[Kennethbokor]

: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!

 

[Kennethbokor]

49 views and not one reply post?

Come on gals/guys, share your storey! :smile

 

[08versailles]

Awesome Ken ;-) I'll throw mine in when I get home in front of a real keyboard lol
Personal car stories are the best, can't wait to hear from everyone!
Edit...subscribed

 

[RedAlertV]

That's quite the list you have there, impressive.

I haven't been in this earth long enough to accumulate such impressive list as you but here is mine.

*First car was a 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier that happen to be my dads first car as well since we came to the US. Shortly after he had an unfortunate accident (he wasn't hurt) and the car was total.
*Next came a 1994 Cavalier 2-door. This lasted me quite a while.
*Then I had to move on, came across a very nice almost pristine 1987 Monte Carlo LS. Beautiful both in and out. Very well taken cared for by the only previous owner. Loved this car but had some trouble with the pistons and was going to cost more to repair than the car was worth so I had to let it go =(
*After the Monte came my very special 2001 2-door Chevy Blazer. I loved this truck until my transmission gave in, replaced it with the help of a fellow friend but after that the problems just kept piling up so I had to move on. Notice how Chevy was all I knew lol
*Until I met Nissan lol. In the form of a 2006 Nissan Sentra 1.8SE. This is when the Mod bug got me. Bought some rims, exhaust, lowering springs and for a while looked pretty damn good. Till I got bored lol. I wanted something stick so again, I moved on.
*So came my next, current but not last lol car. The VERSA. Love this car, and again I couldn't leave it stock. And this is how my story without an ending ends.............so far lol.

 

[robj80]

so I'm 16, just got my license and my mom promises to contribute to me getting a car. Said she would match whatever I throw up. I really wanted a 90-91 crx but at that time, and still are, they were going for about $3-4k. I saved up just about $2k and was ready to buy. My mom said she couldn't give me anything. But I needed a car because I went to school and had a job, sometimes two that I had to get to. So I searched and searched but couldn't find a 90-91 crx in my price range. Then one day I found an 87 CRX si with moon roof for $1,500. It was a little riced out as it was silver with purple racing striped, slammed to the ground on cut springs (found out after) and custom dual exhaust.

I went up with my bro to look at it and we bought it. Ironically years later I purchased my first home just a street over from where I purchased my first car. I later put in some nice lowering springs to ditch the harsh riding cut springs. I had the rear quarters fixed of rust by having prelude fenders cut and welded in and I had the entire car painted bright white. I added a few things like intake and a header. It was a good looking ride and had plenty of pep. I remember it used to cost me $10 to fill her tank and a tank would last me forever. I loved that car but eventually another beast caught my eye. The rear wheel drive nissan 240sx.

So still driving the crx I look over the local sites for used 240's. I finally found one. It was a 92 SE fastback in red. It was newer, sportier, rwd and looked brand new. Was at a local dealer so I hit up a few friends who were asking to buy the CRX and had it sold within a week and went to pick up my fastback. Again I did some mods, like intake, jdm front end, jdm tail lights, pulley, exhaust, lowering springs, wheels etc. Spent a ton of money and the car looked good but was not all that fast. I eventually got the feeling like I needed an adult car due to the ex-wife and I wanting to have a baby. So a rwd car in New England with a tiny back seat wasn't going to work. Step in the infiniti G20.

I wanted an audi a4. A 97 model with a turbo 1.8 engine. But the ones I looked at all had check engine lights on and were pretty expensive. While looking at an a4 on a lot I saw a red g20 touring model with black leather interior. It looked way better than the a4 but no turbo. I found a love for nissan so I took it for a test drive. It felt almost as quick as the a4 but not as fast as my 240. But the looks of the car and the premium feel, ontop of the fact it was $3k less than any a4 I had seen made me purchase that very car later that week.

After modding all my older cars and never really happy with the performance I decided the only mod I would do is turbo the car. Afterall the g20 comes with an sr20de engine so they love the boost and I knew they could handle it. That is exactly what I did. A few months after buying it I had a full turbo setup put on. The car made 200whp so it was fairly quick, and looked fantastic. I drove this car all the way up to 218k miles. At this point she had one annoying gremlin where it would start than just shut off. Happened only a few times but I was tired of working on cars and just wanted something reliable that I didn't have to worry about. The turbo g20 on average got about 28mpg with premium fuel. So I crunched the numbers and figured out if I got a car getting close to 40mpg with regular gas, with all the driving I do the savings would pay my car payment. What is this? Nissan offering a stripped versa with a tiny 1.6 fuel efficient engine? Couldn't have been better timing.

One morning the G20 did it's stalling after start thing. Caused me to miss a day of work. An hour later it started up and drove perfect. I couldn't afford to do this anymore. I had gotten divorced and I needed to bring my baby places without fear of getting stuck. I drove my g20 straight to the dealer ship and said, "I want a 1.6 versa with AC and I'm buying it right now". That is exactly what I did. The versa is now paid off with 142k miles on her and hardly a single issue nor any high maintenance/repair costs. This car was absolutely free to me. The gas saving and repair savings is greater than the car cost. To keep the car running smooth and the true low cost of ownership I decided to not mod the Versa in any way. She is still 100% stock till this day.

So that is my cars I loved story.

cliff notes:

87 crx si
92 240sx SE fastback
99 infiniti G20t (turbo charged)
2009 Versa 1.6 w/ AC and abs

 

[Kennethbokor]

Excellent stories guys, thanks for contributing. Looking forward to more!

It's amazing how we end up with Versa's for much similar reasons - low TCO and great gas mileage!

 

[fonque]

I have only owned a few cars

learned to drive a my dad's 1994 Caprice classic LS (very fun car)

I've owned:
1992 nissan NX2000 (modded, and my favorite on this list)
1989 Chevy Beretta GT
1999 VW Jetta GL
2002 VW Jetta GLX VR6
1989 Ford Crown Victoria (had it for 2 months and the transmission grenaded)
2007 Nissan Versa 1.8 SL
2010 Chevy HHR SS (the fastest car ive owned so far, also modded)

 

[06_warrior]

My vehicles in order of ownership.

68 Ford Torino GT - My first car. I bought it not running. Paid to get it running but didn't run very well LOL
70 Chevy Camaro - Lady ran a red light and totaled it.
75 Toyota Celica ST - after Camaro got totaled i bought this from a family friend until i hit a huge puddle of water and it never ran again.
66 Chevy Malibu - Bought if off a guy i was in the Army National Guards with. Had a hugh hole in the drivers side floor board and trunk. Traded for the Honda CB 450
68 Honda CB 450 - It got hit by a school bus and it was totaled.
67 Chevy Camaro - bought if off a guy in the neighbor hood with no engine, transmission or windshield. Got it running until i hit a patch of black ice and it got totaled
77 Chevy Scottsdale P/U - Bought it off my g/f's father with a bad engine and put the 67 Camaro engine and transmission in it. Sold it.
87 Toyota Celica GTS (bought new) - traded it for the 88 Toyota P/U
88 Toyota 4X4 V6 P/U (bought new) (had it lifted 7"+38" tires) - traded it for the 92 Camaro RS
68 Chevy Camaro - Totaled it on Black ice.
92 Chevy Camaro RS - traded it for the 89 Mustang GT
89 Ford Mustang GT Convertable - sold it.
85 Chevy Camaro IROC Z - sold it
88 Ford Escort Pony - sold it to my friend
94 Mustang GT 5.0 - fell asleep at the wheel and totaled it.
83 Yamaha Seca 900 (bought new) - sold it.
01 Saturn SL2 (bought new) - guy cut me off on the highway and totaled it.
95 Toyota 4runner V6 SR5 - engine died and lost interest in fixing it - sold it.
01 Hyndai Accent (bought new) - biggest piece of junk. Gave it back to the dealership. Voluntary repossession.
94 Ford Thunderbird - sold it to get the Dodge Dakota P/U
83 Kawasaki 650 CSR - sold it
87 Mustang LX 5.0 convertable - sold it
87 Dodge Dakota 4X4 P/U - sold it
01 Honda Civic DX - traded my son for his 96 300 ZX
06 Yamaha Road Star Warrior (bought new and still own and driving)
95 Chevy S10 Extended cab (still own and driving)
96 Nissan 300 ZX - sold it.
98 Nissan Sentra - died on me, got sick of fixing things on it, sold it
11 Nissan Versa (bought new) - engine started with the piston slap issue, traded it before i had some serious oil consumption issues. Traded it for the 12 Camaro 1LT,
12 Chevy Camaro 1LT (bought new) - traded it for the 12 Camaro 1SS
12 Chevy Camaro 1SS (bought new) - traded it for the Prius. Wanted something better on gas and wasn't black which was a pain to keep clean.
13 Toyota Prius C (bought new and still own and driving) - awesome mpg's and a blast to drive. plan to keep for long extended time. Saving lots of money driving this car.

I missed a few other cars that either never got on the road or they didn't last long if they were on the road.

 

[08versailles]

There's a Top Gear episode where Brian Johnson is a boy on the end of his bed, steering wheel in hand, experiencing driving as an imaginative boundless child. Such was driving through the eyes of young 08versailles.
From Dad's knee, i piloted the family 1979 AMC Concord wagon 304 V8 [with faux woody trim] down the back roads of southern Ontario, Canada. Undaunted by my ability to reach the accelerator, I was hooked on driving. The extra plasticky slippery beige steering wheel made for stationary fantasy power sliding. In my mind, I could make the trip to the city in thiry seconds! A car guy was born.
Fall 1982. Grandfather retired and so did his 1972 Datsun 1200 manual. That Thanksgiving I was 13, my cousin 11, and my brother 10. We were all packed in this farm duty Datsun with my Dad giving driving lessons. A little thrilled, a lot scared, but we were going for it! After i got the bondo buggy rolling and made second gear, Dad told us some people never learn to do that in their lifetime. I wanted more. So after getting my beginner's license on my sixteenth birthday, and full license at seventeen, on to my first car!
1979 VW Rabbit 3 door 1.5L diesel 4sp manual ORANGE with black Rabbit go faster stripes. My folks already had an 82 Rabbit 1.6 diesel and 81 VW pickup diesel, so this choice was an easy one. Even though it was slower than a parade, it ran, it was paid for and it was MINE. It would not break 139km/h on level ground. $500 car, $750 to safety it, $1900 to insure it for one year without collision coverage. No matter, it was mine mine mine. FYI it was possible to get speeding tickets in Canada's slowest car. Loved it, yet less than a year later, sold it for $200 cuz I bought...
1984 Dodge Aries "K-car" 2.6L Mitsubishi engine 3sp auto. $1200 safetied and working A/C! The arm rest was handy during um ambitious cornering. This car had a questionable ownership history, but without question I shanked the tranny. Replaced it, then shanked the engine. Moved on to...
1983 Aries wagon! Also 2.6 Mitsu. $800, black with grey lower half. My first DIY tint job, which was crap. Shanked tranny [surprise] and replaced it with tranny from other one, so in its third car! Drove it to Ottawa a few times, the final one making "good progress" "drafting" with a Civic and an entry level Porsche. Bought another 83 Kcar wagon, but sold both cuz I bought...
1987 Ford Tempo 2dr 4cyl 5sp A/C. "Only" five years old with 125000km. First car with sixth digit for 100000km+. First time I bought snow tires, but just the fronts. I spun it out in slush one day, cuz no traction in the rear. First cd player, amp and 6x9 speakers, all DIY install. Added second amp, subwoofer and one inch tweeters. Brother had 1988 Mercury Topaz 2dr 4cyl 5sp, but his was first year for fuel injection. So I would max out then he'd pass me doing...hmmm those were the days before road side license suspension and car impoundment Got my biggest speeding ticket [no tickets since], which awesome Mr.Policeman sportily reduced to 49km over so we wouldn't require court appearance. Four demerit points, $299 later, met the wife [and taught her to drive manual] who owned...
1992 Pontiac Sunbird 2.0L automatic. Was only one year old when she bought it, she was so proud. I was not enamoured with the car, but smitten with the girl. Wonder if she'll be impressed with my...
1988 Ford Crown Victoria. The Couch on Wheels. My first non-four cylinder. Got bragging rights over brother and buddies cuz i was the first to get a 5.0L! Haha sort of. Well at least my fellow carpoolers loved it. Averaged 22.6 mpg Imperial lifetime...which wasn't that long cuz I bought...
1986 VW Golf diesel. 3dr 5sp manual non turbo. Ahhh love the tactility of driving a MkII VW. Went 997km on a tank once. Love the GTI seat i put in it. These are the things you tell yourself when you go from Crown Vic to Golf. But even today my fave was my...
1992 VW Jetta turbo diesel manual. Only option was A/C. Adored this car. Bought it in 1996, had only 43000km. Everything I wanted in a car, nothing superfluous. First car i made payments on, $11,995. 50 mpg nailing it, 55mpg going easy. Couldn't keep it, sold it at 82000km for nearly what i paid for it. Ate humble pie and drove wife's dang Sunbird for a bit, then bought another $500 K car...
1986 Dodge 600 2dr 2.2L EFI 3sp auto no A/C. Was ten years old but under 100000km. This was not a "Car We Have Loved", but better than dang Sunbird...ok no not really. Couldn't get better than 32mpg either. Ohhh missing the Jetta, sooo...
1981 VW Rabbit diesel. $375 trip down memory lane. But nickled and dimed me in spite of the frugal fuel consumption and German road manners. Gave me trouble starting that winter. Left it running and work one day and blew head gasket! &%^@#$^^*^^$#[email protected] Traded it partially on new windows for our first house. Bought a ten year old...
1989 Toyota Tercel 5dr 5sp. $2400 safetied 147000km. Only options were cassette player, fifth gear and clock. Drove it three years almost to the day, til 256000km. Was very reliable, and gave 45mpg with minimal effort. But was carbureted and slow. Eventually bought a
1994 Chevy Cavalier 2.2L auto 300000km. Funny going to a higher miler car, but was cheap with A/C. Sold Sunbird for $2000 for first minivan...
1993 Ford Aerostar Sport haha 3.0L shortie. $2500 as is [not safetied] 258000km. Came to appreciate minivans, but not love them, yet...Cavalier coughed up transmission second gear throw out bearing, bought another...
1993 Mercury Topaz 2dr 5sp. Wife and I drove it Good Friday 2002 on our first major road trip together, to South Carolina. Took wrong turn into downtown Pittsburgh. Drove all the way from Ontario to SC for $39 US. Gas down there was $1.29/gal! That Dec smacked a deer doing a buck twenty, wrote it off, bought a
1992 Chevy Lumina Euro trim sedan [not the dustbuster Lumina minivan]. This car nickled and dimed me worse than the Cavalier and 81 Rabbit. Starter, battery, alternator, strut mounts...traded it on a
1995 Dodge Neon 5sp. First year for the brand new Neon. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Bucks to fix A/C multiple times. Then engine imploded. There were filings in the oil, and a loud knock. Wife said no more beaters, buy a newer car! Well ok...researched in LemonAid and bought a four year old...
2001 Nissan Sentra XE manual. Again only option was A/C. $6995 with 96000km. Bought aftermarket massive killer stylin 14 inch alloys. Topped up A/C couple times, replaced MAF sensor aftermarket $375 plus labour n taxes, replaced two ignition coils about $60 each. Pads and rotors. Pretty good for 4.5 years of ownership. Sold at 313000km for $450. Switching back to minivan timeline [and back in time]...sold 93 Aerostar at 316000km for $1200, bought...
1996 Ford Aerostar XLT 4.0 AWD extended. Was not a modern engineering marvel, but I loved this van/trucklet. Could not be stopped in the snow, ever. With mid and rear seats folded, it could swallow whole 4x8 sheets of anything, loading them at a comfortable height too. Then close the fibreglass rustfree tailgate [and hood]! The AWDs had upgraded springs in the front, so i added carge van coils in the rear to keep it from dragging its tail down the road. Three kids and boatload of stuff fit no problem. Several miles and trips to South Carolina later, it was starting to decline. Finally when the EGR valve failed, we sold it and bought a
2004 Ford Freestar Sport. 60000km, comfy car like handling, triple zone A/C, $13995 in Dec 2006. Our first former rental purchase. Replaced battery with used one, replaced ignition coil pack, replaced starter, traded it at 199000km, got $3000 for it, on a...
2009 Nissan Altima 2.5 S cvt, former rental again. Nissan had [still has on certain model years] an extended 200000km cvt transmission warranty. Wife loved this car very much, in spite of engine developing a crack between cylinders 1 and 2. Fortunately Nissan 100% covered cost of replacing engine with new short block. I didn't like the rental grade seats in it, but wasn't my car so didn't matter eh! This car and 92 Sunbird definitely fall under Cars the Wife Has Loved. One day smacked from behind, wrote it off ...
2013 Dodge Charger SXT 3.6L Pentastar V6, 8sp ZF automatic. Another used former rental. Wife likes it and we appreciate a larger family car etc, but I looove it Hopefully it will be mine someday...currently 41000km or so. Check engine light came on yesterday, haven't had it checked yet. Zoom back in time to Sentra, at 313000km and tranny getting a little grindy, A/C down again sooo...
2008 Nissan Versa SL manual bought in 2010 for $8995 with 78800km. Still had Freestar at the time, and gas was getting pricey, so Versa was to be the minivan alternative. Had to spend money on new front struts, couple wheel bearings, A/C top ups, some nice used rims and used tires. Will be replacing A/C evaporator shortly with aftermarket unit. Have a crack in windshield but that's no bother. But the check engine light [for evap system leak] will need to be addressed for its first emissions test April 2015. 243000km and more to come! This has been a Brief History of Automobilia with 08versailles

 

[Kennethbokor]

Great write up Jason and everyone, thanks for sharing!

 

[rstolz]

I've posted some of this before, but I'll run through it again. My list is relatively short, so I'll add some color:

93 Jeep Cherokee 2-door, 4WD, 4.0 HO. Became mine from my parents, after they traded up for a '97. This was the worst car for a 16 year old... off-road capable, torquey I-6, easily controlled power slides. Lots of fun. On a side note the horn would turn on of its own volition... that got irritating to drivers in front of me. Gave it back to my folks when I went off to college (car not allowed in 1st year)

'90 Subaru Legacy Wagon L AWD. Bought at college. First car I worked on myself because I was too poor to take it to a shop. Thing was a tank, and survived many many HARD driven miles. Sold it for $200 when the trans was giving out, should have kept it, still lust after it.

"96 Chevy Corsica. Easily the worst car I've ever driven, paint was peeling badly, bumpers were warped, handling sucked, was uncomfortable, loud and gutless. BUT that dammed thing refused to die. I drove it, knowingly, without coolant for 6 months... All I succeeded in doing, was freezing my arse off in winter, and watching the temp guage swing wildly in the summer. Never gave it an oil change either. And I'm pretty sure out of spite, it survived me rear ending a brnad new '06 Camry (trashed his rear end). All that happened to me was it pushed the front end in about an inch so I couldn't open the door fully. Got $200 from a junkyard the first time i felt the trans slip.

'84 VW Rabbit Convertible GTI. More on this later. For now I bought this in '07 and daily drove it for about a year totally stock. No rust on the body or the frame, top has one small leak. engine needed some electrical work and a tune up (surprise). lots of fun except for the random buzzer I couldnt Identify.

"08 Versa S 6sp. Bought new in '07. Traded the Wife's Mazda B4000 (Ford Ranger 4.0). Great car, was when new and still is now. The pickup was jsut too thirsty and wouldn't pass emissions testing where we moved to (not required where we moved from).

'05.5 Audi A4 Avant Quattro 3.2 - bought when I needed my own car again (the wife and I carpooled for a couple years, as the rabbit was garaged - coming up next). This is BYFAR, my favorite engine, and one of my favorite Driver's cars. That 3.2 was amazing, smooth as silk and powerful. loved it, until it started breaking... spent $3000 in 9 months

'84 VW Rabbit GTI Convertible - Now she was garaged in '07 and began a multi-year drivetrain swap project. She emerged sporting a 225HP 1.8T from an '01 Audi TT, driving the front wheels via a 5sp trans with LSD from a '92 Corrado G60. Full coilover upgrade, emissions deletes, no power steering, no A/C, full standalone management, custom wiring, mounts, exhaust and intercooler, totally stock exterior. Ohh baby is she a beast! I will never do another project like this, as it almost drove me to an early grave on multiple occasions. But I'm glad I did it.

'07 Nissan Murano SL. Traded the Audi for this. Not nearly as fun, but the wife liked it better and was more reliable, sporty enough for me. Really liked the CVT.

'13 Nissan Quest SL. - Traded the Murano for this... Our family doubled in size last November (Identical twin Boys!) and we travel a lot.. The Murano just didn't quite have as much space as we wanted, even though we really liked that vehicle. The wife likes the van more, basically the same drivetrain as the Murano, super smooth and quiet, insanely comfortable. Tons of space.

 

[JoshG]

Wow, you guys have had lots of cars/trucks. I've only had 2...1990 Honda Accord and my baby...2010 Versa. For you tuners out there, I planned on modifying my Honda but gave me many issues(after being parked 5+ years), which is how I got my Versa. I was looking for a newer car but didnt want a Honda so got my baby. Its basically my 1st car and love it. Wish it was a bit fast but that comes with time and money.

 

[08versailles]

Had a couple parts cars too, Mk I Golf and Kcar.
My faves are/were
3. 2008 Versa
2. 2013 Charger
1. 1992 Jetta

 

[JoshG]

I love the new Charger. I see them as police cruisers now and think to my self...sex on wheels!

 

[jswilson1987]

1972 Ford Pinto First car learned to drive a stick on never finished 2.3l swap before selling
1987 Dodge Daytona turbo Super slow and threw timing belt scraped it
1949 Flat fender willys pickup never finished sold project
1979 Mecury Capri 6cyl sucked a valve
1979 Honda CVCC Civic needed new carb more fun to shoot it with rifles
1989 Mazda B2600i 4x4 bad oil pump scraped it
1985 Honda Prelude si got it for 100$ Cleaned it up and traded for this

1979 Bronco 6" lift 35x12.50. Blew up 9" replaced it with a dana 60, blew up hi pinion dana 44 replaced it with a dana 60, blew up 400m replaced with 460 and 4 spd, blew up rear dana again and sold it lol
1991 Mustang 2.3l Picked it up out of a feild after 5 years started it up drove it for a year changing nothing and traded it for the beemer
1985 BMW 735i Loved that car did 140mph no problem couch on rails sol it for this

1982 ford exp my favorite car of all smaller than an escort two seats and a 4 spd super fun car
and the versa

 

[ADOversa]

Some big lists here… looks like Warrior was constantly changing his mind on what he wanted in a vehicle

My list is not nearly as extensive… Although there is a bit more too it than what is in my sig, I only list the ones in there that I've had since being on the site.

My first car ever in 2004 was a 1995 Jetta Turbo Diesel. Had been in the family and was given to me when I got my drivers license so I could get to and from school. Diesel, 5 spd. Was slow as balls. Really, an ideal first car for a teenage driver. Living in the country I piled the kilometres on it and it was getting long in the tooth as it was, so I sold it for $800 with 475,000km on it.

Bought a 1998 Jetta 2.0 5 spd with the idea of doing a VR6 swap. My auto shop teacher convinced me it would be fun to turbo the 2.0, as he didn't like the VR6's. Sooo it became my auto shop project for the semester and I had some fun with it. While it was in the shop I drove my fathers 2003 F150 4x4 with the 5.4 to school. He does a tonne of driving for work so has always had a beater car for work and his truck just sits.

Well having a modded VW was fun for a bit but I was getting a little tired of it always breaking, so I sold it and around the same time my parents bought a 2005 Toyota Corolla 1.8 5spd for my sister and I to share. This worked out not too bad while my sister was still in school, but once she graduated it was time to get my own car, so I went and bought a 2004 Honda Civic Sedan 5spd. Not a bad car, but had a bunch of miles on it already, and I drove ALOT for work, combined with frequent trips to the east coast (visiting girlfriends family), and it started to wear out.

Sold it for $1500 in 2008 and bought a 2008 Versa S Hatchback, 1.8 6spd. The first brand new car that I bought myself. Put some tanabe springs on it, wheels+tires, intake, tint, stereo, fog lights, aftermarket cruise. Never loved the car but appreciated it for the basic transportation that it provided. Bought a larger property in the country too build on, combined with a couple of rental properties I take car of, so I needed a truck.

Bought a 2008 Chevy Silverado 2500 LTZ 4x4 Duramax. LOVED THIS TRUCK. Did not love how much time the large property was taking up, so I sold it after only 6 months of living in the house. It was kind of the plan all along to build/flip. No longer able to justify the truck, I sold it. Actually ended up MAKING money on that deal.

Shortly after I bought the truck I also picked up a 1997 Toyota FZJ80 Land Cruiser for a steal with the idea of turning it into even more of an offloading beast. Didn't take long to realize that I had no time and sold it.

Around the same time as I bought the truck, I was still bored with my Versa. I wanted a toy car, something with fun as its sole purpose. I tossed some ideas around… used Elise or CTS-V. Almost bought a CTS-V but the deal went sideways. Ended up buying a 2007 Triumph Speed Triple instead. Could not resist the urge to ride it like a goon. Anyone else I have ever met that has owned or ridden one says something pretty similar. Ridiculously fun, but I couldn't restrain myself so I sold it before I lost my license/life.

Wasn't ready for life without a bike though, so I bought a 2008 BMW F650GS. Basically a complete 180 from the Triumph. It was fun on road, but when the roads got rough/ended is where that bike really got fun. Still couldn't restrain myself from doing something stupid though and ended up totalling it off road, and putting myself out of commission for a few months as well.

Still loved bikes though so I went right out again and bought a 2008 BMW F800GS. So far so good with that one.

Ended up finding a chunk of land up north near my parents cottage that I got for a song. I just wanted a place to kind of escape everything, and found a cheap used travel trailer to put on the lot. This was going to mean 1)I needed to clear a bit of land to get it in there, and 2)I had to tow it somehow. So this meant I had a good excuse to get another truck. I don't want the place easily accessible so I'm not bothering with a driveway, so I needed something 4wd. Enter the 2013 Ford F150 FX4 Crew Cab 5.0. Went with the Ford for a couple of reasons. First, it was the only half tonne truck available at the time that you get get a full 4 door crew cab with a 6ft box. Second, my parents have some close friends who have a Ford dealership and they gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. I thought about the EcoBoost but in the end I want my truck to sound like a truck. Put a levelling kit on and some beefy A/T tires on it, then a flow master exhaust. It continues to serve its purpose quite well.

Shortly after I got the truck in the fall of last year, the Versa met with a deer at 90km/h. Neither survived. I moved on with just the truck and bike, then ended up buying a 2011 Harley-Davidson Street Glide off of a coworker. It was a former wreck he rebuilt himself. The price was right and I wanted a cruiser for rides with the girlfriend. It disappeared from the barn at our family farm over the winter.

My fiancee picked up a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited in December after the snow started flying. I know technically its her car, but we're getting married so whats mine is hers and whats hers is mine, right? Its got a 3" suspension lift and 33's on it. At first I was bummed about it being automatic but its so much easier to run off road.

So thats it… as of right now I'm pretty satisfied with the cars we have, don't really see myself changing it up for awhile aside from if I can get another good deal on a cruiser that my fiancee can come for rides with me on.

 

[08versailles]

Junkyard Find: 1981 Dodge Aries Station Wagon | The Truth About Cars
My son asked me what is a K car?
Here's one similar to my 83 wagon, complete with early eighties commercial feat. Lee Iacocca. Mine had the plush velour red interior and dark tint ooooh aaaah
^Lovin the stories everyone, I read every word, keep em coming

 

[rstolz]

"what is a K-car"

Well, you see son, it was the 80's...

oil was was scarce and cocaine flowed like water. Velour was all the rage and American auto companies were still suffering from a muscle car hang-over. It was the noise, you see, aggravated the hangover. 8 cylinders and 6 liters were just too much

So they devised a plan in which every car could use every other cars' parts. they would build them cheap, soft and quiet. they would build millions and change the world. They could release new models every year without spending a second of thought or a penny on design.

It went great, the public got swallowed up by soft velour and softer suspension, wallowing about with anemic engines, numb to the driving experience, and largely, the rest of the world.

Until the Japanese arrived in force, with their small, sharp instruments of war. They danced around the big slow Americans, neatly cutting up the market and changing the automotive landscape.

Chrysler Lashed out with the Viper, Ford and GM lashed out with short wagons on truck frames, calling them SPORT utility vehicles (blame cocaine for their confusion with the word sport), and the K-car was dead.

 

[casionerd]

1983 Mitsubishi Tredia - Good luck finding one of those. POS but loved it.
1982 Nissan 280ZX - Great car. Broke often and had rust issues.
1946 Willy's CJ2A (Jeep) - WTF was I thinking? Top speed of maybe 40. Never really road worthy but excellent off road.
1991 Dodge Colt - Best car ever. Wanted the GT or Mirage Turbo but that wasn't happening. So simple. So reliable.
1992 Honda Prelude Si - Loved that car
1998 Ford F150 - Needed a work truck. So handy.
1993 Honda Prelude Si AWD - It was okay.
2005 Honda Civic EX - First new car
2006 Honda Civic EX - Loved the new body style so took a huge hit
2006 Subaru Impreza WRX STI - Feeling rich and bought on of my dream cars
2008 Subaru Impreza WRX sedan - Feeling poor.
2008 Nissan Versa S - Economy took a dump. Feeling really poor
2008 Chevy Cobalt SS - Wanted something fun
2014 Nissan Versa Note - Wanted roomy, simple, good gas mileage, reliable, etc. Love it


-- There was also a 1991 Ford Escort wagon and a Mid 90s Ford Taurus in there somewhere. The ownership was so traumatic that my mind has blocked the memories. I don't remember where exactly they fall in the list.

 

[ADOversa]

Junkyard Find: 1981 Dodge Aries Station Wagon | The Truth About Cars
My son asked me what is a K car?
Here's one similar to my 83 wagon, complete with early eighties commercial feat. Lee Iacocca. Mine had the plush velour red interior and dark tint ooooh aaaah
^Lovin the stories everyone, I read every word, keep em coming

I liked the way you wrote yours up so I tried to do the same. Love how my old wheels got an honourable mention :grin

Some good stories. It always interests me when someone picks a car that is totally different from their current ride, and why they made that choice.