Vehicles of Legend

[dispatch]

This was partially inspired by comments made by a few members in Amethyst's car-hunting thread. I've been thinking with my recent vehicle purchase and summer coming up about cars of years past, stuff that people drove when gas prices weren't a looming concern, and just some of the good times and crazy stuff I've seen done in/with vehicles.
The purpose of this thread is to share stories of the cars we've loved and the road trips, top speeds, breakdowns, accidents, and other roadway (or, commonly, off-road) misadventures we've had. Also feel free to daydream about the cars you want/ would have if money was of no concern.

My first car was an 89 dodge "Ram Van", basically a caravan built for fleet use, it had no side windows in the back, a cargo cage, and 2 bucket seats. I chose this one because I was in a band in high school and figured someone had to haul the gear, but she tragically threw a rod after enduring months of abuse at the hands of a 16-year-old kid, but I managed to limp her 8 miles across town on 5 cylinders.

In 2005 a friend finally got his affairs in order to move from here to phoenix, when the day came he loaded everything he was keeping into an 88 olds cutlass cruiser station wagon and we drove south to the US-40 then west to flagstaff and on down to Phoenix, this was one of the best road-trips of my life. One of the highlights was when I took over driving and noticed less than an hour later that the heat gauge was off the scale and the car was acting weird, I pointed this out to my friend, who isn't automotively knowledgeable at all, and he replied "Oh, it's been doing that since Texas" (we were in the painted desert at the time).

When I die and pass into the great unknown, if the afterlife really is the "big rock candy mountain" heaven that people often refer to where you live forever in comfort surrounded by friends, relatives, and childhood pets, then waiting for me will be a 1971 Plymouth GTX 440 Mopar, Black with white racing stripes, black leather bucket seats, chrome accents, wood-grain dashboard, 4-on-the-floor, and my dog Kodi riding shotgun and for some reason wearing aviator sunglasses while hanging his head out the window. The highway will be endless, gas will be free, and there will be diners and small towns filled with friends, relatives, and dead celebrities.

These are just a few of my musings, but if I sat here and wrote them all out I'd be here all week :D

[Greenday]

Well, luckily, I still have the first car I bought. I got it right before I turned 17, which was just over 3 years ago. It's my two door, Z24 Chevy Cavalier. When I bought it, it had a whaletail, a fartcan, and a Z24 sticker for a window tinter so I don't get blinded while driving. The rear windows are completely tinted. So far, I got rid of the fartcan and cops have stopped following me everywhere. I've had to get a new battery, a new catalytic converter, new tail lights (failed inspection first time because the ones I got with the car weren't DOT approved), new gas cap (failed this time around because it wasn't good enough). Haven't made it through my bi-yearly inspection without failing. It has a small crack in the front bumper. Scratches in various places. Last August, on the way to school, something got stuck in the cruise control and it wouldn't stop accelerating. Very scary, but I managed to be calm and stop my car. In October, on the way into Philly, someone started weaving for no reason. The guy in front of me slammed on his breaks even though we weren't in danger yet. I hit my breaks, but despite me being more than the proper distance away and reacting very quickly, my brakes were too worn down and I hit him. Not even a scratch or dent on his jeep. My hood was all messed up and had to be replaced.

My next car will be a Z06 Corvette. And it will be AWESOME. I wouldn't mind getting the SS version. 650 horsepower baby! And God is it sexy.

[protege]

One car I wouldn't mind having is a '58 Chevy Impala. Not only is it the Impala's first year, but everyone and their mom has a '55 to '57. Why a '58? Well, considering that I've built several of them as models (and no, I still haven't finished *that* one...;) ) why not? Of course it would have to be an Impala, with the 348 V8, possibly one of the rarer station wagons, but I think it would kick ass :)

That wouldn't be my only toy--a 1960s Ferrari 330GT would be in there too. I just like the looks of the thing, and the engine sounds truly glorious :D

Right next to that would be my current MG. (I've philosophied about this car enough...so I'm not going to bore you all with why :lol: ) That's been in the family since new, restored from a wreck, etc. etc.

Of course I'd have to make space for the first car I ever owned. That would be the '91 Tercel. Great little car, never let me down. Even the one time it did fail, I still made it across town on 3 cylinders. Getting up the hill, was, well, interesting... 8 years on, I still miss it. The Mazda replaced it wasn't a bad car--great driver's car, in fact...but it just didn't have the same soul.

While I'm at it, why not include the Volvos my family once owned? We had a '79 GL sedan and an '81 DL wagon. The DL would get repainted to some other color than that stupid beige my mother wanted, and the GL would get all the rust removed. Oh, and the extremely-smooth V6 would get its idling problems under control. Why those two? Well, I remember riding in the wagon quite a bit growing up...and the '79 was simply pretty damn quick on the highway. You could get that up to nearly 90mph, and not even know it :eek: Several times, I remember my mother going "OH SHIT!" when seeing the speedometer :lol:

[RayvenQ]

Toyota Hilux, as proven by Top Gear

from wiki

a 1985 Toyota Hilux with 190,000 miles (308,000km) on the clock was subjected to extraordinary abuse. This consisted of driving it down the steps behind Bristol Cathedral, scraping buildings in Bristol, crashing it into a tree, tying it up to a jetty to be washed out to sea by the incoming tide, driving it through a garden shed (a.k.a the Top Gear production office), dropping a caravan onto it, hitting it with a wrecking ball, setting the cabin & bed area on fire,[2] and, on the following programme (the sixth) placing it on top of a 240-foot (73 m) block of flats that was subsequently destroyed by a controlled demolition.[3] Although it was now suffering from severe structural damage (there was already significant body corrosion when it was purchased), the truck was still running after being repaired without spare parts and only with typical tools and equipment that would be found in a car's toolbox, such as spanners, motor oil, and a monkey wrench. [4]The Hilux currently resides as one of the background decorations in the revamped Top Gear studio from Season 8 onwards.

[InverseHellion]

I still miss my first car. 1990 GMC Sierra Extended Cab, it saw me through ninja attacks, money-hungry grandmas, and a really enjoyable 'we're graduating and won't see each other again' encounter. I really hated selling it... but it'd be hell to buy gas for nowadays. It was $50 to fill back when gas was 69.9/litre!

[blas]

My 1987 Tempo....best $500 I ever spent. Subject to tons of abuse that the poor little 4 cyclinder engine couldn't handle. Ran into several garbage cans and mailboxes for fun. Eventually was traded in for my Neon.

My 1992 Tempo. Dad let me have it after he bought his Intrigue. Nothing could stop that car. It survived every type of mechanical failure in the world and still bounced back like a fresh patch of grass. Then the brakes went out and I could no longer afford to keep putting money in that car. So I went back to my 1987 Tempo.

[Amethyst Hunter]

About 5 or so years ago my dad got this freaking GORGEOUS Mercedes - not new; he liked to hang around a used Mercedes dealership back then and at the time had just enough money to play with. It wasn't exactly the best monetary decision to do, but he bought it and we had it for about a year, maybe two years? before we sold it (not surprisingly, because of fuel concerns - it took *only* premium fuel and that was right around when the prices started their upward march).

I don't remember what model or year it was (early 1990s, I think); to quote/paraphrase David Spade: "It's the kind of model that says 'I've got the girl and you're in the bushes whacking it with a cold pizza.'" :lol: In short: this thing was BAD. ASS. Think the kind of thing that Somebody Important would be chauffeured around in. It was sweeeeeeet. Had a moonroof and BUTT-WARMING SEATS (literally - you press a switch on the side door panel and your tush gets nicely toasted). Ooh, was that nice in the wintertime... :D

[Shangri-laschild]

My first vehicle love was a BelAir that the neighbors had. I adored that car was later in high school sad to see it sold to some kid who lowered it and made it generally look like shit.

The first car that I had basic free range with was my parent's Neon. It was also the car that I learned stick on. I have to say, that car held up really well considering. Especially after the nice that J and I took it out driving and he drove it over the ditch and into the field after hitting some black ice. The whole thing wobbled for a while and I was dumb enough not to get it checked out. Like most of the problems with that car though, it seemed to almost go away after not too long and just keep gonig. The interior light would flicker and the speed guage would go out, but never at the same time in an oddly reliable sort of way. It finally died when the water pump went out and I ended up needing to get my own car.

I told the dealer I wanted a smaller 4 door stick shift. He started naming a couple, most sounding uninteresting. Suddenly he mentions a Neon. I was sold on it very quickly. That car was awesome to me and saw me through several road trips which have been very nice. I ended up getting hit on my way to work after putting $1100 into it and it got totalled out.

My current car is a Ford Escape. It has been much nicer for the road trips and hauling stuff. That car got filled 3 times full of computers and computer parts one night when the school was junking a bunch. It's seen me on my first parent free Chicago trip and is what J and I always take when we go traveling.

In between all of mine there has been a partial ownership of a Jeep. It's a piece of crap, but I still love it to this day and hope to get it running. Driving that thing with the top down and the doors off is an awesome feeling. Plus I always end up looking at all the curbs thinking, 'I could drive over that sucker...' even if I know I shouldn't. The radio was stolen out of it one day when we left the top down. It still is the most reliable vehicle J has ever had. It was driven though water that went up to the widows and leaked in. Some of the stuff underneath got messed up. Neither of us drove it for a bit but on a whim we tried starting it one day and low and behold it started and drove beautifully. It always does that. It currently needs a new starter and windshield though so it's out of commission.

My motorcycle is a newer buy and hasn't gotten to see much driving time (I've put less than 100 miles on it) but hopefully there will be some fun times on that too.

[crazylegs]

Toyota Hilux, as proven by Top Gear

Seconded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrk6vsb77xk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Uc4Ksz3nHM

[sms001]

The Belair station wagon at 17.
Open hood, start car, get out, put out fire in carb, close hood, take off. Tires so bald that you could throw the steering wheel from complete left to complete right on a rainy day and continue in a straight line :eek: Thing had DAMN good karma though - never even a ticket for any of those teen boy indiscretions.

The Chrysler Omega aka "The Death Cruiser."
Friend of a friend's car that was t-boned on driver's side. Made its way from Indiana to Missouri. At some point during the two years we had it the Indiana plates expired. Entered and exited via the missing glass sun roof. Spraypainted Death Cruiser on the side. No papers, no registration, expired plates from ANOTHER STATE - none of us (three or four guys at the apartment drove it around) ever got pulled over. Strangest thing: a couple of us would date girls from a rather elitest school in town. These are out-of-state, private all girls school tuition types. They LOVED driving the Death Cruiser! Would even ask to borrow it on occasion.

[dispatch]

A car's character & personality counts for allot, and if you've been raised around shiny new cars, etc all your life you might get curious about what real people drive!

as far as the plates thing, a friend was talking about how she was driving around virginia (where they're apparently VERY strict on roadworthiness inspections & enforcement) with expired plates from nebraska and noone messed with her, maybe they just don't think to look closely with out-of-state plates in certain areas

[Primer]

One car I wouldn't mind having is a '58 Chevy Impala. Not only is it the Impala's first year, but everyone and their mom has a '55 to '57.
My first car was a '70 Chevy Impala (in '77), does that count for anything?

The two cars I miss the most (but not entirely) are the '75 Ford Pinto station wagon, and the '69 Saab 96.

The Pinto could (and did!) do almost anything! It trundled through 8" of sticky mud, forded a low water crossing (stupid driver!) and hit a deer and kept on going! It did tend to eat clutches, though. I wish I'd had enough money to keep it properly maintained back then. It finally died at about 135K miles from a blown timing belt--just never was the same after that.

Edit: Oh yeah, the Pintos were the ones to blow up when rear-ended...and I was rear-ended by a dump truck. I was yielding for an ambulance, and he was trying to beat it through the intersection. I and the car both survived! Well, my insurance company totaled out the car, but it drove for another year or so after that.

The Saab...well, what can I say...it looked like a radioactive cross between a VW Bug and a Volvo. Radioactive, because of the red primer along the rust lines. I loved the looks I got while out and about. I did have a chance to buy it back a few years after I gave it away, but when I looked, absolutely nothing had been fixed in the engine. I recognized all my own work, such as Plumber's GOOP on the radiator overflow bottle, and the same zip ties to keep the wires up off the engine block.

Then there was the '74 Opel Manta Luxus, that looked like a mutated Mustang... That was fun, too!

Right now, I have a '98 Nissan Frontier pick-up, that I bought in '99. It's been pretty reliable, except that I've had a speedometer head on backorder for 2 years come August. I've learned to drive using the tach to judge speed. Thank goodness the only 2 speeds I need are 45mph and 65mph!

I believe my next will be an SUV or full size pick-up, just because I want to be in a larger vehicle, where I can see what's going on around me, and I'm too scared to drive a small car after the 18-wheeler rear-ended me a year and a half ago.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

When I die and pass into the great unknown, if the afterlife really is the "big rock candy mountain" heaven that people often refer to where you live forever in comfort surrounded by friends, relatives, and childhood pets, then waiting for me will be a 1971 Plymouth GTX 440 Mopar, Black with white racing stripes, black leather bucket seats, chrome accents, wood-grain dashboard, 4-on-the-floor, and my dog Kodi riding shotgun and for some reason wearing aviator sunglasses while hanging his head out the window. The highway will be endless, gas will be free, and there will be diners and small towns filled with friends, relatives, and dead celebrities.


My dad's green Chevy Nova would be the car I'd want waiting for me. He wrecked it not long before I was born. :banghead:

My first car was a 1994 Nissan Sentra which was kind of a blah car but it got me where I wanted to go. I got rid of it when parts of the electrical system started to go to hell and needed replacing.

In several years, after I've got my Saturn paid off and driven into the ground, I'd like a small SUV. One that will be better on gas. Or better yet, hybrids will be more common and the price for them will have come down a bit more.

[Rine]

My vehicle of legend...I don't consider it "my car." It was the family car that I learned to drive in. A 1994Ford Aerostar; it had 130,000 miles on it. It survived so long; didn't have AC, the lights inside didn't work, etc. Was driving strong and it's life ended when someone torched it. Poor van. We had just cleaned it up nice too and someone with a grudge torched it.

The fire burned so hot that it melted the siding of the house it was sitting next to. But the engine firewall held up! Guess that's what it suppose to do.

The other family van of legend was our 1989 Dodge Caravan. Two countries, four states, and 180,000 miles. The back seats were nonexistant, the ceiling fabric fell off so you could see the metal roof, the a/c and heater didn't work, paint was faded on the hood, and finally it just went quietly. Someone bought it from us for five dollars and set about to restoring it (don't know why.) Every once and a while, I drive by the owner's house and see it sitting there. I miss that old car sometimes. That was the only car the family owned for seven years.

[XCashier]

http://www.foundationpc.com/62catalg/cover.jpg
My first car looked like the one in the front of the picture, except white with blue interior. 1962 Dodge Dart, it was my grandmother's car and she gave it to me when she was tired of dealing with Phoenix traffic. Drove like a tank, had push-button transmission (which I've never seen anywhere else), but it got a lot of attention from attractive guys and I never had a problem finding it in a parking lot! :D

[sportsmom]

My favorite vehicle that I've ever owned would have to be the '95 Jeep Wrangler that hubby and I owned when the Practice Chile was but a wee thing. Soft top, half doors, I drove that thing most of the spring and summer with the top and doors off it. We used to take it down to Corolla, NC and drive out onto the beach and have a grand old time at the water.

My favorite time was with a friend of mine, though. We had just gone to see the Violent Femmes a The Boathouse in Norfolk and decided to go the oceanfront. Now, anyone who has lived in the Tidewater area for more than a week will tell you that everyone of the gorram interstates is constantly under construction, so we were stuck in traffic for roughly 45 minutes. Of course, there was a Camaro full of squids (Hey, I married one, I can call Navy boys "squids" if I want to damnit!) that we were side by side with most of the way who did their level best to flirt with us. When we finally got to the oceanfront, the guy in the back seat decided to stick his ugly mug out of the passengers side window and blow friend and I kisses. I just looked at him and said "You know, there's a reason why they stuck you in the back seat, right?" I thought the other two were going to pee their pants from laughing. I turned right and my friend and I laughed about that the rest of the night.

I've taken that thing through mud holes that were big enough to do laps in and had red Carolina clay up to the windshield and that thing still ran like a champ.

Somehow, a Jeep just isn't practical with three kids, though. The husband doesn't like it when I tie him to the top so we can all go somewhere together. :p We've already agreed that when the kids are all gone, or at least grown, we'll get another one though.

Don't get me started on the Wrangler Unlimiteds, though. They look like the bastard children of a Wrangler and an H1.

[dispatch]

Sprotsmom, you know you want an old CJ anyway, lol!

[sportsmom]

Actually, I wouldn't mind an old CJ, they're not bad.

I just don't think Jeeps should have 4 doors.

[daleduke17]

My first car was a 1989 Chevrolet Cavalier RS. For being a small two-door car with a 4cyl, it was one of the best. This thing was on its third owner and had probably 100,000 miles on it already. It survived going into a ditch, being used as a pizza delivery vehicle, being a "backup" car for about two years, and rear-ending a classmate's pickup (brakes needed replaced - oops).

While being designated the "backup" car this part of the state had some of the coldest temperatures the state ever had (something like -35F). This car hadn't been started for about a week or so and started right up when my "good" car thought it was too cold to start.

We sold it later that year to one of my mom's coworkers, who in turn sold it to one of the managers a few months later. It finally passed into the car afterlife in 2002 after a full life of around 180,000 miles (and two distributors, two or three head gaskets, a driver side door of almost complete rust, the A/C going out once, driver side window track being warped, the driver side headlight housing being taped so water couldn't get in, and one of the window controls burning itself up).

The other vehicle I liked was my dad's 1991 S-10. It was bare bones. No factory installed radio (we put one in afterwards), no A/C (that's what windows are for), and was a stick shift. It survived my mom and I BOTH learning to drive it (which is a commendable feat). It had enough of a legacy for me to own two more S-10s (a 1995 and a 2001 - both automatics, though).

I'll end with what the father of one of my friends said to her: "Hold on to your first car, you'll never forget it" (or something similar).

[protege]

I'll end with what the father of one of my friends said to her: "Hold on to your first car, you'll never forget it" (or something similar).

Good advice. I gladly would have kept the Tercel, but at the time...I hadn't been working very long (fresh out of college), and it was going to cost a bit to fix it. By 2000, it was already 9 years old, and was starting to burn oil. It probably just needed a ring job, even though it still ran well. I simply couldn't afford to be without a car (no way to work), so it had to go. Besides, I already had one "project car," and my landlord (aka parents) wasn't about to tolerate any more dead things on the driveway :lol:

At least I got the MG. Not my first car, or even the first car I worked on. That would have been dad's VW Beetle-based kit car. You wouldn't cut up a Beetle now, with the prices being what they are...but in '78-79, it was just another old car. I don't remember much about that...but I do remember working on it with him. Since I was only 3 at the time, there wasn't much I could do...other than hand him tools and sandwiches ;)

That car was built for a magazine article--he did the article, in exchange for the kit. I remember going into the garage with him every night--by the time we'd finished "that damn car" (oddly enough, the same words my mother said about the dead MG in her garage...), she wanted to kill us both :p I don't remember much about that car, other than it was red...and was a close copy of a '52 MG TD. Sadly, it didn't stick around long--pressures of a growing family meant it was sold :(

At least I got to (eventually) keep its successor :D Forever's such a silly word...but I don't see myself getting rid of it. It's more a member of the family now--nearly 40 years in the same family has to be some sort of record. But, at least now it'll enter its 40th year in much better shape :)

[Plaidman]

Money no object?

Batmobile. From the comics.

[daleduke17]

Protege, yes, it is very good advice. Next time I see her, I'll have to ask what he actually said.

And yes, I want my Cavalier back as well. Once we get a place of our own, I want to find a car like it as a work car, then keep the S-10 in the garage as a backup/hauler. Too bad that era of cars is almost 20 years old and not many are around anymore.

[Knightmare]

My father gave me his 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible (http://www.fvn.no/amcar/visitor/bilder/roed17.jpg). It was an awesome car. I loved every minute, every inch of that car.

However, with the birth of my daughter, and new responsibilities, I had to sell it.

That was such an awesome, beautiful vehicle.

[XCashier]

My father gave me his 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible (http://www.fvn.no/amcar/visitor/bilder/roed17.jpg). It was an awesome car. I loved every minute, every inch of that car.

However, with the birth of my daughter, and new responsibilities, I had to sell it.

That was such an awesome, beautiful vehicle.
I totally sympathise. I wish I still had my old Dart. There's something about one's first car, especially when it's a classic vehicle with elegant, unique stylings.

Unfortunately, practicality sometimes has to come before nostalgia. Growing up really sucks sometimes. :(

[AdamAnt316]

My first car was a 1991 Dodge Spirit, nicknamed "The Junkmobile". Though it was in less-than-peachy shape even when we got it, and I put numerous dents and dings in it's plasti-metal body during my first year of driving, it served me quite well. Never even had a problem with it's four-speed automatic transmission (known for being dogs, due to design issues), and the 3L V6 it was coupled to made it a very peppy beater. Here's a picture of it, after having retired it after several years of near-flawless service in favor of a much-less-reliable 1996 Chrysler Concorde:
http://www.electronixandmore.com/adam/temp/spirit1.jpg

Several years back, while searching for yard sales in the Junkmobile, I spotted a 1976 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight Regency for sale in front of one of them. I immediately fell in love with the 5,000 pound behemoth. 455ci V8 under the hood, 26 gallon fuel tank in the back, and around 200 inches of car in between. It needed brake work, and likely some bodywork, but it was a real beauty. For $600, it could've been mine; sadly, I didn't have nearly that kind of money in those days. I tried to scrape together what I could, but before I could manage any sort of funding, I found out that it'd been sold. :cry: I still have it as desktop wallpaper on most of my computers, in memory of what could've been, and perhaps still could be, in one form of another (though the current gas prices are making that look highly prohibitive). Behold, it's gas-guzzling beauty:
http://www.electronixandmore.com/adam/temp/olds98_small.JPG (http://www.electronixandmore.com/adam/temp/olds98_right.jpg)

I currently have a 1995 Oldsmobile Eighty-Eight Royale. While it's springy suspension provides a lovely couch-like ride, it doesn't have nearly the same pimpmobile factor as the Ninety-Eight; of course, it's smaller 3.8L V6 consumes much less gas than that giant V8. :D Here she is, covered with a healthy coating of frost:
http://www.electronixandmore.com/adam/temp/95olds88.jpg
-Adam

[dispatch]

Adam; It's funny you should mention the "couch-like ride" because a friend of mine has the same car and calls it the "couch cruiser" due to the size of the back seat.

[BearLeeBadenaugh]

My first car recieved so much abuse at the hands of my friends and I. Suzuki Samurai jeep-alike, which we affectionately named Yertle, because of how many times it ended up upside down offroading on the tank trails of the nearby military base. it wasn't exactly the best vehicle for someone of my height, lol, there were many a time when I had to use my left hand to push my knee from between the steering wheel and door panel where it got stuck while shifting.

One of the favorite escapades in that vehicle came about 2 weeks or so after I got my drivers license. My best friend and I were cruising around, enjoying my newfound freedom and happened across his younger brother and one of his friends. Those two wind up crammed into the backseat, and someone posts forth the idea that we should go do donuts on the frozen lake(mid February). My hometown had just finished it's Winterfest recently, and the snowmobile racing track was still set up nicely. At first, I approached the embankments with a bit of trepidation, but after a small amount of time(maybe 4-5 minutes, lol) I decided to see if I could jump the tracks using the embankments as ramps. I'll never forget the sound of my buddy's younger brother screaming "aaaaaghh, we're gonna die, we're gonna die" as we flew through the air.

[AdamAnt316]

Adam; It's funny you should mention the "couch-like ride" because a friend of mine has the same car and calls it the "couch cruiser" due to the size of the back seat.

:lol: The back seat of the Eighty-Eight is indeed quite cavernous, though not quite as couch-like as the aforementioned Ninety-Eight (the plush red upholstery reminded me of one of those overstuffed couches from ye olde days). Oldsmobile made some roomy cars, that's for sure. Sitting on the back seat of the Eighty-Eight after it goes over a mild bump in the road (causing the car to lazily bounce up and down for a few seconds) would certainly add to the couch effect. ;)

I have yet to come up with a nickname for my Eighty Eight which I've deemed to be truly suitable. In the running so far are "mOlds" (it's green...), "Oldmobile" (it is 'your father's Oldsmobile' nowadays...), "Junkmobile MkIII" (the ill-fated Chrysler Concorde was MkII), and "La-Z-Boy" (they do make couches, after all...). It definitely deserves a nickname, since it has quite a personality, but seeing as it's just gone over 100K miles, it's hard to say whether or not it'll be around long enough to truly earn one...
-Adam

[sms001]

A car's character & personality counts for allot....

they just don't think to look closely with out-of-state plates in certain areas

Both probably true.

Forgot to mention, and this holds true for most of the "Legends" here - one of the best things about them is you always win the "we all got to the four way stop at the same time" game :lol:

[sms001]

calls it the "couch cruiser" due to the size of the back seat.

Our phrase was usually "Living room on wheels" Couch cruiser is a lot easier!

[protege]

My grandfather had an 1984 (or '85?) Olds Delta 88 Royale...that thing truly did handle like a couch. I don't know if it had airbags in the suspension, but it tended to float all over the place and lean in corners.

[Tanasi]

The first car that I bought was a 1966 Ford Mustang 289ci. It didn't handle very good, it didn't whoa very good but by gosh I could go in a straight line fast. One of the motor mounts was broken and the motor would jump around as you passed 60 and smoothed out around 70 and at that point smoke would come from under the dash (never did figure that one out.) Gave a whopping $1200 for it and I thought and still think it was money well spent.

[Acolyte]

The DethKar, AKA my parent's old '94 Crown Victoria. The name came from my driving style, not the car itself.:D
See, my parents thought that it would be an excellent idea to hand over the keys of their giant, 8-cylinder, built-as-a-cop-car road yacht (We used to live in the town where they build the things, and have more then a few friends on the production line, so strings were pulled to get a partial Interceptor kit in it *WEG*) to a 16-year-old, testosterone-addled guy who watched way too many action movies with car chases and was fresh out of a driving course that included a day spent on a skid pad learning fun moves like the 'half-second lane change'.

I didn't complain. I drove the shit out of that car! Good times. The name 'DethKar' came about after a trip to Future Shop when I made a friend of mine have a near-emotional breakdown trying to park the thing. I think the skidmarks where I drifted into the parking spot are still there, 4 years later. When coming out, another friend, instead of calling shotgun, called 'Death seat!' And, thus, the name was born. Changed to DethKar because it's more metal.:p

We drove the hell out of that thing, and it took it all. It brought us almost all the way across Canada pulling a trailer, and successfully navigated the Alaska Highway during construction season and after spring runoff, a highway that eats lesser vehicles and ineptly-driven SUVs whole. We finally sold it last summer, trading it in for a Toyota Tundra. While I love the Tundra too, I still miss it. Although its legacy lives on-it was sold to a new taxi company, who are still driving the shit out of it. Last time I saw it, it was drifting a corner into Wal-Mart, last week.