Your First Car


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My first car was a 1991 Ford Tempo... the color was "Medium Dark Lichen" which is what it said on the spray-cans we used while my parents were away in Hawaii for a few weeks one summer.

Now I drive an '06 Camry which is surprisingly almost the same color.

My first car was a new VW Beetle (Bug) 1960 model of 40hp & 1198cc. (yeah, I'm over 60 & still here.)

Pros- In those days in Australia, VWs were as cheap as chips, & they were jokingly said to be built by the gnomes in the Black Forest. They were so beautifully finished and airtight that you couldn't shut the doors with the windows up. When the 20 thousand mile warranty was nearly 'up', I searched but couldn't find a thing that was less than perfect.

I loved the sound of that little flat 4. The four speed gearbox (manual of course) was the smoothest I've ever had, & it had synchro on 1st, a rarity in those days. It was unbreakable and I drove it everywhere flat out because one couldn't over-rev it (even with a very light spring on the accelerator) as it topped out way before it red-lined at a bit over 3000rpm!

The trunk(boot) was adequate (at the front) & the fuel consumption was frugal. The engine weight at the back ensured good stability once you got the technique of not loosing the rear-end in a turn. Torsion bars ensured a smooth quiet ride. And it was popular with guys & girls alike though its diminuative size made my thoughts of rear seat liasions with shielas seem tight affairs indeed. (though I count that as a 'pro'.)

Cons- 1.The Beetle's max speed was only 62mph on the open road but this could vary & so a following wind helped me wind up to near 70 & faster downhill. Headwinds reduced things to a leasurely 55 or so. However, I well recall doing about 65 down a narrow winding hill on a badly pock marked bit of 'Highway 31' between a line of interstate semis (semitrailers). Beside me was a rather comely female colleague, but in the back 3 adults of broad proportions were squeazed. One of these fatties (a leg amputee who still weighed about 230lbs) yelled, "Won't this b****y car go any faster", to which I (giving them a free lift & sick of it) said between my teeth, "it's doing 65 which is supersonic for a VW with 5 aboard"!

2.No fuel gauge (only a speedo). A 'kick over fuel lever' with extra fuel signalled 'fill up time'. One day the engine coughed "I'm out of fuel you fool!". I was stopped to turn in traffic with a Tram (streetcar) 'ding-dinging' up my twin exhaust pipes. My foot was fast enough to kick the lever & keep the breathless motor going & so I roared off leaving an angry seventeen ton tram with 80 passengers & a cheesed-off driver. The next day I got a 'thermometer' shaped fuel gauge fitted. At the time I was also also a budding aircraft pilot & I can remember thinking, "no more engine failure on take-off for me!".

Extras fitted- 1.The aforementioned fuel gauge, 2, chrome 'stone deflectors' for the rear mudguards, 3, mudflaps, & 4. wheel rims all round to make 'Hitler's revenge' look more up to date ie. 1960 style. 4. At High School, I had a friend whose brother had taken a Judsen Supercharger designed for a Porsche Super 90 & fitted to his VEEDUB. I seriously entertained the idea of exta grunt & the sound of a 'whistleing dixie' but my finances didn't stretch to such extravagances!

............ah. Those were the days.

  • 2 weeks later...

The first car I ever drove was a 1971 Ford F100 pickup, it had a 351 Cleveland in it and some kind of hilarious glass packs on the exhaust. It was our ranch truck that we kept out there and it was a solid steel beast. I used to do donuts in the field and chase down cattle - kinda fun @ 13 !!! Its name was "Ol Yeller" (it was yellow btw) - one time I was backing up at a gas station and couldnt figure out why I couldnt move backwards...it was because the backend was pushed up against another car and I was literally slamming into it....:D

Pfiuuu.... First car...

2000 Dacia (Daca ai cap ia`ti alta :D) Nova GTI 1.6 [Romanian Car :rofl:]

Pro:

Nice fuel consumption

Top speed 170 :|

Cheap maintenance

Pretty comfortable

Cons:

Sometimes rain would get inside :D

A little rust on the body

Noisy

Mods:

Tinted windows

Rockford Fosgate MP3 player

Rockford Fosgate Amp

Cerwin Vega Subwoofer

Sony & Pioneer Speakers

Gave it to my brother and switched to a BMW 318i last year. I`m in love with this car. It`s whiteeeeeeeeeeee! :)

Regards,

NRGY

1963 Ford Escort

Pros

Fantastic car. No fuel injection and I could work on it myself.

Cons

Tie-rod ends needed replacing every 6 months

Mods

Repowered with a 1600 cross flow with a hot street cam and a custom head port and polish, by me

Lightened/Balanced fly wheel

Forged Pistons

Cross drilled and balanced crank with high lift conrods

Down draught webber carb

160ish hp at the rear wheels

  • 4 weeks later...

My first car was a 1973 VW Squareback. It was gold.

Pros: good beach car as I could carry a lot of stuff in it. Back seats folded down for extra room, thus making it a great car to make out in! :p

Cons: rain leaked into it and over the electrical system. I replaced a lot of fuses. It was in ok shape, but I didn't care what happened to it. Actually fixed an exhaust pipe in the engine with a Coors Light beer can. I'd open it up and show people the rear engine and people would say, "Is that a beer can?"

OMG HOMER HAS A Car! Everybody get off the road NOW!

:p

Not mine. It's the driving instructors.

And I don't like it at all, the gearbox is mushy and just.... not cool. The bite on the clutch is high aswell.

Looking for my own car though... probably a Rover as I can change gears on those things without drama. :blush:

My first car was a 1990 Chrisler Shadow. Not much of an engine or confort but since it was my first car I have good memories,

Right now I just bought 2 months ago (Christmas Present from myself) A Renault Megan Sport. And it drives like a dream 0 - 100km in less then 6.5 sec!!!!!

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