Kids First Car?

[ultrarunner]

Thinking the same... my OLD car was only 6 years old when I bought it in High School

Today... my NEW car is model year 2002...

 

[Jstpssng]

'67 Buick LeSabre bought in 1978 for $495. What a piece of crap that thing was!!!

Took over driving the family 1970 VW Camper after that. Learned a LOT about maintenance with that thing, but LOVED driving it! LOTS of good memories in that old van!


Kind of funny - I was driving those vehicles when they were 10-12 years old and they were at the end of their lives at that point. Now I have an '08 truck and an '02 Jeep Wrangler (10 yrs and 16 yrs old) with plenty of life left in them!! So much for "they don't build 'em like they used to!" :laughing:

I've told this one before; in 1975 my father bought a new Power Wagon to replace his '62 Willys pickup. (He regretted selling that Jeep to the day that he died,) In 1976 with 12000 miles on the truck he rebuilt the front end as the bearings had failed, and the warranty had run out.
That same year he bought a high mileage 1974 Torino for my sister - it had 80,000 miles. Everybody marveled at the good condition that 3 year old car was in, because there was no rust showing.
Today you go 100,000 miles before your first tuneup. Oil is good for 5000 miles, and fuel economy is much better. Toyota is replacing rusty frames on 10+ year old pickups, my 2004 Ranger was just recalled because of the air bags. (Those 1970's vintage Fords had a habit of not staying in park; FMC's "solution" was to mail every one a sticker for the dash, reminding them to use the parking brake.)
They sure don't make them like they used to... Thank God!

 

[ultrarunner]

I'm guessing my first car is about the oldest... 1929... still have it.

Do come across a lot of high mileage Honda and Toyota... mostly folks with long highway commutes.

In the old days the longevity went to the million mile Mercedes Diesel and Gas Volvos...

 

[Jstpssng]

I'm guessing my first car is about the oldest... 1929... still have it.

Do come across a lot of high mileage Honda and Toyota... mostly folks with long highway commutes.

In the old days the longevity went to the million mile Mercedes Diesel and Gas Volvos...

If you don't post pictures, it never happened.

I'm always stumbling across carcasses of old cars dumped out in the woods. For my father's birthday I would make a card with a pic and he would tell me what it was. After he passed away we tried to get the Model A that he had sold to use in his funeral, but it wasn't running.

This IH KB5 did a lot of work for him over the years. As he got older it got harder for him to keep it running and he sold it to a friend. If I was half as talented as many of the members here it would be parked in my driveway right now.

 

[ultrarunner]

Love the IH... is that 4wd?

 

[Jstpssng]

2 WD Split axle. He bought it around 1962 and had it until after he closed down the greenhouse. It would sit in the barn for months at a time, but always started when he needed it.
When we were kids we used to ride our bicycles 8 miles to our camp in the spring, then ride them home in the fall. One year our camp neighbors wanted to ride up with us so we put their bikes in the back and rode from camp home standing up holding onto the dump body...
If we did that now they would lock up all of the parents in jail and throw away the key.

 

[RSKY]

I held a new car for both the daughters as a prize for good grades. Not that they really needed it. Both got scholarships and lived at home commuting to the local state university. The state money (high school students in Kentucky get a specified amount for good grades to be used toward tuition and other expenses as long as it is spent in state) paid for their books, gas, lunches, and other expenses. I bought both of them new Mazda Proteges for their commute. One was a 1999, the other a 2004. Best return on investment I ever made. Those two economy cars enabled me to retire five years early. I also had the peace of mind knowing that the daughters were traveling in a new car and not one that was more prone to breaking down.

RSKY

 

[buckeyefarmer]

The real question there is....... where did you find a $1400 Subaru?????? :laughing:

Those things are priced like gold around here!

I wondered that also....

 

[buckeyefarmer]

The car I drove to High School and College and for 10 years after is a 1972 Green Plymouth Valiant with 6-cylinder... the A/C was also broke but is was straight and I found the rubber floor mats to very practical... paid $800 for that car and it served me well for 20 years.

The problem was it embarssed my employer... I was even summoned to the CEO offices and told to sit down...

She said bluntly... I know what I pay you so why in God's name do you drive the ugly car?

After the initial surprise wore off... I said I have had since high school and my cost of ownership is nil...

Note the car did not need any body work... had clean white wall tires... etc.

Then I reminded her all the money I save the hospital because of my frugal ways... she admitted I was right... but left saying I really need to do something about my car...

I told her I would drive one of my other cars to work the next day... which was my mint 62 Corvette...

Well that also got noticed... in passing... she asked if I was driving the White and Red Corvette... thinking all would be good... but it wasn't... one of the Doctor partners commented she was paying me too much if I could afford such a car...

Sometimes you simply can't win for losing... and I still have both cars today...

I cant believe any boss would concern themselves over the car you drive. Wow, that is so wrong....
But i would have asked, " what kind of company car do you intend to give me?"

 

[Howling]

I wondered that also....

$1400 Subaru was 15 years ago. Local mechanic sold it as favor for another customer that bought a new car.