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oldeskewltoy
oldeskewltoy UltraDork
10/18/16 12:23 p.m.

raising a family of 3 boys(2 with A.D.D.), my dad did his best to enjoy his cars...

His car loves were relatively simple... first was a Model A coupe?(w/rumble seat), it then matured a bit to late50's/early 60s pontoon Mercedes he had a 190 sedan. His very first new car... 1969 Volvo 164. He loved that car.... and it lasted less than 2 years when it was the middle car in a 3 car chain accident.... After the Volvo... he bought a 1976 Honda Accord CVCC coupe..., after the Honda came a Peugeot 505, and after the 505, came a Lexus ES300 (with a 5 speed!).

Since the Lexus there have been a Maxima, and now he rides in a Prius

alfadriver
alfadriver MegaDork
10/18/16 12:31 p.m.

New Giulietta Spider Veloce New Elan And New Vette.

All followed by a '74 Vega.... hm

I remember the Alfa as he sold it to my Grandpa and Uncle, I only hear stories of the Lotus (mom forgot the parking brake, and it ended up in a stream; Totally remember going to a friends house in the cubby in the Vette.

It's where I got the Alfisti bug.

For many years, I tried to find his Alfa- and actually found the very next one in the production sequence- great guy who owns it. But I suspect it's a pile of rust that turned into steel somewhere in Ohio. Bummer, given they are now selling for over $100k.

conesare2seconds
conesare2seconds HalfDork
10/18/16 12:35 p.m.

Dad was in the Army, stationed in Frankfurt from 66-69. Mom and dad came back to the states with me, a 1968 BMW 2002 in Sahara Beige, some bitchin' electronics and a house full of Danish Modern furnishings. The 2002 was pretty much this car, minus the headrests and aux driving lights. Getting parts and service for it in north Florida in the 70s was a hassle. The car lasted until 84 or so when it was totaled by a drunk driver while parked on the street in front of our house.

stuart in mn
stuart in mn UltimaDork
10/18/16 12:36 p.m.
Gary wrote: my father graduated from high school in 1928, and bought his first car in the thirties.

My dad graduated from high school in 1929, so we're kind of in the same position...based on the responses I'm as old or older than most of the dads here.

I remembered another car my dad told me about - in high school he had a Model T touring. He painted it red with a brush, and installed a trolley bell. He and his buddies would drive it around town on Friday nights after football games, ringing the bell and generally annoying the townsfolk.

914Driver
914Driver MegaDork
10/18/16 12:37 p.m.

The earliest one I recall is a '48 Chrysler Town & Country Vert, it had mushrooms growing behind the front wheels like you see on old trees.

Representative photo, same color.

The coolest in my book was the 1958 Mercury Voyager 9 passenger, no post, 4 door with a Lincoln 430, juke box drive and power windows. (uncommon then)

You see '57s and '59s all day, never 58s. I'd buy one.

markwemple
markwemple SuperDork
10/18/16 12:49 p.m.

We had a 61 bug eye that my dad used as a Daily Driver for several years

kanaric
kanaric Dork
10/18/16 1:09 p.m.

The last time my dad owned a cool car it was the 70s, it was a MGB. My dad owns either SUVs or very appliance orientated cars. He is very mechanically inclined but basically drives a car until it's no longer reasonable to keep fixing it.

Datsun310Guy
Datsun310Guy PowerDork
10/18/16 1:12 p.m.

My dad didn't like 4 door cars. His two favorites was his 1955 Oldsmobile 88 and his 2-door 1968 "98" 455 4-barrel rocket. The norm was 10mpg but when you floored it the sound was addictive. White with black top like the picture.

Four kids in back and one hanging in the front seat in a 1970's child seat and mom and dad in front.

outasite
outasite Reader
10/18/16 1:15 p.m.

My 2 sons could recall similar accounts of growing up with a car guy for a father. From owning many cars of all makes and sizes to going to races and car shows and riding in/learning to drive and having unusual dd cars in their early driving years. These experiences can be traced back to my father. Being a farmer, cars were nothing more than transportation to him. He was a staunch Ford man, much to my disappointment when I was a teenager. When I was about 14, he told me I could drive the 1928 Model A Sedan around the farm if I could get it running. Over the next month, a brother (4 years younger) and I learned what it takes to make an engine run (after sitting for 10 years) and the art of repairing tube tires. We drove it all summer in the fields until a rear main leak and school started. That experience set a life long interest and career in automobiles into motion. Retired, I still wrench on my cars and just bought a Tracker for a winter project. Not sure what Dad thought the first time I came home after the Air Force with a new "Pontiac" GTO convertible. After all, it wasn't a Ford.

That 1928 Model A was tracked down by my youngest sister(it was found fully disassembled in a garage) and is presently being transformed into a street rod by her and her husband.

Jerry
Jerry UltraDork
10/18/16 1:29 p.m.

He did, although we're not on great terms so I don't really have any good photos. I know he had a Corvair when I was born, went to a '71 Roadrunner brand new (that apparently I threw up all over the white interior in), traded that for a 74 Opel Manta during the fuel crisis. Added a Datsun 710 as a daily so he could rally the Opel (after he rolled it and mom said no more rallying the daily). Then some 81 Nissan something and I lost track after that...

Joe Gearin
Joe Gearin Associate Publisher
10/18/16 1:52 p.m.

My Dad was always into cool cars, which no doubt is why I've gone down the path I have. Some of my earliest memories were of my brother and I lifting the tarp in my Grandmother's garage....underneath was the drivetrain from my Dad's Jag XK150. Unfortunately, the engine and trans were sold off when she sold her home. He also has had:

60 MGA

70 VW Squareback

78 VW Scirocco

83 Toyota Supra

85 1/2 Toyota Supra

85 Golf GTI

88 Jetta GLI

90 Supra Turbo

94 BMW 325is

97 BMW M3 (which I still own)

2004 MINI Cooper S (just sold)

He's finally settled down a bit, and just bought a new Mazda 6. It's pretty tame compared to his previous cars, but it is a manual!

Chadeux
Chadeux HalfDork
10/18/16 1:56 p.m.

My dad had several normal big full size american cars that I think are cool now but weren't that special at the time (late 70s, early 80s). He also had a '69 Firebird with a 389 in it that was apparently fast. Then there was the CJ5 and the '88 Chevy dually with the 80s custom RV hauler treatment on it.

The 2 cool ones I know my mom had were a '79 Ramcharger, and an '89 Grand Wagoneer. Also notable I think are the big block El Camino that my uncle owned and my mother learned to drive in, and the 454 swapped '69 Camaro my aunt had.

Of course most of this was before I was born and I mostly remember a string of full size SUVs and extended/crew cab trucks.

Oh and I almost forgot the '79 Datsun 280ZX which has been sitting somewhere on whatever property we lived on since I was 5.

mad_machine
mad_machine GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
10/18/16 2:07 p.m.

My Father's Kadett looked a LOT like this.. except with only two bumper mounted fogs

He tells the fun story of driving it for a year here in the states with the Spanish plates on it.

docwyte
docwyte Dork
10/18/16 2:12 p.m.

My Dad had a 280Z, then an '85 Supra, than a '93 3000GT VR4. (I told him to buy the Mk4 Supra Turbo instead, dammit!)

Then he kinda settled down and got a '00 Audi A4, then his current RAV4.

I keep telling him he has one more sports car in him but he disagrees....

Derick Freese
Derick Freese UltraDork
10/18/16 2:15 p.m.

My dad wasn't, and still isn't, but my mom likes fast cars. She used to have a 70 Polara with a worked over 440. One story she tells about that car is how she drag raced every police and deputy cruiser and won. A couple years ago, one of my friends repeated the story to me from the point of view of one of the deputies that got beaten. He had heard it from one of his friends. You should have seen the look on his face when I called my mom and she told her side of the story to him, because he thought it sounded pretty farfetched, too.

So, my mom is a street racing legend in my town.

Karacticus
Karacticus GRM+ Memberand HalfDork
10/18/16 2:30 p.m.
alfadriver wrote: All followed by a '74 Vega.... hm

My father-in-law bought two Vegas.

At least he seemed to have raised his daughter OK.

Woody
Woody GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
10/18/16 2:51 p.m.

My father's first vehicular extravagance was a brand new loaded Plymouth Fury III with a 360-4V. He pretty much bought it the afternoon before the gas crisis.

XLR99
XLR99 GRM+ Memberand Dork
10/18/16 3:00 p.m.

My dad has had a few cool cars interspersed with the mundane. Cool stuff I can remember include a 56 Ford, 57 Chevy, and 61 Corvette, then a bunch of Saabs (two smokers and a V4 96) a Fiat, more Saabs, and Honda/Acuras. His first big project was this:

<img src="CORV8-12" />

Crown Corv-8 with a mech injected 327 corvette engine, which he built in ~68 or so. He was forced to get rid of it when I was two in 72 . He claims to have beaten 289 Cobras and pretty much any 'vette at autocrosses, which were called gymkhanas back in those days.

A Ford Capri with 1.6 Kent engine replaced the Corv-8, and he had a Fiat 128SL until it started dissolving in the rust belt. I actually found a picture of the 128 and the 79 Accord that replaced it!

<img src="1200dpislidesFiatHonda121 - Version 2" />

Fast forward several years, and he decided to get his own F500 car after he saw me having fun with mine. This KBS is a great car, and we both ended up getting a bunch of Tour trophies with it, but never made it to Topeka. May look familiar to the NER folks; I think this was from Hartford CT based on the taped on numbers.

<img src="DSC_0859" />

MadScientistMatt
MadScientistMatt PowerDork
10/18/16 3:02 p.m.

My dad owned a '64 Barracuda with the 273 small block and a '71 Dodge Charger with a 318. Apparently I came home from the hospital in the Charger, but they sold it about six months after I was born and went with a stream of practical cars.

Although lately my dad has owned two Jeep Cherokees (not at once) after concluding minivans did not make good off road vehicles. And they spend a lot of time off road.

SilverFleet
SilverFleet UberDork
10/18/16 3:22 p.m.

I don't have any actual pictures of anything he had, but my dad was (and still is) a gearhead. I got my sickness mostly from him and a few family friends who egged me on as well.

When he was younger, he had a few interesting cars:

1960 Ford Fairlane

My dad's had the stinkbug stance and one of those light-up cat 3rd brake lights from a JC Whitney catalog in the back window. Total late 60's high school kid car.

1966 Olds Cutlass Supreme 4 door hardtop:

His was red with a black vinyl top and had Olds SSI wheels with redline tires. It was a sleeper, too! It had a warmed over 330ci High Compression V8 backed by a Hurst shifted Muncie, but had a bench seat, for extra sleepiness. He used to street race the thing locally, and said it was surprisingly quick.

1969 Pontiac Lemans Sport

He later picked up a more tame car after his street racing sleeper days. His Lemans had a 350 H.O. and an automatic, and he only had it for a little while, because he said that it was "terrible in the winter". He liked it, but wishes he got a GTO instead.

After that, he went full Brougham for a while.

1970 Olds 98 Convertible

He got a good job in the early 70's, and wanted a really nice car to share with my mom. They found this Olds (just like the one in the pic), and it was a special order car with every factory option. This was the first car I remember taking a ride in, and the car I went home from the hospital in back in 1982. They got rid of it in 1987, and I was there when the tow truck came and took it away because the engine "seized" from sitting at a body shop after a fender bender. My mom cried. They still want this one back more than all of the others.

He also tried his hand at the "fuel efficient yet kinda sporty 70's Japanese car" game:

1975 Datsun 710:

He wanted to like this one. During the gas crunch in the 70's, he caved in and bought one of these (I think it was blue). He had a lot of problems with it, and later gave it to one of our neighbors whose daughter needed a car. Of course, after she got it, she had zero issues with it and drove it forever. He did like it a lot when it was working correctly, though. It was the first Nissan product my family bought, and they later went back and bought a 1996 Maxima and a 2014 Infiniti Q60, both of which they think pretty highly of.

He also liked his sporty trucks:

1983 Ford F150 Flareside:

His looked like the gray striped one, but was not an XLS. His was an XLT! It had running boards, white wagon wheels, cab lights, and similar red stripes and a red interior. His had the 300ci I6 and an automatic. This was the 1st car I remember going to a dealership to buy. He stupidly traded it in on a whim for a 1987 Dodge Dakota, which was a horrendous pile of suck. This was also the vehicle that taught me the term "it broke down", when the fuel pump quit in the middle of a rain storm on the way to my grandmother's house while my mom was driving. I got to walk the rest of the way there. I also learned the acronym Found On Road Dead that day.

1992 Ford F150 Flareside "Nite":

After he got sick and tired of replacing oil pumps in his 1987 Dodge Dakota (seriously, he went through three!!!) he began pining for that F150 he had, so when he saw this F150 sitting at a dealer up the street around 1994, he snagged it immediately. This one was really cool: 5.0 V8, 4x4, and the rare "Nite" appearance package, which consisted of a blue-to-purple side stripe, cool wheels, and blacked out everything. It did have a few issues (brake problems, ignition modules) but it was a big step up from the Dakota. It also served as my daily driver for a while in college. In the end, the rear leaf spring mounts rotted off, the cab corners were starting to go, and it needed a rear main seal, so he sold it for $500. I sorta wish I hung onto it. One of the best looking trucks ever IMHO, and he loved that thing.

Honorable mention: 1984-85 Ford Escort GT TURBO

This is a fun one. My dad wanted to give another stab to the sporty fuel efficient commuter car thing, so when he saw one of these at the dealer, he bought one new. His was black with orange and red stripes, and had a 5-speed manual. He broke down on the way home from the dealer. The cause? a bad fuel pump. But man, was it a looker! I thought it was the coolest car ever when I was a kid, and loved riding in it. It was the polar opposite of our other car at the time: that big green 1970 Olds 98. He only had it for a few years because it was unreliable. I would love to find one of these, especially with the phone dial wheels! They were rare then and practically nonexistent now.

I've been trying in recent years to get my dad, who is going to be 67 this year, to sell his 2003 Harley FLHTC 100th Anniversary Edition and get an old muscle car era convertible. I think both him and my mom would enjoy it better than riding on the bike, which he barely rides these days.

Blitzed306
Blitzed306 HalfDork
10/18/16 3:29 p.m.

Mom and dad had Nova's, one of which was a 69/70 big block car with an auto and side pipes which I burned my leg on regularly. Mom also had a 66 stang notch back and she also had a Fiat X 1/9 bertone which was my first car. I'll try and get the pics next time I am visiting her

dropstep
dropstep Dork
10/18/16 3:42 p.m.

The ones i can remember were the 67 gto's. One teal one white. The 73 nova he built for my mom that ran 10.30s and scared her. The big block vega i barely remember. A 56 chevy panel truck that seen several diffrent drivelines.

A few diffrent beetles, a pair of 80s rabbits (might be why i have a weird lust for them) the sandrail i learned too drive in and a 70 nova he owned not long ago! My aunt in MD still has photo albums full of the cars my dad built over the years. Alot of it i dont remember and some was before i was born.

iceracer
iceracer PowerDork
10/18/16 5:19 p.m.

1929 I think, Stutz sedan. I remember riding in the back seat all the way to Montauk Point and back. I don't remember many details

Not sure how many days it took. No interstates.

My dad was a Stutz dealer until they closed shop. '32 ? He became a Willys dealer in '37.

einy
einy Reader
10/18/16 5:51 p.m.

Let's see ..... more or less in the order he acquired these gems

1974 Vega, 1976 Chevette (to replace the rusted out Vega), 1958 Chev Biscayne 4 door, 1969 Mercedes 220D, 1984 Cutlass Cierra diesel, Late 80's Dodge Aries, Numerous large / used / none over $6k priced "late model" Buicks

I'd have to say "NOPE" to the original question .... (but I'm trying to make up for that stunted childhood I had !!)

Andy Neuman
Andy Neuman HalfDork
10/18/16 6:29 p.m.

Show offs!!! More like Ford Bronco, Suburban, Suburban, Suburban and I'll probably get him another Suburban after that.

I give all the credit to Gran Turismo, Need for Speed and Forza.

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