bought myself at 19- current '86 525e for 3000AUD with 200Kkm's. Had no idea about bmw's at the time, but it was cheap to run, differant and a bmw. Still have her today as my DD, just dropped bilsteins and eibach's in her, and have some hartge 16's to be fitted. Will probably hold onto it as a DD for a long while, cause if i want a seat of pants experience, i take the Cooper S out. 
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C.R. Krieger
- Posts: 14507
- Joined: Feb 12, 2006
- Location: Halfway up the left side of Lake Michigan
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