Nostalgia: Rembering your first new car

[Oil_Can_Harry]

Don't know if a thread like this was done before, but waxing nostalgic, I suspect many still remember their first new car purchase.

For me it was a 1983 Plymouth Reliant base 4 door sedan. It had a midnight blue exterior with light blue interior. It had a front grill reminiscent to a Mercedes with the Chrysler star hood ornament. It was nice looking, but unfortunately everything else about it was decidedly mediocre.

The car had a base price just south of $6,000, but just about everything was optional as was Detroit's way of doing things back them. The car had the base 2.2 liter 4 cylinder engine that received a boot in horsepower in 1983, so that it was no longer necessary to purchase the larger Mitsubishi engine to have A/C. This car had the problematic Holley electronic feedback carb.

Purchased options on the car included
- Air Conditioning with added cooling (a second electric fan)
- Tinted Glass
- Automatic 3 speed transaxle
- Power Steering
- Manual Tune AM/FM stereo radio with 4 speakers
- cloth seat trim
- deluxe wheel covers
- light group
- matching color seatbelts
- Manual Remote driver sideview mirror
- Full size spare tire
- Intermittent wipers

Modestly equipping the car jacked the price up a couple grand.

 

[wavinwayne]

My first and last NEW car purchase was a 1999 Toyota Tacoma Pre-Runner. I sold it in 2001 before the birth of my first child, since I had a free beater to drive. I still miss that truck.

 

[Boomer]

First car purchase was in 1967. Bought a 1958 Chevy BelAir found in a farmer's field for $100. Needed a floor which I pop riveted in and had to have the head removed and oil return passages cleaned out. Had a 3 speed on the column. Ran that sucker for 2 years and put 20,000 miles on her. Finally lost the pressure plate/clutch. Sold it for $50 for parts to a guy and he towed the hulk to the top of Jacks Mountain just outside of Mount Union, PA where it no doubt remains in part to this day.

 

[Benzadmiral]

My first new car and first car were the same. A '75 Ford Maverick, 4-door, metallic green inside and out, with a 250 cid six, auto, power steering (but not power brakes), and AM radio. Well, actually, it was my fiancee's car, but the deal was that she'd buy it and I'd learn how to take care of it, which I did eagerly. It taught me a lot.

The first new car I actually had my name on was the '84 Ford Escort 4-door hatchback I bought after the Volvo 164 self-destructed. It was white, grey vinyl interior with grey check cloth upholstery, still an AM radio, A/C that seemed to knock one cylinder out as I drove. Stuck me for a $$ repair nearly every year of the seven I drove it. When I traded for the first of my two Olds Cutlass coupes, I never looked back.

Since then, new cars have gotten so insanely priced, and I've learned so much about the cost of depreciation, that I haven't thought about buying a new car in years.

 

[opus1]

My first new car was a truck, 1989 GMC S-15 Jimmy 4x4.

I managed to get 160,000 relatively trouble-free miles out of it, age and rust, plus incentives after 9/11 finally convinced me it was time to let "Jimmy" go.

To this day, I am still amazed at a trip I took back home from Bloomington, Indiana. My sister was living there at the time and she sent home a solid oak chest-on-chest. I had to remove the spare from its mounting spot in the back (inside) and put it on the passenger seat, but we got that cabinet to fit and I was able to close the tailgate and back window completely. On the trip home I even managed over 25mpg, and I don't think I ever did that well with the thing empty. I must have had one heck of a tailwind.

I miss that truck.

 

[IndyIan]

I still have my first new car, the 03 Tracker. We added no options, no dealer installed or applied anything. I can't say I'm too nostalgic about it yet but its been reliable and does what we need it to do.
The new car feeling lasted about two weeks, when I cracked a tail-light putting a peavey in the back, it didn't let water in so I've left it.
Now we've had chainsaws, goats, dishwashers, all sorts of junk in the back so its pretty much a work truck now. I think we'll keep it even when it comes off the road to plow the driveway or pull stuff around.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

Technically, my 2001 Civic is my (our) first new car. The 2000 Protege I purchased was a demo with 5000 miles on it (I don't miss that car at all, we just never got along).
The Civic is at 201k and will be over 202k when I get home Tuesday from business travel.

 

[John_K]

First new car is in my sig file, the Dakota. First vehicle that I didn't buy used, first vehicle that wasn't a POS, I think there's a correlation there.

John

 

[Quattro Pete]

My first new car was an '00 Accord EX-V6. Biggest car disappointment I ever experienced. It had poor fit and finish, and I quickly got bored of the lackluster driving experience. Sold it within a year.

 

[JustinC25]

I've never had a NEW car. I've had several that were new to me, (though most were over 100k) but the closest I've ever been to new was just before the birth of my second child. My wife said "We're getting a Mini-Van"
I tried to talk her into a nice used 4Runner, or Outback wagon, but to no avail.
So in September 2005 We bought our 2003 Ford Windstar SE with 25k miles. For $13,700 not bad considering it was over $30k new.
I learned 2 lessons from that day: 1.) There are cars besides Toyota's, and Honda's that won't explode. (Though we aren't over 100k yet) & 2.) Give a pregnant woman what she wants, and life will go much more smoothly for you.

Justin

 

[ls1mike]

1996 Dodge Stratus, Ugh. Had it a year. Picked up a brand 98 Z28.

 

[fsskier]

My first new car and favorite car of all time - 1967 BMW 1600
What makes it my favorite?? Everything - overhead cam, disc brakes, radial tires, independent suspension - stuff that American cars had not discovered yet. A huge trunk for vacations, great gas mileage and a fun-to-drive factor that my Fords and Chevrolets just did not understand. Dart like handling, stability in fast corners - even on a washboard road.

Drove for 13 years, vacations all over Canada, Gulf coast, Mexico City, still running strong when a red light runner narrowed it up quite a bit.

Purchase price, new, included license and tax, $2695
Allowance when totaled: $2500

There are many fast, fuel efficient cars available today, but in 1967 the BMW was one of the first to deliver both!

 

[mrsilv04]

I haven't owned a "new" car yet...

I simply cannot accept the depreciation loss that occurs in the first two years.

I bought my Silverado after it had been on the road for 18 months and had 30,000 miles on the odometer. Paid less than 60% of the original MSRP.

 

[dishdude]

1995 Dodge Neon - parents helped me buy it when I was 16 in July 1994.

Drove it 182k miles to high school, college and every job I had in between. It never let me down.

Sometimes you get lucky!

 

[dishdude]

Originally Posted By: Oil_Can_Harry
Don't know if a thread like this was done before, but waxing nostalgic, I suspect many still remember their first new car purchase.

For me it was a 1983 Plymouth Reliant base 4 door sedan. It had a midnight blue exterior with light blue interior. It had a front grill reminiscent to a Mercedes with the Chrysler star hood ornament. It was nice looking, but unfortunately everything else about it was decidedly mediocre.

The car had a base price just south of $6,000, but just about everything was optional as was Detroit's way of doing things back them. The car had the base 2.2 liter 4 cylinder engine that received a boot in horsepower in 1983, so that it was no longer necessary to purchase the larger Mitsubishi engine to have A/C. This car had the problematic Holley electronic feedback carb.

Purchased options on the car included
- Air Conditioning with added cooling (a second electric fan)
- Tinted Glass
- Automatic 3 speed transaxle
- Power Steering
- Manual Tune AM/FM stereo radio with 4 speakers
- cloth seat trim
- deluxe wheel covers
- light group
- matching color seatbelts
- Manual Remote driver sideview mirror
- Full size spare tire
- Intermittent wipers

Modestly equipping the car jacked the price up a couple grand.



My dad had an 83 Reliant when I was a kid, first car I really remember. I remember it being oddly equipped with cruise and tilt, a vinyl roof, but no rear window defroster!

 

[Papa Bear]

My first new car was a 1965 Pontiac "Parisienne". The Canadian Pontiacs were based on a Chev drive-train and my car had the 300 HP 327 with a 4 speed stick. It was a light blue 2 dr hardtop and looked like a Catalina at first glance until you popped the hood... and saw the SBC.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

For me was a 1970 Pontiac GTO...It had the 400 engine...It was a showroom car...It was fully loaded and had ice cold a/c...It was a awesome car and the dealer I bought from was awesome also...The couldn't do enough for me.

I took it cross country and had no issues with that car what so ever...I never should have ever sold it...I really miss it...I regret selling it to this day.

It had 150K miles on it when I traded it in for a Caddy.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

1973 Maverick. First and last car I purchased with a loan-every new car since has been cash.

250 6 cylinder, SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic transmission. Gold with a white vinyl roof. Sold it 6 years later with about 120,000 miles-only normal tune ups and oil changes.

 

[Lurch]

My first new car was an orange [they called it Clementine] 1971 VW Super Beetle and it cost me $2345. My Dad paid for it and I paid him back - or was supposed to. Options were 2 things - a small metal ornamental hood scoop in front of the windshield [it had a rear engine] and taper tip exhaust extensions that gave it a slight growl.

I wish I'd known how to take better care of cars then and changed my oil & filter, etc. Back then all I really did was put gas in it and kick the tires, and off I went. Didn't want to risk getting dirty hands and opening the engine compartment.

 

[addyguy]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
1973 Maverick. First and last car I purchased with a loan-every new car since has been cash.

250 6 cylinder, SelectShift Cruise-O-Matic transmission. Gold with a white vinyl roof. Sold it 6 years later with about 120,000 miles-only normal tune ups and oil changes.


Ford Mavericks were very reliable cars. Their Achilles heels was rust.