Ever been given a free car?

[FXSTi]

Darrel,
I bet the Pinto had one less gear than you remember.

I have been given:
'72 Ford Maverick from my brother. Sold to a friend for $50.
'75 Dodge window van from dad.
'82 Dodge extended window van from brother.
'79 Buick Regal from a stranger (no engine/trans haul it away) sold for scrap.
'72 Buick Electra from my grandmother after grandpa passed (never got to drive it because of a garage fire before I could pick it up).
'88 Ford Festiva from a co-worker's dad
'89 Ford Festiva from the social worker at my dialysis unit.

I have given away;
'75 Pontiac Phoenix
'73 Pontiac Grandville convertible
'75 Chevrolet Suburban
'82 Dodge extended window van
'78 Buick Regal
'77 Lincoln Continental
'86 Dodge Panel van
'85 Isuzu Trooper
'88 Ford Festiva
'93 Ford Festiva
'89 Chevrolet Astro van
'92 Mazda 323

Kirk

[SentraSE-R]

Kirk, you're right. I've been driving 5 speeds since 1968, and take them for granted. The Pinto was my last American MT. My Datsun pickup got better mpg than the Pinto, so I didn't like the Pinto at all.

I've given away to my kids:
1982 Nissan Sentra wagon 5MT
1983 Nissan Sentra coupe 5MT
Abovementioned VW Rabbit
Abovementioned Toyota Corolla
mid-80s Mazda GLC 5MT
Abovementioned Hyundai Elantra
2002 Nissan Sentra 6MT
2006 Hyundai Elantra AT

Hmm, that's only 8. Either I miscounted, or I've forgotten one...

[nemo]

I've been given two cars sort of, the first a 1966 Pontiac Catalina convertible was actually receive in lieu pay, working for my dad. I gave my brother my 1969 Firebird after I rolled his uninsured 69 Chevelle. About a month later after beating a 68 Camaro in drag race with it, he trades cars with the guy. About a week later he beats the guy, with what was his car. The “Good Ole Days”.

Several years ago I gave my son my 2000 Ford Contour, after he wrecked his truck. The second car I've been given was my father's 2006 Gran Prix. It only has 26K miles on it. He said it was because they wouldn't give him enough for trade in.

[capnbass91]

I learned to drive in a 2000 Oldsmobile Silhouette in high school. I wasn't given it but I used more than my parents. My sister started to learn to drive with it also, until the transmission went out when she was driving it. Wondered how it could possibly do that when you put it in drive while still going backwards, hmmmmmm.

The car I'm driving now was given to me by my mom who was given it by her dad which he bought in August 2005.
1997 Chrysler Sebring Convertible JX and I've plan on keeping it for a long time.

[larrybuck]

You guys w the mega lists: still have a couple as KEEPERS?

Great stories!

Frank: In a couple of drag racing stories, I've read about in car magazines, early
Nova's are still kicking butt. ....I'm thinking about a '64, and a sleeper green '68-72.
If I remember right, they both can run 7's in the quarter.

When I was married; early on, my ex had a '69 6/auto in the goldish color.

I drove a couple of '74's as 4 door business cars for a bank. They had 350's in them,
and were a blast to drive. We would, unknown to the management, open up the airfilter area, so you could feel, and hear the moan at full throttle.

A '73, or '74 should not be too expensive around here. The Portland area even
among most civilians, is so green, or BMW oriented, that rustfree examples
are almost in the looked past group.

I found out that in Spanish, Nova means no go! So hispanics probably were not impressed.

[d0sitmatr]

1st "free" car, an AMC Gremlin, on hindsight, probably not the best first car for any 16 yr old.
had a small block V8 with manual 4 spd. that coupled with its low weight... I think I averaged 2-3 sets of tires a year.

2nd "free" car: a 87 mercury lynx (ford escort) give me by my sisters b/f (now my brother in law) this car was super fun, gas efficient, and a great car for someone in their teens. except I did nothing but race it around every where I went. I tried teaching a g/f how to drive manual in it, and she backed into a tree, trashing the rear of the car, so my brother in law took it back

[Andyman]

I have had three free cars that I can remember. They were a 1968 Dodge Coronet, a 1986 Chevrolet Astro van with about 400,000 miles and my 1988 Honda Accord. The Dodge is gone due to rust. The Honda is a nice car but I have it stored to save money on insurance. I ride bicycles now. My other cars were all very low cost, like $100 to $300 for most of them.

My 1970 Mercury Marquis two door was $75 in 1983 but I had to spend a couple of hundred to stop the engine fix leaking coolant at the head gaskets. It has a high compression 429 engine and it got about 17 MPG on the highway. It has a lot of rust now so I might just save the engine transmission and junk the rest. If you have an interest in this, send me a message. I would be willing to sell it for $750. The engine is in good condition. Maybe I can get it started again.

It's been a long time since I last logged on. The web site says it was March of 2010. That was just before my father died. I'm still alive but I'm too busy dealing with problems (like probate and the roof of the house) to spend much time with Ecomodder now.

[larrybuck]

Thank you Andyman. Sorry about your Dad.
You don't need a lot of time to keep your finger in this forum like a bookmark!

Visit when you can.

[DeckSetter]

I never got a free one but my buddy got a Chevy Sprint free from his neighbor when we were 13 or 14. Sure would like to have that one now, but gas was $1 a gallon so no one saw any value in it. Ahhhh the 90s.....

[roosterk0031]

My Inlaw's gave my then 12 yo a car, I couldn't leave it parked untils she could drive so 115,000 miles later I'm still driving it, She drove it thru HS 14.5 yo till last year, then I made her take Malibu to college as it's more reliable with 242,000 miles and Stratus gets better MPG and I drive more. AC died, water pump went out, some brake work, oil sending until, still been a great buy.

I think the Stratus will rust away before the engine dies. And I have another 14 yo with a premit, perfect school car. Just need to find a good replacement for myself. (14.5 yo's can get school permits)