Document your Cars

don said:
This will be a long one as I'm so old.

Highschool:
- 1970 something Chevrolet 3/4 ton plow truck - squarebody - SBC 350, manual gearbox that was my dad's but I drove it for a while.
- 1964 Chevrolet Impala - 4 door, 283 V8 with powerglide
- 1970 Chevrolet Monte Carlo - my dad found it in an Ihop parking lot abandoned with a broken ball joint. He was a cop so was able to get a title for it and was going to use the SBC 350 for another project. The dad we went to go pick it up I was skating my backyard ramp with some buddies. I ended up falling and popping my shoulder out of the socket. My dad being an EMT got me on the kitchen table and popped it back in. Drove down to the Ihop, got the ball joint in and got it home. By buddies were still at the house so I got some painful carves in. Ended up using the Monte for the summer after HS graduation. I sold it at the end of the summer for $600 and bought a Specialized Rockhopper Comp to bring to college.

College rides:
- 1984 VW Jetta Mk1 - my dad found it at the junkyard for cheap as it needed a rear quarter. I drove this sophomore year. Great college ride but automatic :(
- 1978 Jeep Cherokee FSJ 4 door - 360 V8 with a manual
- 1974 Mercedes Benz W115 250 - was a diesel that my dad swapped to inline 6 gas engine. 4 speed manual. These cars weren't much money back then but wow they were impressive. Still one of my favorites and I have pie in the sky dreams of buying one and slapping a modded OM617 and manual in one. I had a hell of drive up the hill to the house during a snowstorm with my girlfriend in Stowe after hanging at the Rusty Nail where Vanilla Ice was playing. 30 years later I still think of hanging the back of that car out on every turn trying to keep momentum.
- 1980 Saab 900 5 door Turbo 5 speed - Being in Vermont Saab's were the car to have and I wanted one dearly. Good ones weren't cheap but we found it for under a grand locally in Mass. Great rig in the snow and the highway. I'd like to get a classic Saab one day.
- 1974 Dodge Ramcharger - 318 auto with headers - green and white top. It sounded amazing with the headers and I'd get on it on early mornings to mess with my roomates that were asleep. I had to drive this for a while when the Saab needed a turbo back home.

Post college/Boston:
- 1984 Jeep Cherokee XJ - crappy 2.8 V6 with the Peugeot 5 speed. Good little rig that I ended up taking to Boston to move in with my girlfriend (now wife). I ended up getting T-boned and used that insurance money to invest in a Fidelity fund. Years later I cashed out that fund to by my wife her engagement ring.
- 1987 Saab 9000 Turbo 5 speed - this was my girlfriend's mom's "hand me down". Once the XJ got roached we needed a car. Ended up delivering food with it as a second job in Boston. I got really good at navigating that town. That thing had some turbo lag. Great driver and drove all over New England in it. On one trip from Mass to NJ we lost the clutch and I had to learn how to drive without a 3rd pedal. The tolls were tricky and any time I stopped I had to start it in gear. And it was the first car (and hopefully last) that I took a Thule rack with 2 bikes on top clear off. Luckily just a small dent and broken saddle was the only damage.
- 1975 Volvo 242 auto. Hand me down as the Saab 9000 blew a head gasket and needed something and that was the only extra at my parents house. Actually had a super rad burnt orange paint and looked great with a Thule rack on top.
- 1984 Volvo 244 4 speed with OD. I bought this right before I moved to NJ. It ended up being rusty but I welded all new floors and finished with POR15. I ended up smashing it in the nose running late to the Matawan train station one morning.

Attached are photos that are close to the some of the actual ones I had. I never took picture of my cars back then.
Click to expand...

that was an awesome journey!
 
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my first car was a 1968 Datsun 110. purchased for $200. driven from 1990-1993 (looking for pics) only one I could find my wife hand painted Calvin on the back.20201105_181929.jpg
second car was a1978 Chevy impala. my grandpa gave it to me when he retired to toms river. (looking for pics)It was bad ass. Original paint. Lol.20201105_181918.jpg
drove that car 1993- 1995ish. I installed a 350CI 400 HP motor in this. also got cop suspension from a wrecked cruiser at a junk yard.
then i bought a new Dodge Neon 1996 loved that car. 1996- 2004 (no need for pics)20201105_181905.jpg
I got a 2004 Audi A4 avant sport. 2004 -200620190322_190950.jpg
after the Audi I got a new 2006 Nissan Frontier drove that until 2015
next was a new 2015 Kia sorento20201105_082833.jpg
lastly I have a 2020 Nissan pathfinder Rock Creek edition
Pandemic purchase saved a ton of money on it.20200607_121820.jpg
 
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Don't have actual pics for many of these.

First car, green 2001 Escort ZX2 5spd. 4 year old car for $800 from salvage auction, $900ish to get back on the road. Great first car. Fart can made it enjoyable.
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2nd real car, green 1995 S14 5spd. Swapped with friend to RB25DET. Blew piston out oil pan and didn't have the money to fix it.
1604584389783.png

3rd. Blue 2010 Genesis Coupe, 2.0T 6spd lease. Traded in ZX2 towards this and got $2k.
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4th. 2013 Chevy Cruze LS 6pd lease. Actually really liked this car as a daily. Smooth shifting, good range on tranny so it never felt sluggish. Interior was comfy.
1604584593808.png

5th. 2010 Kia Soul 5spd from an older lady that got the latest Soul. Super base model, added remote entry, fogs, and hitch rack. That's about it. Put a ton of miles on it and never had an issue. Tons of room, great car.
soul.jpg

6th. 2019 GTI Rabbit 6spd. Just awesome all around car. A bit refined. Wish it made more noises. In time...
gti.jpg
 
EJphotos said:
@mfennell I have always liked the Interceptors...such neat looking bikes. If I ever get a bike, it'll probably be an interceptor.
Click to expand...
I bought '83 intercepter, brand new. At the time it was one hell of a bike. I actually preferred my cb750 to it, you didn't have to ride it 10/10's all the time to have fun. Plus the cb had such a awesome sound to it compared to the V-4. I wrapped the VF around a 73 Impala station wagon on a tight turn in upstate NY. Healed up, fixed it and sold it. Frame was never the same, had a death wobble at times, scary.
 
First, thanks for starting this. It made me dig through old photos, and even older memories.

My first car was a 1961 Plymouth Valiant station wagon. This is not my photo. Mine didn't look this good. I bought mine for $50 and only drove it around my parents' back yard while awaiting getting a learner's permit.
61 valiant.jpg
Before getting that '61 Valiant on the road, I bought a 1964 Dodge Dart. Cheap. Again, not my photo, mine did not look this good. I named her Carlotta...
1964-Dodge-Dart 224.jpg.
... car load of shit! This car broke all the time, and I abandoned it, only to come back and fix it good enough to run another few weeks. Fortunately, I had $8.00 burning a hole in my pocket, and bought a 1965 Dodge Dart, with bucket seats and a V-8!, but only forward gears. Hey, it was eight bucks for a reason.
65 dodge dart.JPG
Again, not my photo. Mine was brush painted blue, and was my driver to work and college. It had no reverse. I parked it on inclines. Eventually I needed a serious car—and my Dodge Dart addiction needed a fix (as if the cars didn't always). My 1972 Super Blue Dart was the first I bought (used) from a car dealer instead of a drug dealer. This is my car, my photo, my first love (sitting on her Land Rover).
72 dodge dart (3).jpg
The Dodge Dart was discontinued in 1976, and facing serious withdrawal, I got two figuring I would have one in reserve.
67 73 76 dodge dart (2).jpg
I restored both of these into show cars. At this time I had my first wife and we had six cars. Right? In addition to these two, I had a '84 Pontiac Fiero. This was my first bought new car.
84 Fiero (2).jpg
The Fiero was a lot of fun to drive, and could corner without slowing down. Unfortunately, it used a non-sealed battery, which had a drip tube, which dripped on the alternator, which put corrosion where we want a lubed bearing.... The fourth car was a boring Camry I got for commuting to work. This was the second car I bought new.
89 Camry.jpg
I know, child molester blue, but at least it still had the door handles inside attached.
 
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Rounding out the six vehicles, I bought my first truck, or well, kind of truck.
74 Ford Ranchero (2).jpg
I bought this '74 Ranchero, restored it, and even learned how to spray enamel. This started my 'always have a truck' status.
Another of the six cars was a '78 IH Scout.
IH Scout (3).jpg
This got me into my 'always have 4WD' mode. Having two trucks may seem like a dream, but insuring and parking them got old. So I consolidated them into one. My '85 Toyota Pickup was my third vehicle purchased new.
85 Toy Truck (2).jpg
I put a posi in the front, a locker in the back, a (well) Warn winch up front, raised the body and put on larger tires. I planned on driving this forever, but one day, when I got home and hit the garage door opener, there was something else in the garage. My wife bought me a '95 Tacoma. This was my first non-modded truck, but then, I was getting too old for climbing under trucks every weekend.
95 Tacoma (2).jpg
Okay, this would be my drive forever truck, but the frame rotted away, and Toyota warranteed it in 2011, giving me $9,700 for a 15-16 years old rotted truck. With that money, I bought my third 'new from the dealer' Toyota truck, and I plan to really, really drive this until cars start to drive me.
2011 Tacoma.jpg
 
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Fire Lord Jim said:
First, thanks for starting this. It made me dig through old photos, and even older memories.

My first car was a 1961 Plymouth Valiant station wagon. This is not my photo. Mine didn't look this good. I bought mine for $50 and only drove it around my parents' back yard while awaiting getting a learner's permit.
View attachment 142843
Before getting that '61 Valiant on the road, I bought a 1964 Dodge Dart. Cheap. Again, not my photo, mine did not look this good. I named her Carlotta...
View attachment 142844.
... car load of shit! This car broke all the time, and I abandoned it, only to come back and fix it good enough to run another few weeks. Fortunately, I had $8.00 burning a hole in my pocket, and bought a 1965 Dodge Dart, with bucket seats and a V-8!, but only forward gears. Hey, it was eight bucks for a reason.
View attachment 142845
Again, not my photo. Mine was brush painted blue, and was my driver to work and college. It had no reverse. I parked it on inclines. Eventually I needed a serious car—and my Dodge Dart addiction needed a fix (as if the cars didn't always). My 1972 Super Blue Dart was the first I bought (used) from a car dealer instead of a drug dealer. This is my car, my photo, my first love (sitting on her Land Rover).
View attachment 142847
The Dodge Dart was discontinued in 1976, and facing serious withdrawal, I got two figuring I would have one in reserve.
View attachment 142848
I restored both of these into show cars. At this time I had my first wife and we had six cars. Right? In addition to these two, I had a '84 Pontiac Fiero. This was my first bought new car.
View attachment 142856
The Fiero was a lot of fun to drive, and could corner without slowing down. Unfortunately, it used a non-sealed battery, which had a drip tube, which dripped on the alternator, which put corrosion where we want a lubed bearing.... The fourth car was a boring Camry I got for commuting to work. This was the second car I bought new.
View attachment 142855
I know, child molester blue, but at least it still had the door handles inside attached.
Click to expand...
Your no reverse cars reminded me of a story that my dad tells.
Reedman is a huge dealer in PA, and my dad said they used to have dedicated price range sections of the lot, like "Under $100" or "Under $250". He was in the "Under $100" area and was listening in as a salesman was talking to a young couple looking at a older station wagon that was marked as $50, but had "No Reverse" on the tag. The salesman was saying "But when you really think about it, how often do you actually use reverse?". 😂😂
 
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Dingo said:
I bought '83 intercepter, brand new. At the time it was one hell of a bike. I actually preferred my cb750 to it, you didn't have to ride it 10/10's all the time to have fun. Plus the cb had such a awesome sound to it compared to the V-4.
Click to expand...
I put a Hindle 4into1 on my first 500 Interceptor. It sounded like a mini-RC30, or at least that's what I told myself.
 
Fire Lord Jim said:
Again, not my photo. Mine was brush painted blue, and was my driver to work and college. It had no reverse. I parked it on inclines. Eventually I needed a serious car—and my Dodge Dart addiction needed a fix (as if the cars didn't always). My 1972 Super Blue Dart was the first I bought (used) from a car dealer instead of a drug dealer. This is my car, my photo, my first love (sitting on her Land Rover).
View attachment 142847
Click to expand...
What's the story on that Series LR?

Was the yellow the original color?
 
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