More or less in order starting from age 16. I don't think I've forgotten
any:
(16) 1961 Bel Air 4 dr; 283 & powerglide - an automatic that could be
push started. Actually my parents car that I "inherited" because I could
fix it.
196x-something Morris Minor that I never got running - who knew from
English Whitworth?
(21) 196x-something Fiat 850 Spyder; breaking a fan belt ripped out the
oil seals - it was very prone to breaking fan belts. Sold it after my
foot went through the driver's side floorboard.
1964 Bel Air 4 dr wagon; the rear bumper fell off and took the license
plate with it on the way to a Deep Purple concert. The Highway Patrol
was pretty understanding about the whole thing.
196x-something Fiat 124 Spyder; you'd think I would have learned my
lesson from the 850.
(25) 1965 Mustang convertable; 289 & 4 speed ... some drunk a$$hole ran
a stop sign & smashed it. Total loss.
1972 Pinto wagon; weirdest car I ever knew - body made in USA was all
metric hardware, engine made in Germany was all SAE standard hardware.
All I could afford after the insurance company screwed me on the Mustang.
1964 VW Van; another non-starter - it ran, but could not pass NC's
safety inspection.
195x-something Volvo; maybe a 544 - the only thing my ex-wife got when
she took off. As I remember I only paid a couple hundred dollars for it.
It ran OK, but needed work. I didn't have time to fix it up before she
took it.
(30) 1980 Chevrolet Citation; the only car I ever bought brand new off
the show-room floor. Never, ever buy the FIRST YEAR of any new
automotive technology. Great concept. Lousy execution.
1981, 1983, 1984, & 1987 Chevrolet G20 long-bed vans; 350 V8, Auto, AC -
LOTS OF ROOM INSIDE. Leased by my employer. I bought the last one for
residual value at the end of the lease and drove it another 10 years.
Should have kept it and put a new motor in it. The company switched to
Chevy Astro vans & I drove several of them as well.
(40) 1978 MGB Tourer; Safety Fast. Mid-life crisis and I couldn't afford
a Porsche.
Drove it until some knucklehead pulled out in front of me & smashed the
front left. Bought a 1979 Tourer from a junkyard for parts and rebuilt
it myself, but kept the parts car as well because it was too complete to
get rid of. In 1996 the car was vandalised and I've never been able to
get the ready to rebuild it. I've still got both of them. Maybe next year.
(48) 1995 Ford Escort wagon; 4 cyl, 5 spd, AC, Cruise, power everything
- NON-interference engine (don't worry about that timing belt - run it
'til it breaks).
Problematic cooling system. I think there's some kind of plastic
radiator that part melted and clogged the block. I got stuck in traffic
in July 2002; it overheated ONE TIME and blew the engine. Literally the
temp guage went up to the peg, bounced and came right back down. Got
another 5 miles before it lost power and died. Aluminum engine, blown
head gasket, warped block, warped head.
Ford Dealer told me it would cost less to get a replacement from Mr.
Engine than it would for them to repair it. Apparently did the same
thing to the replacement engine in 2004 while I was overseas.
(55) 1998 Mazda 626; 4 cyl, 5 spd, AC, no power nothin'. I had three
hours of transportation to go looking for a car in January 2005. I added
after market cruise control. Been a good, reliable car, but nowhere to
throw out a sleeping bag in the back. I've averaged 30 mpg city, 36 mpg
highway and 31 mpg combined - about 5 mpg better than the EPA rating.
For Sale - $2500.
(59) 2005 Ford Focus Wagon; 4 cyl, 5 spd, AC, Cruise, power everything,
6 disk CD in dash. I've had it two months and the new hasn't worn off,
although I already know a couple things I got to fix - clutch switch to
disengage cruise control and the master control for the rest of the
power windows have to be fixed.
Not as much room to throw out a sleeping bag as I originally hoped, but
I'm working on that too.
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