What is your car in the past? - Page 2 - Fuel Economy, Hypermiling, EcoModding News and Forum

California98Civic · 03-29-2018, 01:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebeard

...
First? Bullet-nose Studebaker. My parents told me I had to sell it to go to college so I totaled it instead.

I have a neighbor with two or three of these in his driveway. Old cars kept by shade tree mechanics are thick on the ground out here.

Frank Lee · 03-29-2018, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebeard

I hope it wasn't a liftback.

I'll admit to a 1962 Type II 13-window. It had the walk-through front. Thumbup: 4th was gone so it topped out at 45mph. One last trip over the coast range and the engine died the same day the tags expired. There was really nothing not fixable wrong with it.

It was a red hatchback with ralley wheels, side pipes, hood pins, and the first engine I overhauled, a 283!

I "got" a 15 window from one of Dad's friends way back in the day but when I moved away and the scrap man came around, away it went.

Lost a '47 Chev Stylemaster and some Model T bits the same way.

Internet pic; add the pipes and rubber bump strips on the bumpers and delete the SS stuff and pretend it's a hatchback and it looked like this:

Someone should have knocked some sense into me back then. Hard to get one now affordably. :/

This- Deluxe trim and all- only with lots and lots of rust:

And this:

And that is how I became a hoarder, never to let another gem slip away again.

freebeard · 03-29-2018, 03:21 AM

Sad but oh so true.

Or typical, I forget.

I knew someone (I've forgotten who) who had the liftback Nova in Green. The closest I've been able to come is the Dasher three-door. It's more liftback than hatchback. Are those extruded aluminum aftermarket or '37 Desoto bumpers?

1952 Silver Streak Clipper, 1954 Barndoor Type II and 1956 Oval Window sunroof all in one picture. Buried in Blackberries. I've wished ever since I'd moved the neighbor's utility trailer to take the pic.

At one point I had seven VWs but this was the peak.

Frank Lee · 03-29-2018, 03:36 AM

The pictured Stylemaster is sporting the wrong bumpers, rims, and stance but otherwise that's it. Don't know bumper source.

Ooooooo, that Clipper!

freebeard · 03-29-2018, 04:24 AM

The bumpers are one or the other. I used to be able to tell by counting the ribs.

I replaced 50% of the flooring and scabbed patches on 40% of the crossmembers, but the aluminum I got to re-side it wasn't tempered well enough and the wall collapsed. It never picked up steam again after that.

Very simple construction: A 5" steel spine with 6" steel channel crossmembers, each with a bolt into the deck on the end. Then an aluminum U-channel on it's back to make a bottom plate for the double wall. If I ever make a teardrop it will be much like that.

cRiPpLe_rOoStEr · 03-29-2018, 04:20 PM

I wish we could have the same ease to get grey-imports here in Brazil, especially the JDM stuff mentioned by the OP and that is all over the place in neighboring Paraguay. Well, the only thing I would not be so willing to do if I could get a JDM ride would be the RHD-to-LHD conversion that is mandatory in Paraguay and Bolivia.

Quote:

Originally Posted by rmay635703

The first vehicle I was allowed to drive was a 1982 diesel suburban

The first vehicle I was allowed (even though not legally because I was still a minor by then) was a Brazilian '98 Chevy-rebadged Opel Corsa. First Diesel was a Mitsubishi L200, IIRC that was a 2004.

Quote:

The first car I bought was a 1981 Comutacar, it was my daily driver for many years

Still didn't buy a car of my own, and nowadays I'm actually more inclined to pick a 125cc motorcycle because of the lower cost and possibility to park it inside my apartment instead of having to leave it on the street overnight. Some years ago my dad came with a Honda XLX 350R but I didn't enjoy it so much, only rode it twice in 3 years before it was handed out to an uncle of mine. Well, I assume that living in an apartment without a designated parking spot would pretty much rule out any electric car to become my daily-driver.

jcp123 · 03-29-2018, 07:03 PM

I'll list chronologically.

2000 Ford Focus ZTS. Not a bad little car, actually, but was having problems before 20,000mi.

'68 Mustang with a mild 302. Perhaps the second most reliable car I've ever had. I regret the modifications I added.

1992 Ford Bronco Eddie Bauer. Great, comfortable seats and the kind of old-school 4x4 they just don't make anymore. Was rare in having manual transfer case and hubs.

'99 Dodge conversion van. 5.9 Magnum and every 20-something's dream: a bed in the back and blinds on the windows. Plus a tv and vcr.

'06 Ford Focus SVT. Shoulda learned my lesson the first time...a neat little car which was too unreliable to live with. I might still have this one otherwise.

'67 Mustang convertible. My Pa and I restored this together when I was in high school. Pretty car and won over a dozen trophies. Sadly, it was markedly less reliable than my former Mustang.

'00 Toyota Echo. At first, I dreaded driving this car because my expectations were dismal. It quickly infected me with its plucky engine, soft ride, good space efficiency, and the fact that it was both efficient and the most reliable car over ever owned, even though it had had the living daylights beat out of it.

'97 Civic DX Coupe. I got rid of the Echo on a bit of a pretense, but I wanted/needed a beater car for the way I use cars. Really good mechanicals on this thing, but it's cramped and reliability isn't working out the way I wanted it to. Great efficiency though, and fun to drive.