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Mine was the first bought/paid-for car I ever owned: a two-seater English Roadster.

A 1977 Triumph Spitfire.
British racing green.

I was 22 years old, and didn't give a hang about reliability- a choice that forced me to spend as much time under the car as I spent driving it. I purchased it, knowing that it would always be a "Tinkerer's car," and I didn't care. All that 'personal shop time' was well worth it. I knew every intricacy of this device- and could tell by the sounds/feels she made, what she needed from me, at the end of any driving season. This little thing drove like a go-cart, legal on American roads. I could actually feel the change in Ohio's road grades in my ass, when I drove from one county to another... that's how in-tune I was with my car.

See a pic of my whip, as a young whippersnapper on the roads:

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]






Response was immediate: turn the steering wheel a mere 10°, and the car just went where you sent it ('70's rack & pinion steering). Tap the brakes- and the car immediately decelerated, commensurate with the pressure applied to the pedal (discs, up-front/drums, out back.) Minimalist, simplistic (analogue) cockpit, with every physical control immediately in-reach, and every instrument in the dashboard reading out to me in real-time: instant feedback. Analogue realness. I loved watching the tach gauge rise and fall, as I was Idling at a stop light (manual transmission/clutch skills are a lost art).

At the time I purchased my all-time favorite toy, Mercedes-Benz was touting their big, fat, over-tech'ed products as "The Ultimate Driving Machine."
I laughed at them back then... and I still laugh at them now.

I was a young man, when I actually felt the road moving beneath my azz.
I was a young man, when My Cousin Tony & I torched two guys in a 70's-era 'Vette... after they challenged us to a race... and Tony yelled out: "Choose any curves to want!"
I was a young man, when I cheated Death behind the wheel of my 1977 Triumph Spitfire 1500 on Ohio's Logan Co. Rd 10, because she did exactly what she was told to do, in that "live or die" moment.
I was a young man, when I cheated Death by driving this car at 60 MPH beneath a parked semi trailer chocked and stationed at the back of the Lima Mall parking lot.

When I completed that stunt with my Karate Sensei Michael in the passenger seat- the most chill, in-control human being I knew at that time in my life, he looked at me and said: "WTF is wrong with you? One pebble- one stone under your tire- and we're both dead! I'll never ride in a car with you that I'm not driving."

LMAO.
Clemmy was as cray as present-day B.A.S.E. jumpers, back in the day.

Bucket list item: at 22, I promised myself I'd retire and die with/in the first car I ever owned.
I failed to keep that promise to myself, and had to sell that car to pay taxes, 12 years after purchase. I'm now in a search to re-acquire that toy from my youth

I named My Car "T."
"T" and me went everywhere together, man... we went everywhere.

____________________


1. What was the most fun car you ever owned?
2. And... why?

This is a thread that requires you to tell your story.
Don't just name a '76 Pontiac GTO, without fleshing it out with a story like mine.

One-liner/drive-by posters are not invited to this driving club.
Write something of value. Tell us something about yourselves, or wait for another thread to join.


Tell your story here.
Cars and stories are what we're after in this thread.

Step up... or stay out.


"too many notes, not enough music-"

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I would have to say either my 1977 Grand Prix with a 400 HP 4 bbl engine got me a whopping 7 MPG

[img]https://cdn.dealeraccelerate.com/streetside/4/35873/2824880/1920x1440/1977-pontiac-grand-prix-sj[/img]

Or the car I traded it in on a 1977 Chevy Camaro which doubled my gas milage to 14 MPG lol


[img]https://cdn.dealeraccelerate.com/streetside/5/31734/2103513/790x1024/w/1977-chevrolet-camaro-lt[/img]

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I was never a car guy. Cars are practical.

I am pretty happy with my current car, a Honda Accord Hybrid. We had to make a run down to Venice, Fla last week. Down and back I averaged just over 47MPG. It's fun that I can bypass the gas station more often.


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1977 Cheyenne Blazer

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Tough question.

I was no speed demon. But my cars always had to be some kind of cool. They had to represent my style.

Two cars standout.

1953 Chevy panel truck with windows. It had rear ambulance style doors. I put a 283 V-8 into it and I decked it out for camping.

1963. White 544 Volvo. The front end looked like the 53 Chevy. Cool looking ride.

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1967 Fleetwood Cadillac. So many good times in that ride. We'd pile 6 or 7 of us (sometimes more) into that thing and head to Clearwater quarry or just cruise around town. We would fit 4 people in the trunk and go to the drive in....they had to know what was up when I pulled in there as a solo driver. The back seat was almost as big as a full bed. naughtydevil That 472ci engine was a gas hog, but gas was 50 cents a gallon.

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My favorite was probably the one I just sold. Perfect balance of practicality and fun.

2011 BMW 328xi touring (wagon). Even though it could fit the whole fam (barely) AND could fit my hockey gear in the trunk, it was an absolute blast to drive. 6-speed and could corner like a beast. AWD for the rare times we had snow here in Cinci. Engine was the traditional BMW inline 6 but mine was naturally aspirated... so while it still put out very respectable power, I managed to dodge many of the engine gremlins from that generation 3-Series. It's also (IMO) the best looking 3-series one can get without dropping a ton of cash and/or time searching.

I also learned quite a bit about wrenching over the course of my ownership (I didn't learn this stuff when I was younger, so I'm playing catch-up now). I'm a bit more risk-averse these days as it's my daily driver and I need my car for work and carting kids around, but wrenching and hunting down issues is FUN.

Unfortunately, this part also convinced me that I'll never own another german car unless it's a second/fun car. I sold the wagon to a hockey buddy who can give it the love/attention it deserves. They make each other very happy, and this makes me happy. Yes, I'm weird about this car... but at the same time whenever anyone saw a beemer wagon sounding as good as that one did, they knew it was me. It's weirdly almost like a part of my identity (that's probably a bit dramatic).


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My current car, 2023 C8 corvette. The balance of this thing is second to none. Just wish GM quality was better. The 3lt is nice but I've already had the dash replaced for bubbling


Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday. -John Wayne
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I never had the coin to make a car a ‘statement’. They’ve always just been function over form. For me it was always about just trying to get to work and back.
A ‘77 Corolla Liftback… wrecked/totaled
An ‘83 Escort… blew the head gasket
An ‘86 (?) Buick Regal… blew the head gasket
An ‘86 (?) Subaru XT Turbo… a beater that the turbo had died before I bought it… the rest of the car soon followed with a blown head gasket
A ‘68 VW Beetle… sold to a buddy
Finally after becoming a nurse I bought a low mileage ‘97 Nissan 4x4… traded it in for a brand new 2002 Nissan Frontier 4x4. I then bought a new 2015 Impreza. Both of those last two I still own.

Nothing fancy.
If I were to buy a ‘passion car’ it’d likely be a ‘77 Datsun 240z or 280z. That said it’ll likely never happen. I’m just too frugal to drop any kind of coin on a depreciating asset. My truck has 169,000 miles on it. I only drive it when I need a truck. My Impreza has 120,000 miles on it. I hope to drive it a few more years before unloading it. Likely for a similarly sized/priced car.

So to conclude, my favorite car is my truck and Impreza. Neither have left me stranded in traffic like pretty much every other vehicle I owned did. I’ve never had to say a prayer of ‘please start’ before turning the key. That alone is priceless.

Last edited by PortlandDawg; 08/20/24 09:27 AM.

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Originally Posted by PortlandDawg
I never had the coin to make a car a ‘statement’. They’ve always just been function over form. For me it was always about just trying to get to work and back.
A ‘77 Corolla Liftback… wrecked/totaled
An ‘83 Escort… blew the head gasket
An ‘86 (?) Buick Regal… blew the head gasket
An ‘86 (?) Subaru XT Turbo… a beater that the turbo had died before I bought it… the rest of the car soon followed with a blown head gasket
A ‘68 VW Beetle… sold to a buddy
Finally after becoming a nurse I bought a low mileage ‘97 Nissan 4x4… traded it in for a brand new 2002 Nissan Frontier 4x4. I then bought a new 2015 Impreza. Both of those last two I still own.

Nothing fancy.
If I were to buy a ‘passion car’ it’d likely be a ‘77 Datsun 240z or 280z. That said it’ll likely never happen. I’m just too frugal to drop any kind of coin on a depreciating asset. My truck has 169,000 miles on it. I only drive it when I need a truck. My Impreza has 120,000 miles on it. I hope to drive it a few more years before unloading it. Likely for a similarly sized/priced car.

So to conclude, my favorite car is my truck and Impreza. Neither have left me stranded in traffic like pretty much every other vehicle I owned did. I’ve never had to say a prayer of ‘please start’ before turning the key. That alone is priceless.

I had a 280z that I took on as a project, bought for like 1800.00, needed alot of work. was fun to drive but was a big project, there were times during the restore my wife called it my Joe Dirt car..lol


Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday. -John Wayne
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That's a difficult question because when I was much younger I liked cars for a variety of reasons. So having fun with a vehicle came in a variety of ways.

From the perspective of pure speed and performance, I think the fist car I had delivered on that. It was a 1967 Olds Delta 88 2 door coupe. It had a 425 rocket motor and would scream! I couldn't keep rear tires on that car. It was one of those cars that caught people by surprise and they didn't see it coming. A real sleeper.

I also loved the ride and comfort of a luxury car. When gas prices first started to rise they were basically giving what we referred to as "boats" away. So I actually bought a VW Bug on the cheap from a guy and used it as a trade in on a 1973 Buick Electra 225 Custom. Beautiful car!

Living in the country with some winding roads I also loved a car with great handling. Something that just hugs the road well. In that regard I would have to say that my 1976 Formula Firebird fit the bill. Emission standards had greatly restricted horsepower at the time but that car could hug the curves. Mine was built very low to the ground and handled great. I wasn't crazy about the Trans Am because it looked like driving a giant Pontiac commercial.

I also had a 1998 Grand Prix GTP I was rather find of.

So each of those cars represent a lot of fun for me for entirely different reasons and it would be very difficult for me to pick just one of them.

Once I got a little older I now buy vehicles for more practical reasons. In some ways I wish I would have been wiser in my vehicle purchases when I was younger. But then had I have been wiser when I was young I wouldn't have had nearly as much fun.


Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.

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My first car. A 1978 Plymouth Horizon hatchback, 5 speed. (was my parents - I didn't own it. Dad's car, actually. CEO of a large business, and he drove cheap stuff just because)

Dad taught my brother how to drive a stick with that car. My brother had issues - as in "the hiccups". I swore I'd never have those problems.

Consequently, when I was home alone - which was often - I'd go out for a drive. When I got my permit dad said 'let's go learn how to drive a stick shift."

On the way out of our rather long lane, I was speed shifting - i.e. no clutch. Dad was impressed. He didn't know I had put hundreds of miles on the car prior. (we lived in the country).

Favorite vehicle I own? Aside from my work vehicle (it makes me money) is the truck I currently own. Nothing special about it, it's just juiced up a bit and sounds awesome.


Favorite vehicle I ever drove? And I've driven many, many vehicles from luxury cars to sports cars..........favorite one I drove was my brother in laws "bucket" car.

Street legal drag car. And by bucket, you basically sat in a bucket. Open engine in front. Fat rear tires, skinny front tires. I don't know the engine, but I know my bro in law - whatever engine it had he had it tweaked to probably 100 horse, if not more, over the rating. Punch it 45 mph? You didn't need to hang on to the steering wheel because the front tires were coming off the ground anyway.

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The car I would like to own is more of a SUV.

I like those custom SUV's that are set up as 4 wheel drive that can go anywhere and are deck out to camp in.

They have pipes above the cab to go into deep water. They are custom inside with expedition camping.

https://www.xoverland.com/vehiclebuilds/

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[social:tweet]https://x.com/ngrizzo/status/1734768794629759278?s=12[/social[quote][/quote]]

1968 Coronet 500 convertible
I always had a like for muscle cars. I was looking to buy a Super Bee or a Roadrunner clone, since I couldn’t afford the real thing. I came across this car in a small newspaper and my wife thought it was worth looking at since it was a ragtop. Long story short, I paid $5,000 for it. It had rusted fenders and lower quarters. That was it. Floor boards and trunk were solid. I found a guy who was able to fix those things and paint it for $3,000. I still wasn’t happy because it was only a 318 ( or so I thought). It was actually a 273 V8. The engine was changed and the guy I bought it off didn’t know.

I needed more hp so I found a 360 and had it built. That car really flew with the built 360. Unfortunately life happened and I had to sell it to pay bills since I ended up on disability. I haven’t given up on my dreams. One day I will own American muscle!


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72 Grand Prix with a 455 ... and it was fully loaded. (even the 8 track) rofl

Great car, and a load of very fast fun.

I also really enjoyed my Sebring Convertable. (2005, IIRC) It wasn't a speedster ... b ut it was tons of fun in the summertime.


Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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My 66 Pontiac LeMans could cook tires. 47 yards on a painted parking lot used for band practice. 😎

I have had a 69 Firebird in my garage for 27 years now. It brings back memories…

Maybe someday I will get a convertible for some fun.


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Daily Driver: My Jag. It's fast.

Race Car: My 99 Neon RT. Yea it's a little cheap car, but I used to take it autocross racing at Turner Field against everybody else's little cheap car. Very fun.

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We just bought a Tesla Model X Plaid. I would rank this as number one. 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. Sport and luxury all wrapped up in one. Falcon wing doors for a cool factor. Tech and performance unmatched. We took this car on a 5k cross country road trip this summer. Our first leg was driving from Las Vegas to Ohio. No issues at all.

I’ve owned a lot of cars in my day. So my second place choice might be surprising. 2016 VW GTI. I had this thing modded six ways to Sunday. Rode like it was on rails. I miss this car.


LOL - The Rish will be upset with this news as well. KS just doesn't prioritize winning...
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Originally Posted by YTownBrownsFan
72 Grand Prix with a 455 ... and it was fully loaded. (even the 8 track) rofl

Great car, and a load of very fast fun.

I also really enjoyed my Sebring Convertable. (2005, IIRC) It wasn't a speedster ... b ut it was tons of fun in the summertime.

Even if you didn't smoke, you probably had a pack of matches to stuff between the 8 track cartridge and the player frame to give it a chance to track correctly.


If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.

GM Strong




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Always loved the song hiotting a crescendo, then fading out ...... *clunk* (as the tracks changed) then fading back in again. crazy

Man, cassettes came along, and I thought they were miraculous ...... until the first time the tape deck ate one.

Kids don't realize how good they have it today. Almost every car has A/C ..... most have power windows and locks ...... I had an Omni, power nothing ..... row the gears by hand ...... crazy


Micah 6:8; He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.

John 14:19 Jesus said: Because I live, you also will live.
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Mine was probably my '02 Grand Prix. It was only a V-6, but that 3800 engine would push you back into the seat like a rocket ship, and like all Pontiacs, it handled like a race car while still having a semi-luxury interior.

Hanging the curves of an off-ramp at 60 wasn't terribly difficult in that smile


Browns is the Browns

... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.

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Originally Posted by WooferDawg
My 66 Pontiac LeMans could cook tires. 47 yards on a painted parking lot used for band practice. 😎

"There's no such thing as 'too much horsepower', only 'not enough traction'."

-- Carol Shelby


Browns is the Browns

... there goes Joe Thomas, the best there ever was in this game.

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The 3800 was an excellent engine, no doubt.

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Originally Posted by PrplPplEater
Mine was probably my '02 Grand Prix. It was only a V-6, but that 3800 engine would push you back into the seat like a rocket ship, and like all Pontiacs, it handled like a race car while still having a semi-luxury interior.

Hanging the curves of an off-ramp at 60 wasn't terribly difficult in that smile

That was a great motor for decades. I had one in a 1980 Olds Starfire (Chevy Monza's cousin), Holley 450 and a mild cam, Hurst 4-speed. Unassuming work car that would eat 305 Camaros for lunch.


HERE WE GO BROWNIES! HERE WE GO!!
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Originally Posted by PortlandDawg
I never had the coin to make a car a ‘statement’. They’ve always just been function over form. For me it was always about just trying to get to work and back.
A ‘77 Corolla Liftback… wrecked/totaled
An ‘83 Escort… blew the head gasket
An ‘86 (?) Buick Regal… blew the head gasket
An ‘86 (?) Subaru XT Turbo… a beater that the turbo had died before I bought it… the rest of the car soon followed with a blown head gasket
A ‘68 VW Beetle… sold to a buddy
Finally after becoming a nurse I bought a low mileage ‘97 Nissan 4x4… traded it in for a brand new 2002 Nissan Frontier 4x4. I then bought a new 2015 Impreza. Both of those last two I still own.

Nothing fancy.
If I were to buy a ‘passion car’ it’d likely be a ‘77 Datsun 240z or 280z. That said it’ll likely never happen. I’m just too frugal to drop any kind of coin on a depreciating asset. My truck has 169,000 miles on it. I only drive it when I need a truck. My Impreza has 120,000 miles on it. I hope to drive it a few more years before unloading it. Likely for a similarly sized/priced car.

So to conclude, my favorite car is my truck and Impreza. Neither have left me stranded in traffic like pretty much every other vehicle I owned did. I’ve never had to say a prayer of ‘please start’ before turning the key. That alone is priceless.

I agree.

I have had some coin but no passion for a car.

Other than in the early years, I've never driven around in a junker. I drive them until the end. I always wanted money in the bank, not a newer car.


If everybody had like minds, we would never learn.

GM Strong




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That car is pristine Clem. Beautiful.

My dream car is a black ‘78 ford Thunderbird- with the gold eagle on the hood. Just like Burt Reynolds drove in Smokey and the Bandit.

As for the most fun car that I’ve ever owned, gotta go back to ‘94 when I was just a kid and inherited an ‘86 Buick Skyhawk. Lol raggedy. I found some scrap carpet and cut it up for floor mats. One time we thought that we were cool high schoolers and went to the flats. - The steep hill next to where BW3 used to be.. Mfer barely made it up the hill. In its last days, early ‘95, the muffler became unfastened and started dragging on the street . Pulled onto the side of the road and kicked it off. 😆 I drove it for a few more weeks without a muffler… A horn wasn’t necessary when picking my buddies up as the absence of a muffler meant that you could hear that car from a mile away.
Great times.

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It was a 1999 Jeep Wrangler. Blue. I got it in 2007.

I had just gotten my license and my parents actually helped get me a 2002 Chevy Cavalier with something like 30,000 miles on it. I really didn't expect it but was happy at the time as anyone would be. But there was just something about it I didn't like, not being able to pick what car I wanted. Now that I'm in my thirties, I think wow! What a spoiled kid, he should be grateful with any car he's given. Right!? But anyway, I had that car for about 1 year, then right around that time is when I started saving money and having a job to make decent money for the first time. I started eyeing Jeep wranglers...I don't know there was just something about them. Seeing someone ride with the top down and the doors off, I thought man oh man! That is the coolest thing ever!!!

I began to look at different places until I found a dealership in Dublin Oh that had this blue Jeep. It was a 1999 wrangler, 4.0 inline 6 (the best engine God ever made), with 64K miles on it. SO SEXY! My car at the time had something ike 47K miles on it but I didn't care. I went to the dealership with my Dad and we checked it out. I'll never forget the test drive that the guy working there took ME on. He gave a little demo of the Jeep on some hills by the dealership, exercising the different 4 wheel drive modes, lo, hi, etc. From that moment on I was sold.

I don't remember how much it was, but it I made payments of $250 with my coupon book each month. The first car I ever paid off with my own money, and when I got to the last coupon in the book it felt like it really meant something. The car was actually mine!!! I kept it until around 2012 something and then it started to have problems and I was commuting a long way to OSU every day so I had to get rid of it. But ever since then I've loved Jeeps...I got another one in 2016, which was a white Golden Eagle edition that was pretty sweet. It was nice but I ended up getting rid of it during Covid and shortly after when gas was somewhere near $5.

Not to be undaunted, my story with Jeeps doesn't end there. This past May I drove to Chicago to pick up a 2000 Sahara Edition in black. From that year but only 75K miles!!! Frame is in good shape, not a lot of rust, it is a beauty. I traded in a car from 2017 for a car from the year 2000. I don't care! I know what I like!


Find what you love and let it kill you.

-Charles Bukowski
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It was a thunderbird?

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He's thinking of the 77 Trans Am.

Although the car in the movie was actually a 76 "Firebird Trans Am Special Edition" made to look like a 77 Trans Am.


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Fate knows his Firebirds and movie trivia. Well done.


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And I definitely liked the 76 better. I hated those square headlights!


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2006 Mercedes CL 55 AMG.

Had it as a "fun car" years ago.

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Trans Am Arch. 78 version. I’d love to have one. Most of my friends all want a black ‘68 Camaro. My buddy in high school had a dad who owned a used car lot. Always had access to cars. This was back in the 90's so you can imagine how cool he looked when his dad gifted him a red 69 Cutlass Supreme convertible for his birthday. - Even installed a sound system for him. When his brother turned 16, dad brought him a black '86 Montecarlo Supersport with red trim. -- Win/Win for everyone as when they both moved on to college, their dad sold the cars on his lot. Good times.

Last edited by RememberMuni; 08/24/24 12:22 PM.
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When I had the choice to make I bought a 1976 Formula rather than the Trans Am. Same motor and transmission as the Trans Am. But I test drove both of them and performance wise there was zero difference. The only real difference I felt between the two was when test driving the Trans am I felt like I was driving a Pontiac commercial. The fake chrome dash and huge bird on the hood were a little over the top for me and I thought the fake chrome dash looked cheap. Different tastes for different people.


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You guys know your cars. As you can see, I don't. I just remember being on a lot once way back when I was a toddler in the early 80's. As my dad negotiated for a station wagon lol, I wandered off and opened on of the doors on a black trans am. - Got a good shaming for it also. lol. Something about that car that I just love. Stallone had one in Rocky 2.

Years later my dad became friends with a guy that owned a Buick Dealership. Ended up purchasing a Skylark for him and an Estate Wagon - station wagon for my mom. - Dad used to get tears in his beers when the Bruce Springsteen song "My Hometown" would get played. Lyrics "I'd sit on his lap in that big old Buick And steer as we drove through town He'd tousle my hair And say, "Son, take a good look around This is your hometown". lol.

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The first car I purchased was a 1970 Chevy Camaro, used, with 5k miles.

It was the muscle car era and though my bright red camaro looked the part, the stock engine was a 350/250 hp/w a 2 barrel carb. The engine had potential but would need some upgrades.

I added JR headers, an Edelbrock intake, a Holly 750 double pumper,
a Chevy Corvette 350/350hp cam, anti pump-up lifters.

That car was a sleeper, with no indication that it was anything but a 'plain jane' ...no factory insignia such as RS, SS or Z-28...just simply "Camaro"...no fins or hood louvers and no spoilers.

The biggest give away that my Camaro might be something other than simply a car that looked good was the sound of the engine while idling...thanks to the Corvette cam.

We enjoyed cruising the streets and the local burger joints. It was a fun car to drive...




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When I was a teen and after college I never had the money to buy a car for fun. My favorite car for looks was my 1977 Tunderbird and I now found out that that 2 door personal sized car is longer than a mini van today. I did love the hideaway headlights and landeau top.

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1968 VW Beetle in 1975



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Originally Posted by Ballpeen
Originally Posted by YTownBrownsFan
72 Grand Prix with a 455 ... and it was fully loaded. (even the 8 track) rofl

Great car, and a load of very fast fun.

I also really enjoyed my Sebring Convertable. (2005, IIRC) It wasn't a speedster ... b ut it was tons of fun in the summertime.

Even if you didn't smoke, you probably had a pack of matches to stuff between the 8 track cartridge and the player frame to give it a chance to track correctly.

I had that problem until one of my friends discovered a small screw in the back of the inside the player. It adjusted the head so the double song playing could be eliminated. The "screwdriver" was basically a 8" long metal rod with a flat screwdriver end. I never had any further trouble with 2 songs playing at the same time again.

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1988 firefly , I didn’t get a car until my mid 20s .
I loved that little car when driving in the city back in the day. Would push it further than I should have, but she served me well. Nice memories driving with my buddies


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Originally Posted by FORTBROWNFAN
Originally Posted by Ballpeen
Originally Posted by YTownBrownsFan
72 Grand Prix with a 455 ... and it was fully loaded. (even the 8 track) rofl

Great car, and a load of very fast fun.

I also really enjoyed my Sebring Convertable. (2005, IIRC) It wasn't a speedster ... b ut it was tons of fun in the summertime.

Even if you didn't smoke, you probably had a pack of matches to stuff between the 8 track cartridge and the player frame to give it a chance to track correctly.

I had that problem until one of my friends discovered a small screw in the back of the inside the player. It adjusted the head so the double song playing could be eliminated. The "screwdriver" was basically a 8" long metal rod with a flat screwdriver end. I never had any further trouble with 2 songs playing at the same time again.

Now you tell us ..........


rofl

Last edited by YTownBrownsFan; 09/02/24 08:46 AM.

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My favorite car to drive and have fun was 68 MGB convertible- Brit green, black rag top, no pollution BS on motor- loved going thru gears and running down the country roads. Best economic and reliable car easily 2008 Toyota Prius- 42 miles gallon and runs like a top.


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My second-favorite whip:

'94 Acura Integra RS.
5- speed manual.

After years of schlepping around in an '86 Accord sedan (the mild-mannered wedge-shaped model with the pop-up headlights), Wifey wanted to go back the hatchback style that made her fall in love with Honda products in the first place. She'd rocked an '80 Accord hatchback for years. I told her, "If we're gonna get a hatchback, we're gonna get a hatchback that won't embarrass me out in the streets."

The Acura dealership was 3 blocks from our townhouse, at that time. I chose to test-drive a 'Nighthawk Black Pearl' model sitting on the lot. It was the same year that Honda introduced their new V-TEC* engine technology. Took the scoot for a test drive on I-475, and was blown away. This little thing charged out of the entrance ramp 20-25% faster than oncoming traffic. I hit 70 + mph 100-150 yards before I merged with oncoming I-475 traffic.

Me: "Wow!"
Salesdude: "You didn't even activate the V-TEC."
Me: "Damn."

I was sold.
I'd done my research, via Consumer Reports.
Got the '94 RS, with an added single-play CD player, custom aero package, and a vinyl leather-look nose bra... for $15.5, USD.

Best money/value/performance I ever spent on a car.
We drove our "Blacura" for 20 years... and retired it in 2014, when repair costs began to outsrip production. After numerous fixes, that little car still screamed, when asked to. The old girl was still a sleeper at stop lights, even when we were starting to look ahead to replacements. .

And yes- I learned how to avail myself to Honda's V-TEC technology. I was a danger to my own damn self (and most probably others), every year she was in my hands.

Imagine this car in black, with dark-tint glass, and a thumping, aftermarket sound system:

[Linked Image from hips.hearstapps.com]

This little car slapped the s# out of any number of American muscle cars at the time.


It's no surprise that this version of Integra is still one of the most sought-after cars for performance mods.
Super-workable, with tons of innate ability- and unlimited potential.

I loved driving this car.
I still miss it like I miss my '77 Triumph- for many of the same reasons.

Nothing will replace my 'Green T,' ...but our Blacura comes really, really close, in terms of 'fun per gallon.'


just sayin',
Clemmy.





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