First Car

85Hokie

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BX-25D ,PTB. Under Armor, '90&'92-B7100HST's, '06 BX1850 FEL
Jul 13, 2013
10,271
2,104
113
Bedford - VA
'69 Torino GT Coupe 351 Windsor with a 4spd manual. It was 3 years old and had 97,000 mi on it. Clutch was toast. Drove it for 36,000 mi in 3 years at school.
I had a 71 Torino ....not GT - 302, 2 BR and automatic.

Valves ticked like a sumbeach - buddy of mine in college, pulled off intake and pulled every hydraulic lifter out - broke them down and cleaned them, and got it all back running in a couple of hours. Damn - those WERE the days.....

now days FINDING the spark plugs is a mythical challenge!
 

William1

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BX25D
Jul 28, 2015
1,080
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83
Richmond, Virginia
First car. Hard question to answer. I was given a few cars as a kid (non-runners) that I got running, but being underage, I could not drive them and my parents would not let me keep them so I gave them away. We had a few different 'family cars' that were purchased for use of the four of us kids but the title was never in my name.
I traded for a few cars but never kept them long and never titled or insured them. Citroen SM, Sebring Maserati, Ford Cougar, Mini Moke, a couple of Austin Healy Sprites, A few Morris Minors (woody wagon!) BMW2002Tii (ripper) So none of these really counted. One of my best friends first cars was a old school bus! Schooled us on partying!
So the first car I actually bought, titled and outright owned was a 1968 MB 230, straight six with a four speed floor shift. It had terminal body rot, over heated and finally a brake line rusted out. Next car was a brand new Volvo 242GT.
I wish I had gotten a '68 Camaro. Easy to fix, cheap and realistic. Age does that, makes you sensible.
 

ipz2222

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L235, bx2670
May 30, 2009
1,927
31
38
chickamauga ga usa
Like Skeets,,, 1957 Ford Fairelane 500, 292v8 3 on the tree. Became a 390 w 4 speed before I got rid of it. Actually owned 4 of those cars before I went to the air force. The fastest I've ever been in a car was a 64 galixie w a 390 cid with 427 solid lift cam. 136 mph in '69 on bias ply tires. Lucky to be alive.
 

mudog88

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1982 B7100HST-DT, RC60-71H MMM, 5ft. back blade
Aug 11, 2015
98
1
8
Pine Village, Indiana
First one was a (well faded) red, 1979 Ford F-100 with the 300 straight-6. Had the 3 speed auto in it. And it actaully had A/C that worked! Didn't matter though, because I still preferred the floor vents and wing windows. Bought that from the neighbor for $900 in '04. He bought it in 1980 with 1,300 miles on it. Joined the AF, and while I was gone, my brother decided to back it into a tree... HARD! It sat in the barn yard for about 3 years, then my parents sold it. Kinda wish I hadn't let that happen, but maybe I can find it again some day.
 

cliffboyer

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L3301 w/LA525 loader, G5200 mower w/RC48 deck, Kawasaki 610 Mule, DR mower
Nov 30, 2017
240
48
28
Southern IL
First car was 1976 Pontiac Gran Prix. Firethorn red w/ red vinyl. Was a nice car. Drove to high school 87-89. Traded off for 85 Z28. Six months later traded for S10. After that a rapid succession of cars & trucks for next 5 or 6 years.

Wish i still had them both, but more so the Pontiac.

Current daily driver is 86 Mazda B2000. Just turned 360,000. It just wont die...

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jdriver

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2650 hsdc
Dec 13, 2017
16
1
0
SE Minnesota
1967 Olds 442 with 400 cu. in. 350 hp with a 4 speed and a bench seat. I won a lot races with that car but most of them were to a gas station. Fortunately, premium (ethyl) was only 36 cents a gallon. Not the best car for a 16 yr old to own.
 
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johnjk

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B3200 w/loader, Woods RC5 brush hog, 4' box blade, tooth bar, B1700 MMM,
Apr 13, 2017
1,252
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113
West Mansfield, OH
1987 Pontiac Grand Am LE. Blue two tone, 4 door, 2.5L, 5 speed. Had crank windows. I was doing field service out of Chicago and would put on 500-600 miles a day. Crazy amount of driving. It was a work horse and relatively reliable, although it did have a thing about eating crank shaft sensors and MAF sensors.....
 

hank2000

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Kabota L3000F
Aug 27, 2016
81
0
0
louisville
First car 1972 nova 2 door. Gave a school teacher 375 for it had a 307 with a turbo 350 trans. That didn’t last long it now has a 454 bored 30 over with 2 4 Berral eldebrook 650 carbs and a 12 boot posi track rear end. Oh yeah I bought it 1986 while still in high school. Still sitting under my car port. Love that old car have had some good times in it


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

dandeman

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BX2230, LA211 FEL, RCK60B Mower, GCK60BX Bagger; Ford 4000, bush hog, blade, etc
Aug 9, 2013
166
2
18
Chapel Hill, NC
www.dan-de-man.net
'69 Volkswagen Beetle.. something reliable, inexpensive that could spend time sitting at the Long Beach, CA shipyard/Navy base while at sea during my Navy days.
 

car compulsive

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Jun 25, 2015
146
0
0
MI
The first car I bought myself was a used '75 VW Rabbit. I used to have to carry a rubber mallet to cure the vapor lock from the carb during hot weather. The VW service manager taught me that trick. I eventually traded it for a '78 Rabbit with fuel injection.
 

shootem604

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L245DT with Kubota (Arps Model 22) FEL and Kubota B/L4520B (Woods 650) BH
Apr 23, 2018
875
18
18
British Columbia
First vehicle was a Nissan King Cab pickup with the 2.5L diesel. Did 800 clicks to a tank, but was dead slow. First car was a 1978 Z28 that did a respectable 13 second quarter mile. Both sold now, regret selling them both.
 

fruitcakesa

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Equipment
M 6040
Oct 26, 2010
852
265
63
Cavendish Vermont
1962 Austin Mini. I paid $200 for it and hauled myself and 3 friends around till I took it to a local mechanic for an engine rebuild [it had worn crank bearings].
He did the repair and parked it outside his house with the keys in it.
That night it was stolen and totaled!!
I never got a chance to drive with that rebuilt engine.
 

WildThing

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Mar 8, 2018
19
0
0
New London, NH
Fun thread!

Thanks to elderly relatives who stopped driving (thanks Aunt Pearl), I was given first a 1953 Chrysler Imperial (331 cubic inch hemi V8 ! - 180 HP). Later I came into a 1966 Pontiac Catalina from my Granddad.

But the thread says cars I bought and paid for. Mistakes were made. I think my first was a 1948 Plymouth (push button start - what is old is new again). It listed bad to starboard. I paid $800 circa 1974. Someone had painted it with what looked like a broom. Three on the tree, flathead six if I recall. I sold it to my younger brother for $800, breaking even.

I loved the look of the 1940s cars (30s even better but never got one). Somewhere in there (1974 I reckon) I bought a 1950 Chrysler Windsor with a plaid "highlander" interior. Just beautiful in my eyes. Sold it quickly cause money was tight, and probably that was lucky too.
 

lugbolt

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ZG127S-54
Oct 15, 2015
4,807
1,575
113
Mid, South, USA
I still have my first car. 1975 Ford Maverick. 200 inline 6, 3 speed column shift, no a/c no radio-no frills. Still only has about 70,000 miles on it but it's NOWHERE near the same it was 29 years ago when I got it. Only thing "original" on it now is the quarter panels and roof. Oh and doors & front fenders. Rest is all fabricated and/or aftermarket. Currently narrowed 9", 32x14 Hoosiers on the rear, 5.00 gear, powered by a 440" SBF making about 800hp through a Powerglide. And...the old car is lighter now than it was the day I bought it....2509 lb with me in it and a full "tank" of fuel (all 3 gal of methanol).

When I bought it and got home with it, dad thought I was nuts. We were all Chevy people. I was supposed to get a '74 Cheyenne super with a 400 and wanted it bad. Then got the Maverick and dad said ok you get to drive that old ugly turd. Pea green and all, even with a few bullet holes in the R.F. fender. Drove it a while and the bug bit us (mostly dad), and we pulled the 200 out and dropped in a 302 with a C4-both home-built. Got it running (big cam, open headers), and dad said I couldn't drive it cause I was too young. Well...dad was at work and I "drove it" up the hill behind the house. Him and I re-did the interior and one day found out that there was a drag strip about an hour from the house, so we drove it over there & ran it. Hooked? You bet.

I wish I could find another 2 door Maverick, but they're not as common as they used to be. I've had 8 or 9 of them, cut some of them up, re-sold some, fixed a few up as daily drivers and then gave to my brother, dad, sister, etc--but haven't seen one within 500 miles for sale, at least not under $10,000. Hard to believe especially considering that I give a guy $27 for the one I still have :) The one that was the most "fun" was a '74 that was originally a 302/C4. I bought it for like $100 with a bad engine and put a more or less stock 302 together with leftover parts. Nothing special. I was looking for another C4 to rebuild at the local scrap metal yard and seen a turbo from a Powerstroke diesel laying there, thing looked brand new. Got it for $9 and the C4 for $15, went home and started in...did a turbo 302 in that thing, and at 20 psi, it was tractionless in any gear under 75 mph. Blew the motor up twice (or was it 3 times?), sold the turbo, headers, all that stuff to a guy in Wisconsin, put a stone stock 5.0 out of a Grand Marquis in it, drove it for years until my brother wrecked his pickup, gave it to him to "borrow" and never saw it again. Last I heard it was rolled and totaled.
 

coachgeo

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L225 w/woods Few Mowers & Back Blade, D722 in Motorcycle (Triumph Tiger), LMTV
Nov 16, 2012
2,460
32
48
Southern OH
Mine was a Datsun PL521 pickup.
 

Redbusdriver

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BX23S MMM PHD Grapple
Apr 13, 2017
85
2
6
Vancouver WA
High school car: 1967 Mercury Comet, 215 CI straight 6. Beat it to death in 2 years. Seat belts were an option then, lucky I survived.

First College car: 1970 Opel Kadet, Pretty hard on it as well. Learned how to drive a stick shift by getting in and driving away.

Second College car: 1972 Pontiac LeMans 350 V8. Now we're talking. That car flew, wish I still had it!

Current Car: 2016 Ram 3500 Laramie Longhorn duallie, 6.7L Cummins. Can tow a ship up a mountain.

Favorite "car" 2017 Kubota BX23S. More fun than the law should allow!
 

Benhameen

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2012 Kubota L3800 HST W/FEL and 1963 JD 2010 row crop utility
Jan 27, 2013
688
115
43
Southern IL.
S-10 Blazer. I worked for my uncle at used car lot my grand father started. My uncle gave the option between the blazer and an F-150, I chose the blazer since I could fit more of my friends in it. Traded that for a ford escort, needed the gas mileage. Then bought the best car that I’ve owned. 1987 Buick Grand National, wish I still had it. I was too young to have the car. It was to expensive for me at the time. From there I purchased a 93 Dodge Dakota extended cap pick up with the 318, fun truck. Since then I driven company cars. The next time I have to purchase a vehicle it will either be a Silverado or a F-150.
 

Bill Cook

New member

Equipment
B8200D With BF300 Loader & B/L4520 Hoe
Jun 9, 2018
1
0
0
South Central Pa
A 10 year old 1958 Ford, 223-6, 3 speed, "Custom" - (a few inches shorter than a Fairlane and very plain), $128. Drove it as large chunks of body putty fell off, or in the case of a rear wheel well, came off in my hands. The car could burn rubber in first gear. I went through three or four used transmissions before there where enough parts to assemble the next one.

All this time I was obsessed. I HAD to have a V8. The cool kids had them. For $50 I picked up a station wagon the same year with a 332, and a few extra tires with tread on them. A few months after it was back on the road a $35 '57 Fairlane convertible came along with no engine. It was a much more rewarding project.

As for the lack luster smoky 332, it was taken apart. Most notably, it had three rounded cam lobes and a severly bent connecting rod with it's piston's skirt busted off.
 

Charlie5320

Member

Equipment
BX2670
Jan 8, 2018
113
3
18
Springfield, IL.
My 1st car was a 49 Chevy BC 6 banger 3 speed. Bought it when I was 15 for $15.00. I bought several cars that ran in the 60s for 15, 20 dollars. Probably the best car for the money was a 56 Chevy Belaire 265 wglide trans. Was a one owner car, bought it from the Ford dealer here in town. I was 17 years old and seen the car, stopped in and asked how much. The salesman said $150.00, had a disappointed look on my face and told the guy I'd come back again when I had more money. He said kid how much ya got, I whipped out my wallet and put all my cash on his desk. A whole $65.00, he scooped it up and said be right back. Don't know what he told the manager, but I drove that car home. I bought several cars from that salesman over the years. Turned out he was in Korea with my dad. I drove that old Chevy untill I got married in June of 68, and we bought a brand new Road Runner in August.
 

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