Not a photo of the one I had, but my first was a red 280Z.
Cars
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I've always retarded cars as a tool that are also a horrible investment. I've been driving for almost 50 years. I'm guessing I've had around 20 to 25 vehicles. If you count vehicles for my wife and children, probably around 45 to 50. I presently own a Genesis G80 and my wife a Toyota Avalon. We also own an old Toyota Corolla at our Florida home.
My first was a 1969 Cadillac Coupe DeVille, it was awesome. @alaskanpiper you may have seen me cruising down Northern Lights Blvd in the mid 90s.
Haha probably did! Is that Ian in the photo with you?
Nope, that’s my best friend from HS (West). We still keep in touch.
Yup. Mine was yellow, though.
Always wanted one of those or a Karmann-Ghia when I was a teen. I did get a Scirocco.
3 from the stable. The gold TC and red F 150 are gone. Still have the Continental
1969 Chevy with 8 1/2 Open Road camper, 1981 S 10 with Open Road camper, 1978 Westphalia.
My first car was a 1995 4 door Mazda 626 5-speed. It may have looked like a family car but I drove it like a bat out of hell. A couple of years later I was able to upgrade to a 2003 Mitsubishi Eclipse 5-speed and even though it was just the standard 4 cylinder it was like a porsche in my young mind. No more tires squealing when I went around every corner as fast as I could, that thing stuck to the road and when you dropped it a gear it really took off. Then I got a handed down 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee from my mom to drive in the mountains for college, worst vehicle I've ever experienced. Seemed like everything broke on it. After college I bought a 2007 Honda Civic, again an old car my mom wasn't driving anymore. And once that thing died I ended up with a 2007 Toyota Rav4 which is actually pretty quick for an SUV, not that I still drive like I did in my teenage years.
I decided on the Rav4 because the mileage was low and the price was right. I needed a new car and I knew if I kept waiting I'd end up getting a muscle car like I really wanted even though I knew it was completely impractical. I do enjoy driving but just can't justify the cost of the extravagant cars. Never had a new car, always drove the cars I had until the wheels fell off, metaphorically speaking.
I decided on the Rav4 because the mileage was low and the price was right. I needed a new car and I knew if I kept waiting I'd end up getting a muscle car like I really wanted even though I knew it was completely impractical. I do enjoy driving but just can't justify the cost of the extravagant cars. Never had a new car, always drove the cars I had until the wheels fell off, metaphorically speaking.
1962 Dodge D 200 crew cab, 1965 Plymouth Satellite.
I was just remembering an incident with my red Ford truck.
When I was in RI for summers I'd do little day trips around the area just to get away from the boat. One of my favorite trips was to New Bedford/Fairhaven, Ma.
One time I was just driving around Fairhaven checking out some neighborhoods when people started waving me on. They were all waving in the direction I was going so it didn't seem like a big deal.
As I drove on, the street became more and more crowded with people standing along it, waving and cheering. Then I suddenly realized what was going on. as I moved along i saw a fire truck in front of me. I'd pulled up to the tail end of the towns 4th of July parade and people thought I was with the fire department!
When I was in RI for summers I'd do little day trips around the area just to get away from the boat. One of my favorite trips was to New Bedford/Fairhaven, Ma.
One time I was just driving around Fairhaven checking out some neighborhoods when people started waving me on. They were all waving in the direction I was going so it didn't seem like a big deal.
As I drove on, the street became more and more crowded with people standing along it, waving and cheering. Then I suddenly realized what was going on. as I moved along i saw a fire truck in front of me. I'd pulled up to the tail end of the towns 4th of July parade and people thought I was with the fire department!
I've had a boatload here's a few of the memorable ones.
96 Impala SS & 96 Firebird Formula.
We bought the Impala SS instead of an SUV or mini-van (proud to say I've owned neither!) and it was my wife's family taxi. I liked it, we had it at auto-cross, road-coarse (Summit Point WV and Watkins Glen) and drag raced it with our local club. The SS had some bolt-on's and was fun (I could easily beat a stock 5.0 Mustang). I bought the Formula (same motor, six speed). It got more bolt ons, suspension and brake upgrades for autocross and track days. When I started driving 50k annually, it was sold for a few motorcycles for fun. I had four snow tires on the Impala for winter use, it was a genuine blast in snow. I miss both.
The wife never liked the motorcycles, so we bought this 1979 MGB. We've had it for ten years now. Every other year, I do a new project - bottom end motor, new interior, new top, new wheels, top end, new set of SU carbs, pistons and head work. And this year, I pulled and rebuilt the front suspension. We use it every sunny day in Spring/Summer & Fall.
This was another memorable car, a 93 Nissan NX2000. I had the motor built and suspension/brakes for autocross and track days. It was my daily driver for 330,000 reliable miles. I gave it to my 16 year old daughter, who ran it into a tree 90 days into her license (she was OK). A sad demise for that one. Here shown sliding across the bridge at the old Watkins Glen road course (when then ran on the road)
96 Impala SS & 96 Firebird Formula.
We bought the Impala SS instead of an SUV or mini-van (proud to say I've owned neither!) and it was my wife's family taxi. I liked it, we had it at auto-cross, road-coarse (Summit Point WV and Watkins Glen) and drag raced it with our local club. The SS had some bolt-on's and was fun (I could easily beat a stock 5.0 Mustang). I bought the Formula (same motor, six speed). It got more bolt ons, suspension and brake upgrades for autocross and track days. When I started driving 50k annually, it was sold for a few motorcycles for fun. I had four snow tires on the Impala for winter use, it was a genuine blast in snow. I miss both.
The wife never liked the motorcycles, so we bought this 1979 MGB. We've had it for ten years now. Every other year, I do a new project - bottom end motor, new interior, new top, new wheels, top end, new set of SU carbs, pistons and head work. And this year, I pulled and rebuilt the front suspension. We use it every sunny day in Spring/Summer & Fall.
This was another memorable car, a 93 Nissan NX2000. I had the motor built and suspension/brakes for autocross and track days. It was my daily driver for 330,000 reliable miles. I gave it to my 16 year old daughter, who ran it into a tree 90 days into her license (she was OK). A sad demise for that one. Here shown sliding across the bridge at the old Watkins Glen road course (when then ran on the road)
My current project. 1962 Chevy C10
'65 Chevy Malibu
'66 Pontiac GTO - dual carburator
Toyota Corona Stationwagon
'86 Toyota Pick up 4x4
'94 Jeep Cherokee
'03 Toyota Sienna - which I still drive as it runs like a top
I loved going off road with the pick up. It was the only car I ever bought new. It got totaled when some sphincter in a brand new Beemer failed to notice that her light was red and gunned it into the intersection which I occupied, waiting to take a left turn. Bent the frame. The BMW disintegrated like a cheap suit, sort of looked like crumpled tinfoil with the idiot driver screaming inside. Fire department used a jaws of life to cut her out. Still had its dealer tags.
The GTO was a great car for hauling ass and hauling ass.
Don't drive much these days. Probably haven't done 1000 miles of the past year.
'66 Pontiac GTO - dual carburator
Toyota Corona Stationwagon
'86 Toyota Pick up 4x4
'94 Jeep Cherokee
'03 Toyota Sienna - which I still drive as it runs like a top
I loved going off road with the pick up. It was the only car I ever bought new. It got totaled when some sphincter in a brand new Beemer failed to notice that her light was red and gunned it into the intersection which I occupied, waiting to take a left turn. Bent the frame. The BMW disintegrated like a cheap suit, sort of looked like crumpled tinfoil with the idiot driver screaming inside. Fire department used a jaws of life to cut her out. Still had its dealer tags.
The GTO was a great car for hauling ass and hauling ass.
Don't drive much these days. Probably haven't done 1000 miles of the past year.
Love the GTO's. Hauling ass gets you in trouble. Back in my younger days I got a ticket in a Peterbilt 379 doing 104MPH down the interstate that got expensive
I currently own 4 cars. 3 of my kids have Lexus One 330 es, a 430 ls and a rx 350. My oldest bought his own after the one I gave him finally died with over 300,000 miles. It was a Toyota,
My caretaker drives me in a Dodge Caravan that is loaded to the gills option wise. I have a wheelchair I use so the van was the option I chose. I stole it from a guy who was stuck in Canada and this was his second vehicle . It is a 2006 with only 65,000 miles. He bought it new, was an old guy and kept all service records. Those are the only used cards I buy, cream puffs owned by old people.
All of my Lexus were bought the same way. I also take them to my mechanic before finalizing the deal. I make them understand that Kelly Blue Book is just a rag and the numbers are all inflated for the seller, they don't like it when they are buying. I use NADA as they have 4 prices on each car. When I used to appraise cars in the car biz, we used a book called Galves auto price list. Those numbers were from the auctions. There was supposed to be a black book but I never saw one.
My first car was a hand me down to me and my sister. It was a 1967 Ford Thunder Bird with the 351 engine I believe and had a little over 300 horse power. When I bought a car for my job as a mfg rep in the jewelry business it was a Ford Fiesta with a 4 cyl Kent engine that off the block was quick.
Once I began having kids I started buying the conversion vans with the high tops. It had the captain chairs, electric bed, tv and vcr, a rolling living room. My ex wife liked trucks so I bought her a used Dodge she liked it. I got bored of the truck and made her drive the Van while I drove a Jaguar XJ8L. I had always wanted a big jag and finally did it.
Once we moved to Florida in 2003 I had to get of the high top van as it didn't fit in the garage and you couldn't leave it out at night due to HOA rules. I knew that going in so I got rid of the 4 wheel drive Dodge 4 door pickup. I bought a GM Yukon XL and that fit all the kids and the beach stuff as that is where we practically lived.
I bought a Jaguar xJ8 Vanden Plas for me and I loved the car. I used the Valentine One radar detector and not once did I get bagged for speeding and I drove that carr hard. I was racing a buddy once and I was doing 140 when he blew by me in his BMW M5.
Once the divorced happened I kept the Jag as she wanted the Yukon. even at 0% financing the payment was 640 or so a month. I was glad to be rid of it and I kept writing off my Jag to one of my businesses. SHe couldn't do that as the businesses had been put into trusts 6 years earlier. I believe in good planning.
I drove so many cars in the car biz I couldn't remember a quarter of them. Although each winter I would order myself a decked out Dodge Ramcharger. It was all Black with a red gut, roll bar anything I could think of I out on it as when spring ht I would sell it and get something else.
Now after driving everything under the sun I am getting driven by my live in caretaker. I was a Dodge salesman in 1984 when the Caravan first came out. It was a feeding frenzy. It is funny how life takes some weird twists and turns. I had all my fun cars and now I end up in a mini van that is easy for me and my wheelchair. The thing is loaded tothe gills with a leather gut and every option possible. It is even in my favorite color, gunmetal grey. I ordered that colar more than any other when I had to order 2-300 cars a t a wack. It was a pain in the balls and my boss couldn't wait to give me such an important position. He would actually laugh in my face when he said time to order.
,
My caretaker drives me in a Dodge Caravan that is loaded to the gills option wise. I have a wheelchair I use so the van was the option I chose. I stole it from a guy who was stuck in Canada and this was his second vehicle . It is a 2006 with only 65,000 miles. He bought it new, was an old guy and kept all service records. Those are the only used cards I buy, cream puffs owned by old people.
All of my Lexus were bought the same way. I also take them to my mechanic before finalizing the deal. I make them understand that Kelly Blue Book is just a rag and the numbers are all inflated for the seller, they don't like it when they are buying. I use NADA as they have 4 prices on each car. When I used to appraise cars in the car biz, we used a book called Galves auto price list. Those numbers were from the auctions. There was supposed to be a black book but I never saw one.
My first car was a hand me down to me and my sister. It was a 1967 Ford Thunder Bird with the 351 engine I believe and had a little over 300 horse power. When I bought a car for my job as a mfg rep in the jewelry business it was a Ford Fiesta with a 4 cyl Kent engine that off the block was quick.
Once I began having kids I started buying the conversion vans with the high tops. It had the captain chairs, electric bed, tv and vcr, a rolling living room. My ex wife liked trucks so I bought her a used Dodge she liked it. I got bored of the truck and made her drive the Van while I drove a Jaguar XJ8L. I had always wanted a big jag and finally did it.
Once we moved to Florida in 2003 I had to get of the high top van as it didn't fit in the garage and you couldn't leave it out at night due to HOA rules. I knew that going in so I got rid of the 4 wheel drive Dodge 4 door pickup. I bought a GM Yukon XL and that fit all the kids and the beach stuff as that is where we practically lived.
I bought a Jaguar xJ8 Vanden Plas for me and I loved the car. I used the Valentine One radar detector and not once did I get bagged for speeding and I drove that carr hard. I was racing a buddy once and I was doing 140 when he blew by me in his BMW M5.
Once the divorced happened I kept the Jag as she wanted the Yukon. even at 0% financing the payment was 640 or so a month. I was glad to be rid of it and I kept writing off my Jag to one of my businesses. SHe couldn't do that as the businesses had been put into trusts 6 years earlier. I believe in good planning.
I drove so many cars in the car biz I couldn't remember a quarter of them. Although each winter I would order myself a decked out Dodge Ramcharger. It was all Black with a red gut, roll bar anything I could think of I out on it as when spring ht I would sell it and get something else.
Now after driving everything under the sun I am getting driven by my live in caretaker. I was a Dodge salesman in 1984 when the Caravan first came out. It was a feeding frenzy. It is funny how life takes some weird twists and turns. I had all my fun cars and now I end up in a mini van that is easy for me and my wheelchair. The thing is loaded tothe gills with a leather gut and every option possible. It is even in my favorite color, gunmetal grey. I ordered that colar more than any other when I had to order 2-300 cars a t a wack. It was a pain in the balls and my boss couldn't wait to give me such an important position. He would actually laugh in my face when he said time to order.
,
Beginning at age 17 with the De Soto to age 69 and the CRV
1948 DeSoto
1962 VW
1962 Chevrolet Bel Air
1964 Impala SS
1972 Pontiac LeMans
1974 Mercury Capri
1976 Jeep CJ-5
1982 Volvo 240 station wagon
1985 Volvo station wagon
1985 Cadillac DeVille
1990 Saab 9000
1997 Jeep Cherokee Sport
1999 Jeep Wrangler
2001 Honda Accord
2004 Porsche Boxter S
1974 Plymouth Duster
2005 Jeep Liberty
2011 Jeep Liberty
1995 Land rover Defender 90
2018 Honda CRV
1948 DeSoto
1962 VW
1962 Chevrolet Bel Air
1964 Impala SS
1972 Pontiac LeMans
1974 Mercury Capri
1976 Jeep CJ-5
1982 Volvo 240 station wagon
1985 Volvo station wagon
1985 Cadillac DeVille
1990 Saab 9000
1997 Jeep Cherokee Sport
1999 Jeep Wrangler
2001 Honda Accord
2004 Porsche Boxter S
1974 Plymouth Duster
2005 Jeep Liberty
2011 Jeep Liberty
1995 Land rover Defender 90
2018 Honda CRV
I have always preferred traditional rear-wheel-drive four-door U.S sedans, currently, I drive Town Car