Children in disbelief.

[tangle tooth]

      We (my wife and I, some children and some grandchildren) were sitting around the table looking at actual pictures from even before my wife and I got married. It was brought to my attention that I had more pictures of cars and trucks I've had than of my then wife to be.
      They couldn't imagine metal dashboards, hand crank windows, an AM radio, or bench seats.
      I really got them going when I told them about starter switches and headlight dimmer switches being mounted on the floor. To them, it was inconceivable to put the gas tank in a pickup truck, in the cab behind the seat.
      I told them about how the front side windows had small "vents" to suck out the cigarette smoke.
      I showed them a picture of my old Rambler, the first car I owned that had an automatic transmission. I had a lot of pictures of my favorite car. A 1968 Dodge Dart GTS with a 383, 4 barrel and a 4 speed.
      Oh, the memories.

[LPS]

That sounds like good family fun. 

[KEN W]

The first car I ever bought on my own.....

A red 1968 Dodge Challenger with a black vinyl roof. Loved that car. Wish I still had it.

[Leech~~]

My first car at 16 in High school was a 66' fastback 289 high-performance 4 barrel Mustang, in powder blue.  The girls loved it.  Kind of suck cuz that was 100 years ago before the idiotnet and celly phones so I don't have a 1000 selfie's of me in it!  Hope I got a few picture's in a old shoe box somewhere? 

[mike89]

my first car I bought was a 1963 Chevy Impala rag top...    sweet ride!!!  sold it when I went into the Marines..  blue teal color.. .  oh well... 

[tangle tooth]

      That Dodge Dart was so much fun. That 383 could pass just about everything but a gas station. Actually, there were several cars I couldn't beat but those were modified by car guys. Much easier to do back in the early 70's. There was one little gal that had a little Duster (Plymouth?) with a 340 that just about beat everybody.
      In the mid 60's, my brother dated a gal whose dad was the leasing manager for the local Ford dealership. She was one of the first people to get a new Mustang every year.

[fishwidow]

58 Chev Impala. 348. Smooth ride and a really nice car, but everything leaked. Power steering leaked. Block had a crack in it and leaked. Master cylinder leaked. Gas tank leaked. Don’t remember a transmission or oil leak, but that might have been the case, too.

Also had a 40 Plymouth, a 54 Ford, and a beautiful 74 Monte Carlo. All nice cars, and several others. Wish I still had any one of them-even the leaky impala.

[markn]

“59” Impala with a 283. Wish I had it back too.

[LPS]

1955 Ford 150 step side with a 292 4 spd in it.  Then had 2 GTO's a 67 and a 69 Judge.

[glenn57]

a 66 buick wildcat.......it couldnt burn rubber with skins for tires!!!!!!

[tangle tooth]

      Just out of curiosity, did anyone here have or drive one of them Olds 442's with the Hurst Lightning Rod shifters? I think that's what they were called. I have only seen one but didn't get to drive it.

[Dotch]

Nope. Lotsa nice cars mentioned. Afraid I don't have much to brag about from my early years. Gotta remember that gas prices thanks to the oil embargo had taken off and the farm economy had started its downward spiral the late 70's and early 80's. Muscle cars were on their way out due to govt. regulations. No money to spend on frills. Started out with a Studebaker Lark VI in high school. Still have it. It's been in the resto process for many moons. Need to get that project going again. Went from that to my brother's '73 Vega GT. Horrid excuse for a car. Luckily it had a new engine in it. Decent mileage, comfortable to ride in but that was about it. Traded that off for a '74 Gremlin X. Tough engine and went forever on a tank of fuel.

[Bonus]

My dream car was my friends '70 AAR Cuda with a 340LA small block and 3 two barrel carbs.  It burned gas almost as fast as you could pump it into the tank.

[LPS]

Had a 1970 El Camino too.  Wish I had all of them yet.

[HD]

The first car I bought with my own money was a 1940 Studebaker 2 door coupe that was just a frame and body. I got a Ford flathead V8 that I rebuilt from a buddy that ran derby cars. I worked at the local trap range, and a team that shot there was a company that cut glass, they gifted me the split windshield and all the glass...then a gal that I was dating at the time, her sister's boyfriend worked at a body shop & him and I painted the car in a metal flake black gloss......man, this brings back memories.... and that car was a chick magnet!

[glenn57]

The first car I bought with my own money was a 1940 Studebaker 2 door coupe that was just a frame and body. I got a Ford flathead V8 that I rebuilt from a buddy that ran derby cars. I worked at the local trap range, and a team that shot there was a company that cut glass, they gifted me the split windshield and all the glass...then a gal that I was dating at the time, her sister's boyfriend worked at a body shop & him and I painted the car in a metal flake black gloss......man, this brings back memories.... and that car was a chick magnet!

good thing the car was ... you...awe never mind . don't wanna get booted!

[mike89]

first car my folks got me was a 54 chev, 6 banger with 3 on the tree...  stop at the gas station and fill the oil and check the gas!!! 

but it got me around for a fair while...   

[LPS]

I bought my own vehicles but my parents paid my insurance.  The family policy.  I think till I was about 18.

[Bobberineyes]

I spent an hour going thru old pics with lots to go ( talk about memory lane) but couldn't find em yet. Pop's bought me my first car a 77 cutlass 1,100 bucks if I remember right, was used 9 yrs old. Put headers on it, that car not only flew but sounded mean. Shortly after I saved up and bought a 69 superbee,  383 auto. Went thru a few sets of tires with that one. Got married had kids and had no choice when times were tough but she had to go, the car...lol. Anywho those big cars back in the day, can you imagine the punks nowadays parking those??

[Gunner55]

I bought my own vehicles but my parents paid my insurance.  The family policy.  I think till I was about 18.

My folks paid my insurance until I graduated too. I bought a '69 Dart in ~ 71 for $1500. It was a 340, 4 speed. That car almost got me in a lot of trouble.

[LPS]

Both GTO's got me in a lot of trouble.  A lot.   

[KEN W]

My folks paid my insurance to. We also paid for the car plus insurance and gas for my 3 daughters till they graduated from college.

[Steve-o]

Mine was a 71 Chevelle Malibu, and like Ken's, it had a black vinyl top that looked awesome when you rubbed it up with ArmorAll.  I was never a motor head and the 8 cyl 307 didn't get me into too much trouble.  It was no muscle car, but it had a lot of cool for a first car.

[roony]

I had a 65 impala 283. With its wide wheel base it had a knack for staying upright.

[Dotch]

I paid for everything once I got out of high school, vehicle, tires, insurance, service, gas, the whole ball of wax. The only time I didn't was when I'd come home for the weekend to help on the farm. I was told to fill up with gas out of the barrel before I went back to school. Cheap labor. One nice thing about the Gremlin: It had a 21 gallon tank! 🚗

[mike89]

yes I had the insurance paid by my folks too. till I got out of the service...   

[deadeye]

Like Leech~~, the first car I purchased (bought in the fall of 1968) was a 1965 Mustang which also had the 289 high-performance engine. I paid $1000 for the car. I sold it when I got married in the spring of 1970 because my bride had a 1966 Mustang with all leather pony interior. I was in the service at the time and had no need for two cars.

[Leech~~]

Like Leech~~, the first car I purchased (bought in the fall of 1968) was a 1965 Mustang which also had the 289 high-performance engine. I paid $1000 for the car. I sold it when I got married in the spring of 1970 because my bride had a 1966 Mustang with all leather pony interior. I was in the service at the time and had no need for two cars.

To bad we didn't know and just parked them until now. That would be some serious cash for hunting and fishing now! 

[LPS]

Man isn't that the truth.  They sell for 100's of thousands now.

[tangle tooth]

      I'm picturing a lot of nice cars here.
      I grew up in northern Indiana. It was about a 45 minute drive to the factory where the Studebakers were made in South Bend, IN. They later made the Avanti. I got to drive one of those.
      I wish I had kept a list of all the cars and trucks I've owned over the years. Pictures would have been nice, too. If I had only known. If I had been real smart and had lots of money and lots of garage space, I would have kept them all. Not very realistic, though.