My first car was...

[P-man]

a 1969 MG Midget. i bought it from a neighbor for $625. i got so frustrated with it i sold it after about 6 months for $600 and swore i'd never buy another British car (at least nothing that had the name "Lucas" anywhere on it). i remember soldering wires to a light bulb so the turn signal would work and i could sell it.



mine was in much worse shape. i soon bought a 1974 Audi 100 LS, but that's another story...

[leikec]

a 1969 MG Midget. i bought it from a neighbor for $625. i got so frustrated with it i sold it after about 6 months for $600 and swore i'd never buy another British car (at least nothing that had the name "Lucas" anywhere on it). i remember soldering wires to a light bulb so the turn signal would work and i could sell it.



mine was in much worse shape. i soon bought a 1974 Audi 100 LS, but that's another story...

Good thing you transitioned to the only car on earth that could make a MG seem reliable....

Jeff C

[leikec]

Mine was a 1967 Buick Special, very similar to this one...except the brown on mine was actually rust.

Jeff C

[switters]

1946 CJ2A, all stock except the heater and top. No the one in the picture above but it was a similar color and the old brackets for the top had also been cut off by the time it came to me.

I miss the sound, but not much else.

[P-man]

Good thing you transitioned to the only car on earth that could make a MG seem reliable....

Jeff C

the Audi was a pretty reliable car actually, until i totalled it. underpowered certainly, but reliable, and that front wheel drive could move through some snow.

[P-man]

Mine was a 1967 Buick Special, very similar to this one...except the brown on mine was actually rust.

Jeff C

i had a neighbor in college that had a mid sixties Buick Riviera. those Buicks were beautiful cars.

[P-man]

1946 CJ2A, all stock except the heater and top. No the one in the picture above but it was a similar color and the old brackets for the top had also been cut off by the time it came to me.

I miss the sound, but not much else.

not much different from a WW2 Jeep is it? were you living in Colorado?

[Uncle Duke]

Ah. Thanks for reminding me. My first car (i.e., first which I actually owned myself) was an MG-YB. Paid $50.00 to a neighbor who had painted it yellow with a brush.

A car tested by the British magazine The Motor in 1951 had a top speed of 69.6 mph (112.0 km/h) and could accelerate from 0-60 mph (97 km/h) in 29.9 seconds. A fuel consumption of 29.5 miles per imperial gallon (9.58 L/100 km; 24.6 mpg-US) was recorded.

Right-hand drive, here in the U.S. which was a pain at toll-booths. Ran fine for 2 years, then sold it for $200 which made me feel good.

[Garret]

Triumph TR3. Unlike the OP's experience, I was dumb enough to consider Lucas a challenge & owned many other British cars. Some were surprisingly reliable.

I paid $50 for it, so it didn't look quite like this (same color, though far more faded):

[P-man]

Ah. Thanks for reminding me. My first car (i.e., first which I actually owned myself) was an MG-YB. Paid $50.00 to a neighbor who had painted it yellow with a brush.

Right-hand drive, here in the U.S. which was a pain at toll-booths. Ran fine for 2 years, then sold it for $200 which made me feel good.

very classy looking and very "stately" performance.

[Bobby of Tulsa]

This would be mine.

[P-man]

Triumph TR3. Unlike the OP's experience, I was dumb enough to consider Lucas a challenge & owned many other British cars. Some were surprisingly reliable.

I paid $50 for it, so it didn't look quite like this (same color, though far more faded):

very nice. what year? glad to hear not everyone was put off by Lucas. guess i was more interested in driving than wrenching.

[P-man]

This would be mine.

very nice. i'm afraid that's before my era. is that a Buick?

[P-man]

Bel Airs and J.C. Whitney. fun memories.

[Bobby of Tulsa]

very nice. i'm afraid that's before my era. is that a Buick?

40 pontiac.

[Nanoose]

Similar to Fred, mine was a '62 Chevy Biscayne. My dad bought it from my Uncle for a 100 bucks about 6 months too early, but my Uncle was tradin' up and dad preferred to buy something he knew from someone he knew.

[Michael D. Storey]

2 CV Citroen. Two cylinders. Think 1/2 of an old VW engine.
Loved it. I could always see how it helped get a destroyed economy moving again

[Robert Meyer]

A 1957 Renault Dauphine with a sunroof. Bought in 1962 for $75 from a newly discharged Air Force Sgt. who brought it back from France.
I spent more on oil each week than gas.

[PeterSibley]

Ah. Thanks for reminding me. My first car (i.e., first which I actually owned myself) was an MG-YB. Paid $50.00 to a neighbor who had painted it yellow with a brush.

Right-hand drive, here in the U.S. which was a pain at toll-booths. Ran fine for 2 years, then sold it for $200 which made me feel good.

Mine had the same engine, chassis and transmission but half the weight, it was quite lively really and handled beautifully. I have strong memories of a couple of large lads in a Customline trying to catch me, as long as there was corner in sight they had no chance .

[Hunky Dory]

My first was a 62 VW for $300.00, I rolled it in three weeks. I replaced it with a 59 Caddy for $150.00, good that gas was 30 cents a gallon.

[pipefitter]

I too bought my first car for 35.00. In-line 6 and it seconded as a swamp buggy. Had no back window which was handy as a hunting seat using the roof as a gun rest. We had it up near to the door handles in water at times. Sold it for 50.00 to someone else who also gave it a regular beating for two more years. A so-called step dad shot it with a 45 all down the side and the bullets didn't go all the way thru. I think he was jealous of it.

[Garret]

very nice. what year? glad to hear not everyone was put off by Lucas. guess i was more interested in driving than wrenching.

Actually - same as the pic - 1960 (though my car's seats were also red). I bought it with a bad motor & on the 3rd try I got it back together right. Lucky I bought it when I was 13!

[Flying Orca]

Datsun 510, the 1.6l 4-door. Given to me when I was fifteen on the condition I did the work necessary to keep it running. Great little car.

[Garret]

The 510's were fantastic cars - often under-rated

[wardd]

62 mg 1100 then tr4

lucus had a well deserved reputation

[Willin']

1961 Rambler Classic station wagon, bought from my Dad in 1969 (an 8 year old car was at the end of it's useful life back then) for $200 right after I got a $100 graduation gift from him.

As Delbert Mc Clinton called them, it was a 'lay down Rambler', all the seats laid down, almost flat. Still extremely uncomfortable to sleep in but a great car for the beach or the drive in.

Push button automatic on the dash, the rear taigate swung open like a door, rear facing third seat and a push button automatic on the dash. Mine was white with a red stripe!

[Jim Bow]

1955 Ford Ranch Wagon, purchased at Goodfellow AFB for $50.00 in 1967. Sold it for $50.00 when I left the base. It was truly a bargain, worth at least $75.

[purri]

49 Oldsmobile for $30 (in 1972). 40K miles up. Ran like a watch until the diff broke.

[B_B]

'78 Civic given to me by a friend of my dad's - 'just spray a little starter fluid in the carb and she starts right up'

loved that car but got rid of it when the brakes, clutch, and muffler all went at the same time. stupidest thing I've ever done.

[David G]

Crown Vic --




Second Car was a Mercury Comet - Caliente --




Third was a Fiat 124 Sport Coupe --

[epoxyboy]

1969 VW Beetle. The first time I drove it in the wet the passenger footwell filled up with water - those soft luxurious carpets hid an inch of newspaper and a lot of aggressive tin worm. In spite of the six volt electrics, it was totally reliable, and would start no matter how cold it got. Unlike the British Cortinas and Escorts that all my friends had :-)

Pete

[Hwyl]

I only imagined mine could fly, 997 cc's 65 pounds sterling

[Robbie 2]

Ford Escort 2 door................bright red with a 1100cc motor and 4 gear stick shift on the floor...........I learnt to drive in the family's Ford Cortina.....1100cc also but with a 4 gear column shift.

[Rich Jones]

1970 VW bus bought from my Dad for $500 in 1975. The most underpowered motor vehicle in the world!

[beernd]

Renault 4L, great little car, front wheel drive very economic on the fuel very comfy, and despite the 845 cc (?23 HP?) engine it had gobs of power, due to its light weight

[Garret]

1970 VW bus bought from my Dad for $500 in 1975. The most underpowered motor vehicle in the world!

Richard - you have obviously never driven an early 60's 190D Mercedes or an early 60's VW bus. Both made a 1970 VW bus look like a rocket sled!

[Mrleft8]

73 VW Super Beetle. Great car. I'd buy one again if I could find a NOS one.... And I'd take another 71 Kombi too..... That was a super excellent car... With the 73 Vanagon engine in it..... 1700ccs made a difference..... Still couldn't go up hills in Vermont with a full load in 4th gear, but then again, a full load was over 3/4 ton.... It's amazing what those things could hold....

[George Jung]

Interesting people driving really interesting cars. Is that a TC, Peter?

My first car was nice/fun/relatively mundane. '67 Mustang. Had it 3 months before a guy in a pickup turned in front of me on the highway. Nice car.

[Kevin G]

"40 Ford, '36 Chevy,'38 Ford,'52 MGTD (still have it),'66 Morgan, '66Mustang, '78 VW Kombi, then, real dull stuff.


Kevin G

[carlg]

1957 Ford Custom 300 two door, then a TR-4.

[leikec]

Crown Vic --




Second Car was a Mercury Comet - Caliente --




Third was a Fiat 124 Sport Coupe --

I loved those Fiat 124 coupes. I bought a 128 coupe in 1977--it had a few minor foibles, but I drove it for 80,000 miles and sold it for $2000.00.

I'd own another one in a minute.

Jeff C

[John B]

100 E anglia was the first car I drove, couldn't pull the skin of a rice pudding. The first car I bought shortly after was a Model A Ford sedan which had been cut down into a flat deck farm pickup.

[Bert Langley]

For me it was a 56 chevy




Great car, ran forever and was really built like a tank

[LeeG]

1970 VW bus bought from my Dad for $500 in 1975. The most underpowered motor vehicle in the world!

1959 VW bus was more underpowered. That was my dads family car with the Triumph 2000 four door his commuter. Imagine towing 500 lbs of trailer and sailboat with 36hp.

[LeeG]

1972 Datsun pickup. I had it for a year until I moved to live on the boat with my dad and he got me a 1954 two door Ford. Then bought the Datsun from my brother when I moved to Oakland and commuted to Mendocino. Who needs more than 75hp to move 2800lbs of vehicle?

[pcford]

1921 Ford TT truck. Still have it...or at least the bones.

[The Bigfella]

1958 VW Beetle. 36hp of fun. $300. It eventually needed another gearbox ($5) and another engine ($20). Ended up leaving it out the front of the metal recyclers years later... having let my brother have it for quite a while when I got company-provided vehicles.... and someone took it.

I had her up on two wheels numerous times. One Golden Rule... never back off - and she was controllable then. I used to race her against some mates at home... lived on a 5 acre block while at uni - and again... she'd get up on two wheels given enough provocation. Lotsa fun. Vmax... the high beam indicator - ie about 88 mph (speedo numbers stopped well before that).

Oh yeah... I fitted a Cibie Super Oscar with a 6v 55w bulb ..... made a huge difference to driving at night.

[mmd]

My first was a 1966 Chevvy Acadian two-door hardtop with a 283 4bbl 4-speed. Like any self-respecting teen, I absolutely thrashed the car for the year or so that it held up to my abuse. Stoopit, stoopit, stoopit... <grin>

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

[Mad Scientist]

1975 Plymouth Valiant, 4-door, with the indestructible 225 c.i. Slant Six.

Perfect city car, a bit underpowered for the highway. Cruised comfortably at 110 mph, but at that speed, it was possible to see the gas gauge heading rapidly toward 'Empty'. Of course, any policeman seeing a 4-door Valiant doing 110 is going to assume it's a mirage...

By the time it hit the ten years old, it was consuming a fair percentage of its weight in replacement parts every year. At 13 years old, it suffered a failure where one of the front torsion bars was attached to the subframe/unit body.

Didn't pay much for it; certainly got my money's worth!

Tom