Maturity, Rotaries, and Fiery Death - My Search for My First Car.

"G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3" (gbodyman)
03/30/2015 at 15:13 • Filed to: Oldsmoboat Gutbus Extreme, Oldsmobile, Cutlass, Pontiac, Fiero, MG, Mazda, RX-7, RX7, First Cars

I'm your typical 15-year old car guy. I'm about average height, about average build, and have decent taste in automobiles. For my first car, I had a budget of $2000, and I was ready to buy something cool. Something like a sports car.

My first sports-car experience was my neighbour's Fiero when I was 3. It was just a base-model Iron Duke in red, but my gosh was it special. In a small town, there were a lot of mundane cars. Hondas, GMCs, Nissans and Buicks all were common sights around the small town of Cobourg, Ontario. A rakish, mid-engined, fire-engine-red sportscar was not a common sight. Around 5, I experienced an MGB. Now that was a neat machine. It wasn't fast, but it had character in spades.

Fast forward 7 years. I'm now living in Guelph, and I just ran into my principal in the hall. He said he was selling his RX-7. It was rusty, but it was a very rare 1985 Targa model. Then reason got involved. I didn't have the cash or the space for the car, but I vowed to own a rotary within my lifetime.

A year or so later, I got to sit in one of these - A 1979 Lincoln Mark V. Up until then, I never understood why people liked land-yachts. As soon as I sat in the car, I got it. The vast expanses of velour, the swoosh of faux-wood. Cartier clocks! 8-track players! I was in heaven. I coveted that car, but again, I didn't have the money or the vast space for what I still consider to be the greatest land-yacht ever made.

Then, in 2015, I caught my lucky break - My grandma had bought a new house in Stoney Creek, and she said I could use her garage to store a car. I immediately knew what my first pick was - an FB RX-7. I dove into the classifieds, and my heart sank. Cars that were once $1000 were now over and above my price range. Knowing that I couldn't re-build a rotary engine myself, I parked that idea, and used DailyTurismo's !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! Chart to assess my options. The E36 was out, because parts cost too much for me. The MGB was out, because of rust. Suddenly, I had a new option on my hands. My old favourite - the Fiero.

Cars were still reasonably priced, and with my luck, I could afford a manual GT! Power windows and door locks! A fuel-injected 2.8 litre V6! A dent-resistant body! Things were looking up for the mid-engined Pontiac, until it all came crashing down. I struck up conversation with one of my neighbours, who was a GM tech in the 80s. I learned that if it was a part on a Fiero, it could go wrong. Cooling issues, fit-and-finish deficiencies, and electrical gremlins were rampant. It was clear that a Fiero GT would have been a money pit. My hopes were dashed, until I went to the junkyard with my friend.

At our local junkyard was a Monte Carlo LS. It was clear that it had sat there for a while, and was in bad shape. However, it struck my interest. I realized I could have a smaller watercraft than the Lincoln at half the price. I hopped on Kijiji, and found a couple of G-bodies for cheap. The most intriguing of these cars was a 1984 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham Sedan, owned by an older gentleman. A quick look at a picture of the red velour interior, and I knew I wanted it. The asking price? $1000.

Before I showed my parents the car, I tried to strike up a deal. They said they would pay $1000, and loan me any more money that I needed. The goal was set. A few days later, my dad withdrew $1000 from the bank, and we headed out to look at the car. What I saw was a mechanically perfect car with a bit of rust. It had had several things replaced recently (heater hoses, full exhaust, rear brakes, etc), as well as having the oil changed every 3 months or 3000 km. It was perfect.

I bought it for the full $1000, and it now awaits a new frame rail, and some extensive rust repair. And you know what? It made me reflect on my own maturity. I first wanted to own a fun, immature sports car. Something that 20-somethings really like. I ended up buying a car that was reliable, practical, and spacious. A car that says "I am secure with who I am." An Oldsmobile. It may need work, but it's the best car I could have bought for $1000.

DISCUSSION (29)

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
03/30/2015 at 15:25

This is the best car you could have bought. Such a sweet car.

Thunderface > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
03/30/2015 at 15:27

I'm in a similar situation looking for my first car, and I was wondering if gas prices are a big issue.

I want a p71, but fuel consumption is the one thing keeping me from it. Shout I look at civics instead?

jkm7680 > Thunderface
03/30/2015 at 15:29

PLEASE DON'T BUY A CIVIC!

Find a FlexFuel P71 or a CNG one.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
03/30/2015 at 15:30

I've been going backwards. I started with a sensible hatchback, old Accords, a wagon, and now own two ridiculous and immature sports cars. I like my stupid decisions better.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Thunderface
03/30/2015 at 15:30

The amount you save in gas on a Civic will be offset completely by the amount you pay for insurance. Go for the P71. My friend has a straight-piped example, and it's fantastic. It pulls like a Boeing 747, stops on a dime, and has no body roll, due to the police suspension. It's one of the best first cars one can have.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/30/2015 at 15:32

Thanks, man! It should be ready this summer. If you're based around Toronto, we can set up a time for you to take her for a spin!

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
03/30/2015 at 15:32

Sometimes that happens. I find it best to look at your garage and ask if you're happy. If you are, you've made the right decisions.

Steve > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
03/30/2015 at 15:34

I had a mechanic once tell me: "if it starts and has 4 wheels, it's worth $1000." If that rings true (which I think it certainly does) you just got a steal sir. Give it a good wash, polish and wax (you're young, you have time to pull the interior apart and spend two days cleaning it) that thing will look showroom new on the curb in no time.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Thunderface
03/30/2015 at 15:35

Early 2000s Panthers actually get pretty good gas mileage for what they are. My grandma has a 2002(?) Grand Marquis and she gets mid 20s in the city. I didn't believe her until i drove it for a few days.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Steve
03/30/2015 at 15:36

Thank you! I'm currently in the process of patching a fender and a quarter panel. After that, I'm going to bondo, prime, and paint the areas, then give it a nice polish with some Ultimate Compound and my buffer, and apply some Eagle 1 Wax-As -U-Dry.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
03/30/2015 at 15:39

I'd trade you for seat time in the Newport! Keep me posted.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/30/2015 at 15:42

Did you end up picking up that Alfa that you were going to look at?

Steve > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
03/30/2015 at 15:46

Sounds like you have a good plan already. A tip I picked up patching rust holes from an older gentleman who worked in a body shop for a decades, If you have to put sheet fiberglass on to cover a hole, before you patch it, put grease in the affected area on the inside (some really sticky stuff) it's hydrophobic so that area won't rust as quickly (I did it on one side and not the other, and it has seemed to work) then put one sheet on the inside and one sheet on the outside with the fiber to give it extra rigidity. It's working pretty well for me.

Also, if you have the money and time, consider this (I've thought about posting it as a thread, but I'm sure someone else has):

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
03/30/2015 at 15:47

You mean the Fiat? I had a look and the car was great but he wanted too much money. The hunt continues!

Thunderface > jkm7680
03/30/2015 at 15:58

WHY

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
03/30/2015 at 16:02

And so the search continues...

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > Steve
03/30/2015 at 16:06

Thanks for the tip!

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
03/30/2015 at 16:09

Your current car can get you into a whole different sort of trouble. Throw on some mag wheels and loud exhaust and chicks (high school chicks anyways) will think it's a muscle car. And cars with back seats like that are rolling hotel rooms. I'm amazed my old riviera didn't add a kid onto my hardships with it. But man that backseat was niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles
03/30/2015 at 16:12

haha. I don't have the money to pick up chicks. However, I do have some Super Stock IIIs I'm planning on throwing on the car.

CaptDale - is secretly British > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
03/30/2015 at 16:47

I bought a Fiero as my second car, still love it!!

jkm7680 > Thunderface
03/30/2015 at 22:00

1. Nobody steals CVPIs.

2. You wouldn't look like a riceboy. JK.

3. Civics are slow. Very slow. Veeeeery slow.

4. Believe it or not, the slow Civic has more expensive insurance than the CVPI.

5. Civics don't have 4.6 liter V8s.

6. People don't respect you on the road in a dinky little Civic.

7. You can't beat the trunk size of a Panther.

Seriously, look into Flex Fuel and CNG CVPIS.

gergey - Wishes vette was Datsun > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
03/31/2015 at 00:09

You did good.

I bought a bright red Celica when I was 16, and on the fourth day I owned it, went sideways through a fence at 140km/h

Thunderface > jkm7680
03/31/2015 at 10:04

Is flex fuel/CNG more economical or?...

jkm7680 > Thunderface
03/31/2015 at 10:07

Here's CNG: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/FEG/noframes/1…

Here's Flex Fuel: http://www.onlydrivegreen.com/greenvehicle.c…

All in all, that aspect is still not that much better but you would be saving money. Keep an eye out for CNG cars coming from the United States, specifically California and the Flex Fuel cars from all over the place.

Thunderface > jkm7680
03/31/2015 at 10:32

So natural gas and flex fuel are significantly cheaper than gasoline?

jkm7680 > Thunderface
03/31/2015 at 10:35

No damn clue, but it sounds like they'd pan out in the long run.

Either way, get a P71. You can't go wrong with the money.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > gergey - Wishes vette was Datsun
03/31/2015 at 10:37

Were you okay afterwards?

gergey - Wishes vette was Datsun > G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3
03/31/2015 at 23:12

It punched 2x6"s fence boards in one side of my car and out the other about a foot in front of my face, and I walked away away without a scratch.

Cops said the car was totalled, got it towed home and replaced both sets of tail lights, a popup headlight, both side windows, the windshield, and some miscellaneous trim bits, and then spent the next couple months becoming very proficient with dent pullers and body filler... both rear quarter panels were crumpled in, the trunk lid was buckled, and one of the front quarter panels was smashed really bad.

G_Body_Man: Sponsored by the number 3 > gergey - Wishes vette was Datsun
04/01/2015 at 11:43

Ouch. Glad you weren't hurt.