[Alfie]

My very first car was used 1978 Fiat Strada for $750. Front end damaged, hood was painted with blue house paint, doors didn'y stay closed, no heater and no air. Sounded like a mustang straight pipe and tires nearly bare. Drove this dangerous contraption for 2 years then the transmission died. Engine in the trunk really stumped mechanics and tire guys didn't want to change my tires since it had no center hole. Never ran over 50 miles/hour and never ran for longer than 2 hours. Parked in the worst section of philly university city area and no one ever touched it. Security system? The Club. I still have the club.

 

[APFlux]

Technically speaking, my Alfa is the first car I've own since I'm helping my parents pay for it. But I previously drove a '16 Mustang fastback in highschool. I loved that pony

 

[ALFAOFFROAD]

I found the faceplate for a stereo in an old car...made me laugh.

First Car Was an 80's Dodge Daytona. Not the cool one. I had fun in it though, learned alot about maximizing momentum.

It was an Automatic. I went through three cars before getting a manual.

When my Dad took me out the first time to learn to drive it was in a Ford Ranger manual that was also the shop truck..super abused, slipped out of second...synchros gone in first...more play in gear then most cars have in neutral...

I screwed up, got confused between shifting and him yelling...drove up and hill and through a fence. Stopped in a guy's lawn, truck had to be towed. After than I was afraid to drive stick.

Learned stick and got a Nissan Pulsar NX. Man I loved that car...the faceplate I found was from the Pulsar.

 

[DrGP]

I had a turquois and white Chevy 210 2dr with a post .6cyl with 3 on the tree and 95K miles and no oil cleaner .My father purchased for $75. I modded it to basically look like this. It was totaled in a rear end collision

 

[DrGP]

My very first car was used 1978 Fiat Strada for $750. Front end damaged, hood was painted with blue house paint, doors didn'y stay closed, no heater and no air. Sounded like a mustang straight pipe and tires nearly bare. Drove this dangerous contraption for 2 years then the transmission died. Engine in the trunk really stumped mechanics and tire guys didn't want to change my tires since it had no center hole. Never ran over 50 miles/hour and never ran for longer than 2 hours. Parked in the worst section of philly university city area and no one ever touched it. Security system? The Club. I still have the club.
View attachment 24566

I had 2 1966 Malibus . Both were stolen in Philly. I fixed that problem. I bought a Chevy Vega Station Wagon.No one wanted it

 

[Jwg223]

P71 Crown Vic

 

[GWRmotohead]

1979 Dodge Colt twin stick, at the time, I wanted a 78 RWD colt, or Arrow, but my dad bought two FWD 79s, one for him, and one for my Mom to share with me, the current teenager in the house at the time. Loved the twin stick tranny, Power and Economy!,

 

[ALFAOFFROAD]

Wasn't that basically an 8 speed manual?

That would near nirvana if done right. The thought of it alone is exciting.

Course...two levers each controlling four gears doesn't sound like the optimal arrangement. Does sound fun though.

I've never even seen one.

 

[Malibu]

1992 Ford Exploder. Looked just like this one:

My second car was more fun. 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited. I still miss it. It was the dark grey/black color like this:

 

[Tom&RobsAlfas]

1973 Fiat 850 Spider. Bought it because it was a convertible not because it was cool looking or Italian. Got it running and then fell through the floor and the structural "X" member of the unibody. Dad made me junk it that weekend. 45 years later the engine is still in the garage and it runs.

 

[Mrmucy]

I had a 1980 XD Falcon. 4.1ltr straight 6 with a ’3 on the tree’ transmission (3 speed column shift). Holley carburettor and extractors improved the sound and front lowered springs improved the look. A good Aussie built car!

 

[DrGP]

1992 Ford Exploder. Looked just like this one:
View attachment 24573

My second car was more fun. 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited. I still miss it. It was the dark grey/black color like this:

View attachment 24574

I had an Explorer like that

 

[RayJ-HT]

Technically my first car was some Peugeot that my brother purchased to give me but my mother wouldn't let me have it. Then one weekend my uncle went out of town and let me drive his Jetta GLI, 84 I think. It was his daily and his weekend car was a 300E I would later get. Anyway when he came back into town he told me I could have it. It was a 5 speed and ran like a little sowing machine.

Mine was black with black and white interior.

 

[wassei1]

Mine was a 1962 Citroen ID19. Same two tone as in the picture. My dad helped me buy it for $600 as a commuter car for college. He was something of a car buff and admired Citroens for their ingenuity. I was concerned about parts, but my father said he would help me with repair expenses, so I bought it from the used car lot of our local Dodge/Plymouth dealer whom we had bought cars from for many years. There was such a big smile on the face of the salesman when I turned over the check, I should have suspected something. I kept the car for about four years until I graduated but I think the car was only available to me about half that time. The rest of the time it was in the Citroen repair facility located on 3rd Ave. in Brooklyn. I had to have it towed there from Staten Island because our family mechanic told me not to bring it to him. "I don't have the time to figure out how to fix that," he told me. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the attention the car commanded whenever I drove it. People were always amazed to see the car rise up from the street with it's hydro-pneumatic suspension every time I started it, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. If you owned one you would appreciate the metaphor. The car had many cool features, too numerous to mention, but one that I found to be extremely helpful was the ability to hand crank the car like a Model T if it wouldn't start with the ignition.

 

[lost1750GTV]

"Hand crank"
My 61 tr3 had the same feature - but I never was able to start it like that.

 

[Alfie]

View attachment 24582

Mine was a 1962 Citroen ID19. Same two tone as in the picture. My dad helped me buy it for $600 as a commuter car for college. He was something of a car buff and admired Citroens for their ingenuity. I was concerned about parts, but my father said he would help me with repair expenses, so I bought it from the used car lot of our local Dodge/Plymouth dealer whom we had bought cars from for many years. There was such a big smile on the face of the salesman when I turned over the check, I should have suspected something. I kept the car for about four years until I graduated but I think the car was only available to me about half that time. The rest of the time it was in the Citroen repair facility located on 3rd Ave. in Brooklyn. I had to have it towed there from Staten Island because our family mechanic told me not to bring it to him. "I don't have the time to figure out how to fix that," he told me. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the attention the car commanded whenever I drove it. People were always amazed to see the car rise up from the street with it's hydro-pneumatic suspension every time I started it, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes. If you owned one you would appreciate the metaphor. The car had many cool features, too numerous to mention, but one that I found to be extremely helpful was the ability to hand crank the car like a Model T if it wouldn't start with the ignition.

that is a sweet ride...

 

[Chasriff]

A 1975 MG Midget I got in 1980. Only had it for about 6 months when I ended up wearing it like a hat when some lady cut me off. Still miss that car.

 

[wassei1]

"Hand crank"
My 61 tr3 had the same feature - but I never was able to start it like that.

Did you have the ignition in the on position?

 

[crimbo]

'65 Guilia Spyder Veloce in 1967. Had it in Ithaca NY last three years of college. Car body and road salt didn't get along very well. Blew a head gasket. Fixed it myself in the driveway but nobody told me I needed to re torque the head bolts after 300 miles. Must have changed the head gasket half a dozen times! I got pretty quick at it by the end. Loved the car though. Still an Alfista 55 years later!

 

[ventogt]

1995 VW Jetta GL Manual, white on black. Librarian from my school tried to pass me in the turning lane as I was making a left turn on a 'suicide lane' road [one travel lane each side with turn lane in middle] in her Pontiac Grand Prix and smoked the driver's side right at the B pillar. Totalled the car 2 weeks after I turned 16. Luckily the cop told her she was nuts if she thought the accident was my fault and got it replaced with a 1996 Jetta GT 2.Slow manual 4 cylinder. Red. Originally had a white one but after delivery one of the DRL headlights refused to work. So they pointed to the red one and that was it. Drove it until I was 23. All of the looks of the VR6 GLX but absolutely none of the go fast. Still a really fun car.

Not mine but looks just like it:

Fun interior too: