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debm55

(48,797 posts)
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 10:27 AM Jun 26

Do you remember your first car? Either bought or given to you. Mine was a 1965 Aqua Chevy Impala that was my father"s

car. I got in 1972, No power steering, big tank of a car. Learned to drive in it at 15 years. Gas guzzler. How about you. and you first car?

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Do you remember your first car? Either bought or given to you. Mine was a 1965 Aqua Chevy Impala that was my father"s (Original Post) debm55 Jun 26 OP
1972 VW Super Beetle that I got in 1987. Basso8vb Jun 26 #1
Great post , Basso8vb. We had a Beetle too, I couldn't get the system of the stick together . The Impala was not stick . debm55 Jun 26 #5
My high school parking lot in the late 80s was half full of hand-me-down VWs. Basso8vb Jun 26 #20
Thank you very much, Basso8vb. debm55 Jun 27 #112
We had the same car. greatauntoftriplets Jun 26 #2
Thank you very much , greatauntoftriplets. debm55 Jun 26 #6
You're welcome. greatauntoftriplets Jun 26 #10
1975 Audi Fox displacedvermoter Jun 26 #3
Thank you very much displacedvermoter. debm55 Jun 26 #7
Red '68 Mustang SheltieLover Jun 26 #4
Thank you very much SheltieLover. Sharp car. debm55 Jun 26 #8
1968 Lime Gold Ford Mustang, Brand New. Cost around $2500. Fla Dem Jun 26 #9
Wow. Lime Gold. :Never see that price again. Thank you Fla Dem. debm55 Jun 26 #11
Used 1957 Ford Fairlane with an 8-ball gearshift knob, baby moons, chrome exhaust extension, etc. It was a tank. Silent Type Jun 26 #12
Thank you very much Silent Type. Great car. debm55 Jun 26 #17
white '65 bel aire rampartd Jun 26 #13
Thank you very much, rampartd.. My dad would buy a car every three years needed or not.Would trade in the 3 year car.on debm55 Jun 26 #19
1967 VW Beetle Ritabert Jun 26 #14
Thank you very much ,Ritabert. I always wanted a Beetle. But I couldn't get used to a stick. debm55 Jun 26 #28
My husband taught me in one day and I did well Ritabert Jun 26 #47
1968 Camaro SS bought the same day Nixon resigned. chicoescuela Jun 26 #15
Thank you very much chicoscuela. I remember looking for change on the floor boards to pay for gas. debm55 Jun 26 #22
A red 1965 Plymouth Valiant surfered Jun 26 #16
Thank you very much surfered. Nice car. debm55 Jun 26 #23
1973 Ford Pinto ProfessorGAC Jun 26 #18
I remember those Pinto's. ---very dangerous. How long did you drive it ? debm55 Jun 26 #24
3 Years Of Undergrad ProfessorGAC Jun 26 #39
Thank you very much, It lasted quite long. debm55 Jun 26 #41
Yep, Pintos were very unsafe. brush Jun 26 #85
I bought a plain vanilla 1960 Ford Falcon in 1966. patphil Jun 26 #21
Thank you very much patphil, Rich, tried to do the same after his brother was drafted. AF said his eyesight was too bad. debm55 Jun 26 #25
It was a Datsun 510 not sure of the year. Duncanpup Jun 26 #26
Thank you very much Duncanpup. debm55 Jun 26 #30
1967 Plymouth VIP Fury (got it in 1978) 220,000 miles for 75 dollars gopiscrap Jun 26 #27
Oh my. Thank you very much gopiscrap. debm55 Jun 26 #31
Mine was a Chevy Biscayne which was like a cheaper Impala iwillalwayswonderwhy Jun 26 #29
HAHAHAHAHAHA. Thank you Iwillalwayswonderwhy. debm55 Jun 26 #32
1983 Nissan Stanza PJMcK Jun 26 #33
Thank you very much, PJMck. We have two Subarus now love them. debm55 Jun 26 #35
Nova VanceFan Jun 26 #34
Thank you very much VanceFan. debm55 Jun 26 #36
Was it the two door Nove with the nice body style? That was before they made them bigger. brush Jun 26 #88
1962 Oldsmobile F-85 SergeStorms Jun 26 #37
Thank you very much SergeStorms. I bought my Saturn for looks and the engine blew, Still owed 4,000 on the car to the debm55 Jun 26 #38
1965 red Mustang convertible. MIButterfly Jun 26 #40
Thank you very much MiButterfly. In PA I took Driver's Ed at 15, They would cut the insurance cost it you took it. debm55 Jun 26 #42
1970 Torino convertible nuxvomica Jun 26 #43
Thank you very much nuxvomica. Sounds great. debm55 Jun 26 #45
The Mule Oeditpus Rex Jun 26 #44
What a great post Oeditpus Rex. It sounds great. What happened to it? debm55 Jun 26 #46
I was driving down Romie Lane one day Oeditpus Rex Jun 26 #72
Thank you very much, Oeditpus Rex debm55 Jun 26 #73
white ford falcon, nicknamed the upsidse down bathtub . not coool. next was a mustang! same msongs Jun 26 #48
HAHAHHAHAH. Thank you very much msongs. That is very. debm55 Jun 26 #51
I bought my first car ballardgirl Jun 26 #49
Thank you very much ballardgirl. debm55 Jun 26 #50
RABBIT!!! elleng Jun 26 #52
Thank you elleng. They came and went pretty quickly, didn't they? debm55 Jun 26 #54
Yes they did, and next got family and JETTA!!! elleng Jun 26 #57
Thank you elleng. debm55 Jun 26 #60
1968(?) Toyota Corolla. Ocelot II Jun 26 #53
Thank you very much Ocelot II debm55 Jun 26 #55
1978 Dodge Colt LSparkle Jun 26 #56
HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA. thank you very much LSparkle, That is funny. debm55 Jun 26 #58
1972 Dart Swinger luvallpeeps Jun 26 #59
Thank you very much luvallpeeps debm55 Jun 26 #74
72 Nova. Got it in 77. bullimiami Jun 26 #61
Thank you very much, bullimiami debm55 Jun 27 #97
1963 JPK Jun 26 #62
Thank you very much. JPK debm55 Jun 27 #98
1970 BigMin28 Jun 26 #63
Thank you very much for sharing BigMin28 debm55 Jun 27 #99
1965 Chevy Impala convertible CanonRay Jun 26 #64
Thank you very much CanonRay. I have had cars that are money pits. debm55 Jun 27 #100
'63 Ford Fairlane -- my old man's car Hassler Jun 26 #65
HAHAHAHAHHA. Thank you very much Hassler. That is funny. debm55 Jun 27 #101
1964 Chevy Impala convertible that I was given in 1969. PikaBlue Jun 26 #66
Thank you very much PikaBlue. debm55 Jun 27 #103
1976 Ford LTD with the exterior driver door panel missing $500 JMCKUSICK Jun 26 #67
Thank you very much, John. That is funny. debm55 Jun 27 #104
1946 Chevrolet $20.00 Emile Jun 26 #68
Wow, Thank you very much Emile.When did you buy it? debm55 Jun 26 #79
1965 Emile Jun 26 #87
Thank you Emile. debm55 Jun 27 #105
'64 GTO madamesilverspurs Jun 26 #69
Thank you very much, madamesilverspurs for sharing your selection of cars. debm55 Jun 26 #78
Lucky but not lucky as ite was stolen. The '64 GTO was the first muscle car, produced by... brush Jun 26 #90
Oh Wow. Shame it was stolen, brush. debm55 Jun 27 #106
1952 Oldsmoble WmChris Jun 26 #70
Thank you very much for sharing. WmChris. debm55 Jun 26 #76
Korean War Surplus Willys Army Jeep. Wolf Frankula Jun 26 #71
Thank you very much for sharing with us, Wolf Frankula. debm55 Jun 26 #75
67 Delta 88. My 16th birthday present 250 bucks. Lochloosa Jun 26 #77
HAHAHHAAHAHHAHAHAH. Thank you very much Lochloosa. The part about the huge backseat is funny. debm55 Jun 26 #84
Red 1963 Chevy Nova... Bozvotros Jun 26 #80
Thank you very much Bozvotros. debm55 Jun 26 #82
A 1977 nova- 8 cylinders, am radio faded red with plaid seat covers.. Sun-Moon Jun 26 #81
Thank you Sun-Moon for sharing with us. debm55 Jun 26 #83
I do indeed. But that's actually a classic phishing question. malthaussen Jun 26 #86
Thank you very much Mal. debm55 Jun 27 #107
Mine wsas a '68 Chevy Nova LogDog75 Jun 26 #89
Thank you very much LogDog75 debm55 Jun 27 #110
A Tiffany blue 1965 Plymouth Valient ,2 door, stick shift Figarosmom Jun 26 #91
Thank you very much Figarosmom. Sounds like a beauty. debm55 Jun 27 #109
1962 pale blue and white Ford Falcon Silver Gaia Jun 26 #92
Thank you very much Silver Gala. I remember the Falcons. debm55 Jun 27 #114
A '52 Ford two door hard top. Flathead V8 stick shift. Ran good. Bought it with summer job money after... brush Jun 26 #93
Thank you very much. Your trade up sounds great. debm55 Jun 27 #111
1956 Blue and White Nash Metropolitan. SamKnause Jun 27 #94
Thank you very much. SamKnause. debm55 Jun 27 #121
A 1959 VW bug convertible, purchased in 1967. PoindexterOglethorpe Jun 27 #95
Thank you PoindexterOglethorpe. I found it very hard to use a stick. Never drove one, Even my Jeep Liberty was debm55 Jun 27 #122
I only drive a stick. PoindexterOglethorpe Jun 27 #145
My first car was a 1975 Ford Maverick. OldBaldy1701E Jun 27 #96
Thank you OldBaldy1701E, Sounds like it was a great car, debm55 Jun 27 #120
1964 Plymouth Belvedere liberal N proud Jun 27 #102
Sounds like a great car, liberal N proud. It is a sham that the drunk hit you. debm55 Jun 27 #119
Did you know that Weird Al's first song that got radio play was a tune called 'Belvedere Crusin'? OldBaldy1701E Jun 28 #150
First car peachpit24 Jun 27 #108
Thank you peachpit24. My aunt had one and the back was hugel debm55 Jun 27 #118
1930 Model A Ford Tudor sedan gladium et scutum Jun 27 #113
Wow. That sounds great. Thank you for sharing very much, gladium et scutum. debm55 Jun 27 #116
1972 Olds Cutlass virgdem Jun 27 #115
Thank you very much virgdem. debm55 Jun 27 #117
'68 dodge polara indigoth Jun 27 #123
Thank you very much, Indigoth. debm55 Jun 27 #124
Aunt Billie gave me my first car. murielm99 Jun 27 #125
Thank you for sharing with us Aunt Billie's car. Thank you muriel99 debm55 Jun 27 #126
1950 Chrysler New Yorker. Black with grey velour interior. Turbineguy Jun 27 #127
Thank you very much Turbineguy. Why did you have for only a week? debm55 Jun 27 #128
It was just too much. Turbineguy Jun 27 #131
Yes , those are good reason.Thank you Turbineguy. debm55 Jun 27 #134
Blue 72 Chevy Nova. $200 yourout Jun 27 #129
Thank you very much, yourout. debm55 Jun 27 #135
1951 Chevy Pickup. Got it in 1970 BOSSHOG Jun 27 #130
HAHAHHAHHAHAH. Thank you very much BOSSHOG. Did you get any chicks with it???? debm55 Jun 27 #136
1972 Plymouth Duster... MiHale Jun 27 #132
Thank you very much MiHale. My husband had one when we first met. It had this little dust devil on it. Looked like Taz. debm55 Jun 27 #137
Which is what I named my first dog... MiHale Jun 27 #141
HAHHAHAH, Thank you MIHale. debm55 Jun 27 #142
Do you know that there's a new show on HBO called "Duster" that features this car? Silver Gaia Jun 27 #148
In 1966 my dad co-signed a cash loan of $300 for my first car. I bought a red 1961 Corvair doc03 Jun 27 #133
Thank you very much , doc03 debm55 Jun 27 #138
Early 196. something, Mercury Monterey...a monster for a still small girl. MuseRider Jun 27 #139
Thank you very much, MuseRider. I had a similar car. Sat on pillow, Big tank of a kid to drive.AM radio, no AC, No power debm55 Jun 27 #140
SISTER! I bet there are a lot more. MuseRider Jun 27 #144
HAHAHHAHAHA Thank you MuseRider, I remember those air conditions you would put in cars. debm55 Jun 27 #146
A used Chevy Chevette (can't remember the year of it) Mad_Dem_X Jun 27 #143
Thank you for sharing with us. Remember, Mad_Dem_X You are loved, and you are a strong woman. debm55 Jun 27 #147
Aww, thanks so much, Deb! Mad_Dem_X Jun 27 #149
No worries I have been there myself debm55 Jun 28 #151
1971 Buick SKKKKKKKKKKKKKKylark Historic NY Jun 28 #152
Thank you very much, Historic NY. We were a Chevy family. Except for the VW. debm55 Jun 28 #154
My first car was a 49jim Jun 28 #153
Thank you very much 49jim, debm55 Jun 28 #156
1955 Chevy 2dr HT - worked summer of my junior year ('67) in HS at a Haggar walkingman Jun 28 #155
Thank you very much walkingman. debm55 Jun 28 #157
1972 Ford Gran Torino Americanme Jun 28 #158
Thank you very much, Americanme. debm55 Jun 28 #159

Basso8vb

(1,202 posts)
1. 1972 VW Super Beetle that I got in 1987.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 10:35 AM
Jun 26

It had also been my dad's car. I'd just gotten my license and my dad came home in a new car.

He handed me the keys and told me we were driving to go pick up my "new" car.

Parents were done driving me to several rehearsals every week.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
5. Great post , Basso8vb. We had a Beetle too, I couldn't get the system of the stick together . The Impala was not stick .
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 10:39 AM
Jun 26

Basso8vb

(1,202 posts)
20. My high school parking lot in the late 80s was half full of hand-me-down VWs.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 11:19 AM
Jun 26

That was a tough stick to master but I can still hop in the seat and drive any stick shift today!

greatauntoftriplets

(178,005 posts)
2. We had the same car.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 10:36 AM
Jun 26

Except that mine was a 1964 with what then was a standard Corvette engine. Great car for a time of cheap gas, that unfortunately was stolen and never recovered. It probably ended up in a chop shop.

greatauntoftriplets

(178,005 posts)
10. You're welcome.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 10:45 AM
Jun 26

My father spent a lot of time in his car for work, so he bought new cars every five years. I was in college at the time and needed a car to get to school. The timing was right.

displacedvermoter

(3,890 posts)
3. 1975 Audi Fox
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 10:37 AM
Jun 26

Bought it while stationed in Plattsburgh, NY. Traded it in fairly soon for a Toyota SUV, more practical.

Fla Dem

(26,918 posts)
9. 1968 Lime Gold Ford Mustang, Brand New. Cost around $2500.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 10:44 AM
Jun 26

I'd only been working for 3 years and still living at home. Took out a loan. Now today $2500 wouldn't even be a down payment.

Silent Type

(10,556 posts)
12. Used 1957 Ford Fairlane with an 8-ball gearshift knob, baby moons, chrome exhaust extension, etc. It was a tank.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 10:51 AM
Jun 26

rampartd

(2,238 posts)
13. white '65 bel aire
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 10:55 AM
Jun 26

probably the 4 door version of your impala. paid $50. uninsured, taught myself to drive and tune up the damn thing before i traded 'up" to a '67 pontiac bonnevill.e

debm55

(48,797 posts)
19. Thank you very much, rampartd.. My dad would buy a car every three years needed or not.Would trade in the 3 year car.on
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 11:17 AM
Jun 26

a newer version. of a car. At one time, I remember the family having a bel aire..



debm55

(48,797 posts)
28. Thank you very much ,Ritabert. I always wanted a Beetle. But I couldn't get used to a stick.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 12:04 PM
Jun 26

chicoescuela

(2,153 posts)
15. 1968 Camaro SS bought the same day Nixon resigned.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 10:57 AM
Jun 26

Paid a whopping $1,360 that I had saved up since I was about 10.
Thankfully gas was about 49 cents/gallon then.
I miss that ride.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
22. Thank you very much chicoscuela. I remember looking for change on the floor boards to pay for gas.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 11:54 AM
Jun 26

ProfessorGAC

(73,761 posts)
18. 1973 Ford Pinto
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 11:14 AM
Jun 26

I drove my dad's 1970 Maverick before that.
I was about to go to college and, being a commuter, needed my own car.
I had a bit over a thousand bucks saved up and was going to buy a relatively new Super Beetle.
My dad hated that idea. Thought the bugs were too dangerous.
So, he says "Give me the money, and I'll add what I have to to get you something better." I balk, but I trusted him, so ok.
One day my friends & I are playing pool and my mom says "Can you come outside, your dad needs some help."
I go outside & there's a brand new Pinto in the driveway.
Now, I'm thinking this means my dad has a new work car & I'm buying his Maverick.
Nope. The Pinto is mine. My parents made up the $1,000 difference.
Now the funny part: I got the Pinto (with Firestone 500 tires) because the VW was unsafe.
Pintos caught fire in rear end collisions & Firestone 500s had sidewalls being cut through by the belts. But the VW was unsafe!
I never let my dad hear the end of how he tried to get me killed.

ProfessorGAC

(73,761 posts)
39. 3 Years Of Undergrad
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 01:05 PM
Jun 26

1&1/2 after I was working & in grad school.
My cousin bought it, & she drove it another 4 years or more. But, it was still running fine when she replaced it.

patphil

(8,111 posts)
21. I bought a plain vanilla 1960 Ford Falcon in 1966.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 11:22 AM
Jun 26

I had it 4 months before someone slammed into the side of my car at an intersection in Albany, NY.
A little later I got the car that I see as my real 1st car, a 1960 Chevy Impala convertible. I had a lot of fun with that car, and sold it in 1969 when I joined the Air Force to avoid being drafted.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
25. Thank you very much patphil, Rich, tried to do the same after his brother was drafted. AF said his eyesight was too bad.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 12:01 PM
Jun 26

gopiscrap

(24,433 posts)
27. 1967 Plymouth VIP Fury (got it in 1978) 220,000 miles for 75 dollars
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 12:04 PM
Jun 26

it took more oil than gas, then the brakes gave out so it sat for months on a street in Pullman WA before finally being towed away

iwillalwayswonderwhy

(2,705 posts)
29. Mine was a Chevy Biscayne which was like a cheaper Impala
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 12:07 PM
Jun 26

I always described it as “like driving a waterbed”.

PJMcK

(23,975 posts)
33. 1983 Nissan Stanza
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 12:26 PM
Jun 26

It was a four-door sedan with a 5-speed manual transmission. I bought it new when I was 25; since I lived in NYC, cars were either a nuisance or an extraordinary expense. It had the highest trim level so everything was electric and fancy. I drove that baby for over 250,000 miles before moving on.

It was not a great car and required far too much maintenance. As a result, I've never bought another Nissan. Currently, I have a Subaru Crosstrek and love it!

brush

(60,748 posts)
88. Was it the two door Nove with the nice body style? That was before they made them bigger.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 11:21 PM
Jun 26

Chevy unfortunately named the nova...which in Spanish means 'no go.' I'm sure you've heard that a million times.

SergeStorms

(19,677 posts)
37. 1962 Oldsmobile F-85
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 12:53 PM
Jun 26

They had aluminum engines, and if they overheated the heads would warp. It was a beautiful car, but a pain in the butt.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
38. Thank you very much SergeStorms. I bought my Saturn for looks and the engine blew, Still owed 4,000 on the car to the
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 01:02 PM
Jun 26

Union. Had to pay that off while making payments on the other car.

MIButterfly

(907 posts)
40. 1965 red Mustang convertible.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 01:06 PM
Jun 26

It was already six years old. It was a graduation present from my uncle. I learned to drive in that car. The evil stepfather wouldn't let me take driver's ed in high school. I was probably the only person in the state of Tennessee who had a car but didn't know how to drive!

Gas was around 25 cents a gallon in the early 70s. Remember gas wars?

debm55

(48,797 posts)
42. Thank you very much MiButterfly. In PA I took Driver's Ed at 15, They would cut the insurance cost it you took it.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 01:27 PM
Jun 26

The first semester was the book park. the second semester was driving on the road. At 15 I got a Cinderella license where I had to drive with an adult in the car. At 16, I had my regular license. Father would not allow me to drive his car, Mother was afraid I would get killed.--that is for another post. I got my Impala, when my father decided that it was three years and he needed another new not used
car. I started work and drove that at 17,

nuxvomica

(13,493 posts)
43. 1970 Torino convertible
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 01:47 PM
Jun 26

White with a black ragtop and a wide, iridiscent blue "sport stripe" on the side. My dad gave it to me when I went off to college and he had just bought a 1973 Cutlass Supreme.

Oeditpus Rex

(42,151 posts)
44. The Mule
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 02:21 PM
Jun 26

Named for the Deep Purple song.

It was a 1966 Chevy Bel Air four-door
-- the kiss of death for coolness back then because four doors were an instant giveaway as a "family car." I did what I could to shake that -- Thorley headers, 60-series rubber on Cragar SS wheels, black diamond upholstery -- but it was still a four-door. (Dad had bought it, two years old and beautiful, for
our summer vacation/family reunion in Estes Park, Colorado.)

Nevertheless, I have more great memories with that car than I could ever recount, or even recall. I put thousands of miles on it cruising South Main. I lost my virginity in it. I learned auto mechanics and body work with it. I came of age in it.

I loved it.

Oeditpus Rex

(42,151 posts)
72. I was driving down Romie Lane one day
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 10:04 PM
Jun 26

and saw a '65 El Camino in a doctors' office patking lot with a "For Sale" sign in the rear window. I'd lusted after an El Camino of '60s vintage since I was around 12 (a neighbor about five years older had had a nasty '64). So, long story short, I bought it. The first day I drove it, a guy on the sidewalk did a huge double-take and yelled, "Nice truck!" I flashed a big, proud smile at him. I'd waited a long time to hear that.

A few months later, a friend was gonna move back home to northern Illinois and needed a car, so I sold the Mule to him. I can still vividly picture him driving away in it, me unable to hold back the tears. (The same thing happened when I sold the El Camino 37 years later.)

msongs

(71,878 posts)
48. white ford falcon, nicknamed the upsidse down bathtub . not coool. next was a mustang! same
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 04:56 PM
Jun 26

frame but way different otherwise

ballardgirl

(165 posts)
49. I bought my first car
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 05:00 PM
Jun 26

a Navy Blue 1964 Chevy Impala 327 SS from a coworker in 1972. I loved that car.

Ocelot II

(126,300 posts)
53. 1968(?) Toyota Corolla.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 08:04 PM
Jun 26

It had a stick shift, which I learned to drive by driving that car. The transmission survived.

LSparkle

(12,082 posts)
56. 1978 Dodge Colt
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 08:08 PM
Jun 26

Lime green. A/C that barely worked and AM radio only. No tape player or even FM ... Drove it until 1989 and learned a lot about music from the 50s and 60s thanks to listening to oldies AM radio throughout the 80s.

BigMin28

(1,731 posts)
63. 1970
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 08:30 PM
Jun 26

Ford Galaxy 500. Powder yellow, green vinyl interior. It only had an am radio that was on the left side of the steering wheel. At night you could pick up radio stations from across the country. It was a gift from my Dad. He paid 500 dollars for it in 1980. Maintenance, insurance and gas were my responsibility.

Hassler

(4,464 posts)
65. '63 Ford Fairlane -- my old man's car
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 08:49 PM
Jun 26

Gas guzzling, rust bucket from Detroit's salted streets. Gas gauge didn't work. Dubbed the Beige Bomb by my friends. It's chief benefit was a spacious backseat for my girlfriend and I to use

PikaBlue

(361 posts)
66. 1964 Chevy Impala convertible that I was given in 1969.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 09:11 PM
Jun 26

Silver body, white top, gorgeous blue interior. Fit 8 girlfriends and my Great Dane.

madamesilverspurs

(16,323 posts)
69. '64 GTO
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 09:32 PM
Jun 26

Birthday gift from my fiancé, senior year of high school. Learned that "GTO" stood for 'how to meet lots of new friends really fast'. I already knew how to drive stick, learned in the family car, a Chevy Greenbrier van. A year later the GTO was stolen and wrecked, shortly before the engagement ended.

The first car I purchased was a bright red '63 Corvair convertible. I had a blast driving topless up and down the California coast. Sold it a couple years after moving back to Colorado; it needed a new top and I couldn't afford a replacement, much needed in Colorado winters. It was great in snow, otherwise; never had to put snow tires on.

The only new car I ever owned was a '72 VW bug, loved driving that thing all over the country. Managed to smoosh the front end when I rear-ended a sailboat. In Albuquerque.

These days I drive a 23-year-old Caravan, plebian, auto transmission (thanks to cranky knees). It gets me where I need to go, which is neither far nor often. Of all the cars I've had, though, my favorite is still that red Corvair, Nader be damned.

.

brush

(60,748 posts)
90. Lucky but not lucky as ite was stolen. The '64 GTO was the first muscle car, produced by...
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 11:40 PM
Jun 26

Last edited Fri Jun 27, 2025, 04:53 PM - Edit history (1)

John Delorean of GM's Pontiac division...later of Delorean and 'Back to the Future' fame.

WmChris

(370 posts)
70. 1952 Oldsmoble
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 09:52 PM
Jun 26

Blue 4 door ugly POS but for 30 bucks it got this 16 year old from point a to point b for about 6 months before going belly up.

Wolf Frankula

(3,771 posts)
71. Korean War Surplus Willys Army Jeep.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 09:55 PM
Jun 26

Stick transmission, ordinary steering, canvas top, generator for heater, would go almost anywhere. I had to give it up because I coudn't get parts anymore.

Lochloosa

(16,574 posts)
77. 67 Delta 88. My 16th birthday present 250 bucks.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 10:45 PM
Jun 26

Drove it through HS. It was great.

Had a huge backseat

debm55

(48,797 posts)
84. HAHAHHAAHAHHAHAHAH. Thank you very much Lochloosa. The part about the huge backseat is funny.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 11:08 PM
Jun 26

Bozvotros

(928 posts)
80. Red 1963 Chevy Nova...
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 10:51 PM
Jun 26

... station wagon with 3 speed column shifter. COST $175 in 1973. I saved up my money from my factory job and had the engine rebuilt and bored out. She took myself and 2 or 3 friends to the west coast from LA to Portland and many other states from my Indiana home. I truly loved that car.

malthaussen

(18,192 posts)
86. I do indeed. But that's actually a classic phishing question.
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 11:15 PM
Jun 26

"First car" is a frequent verification question for online accounts.

Mine was a used '72 Capri which was a total lemon, not helped by the fact that I abused it terribly. But I swear it was a once-totalled car that had been put together with scrounged spare parts. At any rate, it died when the drive shaft literally fell off in the middle of the road one afternoon. After that, I never again bought another used car.

If I'd been able to spend about another 500 when I bought it, I could have had a Mustang. I wish I had.

-- Mal

LogDog75

(678 posts)
89. Mine wsas a '68 Chevy Nova
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 11:33 PM
Jun 26

Last edited Fri Jun 27, 2025, 01:44 AM - Edit history (1)

I bought it used off my father and overall it was a good car.

Figarosmom

(7,243 posts)
91. A Tiffany blue 1965 Plymouth Valient ,2 door, stick shift
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 11:45 PM
Jun 26

Beauty, my Dad bought for me used. I was at work at my job at the movie theater and he drove up and brought me out to see it. He left it there for me to drive home and he walked home. ( we lived 3 blocks from the theater and I walked home most nights). I loved that car.

Silver Gaia

(5,128 posts)
92. 1962 pale blue and white Ford Falcon
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 11:45 PM
Jun 26

My first hubby and I bought it for $200 in 1972. That was a damn good little car. We drove it all over, took several road trips in it.

brush

(60,748 posts)
93. A '52 Ford two door hard top. Flathead V8 stick shift. Ran good. Bought it with summer job money after...
Thu Jun 26, 2025, 11:47 PM
Jun 26

first year in college. Traded up after three years for '57 Chevy Belaire convertible. That was the car, fast, small block Chevy, .283 V8. English racing green with a white ragtop.

PoindexterOglethorpe

(28,011 posts)
95. A 1959 VW bug convertible, purchased in 1967.
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 01:35 AM
Jun 27

It was wonderful. A stick, of course.

And at trombones years old (76 for those of you who don't get that reference) I'm still driving a stick, currently a 2017 Honda Fit. I rarely bother to lock it, as I figure car thieves today can't possibly drive one.

I have recently considered that I might possibly purchase an automatic, were I to acquire another car.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
122. Thank you PoindexterOglethorpe. I found it very hard to use a stick. Never drove one, Even my Jeep Liberty was
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 08:49 AM
Jun 27

automatic,

PoindexterOglethorpe

(28,011 posts)
145. I only drive a stick.
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 03:58 PM
Jun 27

If nothing else, it's not going to get stolen. Then again, a Honda Fit is not really a car that car thieves are likely to want.

OldBaldy1701E

(8,476 posts)
96. My first car was a 1975 Ford Maverick.
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 06:51 AM
Jun 27

I should have never gotten rid of it. That car actually fixed itself on more than one occasion.

liberal N proud

(61,124 posts)
102. 1964 Plymouth Belvedere
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 07:59 AM
Jun 27

Push button gear selector
It died in an accident when a drunk hit me.

OldBaldy1701E

(8,476 posts)
150. Did you know that Weird Al's first song that got radio play was a tune called 'Belvedere Crusin'?
Sat Jun 28, 2025, 08:35 AM
Jun 28

He wrote it about his parent's car that he used to drive once he got his license. I believe it was a 1960 model.

gladium et scutum

(821 posts)
113. 1930 Model A Ford Tudor sedan
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 08:24 AM
Jun 27

borrowed $125 from my mom to pay for it. Dad brought it home towing the frame and all the parts, fenders etc. in the back of his pickup. Spent two years rebuilding the power train and mechanicals. Mom made the upholstery. Started driving the car my Senior year in Hight School (1965) and drove it for four more years while going to college.

indigoth

(190 posts)
123. '68 dodge polara
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 08:57 AM
Jun 27

Huge boat of a car. I could “full length” lay down in the back seat without touching the doors. 18 miles per gallon … was considered “average” for the times.

murielm99

(32,172 posts)
125. Aunt Billie gave me my first car.
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 09:17 AM
Jun 27

She was not a real aunt, just an honorary one.

It was a 1960 Plymouth Fury, a car with fins and a push button transmission. It was sort of beige. She gave me the car because she was not allowed to drive any more. She did terrible things when she drove. She drove through creeks and ditches. She drove down the middle of construction zones and over bridges that had gaps in them due to repairs. It was a wonder she was alive.

That car did not last long. The brakes went bad. Those push buttons were a mess and did not work well. It did get me back and forth to work for a while.

Turbineguy

(39,165 posts)
127. 1950 Chrysler New Yorker. Black with grey velour interior.
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 09:22 AM
Jun 27

Straight 8 cylinder engine, weird semi automatic transmission, huge back seat.

Bought it in 1968 for $25. Sold it a week later for $35.

Turbineguy

(39,165 posts)
131. It was just too much.
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 09:29 AM
Jun 27

Our drive wasn't big enough, it smoked, it was really ugly too. The radio didn't work.

BOSSHOG

(43,445 posts)
130. 1951 Chevy Pickup. Got it in 1970
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 09:27 AM
Jun 27

Chick Magnet

Red ones are used often at Xmas time. Wrapping paper, Gift bags, Christmas ornaments, Christmas Cards. Often with a Dog looking out the passenger window with his tongue out.

MiHale

(11,966 posts)
132. 1972 Plymouth Duster...
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 09:33 AM
Jun 27
https://www.reddit.com/r/GenX/comments/z7a56s/the_first_car_i_remember_my_parents_having_1972/

That’s a picture (not mine) but the same car and color. First car when in the Army…totaled it on the Kings Hwy 401 in Canada…rollover…tie rod broke.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
137. Thank you very much MiHale. My husband had one when we first met. It had this little dust devil on it. Looked like Taz.
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 10:01 AM
Jun 27

MiHale

(11,966 posts)
141. Which is what I named my first dog...
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 11:37 AM
Jun 27

Taz. As a puppy he was just like a Tasmanian Devil. 24/7 zoomies.

Silver Gaia

(5,128 posts)
148. Do you know that there's a new show on HBO called "Duster" that features this car?
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 05:42 PM
Jun 27

It's a J.J. Abrams show that stars Josh Holloway (Sawyer on Lost) as the driver for a mob boss in Phoenix in the 1970s. He drives an orange Duster. The show does a very good job of depicting the 70s (the clothes are great!), and is a lot of fun. We like it a lot. You might, too!

doc03

(38,179 posts)
133. In 1966 my dad co-signed a cash loan of $300 for my first car. I bought a red 1961 Corvair
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 09:36 AM
Jun 27

with 3 on the floor. It wasn't a bad car; it got a little over 20mpg which was very good back then. I had it maybe a year
and the head gasket went out, common problem with the Corvair.

MuseRider

(34,857 posts)
139. Early 196. something, Mercury Monterey...a monster for a still small girl.
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 10:47 AM
Jun 27

Ugly as sin, that awful peach color, no power anything, had to sit on a pillow and scoot to work the pedals. I went to a high school that was mostly upper class so you can imagine me in 1971. There were brand new sports cars that were the coolest so I parked a couple of blocks away, some was shame but mostly because there was no way for me to get into the parking lot without being terrified of those expensive cars. I was not the only kid like that, there were more of them though. MY car could service a nice skip for 6 or 8 depending but no air conditioning or easy drive power.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
140. Thank you very much, MuseRider. I had a similar car. Sat on pillow, Big tank of a kid to drive.AM radio, no AC, No power
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 11:29 AM
Jun 27

steering. had one heck of a time going in and out of parking spaces. Parked way in the back as I had a hard time with the steering wheel

MuseRider

(34,857 posts)
144. SISTER! I bet there are a lot more.
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 01:27 PM
Jun 27

My Dad had put in one of those air conditioners you could do yourself. It leaked everywhere and he was good at that stuff but we tied small things to collect the water, it too was disaster but I HAD A CAR!! I had only 2 stations I could get but they were Top 40! I accidentally drove it into a ditch with 6 of us skipping Band. It was a mess but the nice guys who pulled us out apparently never called my parents. LOL SISTER!

debm55

(48,797 posts)
146. HAHAHHAHAHA Thank you MuseRider, I remember those air conditions you would put in cars.
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 04:07 PM
Jun 27

Mad_Dem_X

(9,985 posts)
143. A used Chevy Chevette (can't remember the year of it)
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 01:15 PM
Jun 27

It had only an AM radio, no FM. The heater was awesome. A lot of times, I would skip my nighttime college classes and just ride around for hours, listening to the one radio station that came in clearly, all the oldies they would play. I was going through a very tough time mentally, and that car became a good friend of mine.

debm55

(48,797 posts)
147. Thank you for sharing with us. Remember, Mad_Dem_X You are loved, and you are a strong woman.
Fri Jun 27, 2025, 04:11 PM
Jun 27

Historic NY

(39,160 posts)
152. 1971 Buick SKKKKKKKKKKKKKKylark
Sat Jun 28, 2025, 09:19 AM
Jun 28

gold with off white (dirty) interior. I ditched it for a 1973 Plymouth Gran Fury coupe . I've always had a Plymouth somewhere in my life. I think its because my father had a post WWII Plymouth. I have one now with 33k original miles.

walkingman

(9,620 posts)
155. 1955 Chevy 2dr HT - worked summer of my junior year ('67) in HS at a Haggar
Sat Jun 28, 2025, 10:12 AM
Jun 28

pants factory (busting seams) to pay for it. Loved the hot rod days and learned so much about engines and cars.

Americanme

(254 posts)
158. 1972 Ford Gran Torino
Sat Jun 28, 2025, 10:34 AM
Jun 28

It was a junker, but it was free. A friend enlisted in the army and gave me his car.

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