How many cars have you owned?

[Joel Merrill]

Technically my first car was a 59 Ford with a 292 and a 3 on the tree. Dad paid $35.00 for it and I think I was able to drive it 5 or 6 times. It was a pile of junk.

My first usable car was my 59 Chevy Biscayne with a 235 6 cylinder powerglide. It is still my favorite of all the cars I've owned.

Then I had a 66 Ford Galaxy 500 2 door hardtop with a 352 automatic. It ran great and I liked the styling. Fords always have had nice styling. But it kept rusting out. I fixed the rust and painted it twice. Then the frame started rusting out and I got rid of it.

Then I got a 62 Chevy pickup with a short box. It was rusted out and I shouldn't have bought it. I fixed the body up and painted it but I didn't keep it long.

Then I got a beautiful green 72 Mercury Marquis Brougham with a 429 that would pass anything but a gas station. Once again, I loved the styling but it was hard to work on, expensive to work on and always needed worked on. It was 5 years old with only had 70,000 miles on it and it was ready for the junk yard.

I got married while I had that merc and I bought a 64 Plymouth Valiant with a sleepy 6 and type writer drive for my wife to drive around town. She never got her driver's license and after the merc died, we drove that old Valiant for several years. I only paid $35.00 for it.

Then I had a 64 Chevelle with a 283 and a 63 Chevy half ton pickup, also with a 283. We heated our house with wood and the engine died on the truck. So I pulled the engine out of the car and put it in the truck. A couple years later, I put a 6 cylinder in the Chevelle from a 75 Chevy and drove it a couple more years.

In the mean time, the 283 I put in the 63 Chevy Pickup was using a lot of oil and the truck was rusting out and I needed a heavier truck for hauling firewood. So I bought a 66 Chevy 3/4 ton truck. It had a Posi rear end, overload springs and a solid body. Someone had replaced the wood bed with steel deck plate. It had a 250 6 cyl in it but I bought the truck cheap because the engine was about to blow. I drove it until it blew and then bought a junk truck with a good 283 and I put that engine in it. The previous owner had also put a 4 speed transmission in it out of an old school bus. He did a real sloppy job and I had to redo that. Then it was a very good truck. I had it for 13 years! I drove it to Chicago several times and way up into Wisconsin many times. It is probably my next favorite vehicle. But the upper midwest winters took it's toll on it and it rusted too. I fixed it up a couple times and painted it once. I put 3 sets of doors on it and they were getting hard to find. After 13 years, I couldn't keep up with the rust anymore. I lived in town by now and didn't need it to haul wood. A guy offered me a good price for it and I sold it.

Then I bought a 63 Plymouth Valiant with a sleepy 6 and a 3 on the tree. It was a nice little car but Pat was interested in getting her license and she wanted a car with an automatic transmission.

Then I bought a 75 Ford Granada with a 351 and only 45,000 miles. It was by far the biggest lemon I ever owned and most of that was the design of the car. I've hated Fords ever since.

Then I bought a 77 Pontiac Catalina. I had it for quite a few years. It was an extremely good car and I would still be driving it but I hit a deer with it.

Then my sister-in-law got into some money problems and couldn't pay for her 95 Ford Escort. We bought it for just taking over the payments. It was a fairly good car. It was very uncomfortable to drive for very long and it was just too small for us.

My oldest daughter was driving by then so I bought a 62 Ford Falcon because I thought it would make a cute car for her. It was a fix & repair daily Ford. Parts were hard to get and expensive when I did find them. It too was rusted out and it was a waste of time to try and fix the rust.

I gave the Escort to LeAnne and bought the 2003 Pontiac Grand Am I have now. It has been a super good car.

Joel

[Hans Deventer]

59 Ford with a 292 and a 3 on the tree.

Joel, I don't have the faintest idea what you are talking about. The 59 refers to the year, I presume, but what is a 292 and what is "3 on the tree" ???

[Hans Deventer]

Before I met her, Hannie bought a Fiat 127. 900cc engine and still the thing drove up to 90 mph. Crazy car.

Next was a 1978 Peugeot 304 sedan diesel. 1350cc and sounded like a truck.
Became too expensive and we bought a Hyundai Pony station car. We enjoyed that one.
Next came a 1981 Peugeot 305 station 1550cc diesel. Drove like a charm, costed a leg and an arm in repairs and was the very last Peugeot I'll ever buy!

Came a Hyundai Pony again, sedan. Cheap car, not too many expenses. But small. You could only sit behind me in the back seat if you happened to have both of your legs amputated.

So the next was a station wagon again, a 1987 1400 cc Nissan Sunny. Good car! I still like Nissans.

Which meant that the next was a Nissan again, a 1992 Primera sedan. 2 liter, 16 valves. Very good car. After we sold it, my brother in law took it far above the 200.000 miles.

But I wanted a station wagon again. Entered the 1995 Volkswagen Passat. I had better expectations of that car, to be honest.

So right now we're driving a 1998 Nissan Primera Station diesel. Not a fast car, but I like it. It isn't this (http://www.kapaza.nl/Autos/Nissan/6909095/Nissan_Primera_ESTATE_1_6I_16V_GX_AIRCO_1998.html) one, but looks exactly like it, same model, same colour, same year.

Oh yes, none of these had an automatic gear box, they were 4 speeds and from the 1992 Primera on, 5 speed gearboxes.

[Joel Merrill]

Joel, I don't have the faintest idea what you are talking about. The 59 refers to the year, I presume, but what is a 292 and what is "3 on the tree" ???
LOL, Our engine sizes went by cubic inches instead of liters back then. It had a V8 that had 292 cubic inch displacement. The 3 on a tree is a 3 speed manual transmission with the shifter on the steering column.

The 64 Plymouth with the type writer drive was a transmission Chrysler products had in the early 60's that had push buttons on the dash instead of a shifting lever.

Joel

[Hans Deventer]

Some pictures:

The 2nd Hyundai Pony (just the same model)
The Fiat 127 (it actually was red)
The Peugeot 304 (same colour and model again)
The Peugeot 305 (just the same model)

[Joel Merrill]

I don't have many of my old pictures scanned. Here is a picture of my with my 66 Chevy 3/4 ton pickup and a picture of that 62 Ford Falcon parked at an old looking gas station.

Joel

[Hans Deventer]

I don't have many of my old pictures scanned.

Neither do I, Joel! I just searched the internet for cars of the same model and year. I presume most of you wouldn't be too familiar with a Fiat or a Peugeot.

[Hal Paul]

11 cars counting the three I own now.

72 Pontiac Ventura
73 Ford Maverick
?? Mazda B210
?? Ford Tempo
76 Datsun 610
87 Toyota Camry
78 Ford F150
93 Ford F150
92 Jeep Cherokee
98 Dodge Neon
02 Jeep Liberty

I don't think I have any pictures, of them, If I do, I have no idea where they might be.

[Bob Evans]

13


1960 VW Bug
1972 ford Pinto
1979 Chevy Chevette
1981 Chevy Chevette
1984 Chevy Cavileer
1986 Chevy Chevette
1987 Chevy Cavileer Wagon
1992 Cheve Cavileer Wagon
1995 Chevy Cavileer Sedan
1997 Chevy Caviler Wagon
1999 Dodge Mini Van
2004 Dodge Mini Van
2001 Plymouth Neon

[Alisa Stoll]

When we got married Ken had an old Doge Aspen Wagon on loan from his parents. Shortly thereafter he got a used Nisson 210B. When I graduated from college, I got a 82 Ford Escort which I replaced with a 87 Mazda 323 and Ken replaced the Nisson the folowing year with a 88 Mazda 323 station wagon. With kids, we added a '95 Quest van (used). I finally replaced the 87 323 with a '98 Neon. Ken replaced the wagon with a '99 Mazda protege (spelled wrong). When the van was about to give up the ghost, we bought a '05 Honda Civic. The '98 Neon was totaled in an accident and was replaced with a '99 Neon. So in 26 years of marriage, we've bought ding ding ding

9 cars (8 if we hadn't been in the accident) and currently own three. It would be nice if the '99s lasted another three years in order to get the kids out of college and daughter married. Then we will go back to being a two car two people household.

Alisa

[Gary Swartzlander]

I'm not sure I can count the number of cars I've owned, because I simply can't remember them all.

My first was a 1974 Mustang II, that I bought after I graduated from High School.

I had that about 2 years or so. On a trip to Florida with an uncle we were sitting at a Dodge dealership someplace in Florida waiting for his car to get fixed when an auto hauler loaded with the brand new Dodge Charger Daytonas pulled in and unloaded. I fell in love with that car while it was still on the truck and later back in Michigan I bought one. I loved that car and had it when I moved to Florida. It was a great cruising car with it's V-8, 360 Engine. I often wish I still had that car just to look at. It fell victim to marriage, children and rising gas prices.

Our first car after we were married was a new Chevy Citation one of the new bread of X Cars. It was a good car and the gas milage was certainly better than the Charger. Along with getting married It seemed I had determined that I could only work at jobs that required 35 or 40 mile trips one way to work, so gas milage became important.

We have had a number of different automobiles, and currently have a Ford Windstar Minivan, that has over 150,000 miles on it. It has been a very good vehicle and we love it. We expect to be looking for something else before the end of this year.

The picture is a blue version of the Daytona Charger. The Dodge Charger has been around for a long time, this was their attempt to make it a large car. My Charger had a sun roof rather than the T-Top and had a regular exhaust system as opposed to the headers in this picture. My Charger was Burgundy rather than this blue.

[David Ward]

10.

#1 - 1974 Chevrolet Vega - my first car. Perhaps one of the few Vega's with a trailer hitch on it.

#2 - 1978 or 79 Mercury Zephyr (cannot remember the year).

#3 - 1977 Honda Civic. This was Sharon's first car, and it too married into the family.

#4 - 1984 Chevrolet Cavalier Sedan (traded Zephyr on this one)

#5 - 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier Wagon (replaced Civic)

#6 - 1991 Chevrolet Blazer (replaced 84 Cavalier)

#7 - 1993 Dodge Grand Caravan. First major trip was to Indianapolis for General Assembly. Replaced 86 Cavalier Wagon.

#8 - 1994 Chevrolet Blazer (replaced 91 Blazer as I was doing a lot of driving then). Still have.

#9 - 2002 Daewoo Nubira Wagon. Still have ... no comment. Replaced the Caravan when it hit 192,000 miles.

#10 - 2004 Saturn Vue.

[Anne and Dwayne Hood]

when we were dating, Dwayne had a 1948-49 Buick.
We bought a 1953 Chevy.
1958 Ford
1963 Corvair
1968 Chevy station wagon
1969 Plymouth wagon
1970 Sportsman Van
1973 Van
1977 Sportsman Van
Then I start forgetting the kind and years.
Van and little Volks for second car
from heee on, I forget the order. Dwayne quit buy new cars, after a while-and quit trading every 18 months -2 years for new cars.
We have had two toyotas-nice, Datsun wagon, Nissan Van, 1967 Chevy in 1967, Several more along the way.

[Anne and Dwayne Hood]

when we were dating, Dwayne had a 1948-49 Buick.
We bought a 1953 Chevy.
1958 Ford
1963 Corvair
1968 Chevy station wagon
1969 Plymouth wagon
1970 Sportsman Van
1973 Van
1977 Sportsman Van
Then I start forgetting the kind and years.
Van and little Volks for second car
from heee on, I forget the order. Dwayne quit buy new cars, after a while-and quit trading every 18 months -2 years for new cars.
We have had two toyotas-nice, Datsun wagon, Nissan Van, 1967 Chevy in 1967, Several more along the way...traded that for a 1968 chevy--Finally he started buying the Mini Chrysler product Vans, and at present we're driving a 2002 Dodge Van--have had it several years. We put it on a 2.9 interest charge card, that we got in the mail, and paid it off faster. I think that cost an extra $100.We got rid of the second car, a Buick, since I seldom go anywhere unless I am with someone else.
There is no way to count, the cars, that man has bought.

[Kevin Rector]

1- 1986 Mazda B2000 extended cab pickup truck. This was my first car (technically it was my parents until I turned 18 and bought it off them for one dollar) and loved it. I drove it throughout high school, all the way through college and into my first year in the Army. I drove it on Spring Break from Olivet my senior year out to Colorado with two friends. We went snow skiing and on the way down the mountain the clutch went out. We had to coast all the way down the mountain and we pulled into the first parking lot we saw. The tow truck operator had us all ride in the truck on top of the flatbed tow truck.

2. 1994 GMC Sonoma 4x4 extended cab pickup truck. This was a cool truck and I wished many times later that I would have kept it instead of buying car number 3.

3. 1995 Chevy Cavalier. Much lower payment and operating costs than my truck, but way less cool. It also was basically a piece of junk, it got me through then end of my time in the Army and it got me to Nashville where it kept breaking down.

4. 2000 Dodge Durango 4x4. One day I was watching tv and a commercial came on for the Dodge Durango. I fell in love. I got in my piece of junk Cavalier drove to the Dodge dealership and bought the Durango (0% interest). This was the only new car I ever bought. I loved that car but the gas was really expensive. My wife still tells me when we see a royal blue Durango in the old body style that she regrets talking me into selling it (but it was the right thing to do so I don't resent her).

6. 1995 Mazda Protege. This was my wife's first car so it became mine by marriage. We still have it.

5. 1994 Ford Ranger. This was a decision based entirely on economics. I lost my absurdly good paying job so the payments on the Durango were a bit of a stretch. I also got married. I bought this truck for really cheap after I sold the Durango. I sold this truck to my father-in-law when I moved to Wisconsin to pastor.

6. 1994 Chrysler Town & Country minivan. This was my parents van and they were getting a new one, so they gave it to us. It had a lot of miles and some rust but it was a good van and we were happy to have it (we sold it for $1400 after driving it for like 2 years).

7. 2004 Chrysler Town & Country minivan. This is a top of the line van with all the goodies except the built in DVD player. It was my parents van and when they retired they sold it to us at a substantial loss to themselves. It was a kind thing that they did. We'll drive it until it is dead because we'll never be able to afford a van this nice ever again.

[Gina Stevenson]

Neither do I, Joel! I just searched the internet for cars of the same model and year. I presume most of you wouldn't be too familiar with a Fiat or a Peugeot.

Yes, we have European cars here, Hans ... all sorts of them. ;) Actually, my one big bad lemon was a Fiat station wagon back in the 70's. 'Got it b/c someone was on their 2nd one, after their first one had gone "forever." Mine was an electrical nightmare, tho' new. Ended up selling at a loss, after taking it back & back to the dealer (pre-stricter "lemon laws"), & got a used '78 Volare' that was good.

13 ........................

1999 Dodge Mini Van
2004 Dodge Mini Van
2001 Plymouth Neon

OK, Bob, since I don't see a Durango as one of your Chrysler products listed here, now I'm curious [was thinking it was yours & Nan's] re whose Durango was at the old small group awhile back. 'Guess I just notice those ... was thinking I'd like one, until I found they come with 8- not 6-cylinder.

[Bob Evans]

It belongs to Kendells

[Walter Thompson]

49 Ford pick-up (with Dump)
60 Chrysler
58 Cadillac
1961 Cadillac
1969 Olds 442
1972 Olds Cutlass 'S'
1974 Olds Cutlass Supreme

The two Cadillacs are first, then the 1969 Olds 442, then the 1972 Cutlass "S", then the 60 Chrysler Valiant and next to it the 1974 Olds.

I'll try to find pictures of the Ford Pick-up, and then the 65 Mustang fast back. Other vehicles: 74 Dodge extended cab pick up, 76 Chevy Station wagon, 76 Ford Pick-up, 79 Chevy Nova, 88 Ford van, 92 Ford Van, 96 Ford Hi-top van (RV), 2000 Olds Sonoma pickup, 2003 Ford Expedition, and finally 2006 Toyota Matrix XR.
I still have the 72, 76, 92, 96, 03 and the 06. The 72 is going to be fixed up, still runs and nearly all original equipment. The 76, 92 and the 96 are all for sale. Beckie drives the Expedition and Donna and I drive the Toyota.

All of my last five vehicles have over 200,000 miles on them except the 03 and the 06. The 03 has about 150,000 miles on it and the 06 had over 50,000 on it.
The 72 has 92,000 miles on it.

[Walter Thompson]

This is the vehicle I learned to drive on. It was a floor shift. It also had dump controls. The battery was in the floor inside of the cab. I was broadsided and had two passengers. The only serious injury was battery acid on one of the guys but it was minor. We flipped and landed upside down. We had the back built up with plywood to hold the grass clippings. That probably saved us from serious injury.


15818

I bought this when I had just got out of the Navy in 1969. I wrecked it and sold it for $50 to a scrap yard. It had about $500 worth of damage. Which didn't make it worth repairing. This was in 1970. Mine was black and it could beat a corvette off of the line for the first 1/8 of a mile. Loved this car.


15819


I almost forgot about this one. I bought this while I was in the Navy. It is a 1961 Chevy Biscayne. I had to put deck plating in it before I got out. The floorboards had rusted out. I had an accident right after I got out of the Navy. A lady ran a stop sign and totaled the car, thats when I bought the Mustang.

15820

[Hans Deventer]

Yes, we have European cars here, Hans ... all sorts of them. ;)

Well, I've never heard anyone in the US driving a Peugeot. I know about VW's, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Saab, Volvo, Jaguar, about the expensive Italian cars. But I never heard much about French cars like the Peugeot, Renault, Citroen.

[Wendy Smith]

When I met my husband he had a
1964 ford fairlane (wish we still had that) then a
1974 Datsun B210


My first car....my dad picked it out. it was a great deal he said.
1972 Chevy Nova with a rag top sun roof and boy was it a nice car!! I wished I knew what size motor but at that time...it didn't make a difference to me. I traded that in cause I wanted a "cute car" (WHAT WAS I THINKING!) Anyway the guy who bought it...wrapped it around a telephone pole a month after he got it. I cried.
The "cute car"
1978 Honda accord hatchback. I LOVED that car.
Got married....my husband had something in his back pocket that ripped the seat. So we went to a dealership to see about replacing just the back part of the seat cover....walked thru the showroom(big mistake) Salesman gets my husband to test drive a Brand new
1983 Honda civic 4dr. drove it off the showroom floor. Ended up buying it that day. Traded the hatchback in. I cried.
Both kids learned to drive a stick in that car. We had that 1983 till 2002
Pretty much drove it to the ground and then someone else was driving it till 2005..after Hurricane Katrina we didn't see it anymore. Figure it didn't survive.
1989 Plymouth Voyager Mini Van. LOVED that Van! We had documented proof from the the first service on it that the Transmission had slight problems. The dealer worked on it did everything but give us a new transmission. Drove that till 2006...Transmission finally went. I cried when they towed it away. 17 yrs later it was still a nice car inside. We had covers on the seats...no major spills in it and we had 2 boys!

2000 Plymouth Breeze came into the picture as a 2nd car when #1 son took over the honda. We still have it.
Son may buy this from us....It will kill my husband...especially if its not taken care of properly...so son is having 2nd thoughts!!

a 1996 buick lesabre for #2 son. sold it
a 1995 Jeep Cherokee for #1 son. son totalled it.
another 1995 Jeep Cherokee for husband cause he fell in love with son's. It was to become his "project car" along with the parts of the totalled one. Ended up selling all of it since we were moving.
1993 Mercury Sable #2 sons car

2006 Ford Focus. First Ford i've owned or been around. its ok. Its noisy to me not a quiet ride. But its good gas mileage and fun to drive. Just not sure i'd buy another one.
Husbands new baby
2007 Dodge Dakota quad cab truck.

[David Warren]

Well, I've never heard anyone in the US driving a Peugeot. I know about VW's, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Saab, Volvo, Jaguar, about the expensive Italian cars. But I never heard much about French cars like the Peugeot, Renault, Citroen.

Hans,

My dad had a renault back in the mid 60's while we lived in St. Louis, Mo. It was a small little gray thing. with a stick shift on the floor (a three speed I think) that was fun for 2 but not 4. He bought it used and worked on it himself and had it for a couple of years. Precious memories :basic02

Just added this to say I know renault's have been around the U.S. as well as the others you mentioned.

Dave

[Ian Gentles]

We had eight, including a mini bus, first one cops used to stop us, just to ask how we kept it running LOL Before that had three motor bikes, and a motor Scooter! One motor bike exploded in flames when I kick started it, ah those were the days LOL.

[Joel Merrill]

In 1984 I bought a junk 60 Chevy that I wanted to restore because they looked a lot like 59 Chevy's. I sold that car before I ever got it on the road. It needed an engine and I bought a 65 Chevy with a good 283 in it and a lot of other good parts.

When I bought that 63 Plymouth Valiant, it needed a lot of body work like most of my cars. I fixed it up and painted it and it was a cute little car. I still had some of the chrome from that 65 Chevy. When I painted the Plymouth, I took all of the chrome off that said Plymouth or Valiant. Then I put Chevrolet and the trunk lid and grill and a pare of those little flags that Chevy's had back then on the fender behind the front wheels. I had a lot of fun with that car because people couldn't figure out what it was. I had it parked up town one day and when I came out of the store, there were several guys standing around my car scratching their heads. I went to the muffler shop to get a tail pipe. The guy looked thought his parts books several times and then asked me what year Nova that was. I opened the hood and showed him the slant 6. He has never forgotten that.

jOeL :bannana

[Wesley Smith]

Not sure that I can remember all of them...

1. 1955 Cadilac (given to me by my Aunt Mary Jane)
2. 1956 Plymouth
3. 1961 Chevy Impala
4. 1965 Chevy Bel Air
5. 1969 Ford Pinto
6. 1974 Ford Pinto
7. 1971 Dodge ? Slant 6
8. 1947 Chevy Town Coupe
9. 1974 Buick Century
10. 1974 Volkswagon Hatchback
11. 1978 Chevy Van
12. 1977 (?) Nissan F-10
13. 1984 Dodge Omni
14. 1987 Nissan Sentra
15. 1989 Plymouth Sundance
16. 1987 Volkswagon Camper Van
17. 1989 Toyota Camry
18. 1993 Honda Accord
19. 1991 Ford 5-150
20. 1995 Nissan Maxima
21. 1997 Ford F-150
22. 1997 Nissan Maxima
23. 2001 Mitsubishi Montero Sport
24. 2006 Volkswagon Jetta, TDI, Diesel

My two favorites are the two we have now. The '97 F-150 has been fabulous for pulling the horse trailer and lots of other hauling. We really like our Jetta...40+ MPG and very comfortable.

Friend,

Wes

[Wilson L. Deaton]

1976 (first car, 16 years-old)
'69 Chevelle - bought from man in my church

1978
'73 Chevelle (not nearly as cool as my '69)

1982
'77 Datsun 280z (Awesome 5-Speed)
(traded just a few weeks later because 2-seater wasn't adequate)
'80 Mecury Zephyr (very un-cool)

1983
Got married sold Zephyer to my Dad
We kept wife's Ford Pinto Hatchback

1984
?? old Ford Falcon ($50 back-up car, only kept a couple months)

1985
Junked Pinto
Bought Zephyr back from Dad

1988
'83 LeSabre (bought from my Dad)

1992
?? Inherited Chevy Eurosport from wife's grandmother

about 1997
1993 Plymouth Voyager (bought from wife's Dad)
(Most reliable I ever had-- my record for most miles: over 198,000)

about 2003
1998? Taurus Wagon

about 2005
2000 Ford Windstar (bought in Iowa when Taurus transmission went out on a trip to MNU)

2007
'08 Toyota Corolla (My first ever new car!)
(I currently have Corolla and Windstar (about 160,000 miles now.)

Photos of 69 Chevelle and 77 280z

(Last pic is engine I installed in '69 Chevelle... Man could she fly!)

Wilson

[Dennis M. Scott]

55 Rambler
56 Ford
58 Chevy
64 Ford Fairlane 500
68 Chrysler
68 Oldsmobile
72 Mercury
69 VW
71 Gremlin
69 Plymouth
70 Plymouth former state patrol car
72 Dodge
74 Chevy
80 Datsun 510 Wagon
84 Datsun pickup
83 Oldsmobile
80 Ford econoline van
82 Pontiac
86 Buick LaSabre
80 Plymouth coupe
86 Jeep
90 Ford van
84 Volvo
92 Volvo
98 Ford Econoline van
96 Chevy van
94 Town Car
95 Cadillac
03 Nissan Murano
03 Chevy van
94 Ford Boxtruck
03 PT Cruiser
07 Toyota Avalon

I think that's 34.

[Mike Wooldridge]

(Last pic is engine I installed in '69 Chevelle... Man could she fly!)

Wilson

We have liftoff!

[Jim Franklin]

1950 Studebaker Champion
1963 Rambler Classic
1965 Dodge Coronet
19?? Fiat
1969 Dodge Dart
1969 Ford Galaxie
1969 Chevrolet
19?? Ford Fiesta
1979 Ford Futura
1981 Dodege Challenger
19?? Toyota
19?? Plymouth Colt
1982 Mazda 626
1981 Yugo
1986 Cherolet S-10 Pickup
1983 Subaru
2000 Ford Taurus
2001 Hyundai Sante Fe

Over 50 years of supporting the US oil industry just to get from here to there. How many miles I could not even hazzard a guess.

[Mike Wooldridge]

I have no idea. My favorites have been
A 1966 Ford Mustang
http://www.westol.com/~blcars/images/sale3077a.jpg
A 1982 Cadillac Cimarron
http://www.usaraud.ee/ajuvant/cadillac/1984_cimarron.jpg
My present car, a 2005 Volvo S40
http://images.cars.com/main/DMI/112427/082521C.jpg

[Hans Deventer]

My present car, a 2005 Volvo S40
http://images.cars.com/main/DMI/112427/082521C.jpg[/CENTER]

That one is quite popular here as well.

BTW, American cars are doing better now. I'm sure the current exchange rate has something to do with that :basic01

[Gina Stevenson]

...................

Just added this to say I know renault's have been around the U.S. as well as the others you mentioned.

Dave

Yes, have seen several. What did surprise me is seeing that there are even big rigs made by them; didn't realize that until seeing one within the last year or two.

............

80 Ford econoline van .............

98 Ford Econoline van ..................

I think that's 34.


Wow! 34!? Anyway, your two Econolines reminded me that I forgot one in the list. We got an '86 [in '95] which helped us move (along w/the Laser, which didn't hold much, besides me & Sasha, while Danny drove the Ford) from Michigan back to Arizona. That thing kept going & going & going ... we called it "The Energizer" ... until his brother got his hands on it. Not all that long after he bo't it, he ignored its overheating, blew the engine .... :(

[Bruce Carriker]

I haven't owned as many cars as Dennis.

[LoraineStanton]

Hmmm. It depends on how you count:basic05
The first car I purchased was a 1970 something used Datsun.
In 1983 I purchased a new Suburu
a used 1990ish Dodge Dynasty

Both of the Buick's Paul and I had were in my name, as is our one ton Ford van but none of them were really "my cars"

[Mike Wooldridge]

Hmmm. It depends on how you count:basic05

I usually count like this 1,2,3 etc... ;)

[Joel Merrill]

(Last pic is engine I installed in '69 Chevelle... Man could she fly!)

Wilson
The engine in my Granada probably used as much gas as that but with not nearly the performance :basic03

Joel

[Joel Merrill]

Well, I've never heard anyone in the US driving a Peugeot. I know about VW's, Mercedes, BMW, Porsche, Saab, Volvo, Jaguar, about the expensive Italian cars. But I never heard much about French cars like the Peugeot, Renault, Citroen.
It used to be that there were just a hand full of foreign car companies in the US. Now there are Many. At first they were hard to get parts for and so different to work on from American cars that it was hard to find anyone who could work on them. That is not so much of an issue now. A lot also depends where dealers are located. You will see a lot more foreign cars in or near big cities because that is where the dealers are. Besides buying them, you can get parts and service there too. I see quite a few Renaults, both cars and trucks, around here because there is a large dealer in Des Moines. We are also seeing a lot of British cars like, Mini Coopers, Land Rovers and Jaguars now. I used to see a lot of MG's and Triumph's. I almost bought a MG once. I think Triumph went out of business. I worked on one once. I wasn't impressed. I used to work on a friend's Opel back in the 70's. I haven't seen one of them in years. Are they still in business?

Joel

[Greg Gates]

Some pictures:

The 2nd Hyundai Pony (just the same model)
The Fiat 127 (it actually was red)
The Peugeot 304 (same colour and model again)
The Peugeot 305 (just the same model)

Hans, you have owned some homely cars. But I still get the prize for the ugliest... a 1969 Renault R10.
http://www.seiscientos.org/contemporaneos/fotos/r10.jpg

[Joel Merrill]

(Last pic is engine I installed in '69 Chevelle... Man could she fly!)

Wilson

That rocket engine reminds me of this

http://www.ronpatrickstuff.com/

Joel

[John Kennedy]

Well, when I counted 'em up, I have (along with several banks and credit unions) owned 19 vehicles (cars and pickups0. The first one was a '54 Dodge that I became very proficient at refilling the master cylinder with brake fluid - it could actually be accessed through a hole in the floorboard.

Probably the vehicle I enjoyed owning and driving the most was a 2000 Chevy S-10 pickup. I'd still have it if it hadn't been for a little piece of plastic and metal about 3 or 4 inches long called a 'fuel composition sensor'. When I tried to have thevehicle 'smogged' it wouldn't pass. By the time I got through I would have ended up putting nearly a thousand dollars into a vehicle with nearly 100k miles on it. So I trade it in on an '06 Chevy Aveo hatchback - I think of it as a 'shrunken station wagon'. Even with a 4 cylinder engine, it'll still move. If I'm not paying attention on the freeway, I can be up to 85-90 mph in a hurry. Maybe that's why I don't get better gas milage.

[Hans Deventer]

I used to work on a friend's Opel back in the 70's. I haven't seen one of them in years. Are they still in business?

Oh yes they are. Below the Opel Vectra.

[Joel Merrill]

Oh yes they are. Below the Opel Vectra.
That's a nice looking car. There must not be any dealers around here. Another car that I used to work on a lot was the old Volkswagens. I came close to buying one twice. One was a late 60's Square Back. It had fuel injection and a friend warned me that they were unreliable. Now I wonder if he knew what he was talking about, but oh well, that was 35 years ago. Then I came real close to buying a bug. They were a lot of fun to drive. You just had to keep the valves adjusted. I don't know why I didn't buy that. I had the money. One thing I didn't like was that they didn't have a heater or defroster. Some of them had an optional heater that ran off of gasoline and sat on top the gas tank. That was really safe :basic04. You still see though old bugs around some.

Joel

[Hans Deventer]

Hans, you have owned some homely cars. But I still get the prize for the ugliest... a 1969 Renault R10.
http://www.seiscientos.org/contemporaneos/fotos/r10.jpg

Greg, didn't that one have the engine in the back?

[Bruce Carriker]

Okay, according to my insurance company, here are the cars I've owned:

1970 Dodge Dart
1979 Camaro Z28...first new car I bought after being commissioned as an Army officer
1971 BMW 2002
1980 Dodge Mirada...after my fiancee totaled the Z28 (I was very sad!)
1975 Chevy Chevette
1984 Audi 4000
1970 Volkswagen Beetle
1973 BMW 2002
1986 Nissan pick-up
1987 Chrysler LeBaron GTS Turbo Coupe
1981 Honda Prelude
1988 Mercury Tracer (most dependable car I've ever owned)
1990 Honda Accord
1991 Ford Taurus (worst car I've ever owned)
1995 Mercury Mystique (second most dependable car I've ever owned)
1996 Ford Aerostar
1999 Honda Civic

If I counted correctly, that's 17 cars.

[Mike Wooldridge]

http://www.pioneer.net/~mchumor/church_cartoon_7601.gif]Hans[/url], you have owned some homely cars. But I still get the prize for the ugliest... a 1969 Renault R10.
http://www.seiscientos.org/contemporaneos/fotos/r10.jpg
I haven't owned 1 but I think the Yugo is uglier.
http://www.swapmeetdave.com/Humor/Yugo.jpg

[Terry Pinkerton]

38 Ford
58 Ford Fairlane
58 Chevrolet Biscayne
68 Toyota 2 + 2
73 Toyota Corolla
76 AMC Sportabout
81 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
86 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight
88 Toyota Pickup
88 Toyota F(?)
97 Chrysler Le Baron
98 GMC Jimmy
02 GMC Envoy

[Dennis M. Scott]

55 Rambler
56 Ford
58 Chevy
64 Ford Fairlane 500
68 Chrysler
68 Oldsmobile
72 Mercury
69 VW
71 Gremlin
69 Plymouth
70 Plymouth former state patrol car
72 Dodge
74 Chevy
80 Datsun 510 Wagon
84 Datsun pickup
83 Oldsmobile
80 Ford econoline van
82 Pontiac
86 Buick LaSabre
80 Plymouth coupe
86 Jeep
90 Ford van
84 Volvo
92 Volvo
98 Ford Econoline van
96 Chevy van
94 Town Car
95 Cadillac
03 Nissan Murano
03 Chevy van
94 Ford Boxtruck
03 PT Cruiser
07 Toyota Avalon

I think that's 34.

John Kennedy reminded me: I had an S-10 Chevy pickup, too 1981, I think.
I also had a Dodge snowplow truck. Interesting story with that one. I only owned it less than a year, in which time I became everyone's friend. :rolleyes: The year that Bob Dole eventually became the Republican nominee for President, Elizabeth Dole came to our home for a Tea, wanting to meet with New Hampshire pastors. The day of the Tea, we had one of those Noreasters' snowstorms. It snowed about 15 inches. I had the plowtruck, and one of the guys in the church kept using it to plow out our 650 footlong driveway. I had purchased the truck at a state surplus auction, and it was pretty tough. It kept leaking fluid and breaking down. Finally, the guy driving came to the door to tell me it had broken a weld, and would not work any more - and we had Mrs. Dole and all her secret service people coming. Suddenly, it stopped snowing, and didn't start again until after the Tea. I was sure grateful for the snowplow driver. He was a great friend, and still is. His name is Dave Landry, one of the newest Naznetters. He and his wife Charlotte are beautiful people. I never think of Bob and Elizabeth Dole without thinking of them. Welcome Dave!

I think I miscounted, but now have 35 on my list, if I don't count the backhoe.

Also, now I am reminded of an AMC vehicle that Dave and Charlotte eventually bought from us. That must have been about a 1986, or so. That would be 36.

For most of our lives, we have kinda specialized in "disposable cars." I used to get most of my car tires at the junk yard, where they charged $5, mounted, if I took them off the wreck. Mostly they got us by. Charlie, my mechanic, was pretty honest with me. I'd take something in for repairs, and usually he'd fix it. Sometimes, however, he'd say, "Dennis, don't fix this one. Get rid of it and find something else." In recent years, it hasn't been quite so bad.

My eighty two year old dad has just now stopped fixing his own brakes. He's a little ticked right now, because one of his cars needs brakes, and the garage quoted him $800.00. He's going to let the car go, refusing to pay that much when he knows what it would really take. I think maybe dad is the one after whom I have modelled my automobile ownership behavior.

I believe I omitted the 96 Nissan Maxima that we subsequently sold to Jeremy, who is still driving it with nearly 300K. That makes 37.

[Joel Merrill]

I think I miscounted, but now have 35 on my list, if I don't count the backhoe.

I know a guy who lost his drivers license for a while so he drove a Ford Tractor around town. I wonder if he counts that as a car he has owned :basic05

jOeL :fav06

[Joel Merrill]

I thought I posted this last night but now I can't find it. I must have forgot to click on "submit."

I scanned some pictures of my old 59 Chevy. They were taken with a cheap instamatic camera. I couldn't afford a 35mm when I was in high school. I wish I would have washed and waxed the car first. It shinned up real nice. That skinny long haired guy is me at 17.

Joel

[Gina Stevenson]

'59 Chevy! Cool! Loved that big-V back end. Used to see one sitting in the neighbor's driveway across the street; he had several Chevy's in a row.

[Roland Hearn]

Let's see

'74 Datsun 240 K

'77 Ford Falcon Station Wagon 302 four on the floor (loved that car)

'73 GMH Gemini

'68 Ford Falcon

'69 Ford Falcon

'70 Chrysler Valiant

'82 Suzuki GS 1000 (motor bike - still my favorite vehicle)

'85 Mitsubishi Sigma Wagon

'87 Toyota Tarago Mini van

'95 Ford Fairmont Wagon (nice car)

'96 Ford Aerostar

2000 Ford Focus

'02 Chevy Venture

'96 Ford Falcon Station Wagon

2000 Mitsubishi Verada

[Roland Hearn]

I don't have many of my old pictures scanned. Here is a picture of my with my 66 Chevy 3/4 ton pickup and a picture of that 62 Ford Falcon parked at an old looking gas station.

Joel

One of the things that many Americans, that have an interest in cars, find interesting - particularly given the demise of the vehicle in the States, was that Ford Australia started importing the Falcon in the late '50s. By the early '60s it had become their flag ship vehicle and had begun to take on a different look to it's American brother. 40 years later it is still the primary vehicle sold by Ford Australia and is one of the most popular cars on the road. It comes in v8 (5 litre) and 6 inline (4 litre) versions, it has sedan, wagon and sports versions and is a comfortable family car, here is what the '08 version looks like. It has come a long way.

[Gina Stevenson]

And here we tho't the Falcon had flown the coop a long time ago! [yeah, I know ... a bad pun! :laughing]

[Jeremy D. Scott]

Good thread, Joel.

I can count the cars I've actually owned (with my name on the title) on four fingers:
1996 Nissan Maxima (still running, and easily my favorite car)
1997 Ford Taurus (BOOOO!)
1998 Nissan Altima (which I traded straight up for a ...)
1999 Plymouth Town & Country

But here are the cars of which I was the regular driver, all owned by my parents:

1987 Jeep Cherokee
19?? Dodge Aries
1992 Volvo 240 (great car!)
1996 Volvo 850

[Mike Schutz]

1966 Ford Torino (purchased from my parents in 1977)
1970 Chevy Nova (purchased in 1979)
1983 Oldsmobile Firenza
1986 Ford Taurus Station Wagon
1995 Ford Windstar
1998 Saturn
2002 Honda Odyssey
1999 Honda Civic (purchased in 2003)

[David Parker]

It hurts my head to think back this far.....

1) 1964 Pontiac Star Chief
2) 1972 Chevrolet Vega
3) 1973 Ford Gran Torino
4) 1977 Honda Civic
5) 1970 Datsun 510
6) 1978 Toyota Pick Up
7) 1980 Toyota Celica
8) 1980 Buick Century
9) 1981 Mercedes 240D
10) 1988 Ford F350 truck
11) 1994 Mercury Cougar
12) 1994 Mercury Villager Minivan
13) 1998 Lincoln Town Car
13) 2000 Lincoln Town Car
14) 2001 Lincoln Town Car
15) 2006 Chrysler 300C

But more importantly....

1) 1970 homemade minibike
2) 1973 Kawasaki 100 Single
3) 1973 Kawasaki 350 Triple
4) 1975 Honda 750F SuperSport
5) 1971 Harley Sportster
6) 1982 Honda GoldWing Aspencade
7) 1999 Harley FLHR Road King
8) 2007 Harley FLHTCU Electra Glide

[Peter Teolis]

In this order starting in 1980, in 28 years I have owned 14 vehicles (no wonder I am broke!)
1970 Chevy Malibu 250 cu in
1971 Datsun 510 Wagon - 4 cylinder automatic - station wagon
1976 Cutlass Salon - V8 350 4 barrel 2 door
1985 Honda Accord 1.6 litre, 5 speed , 2 door hatch back
1986 Honda Accord 2.0 litre, 5 speed , 2 door hatch back
1988 GMC Jimmy 2.8 litre, 4 x 4
1992 Plymouth Voyager, 3.3 litre Mini Van
1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4 x 4 SUV
1994 Dodge Grand Caravan, 3.3 litre Mini Van
1998 Ford Explorer, 4.0 Litre, Eddie Bauer edition SUV
1987 Chev Eurosport Station Wagon
1992 Ford Taurus Station Wagon
1999 Chrysler LHS
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo 4 x 4 SUV (currently driving)

[Lee Branum]

I'll start with a '41 Buick Special I got for a Honda 50 Sport motorcycle that wouldn't run. Then to my grandfather's '53 Buick Special two door when I was going to school. I came home from Vietnam in '70 and bought a Chevelle Malibu. Traded that in three years for a '73 Buick Century, then on to a '74 Fiat 128..arguably the worst car I ever had. Then a '76 Chevy Pickup, '77Buick Century, '79 Opel Isuzu, '81 Buick Skylark, '83 Buick Skylark, '83 Chevy S10 pickup, '85 Olds Cutlass Ciera, '87 Buick Park Avenue, '93 Dodge Intrepid, '98 Chevy Lumina LTZ, 2000 GMC Sonoma, 2002 Buick Lesabre, to our current 2006 Buick Lucerne and a 2007 Chevy Silverado pickup. I've had my share of vehicles...

[Sheya Stephens]

1992 Dodge Shadow
1989 Chevy Nova
1972 Toyota Landcruiser
1989 Chevy Van
1995 Dodge Intrepid
1995 Ford Contour
2003 Ford Windstar

This list is from what my husband and I had since we have been dating... We still have the intreped (Troy's) and Windstar (mine) :)

[Peter Teolis]

ok, I forgot a few

1988 Grand Marquis
1985 Cadillac DeVille
1985 Cadillac Seville

[Billie Goodson]

1973 Chevrolet Coupe
1979 Chevrolet Malibu
1989 Dodge Colt Vista
1991 Mazda B2200 Extended Cab Pickup
1993 Dodge Grand Caravan
1999 Chevrolet Suburban
2005 Hyundai Sonata
1986 Toyota Cressida
1986 Yamaha Virago 1100 (my motorcycle)

For the kids we have had:
199? Oldsmobile Cutlass Sierra -- daughter totaled this one :( )
1994 Saturn SC1 Coupe
1992 Toyota Camry (died on I-65 last week...)

[Susan Unger]

I've had 4:


93 Subaru - Good car!
96 Subaru [LEMON! I know what a torque converter is only cuz the one on this vehicle didn't work right at all even tho the car was less than 3 years old. Dumped it for -
99 Grand Am - brakes were terrible, and the last year I owned it it left me stranded on the road 3 times...the last one 'bout killed me. Dumped it for -
07 Vibe - WONDERFUL!!!!!! I'm not giving this one up for a longgggg time. Just wish I had all wheel drive, ABS or traction control on it like I did on my previous cars.

[Glenn Harris]

From what I can remember, including the three we own now (listed with asterik's), the total is 34. The first four I owned while still in high school. I've always been a little hard on cars. I view them as tools and not as investments and as such I don't become too attached to them until after the fact on a couple of them. Some of them I guestimated on the year because I really don't remember.

1962 Chevrolet Corvair (wish I still had it)
1961 Chevy II
1963 Triumph Spitfire (really wish I still had it)
1963 Buick Special
1955 Chevrolet Bel Aire
1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo
1963 Dodge Dart
1964 MGB Midget (another one I wish I still had)
1968 Dodge Station Wagon (can’t remember the model)
1967 Ford Galaxy
1962 Ford Falcon
1969 Pontiac Station Wagon (can’t remember the model)
1978 Ford Mustang II
1978 Ford F150 Extended Cab
1977 Ford Thunderbird
1978 Chevrolet Classic Station Wagon
1974 Audi LS 100
1977 Dodge Conversion Van
1984 Dodge Caravan
1980 Pontiac Trans Am (another one I’d like to still have)
1979 Subaru Brat
1974 Ford Ranger Pickup
1990 Chevrolet Baretta (the only car I ever bought brand new and my biggest mistake)
1994 Ford Escort
1964 Rambler American
1977 Dodge Conversion Van (almost identical to the previous one)
1997 Ford Taurus
1994 Jeep Cherokee
2002 Ford Crown Victoria
*2003 Ford Escape
1974 Mercedes LS 500
2003 Ford Focus
*2007 Ford Fusion
*1974 Triumph TR6

[Loretta Neureiter]

I don't think I could count the number of cars we have had. My husband loves to fix cars up and then sale them. So in 35 years of marriage we have probably had almost that many cars. Here's a the picture of one that we have had the longest. It's a 1950 Plymouth we have owned it for about 20 years now.

[Jon Bemis]

66 LTD
66 Caprice SS
69 Torino GT
70 Maverick Grabber
71 Maverick Grabber
73 Maverick Grabber
73 Mercury Capri (German)
74 Mustang II
74 VW Super Beetle
76 Ford Courier
78 Mercury Zephyr
79 Fairmont
82 Ford Courier
85 Bronco II
88 Bronco II
88 Ranger
90 Bronco II
91 Ranger
92 Explorer Sport
94 Grand Prix
97 Ranger (still own)
2002 ZX2
2006 Mustang GT
2007 Mustang GT (still own)

[Robyn Harper]

I think I have had the most cars for a female and probably the most who has not had to spend much for them. 80% of my past cars had been given to me so my list will also show color and if someone gave it to me or if I paid for it.

'62 Buick Skylark convertable-red/bought $50
‘63 Chevy impala-brown-bought $50
‘68 Austin America-white-standard and automatic/ Mom’s
‘69 Toyota Corolla-blue/ Mom’s
‘69 Volvo-black-standard/ Dad’s
‘70 Toyota Celica-brown-standard/Mom’s
‘70 Buick Skylark-red-bought $100
‘73 Ford F-10-blue/Dad’s
‘73 Volkswagon Bug-orange-standard/ friend’s
‘75 Buick Century-mustard/husband’s
‘75 International Scout-white-traded for a boat
‘78 Buick Sunbird-blue-bought $1,000
‘78 Volkswagon Jetta-beige-standard/Dad’s
‘78 Oldsmobile wagon-brown/friend’s
‘79 Datsun-brown-standard/friend’s
‘79 Chevy Chevelle-green/friend’s
‘79 Dodge Aspen Wagon-grey/in exchange for totaled car from accident
‘79 Chevy Monte Carlo-black/friend’s/traded for old engagement ring
’80 Ford LTD-green/friend’s/totaled when hit by police car
‘80 AMC Concord wagon-maroon/friend’s
‘80 Subaru Hatchback-blue-standard/brother’s
‘80 AMC Eagle-black-standard/friend’s
‘81 Renault Reliance-blue-standard-bought $1000
‘82 Dodge Diplomat-maroon/friend’s
‘84 Ford Escort-beige/Mom’s
‘85 Buick Skyhawk-brown/sister-in-law’s
‘94 Dodge Spirit-blue-bought $400
’95 Buick Park Avenue Presidential-beige/given as wedding present
’95 Geo Metro-blue/husband’s car/standard/ but I drive it more than half the time. He bought it for $800

by the way...that count is 29. and I have been driving for 35 years

[Susan Unger]

I think I have had the most cars for a female and probably the most who has not had to spend much for them. 80% of my past cars had been given to me so my list will also show color and if someone gave it to me or if I paid for it.

'62 Buick Skylark convertable-red/bought $50
‘63 Chevy impala-brown-bought $50
‘68 Austin America-white-standard and automatic/ Mom’s
‘69 Toyota Corolla-blue/ Mom’s
‘69 Volvo-black-standard/ Dad’s
‘70 Toyota Celica-brown-standard/Mom’s
‘70 Buick Skylark-red-bought $100
‘73 Ford F-10-blue/Dad’s
‘73 Volkswagon Bug-orange-standard/ friend’s
‘75 Buick Century-mustard/husband’s
‘75 International Scout-white-traded for a boat
‘78 Buick Sunbird-blue-bought $1,000
‘78 Volkswagon Jetta-beige-standard/Dad’s
‘78 Oldsmobile wagon-brown/friend’s
‘79 Datsun-brown-standard/friend’s
‘79 Chevy Chevelle-green/friend’s
‘79 Dodge Aspen Wagon-grey/in exchange for totaled car from accident
‘79 Chevy Monte Carlo-black/friend’s/traded for old engagement ring
’80 Ford LTD-green/friend’s/totaled when hit by police car
‘80 AMC Concord wagon-maroon/friend’s
‘80 Subaru Hatchback-blue-standard/brother’s
‘80 AMC Eagle-black-standard/friend’s
‘81 Renault Reliance-blue-standard-bought $1000
‘82 Dodge Diplomat-maroon/friend’s
‘84 Ford Escort-beige/Mom’s
‘85 Buick Skyhawk-brown/sister-in-law’s
‘94 Dodge Spirit-blue-bought $400
’95 Buick Park Avenue Presidential-beige/given as wedding present
’95 Geo Metro-blue/husband’s car/standard/ but I drive it more than half the time. He bought it for $800

by the way...that count is 29. and I have been driving for 35 years

It's like reading a little bio of your life. ;)

[Robyn Harper]

well, I know I have good friends who gave what they had for me, :fav18seeing me in my time of need. whoa.. :basic07. kind of like being a Christian. :amen whooda thunk it?:p :D