Favorite car/truck

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begreen

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Nov 18, 2005
104,426
South Puget Sound, WA
I've had some good cars. Only a few were unusual, but they were all special to me. The best were:

1956 Packard with very low mileage. Advanced technology and in great condition. Should have hung on to that one.

1994 Jaguar Mark X - biggest that Jaguar made and a dream car to drive

1966 Barracuda Formula S, made in Canada and set up for road rally in the UK. Many fine trips and memories there

1966 Volvo 122S wagon with p1800 OD transmission. Strong vehicle that I kept for years

1981 Honda Accord - first new car, with many trips and good memories

1993 Subaru Legacy wagon - just a fun car to drive and loved the snow
 
86 c10 slammed 4-6/ 355 4 bolt/ keystones/ edlebrock/ crane/ hooker/ phantom grille/shorty headers/ too much to remember...

All done by me.
 
1981 Honda Accord - first new car, with many trips and good memories


A (used) 1983 Honda Accord was the first car I ever owned in high school/college. I beat the heck out of that car drove it all over the east coast in all kinds of weather. Burned out one clutch, learned about car repair fixing everything and anything on that including said clutch. I almost totaled it senior year and my dad and I rebuilt the entire front end using salvage panels from the junk yard and having a friend of my fathers who owned a body shop weld on a new front end. The car was 4 different colors by the time I was done with it.

That car was not the bullet proof Honda we think of today... I think it stranded me at least 3 times on the side of the road (twice for carburetor problems) and I was always working on patching rust holes with bondo or fiberglass... I think half the rocker panels and floor pan was fiberglass. I also have memories of doing crazy stuff like replacing the fuel pump in the dorm parking lot in the snow so I could drive home for Christmas break.

Still loved it though.
 
First vehicle I owned

1991 GMC S-10 ext cab 4x4, Z Code 4.3L V6 TBI 4 speed Auto, digital instrument cluster
- driving too fast one spring day and the wind was blowing snow over an otherwise clear road. Lost control and hit a cherry tree @ 40MPH. Walked away thankfully.

1984 Nissan Pickup, Z24 4cyl 2bbl vacuum secondary and a 5 spd.
- 90 HP, wouldn't get out of it's own way but would go anywhere due to the short wheelbase and 4WD. Jeremy, I spent a few cold days under this truck in a dorm parking lot as well. Yeah, the fuel pump was responsible for one of those too. ;)

Skip over my:
1997 Chevy S10 Ext Cab
1987 Ford Mustang GT >>

and get to .....

My current daily driver

2005 GMC Canyon Crew Cab Z71 4x4, 3.5L I5 4L60E Auto

I bought this truck at a time in my life when I still wanted a pickup that would haul my ATV and take me and my friends out at night, but didn't want a full-size. As I've grown, and my hauling needs have too, the truck has been faithfully and reliably growing with me. I have hauled countless pieces of lawn equipment, firewood, dirt, mulch, etc with this truck and routinely have it loaded to it's limits. It also occasionally tows small trailers loaded to around 4000lbs. It's gotten to where it's going to need some front end work soon but in over 100,000 miles I can honestly say I have not had to replace any major components and it still starts and drives as well as it ever has.

But my absolute favorite is my Dad's old 1989 Chevy K3500 pickup. 454 (7.4L), TH400 trans, extended cab, single rear wheels (no duals). I learned to drive in that beast. It was our family vehicle as well as a working truck that hauled our 20 ft gooseneck aluminum stock trailer (and few others) loaded with my 4-H animals cross-country. I remember hauling livestock, feed, groceries, my girlfriend, you name it in that truck. Drove it through the pastures or 18 hrs to visit family in Indiana. Hey, gas was cheap back then, lol. It actually got decent mileage for the engine that was in it. Couple times we flirted with 15 mpg on long highway trips. Must've been a good tail wind, lol. We bought it in 1992 and I think Dad finally traded it in during 2003 with over 160K on it on it's 2nd transmission and 2nd coat of two-tone blue.
 
Ole Blue 005.jpg 40+ years of driving have had too many great vehicles too remember. Current ride, Chrysler 300 limited, is really sweet, last of the full sized, rear wheel drive and it gets 31 mpg. Being 6'2" and 280 lbs. it offers the comfort and safety as you cruise down the road.
 
1987 Subaru GL: The thing was a mutt of a dog -- looked ugly and had very little power . . . but when engaged into 4WD (this was before Subbies went with AWD) it would go anywhere and like Christine -- this car would not die. I drove it until trading it with my Dad who then sold it to a kid who eventually wrapped it around a tree sometime in the early 2000s. In between that mishaped lump that looked like a melted chocolate bar took out not one, but three deer . . . and kept on going.

1981 Chevy Malibu: Probably my favorite car of all-time. I traded my Subbie with my father for this car. A former state trooper's vehicle it had a great weight to power ratio with a V-8, 350 cubic inch engine in what would now be considered mid-size body. I had more fun with that car . . . both as a sleeper since it looked pretty sedate . . . and in coming up behind folks only to have them slow down immediately as the car looked like an "undercover" police cruiser (undercover in those days simply meant no light bar on top). I still think of how much fun this car was . . .

1992 Jeep Wrangler: This, coupled with my father's past experience with a Dodge Omni and Dodge Aspen, soured me for years with any Chrysler product. This "trail-rated" vehicle was a piece of doggy doo. It often seemed to be in the shop more often than out. No space for storage. Rode like a Flexible Flyer Wagon. Gas mileage was terrible. Handling stunk in the snow unless you had it in 4WD and then it was marginal. Seemed like my wife or I was always cold . . . summer or hot (partly my fault since I took the top off in the Summer though and the nights could get cool). That said . . . I still enjoyed driving it . . . when it was running . . . I miss the "Jeep Wave" and its cornering ability. A fun car in the Summer . . . again . . . when it was running. Only vehicle I've had that has a) blown an engine at only 30,000 miles, b) died going through a mud puddle and c) had the windshield wiper motor fail. I sold it eventually for a more reliable vehicle.

1997 Toyota 4Runner: Only had this one for a few years until I saw a newer 4Runner with more bells and whistles. Only vehicle I've ever traded in before paying it off.

2000 Toyota 4Runner: A good vehicle for me for the time . . . until the rear end started leaking and the cost to replace it was a bit steep for my liking, giving the age . . . plus times had changed and for hauling my ATV and firewood around a full sized pick up made things a lot easier than hitching up the trailer. The 4Runner was pretty decent -- I really liked the fact it was a standard . . . which is pretty much imposible to find nowadays in a SUV. Really under-powered though with a V-6.

1995 (?) Toyota Celica: I cannot remember the exact year of this vehicle. This was a second vehicle . . . a "beater" car that I bought to commute back and forth to work to save on gas and wear and tear with the 2000 4Runner. I later found out that the Celica is/was a "girl's" car . . . but honestly it was a lot of fun to drive . . . wicked reliable . . . and fantastic on gas. I only got rid of this car when the local garage said it was rusting out pretty badly and the cost to have them repair the rust was more than the car. When I went looking for a second vehicle I actually considered getting a newer model of the Celica . . . even though I knew my male buddies would make fun of me for driving a "girl's" car.

2003 Honda Accord coupe: So far this car has been wicked reliable . . . it's not really much of a dazzler even though it serves its purpose as a commuting car . . . I figure I could have always done worse . . . but when I get ready to sell this one . . . hopefully after many, many more miles (156,000+ and counting with no major repairs) . . . I think the next car will be a more fun car since I'll be close to retiring and should be about due to have my mid-life crisis.
 
1974 Dodge dart 340 - quick car
1976 Two door fast back Valarie (dodge) - slant 6 - slow but unbreakable, the car had its own instinct and was usually correct.
1977 - Chrysler Cordoba (360 V8). Could run over a VW bug and think it was a speed bump. Cruiser.
1978 - Dodge Ram charger - millitary model - 440 V8 with big lug tires and the strangest transfer case, ever. 2 hi/4 hi - 2 low/ 4 low. Low range would still offer 45 MPH speeds. Weird, but an awesome go anywhere truck. I could (and did) pull start a loaded, dead Semi truck. Fully removable top with factory roll bar.
1992 Dakota - 4x4 extended cab - 318 V8 - very trustworthy and reliable. Sold at 210,000 on the odo. Still running to this day.
1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee. - good vehicle.
1999 - Dodge Ram 4x4 - 318 V8 - Big blue. Been in pics hear on this site. (current)
2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee - small V8 - Sure footed billy goat with decent haul capacity.(current)

Toys - 1959 Jeep FC150 (worlds ugliest vehicle)
1973 Dodge Challenger (started life as a 318, but built more like a 340 now)
1955 Packard 400
1956 Packard Caribbean (convertible)

Of all the past vehicles (and there are more not listed), I miss the old Ram Charger the most. It was simply an unchallenged beast for brawn and ability. Go topless and it was a blast. Wanna go 4 wheelin', drop it in low. With the ability to spin the large tires clean of mud no matter how hard it was pulling was priceless. When mudding - I was the tow truck to pull the rest out. Man that thing was wicked for a factory truck (military spec'd). Got it from a forest preserve in MO.
 
1981 Chevy Malibu: Probably my favorite car of all-time. I traded my Subbie with my father for this car. A former state trooper's vehicle it had a great weight to power ratio with a V-8, 350 cubic inch engine in what would now be considered mid-size body. I had more fun with that car . . . both as a sleeper since it looked pretty sedate . . . and in coming up behind folks only to have them slow down immediately as the car looked like an "undercover" police cruiser (undercover in those days simply meant no light bar on top). I still think of how much fun this car was . . .

I'm jealous. My buddy had an 80, I think? That effer was fun! I want one...
 
hmmmm.....
84 Chevy Citation: threw connecting rod...kept driving it, sounded tough, drove like crap. $100
82 Ford Escort L Hatchback.....enough about that one $100
86 Ford Tempo GL: blew head gasket-swore off Fords for all time! $100
72 Super Beetle (x2) + 67 Beetle: bought all 3 together for $500, cut the 67 into a sandrail, sold it, rebuilt the 2 supers, and sold them +$2000 and them bought...
85 Saab 900S (4 Door)...bestest car I ever did own, mostly cuz it had character...lots of it. Drove it for 10 yrs..over 385K (2 broken odometers). Still miss that car.
91 Saab 900S (3door): faster than 85, leather and all, but not quite the 85 in charm.
99 Saab 9-3 SE (5 door) Turbo: much faster than the other 2, kinda nice, cept for the GM-ness of the ride (Chevy platform modified)..had weather band radio in it...pretty cool.
and today I have 08 Ford Escape....you guessed it, I had to unswear off Fords for all time...is not so bad a car/suv...kinda miss manual transmissions (VW-Saabs all manual)...really miss weather band radio and heated seats of Saab.

Would like to own a Dodge Super B, Saab Sonnet III, or a Bugatti ==c, an old one...
 
Custom Chevy van complete with bar,bed,& stereo to die for. Gets the most fun in vehicle award.
Also Corvett,Harley semi chopped, Chevell Hi-perf. String of lesser vehicles.
 
I was also technically the owner of a 1967 Camaro, that was my mom's car, she sold to me, it was in storage at my uncle's place and needed some work, I never got around to it, so I sold it to him, and he rebuilt it and sold it. Would like to have that one back...it wasn't very fancy, straight 6, blue, but 67-69 had great body lines. Am I the only one who has difficulty discerning some GTO's from Lemans models? That one gets me every time. Now I just mumble the 2 names together when I'm not sure.
 
Oh hell, over the years I've had 25 cars/trucks from 10 different manufacturers (foreign & domestic), and 6 motorcycles from 5 different manufacturers. Included in that mix were 3 station wagons and 7 pickups. A few of the more memorable ones were: 1945 Ford Army Jeep, 1956 Chevy school bus, 1951 MG-TD, 1973 Karmann-Ghia, couple of Mercedes, couple of Porsches, Jaguar XJ-6, 1928 Model A P/U, 1936 Ford P/U.

But my very favorite vehicle I ever owned, hands down, didn't even have wheels. It was a little hydroplane that I built for myself when I was in High School. Rick
 
Oh hell, over the years I've had 25 cars/trucks from 10 different manufacturers (foreign & domestic), and 6 motorcycles from 5 different manufacturers. Included in that mix were 3 station wagons and 7 pickups. A few of the more memorable ones were: 1945 Ford Army Jeep, 1956 Chevy school bus, 1951 MG-TD, 1973 Karmann-Ghia, couple of Mercedes, couple of Porsches, Jaguar XJ-6, 1928 Model A P/U, 1936 Ford P/U.

But my very favorite vehicle I ever owned, hands down, didn't even have wheels. It was a little hydroplane that I built for myself when I was in High School. Rick
love the Ghia, am jealous of your "poor man's porsche".
 
Funny thread - man, I had some boring cars:

First:
1978 Subaru DL - Was a hand me down from my sister as she bought a newer car. Best thing about this car is that it could climb the steep dirt hill behind our church (dirt trail) and was only fwd. For the 2 weeks I had it the brakes were starting to go, so my buddy and I got pretty proficient in doing police skids using the ebrake into the school parking lot. (We go there real early as my aim wasn't too good)

1980 Ford Fairmont - Had for about 1 month before someone Tboned me and totalled the car....dad found out and the first question he asked is "how is the car?" lol...my mom asked "are you ok?) Car had no power, and would only burn rubber in reverse, lol.....remember leaving rubber on several of the new driveways for a new housing development under spec

1985 Ford Escort wagon - Yup, the complete car for cruising and picking up chicks, lol...seems like many already had kids or were pregnant, not sure why :oops: Again, car had no power.....remember going to Beach Week the week after I graduated with about 25 cases of beer in the car. (no lie) My buddy was like "drive faster, we are going to get pulled over for driving too slow"...car wouldn't go more than 55 mph on Rte 495, lol

1987 Ford Escort GT - My first real car....had a pullout CD player instaled with kicckers in the back and a 100 watt amp under the seat.....thought it was fast until tried to race my buddy in his Baretta GT and figured out I just had another Escort

1988 Jeep Wrangler - Fun to drive, however as Jake mentioned a problem car....wouldn't run in the rain/damp weather.....windshield leaked, etc....still a fun ride with the top off and doors off

1994 Ford Escort Wagon - My first new car - I was into camping and mountain bike racing, and coulnd't afford a real suv, so I bought this baby new with a 5 speed manual....actuall reall miss that car as it was pretty nice.

2002 Subaru Forester - Was a good car until the rust around the windshield got so bad and I had to get rid of it....kept it for 10 years and it never stranded us once

Current ride is a 2012 Outback 6 speed
 
love the Ghia, am jealous of your "poor man's porsche".

That car was fun. I have an old friend who has made a career for himself over the decades with a foreign (mostly German) auto repair business in California. While I was deployed to the Western Pacific one year (circa 1978), I left that car with him for a few months and he built a really strong Porsche 356 motor and put it in that Ghia for me. Pretty much doubled the original HP. What a blast that car was after that. :cool:
 
That car was fun. I have an old friend who has made a career for himself over the decades with a foreign (mostly German) auto repair business in California. While I was deployed to the Western Pacific one year (circa 1978), I left that car with him for a few months and he built a really strong Porsche 356 motor and put it in that Ghia for me. Pretty much doubled the original HP. What a blast that car was after that. :cool:
<--double jealous now...did he leave the 4 spd in it, or did he find a 5 spd from a 912/914 to go in there? Always wanted a 5th gear, not that the cars would have done anything with it...just wanted to keep shifting.
 
<--double jealous now...did he leave the 4 spd in it, or did he find a 5 spd from a 912/914 to go in there? Always wanted a 5th gear, not that the cars would have done anything with it...just wanted to keep shifting.

Original VW transaxle.
 
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Had several 99-01 Ranger 4x4 ext cabs (3 of them/ 2 totaled)
99 Chevy S-10 Extreme w/ 4.3 H.O. air locker, and several sets of rear tires :)
91 Nissan 240 SX (340,000 miles) w/ 5 speed. Fun liitle rear wheel drive that got 29 MPG....
Bunch of other randoms, Blazer, Grand Prix, Escort GT :), Bronco II, little Kia :(,

Although I want a new Super Duty Diesel, my Current truck has been my favorite. 03 F-150 FX4 SuperCrew w/ 5.4L and a 3" Body and my current car is a Silver 2011 Focus (over 110 mile round trip to work ) my Wife has the same car but Metallic Grey. B

My favorite "Ride" is my Chopper. Dixie Chopper!!!


2012-07-01_18-32-40_996.jpg 2012-08-04_13-35-36_526.jpg 2012-05-26_16-16-46_591.jpg
 
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Two of my favorite memories.

1989 Ranger - 240K miles. Power nothing. 4cyl. No radio. I'd say it put about 40HP to the ground. I drove it every day like it was a stock car and it never gave up.

1992 Mazda B2200 - That truck was a total POS, but I learned a ton of wrenching skills from it.
 
One of my favorites was a 1952 Willys car. They did not sell many cars but they were really nice. Got great gas mileage too with overdrive. Also one time had a Ford Fairlane 500 but don't remember the year for sure. Seems like maybe a 56 but don't remember. Then there was the Dodge van that I customized and that was a dandy. It might be scary to count up all the cars and trucks I've had over the years...
 
Reading this thread I see a lot of long histories and a lot of interesting/unusual cars... cool stuff..

My vehicle history is a lot shorter.

1983 Honda Accord (1993)
First car was the '83 Accord I mentioned above. Dad bought it for me when I was a junior in high school. All of 72 hp 4 cylinder, 5 speed. I drove that thing from 120k to 185k or so before it rusted out so bad in the rear that it wouldnt pass inspection and we had to junk it. Along the way I almost totalled it, replaced the clutch, wheel bearings, all the breaks, couple shocks, fuel pump and had the carburettor rebuilt twice. (carb job was the only thing I ever had a shop do).

1987 Dodge Charger (1996 ?)
Second car was the first I bought myself. Junior year of college and dead broke I paid $200 for this car with a set of snows and 220k miles (!). This was the 1980s hatchback charger that was based on the Omni and had absolutely no relation to the old Charger muscle car. There was a Shelby Turbo Charger that actually moved pretty good but this was the plain vanilla version, a 90hp iron block slant 4, 4 speed manual. It had a bit more power than the Accord but in every other way felt like a step down... unvented solid disk brakes, simple trailing beam rear axle, crap vinyl interior, gauges that never worked. This was one of the last carburetor cars but it actually had a computer controlled auto mixture carb... but even so was nearly impossible to start in the winter and I burned out the starter twice. I also had the shift linkage break on the road once and I jury rigged it back together with cable ties for a 200 mile road trip before getting the part to fix it. This was another car that I did all kinds of work on including new struts, bearings, brakes, etc. but surprisingly for an 80s Chrysler product it kept going and going and I sold it off around 250k.

1987 Honda Accord Hatchback (1999)
Another cheap buy. Another small step up in power to a 110 hp 4 cylinder. Manual 5 speed. But being a Honda and having a nice suspension, good brakes and real electronic fuel injection this car felt like a hot rod after the Dodge. Trick 80s pop up headlights, AC that never worked. Like the previous 2 cars this one stranded me once - starter motor. I ended up selling it in 2003 for $500 bucks to a guy and then a week later it had a complete electrical system failure and died :)

2003 Acura RSX Type S
This is still my daily driver and the only car I ever bought new. Probably the best driving FWD car I have ever driven. 200hp 2.0 I4 naturally aspirated 8000rpm screamer. No turbos, but the Honda iVTEC variable timing works very well and even though its not very tourqey the torque curve is dead flat and it pulls all the way to redline with a bit of a kick at 6000PRM when it switches to the hot cam. Smoothest shifting 6 speed manual I have ever driven. I have a second set of wheels with Goodyear F1 rubber for summer driving that makes it corner like a go-cart. Respectable mid 6 second 0-60 while still capable of 30+ mpg if driven moderately. Bulletproof at 9 years and 90k miles, only had 2 issues to date -a bad secondary O2 and a blown power lock actuator, both of which were easy DIY fixes.Only things I don't like about it is that its not RWD and the seats are uncomfortable on long distance trips.

Sadly, sooner or later this needs to get retired for a family hauler.

2008 Honda Pilot
My wife's car, bought CPO. The baby hauler. Big, reliable, comfortable, and drives well now that I replaced the crappy OEM tires with better Michelin LTXs.
 
We are currently running a 2006 Prius which I like, but have some strong reservations about in the drivability dept., a 1997 Honda Oddysey that is a great 7 person transporter, a '94 Ford Ranger pickup with only 54k miles currently and a 1995 VW Eurovan Camper which is underused currently, but I hope to change that soon.
 
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