That ONE car.

[Gary 351C]

Whether it's a car you currently own or one from your past. It just seemed to have a soul, a heart of gold like an old friend. Today I blew the 6 months of dirt and crud of the blue Montego so I could take it down to the quicky-wash and give it a much needed bath. After cranking for a few minutes to get some fuel into the carb it fired right up and idled. I've owned this car for 21 years and the only time it's ever failed was when the timing chain skipped at 155,000 miles, it just won't die. I'm afraid if I ever sold it the new owner would have fun with it until they got bored with it and then it would be off to Pick-your-part.

So, which car was more than just a set of wheels to you?

[pdub]

The first one. 1965 Ford Econoline hippie panel van. I was 16 years old. Red's more than just a set of wheels, but as far as emotional experience, back when emotions were so vivid....not so much the ride itself, but the memories that went with it. And I'll bet it wasn't actually as good as I remember, there's no way it could be.

[corvettedad]

My 68 Nova, got when I was 16 a hand me down from my brother. Still have it 41 years later! Yeah it's kinda special.

[tardis454]

77 Nova 9c1 2dr. I got it for $911 cash with 58k on the clock. It was a South Carolina detectives car in red with no options, dog dish hub caps, plaid bench seats, no radio, lighter, not even an ashtray. It had all the goodies underneath though. It was a 305 car, big brakes, sway bars, 3:08 limited slip, ran like a stabbed rat. Used to do J turn burnouts with it. I smoked many F-body and Fox body cars with it.
I was a moron and traded it for a pile of shit 84 Celica GTS stupid kid...

I miss that car... My Nova looked exactly like this one.. I put 76 Camaro wheels on it, mine had center caps though.



I'd hold that car in first gear until the valves started to float, then hit second.. It'd chirp the tires even with a lowly 305. This local kid had an 89 5.0 Mustang GT 5spd. He'd always bug me to race him, pulled in my driveway one day, asked to race. A week later I made him look like a fool with my $911 Nova. He paid about 10k for the Mustang used...

[Barry Donovan]

I wonder if that nova 9c1 was the first H.O. 305..
I called those engines prophetic in the 90s. Me and some friends over our first beers.

the 5.3 took over, and all the iron 4.8s are damn near worshiped.
go figure.

Always a mechanic, of course you have heard that before..
but my work was declared abuse and I reeled in time like an open book to get over it.

my favorite was a G-body.. 305.
monte carlo SS.

my first longer trip, all by myself. I was already in my twenties, busting as all the time. road tripping was not an option.
Thinking it was getting old already.. until I got to the south.
it was still young there in 1996.
a/c, cruise.. still shined.

The truck is now my favorite.. hardly into soul of a vehicle stuff, it is all math.
I took in the last 305, and treat it very good. The only thing I was missing was a manual trans..which is funny.
waited til I found one.
the auto is still a number 1 complaint...everywhere.
another prophetic thought that happened.

When I see the prejudice is gone in very rare conversation.. those are young mechanics that are going to make it beyond the normal one.
long story short..
anything I declared a favorite became a standard.

rather boring of me.
I did the same in my air force tour as well..
and I giggle everytime I read the changes unfolding, 20 something years later and counting.
right on cue it seems.

[Loren]

'70 El Camino. Built from what I suppose was a hodgepodge of parts, all legit though, and put sooo many miles on it, most Western states, main transpo from '87 to '08 or thereabouts. Wired it complete, fifteen years later I wired it again. Three paintjobs. With the bed and a car-hauler trailer loaded with crap from moving, scaled over 12,000 lbs at the dump once. 14 mpg, gas was cheap through most of that. Last big trip was from San Diego to Redding for Kool April Nights, 70-85 mph for 625 miles, sweet. Still sits, w/ motor out and sorta bent frame from a guy backing into it but I have a replacement.

[Monster]

I believe this is going to be most people's first car when they were a teenager. Same with me, my 1967 Dodge Coronet 500 2-door hardtop.

[Loren]

My first car was pretty-much a disaster, or you could call it a learning experience. Mom forbid I park it on the premises, Dad worked that out after I told them I'd be sticking it down the street in front of neighbor's yards, but then but no one but me was going to pay insurance and that killed it as a driver when I was making $two-fifty/hr part-time and had cleaned out all my savings at purchase. Project only, then. Painted it, hauled the heads to high school on the city bus, still lost $50 at sale a year later after I'd put under 100 miles on it, age sixteen. I'd love to have that '67 327/275hp Nova back now but the whole deal sucked at the time including that it was the worst driving car I've ever owned, other than it had some great power. Meanwhile my year-younger good buddy's dad bought him a very nice....

...67 Dodge Coronet -440?-, blue w/ white vinyl top and buckets, 383/auto...

...paid for it plus all his expenses...

He made no improvements but rather bent the frame up good, smacking a curb hard w/ me flying across the interior and into the driver side glass one afternoon driving like an idiot...

Anyhow, no, on the first car. Second one wrecked at about 1,500 miles, after painting it and rebuilding the motor. Third car, maybe I'd like to have that one back but not really, came too close to killing myself in it (more than once). By the time of my fourth car ('74 Vega GT, orange/black and I V8'd it halfway through) things were going better.

The mentioned El Camino was probably about #10.

[DanStokes]

My first car was a '53 Studebaker - the hardtop. Powder blue w/white interior. My first engine rebuild outside of lawnmowers, etc. I never got to drive it as Dad was the only insurance man in town and he wouldn't write the policy as he thought having a car would be my ruination. That car was NOT my ruination but subsequent cars - well, he had a point!

Dan

[V12guy]

This old Pontiac. I've owned 8 GTO's ( two 67's,two 69's a 71,72, and two 1973's) I bought this car in 1983 and still have it. Of all of the GTO's, this is the nicest riding, most reliable of the bunch. It is NOT the most valuable though (sigh). I bought it when I was in the service, and drove it from California to MS, and Md many many times at 55MPH
It is a 400, 4 speed car, all numbers matching

[DanStokes]

This old Pontiac. I've owned 8 GTO's ( two 67's,two 69's a 71,72, and two 1973's) I bought this car in 1983 and still have it. Of all of the GTO's, this is the nicest riding, most reliable of the bunch. It is NOT the most valuable though (sigh). I bought it when I was in the service, and drove it from California to MS, and Md many many times at 55MPH
It is a 400, 4 speed car, all numbers matching

Isn't that missing a few cylinders for you? Maybe the 400 plus an Iron Duke?

Dan

[JOES66FURY]

My 99 Ram. I had always wanted a lifted truck since I was but a pup. When the 94's came out I lusted after a regular at the service station truck. It was so different than anything on the road at the time. In 99 after I made Staff Sgt I got me a new one. I lifted it, tires, exhaust and drove the wheels off it...both literally and figuratively. It broke my heart to trade it and I still miss it to this day. I am certain I saw it last weekend driving on the south side of town and felt quite sad. LOTs of memories in that truck, my kids grew up in it, it was a dream realized....I'd kick a puppy for another one....

[BangShift McT]

This car was a legend before I had it, became even more legendary when I got it, then proceeded to kick my ass up one side and down the other for several years. To this day, it's still asked about.

[V12guy]

Isn't that missing a few cylinders for you? Maybe the 400 plus an Iron Duke?

Dan

Can't a guy just have a boring old (V8) car around here?

[DanStokes]

Can't a guy just have a boring old (V8) car around here?

I seem to be going in the direction of an odd number of cylinders, like, say, 5. And Truck has half a V12 Diesel.

Dan