These Are The Cars Of My Childhood. What Were Yours?!!!

"M.T. Blake" (autohabit) 01/29/2020 at 10:50 • Filed to: childhood cars, memories, kid cars, ford, gmc, mercury, subaru, ranger, suburban, comet, loyale, mystique

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These aren’t cool, but this is almost cool being a coupe.

Did the cars of your childhood influence the automotive enthusiast you’ve become? Mine were so terrible that it probably influenced me to strive for things more unique and exciting.

71-77 Mercury Comet sedan

The first car I remember was red like the above example, but it was actually a sedan. It was a second generation Mercury Comet. Some of my first memories were inside one of these. I had difficulty remembering what it looked like, other than red, sedan, and kinda funky. I thought for years it was an AMC Eagle, but my uncle who’d given it to my mother enlightened me about its true identity.

I remember riding on the front seat, unable to see anything other than sky. The transmission eventually lost the reverse gear and I’d ‘help’ push it out of parking stalls. Parking afterwards became tricky. Nothing pulling through stalls couldn’t solve.

Look at how happy those people are? Ours was parked in section 8 housing with many delinquents around.

1980-something Subaru Loyale wagon

This was the first car I think my mother actually liked. I remember ours being AWD and that being a BIG deal as we lived in an area that actually got snow. Snow it did one year, at the ripe age of five years old, we got around three feet - q uite out of the norm.

I always thought this was a strange little car. It felt cheap, and the fact the spare tire was under the hood seemed like an afterthought. I mean how many cars have the spare under the hood?! This remained in service until our family started making a little more money to get out of subsidized housing.

The pictured Loyale was what we had, and this example sold for a paltry $1,900.

1992 Ford Ranger - 4.0L, 4wd, manual transmission

Once my step-dad came into the picture he bought this - a Ranger. I spent many, many hours inside this truck into my teens and even 20s. It was the primary road trip vehicle. Anyone who has ever sat in the back of one of these for more than an hour has had a crick in the neck ever since.

The rear seats are ‘jump seats’ that pull out from the side. As a kid it was fun to look right at your buddy in the seat in front of you. Nowadays, it’s amazing this was ever legally fitted to any vehicle. It seems like a death trap.

The pictured truck was eventually hauled off to a scrap yard after nearly 300,000 miles, around 100 cords of wood hauled, and around 15 years running around the Truckee/Donner Summit area. Amazingly it had very little rust for all the snow filled work days it saw. People might talk a little smack about Ford, but my experience was nothing short of positive. I can still hear the power steering whine from one of these a mile away...

Somewhere you’re using a shovel made from the steel this donated to the recycling business.

1996 Mercury Mystique

What a pile of garbage. This thing didn’t do much well. It may have gotten decent fuel milage, but it was tiny inside when compared to its exterior size. The rear seats weren’t much of an improvement over the Ranger - at least the Ranger had quirks to its poor seating position!

The Chic-Mystique as it ended up being called was even my high school ride, temporarily. It ended up having one perk - front wheel drive. There is a delinquent activity known as ‘tray driving’ where plastic food trays can be placed beneath the rear wheels with the e-brake pulled. With the rear tires on make-shift-tray-skids, it provides minutes of rear end sliding fun. A mere minutes before the tray is ground through and a tire slides off...

Ours was white, and terrible. Overdrive eventually went out. This one is for sale for $3250!

1991 GMC Suburban - 350ci, 4wd

The Ranger was eventually side lined to a secondary vehicle for I-80 pass duties. The Suburban took its spot and lasted around 10 years. The paint started to chip off, it rusted far faster, the brakes were the size of milk bottle caps, and the drivetrain was anemic and fragile. Granted this thing was driven HARD, it didn’t last much like the Ranger had.

We all have our experiences with the Chevy/Ford/Dodge argument. I can say that the Ford was a better vehicle of the late 80s-early 90s era in my humble opinion and this GMC is exactly why I believe it.

The trailer proved to be a hearse for the GMC as it went to the scrap yard. Is it bad two of my childhood cars went to the scrapyard on my watch?!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

Now you might be wondering what was my favorite? The Ranger by far. I almost saved it from the scrap heap. However, it was left outside with the windows cracked - leading to too much mold inside to tackle. The same exact truck in good condition is worth around $4,000 on a good d ay. Far cheaper to find another one then restore my childhood, crashed, moldy version.

What were your childhood cars?! Hopefully they were better than mine...

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:09

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My mom had a big dodge van like 80s full size van, not a caravan. Followed by a maroon 91 Buick century wagon, green 94 Mercury Sable Wagon, and then a 99 Taurus Sedan. Then my Mom got a kinda cool car, a 2003 Focus ZTW with a manual trans. It had the 2.3 Zetec. That was supposed to become my first car, sadly it was replaced by a 2005 Escape with the 4 banger. because my dad didnt like that my mom didn’t have AWD despite her driving FWD vehicles for the last 15 years. I HATED that Escape. It was the first car I actually drove on the road outside of drivers Ed. It was painfully slow, and handled like a tractor. Thankfully it wasn’t passed down to me, and I bought a 92 Camry instead.

My dad mostly had trucks, several square body Rangers, an 83 Ram plow trucks, a 98 Ram 2500 V10(what a POS) and finally a 97 Tacoma. He also had a Mercury Topaz for a while, which event became my older sister’s first Car. I think he also had a Wrangler for like a week when I was 11 or so, I was super excited about it, and then it was just gone.

My parents never had a foreign car, until the Tacoma, which my dad bought when I was 17, and then when I was 21 my mom bought a 3rd gen Prius followed by a Hyundia Sonata 2.0t which she still refers to has her hotrod, that Turbo power leaves an impression lol.

All those boring American cars, along with enfluence from Gran Truismo, NFS Underground, Fast and Furious all created the image in my mind that All American cars were for old people. And although I no longer hold that false belief I I still have yet to own anything domestic.

Also long before my time my mom had a Purple Maverick she remembers it fondly. And my dad had a 78 Volvo 242 in bright green that was THE reason my parents got together. So if it wasn’t for that green Volvo I wouldn’t be here. 

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:13

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From my ages 0-12 my mom had:

‘96 Isuzu Trooper:

‘97 Audi A6 Quattro Avant

And finally an ‘04 A6 Quattro Avant (hers was bright red, like the ‘97)

Meanwhile, my dad had:

‘94 Audi 100 Quattro

‘97 Volvo S70

‘00 Lexus GS300

And then, just barely inside the aforementioned range, a 2009 Ford Flex

All are color-correct Google photos, with the exception of the ‘04 A6 which was actually red. So yeah, my taste in cars was influenced quite a bit by my parents. From a kid’s perspective, the ‘97 A6 and the Flex were the coolest: the A6 had a rear facing 3rd row, which tiny me and my tiny friends LOVED, and the Flex, with its cavernous 2nd and 3rd rows, captain’s chairs all around, 3 rows of sunroof, and color-changing interior lights felt like being in your own limo.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:15

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Nothing > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:16

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Childhood cars. The one I remember most is the 1965 Mustang convertible. I remember driving with my dad when I was a youngster, riding in the front seat rounding a corner and the door popped open.

After a slew of Mustangs and Country Squire wagons, we had a ‘76 Tbird, and a Maverick. From those, an ‘85 Grand Marquis, then a 2 door Crown Vic. We had a 72 C10, 307, 3 on the tree as a dump run, home improvement vehicle.

I still want a 60s Mustang, and my dad moving in and out of cars had tended to be my MO too. I still search for 67-72 C10s, too. Lately though, I’ve just been looking for an  inexpensive pickup to have around for those home improvement runs inside of scratching up the inside of the 4Runner.

E90M3 > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:18

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The first car I was ever conscious of was a red Mazda MPV which my parents bought new in 1991; being 1 I don’t remember the purchase. This was what my mom drove until 2001.

My dad had a Subaru when I was born, but I don’t remember what it was. All I know was that it was brown. In 1996, he bought a Subaru Legacy 2.5 GT in blue. Much like this one:

In 1997 we moved from Georgia to Arizona, and being a 1996 it had airbags. At the age of 6, I wasn’t allowed to rid in the front. That changed during the cross country trip where I was allowed to ride in the front, it’s also where I discovered I liked classic rock. This car had a CD player, and my dad had a plethora of classic rock CDs.

In 2001, the MPV was replaced with an Oldsmobile Silhouette, which my parents, once again, purchased new

I though it was so cool at the time with dual electric sliding doors. It would be around enough for it to be the primary car I learned how to drive in 2005/2006.

In 2004, the Subaru died with 190k on the clock; it suffered a catastrophic power failure and it wasn’t worth the money to replace. It was replaced with a 2002 Buick Regal bought used from Carmax.

This is right when I was getting into cars, and, more specifically, BMWs. I remember buying this car as I was old enough. Carmax has an estoril blue e36 M3 convertible in the show room I got to sit in. I took my drivers test in this car and it started my loathing of GM products. I talked a little about this car in an unnecessary car shopping post.

There are some other cars in here, like a 1993 Thunderbird we had for a very brief time, but other than that, it really covers me being an infant to me driving. That takes me to my first car, a 1997 Explorer:

jimz > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:18

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in the order I remember them. these aren’t the actual photos; those are at my folks’ house in a box so these are the closest I could find online.  I tried to stay as close to color and body style as I could.

‘73 Cougar XR7. (dad) Sadly, this was like most ‘70s Fords made with recycled steel and minimal rustproofing, was full of holes by 1977 and a basket case a couple of years later:

I think mom only had this ‘75 Coronet for about a year:

This ‘71 LTD was a hand-me-down from grandpa to dad, also only for about a year.

Mom had this from about 1980 until it got too rusty to be safe:

Dad bought this new in 1980 when you could get a Horizon nicely equipped:

This ‘84 Lebaron replaced the Duster in 1987 or ‘88:

This ‘91 Spirit replaced the Horizon. This is the car I learned to drive with (and learned to drive a manual trans:)

after that I was no longer a kid and had my own car.

Tripper > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:18

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When I was born (84), my dad was rolling a Datsun 280Z, and my mom a Z28 C amaro.

Next my dad had a turbo brick Volvo and an 84 corvette , and my mom a Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The last cool car before the “SUV” years was my dads E32 7 series. I remember being impressed with how nice it was inside and how smooth it felt to ride in. Other than that, I didn’t think a whole lot of it at the time. I liked small fast cars, and this was not that. However this led to my dad educating me on BMW’s of yesteryear, touting his first drive in a 2002 etc...

Other than that, I was a big time “Herbie” fan as a really little guy so the original bug has a special place in my heart.

sony1492 > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:19

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It was a 1980s toyota Corolla wagon, the hood had a massive painting on it of an alien in a vw bug spacecraft making a peace sign. At that time we were living on my grandmother’s rural property, she also had a 1980s corolla.

I remember always wanting to ride in the way back as we rode miles out dirt roads to the community volleyball gatherings.

Later my father owned an isuzu Pup that’s frame was cracking in half, he got it running after it lay in a field for god knows how long.

And lastly his Isuzu trooper, it was the nicest car I’d ever been in but its impact was less then ideal. My first car accident, long story short, we rolled down an embankment and crawled out through the window. This was around 8-9 but I still have a serious fear of steep angles and rollovers, on the other hand it probably planted a seed for the love of driving.(the desire to be the one controlling the vehicle)

Hamtractor > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:23

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1974 Ford Country Squire - Rode in the far back, rear facing seat, seatbelts are for pussies. This is for sure where my love for wa gons came from. Clark Griswold would have approved.

1977 Ford Pinto - Red, black interior, manual. My dad was a volunteer fireman, so he had the little red Kojack gumdrop light that plugged into the cigarette lighter and got thrown on the roof when he ran out on calls, and a little siren under the hood. That car always smelled like fires because he kept his bunker gear in the back. I can still smell that smell today when I think about it. Fast forward to 1998, and I became a fireman, and my truck always smelled just like that old Pinto.

1977 Chinook Camper/Toyota - did a lot of camping and road trips, it was awesome.

1985 Nissan Kingcab 2wd - same as the Ranger, with the jump seats. My brother and I thought it was so cool, until my dad put a topper on the back, carpeted and decked out, we rode back there after that. Got totaled by a monster hailstorm in 1987, but I have some fond memories in that truck, including delivering papers on my paper route outta the back

1988 Isuzu Trooper - by far the most exciting vehicle of my childhood. it was our first 4wd! I was 14 when we got it, and living in Denver we finally had a snow vehicle. We also started overlanding about thirty years before overlanding was a thing, lol. Learned to drive a manual in this truck, learned basic off-road techniques in it, I was super bummed when we got rid of it.

Af ter that, it was Chevy Z71 trucks, a 1993, 1998, then my old man went to Dodge diesels for pulling their ever increasing sized campers.

Mom, on the other hand, had mom cars my whole life, still does. 1982 Chevy Citation, 1988 Buick Century, 1992 Buick Century, 1997 Buick Le Sabre, 2004 Buick Park Avenue, 2010 Buick Park Avenue (which she just sold out from under me for $3500 with only 67,000 miles on it) and is now driving a 2019 CRV.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:24

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promoted by the color red > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:26

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My family had the opposite experience with a Subaru Loyale. It was a cheap junker that my dad bought for pennies for my mom who just got her license after immigrating to the US. To nobody’s surprise the car broke down anywhere and everywhere before we put it out of its misery. It was a giant pain in the age before widespread cellphones and even more so as a stranger in a strange land with a baby.

After that was a Mercedes 190E 2.3 that lived a long and fruitful life before being sold & relocated to Guatemala, an Acura Integra LS 3-door that was t-boned by an F150, a Toyota Sienna that is 20% dog hair, and a 2009 Camry that’s shown up a few times here.

My dad had a much more eclectic collection: an ‘80s B12 box Sentra that’s probably crawling around California somewhere, a big ‘80s Bronco that proved too big for the little city, and a 1985 Toyota 4x4 that’s still there since the day it rolled off the dealer lot because the Ford dealer up the road pulled a bait-and-switch on my dad. That truck is why I take obsessive care of everything I own in the hopes that I’ll still have it 30-odd years later and why I embraced RADWood with open arms.

My cousin’s Grand National deserves a shout out. It remains the most evil car I have seen since that day I saw it in the mid ‘90s. That car oozed brute force from every single one of its ‘80s GM body panel gaps.

Boxer_4 > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:29

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We were always a two car household when I was growing up.

1986? Plymouth Reliant K coupe, blue - no recollection of this one. Came home in it. Sold, replaced by 1994 Taurus wagon in 1994.

1990 Geo Prizm, Chestnut Brown with grey interior - great car, trouble free. Traded in 2001 at ~113,000 miles on a 2001.5 Passat wagon.

1994 Ford Taurus wagon, Silver with red interior - served us well, no major issues. Totaled in 1998 by a Buick running a stop sign. Replaced by 1999 Camry.

1999 Toyota Camry LE, Cashmere Beige with Oak cloth interior - like the Geo, a great car. The car I learned to drive in. Sold at 130,000 miles in 2012 to son of a family acquaintance. Drove to 250,000 miles, then scrapped due to condition of body and interior.

2001.5 VW Passat wagon, Indigo Blue pearl with grey interior - fun car with the 1.8T. Traded in at 99,000 miles with beginnings of transmission failure in 2009 on a 2009 Forester.

2009 Subaru Forester 2.5X Limited, Sage green with Platinum interior - awesome car and first Subaru of many. Became my first car. Was replaced by 2015 Forester when I took ownership. 2009 sold  to family acquaintance with bad head gasket in 2019. Acquaintance repaired and is now driving it. Replaced by 2019 Crosstrek by me.

phenotyp > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:30

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These were the cars and trucks of my childhood. There was also a baby-blue Beetle in there. But these were the big ones. (none of these pics is mine, but they’re all pretty close to what I knew, down to colors).

How did it influence me? I dunno. Learning to drive on giant trucks, often with trailers. The revelation of early-80s Honda. Then I went on to buy/drive/own all the weirdos out there. Rotaries, mid-engines, and now electrics.

functionoverfashion > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:31

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Oh man, we had a variety of heaps. Some good some bad, one my parents still have, and I’m 38.

I don’t remember the exact order, but close enough:

2 or 3 different Dodge Dart wagons, manual 4 speeds I think

early 80's VW Rabbit . Manual, probably 4 speed

early 80's VW Dasher 4 speed manual. I’ve never seen another one of these.

1979 Ford F100, 2wd, 4 speed manual (converted) - they still have this one

1986 Plymouth Voyager (brown, manual)

1990, 1993 chrysler minivans, one manual one automatic, otherwise almost identical. Really confusing to drive back-to-back at age 17.

1985 Honda Accord, 5 speed manual ooooohhh . This was my mother’s car, then my sister’s first car, then mine. 

1990 Honda Civic, 5 speed manual. I actually took this one to college with me

1996 Honda Civic - was my grandmother’s then became ours, then my sister’s, then back to my parents in about 2006. Reliable as a stone, boring too. One of the few automatics in the family, thus, no one liked it.

1985 Ford F150 reg. cab short bed, I6-300 engine, 4 speed manual, with a plow,. I drove this one until the frame literally broke, then I drove it some more (plowing only)

1998 Subaru Outback, 5spd. manual

2000 Subaru Outback, 5spd. manual - The ONLY one we bought new! Then I was off to college.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:34

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We had a Benz W115 and a squarebody burb in addition to the Rovers, so naturally I found myself falling in love with mid-90s Grand Prix styling instead. Also, mid-90s Ranger stepside styling.

Although... I had something of a formative car-spotting in seeing a roundbody Falcon two-door at an early age.

Jesus Arias > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:54

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I didn’t really get into cars until about 2 & 1/2 years ago. However in my childhood there were some cool cars. One of my cousins owned an S2000 it was really cool however people kept slashing his convertible top so he got rid of it . My aunt owned and still owns a 5th gen Camaro SS. Another of my cousins owned a 3rd gen Camaro Z28. My dad owned and still owns a 1988 Pontiac Firebird TransAm GTA which at first I thought was cool but not something I wanted (used to want a luxury car before I drove this car)  but then I drove it and it was like everything changed and I suddenly loved cars . Also my dad’s TransAm influenced my taste in cars namely that I love cars made by Pontiac.

Chariotoflove > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 11:57

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Quickly from memory...

‘65 Olds Cutlass Convertible, red. My mom’s med school graduation gift from her parents.

‘73 Olds Custom Cruiser, green with green vinyl interior. Wood stripe and all.

Vega, can’t remember the year. I think it was grey, but weren’t they all rust colored by the end anyway?

White 5 door Chevette, ‘82 or ‘83? Replaced the Vega. Highway speed dropped by 15 when you put on the A/C.

Blue ‘84 Olds wagon, replaced the ‘73. Added aftermarket air suspension and towing package for the horse trailer.

Red ‘86 RX-7. My mom’s treat to herself. I got to drive it on prom night. 

Aremmes > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 12:00

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The earliest one I have any memory of is Dad’s three-door white ‘78 Civic, which he got after a fateful encounter between a lemon Volaré’s bench seats and a kitchen knife. He replaced that with an ‘82 Mazda 626, which he didn’t keep for long.

After my parents split up they got their own cars. Dad got an ‘83 Sentra, which got stolen within a year and he never recovered it. Mom went with a yellow T60 Corona Mark II with a klaxon for a horn and a loud leaky exhaust that she got cheap, fixed the exhaust and drove it for a couple of years before replacing it with an ‘84 Sentra that she kept for six years before trading it in on a white Isuzu Stylus . During that time we lived at my grandmother’s house where Mom’s sister also lived, and my aunt drove a huge Ford Gran Torino station wagon with a rear-facing third bench seat and a massive oil burn issue that smoked the street every time she started it.

Dad went through a long list of cars, some that he owned and some company-owned. Not necessarily in order, he had a Dodge van, an Isuzu I-Mark (a.k.a. Japanese T-body), two different Suzuki Samurais, a Chevy S-10 with the 2.8 V6, and a Mazda B3000. The Suzukis were the most reliable cars he had, while the S-10 got the most abuse being a work-spec company truck that he used to carry construction materials for his house, including one time when he carried a cubic yard of sand with it through mountain roads.

That’s just my parents. My grandfather was known around town for driving the rattiest cars: a Pinto (apparently the only Pinto that never left anyone stranded), a Datsun B-210 with a total-loss cooling system (the radiator leaked, so he drove around with a a bunch of jugs of water in the back seat), and a red Plymouth Reliant with a muffler delete that he fixed with a cooking pan and could be heard for miles.

AkursedX > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 12:12

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I have a bunch of pics that I have been digitizing of old cars from my youth:

This was a Dodge St Regis. The flip-up headlight covers were awful.

A Dodge Diplomat. (My Dad used to buy old police cars, fixed them up, drive them for a bit and sell them)

A ‘79 Camaro 4-speed manual. I was taken home from the hospital in this. It was sold soon after though for a Ford Bronco. And that’ s my mom in the photo.

An ‘88 or 89 Ranger. This truck stayed in the family for awhile as it was handed down to my brother.

1994 Caprice. With the LT-1, this car was a blast.

An ‘88 Dodge Diplomat.  I rebuilt the engine in this car with my dad.  I also dropped that engine on top of the radiator support reinstalling it. Scared me off of car for awhile.  This car was fun to drive but easily the slowest v-8 car I’ve ever driven.

Long_Voyager94 > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 12:14

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Ma and Dad had:

A pair of 67 Camaros, both Candy Apple red, one with white stripes, one with black. One was a 427, the other was a 327.

1970 Camaro with a built 350/4-speed.

1970 Nova SS.

1974 Nova SS.

Numerous 80s TAs and Camaros.

1970 Cutlass 4-door with a built 454.

Numerous Chevy trucks from 1969-1997.

Turbo Eclipse and Lasers.

Numerous 5.0 Mustangs, all heavily modded.

Built 1998 Integra GSR.

Isuzu Impulse.

A lot of other “performance” cars.

Maybe that has a lot to do with why I’d rather mod “normal”/ “weird” vehicles than the usual performance stuff.

Ash78, voting early and often > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 12:16

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Not my pics, but colors/years are as close as possible. This was basically everything from toddler years through high school :

Last but not least, the interior of an ‘88 Caravan. The amount of times we blasted Vanilla Ice from the Infinity tape deck is beyond measure. This is why I stayed celibate in high school:

i86hotdogs > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 12:21

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Chevy Celebrity *fart noises* like this one but more rust.

Toyota Previa: What got me into vans. Sister totaled it. Still haven’t forgave her.

Pontiac Montana: Celebrity was traded in for this. The power doors stopped working within a year. Same with the power vented rear windows. And the rear HVAC and stereo controls

Cadillac Sedan DeVille: The first car I drove with my license. It was a hand me down from my Grandpa to my dad. Had a rusted catalytic converter which made it sound monstrous (and got me my first ticket).

Darkbrador > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 12:33

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(not the actual cars but same models/colors)

ranwhenparked > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 12:44

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I don’t think they were an influence at all.

1983 Ford Ranger - pretty basic single cab RWD, kept for 11 years, traded on a minivan, no issues and my dad still regrets giving it up

1984 Plymouth Horizon - came home from the hospital in it, unreliable junk that was traded in after 2 years

1986 Ford Tempo - I have several memories of that car, all related to either waiting for a tow truck or listening to my parents complaining about something else that had gone wrong with it

1987 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Brougham - purchased in expectation that it would be more reliable, it wasn’t, temporarily soured my loyal “Buy American” parents against American cars. Someone smashed one of the tail lights in the Willow Grove Park Mall parking lot, and they never fixed it, my dad just applied layer after layer of red tape. Remember it stranded us at Roadside America in Shartlesville one time. Got resold by the dealer to a n NYC taxi fleet. I found my mom's missing engagement ring under the front seat the day it was set to be turned in.

1990 Subaru Loyale wagon - actually quite reliable. Was wrecked and repaired a couple of times, was kept for 12 trouble free years, and I learned to drive in it

1994 Chevrolet Lumina APV - they needed a van, and this was in budget. It redeemed American cars in their minds, because they only things that went wrong in 12 years was one new alternator (at like 8-9 years old) and an occasional electrical problem with the windshield wipers that started around the same time.

2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser - not sure what the thought was, other than that it was trendy at the time. Absolutely no problems with it, until my younger brother totaled it in 2014 at over 160,000 miles

1971 Volkswagen Super Beetle - my first car, bought it when I was 16

And that ends anything from childhood

I also remember a number of my dad’s company cars - couple of Caprice 9C1s (one of which my mom backed into in the driveway, one of which I maced myself in while playing around), mid 1970s Buick LeSabre with an oil leak and squealing fan belt, an ice blue Dodge Shadow that he accidentally drove through the garage door, a sandalwood beige Lumina sedan with Recaro seats, and a dark blue late ‘90s/early 00's Ford Taurus.

FrankAtlanta > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 12:48

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This is an interesting question and post - esp. as it applies to me as a parent, now . I think the cars were part of it, but probably more the experience around the cars (whether it be with the family or activities around the cars).

PAST - unfortunately, no pics readily available, but my parents had a few cars during my childhood, but 2 stand out:

A. 1968 Buick Skylark (showing my age!) - we took a lot of trips; I remember it being a comfortable car for long trips. Washed the car and changed the oil with my dad on this one, basic maintenance .

B. 1971 Ford Ltd Hardtop - bought used sometime in the 70's; I recall this being a very large, comfortable highway cruiser for road trips. Lots of room for my sister & I. Again, fond memories of changing oil, washing the car, basic maintenance, etc.

PRESENT - I hope my/ our automotive choices are more fun/interesting for my kids (2 boys). They’ve been in/around Porsche, BMW, V-Wagon, SUVs and trucks. They haven’t started driving yet so this  aspect hasn’t yet appealed to them (and I’ve noticed these upcoming drivers aren’t in a hurry to get a driver’s license as I was ages ago).

It would seem the recollections are more about what we did vs. the cars themselves. I’ve tried to do some car-related road trips (taking a nice car to endurance races ), etc. I was thinking about doing a road trip to the the Hyundai assembly plant in Alabama - these experiences probably have as much/more to do with the memories as the cars themselves...

fintail > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 13:24

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Casa de fintail, early 80s:

High quality taken by me at a very young age with a Polaroid camera, something I had a fixation with, and my parents let me play with theirs .

Cars in the foreground are my mom’s gigantic T-Bird, and my dad’s Horizon, the latter of which I think was fairly new when the pic was taken. The Bird was off the road by 1985, replaced by a Tempo (talk about downsizing), Horizon was replaced by an 85 S-10 Blazer. My mom loved that enormous white on white barge, and my dad was fond of the Horizon too, as it was was relatively fast for a small hatch of its era, and good in the snow. I am not sure what is in the driveway, but at the time my grandpa had a green Chrysler, and the car appears to be a large green car - could be it.

I have vague memories of the car my dad had before the Horizon, a blue 1970 Mustang. He had this since before I was born, I think it developed a transmission fault around 1980, and he dumped it (he’d perform normal maintenance on a car, but any major failure would be it , the T-Bird was ditched for the same reason, but my the mid 80s it wasn’t worth fixing anyway ). The only pic I have of the Mustang is here, beside me in my stylish jacket:

After the Tempo and Horizon, my mom stayed with Ford, enjoying Taurus of the era, and then migrated to Toyota after a Taurus became troublesome before 100K. She’s in that club forever now, I think. Dad went on to have mopar minivans, his final being a loaded late 90s T&C that he enjoyed, as it was the most expensive car purchase in his life. He also liked to have vintage cars/hobby cars in the driveway, and had a number of 60s era Fords, a Datsun 610, and some “work” cars like an 80s F150, a similar era Econoline, and a heavy 90s Dodge truck.

The first car I regularly drove was a 66 Galaxie 2 door HT, already kind of vintage in the early 90s. One of my dad’s bargain hobby car acquisitions, it was pretty cool in the high school parking lot. It was much like this, but darker blue, and on hubcaps:

The Galaxie was claimed in a little smash on a wet day, and I drove the Tempo a bit after that, as it wasn’t always in use - my mom bonded with it and kept it around until 1999. I bought the fintail when I was 18, which I still have, and I guess by then my childhood was over (although I try to hold onto it now).

M.T. Blake > Nothing 01/29/2020 at 13:26

0

Oh god! You almost became a statistic!

That’s a pretty good list of cars from the era. I’d be looking for a Mustang too if I’d grown up with one.

Pickup_man > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 13:26

1

The first car I barely remember is a late 80's Olds Cutlass Cierra. I remember it was maroon and squealed some thing fierce. I think my dad gave it to my uncle and not long after it started on fire?

At the same time dad had a ‘91 F-150. Grey with maroon interior. Reg cab, long bed, 2wd 300 six and a stick. Loved that truck but never got a chance to drive it. My love for pickups and driving shenanigans all stemmed from riding in that truck. Tons and tons of memories in that truck, from doing 180's in the driveway, to driving it down the ditch instead of the drive way, to being packed in four wide during a baseball sized hail storm while mom crouched over us and covered us from the glass. Dad gave that truck to my uncle as well and he drove it until a drunk driver smashed it up.

The Old’s was replaced with a ‘91 Corsica. Blue inside and out. I learned to drive in that car and had a lot of fun with it. It went from family hauler to the beater and then dad traded it for a torch. I know the new owner was rear ended but I think that car is miraculously still alive.

Somewhere in there we got a ‘95 S10 Blazer. Green, gray interior. I remember liking that truck a decent amount, and going camping/fishing a few times with it but not much else. Dad hit a deer with it once while on his way to the lake.

After the Blazer, or the same time? We inherited a Chevy Lumina MPV (the dustbuster van) when my grandpa passed away. I don’t remember much about that one.

The Lumina was replaced with a Pontiac Montana. Nice van, don’t remember much about it.

Then there was the ‘99 F-150. I was 10 at the time and Dad took me with him when he went truck shopping which was really fun and cool for me. Ultimately Dad picked the truck that I liked the most, an Island Blue (official color name, metallic teal essentially) extended cab with the big V8 . I felt so special. I practically grew up in the back seat of that truck. Annual fishing trips to Canada, home projects with dad, going out hunting, learning to drive, first girl friends, meeting my wife, taking me off to college, road trips with friends, hauling race cars for friends, I did it all in that truck, and that truck was there for everything. I still have that truck and never plan on getting rid of it.

Couple more that were more teenage years and less childhood. My first car a ‘95 Aurora, Mom’s ‘05 Impala, and my sisters ‘06 Cobalt. 

M.T. Blake > E90M3 01/29/2020 at 13:28

1

Hey I had an Explorer for a first car too!

92' Explorer 4x4 in bright blue... luckily never exploded, but the door pulls all pulled off the panels...

Your dad put a crap ton of miles on that Subaru in a short time!

M.T. Blake > jimz 01/29/2020 at 13:30

0

They were doing pretty good on the ‘car guy appeal’ meter, right up until the 1980s. Granted the Spirit was about the best any working class person could do in the era. I’d say that was a cool car for the time!

M.T. Blake > Tripper 01/29/2020 at 13:31

0

Were you baptised in motor oil? That’s a good list. Very good for the 1980s.

jimz > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 13:33

1

unfortunately everything sucked in the early ‘80s. 

M.T. Blake > sony1492 01/29/2020 at 13:33

1

You never see cars with murals painted on them anymore... Feels like it used to be a ‘thing’.

I can imagine you want to be in control. Glad the only thing that was permanently affected was your noodle. We can all deal with nightmares but none of us can wipe our ass left handed for lack of a right.

M.T. Blake > Hamtractor 01/29/2020 at 13:36

0

Wow they had quite a few! It’s funny how once you get the wagon bug, it never quite goes away.

The smell of a fire permeates everything. Never quite goes away. I too remember somethings just on they’re smell. It’s a strange phenomenon .

You old man made a good decision finally going to the Dodge diesels :D

M.T. Blake > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/29/2020 at 13:37

0

You live in Canada without a 4wd in sight. You’re tougher than me. I see white falling and I want to use 4wd...

M.T. Blake > promoted by the color red 01/29/2020 at 13:38

0

You probably bought my mom’s old Loyale.

Wait so you still HAVE the 85' Toyota 4x4? 

M.T. Blake > phenotyp 01/29/2020 at 13:41

0

Mercedes diesel? I would not want to learn on a dump truck. Especially an old one. 

benn454 > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 13:43

1

The first cars I can remember riding in back in the 80s were my dad’s Chevelle

and my mom’s Satellite

After that, my dad had a couple square bodies

and my mom had a Coupe Deville

After a death in the family and losing our house in a flood, my mom used the insurance money to buy my grandparents old house and a new Cavalier

 Which she had for the rest of my childhood. 

M.T. Blake > functionoverfashion 01/29/2020 at 13:43

0

They still have the F100? That has got to be about the last year F100 was ever put on a truck before they went to F150?! Dart wagons with four-speeds... yes!

M.T. Blake > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 01/29/2020 at 13:47

0

The Ranger step side always seemed silly to me, you could nearly reach in from the side to the middle already.

M.T. Blake > Jesus Arias 01/29/2020 at 13:48

1

You were surrounded by some good ones.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 13:48

1

“canada” technically I guess.  PNW though, no snow to speak of usually 

M.T. Blake > Chariotoflove 01/29/2020 at 13:49

1

Fifteen miles per hour?! That’s the opposite of an ‘M’ button.

Boxer_4 > E90M3 01/29/2020 at 13:50

1

That generation Legacy in both sedan and wagon form is one of my favorite Subaru models; just gorgeous, especially in that blue. The USDM GT trim, and especially the JDM GT/ GT-B and RS trims just bring it to the next level!

M.T. Blake > Aremmes 01/29/2020 at 13:51

1

Two Samurais. That had to be fun!

Your grandfather and my step-dad might be related. His Ranger drove it self down a hill after forgetting to chock the tire as he was too lazy to replace the e-brake...

M.T. Blake > Long_Voyager94 01/29/2020 at 13:52

1

So far you’ve won. That’s the best list so far. 

M.T. Blake > Ash78, voting early and often 01/29/2020 at 13:53

1

You mean that ‘libido-killer red’ interior didn’t make the girls go wild?!

M.T. Blake > i86hotdogs 01/29/2020 at 13:55

0

Doors broke within a year?! Ouch... great 90's GM quality right there...

Chariotoflove > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 13:56

1

You begin to understand. And yet, it had A/C, so we were grateful.

M.T. Blake > Darkbrador 01/29/2020 at 13:56

0

Now you’d be a car geek god if these had been in the US.

What spec Cortina is that?

Ash78, voting early and often > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 13:57

1

What’s strange is that no matter how under the influence I was, the interior never seemed that odd. It wasn’t common, but it wasn’t like “HOLY CRAP!” like it seems now.

Maybe there’s too much homogeneity in cars today. Everyone’s just copying each other.

Darkbrador > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 13:58

1

Aaaargh , Granada, not Cortina ! GXL trim, with the vinyl roof and all ...

Let me pretend I’m a car geek god, I’m living in the US now. Right ? 

M.T. Blake > ranwhenparked 01/29/2020 at 13:59

0

Your the 3rd or 4th person who has memories of a Loyale. I guess they were more popular than I realized?

Or we are just a bunch of wagon riding, rural road living, poor people?

Nothing > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:00

1

At one point, my dad had purchased Mustangs for several of my sisters. We had 5 ‘ 60s Mustangs in the family at one point. There were a couple of rogue GMs, too, ‘69 Firebird and a ‘72 Malibu.

I guess before my time, my dad was on a Renault kick in the 60s.

M.T. Blake > FrankAtlanta 01/29/2020 at 14:02

1

Why get a license when you can communicate with friends via text, and online games? It’s an interesting switch in the newer generation and how they communicate. I couldn’t wait to get out of the house and have some real freedom.

They’ll either be into cars or won’t. I think the peer group has a lot to do with it. I had an interest and immediately found a group of misfits who did too. We fed of each other for information about cars. 

Tripper > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:03

1

Haha more or less. That was actually my mom’s third Z28, and the reason my dad hates Chevrolet. E ven my grandfather on my mom’s side adored cars, but h e was so frugal that he would always buy beaters . My dad gave him the Volvo (the brick) and he was nearly in tears. The 84 Vette was gold too...HELLA 80s.

They’re back into cool cars now . My mom has got a C5 ragtop headers back exhaust , and a 19' GTI SE both three peddlers. My dad just got an SQ5 wich is less fun but still really nice.

Jim Spanfeller > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:03

1

Well... The first cars I can remember my family having were a dark red Camry and a grey Accord. I don’t remember what year either of them were, but I remember them being boxy. Then we sold Dad’s Accord to help pay for a practically brand-new blue 2005 Honda Odyssey. The Camry left soon after, and was replaced with a white Nissan Maxima. The Maxima lasted a pretty long time and was a good commuter car , until an icy road happened, and... yeah. The Maxima was then replaced with a black manual(!) 2002 Civic, which we later found out hadn’t been taken very good care of by the previous owner, and it had several parts thrown at it before it was actually reliable. My dad later replaced it with a white 2013 Mazda 3, but we still have the Civic. I’ve been driving it while my ‘66 Thunderbird is kaput, and I’m actually sitting in it right now...

i86hotdogs > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:04

1

Yup, and somehow it wasn’ t covered in warranty ? I forget what my folks told me the reason was. Regardless, you know how heavy sliding doors feel when they’re suppose to be attached to a motor?

M.T. Blake > fintail 01/29/2020 at 14:04

1

Your first car was an excellent one! I’d like to have one of those today. They’re still not unobtainable... hmmm.

M.T. Blake > Pickup_man 01/29/2020 at 14:06

0

Good that you guys took care of the 99'. Wish we’d taken better care of the Ranger, but it was a utility vehicle, not something that was cherished. 

ranwhenparked > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:08

1

IIRC, it was one of the cheapest station wagons in America at the time, definitely the cheapest Subaru one, maybe the cheapest Japanese one. Most people didn't really care about AWD yet, so couldn't be talked into stepping up to a Legacy.

M.T. Blake > benn454 01/29/2020 at 14:08

0

That’s a good list! Especially the Chevelle and Satellite . 

M.T. Blake > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/29/2020 at 14:09

0

More than what I get at my house in Northern California.

M.T. Blake > Chariotoflove 01/29/2020 at 14:09

1

It’s funny that A/C was ever an option. We take it for granted now.

M.T. Blake > Ash78, voting early and often 01/29/2020 at 14:10

0

There is some truth to the fact everything looks like everything else. Black interior is the beige Camry of interiors. 

Jim Spanfeller > Jesus Arias 01/29/2020 at 14:10

1

“ people kept slashing his convertible top so he got rid of it.”

Why are some people terrible? Who does that!!?? Well, whatever. Glad you got into cars. I hope you get a Trans Am of your own someday :)

M.T. Blake > Darkbrador 01/29/2020 at 14:11

0

Lol. See I can’t even tell. Should have lied to me. 

M.T. Blake > Nothing 01/29/2020 at 14:12

0

He went from slightly-Communist cars trying to pretend they were sophisticated to muscle cars. Good man. 

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:14

1

Probably.  We had snow this year for about 4 days and I drove our AWD Golf Sportwagen the whole time

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:15

1

I can’t year you over the SPLASH

Ash78, voting early and often > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:15

1

Yep. I’d be willing to tolerate black, but everything else about the car would have to be perfect. I can rationalize almost anything. Sure, it hides some dirt.

Nothing > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:16

1

I’m always surprised when my brother mentions it. He dirt tracked for years when he got back from WWII. The last car he and his brother raced was a Lincoln, and he always bled Ford blue. Renaults seemed like such an odd choice for him.

M.T. Blake > Tripper 01/29/2020 at 14:16

0

Niiiiiice. Tell them I also approve of their purchases.

M.T. Blake > Jim Spanfeller 01/29/2020 at 14:18

0

People hate on minivan’s yet many of us were raised in them, and your dad drove one! We have a 17' Sienna and I’ve taken some hard right hooks to the chin for owning it. The utility of it is second to none. If you have kids it makes life so much easier.

And if you’re raiding a hostile compound, it can hold a 7 man SWAT team with full kit.

M.T. Blake > i86hotdogs 01/29/2020 at 14:19

0

I’d want to crash it through the dealer doors if they didn’t cover it under warranty. Let alone now having a lifelong passion for destroying GM. That is some grade-A bullshart.

Chariotoflove > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:20

1

Different times for sure. 

M.T. Blake > ranwhenparked 01/29/2020 at 14:20

0

AWD was rare, and Subaru wasn’t the darling it has become. Good point.

M.T. Blake > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 01/29/2020 at 14:21

1

Ours is here today and gone tomorrow.

M.T. Blake > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 01/29/2020 at 14:21

0

There is one running around my town in bright Ford blue with the SPLASH decals down the side... 

M.T. Blake > Ash78, voting early and often 01/29/2020 at 14:22

0

I’ve bought black as the resale is easier. I’m on vehicle #26 right now so I don’t count on keeping everything forever.

My wife was questioning BMW X5 prices last night. I told her, “Stop it!”

benn454 > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:28

1

I was really young when we had those. Like, 4 or 5 I think. My best memory of either is the time my dad and I were going down a field road in the Chevelle only to get stuck in a washout. I remember my dad sitting me in the driver’s seat and telling me to floor it while he pushed. We got unstuck but he was absolutely COVERED in mud. Thank god for vinyl seats.

Jim Spanfeller > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:29

1

Oh yeah. Actually, my mom is the one who drives the minivan the most. And in the 15 years we’ve owned it, it’s rarely ever had a significant problem, although the air conditioning actually   melted on a trip to Arizona once, which was weird.  But it feels like there could easily be another 15 years left in it... It’s by far the nicest of the cars I grew up with, and there are so, so many good memories I associate with it.

M.T. Blake > benn454 01/29/2020 at 14:31

0

LOL. Awesome.

M.T. Blake > Jim Spanfeller 01/29/2020 at 14:32

1

I mean you WERE in Arizona. That’s the closest to the surface of the Sun you can get without going to Death Valley. 

Jesus Arias > Jim Spanfeller 01/29/2020 at 14:33

1

Thanks but I already own a TransAm. Mine is a year 1999 however I want a 1978.

i86hotdogs > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:33

1

Like I said, I am not sure what my folks told me. But they have a history of extreme frugality, so they probably just let it be for the rest of time.

M.T. Blake > i86hotdogs 01/29/2020 at 14:35

0

I could use the same excuse with my parents, but actually it was laziness not frugality that so much went unfixed, and left in a wonkey condition.

Jim Spanfeller > Jesus Arias 01/29/2020 at 14:35

0

OOH, nice.

Jim Spanfeller > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:36

1

You’re not wrong... Also, the sliding doors once froze in Montana in the winter, along with the LCD screens and the GPS. So apparently, it’s a fantastic van that just has trouble with extreme temperatures...

M.T. Blake > Jim Spanfeller 01/29/2020 at 14:40

1

It would have done wonderfully in Hawaii with 80 degree days and 72 degree nights... wait they have salty and corrosive air... NVM...

E90M3 > Boxer_4 01/29/2020 at 14:43

2

It was supposed to be my first car, but sadly it died before it could fulfill that role. Honestly, I might still have it if it hadn’t died, just to see what kind of mileage it could’ve gotten to. 

functionoverfashion > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:44

1

Yes, I do think it was the last year of the F-100.

The Dart wagons were something, my father got them out of California through his brother, who was somewhat of a Slant 6 fanatic. My mother never loved them, and tells a story of pushing one to get it started, while pregnant with my sister. But they were big ol’ wagons, how can you go wrong? RWD and manual too!

E90M3 > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:45

2

My explorer never exploded either, it was done in after I traded it in and someone rolled it: I found it on copart a year or so after I traded it in. 

He was doing something like 100 miles a day when we lived in Arizona, so he racked up the miles quickly!

promoted by the color red > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 14:52

1

Yes, my dad used it as his commuter and for camping trips from the day he bought it until he retired a few years ago.

It will be mine one of these days...

M.T. Blake > promoted by the color red 01/29/2020 at 14:56

0

Best year of Toyota ever. EFI and SAS. Delicious.

Aremmes > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 15:09

1

Maybe. My grandfather used 16d nails as caliper pins on the front brakes of his Datsun. Fortunately he drove very slowly. He also once tried to fix the wipers by tying a rope to them and operating them manually from inside. And he also tried to fix the radiator leak by putting super glue in the coolant.

The Samurais were fun. Dad didn’t have them concurrently, though. The first one was a silver JX hardtop, the second one a black softtop. The back seats were quite uncomfortable even on short distances, though.

M.T. Blake > Aremmes 01/29/2020 at 15:21

1

Oh god. You need to write these stories down for us. 

phenotyp > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 15:44

1

Yep, grandparent’s car. As was the Accord hatch. Very formative. They replaced the Mercedes 300D and Accord hatch with a manual ‘92 Accord coupe, and later a Maxima, the four-door-sports-car.

I learned how to drive in (manual, of course) F-Series pickups, Ford heavy-duties (dump and flatbed), a Suburban, and an Accord.

And a couple of biplanes.

Pickup_man > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 15:53

1

It has it’s fair share of rust, more than it’s worth to repair, but I’m going to do it anyway. The bed is probably a goner though, which leaves me in a fun but difficult build scenario. Do I replace the bed, lower it, and build the street truck that I’ve always wanted? Do I replace the bed go mild lift and just mild off road which I’ve always loved? Do I buy fiberglass flares and go mild pre-runner? Do I go flatbed and build an overlander that I’ll likely never use? The possibilities are endless, the budget is none. 

Long_Voyager94 > M.T. Blake 01/29/2020 at 15:59

1

That’s just the stuff I remember.

I know there was also a 78 Dodge Magnum in there that my uncle used to circle track race in as well.