What was your first . . .

[Janmac]

Car?

Mine was a 1964 Ford Fairlane that I paid $75 for when I was 19. And then turned around and paid another $75 for a valve job. Boy howdy did that car have some get up and go then.

Btw, that rear wheel drive car was awesome in snow. DH and I used to confound the fellas in the 4 wd trucks, tooling around in that plain old car.

DH crumpled the front passenger fender in 1975 or 76 and that pretty effectively totaled the car. At least from an insurance point of view.

Had a 260 V-8 in it. Nice little engine.

Jan

[Disney Hungarian]

1961 VW beetle. The engine was in a box and I had to put it together. It had the 6 volt electronics and a folding sunroof like Herbie. I sure do miss that piece of junk. Was so much fun.

[Briansmom]

When I graduated from high school in 1978, my mom bought me a 1968 Plymouth Valiant for $500. That was all she could afford as a single mom. Boy, I thought I was hot stuff! Broke down many a nite on the way home from my closing shift at Tomorrowland Terrace (now Cosmic Ray's) (more like many a morning as we got off at 2 am!!) Things were definitely different back than as I wouldnt dare walk that back road to the employee tunnel entrance in the middle of the nite now by myself, much less go up to a lone house and yell up at someone's 2nd floor window (that's where I saw lights) to ask to use their phone! Also, walked on Interstate 4 to the nearest exit to find a phone too. That car could have been dangerous to my health! Wow....havent thought about that in a looong time! Thanks for this post!

[SBETigg]

I didn't have a car when I was a kid at home. I think to make up for it, my dad bought me a 1972 Plymouth Fury-- in 1991 when I was a 22 year old new mom. I laughed like crazy when he showed up with it- wow, that thing was huge. My friends bought me fuzzy dice to hang from the mirror. And I thought, Gee, um, thanks Dad? But we were just out of college, certainly not thriving financially, and needed the extra car so I could get my baby to doctor appointments and pick up groceries and stuff. So of course, yes, I drove it (short distances) and appreciated the gift. The Fury only lasted about a year, but my friends still talk about it and she's a fond memory, representative of those lean early struggling years for me. Hard times, yes, but such good times.

[mgmnut]

My first car was a 1974 Buick Apollo..... in 1987. I bought it off my grandfather, a very Nova like car.

Hey Briansmom,
My second car was a 1968 Plymouth Valiant. My car was 2 years older than me. I had to let this car warm up for about 5 - 10 mins mid summer or it would stall out, but once it was running I never had any issues with it. My brother ended up totalling it, as he did many cars

[BongoFury]

My first car was a 1972 Mercury Capri that I bought (with help from my dad) for $600 in 1980. It looked like a piece of junk but it ran great. The passenger seat broke so I had to wedge a board between it and the back seat to keep it up. I had a lot of fun in that car except the back seat was kinda small so you couldn't really.....ummm ......but it was a great little car!

[Ian]

Oh man ... my first car was a hand-me-down from my Mom. It was a 1979 Datsun 310GX. One of the ugliest things I've ever seen. I have no clue whatever possessed my Mom to buy the thing.

I had the strangest love/hate relationship with that car. I hated it because it was ugly as sin and certainly not a "chick magnet" kind of car, but at the same time I loved it and appreciated the freedom it gave me.

I'd like to say I appreciated my parents for giving it to me, too, but the reality is I really didn't. Much like any other teenage boy, I was just frustrated and embarrassed that my parents hadn't given me something "cool" to drive.

[Basket Mommy]

1984 white Ford Thunderbird. It was my mom's first, purchased used from Budget Rent a Car. I loved it.

[magicofdisney]

I always thought my first car would have been the brown, Pinto station wagon my mom owned. Unfortunately (or maybe not) it finally died a couple of years before I could drive.

Not to sound ungrateful but I begged my dad to make sure my first car wasn't green. I'm not sure why it mattered so much to me back then. I wouldn't mind a green car today. However, he had a buddy that was willing to trade his HUGE green Plymouth (pre-1970 model) for my dads motor boat, plus an additional $75.

The front windshield was cracked. There was a huge dent on the driver's side that the man had "tried" to repair himself. The inside smelled as if the car had been sitting for several years and maybe it had been. Fortunately, most of the seat belts worked and the radio turned on. It was extremely LOUD and everyone at school always knew when I was headed down the lane.

Although I didn't have to pay for the car, I did have to pay for my insurance, gas and maintenance. This made me truly appreciate the car eventually.

For our children, we've told them we'll pay half for their first car with a limit on our part (maybe $2000-$3000). We'll pay the insurance unless they get a ticket, in which case they'll take over that expense. We got this advice from friends and Dave Ramsey.

I had an acquaintance that had some fairly strict rules for her children when they began driving. She would not allow a radio in the car, no talking while driving and no friends in the car, period. To be honest, I have no problems with these rules and may implement them myself. We'll see.

[Ed]

Oh man ... my first car was a hand-me-down from my Mom.

Mine, too. A 1957 Plymouth Savoy 2 dr with a flathead 6 and transmission pushbuttons on the dash. It was snow white except for the plentiful rust. In the course of a year, I think I added about 40 pounds of Bondo and a gallon or two of paint. Once I got it looking decent, I traded it in on a two-year-old '62 Ford convertible.

[SallyMcQueen]

1966 Ford Mustang. Of course I got it in 1997. It had a 302 from a Ford Bronco and a 4-speed racing clutch. It was a beautiful rust orange with an AM only radio. Since the starter was for the original Mustang engine it didn't always match-up with the engine. I would have to turn the fan by hand just to get the thing to start. Man I loved that car. One of the first times I drove it was in the mountains outside Estes Park, CO. That baby handled awesome.

Now I drive a mini-van....not quite as cool.

[snuggs30]

OH YES THE FIRST CAR!! Mine was a hand me down from my sister who is 5 yrs older than me. It was a lovely 1971 YELLOW with Wood Grain on the sides HORNET.... It stalled all the time and sucked gas! It smelled of her college partying days (if you know what i mean)! This was in the late 80's so you know it wasn't cool then! But hey me and the girls would load up in it (about 8 of us) and go places all the time. I am so glad I could sell it when I graduated (got 400.00 for it)! Oh well it was free!

[princessgirls]

I had a 1980 something Chevy Chevette. Silver...

We named it the silver bullet. It was an awful car...but it gave me that all important freedom! I worked in highschool and I didn't have to wait for my mom to pick me up at night on the weekends. I had it for 7 years, until I could afford a better used car!
The car wasn't much, but I do remember putting some money into a better "Stereo" system!!!
I bought it myself, or borrowed the money from my Dad and paid him back monthly. $85 a month for two years + insurance.
Julie

[wickedgin]

The first car I drove regularly was Chevy Cavalier that wasn't technically mine, but my mother bought it mostly for me to drive (she doesn't drive much and didn't have a car at all before the Cavalier). The first car I actually owned and drove was a 1985 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham d'Elegance that my boyfriend bought for me. I loved that car so much.

[barnaby]

My first car was 1984 Pontiac Firebird that I bought in 1992 as a junior in high school. I worked full time during my summer and holiday breaks and saved up for it. It was an ugly brown but still a sporty Firebird nonetheless. :
I added a nice stereo system - Alpine detachable face radio with a 6 CD changer in the back and a Kicker bandpass box powered by a 200W Alpine amp.
But alas, I still wasn't cool!!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

My parents bought me a brand new Nissan Sentra-standard when I graduated in 1987.

[MNNHFLTX]

When I was 20 I bought a used Mazda Sport. It was red with a sun-roof and I thought it was so cool, lol!

[KylesMom]

A black 1979 Buick Regal - in 1985.

Of course, I blew the engine six months after I bought it . . .

[NewDVCowner]

I got a brand new 1992 Geo Metro when I was a junior in high school. Total base model - manual transmission, no stereo, no air conditioning. I had that car for 11 years and NEVER had a problem with it. I finally got a new Honda Civic in July of 2003 - and honestly, it was the fact that the Metro didn't have a/c that made me call it quits.

[faline]

My first car was a 1965 VW Beetle - white. I paid $500 for it and by time it died, I could have taken that engine apart and put it back together by myself!

It was a stick shift and when I bought it, I didn't know how to drive stick! The very first day, I drove it to work (mostly highway), I made out okay. When I left, there was a major traffic jam which required lots of 1st gear starts....I don't remember how often I stalled and feel terrible about anyone who was behind me but...I never had a problem driving stick shift again!

Never known for their power (and I live in hilly New England), I remember having to floor it every time I started up at long upgrade in the hopes it wouldn't slow down too badly before I hit the crest of the hill!

Still had it when I got married and, in fact, it was the only car we owned at that time. When it finally died, we replaced it with a 1968 Beetle (also white) which we had for several years.