What Did Your First Car Teach You?

"Theropod" (theropod) 10/24/2016 at 10:53 • Filed to: None

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6 Things I Learned from a 1976 Spitfire

1. Rain on a canvas top sounds just like rain on a tent.

2. Always bring a towel.

3. You can rebuild the clutch master and slave cylinders on the kitchen table if you get dad’s approval before mom finds out.

4. Fun can be slow. As a matter of fact, fun is better slow.

5. Leave early wherever you’re going. Roadside repairs take time.

6. Driving in the mountains with the top down is the only way to drive in the mountains.

MontegoMan562 is a Capri RS Owner > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 10:58

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My first vehicle taught me damn near everything I know about cars.

Because my dad bought it for 500 with a blown motor and we rebuilt the whole thing.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 10:59

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80s Toyotas rust

Toyota did in fact make a shitty engine in the 80s - the 3E. Cracked an engine block at 105k and it was my dad’s DD before that so no abuse. For comparison, my 4A lived to 220-230 of serious abuse and while it needs a rebuild, almost everything in it is fine.

TysMagic > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 11:00

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my additions/adjustments from my first convertible:
 1. Rain on a canvas top sounds just like rain on a tent.- snow even has this incredible softness that’s like driving in serenity

2. Always bring a towel. ALWAYS

6. Driving in the mountains with the top down is the only way to drive in the mountains .

X37.9XXS > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 11:03

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1. It’s true what they say about covertibles

2. Red works

3. Fold-down front seats are wonderful

Tatanko > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 11:09

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It would be difficult to make a list, I think. My first car was a ‘95 Maxima (automatic, only one I’ve ever owned) and at one point or another I had pretty much every part of that car torn apart and reassembled excluding the engine internals. I learned how to do maintenance, brakes, suspension, interior, electronics — you name it, I at least made an attempt work on it.

I don’t do a lot of my own work anymore due to a lack of space and equipment (and time), but if nothing else my experience with that car made me good at diagnosing issues, mainly because I caused so many myself! :p

During high school, I built an entire website dedicated to how-to’s on that model of car based on my own work. Intake manifold swaps, wiring diagrams for the transmission, etc.

Jordan and the Slowrunner, Boomer Intensifies > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 11:10

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1. Early 90's Toyota’s that aren’t Land Cruisers have headgaskets made from the most fragile materials.... In the world.

2. A lifted 4Runner will take a corner faster than it has any right to.

3. The ABS sucks.

4. It will chain drifts extremely easy, as it is surprisingly balanced.

5. Packing tape will hold in a sensor for more than 2 years.

6. 12 mpg is totally liveable.

bhtooefr > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 11:10

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Things I learned from a 1985 Jetta diesel, with a colossal 52 hp:

1. Never lift.

2. NEVER LIFT.

3. When your motor mounts and shift linkage are shot, it’s a good idea to actually fix them. Otherwise, you can’t get into first gear from a stop, which leads to...

4. First gear is a gear that should be treated with respect, and only entered when you’re almost at a complete stop, if you can’t enter it at a complete stop. Don’t preselect it while going 40 MPH downhill. That will explode your clutch, and you don’t want that.

5. When the alternator light comes on after starting the car, that doesn’t mean that the field wasn’t sufficiently excited (in those cars, the alternator field doesn’t self-excite in a normal startup, you have to rev it a bit to get it going). That means that you lost your alternator belt. And, with the convoluted belt system on those engines, that probably also means that you lost your water pump belt.

6. When you’re at an intersection that you can’t see cars coming from the right due to overgrown trees blocking your view, green cars are your enemy. You should turn right, don’t try to go straight.

404 - User No Longer Available > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 11:12

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2002 Cavalier.

Only taught me one thing: why people hate GM cars.

DC3 LS, will be perpetually replacing cars until the end of time > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 11:12

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1) Be careful in the rain. My first car was a ranger without TC so it was somewhat easy to spin the wheels or get oversteer in the rain.

2) Don’t trust previous owners to have done the maintenance it required. My truck was a fleet vehicle before, yet at 60k miles had the original airfilter!

3) You can fit three times as many people into your car as you think you can.  

DipodomysDeserti > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 11:18

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1. Honda makes motor mounts out of paper mache

2. You can break into old Hondas by peeling the window back

3. Having sex in cars is lots of fun

jasmits > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 11:22

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I’m going to do two, the car that I drove every day in high school that was really my parent’s, and the first car I could really point to as my own.

  Six things that I learned from a 2004.5 Volvo S40

1. I’ve loved cars since I was a toddler, splitting time between a pedal car, Playmobile cars, and matchbox cars but driving one showed me it really was a passion.

2. Just because it’s slow and automatic doesn’t mean I can’t have fun

3. Tires make a bigger difference than you’d think

4. Working on cars is fun and satisfying

5. Yes, a Volvo S40 will break 110 miles per hour.

6. I’d rather have an objectively worse car that’s more fun.

Six things I learned from a 1998 BMW 318ti

1. Manual is better.

2. Loud is better.

3. One car really isn’t enough is it?

4. Proper application of duct tape at 3AM will get me to work at 7AM.

5. Buying the proper tool from the start saves a lot of time and headaches and not buying the proper tool doesn’t save any money because you end up buying it anyway.

6. It’s fun looking out at a parking lot and having the only car that isn’t a neutral shade of silver, grey, white or black(or blue or green so dark you can’t tell)

Urambo Tauro > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 11:24

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My first car was a 1989 Suburban, which was instrumental in teaching me to visualize where my bumpers were.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 11:25

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A manual transmission can make driving any car enjoyable.

1986 Toyota Camry

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > 404 - User No Longer Available 10/24/2016 at 11:31

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The car probably hated you too. Did it keep going and going and going when you were ready for it to just die so you could get something else?

AR24-7 > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 11:35

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My first (and current) car, a wonderful 2003 Corolla, taught me I have had a lot to learn. I’ve learned basic maintenance and how to pull an engine swap, install a starter, fix a window motor (and replace said window) and I’ve learned that slow *can* feel fast and be fun, especially in the city and on curvy roads.

Then again, the fastest car I’ve every driven is my stepdad’s Ford Fusion...I have much to learn. TEACH ME OPPO.

Noodles > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 11:36

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Early 90's Jeep Wrangler soft top on the highway, sounds like a tent. ON THE HIGHWAY.

And always bring a towel.

CaptDale - is secretly British > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 11:54

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Well between my ‘87 Jeep Wrangler I was driving and the ‘69 Sprite I was restoring I learned a lot. Then I learned a ton more with my ‘87 Fiero GT and all the work on those cars have allowed me to be pretty handy with a wrench.

404 - User No Longer Available > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 10/24/2016 at 12:00

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Well it was a lease. I left it at the dealer and walked away.

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 12:19

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Driving a GM parts bin spedial means that while the parts are common and plentiful they necessitate a wide variety of tools, specifically sockets and bits.

Stupid early 80s car that I swear was half metric.

McMike > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 12:21

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My first car taught be all about understeer.

That curb didn’t stand a chance.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > 404 - User No Longer Available 10/24/2016 at 12:54

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I doubt they wanted it back, tbh.

404 - User No Longer Available > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie 10/24/2016 at 13:08

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Well that’s GMAC’s problem to deal with. Last I checked years ago, it ended up with another dealer in the area.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 13:43

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My B5 Passat taught me the difference between quality (designed and built) and reliability (engineered).

The impressive Germanic ride quality was NOT worth the maintenance nightmare.

TheJWT > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 14:44

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I learned you can meet interesting people from halfway across the country if your car is bad enough.

Amoore100 > jasmits 10/24/2016 at 14:49

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Pretty sure my V50 is trying to teach me all that right now. Damn P1 Vo’s.

Benjamin Rolland > TheJWT 10/24/2016 at 14:55

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The shittier the car gets, the more likely Jake is to show up to buy it.

TheJWT > Benjamin Rolland 10/24/2016 at 14:59

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He’s doing the lord’s work

interstate366, now In The Industry > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 15:00

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1991 Prelude (not the same one I have now):

1. Honda engine bays are cramped.

2. Not all Hondas are created equally.

3. Pop-up headlights are awesome.

4. Don’t have a project-level car as your only transportation.

5. Check your oil weekly.

6. It’s good to have a mechanic shop within walking distance of your house.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 15:05

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Taught me how scary a live axle is in the rain.

Taught me how to turn that into something that looks like ballet.

Also that 4Runners corner way better than they have any right to.

Nibbles > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 15:11

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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

1. Performing an engine rebuild is hard when parts are unavailable

2. Not all Firebird parts are interchangeable

3. You can drive on a rod knock for a good while, as long as you baby it

4. Max occupancy: 14 persons

5. It is possible to utilize the rear seat for sexy times; however it is i nadvisable

6. Plugging a sensor built for a gauge into a cluster with idiot lights makes for some weird dimmy shit. It’s kinda cool but the novelty wears off quick

Grindintosecond > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 15:24

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First car (81' VW jetta...diesel) taught me:

1-NA 1.6 liter 51hp diesel sucks. It probably kept me alive in retrospect.

2-FWD push will get anyone in trouble after playing driving games in the arcade and then checking their watch and seeing how late they are for something and then having to call dad because on a parking lot corner exit a curb pushed the left front suspension into the footwell. Curb’s fault.

3-really didn’t teach me that much.

First car that I got to really have for a while (‘79 Volvo 242) taught me:

1-rev matching the downshift cause the engine internals are so heavy and a compression skid means loops in the rain.

2-The Scandinavian flick, because Volvo on gravel is a heavenly experience.

3-waterpumps don’t like sustained high RPM.

4-front struts don’t like 6 inches of air beneath the tires.

5-fuel systems aren’t something to mess with in Canadien cold winter weather.

6-Volvo 200 series clutches can take 100k+ miles of mostly abusive college kid.

thebigbossyboss > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 15:47

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I learned that rain on canvas sounds like rain on a tent from my Mustang convertible. It is a lot of fun to drive it in the rain.

thebigbossyboss > 404 - User No Longer Available 10/24/2016 at 15:47

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I had a 2003. It was all brappy with the fart cannon. Great car. Keep thinking I’m gonna get another.

TheHondaBro > Benjamin Rolland 10/24/2016 at 15:54

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Jake - Has Bad Luck So You Don't Have To > TheHondaBro 10/24/2016 at 16:02

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Flawless

CB > thebigbossyboss 10/24/2016 at 16:02

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Brapalier 2: Electric Boogaloo.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > TheJWT 10/24/2016 at 16:24

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http://oppositelock.kinja.com/1788103543

Tristan > 404 - User No Longer Available 10/24/2016 at 16:25

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I learned that from a 1986 Celebrity. Then from a 1992 S-10 Blazer. Then from a 2001 Impala... They claim GM is improving these days, but I’ve given them 3 decades of chances...

jasmits > Amoore100 10/24/2016 at 16:53

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If it had a third pedal I probably would’ve tried to hold on to it, buy it off my parents or something. I really liked the car, it only had 115k and could’ve made a good daily for a long time. I just really wanted to get good at driving a manual, and I’m glad I did in retrospect.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 16:55

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Rust sucks. Dog approved.

Pickup_man > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 16:56

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My first car was a ‘95 Oldsmobile Aurora

1. V8 + FWD = lots of understeer, especially in slippery conditions.

2. Teenagers and powerful FWD cars are not kind to transmissions.

3. Batteries can go other places besides under the hood.

4. Even a quick, luxurious car couldn’t quench my desire for even the most basic of pickup trucks*.

5. Teenagers don’t really appreciate luxury land barges.

6. I really miss having a luxury land barge.

*Short story on that. Dad bought me a car because he didn’t think I understood or could afford the gas costs of a pickup. When I broke the transmission in the Aurora (not on purpose, but %100 my fault) I was still very insistent on getting a truck, so Dad let me drive his in the meantime, essentially calling my bluff and thinking that after a short while I would want to go back to a car due to gas prices (which were around $4.00 a gallon, being paid for by a high school job). Well that plan backfired, I drove that truck everywhere and back again, taking all my friends with me. 150,000+ miles later I still have that truck and love it as much as the day I started driving it.

Amoore100 > jasmits 10/24/2016 at 17:44

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Haha, mine is a ‘05 2.4i auto also, on the Cygnus 16"ers. They’re surprisingly nimble which especially surprised my dad coming from his barge-like V70 T5. Mine has 152K miles and is going strong! Great little commuter and town runabout, but yeah, I do hope to learn stick someday soon.

ranwhenparked > Theropod 10/24/2016 at 19:13

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1. VW Beetles have terrible heating

2. VW Beetles are really easy for someone to unlock if you leave the quarter windows open

3. If you bought an old car specifically to have something to fix, a nicely maintained/partially restored Beetle is going to be a big letdown.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Theropod 11/11/2016 at 02:07

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There’s nothing more expensive than a cheap German luxobarge.

With that being said, a well-maintained cheap German luxobarge is easier and smoother to drive than any other car in the price range.

Having a huge gas tank is an enormously underrated nicety.

People judge you by the badge.

Parallel parking a huge car is easy once you get used to it.

AWD in snow makes you overly confident. It’s also hugely helpful.

I’m going to have a very tough time now that I set the bar this high right off the bat.

Carrying and knowing how to use jumper cables, a jack/lug nut wrench, and a first aid kit will make you friends.

People like to press buttons.

It’s nice to fly under the radar.

Water bottles are huge.