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:driving:Thought I'd start a new thread as I was recently looking at pictures from a car show and many of the vehicles brought back memories of past cars I've personally owned. Not just driven, but actually owned.
Now, my historic trail here will probably have the majority of you out there scratching their heads over "what was that", but for some of us, it will be a nice blast from the past and a trip down memory lane (yes 08Versailles, I am thinking of you).
I'll start off this thread on my 4-wheeled journey by setting the stage. It's 1979 and I just turned 16 years old (doing the numbers you can figure out how old I am now - its not a problem for me). First thing I did after blowing out the candles of my birthday cake was go and get my Beginners Drivers License (here in Ontario, Canada) or more commonly known at that time as my "365". I have to admit I'd already been driving since I was 14 along some back roads north of London Ontario, so I could not wait to get "legal".
So I get my 365 then I take a school-board offered Driving Course over the fall (mainly to get the insurance discount) and in December of 1979, I take my road test on a wintry day in London, Ontario in my Aunt's 1974 Pontiac Ventura (with no power steering - only manual). Boy did it take some effort to parallel park and do the 3-point turn! However, I nail everything and get my Permanent License (no graduated licensing in those days). Now I need to get my own car.
A few months pass and spring comes in 1980, and I get my first car. A bright orange (or was it tangerine) very used 1975 Chevy Vega! It was the best (and worst) $400 I ever spent! However, gone were the days of riding my bike around London Ontario or taking public transportation. Now I had my own set of wheels and boy was I popular with my buddies who still had only their bikes. I did not know it at that time that the Vegas were one of the worst cars ever made (#1 in Lemon Aid I think, or close to it) and it only lasted me 6 months. I remember having to shove a cloth down the carbourator to start it when it stalled many times. Then shortly after the Vega bit the bullet (engine died), I bought my Aunts 1974 Pontiac Ventura (same car I used for my road test) and drove that for the rest of my high-school days.
Well, after I finished school and moved on I continued my thirst for Cars. My list is below (enjoy):
- 1975 Chevy Vega (first car)
- 1974 Pontiac Ventura
- 1977 Mercury XL-7 (nice big North American 351 Cleveland V8)
- 1979 Datsun 260Z 2+2 (my first import!)
- 1981 Chevy Camaro Z-28 (my fav car, 350V8 Air Induction, T-Bar Roof, black with gold stripes...ahh...and a chick magnet)
- 1980 Chevy Monza (my least fav car)
- 1980 Chevy Camaro (just plain V6)
- 1977 Triumph TR-7 (yes the Wedge Lives! Yellow and Black, 4spd. Drove it across Canada from BC to ON in the dead of winter)
- 1980 Ford Mustang II
- 1978 Mercury Comet (started College after serving in the Military and this got me back and forth to school for awhile)
- 1981 Lada (yes, a Russian Car - great for Canadian Winters...when it started!)
- 1982 Ford Escort (only car lost in an accident - rear ended by a taxi, not my fault I was stopping for a red light in Toronto)
- 1985 Chevy Sprint (first brand NEW Car I ever bought, after graduating College - thanks GM Student Rebates)
- 1987 Suzuki Forsa (traded the Sprint for my second brand NEW car. Second favourite car, 1.0L 3-Cyl Turbo, 5spd., Sunroof, Tint, etc. - one of the most fun cars to drive)
- 1989 Ford Aerostar (after marriage and our only child arrives)
- 1992 Chrysler Caravan (mini-van trend continues, carry lots of stuff with a kid)
- 1983 Buick Skylark
- 1992 Suzuki Swift
- 1992 Eagle Premier (last of the Renault-influenced cars)
- 1997 VW Jetta GLS (third brand new car, got the loaded model and was my first foray into Mods - did CAT Back and some interior mods)
- 2001 Kia Rio (fourth brand new car - basic transportation)
- 1998 Toyota Avalon XLS (great car, loads of room and smooth...feel bad I got rid of that after a couple of years)
- 1998 Ford Windstar (put lots of KM's on this as we drove it a lot on trips and had a travel trailer for awhile that we towed. Did a lot of camping.)
- 2002 Kia Rio RX-V (back to the Koreans)
- 2008 Nissan Versa S (slightly used, first Versa for me, then when my wife's car finally bit the dust, I gave her this one and got the other Versa for me)
- 2008 Nissan Versa SL (second Versa, mine - present day)
Well, there you have it. I look back and realize I've owned a lot of cars so far (not as many as Jay Leno has, but I am working on it!
). Some of these cars (especially the later ones) I gave to my wife and then got another car for myself to use, so I did not flip all of them. Most of them, but not all.
Hope you enjoyed my story and I encourage others to share their love of car-stories here!
Now, my historic trail here will probably have the majority of you out there scratching their heads over "what was that", but for some of us, it will be a nice blast from the past and a trip down memory lane (yes 08Versailles, I am thinking of you).
I'll start off this thread on my 4-wheeled journey by setting the stage. It's 1979 and I just turned 16 years old (doing the numbers you can figure out how old I am now - its not a problem for me). First thing I did after blowing out the candles of my birthday cake was go and get my Beginners Drivers License (here in Ontario, Canada) or more commonly known at that time as my "365". I have to admit I'd already been driving since I was 14 along some back roads north of London Ontario, so I could not wait to get "legal".
So I get my 365 then I take a school-board offered Driving Course over the fall (mainly to get the insurance discount) and in December of 1979, I take my road test on a wintry day in London, Ontario in my Aunt's 1974 Pontiac Ventura (with no power steering - only manual). Boy did it take some effort to parallel park and do the 3-point turn! However, I nail everything and get my Permanent License (no graduated licensing in those days). Now I need to get my own car.
A few months pass and spring comes in 1980, and I get my first car. A bright orange (or was it tangerine) very used 1975 Chevy Vega! It was the best (and worst) $400 I ever spent! However, gone were the days of riding my bike around London Ontario or taking public transportation. Now I had my own set of wheels and boy was I popular with my buddies who still had only their bikes. I did not know it at that time that the Vegas were one of the worst cars ever made (#1 in Lemon Aid I think, or close to it) and it only lasted me 6 months. I remember having to shove a cloth down the carbourator to start it when it stalled many times. Then shortly after the Vega bit the bullet (engine died), I bought my Aunts 1974 Pontiac Ventura (same car I used for my road test) and drove that for the rest of my high-school days.
Well, after I finished school and moved on I continued my thirst for Cars. My list is below (enjoy):
- 1975 Chevy Vega (first car)
- 1974 Pontiac Ventura
- 1977 Mercury XL-7 (nice big North American 351 Cleveland V8)
- 1979 Datsun 260Z 2+2 (my first import!)
- 1981 Chevy Camaro Z-28 (my fav car, 350V8 Air Induction, T-Bar Roof, black with gold stripes...ahh...and a chick magnet)
- 1980 Chevy Monza (my least fav car)
- 1980 Chevy Camaro (just plain V6)
- 1977 Triumph TR-7 (yes the Wedge Lives! Yellow and Black, 4spd. Drove it across Canada from BC to ON in the dead of winter)
- 1980 Ford Mustang II
- 1978 Mercury Comet (started College after serving in the Military and this got me back and forth to school for awhile)
- 1981 Lada (yes, a Russian Car - great for Canadian Winters...when it started!)
- 1982 Ford Escort (only car lost in an accident - rear ended by a taxi, not my fault I was stopping for a red light in Toronto)
- 1985 Chevy Sprint (first brand NEW Car I ever bought, after graduating College - thanks GM Student Rebates)
- 1987 Suzuki Forsa (traded the Sprint for my second brand NEW car. Second favourite car, 1.0L 3-Cyl Turbo, 5spd., Sunroof, Tint, etc. - one of the most fun cars to drive)
- 1989 Ford Aerostar (after marriage and our only child arrives)
- 1992 Chrysler Caravan (mini-van trend continues, carry lots of stuff with a kid)
- 1983 Buick Skylark
- 1992 Suzuki Swift
- 1992 Eagle Premier (last of the Renault-influenced cars)
- 1997 VW Jetta GLS (third brand new car, got the loaded model and was my first foray into Mods - did CAT Back and some interior mods)
- 2001 Kia Rio (fourth brand new car - basic transportation)
- 1998 Toyota Avalon XLS (great car, loads of room and smooth...feel bad I got rid of that after a couple of years)
- 1998 Ford Windstar (put lots of KM's on this as we drove it a lot on trips and had a travel trailer for awhile that we towed. Did a lot of camping.)
- 2002 Kia Rio RX-V (back to the Koreans)
- 2008 Nissan Versa S (slightly used, first Versa for me, then when my wife's car finally bit the dust, I gave her this one and got the other Versa for me)
- 2008 Nissan Versa SL (second Versa, mine - present day)
Well, there you have it. I look back and realize I've owned a lot of cars so far (not as many as Jay Leno has, but I am working on it!
Hope you enjoyed my story and I encourage others to share their love of car-stories here!