Kids First Car?

[check]

My father gave me a 64 Pontiac Laurentian – after he smashed up the rear end! His one and only accident in his entire life. Great car, with the six cylinder and three on the tree, standard transmission. The backyard look like heck, however. Like someone had taken a giant pair pliers and squished it. My friends called it “the black panther“. I got his next car, too, a 69 dodge Polaris 500, with hood pins! I had to give him $1000 for it, however.

It was certainly much appreciated, and I certainly did not feel spoiled.

 

[tjkubota93]

The car I drove to High School and College and for 10 years after is a 1972 Green Plymouth Valiant with 6-cylinder... the A/C was also broke but is was straight and I found the rubber floor mats to very practical... paid $800 for that car and it served me well for 20 years.

The problem was it embarssed my employer... I was even summoned to the CEO offices and told to sit down...

She said bluntly... I know what I pay you so why in God's name do you drive the ugly car?

After the initial surprise wore off... I said I have had since high school and my cost of ownership is nil...

Note the car did not need any body work... had clean white wall tires... etc.

Then I reminded her all the money I save the hospital because of my frugal ways... she admitted I was right... but left saying I really need to do something about my car...

I told her I would drive one of my other cars to work the next day... which was my mint 62 Corvette...

Well that also got noticed... in passing... she asked if I was driving the White and Red Corvette... thinking all would be good... but it wasn't... one of the Doctor partners commented she was paying me too much if I could afford such a car...

Sometimes you simply can't win for losing... and I still have both cars today...

If your on time and dont smell bad, who cares if you walked or flew a helicopter? Mind your own business.

 

[MossRoad]

Did you say brake lines or steam lines???

The wrecking yards here are filled with cars with good metal... rust is not common... although the 1987 Samurai has a spot on the windshield frame...

The cost of transport would be steep... plus some of these have 454 motors...

I have 4 nieces and 1 nephew... two down and 3 to go...

Yes, the big boat has brake lines, not steam lines... :laughing:

My 93 is a K1500. I'd like to step up to a K2500. The switch from 350 to 454 would be a hit on gas costs. The K1500 with the 350 gets about 13 around town, 18 on the highway, and again, about 13 towing on the highway. I had a '78 GMC with the 454.... it got 8mpg. Yep. 8. Empty, loaded, city, highway.... it got 8. Don't have a clue what an early 90's would get. But I'd like the extra towing capacity for bringing firewood home.

 

[MossRoad]

If your on time and dont smell bad, who cares if you walked or flew a helicopter? Mind your own business.

Yeah, you'd think that. But a lot of upper management is concerned about appearances. If your employees drive junky looking cars, they must not be getting paid enough to afford nice looking cars. If you can't afford to pay them enough to afford nice looking cars, your company must not be doing too well..... that's the mentality. I had a boss like that. Actually, a couple bosses like that. Guess what? I outlasted all of them.

 

[Sigarms]

This is actually a bone of contention with my wife and I.

My "work" car is a 98 model coming up with 400k on it. Sooner or later I may have to get rid of it per my wife, but I think it would make a great "starter" car when the boys get their license (hey, it's one of those $200 cars someone else would buy for a starter car!). We already have 3 vehicles now, but my wife doesn't want to add a new car without getting rid of one (truck is always parked under the shed and she doesn't want to add more under there). Boys still have a couple of years before they get their learners permit. Already have the idea of a newspaper delivery route for summer job for them LOL.

First car for myself was a 2 door 72 olds cutlass salon which was owned by a good buddy of my fathers who he served with, who had passed away and his wife didn't need anymore. 8 track tape and doors that weighed so much that if you were parked going up a hill, they could require some muscle to open.

 

[ultrarunner]

One of my friends drove the same plain Jane 1964 Pickup for as long as I knew him... 6 cylinder, 3 on the tree, no radio... he really liked that truck and courted his wife in that truck... a buddy was going to Vietnam and sold him the truck... also meant more because his friend did not come back.

As the years went on... his wife started nagging him to get rid of it... she always had nice, moderately priced cars... they were not rich but she REALLY wanted him to get rid of that truck... I think she was embarrassed.

One day I was with him in Alameda and I needed to pick up a part from the Chevrolet Dealer... we pulled in and a salesman came out commenting on the Classic Pickup...

Anyway... they started talking... Dealer said it might bring more than you think..

Cutting to the chase... my friend bought a new pickup... nothing fancy but it had a radio, AC, mid-line interior and automatic, power steering and power brakes...

I'm thinking he was really in for it... bought a brand new truck and not a work to the wife...

Later that night... I have a message from his wife... saying I suppose I have you to thank for the new truck in her driveway... call me.

We never spoke except to say and hi and bye...

I call her thinking now what... she wants to invite me over for dinner, couldn't thank me enough and we were best friends for life...

All I did was ask if we could stop to pick up a part that came in...

Had no idea she REALLY come to hate that old truck with no creature comforts...

 

[ultrarunner]

Yeah, you'd think that. But a lot of upper management is concerned about appearances. If your employees drive junky looking cars, they must not be getting paid enough to afford nice looking cars. If you can't afford to pay them enough to afford nice looking cars, your company must not be doing too well..... that's the mentality. I had a boss like that. Actually, a couple bosses like that. Guess what? I outlasted all of them.

Yep... too many are fixated on appearances rather than substance... lucky for me I could spin it to how much money my frugal ways saved the Hospital...

When I got my license and worked for the car Dealer... it was great job... soon I was allowed to drive ANY car home from the Used Car side... I didn't care if it was the $300 junker or the off the front row... as long as it was different each day!

Actually ended up selling a fair number of cars to friends and teachers and even the coach... people would come to me and asked me if this was a good car, or state how much they had to spend...

My retired Navy Commander friend was off at Tailhook... his wife called me and said her car was totaled and the Commander would not be back and asked if there were any cheap good cars for a $1000 out the door... I said maybe we should wait... she said if something was good to call her back..

Called back in 20 minutes saying a 1970 4 door Cutlass had just come in... nice car, low miles and the owner would let it go for $1000 out the door and it was in the shop right now for brake pads..

She had a friend drive her down... and really liked the car... she did not like the Pinto her husband bought for her... remember gas lines were rather recent...

Commander comes home and I am summoned to the house... what's to know what's the big idea???

Never had heard is wife speak up... she said, Father, be nice, I bought the car, I like the car and that is all there is to it... period.

They drove that car for 10 or 12 years... whenever the Navy friends would be in town or family... it was the car everyone wanted...

The kicker is when it came time to sell it... they got $1300 for it... never a single problem and she said it was the best car she ever owned...

 

[kf4uda]

When I turned 16 I bought my first car with my money. I paid a whopping $175 for a 1972 Mercury Capri. My Dad and towed it home and got it running. I paid for the car, gas, insurance and parts. My Dad helped me do any work on it that I needed help with. I am very grateful for the experience and a Dad that taught me so much.

Both of our kids got our old vehicle when we traded up. The next one was on them. We bought tires and such to help them along.

(I sure wish I had that '72 Capri back.)

 

[MossRoad]

My wife's rule is we have to have a vehicle that is presentable enough that we can drive it to funerals and weddings... and then there's my vehicle. :laughing:

 

[ultrarunner]

Makes sense...

Do you need any more pictures of the 93 Suburban before making it yours?

 

[hawkeye08]

Good stories, having 3 girls go through this, i learned that they are not all the same.

Oldest would drive whatever, 92 Suburban, 98 Yukon, 84 Fiero, didn't matter as long as it ran. We ended up later buying her a reliable car (Fiero needed vacuum lines and some TLC) for around $4000 (2004 Impala base model with V6). She drove it all over, loved the car. She got married and her husband did not care for the because he did not like it. After some years of abuse, they sold it when they bought a 2003 Honda minivan.

Middle daughter claimed the 92 Suburban, had 258,000 miles, needed little things on regular basis, AC didn't work (even after some work) and she wanted to take it cross country. I was concerned that a small issue would strand her somewhere so bought her a 94 Silverado extended cab with 117,000 miles. She wouldn't drive it, claimed the canopy made it too hard to see back.. I removed canopy and put bed cover on it and held my ground. She ended up taking it and still has it 80,000 miles later. She even tried to keep it out of the salty winter roads, but it has some rust now (they moved back west in the last year from Maryland). She still gives me a bad time about her 92 Suburban.

Youngest daughter also drove what we had, mostly 98 Yukon. She wanted something more when in college and had seen what we had done for her sisters. She decided she wanted a $8000 car, with us paying half and her paying the other. It took her a few years to pay off the loan for her half. She saved money and had a big down payment when she bought her 2018 Equinox herself.

Each daughter is very different, but they are all know how to work for what they want.

 

[MossRoad]

Makes sense...

Do you need any more pictures of the 93 Suburban before making it yours?

No, no. I'm not allowed to start any more projects until I get my other 50 or so unfinished items done. I'm just wondering on the procedure to get a rust-free vehicle out of CA. Maybe I can sell the idea to my wife to take a vacation to the Pacific Northwest, a nice drive down the coast, then picking up an untested vehicle in a state 2400 miles away and nursing it home without incident............. (hears crickets from wife).

Thanks for looking. Now I know they're out there. :thumbsup:

 

[ultrarunner]

I did it once and nice trip... bought a stock, factory original 1968 Z28 Camaro in Virginia and drove it back to California... only thing is it was summer and no A/C

Since then I have used transport... cheapest with $800 from TX... most expensive was $1800 from New Jersey...

 

[BrokeFarmerJohn]

I got my first vehicle back in 2007, my dad gave me an 99 F150, supercab, 6.5ft bed, 4.2 with 175k miles. I had two older sisters and they got similar valued vehicles.

I was given gas money for maybe 2 months when I was told to get a job, I was barely given enough gas money to drive to school and back.

My first job was in 2007 as a host in Olive Garden making $7.75 an hour, I made more than a manager at Wendy’s at the time lol. Also gas was $4+ a gallon driving a 15-18mpg truck. I had to work a minimum of 27 hours a week to brake even on gas and food, after that was a little extra spending money. I was going to HS and working 25-45 hours a week, I picked up shifts when I could and was still broke, I didn’t spend my money on stupid stuff, usually fixing the truck, gas, fixing my quad (paid half for at 14) etc.

People who get mad about other people giving their kid a vehicle saying it is teaching them to be entitled really boils my blood, those people need to go back to school, work close to a full time job with no benefits that pays very little and see how long it takes them to save up for a decent ride.

It would have taken me 516 labor hours not including the taxes they take out, prob closer to 670 labor hours just to buy the truck, but then you have to find rides, pay them gas unless your parents will run you to work for free every time. If I was 16 I would have just taken the bus and had a buddy run me around rather than going threw all that just for a truck. Once I had one though I worked hard to keep it, I used it for other income like hauling things for people, splitting and selling firewood etc. ok rant over.

 

[MossRoad]

I did it once and nice trip... bought a stock, factory original 1968 Z28 Camaro in Virginia and drove it back to California... only thing is it was summer and no A/C

Since then I have used transport... cheapest with $800 from TX... most expensive was $1800 from New Jersey...

Once you figure gas, hotels, etc... it's not that bad.

 

[drssg]

My sister’s first car was a white Pontiac station wagon that we inherited from my grandfather. My grandfather was rather eccentric in some ways. He preferred to buy cars new, and he would leave the new car window sticker in place - forever.

When we inherited the car, we left the window sticker in place, out of respect for his memory. When that car was near the end of its life, it was a bucket of rust, and the white color made it particularly obvious.

It still had the sticker in the back window saying, “If you think this new Pontiac LOOKS great, just wait until you DRIVE it!”

 

[MossRoad]

NICE! :laughing:

 

[2LaneCruzer]

For the record: My first car was a 1930 Chevrolet coupe; three on the floor. Paid $50.00 for it in 1953...I picked up a lot of potatoes, plowed a lot of ground and bucked a lot of bales for that. I was 15 years old; and I believe minimum wages for a man was about 85 cents per hour. The farmers paid us .75 cents most of the time.

 

[ultrarunner]

1929 Model A in 1973 paid $1000 for it... mowed a lot of lawns, painted fences, pull weeds and two summers working a real job... $50 a week.

 

[mark02tj]

'67 Buick LeSabre bought in 1978 for $495. What a piece of crap that thing was!!!

Took over driving the family 1970 VW Camper after that. Learned a LOT about maintenance with that thing, but LOVED driving it! LOTS of good memories in that old van!


Kind of funny - I was driving those vehicles when they were 10-12 years old and they were at the end of their lives at that point. Now I have an '08 truck and an '02 Jeep Wrangler (10 yrs and 16 yrs old) with plenty of life left in them!! So much for "they don't build 'em like they used to!" :laughing: