Kiwi TJ
I don't suffer from insanity I enjoy every minute
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
What was your first car and in what year?
- Thread starter Tscott
- Start date
oldb
TJ Enthusiast
First car was a 65 Mustang 289 3 speed, purchased in 1971 for $700.00. Added 4:11's, solid cam, ported heads with GM valves, Eldelbrock 4fb intake, Hooker headers, Lakewood scattershield and a 750 Holley, ran pretty strong, drag raced that one a lot. Sold it two years later so I could buy a 67 mustang GT S code 390 4 speed with the 390 removed and replaced with a 428 CJ, 4:57 rear, Isky cam, headers, scattershield, 800 Holley, scary fast. Bought that one for $1,400.00. Sold it in 1981 for $2,500. Wish I had kept it.
B
B
I’m clearly on the younger end of the forum, mine was a 1998 Nissan Pathfinder. I got it when I was 15 back in 2001/2002.
MountaineerTom
LJ Enthusiast, Retired USAF Weapons Loader
Supporting Member
Ride of the Month Winner
After being stationed at my first permeant base in 1988, I bought my parents 1979 Mercury Cougar. They bought it back in 1980, so I kinda grew up with the car. That was a fancy ride for a young Airman. LOL
Traded it in in 1991 after returning from Desert Shield/Desert Storm for a brand new Silverado.
Traded it in in 1991 after returning from Desert Shield/Desert Storm for a brand new Silverado.
AMC kept a roof over our heads and food on our table. My Dad put in thirty years and retired under the AMC contract, not the Chrysler contract, so he did quite well. He was at their Proving Grounds doing crash tests while I was a senior in high school. As I was inept at basketball and had a final period study hall, I’d leave school early to hang out there. Got to see and touch some cool stuff, like the 401 Gremlin prototype, Penskes’ Flying Brick, and an AMXlll. Dad also did some stuff with CJs. He has a photo on a basement wall of the tub flying off of the frame of a CJ5 during a crash test of alloy body bolts. The bolts didn’t pass.
I think it was Summer of 1992 and it was a Orange (faded red) 1982 Volkswagen Rabbit. Bought it for $100 from one of my school teachers. 4 Speed manual. Learned to drive and shift driving circles around our house. First road trip after getting my license I lost the exhaust system from about the just forward of the catalytic converter back. On the way home I manged to get 4 noise, malfunction citations on the way home from coast of Maine. Actually got pulled over 5 times but the fifth policeman just gave me a chuckle and drive safe when I handed him the stack and told him I was just trying to get home. Great vehicle managed to total it that winter.
You guys had some pretty nice cars. For me it was a 1979 Datsun 210 or 310, can't remember. I was 16 and I paid cash. It did not last long before I got something more American but did I mention I was 16 and paid cash?
I must be one of the youngest here... Jealous of most of y’all....
First vehicle was an 07 Toyota Corolla S that my parents matched me for half the cost for... I didn’t pick it out (I’n fact I simply stated “buy used, not a corolla, and please get at least a v6 and possibly manual trans if possible”). Not to sound ungrateful but I hated that car because it had no soul, no aftermarket, slow, and bland. So I did what any high schooler did in that situation... I threw in a sound system loud enough that Helen Keller would say to turn it down
, simply because I had to modify SOMETHING.
Ended up driving my dads 03 Silverado 5.3 v8 extended cab a lot because I drove the corolla like a go-kart, flooring it everywhere... parents weren’t too keen on that.. Oddly I drove that Silverado, having a lot more power, reasonably because I loved it and wasn’t miserable in it (it was what my parents originally told me I was getting as a hand me down but then gas shot up to $4 a gallon).
Traded the corolla in as soon as I could for an 07 Chevy Colorado with an inline 5 3.7 engine... thing was actually pretty quick, pushing 275hp if memory serves. Had a lot of fun and good memories in that truck. I unfortunately lost it in college when a DUI driver pulled out in front of me and I smacked him going around 60mph... Safe vehicle to say the least.
Insurance money bought me an 04 Silverado 4.8 v8 single cab... LOVED that truck... Perfect paint, interior and all! Looked like my dads truck (color and all) minus being single cab and black interior. Threw tons of parts at it including 4.10 gears, tru-trac lsd, ported heads, valves, cam, etc.... Bought hp tuners and learned to do the tuning myself on that truck, been doing it ever since. Was built more like a “muscle truck” kind of deal... had the lower stock z85 suspension with wide tires and stuff.
I miss that truck... traded it in kind of recently for a 2018 Camaro SS 1LE... love it... but its under warranty. So modifying/ wrenching is forbidden (by my own rules lol)... One day a friend let me drive his Jeep on a dirt road with top and all off... fell in love and wanted something to tool on... tada! I now own a Jeep and have been broke ever since
First vehicle was an 07 Toyota Corolla S that my parents matched me for half the cost for... I didn’t pick it out (I’n fact I simply stated “buy used, not a corolla, and please get at least a v6 and possibly manual trans if possible”). Not to sound ungrateful but I hated that car because it had no soul, no aftermarket, slow, and bland. So I did what any high schooler did in that situation... I threw in a sound system loud enough that Helen Keller would say to turn it down
, simply because I had to modify SOMETHING.Ended up driving my dads 03 Silverado 5.3 v8 extended cab a lot because I drove the corolla like a go-kart, flooring it everywhere... parents weren’t too keen on that.. Oddly I drove that Silverado, having a lot more power, reasonably because I loved it and wasn’t miserable in it (it was what my parents originally told me I was getting as a hand me down but then gas shot up to $4 a gallon).
Traded the corolla in as soon as I could for an 07 Chevy Colorado with an inline 5 3.7 engine... thing was actually pretty quick, pushing 275hp if memory serves. Had a lot of fun and good memories in that truck. I unfortunately lost it in college when a DUI driver pulled out in front of me and I smacked him going around 60mph... Safe vehicle to say the least.
Insurance money bought me an 04 Silverado 4.8 v8 single cab... LOVED that truck... Perfect paint, interior and all! Looked like my dads truck (color and all) minus being single cab and black interior. Threw tons of parts at it including 4.10 gears, tru-trac lsd, ported heads, valves, cam, etc.... Bought hp tuners and learned to do the tuning myself on that truck, been doing it ever since. Was built more like a “muscle truck” kind of deal... had the lower stock z85 suspension with wide tires and stuff.
I miss that truck... traded it in kind of recently for a 2018 Camaro SS 1LE... love it... but its under warranty. So modifying/ wrenching is forbidden (by my own rules lol)... One day a friend let me drive his Jeep on a dirt road with top and all off... fell in love and wanted something to tool on... tada! I now own a Jeep and have been broke ever since
I knew the Maverick would come up sooner or later. Now all we need is the Pinto, America's 1st throw away cars,,, or so they thought!1970 Ford Maverick, paid $300 for it in 1989. Unfortunately no it wasn't a Grabber
It paved the way to many trades/upgrades. Sold it to a friend a year later bought a 66 Bug for $100, dumped about $500 into the bug sold it for $2000, bought a 71 Pontiac LeMans had that for a few years traded it for an 88 Bronco II, had that for 2 years then traded it in to a dealer in 99 for my First 97 TJ
(not the actual car but it looked exactly the same)
View attachment 122571
A black 1960 V8 Studebaker Lark VIII. Nice old ride, wish it had been a 2 door or ragtop.
Oh yeah! I had an old 71 Gremlin when I was a teenager. Ugliest little thing I ever drove, all my friends use to make fun of me, till they needed a ride. It had a 3.3L or a 3.8L inline 6 (I don't remember which). I could sit at a stop light put my foot hard on the brake and stomp the gas, it would sit there and burn off the one rear tire.
just an example of the car and color spot on:
Last edited:
Some things on the internet just make me want to cry...
1971 Javelin
1963 split window, no other year had it. Man what a shame!
1971 Javelin
1963 split window, no other year had it. Man what a shame!
phasty20
Member
Nice, off road tires on a '63. SMH
Ironically both of those cars probably have less rust than half of the TJ's out there!
I must say, 1970s with American V8s are a favourite of mine. They were dogs for sure but that soft ride and massive bench seats were all about luxury. Living rooms on wheels. Sometimes bedrooms too.
what do you guys think of this,? One of my vendors just bought it and had it shipped for from the midwest...super clean. Not my thing but he is a huge AMC/Eagle guy. I am fairly certain it was 4 wheel drive.
Last edited:
Yes, that's when they decided that "Gremlin" was not a good name for an automobile, IMO.
This is the car I learned to drive with my permit in 1984...…
……… In 1972 I was one year old. My parents bought a 1972 Chevy blazer 4x4. He was one of the first in our area that run a 4" lift kit and 33 inch tires. Even back then people were constantly asking to if he wanted to sell it. When I was 12 I got a paper route and kept it until I was 16. At the same time the blazer was parked under the carport with a bad engine and transmission, rusting away. At 15 I asked for the blazer to be mine on my 16th birthday. With my paper route money my dad helped me scourge parts together to give it more performance. High rise intake, custom cam, board .030 over, flat top pistons, headers etc. My uncle helped us put it all together. Got the transmission rebuilt at a trans shop. 4x4s have been in my DNA from the beginning. Got myself into a financial bind and sold the engine separate from the blazer, then traded the blazer for a car I stripped down for demolition derby. Yes yes yes I wish I still had it, Great memories though.
A 1997 Jeep Wrangler. It originally belonged to my mom, but she gave it to me for my 16th birthday. I still have it, or I wouldn’t be on this forum!
I guess that’s all I have to say.
I guess that’s all I have to say.