First cars

[wooglin]

The least reliable car thread got me thinking about my first car, and I couldn't find a thread for that. So here goes.

My first car was a 1974 Toyota Corona Mark II, a hand-me-down from my mom. that went through my brother first. I've never seen another in the wild, although there is a brief pan over one in, I think, Dirty Harry Magnum Force. Clearly not a popular car, but it got me back and forth to CO twice loaded to the gills, including extra tires tied to the roof. Last I heard it was impounded by the Manitou Springs police after being abandoned on the street. My mom got a letter from them about it.

I used to name my cars. That one was the Rust Bucket. When I first drove it to CO I painted "Pikes Peak or Bust" on the trunk in gray rustoleum, which also covered most the the rocker panels and various other places. Great car. Miss it.

 

[scott43]

It wasn't nearly that nice.... #rustbelt

 

[dan ross]

We had one of those Toyota’s,same color or close. If they were longer they would have looked better .Totally forgot about that car and I guess that says something. The first car that I bought with my own $ was a used 71 Beetle with the optional “Flinstones “ floor. Typical northeast rust bucket.

 

[wooglin]

We had one of those, same color or close. Totally forgot about that car.

The Toyota? Really? I've seriously never seen another, even when it was new.

 

[tch]

1966 VW Squareback. Previous owner had taken out the heater boxes (unbeknownst to me). I drove it cross country and into Canada in the fall and winter, then sold it at a loss in Denver to someone who knew what was up.
Sigh….

 

[dan ross]

@wooglin Yeah, it was my moms. It was kind of an unusual car, I remember the gear selector being unusual in its styling. I’ll send the picture to my siblings to confirm but I’m 99.9% positive. That’s why I forgot about it- I haven’t seen another one either. Update-Yup .2 door fastback coupe. It reminds of the Ford Capris of the same era just…squished.

 

[Novaloafah]

Ford Maverick "Grabber" in 1984 for my getting back and forth from school and trouble car. It had been repainted fireball red and didn't have the decals or stripes but looked like this image (71) but had to be '73 since I had a glove box and that's when they were introduced. I was and am completely clueless about engines but my father wasn't and I recall he got quite the chuckle at running it out himself so I suspect he picked it up for me because of the v8. I loved it even though it wasn't much more than a beater. ran it back and forth from Windsor ON to Winnipeg MB for a few summers with 3 other guys and a windsurfer fastened to the roof.

 

[wiread]

My first car I ever bought was at 15. a '67 mustang convertible. 289 3 speed. rebuilt the engine and all new brake parts throughout. Didn't drive much. Still have it, but it hasn't moved in 10 years. Mice got into it in storage and it's a total rebuild at this point. Hoping to get into it in the next 2-3 years with my kids.

My first daily driver was an '84 Ford escort. 2 tone shit brown I say with louvres on the back hatch. That thing took me and my friends a lot of places until it just died on me in the intersection where everyone left La Crosse WI to get on the interstate back in 1995 as I was leaving for spring break.

my parents had a Corona. it was blue and I remember getting pulled out of the ditch with my mom and baby brother one time when I was about 5-6. As time passed I thought maybe I was just saying it wrong because i saw plenty of corollas but never another corona. But they assured me that's what it was LOL

 

[dan ross]

It appears that the second generation Corona 2 door coupes are a bit of a unicorn. Ive lived in California for 30 plus years and have never seen one. Generally, if you don’t see them here, you don’t see them anywhere as rust is enemy #1 of unibody cars

 

[cantunamunch]

Phew, you lot had some nice cars for first cars

 

[scott43]

It appears that the second generation Corona 2 door coupes are a bit of a unicorn. Ive lived in California for 30 plus years and have never seen one. Generally, if you don’t see them here, you don’t see them anywhere as rust is enemy #1 of early Japanese cars

FIFY

 

[scott43]

Phew, you lot had some nice cars for first cars

My first NEW car was....

 

[Novaloafah]

Oh man, my first NEW car was a long tale of woe and misery called the VW Fox.

 

[cantunamunch]

My first NEW car was....
View attachment 197582

Well, at least I can beat you there.

Oh man, my first NEW car was a long tale of woe and misery called the VW Fox.

Which started life as an Audi in the 70s - a red one with white interior one of which I was in over the side of a hill in MX, somewhere between Taxco and Acapulco. Survived that with no hurt other than Mexican bus lice, so can't really dislike, in spite of the wacky transaxle arrangement and wonky electricals.

 

[dan ross]

FIFY

All of my unibody cars in those days -German cars weren’t immune from fatal rust.
Beetles, BMW’s- all of mine had the Flintstones option pending.
The only cars of ours then that didn’t have rust issues were Saabs and Volvos. I actually saw the Saab 96 I learned to drive on ( my dad’s) in 1976 in Southern Vermont in 2020. Still going, still with the unmistakable T” shaped dent that I put there in’77 Worse for wear and tear? , sure but still going strong. 3 on the tree, freewheel transmission, a beast in mud and snow.

 

[wooglin]

I didn't get my first new car until I was 45. So it hardly counts.

 

[cantunamunch]

I didn't get my first new car until I was 45. So it hardly counts.

Hardly still counts

 

[wooglin]

It appears that the second generation Corona 2 door coupes are a bit of a unicorn. Ive lived in California for 30 plus years and have never seen one. Generally, if you don’t see them here, you don’t see them anywhere as rust is enemy #1 of unibody cars

Yah. I'm amazed I've even seen one in a movie. And just one, and oh so very briefly. I did love that car though. Had a straight six, also unusual.

 

[cantunamunch]

Talking of unusual-engined JP three-doors, anyone else have an I-mark diesel?

Third car (mine was dog diarrhea brown, ofc):

 

[dan ross]

Yah. I'm amazed I've even seen one in a movie. And just one, and oh so very briefly. I did love that car though. Had a straight six, also unusual.

Yeah, if I recall it had a weird feel to the steering. Maybe that was just ours or me.