1969 Cutlass 350 4 barrel that I got when I turned 16. Dad and I had to fiberglass in a trunk, repair rust on the rear quarter panels, and do some engine work. When you put the top up or down, you got a dusting of rust from the convertible top.

It was a tank, which was good because the rear end fishtailed in the snow, and we lived in Michigan.

Great car, though.

1973 Vega GT Wagon that the seller had swapped in a 327 V8 and Turbo 350 with a Don Hardy kit. I bought it in 1978 when I was 15 and had yet to get my learners permit. Definitely a platform to learn about auto mechanics, lol

quote:

Originally posted by ftttu:
'71 Chevelle Malibu w/350. It was brown with a black vinyl roof. I de-chromed it and changed the rims. It was similar to this image off of the net.

I had the same car as my first. The color was actually copper when clean and brown when dirty. It had lived a hard life before me and I had to replace the original engine with a 305.

1971 Mercury Cougar with a 351 Cleveland engine.

quote:

Originally posted by Old Vark WSO:
It was in great shape with low miles. It was the late ‘70s and gas prices were climbing, so the 12 city/16 hwy was tough on my college wallet.

My aforementioned Ford Galaxie was too in 1974. Sold it and bought a 1970 Ford Cortina before senior year. Over double the gas mileage thanks to a 1.6L Dagenham 4cyl and stick shift. Unfortunately it had Lucas electrics, was prone to rust and to keep the engine temperature up in Maine winters, needed a piece of cardboard in front of the radiator. Below is a '68 but looked pretty much the same though the rust didn't get this bad before I dumped it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Blackmore,

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

My dad had the diesel version of that one. Good lord, that car was so underpowered it was damn near unsafe. It did get about 55 mpg, though.

A friend had a diesel Rabbit the first year they came out (1978?). Thing got great mileage but no balls at all. You could tell he was in your driveway by the engine rattle and the overpowering exhaust smell. You'd think there was a Greyhound in the neighborhood.

'79 Z28, which dad and I built after my first year of driving. Nothing like a 400+ HP car for a 17 year old kid! Luckily I was not a total a hole with it.

72 Ford F100 Camper Special. 360v8, about 9mpg on a good day.

1982 F150 single cab, long bed. 4-speed manual & the best engine Ford has made, the 300 I6.

I still miss that truck, would love to find another of the 7th gen bullnose F150's with a 300.

I would argue the 2.7 Ecoboost they are currently making is the best engine they've made since the 300 though.

In 1973 I bought a 1970 Dodge Challenger with the 225 slant six and 3 spd on the floor with 40000 miles for 1k. Drove it until it hit 180,000 and threw a rod.

'78 Chevrolet Monza. Purchased early June of '78. Four cylinder, automatic, AC, AM radio...it was the best I could do at the time. I wanted a Scottsdale package C-10 pickup but didn't have the dough. I was in the Navy and had to leave it at home due to going overseas.

Family thanked me later, when the price of gas shot way up. They parked the Impala; drove my car as it got almost twice the gas mileage.

In 1964(?) for $200 bought a mid 1940"s vintage Ford sedan that had been in someones back yard for many years.... was able to get it running... Flat head V-8 motor.... enough room in backseat to have a 4 person picnic..... rented it to a movie company and they painted it black / put on 4 new tires / front seat upholstered / Mount for a police bubble gum light on roof / painted a sheriffs badge on front doors.... was used in the movie "Hurry Sundown" as the sheriffs car... after getting it back after being stopped by the popo several times finally a state trooper followed me home with the warning if he caught the car on the road again with that sheriffs badge still on the door then both me and thecar were going to jail..... got a rattle can of paint and covered the badge on the door.... sold soon thereafter for a healthy profit plusthe rental fee from the movie company. .................................... drill sgt.

quote:

Originally posted by NOCkid:
1967 Plymouth Valiant with a 225 slant six automatic. A bare bones 4 door sedan without a radio. I also flipped the air cleaner cover and increased the top speed from 98 to a blazing 102mph!

Mine was '70? Valiant, if I remember correctly in '86, it had a radio but the first thing I did was to install a Kraco digital display cassette tape deck. So many memories in that car as I was the first among my friends to drive.

1962 Dodge 1/2 ton. I bought it from a friend of dad's. It smoked worse than my stepmom.

1975 Cosworth Vega with a worn out synchro 1st gear. It was the first GM car with electronic fuel injection and they cost the same as a Corvette when new. Paid $2400 for it and did things like having to replace the water pump without pulling the oil pan... didn't have the tools or money to do otherwise. Drove it until it was stolen out of the driveway in the middle of the night. It was a loud car, so they must have pushed it down the street before starting it. It ended up in Indiana and whomever got it from the thief tried to join the Cosworth Vega Owners Association, which is how we found out where it ended up.

The next car was my first new car, a 1985 Mustang GT. That was stolen the day after i paid off the loan and stripped of everything except the gas tank and windshield...

1965 Dodge Dart with the 273 c.i. V-8. Added an air conditioner that hung under the dashboard and an AM-FM radio.

1976 Chevrolet Vega

1966 Jeep Commando. I drove it all through high school and sold it with a blown engine my senior year. Then I bought a 1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme from my aunt for $850 that I drove until I bought my first new vehicle in 1986.

Green 1973 Plymouth Satellite.

I bummed rides for about 6 months out of college saving up, then bought a Candy apple red Pontiac Trans Am with gold honeycomb wheels. 5 liter was the largest engine with t-tops. Real POS. It had a metal chip in the key to limit starting unless everything matched perfectly, and it worked so well even I couldn’t drive it. One snowflake and those z rated tires would just spin.