Ping.
1975 Ford Custom 55 with the V-8 Cleveland engine. Huge land yacht that road down the road like being on a cloud.
Called it the ‘Blue Beast’!
http://momentcar.com/ford/1975/ford-custom-500/
My very first car was a used 1981 Buick Regal. What did it have wrong with it? It would be easier to tell you what worked.
1st generation Scion xB.
It is the most useful car I’ve ever owned as a daily driver, and I’ve owned 30. I bought it new for $17k in 2006. It now has just shy of 200k miles on it and runs LITERALLY like new.
It will seat four six foot men comfortably. I’m 6’1” with more leg than torso and when I push my seat all the way back, I can climb in behind the driver seat and my knees have a couple of inches of room between them and the seat. It’s absurdly huge for passengers.
It also gets great gas mileage (I have the stick) and handles acceptable (but not as good as my Scion FR-S)
Sadly, I hit a deer a couple of years ago and kept the insurance money since the thing had 150k on it and the $3600 was better spent on other stuff. It means the exterior looks rather trashed. I replaced one of the headlights that was shattered with an aftermarket led row light. Works fine and definitely makes the car look quirky.
My wife hates it because it’s embarrassing for her to drive. I think it has character. :)
Any Jeep...from the older CJs to the more recent JKs.
Admittedly not suited for everybody, but they make me happy :)
I once had a little blue fiat that I l loved but alas it developed electrical problems and burned to the ground.
Mrs. AZLiberty loved her Aztec Gold AMC Pacer until its transmission was taken out by one of those raised-dome left-turn lane dividers that must have been subsidized by AAMCO. We have fond memories of a long camping trip across Canada, sleeping in the back of the Pacer, and taking walks with our Siamese cat.
I ask the following question: Of all the vehicles that you have driven, what car (or truck) have you owned that you loved in spite of its faults, quirks, and foibles? As a follow-up question, what made that flawed vehicle so endearing to you?
___________________________________________________
1990 Plymouth Acclaim V6.
This car had a Mitsubishi engine and transmission which both needed rebuilding or replacing every 100,000 miles or so. But it was QUICK. Awesome fast, and comfortable and easy to drive. I had this car for about eight years, then sold it to my brother who also enjoyed it for another 7 or 8 years.
Despite being a Chrysler product with a Mitsubishi engine and drivetrain - this was a great car.
1976 Ford Mustang II, my first car, bough for me by my dad. Slow as molasses, the engine had been replaced with one from a later Mustang, still 4 cylinder but for some reason it wasn’t very well matched for the manual transmission. It ran well but was s-l-o-w. Nice clean, pretty car otherwise. Hated it at the time, couldn’t wait to get rid of it, and when I did, my dad wanted it and bought it back from me. He drove it for years. It finally died, wasn’t worth repairing, he cried when they towed it away. He’s gone now, too. What can I say, I was young and stupid, and took a lot of things for granted. He said he was afraid I’d kill myself in a faster car, might’ve been right. Now, when I see one in that certain medium shade of metallic blue, not such a frequent thing anymore, they’re beautiful and I want one.
1963 300SL. Cream with red interior.
Terrific, for the day, straight line acceleration, but a terrible rear suspension design (quite similar to the VW rear swing axels) that could induce throttle-off oversteer.
I finally flipped and rolled it at ninety MPH at the top of Carmel Hill. But the thing was built like a Panzer and I walked away, mostly, unscratched.
But what a babe magnet. It was too bad I was married when I owned it or it could’ve been put to great use in that role.
Land Rover Discovery.
Thing would go anywhere.
But it was in the shop so often that I kept all my personal belongings in a box to move between my car and the various loaners provided by the dealership.
My beautiful 78 and 80 Z-28’s and my sweet maroon 87 Toyota Supra Turbo.
Man do miss those cars especially cruising during the summer in the 80 Z and the Supra with the roof panels out and the cool tunes cranking.
The 78 silver Z was a great looking car as well.
Had a nice Infiniti J-30 for a bunch of years and now drive a boring and buggy 2010 Mazda 6.
ugh
My first car as a senior in HS was a gorgeous 1978 Camaro with a custom white pearlescent paint job with red interior, 305 engine.
Loved that car too...
Man do i really miss the old days
1972 Dodge Dart 225. I bought it fo $120 in 1979 with a bashed passenger door. I got the door to function though it was still bashed but didn’t leak. It ran and everything worked when I got it and it kept running for 45k miles more (30k already on it without a lick of maintenance beyond oil changes and a set of tires. Then my crazy sister stole it and drove it to New Mexico. She put another 10k or so on it then left it through a 25 degree night with no antifreeze . Oh well.
My little red Chevette. The first new car I ever bought, and at the time probably the cheapest car in America. People told me not to buy it, but it lasted 10 years, and went on to last another couple for an immigrant family I gave it to. May have cost $1500 - $2000 in repairs the last few years I had it, but by then it had been paid off a long, long time.
Was perfect for me at the time, handled very nicely and was easy to park; good space for hauling stuff. I miss it.
‘71 Roadrunner with 383, 4 on the floor
Ping.
BMW 325ix
ONLY car I had that was BRAND NEW & I ordered it with the equipment I wanted.
In 1965, a right hand door mirror was extra—so was a heater in a California car—so was the roof rack. NO power steering or windows. Automatic.
I had a 1965 Pontiac Catalina Station Wagon. I put over 444,000 miles on it and did only one engine rebuild—at 231,000 miles. I sold it to a guy in Sweden who wanted to restore it. Got over 19 MPG on a couple of trips—and I drove many miles over 55 or 60 MPG. I would drive from Los Angeles to Indianapolis for the Labor Day drag races & then up to Madison, Wis to see my Dad. Going across Arizona, New Mexico & Texas, I would hang the speedometer at 90 & just drive. They check your ‘enter time’ & your ‘exit time’ on the toll road tickets thru Oklahoma, but I never got caught. IF you stop for gas & some food at one of the larger truck stops, you balance out the time. I really loved that car & I have regretted selling it since then.
I now drive a 1979 Buick station wagon with over 213,000 miles on it & a 1976 Chevy Dually 1 ton pickup with Granny low 4 speed with over 348,000 miles on it. Hauls my 4 horse trailer just fine.
The local parts houses are pitiful about finding parts for either vehicle. Summit Racing keeps me moving.