My first car was a ??.

[Merc]

My first car was a 1957 Oldsmobile Super 88. I bought it from a neighbor when I returned home from the Navy in 1964 for $250 ($2256 in todays dollars) with 90K on the odometer. I drove it until the mid 1970s when body rust and a bad transmission finally killed it with over 250K on the odometer. It was a fairly reliable car for its time and was undoubtedly the best automotive bargain I ever had.

[kj47]

My first car was a 1956 Studabaker Champion. 6 cyl standard. Paid $20.00, needed alot of work, good junior year project in shop class.

[Major Tom]

Mine was a 1931 Model A 2 door sedan. It was in very good condition and ran perfect. This was back in 1963 and I paid $100 for it. Those mechanical brakes were murder!

[pcox]

My first car was a 1956 Studabaker Champion. 6 cyl standard. Paid $20.00, needed alot of work, good junior year project in shop class.

I had 1953 Studebaker Commander. Wish I had it now.

[Merc]

I had 1953 Studebaker Commander. Wish I had it now.

I used to dream about that 57 Olds. I’ve owned many cars since then but that’s the one I wish I could have kept it for an eventual restoration. The winters with all the road salt in this part of the country were really tough on the cars from the 1950s. I actually saw an exact duplicate of my Olds at an antique car show in Seattle, WA in the middle 1980s. It even had the exact same interior and exterior paint scheme. It was in really nice condition and was not restored or repainted. Remember how excessive waxing used to wear the paint away on the fenders exposing the primer? That’s how I knew it was untouched.

[Art]

I drove other peoples cars, meaning my parents until I got married then my wife's 1972 Plymouth Duster became our car. Overall not a bad ride, the 225 CI slant six gave really good torque, it had a longer stroke than most engines of the time. I remember it got about 28 mpg on the highway which was considered pretty darn good back then which shows how things have changed.

[JimF]

1st car=1937 Chevy with “knee action” front end (free)
Then 1931 Model A w/ wood screw in radiator core ($75)
Then a very RARE (wartime) 1942 Mercury convertible ($100)

[lyman]

I used to dream about that 57 Olds. I’ve owned many cars since then but that’s the one I wish I could have kept it for an eventual restoration. The winters with all the road salt in this part of the country were really tough on the cars from the 1950s. I actually saw an exact duplicate of my Olds at an antique car show in Seattle, WA in the middle 1980s. It even had the exact same interior and exterior paint scheme. It was in really nice condition and was not restored or repainted. Remember how excessive waxing used to wear the paint away on the fenders exposing the primer? That’s how I knew it was untouched.

Dad told me of a guy that lived in his neighborhood when he was a kid that had a Chrysler Imperial who waxed it so much that all the corners were down to the primer

[PWC]

63 Corvair Monza bought new years eve. Poor man's corvette. Can't remember what it was called, but when it went around a hi speed corner, it would "squat", never felt it heel over. 28 mpg. Probably sitting on the bottom of the Mediterrran Sea off Iraklion, Crete where I sold it. Bought a brand new 72 Chevelle. Picked up at JFK when I returned to US in Jun e 72.

Wish I had brought it back for restore.

[lyman]

63 Corvair Monza bought new years eve. Poor man's corvette. Can't remember what it was called, but when it went around a hi speed corner, it would "squat", never felt it heel over. 28 mpg. Probably sitting on the bottom of the Mediterrran Sea off Iraklion, Crete where I sold it. Bought a brand new 72 Chevelle. Picked up at JFK when I returned to US in Jun e 72.

Wish I had brought it back for restore.

my high school buddy had a 66 Monza , 2 spd auto,
handled ok, but slow with that automatic,



my first was a 74 Vega Kammback Wagon,
turd brown metallic, auto,

3 quarts of oil per tank of gas,
turn on the AC while at a stop and the motor would cut off,

one of GM's finest

[Merc]

I drove other peoples cars, meaning my parents until I got married then my wife's 1972 Plymouth Duster became our car. Overall not a bad ride, the 225 CI slant six gave really good torque, it had a longer stroke than most engines of the time. I remember it got about 28 mpg on the highway which was considered pretty darn good back then which shows how things have changed.

I drove a Plymouth Valiant convertible with a slant 6 for several years. Don’t remember the year, early 70s maybe. That was probably one of Chrysler’s better engines. Great performer and good gas mileage, but very noisy lifters. Never had a single problem with the drive train but everything else either rusted away or fell apart. I was a pop rivet expert back then.

[phil441]

1951 Ford convertible purchased very used in 1958. Ran pretty well but I kept blowing out the 4:11 rear end which was popular with dragster builders. Finally ran out of available rear ends and it lost it's pep but was still OK. Dad gave it away while I was in the AF.

[dryheat]

'56 Chevy Nomad station wagon. And then the Studebaker. I don't even remember the year but it didn't have the bullet nose.

[M1Tommy]

1969 VW Squareback.
When I was searching in '79, I also found a '69 Mustang. The Mustang had a dead-miss and I shied away from it. Looking back it was (a friend bought it and we repaired it) a stuck valve, easy repair. Looking back that old Squareback was great, even if the engine was a real PITA to service!
Tommy

[Dan in NH]

First vehicle was a '68 Ford F-250 camper special. Was a front-end total, paid 300.00 . Took over a year to get it on the road, but ready when I got my drivers license. Had a 300 straight six with 4 speed manual.