Some of us are lucky to have had a dream car for a first car.
Maybe it was not so much of a fabulous dream car...but a moment in time where we were happy to be independent and free.
The coveted driver's license gave us the ticket to ride and a way to escape our parents grip.
At first we had to learn at the wheel of the family car or an older friend showed us the ropes, but those days of bliss never quite fade away from our minds.
My older brother, Porter went away to the Navy and left his new, red 1974 Ford Pinto at the house along with the bank payments.
This picture was taken in 1974 and I am with the Pinto, my little brother, Mark and my dog, Sparky.
Dad took over payments while Porter was gone and Mom was going to be driving it.
That didn't last too long because once I taught myself how to drive a stick shift... that car was on the road 24/7. I lived to be driving that car!
Actually, I think I lived in that car and it was an extension of my rebel, take no prisoners personality. (It's still that to some extent)
I read the story of John Schnatter, the founder of Papa Johns, wanting to find his old car that had so many good memories. It was a gold and black, 1971 Z28 Chevrolet Camero. He had sold it for $2800 to save his father's business and launch his own.
His offer was a $250,000 reward to anyone that would find his long lost...but not forgotten car. The whole story here.
Years later...my worn out, red Ford Pinto was traded to a car lot to a white Oldsmobile Cutlass.
I think oil was dripping out the tailpipe when I drove it into the lot and I heard through the grapevine that the engine blew up the next week while the new owner was driving it on Main Street in Richmond KY.
I don't believe I would want that Pinto back.
My dream car was actually a 1971 yellow Jaguar with 12 cylinders, but to this date, I have never owned one.
Life has always been in the way of true bliss perhaps.
Maybe there's still hope!
I want my first car (1967 Chevelle) back, but I know what happened to it. I sold it to my younger brother, who had it for a few years before he crashed it.
My first car was a 1968 VW bug but I did not get it until 1980.
It got smooshed by a deer near O'Hare airport a few years later... I gave it to my boyfriend, who gave it to his brother who was leaving the airport and a deer hit it. Junk yard....
Pizza guy's... Papa John's car story is interesting
Hi Lizette. My first car was also a hand me down 1973 Ford Pinto station wagon. Although it got me around, I wouldn't wish for it back. My next car, the one I consider MY first car because I purchased it was a 1975 VW Scirroco. Although much sportier (one friend said it looked like a James Bond car) and much more appealing to the girls, it was a major headache. Constantly broke down.
I actually did get to drive a dream car of mine for a couple of years. A BMW M5. Great car. But it really wasn't suitable for the real estate business. Hard to drive a six speed manual transmission while talking on the phone. Plus it sucked up gas and money for repairs and maintenance like nobody's business.
Thanks for the fun post and best of luck to you.
I loved my first car. I think I was 16 when I bought it. I had a job and saved for the car and insurance. I bought a used 1970 Z in the mid-80's - still have the title & sales receipt. It was stolen in 1991. Whenever I see an old Z. I wonder if it's my old car. My kids would love it!
Ahhh yes memories of first vehicles...although I did love my first car at the time.. 1987 Pontiac Grand AM.. A lot of car for a 16 yr old..I drove it to the ground and would not want one again..not even a Pontiac I had so many problems with it..now..my last car...I absolutely loved and miss dearly.. 2005 Nissan Altima SE-R... this car had the engine of the Z...super fast and sleek (black)...upgraded everything... I so want my car back!
Who the heck would want a 1963 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 back??
Hi Lizette,
My first car was a white Triumph Herald (this is a British car so you may not have heard of it) so here is a picture.
However, I wanted a Mini soooooooo bad but my dad would not let me have one he said that they were too expensive to maintain. Well I now have my Mini and I love them as much today as I did when I was 17. I think you never quite get over your first love :)
I don't remember my first car but I DO remember by first big Chevy dually truck and my custom painted 4 horse trailer with living quarters! Now I would just like to have them back so I could sell my little cabin and LIVE in the trailer.... on the road again.
Hi Lizette, my first car was a 1971 camero. I have owned 3 Jags and my favorite was the last one I had was a convertable pretty engine gray with a blue top. It was the last year they made the 12 cyl. 1992 and Jag still owned Jag! I had to sell it because I was getting into Real Estate and it only had 2 seats ya know. I miss that car. I got a CTS Caddy, I have my Jag tag on it and I call it my JAGALACK.... LOL
Hello Lizette, my first car was a 1960 Buick Invicta only because I took over the payments for my parents. Although I had a lot of fun in that car (memories I wouldn't trade for '67 vette...well maybe for a '67 vette, lets's not get carried away). But I choose to think of my first real car as the one I went to the dealer and paid for with a coin collection that I had been building for the previous eight years. The car was a 1966 Olds 442 convertible. I was 18 and would certainly pay more for the memories than the car but, several thousand would work for me.
Nick T Pappas
Lizette - My first car was a Geo Metro...no clue what year, I think a 1993. I DO NOT miss it at all, but it did give me the freedom during my high school years and the gas cost me next to nothing.
Hi Lizette -- I read that story too and nostalgia set in. My first car was a light green, 1968, 4-door Chevy Chevelle and I absolutely hated this car. My mom bought it for me for $800 when I got my first job. I paid her all back, and then I set might sights on a 1970 SS396 Chevelle, dark green, black bucket seat interior, my dream car. My mom thought I'd kill myself in it and refused to let me buy it even though I had my own money to do so. I still think about this car 30 years later. Great post!
Funny a few years ago I gave up my 1978 VW Bug Convertable. I still want it back!
Lizette....
Part of life is letting go of the past. I doubt if I'll buy another Papa Johns pizza ... apparently they don't need the money.
My first car was a Chevy Aveo (I'm a late bloomer-driver) and I tragically lost him earlier this year. I still miss him and yes, I would take him back any time! I have since become friends with my new car and I love it too, but it's just not like my Aveo!
I'd love to have my first car back--a 1962 Impala Super Sport I received for my high school graduation. It was great, but I had to trade it in a few years later for a family car.
Lizette - Ah...what memories. I would never want my first car back. It was a 1963 Corvair that I almost died in because the fumes kept backing up into the car. However, I would take my second car back in a heartbeat. It was a 1969 Dodge Charger and was a powerhouse. I used to feel like the Dukes of Hazard with that beauty! :)
My Son would love to have my first car! It was a gold 2 door 1971 Monte Carlo 350/4 barrel. I was 16 years old;boy did I have some good times with that car. Actually I sold it in 1982 when I got pregnant with that Son; it really wasn't a Mom's car. A 17 year old bought it, it was going to be his first car.
My first car was a 69 Camero (Candy Apple Red w/ a 6 cylinder) I loved. It. I had to pay for it and do the body work. Does anyone know what gorilla hair is? How to change a radiator. My dad made me do these things thinking I may need them one day. Well, I never used those skills....
My first car was a red 1973 Ford Mustang with a 302. It was a Grande with a Mach I hood... I enjoyed it, but I'm ok without it. I would be happy with some pictures of that beast, though.
BTW, the 12 cylinder Jag isn't really as driveable as the 6. More torque on the 6...
My first car was a hand me down station wagon. I don't want that back at all
Wonderful post Lizette! I just read about "Papa John's" car and actually wondered what I would pay for my first car. It was a '92 Subaru Legacy, and unfortunately I didn't have it as long as I should of due to an accident. I still miss that car to this day and as I'm dealing, slowly, with the demise of my current vehicle, I still think about my old Subaru and vow to one day own another!
Lizette--Great story! We were just talking about first cars yesterday. My electrician was discussing his classic car club's show this weekend and I asked about his car. It is a Nova...my first car was the Oldsmobile version...A 1972 Omega. My husband says that no one would ever restore an Omega...Nova Yes, Cutlass yes but not an Omega. But there is one being restored in the club...Yes would love my first car back...Only Restored! :)
I am with Cindy. Sold my old Beetle and terribly regret it. I am now looking for a late 40's early 50's.
OK, here's the deal. Get a picture of the Jag and put it in a frame and put it on a wall where you see it every day. It will be yours in 2010. No more dreaming.
Lizette's Jag
It is sitting in St. Louis waiting for you.......
haha this post makes me laugh. I'm still driving my first car :) 2004 Honda Civic.
My first car was a black 1970 Plymouth Duster with a white vinyl roof. It was 1987. I paid $700 for that car, all money I had earned from babysitting, mowing lawns and selling Avon. I loved that car because I could do basic mechanical stuff on it, I even changed the starter myself. It ran on leaded gas. I sold it 2 years later for $750. My dad always said I was meant to be in sales. Ahh, good memories...
Wow! A feature! Thanks whomever thought this was worthy!
It's funny how we give up cars that we love in order to advance in life. Right before I got started in real estate, I was driving an MR2 Toyota. My Mom convinced me to trade for her '96 Avalon so I could use it in business. She used my MR2 as a trade in. I lasted 4 years then had to finally buy a Crossfire after researching and yearning for one over 4 months. Finally found it in Chicago on Ebay. Road trip in 6 hours then bought it on the spot!
My clients either follow behind me or meet me at properties. It's my mobile office!
Here's my current car an '04 Crossfire an my little brother, Mark from the post above all grown up.
I had a beautiful ford mustang... It was a great car and we went everywhere together! I finally had to sell her and get a more reliable car, but she still has a special place in my heart!
LOL- Mine was a 1979 Honda Civic hatchback and I'm pretty sure it's dead somewhere in a landfill. It was all but used up when I traded it in in 1985 for my first Toyota. But I would pay BIG bucks to have my dad's German Taunus back. I loved that car.
Mine was a 1959 Ford Falcon----it was like a little tank----but I really liked it. After that came a 1963 Corvair.
Hmmm.. My first car. I paid $200 for a 1970 Chevy Impala and I know this went to the junk yard after a friend borrowed it one day to pull a boat. He was hit head on. Yes I had his car that day... well until he asked for it back after mine was lost. The good news was I recieved $800 insurance money and paid $600 for a Ford Montego. ( I forget the year )
Mine was a 1964 rambler with push buttons and seats that laid all the way down.... fun car!
Yes, I wish I could find my first car - I think this would be just too cute to drive around today!
Lizette- I was living in Hawaii and my first car was a BRAND NEW MAROONE 1976 CORVETTE! WOW! What I would give to have that car back, not practical now with kids and grandkids so I love my Mercedes second best:) I earned that car all by myself at the age of 18! What a hot blonde babe I was driving around Oahu in my new corvette if I do say so myself:) wow! That was a long time ago! Katerina
Hey, Lizette -
Thanks for the memories!
Mine - after my mother's '68 Chevy Nova - a '74 blue Gremlin!
Boy, was I a nerd!
DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
It's so nostalgic reading about all these cars you have had.
Dean, my Mom owned one of those Gremlins I think it had Levi denim upholstery.
Jo, that little Metropolitan Nash is way cool!
Lizette - great post! My first car was a "POS". Beat up, run down, 1971 Ford Pinto (mustard color) with sticking lifters...so you could hear me coming blocks away. I got it in 1976, back when the Pinto's were "exploding" when in rear end collisions. My parents paid $ 400 bucks for it. BUT...it was my own set of wheels, and it sure beat riding the bus to High School. The coolest car back then was the Chevelle, with mag wheels. I am a true muscle car fan.
Lizette:
My first car was a Chevy Nova that I foolishly let run out of oil and it blew a rod. It took me two more cars before I took seriously the fact that you must put oil in a car in order for it to survive. (That was a long time ago!)
I love the photo of you and your little brother.
Wow, I've thought about this before ! My first was a 1964 Oldsnobile Cutless Coupe(2 door). It didn't look pretty on the outside by the time I got it(faded paint), but it had a 396, dual jet carb, and it was FAST !!!!!!!!!!! It often shocked someone else with a sports car as we raced away from a redlite !!!
I would pay dearly for that 1956 Ford Crown Vic 2-door hardtop with dual exhaust in the rear bumper. It could fly, with fingertip shifting..... It was red and black and I really miss her.
Lizette, I learned on a stick shift 1960 bug VW with no gas gauge and also a Plymouth Duster. Don't want those cars in my life anymore!!
My first was a Chevy II, and I cleaned that car everyday. I remember go on dates at 16 in 1964, and listening to this new Pop group out of England with funny haircuts and wearing the same outfits. Fun emeories, but also a realization about the importance of simplicity and focue.
Lizette - My first car was a 1982 Chevette. You would have to pay me to take it back!
Lizette,
I'm sure my first car is no longer around - make that my first ten cars. However, I would run away if I ever saw them again. :)
Steve
56 Chevy with 3-speed on the column. Nothing. I wouldn't want to drive it now.
OK, I guess I must be the oldest geezer here. My first car was a 1958 Chevy station wagon that I got just after getting my driver's license at age 16. I had to fix it up a bit. I got some sheet metal to patch the holes in the floor on the driver's side so my feet wouldn't go through. Other than that, it was in great shape. 3-speed, shift on the column. I have many memories of filling that wagon with 9 kids and taking trips to the beach or parks or just about anywhere. My friends called it the "Root Beer Wagon" because it was the color of root beer. When I got it, the radio didn't work, so I took the radio out and had the school electronics club fix it for the cost of the part. An old friend from high school that I reconnected with on Facebook asked me if I still had the root beer wagon. I guess it left such an impression on him that he forgot that he had ridden many times in my next car, which was a 1965 Ford Galaxie 500.
Mine was a brand new Red Skylark by Buick. Man I loved that car. Daddy was a Buick dealer and picked my up at school the day I turned 16 in it. He took me to get my license that day.
Then I got a C on my report card and he took it away. Yep parked it on the lot until my grades improved.
So I got my grades up and then found out someone bought it.
I cried, and cried and cried.
My mom told me to "get over it" dad was a dealer and that is what happens.
P.S. He ordered me a new one.
Mine was a 1969 Thunderbird coupe. Cream with a brown rubberized vinyl top; white leather bucket seats. It had a 390ci V-8 with an oversized Holly 4-barrel carb. I got 6 miles to the gallon, unless I put my foot on the gas. Of course, premium gas was only 29 cents a gallon! [Just noticed that a computer keyboard doesn't even have a "cents" sign key]
My girlfriend's father let me use his 1967 Buick Electra 225 Convertible before I got the T-bird. Loved that car!
Thanks for the diversion Lizette. I think I'll go call some people while I'm in my nostalgic glow...
I don't need my dodge colt hatchback back! I love my Hummer H3 I have now!
I am having a moment here...my first car was a 1972 yellow Ford Pinto station wagon!!! How wild is that! I was so happy to have wheels that I didn't even know I was driving a death trap!!! lol!!! Strange enough I had a Olds Cutlass Supreme in college!!! We must have been visted by the same car fairy back in the day! Today...a much different story...I have a tricked out REALTOR ride!!!
That's my baby!!!!
Jeani
My first car was a chevy, no great shakes, but my husbands first car, which he talks about all the time was a 1968 MGB GT which he had in college and just loved. His second car, which he had when we met in 1978 was a 1974 red Jensen Healey convertible sports car. It was the coolest car and was perfect for where he lived at the beach in Manhattan Beach in California.
Great stories here. All of the many cars I have owned worked well for me, but I can't say I really miss any of them, or want any of them back. My first car was a 1972 Subaru wagon that was rust from the windows down and had holes in the floorboards, but it provided some great freedom.
I would, however, enjoy driving just about any car my father ever owned, and many of the cars about which the above folks are posting.
My first car would work for me today. Fun memories but so not comfortable....
Patricia Aulson/portsmouth nh
My first car was a 1974 Nova with the frame rusted out so badly it never passed inspection so that I could actually drive it......it was pretty on the outside though.
You guys are too funny! I'm looking at your pictures to figure out if the car matches your personalities...hmmmm.
NASCAR's FedEx #11 driver Denny Hamlin from Chesterfield, VA found the 2 cars his parents sold to finance is early racing career and bought them back for his parents!!!
My first car was TR3 and my mother would not ride in it as she did not like seeing the road THAT CLOSE....I don't need it back though.....Wallace
Lizette,
I would not mind having the youth back but the 1968 Olds F85 is not something I miss, but it was a good gas guzzler at the time.
This is for Dave H's comment above. My dad had a new, yellow '56 Ford Crown Victoria...he really liked that car...I can remember (as a young passenger) the speedo reading 110mph on our way to Witcha Kansas from Kansas City...I also remember my Grandmothers tight grip on me (she was scared to death) I loved it. What a great blog.
My dream car? '66 Mustang convertible. My first car? 1986 Dodge Charger - not a time when they were muscle cars.
I've had a '90 Mustang convertible but never one of the classics.
I'd like to find John's car for $250,000. As for your car... I like that jaguar. Glad you inserted the picture too, I would not have known the look for that year.
Picture from:
Jean Vincent's Drawings
My first car was a red Rambler - and I called it "Rolls Can Hardly"! Don't know the year or even the make! Rambler would be the model (I think...!) The good ole days!!!!!
My first car was a white, 4 door, 1970 Caddy, what a car. This was in the early 90's so it was a big hit with my friends. We could fit 5 girls across the bench seat in the front and more in the back. We put the boys in the trunk! It was great! Wish I still had that car now, big ole 450 V8 and power everything, was before it's time when it was made. Parking at "high school" parties was a bit tough though. Great post. Gonna check out some old pics.
Hmmm...cute little brother.
My "first" car was a 2001 Tiburon...cute little car. I traded it for a station wagon for my 3 year old grandaughter...(her mom gets driving priveliges) then drove my daughter's 99 Neon for a couple years until I found the perfect "prosperity" car. It's a 2003 Gold Mercedes Benz 2 door hatchback. Room for signs in the back, and cool...so cool.
By the way...who's the brunette? ;-)
Melissa,
Ok, I'm getting a little outside the original parameters of this blog but, I had to comment on your response. I think it was about my 7th car, a 74' Cadillac Fleetwood, navy blue with foot rests (and trunk capacity that would swallow up my current Volvo, affectionally known to all as the "meat wagon". The name stuck because of my Chicago location and not what you might think. Anyway, it was a great car for pooling to concerts. By the way, my last five cars have been Volvo's...it's a rut I plan to stay in.
It was a ford mustang. But, since I plowed it into the pine tree I had to let her go. I would love to have her back on these mountains roads.
Hey Sabrina,
What year was your Mustang? I had a '70 Mach I, went all over the country in it...absolutely loved the car. I was really happy to see they brought that body style back.
Hi Lizette. Stumbled across this post and had the best time reading about those early dreams and freedom that others chimed in on. My first car was SOOOO not cool. But the '56 metallic green chevy I drooled for burned oil, so parental veto ruled. I ended up with an early 1960s Ford Comet-white on the outside, red on the inside. It had a hard life with me. Too shy to ask a gas station attendant to check the oil, I ran it dry late one evening on a lonely road. After repairs, the next year it caught fire under the hood and paint began to peel as I tried to make it home. Years later--2006 to be exact--I met my man. And his first car? A Ford Comet. How weird is that?
Lizette, I don't know how I missed this wonderful post but it is so good and made me smile all the way through! Thanks!
Lizette, my first car was a Honda 600 Z coupe
I bought it for $500, several years ago. It was great for one or two people. 50 mpg. 10" tires. I could go 70 or 80 mph, but generally stuck to 55 or 60 on the freeway. It could seat four people, but rode like a marshmellow with more than 2 people.
While I was in Denmark for a year, my stepfather somehow sold the car, and bought me a Mazda GLC as a replacement -- bigger car.
I'd still have that Honda 600 Z Coupe if I could. It was a great car. There aren't many left in the US. A fully restored one costs a LOT of money. More than I want to spend.
BTW, you've changed quite a bit since that photo of you and your Pinto. Amazing, huh!
Just now read this blog.... missed it when you posted.
Love the photo. My first car was a 1968 Pontiac Firebird, quite spiffy, I might add.
I am so glad I don't have my first car. It was a Datsun B100 4 door sedan. Yikes. It had some engine trouble and I had to carry a spare spark plug because the 4th cylinder kept fouling out. About every two weeks I would have to pull over and change spark plugs. I did pay a whopping $300 and it got me through High School. I think I sold it for $300 to another young HS Student.