The Energon Pub

I like cars, so I thought this would be a fun discussion. What was or is your first car? Or if you're younger like myself, what are you banking on being your first car? (It's your choice if you want to be realistic or in fantasy)

I'm personally hoping for a 1989-1991 Dodge Daytona.

Post pictures of the actual car or pictures of the same car model if you'd like!

First car I got was a 1987 Mitsubishi Magna. Complete and utter pile of ****.
I paid $5000 for it. Within a few months I ended up with a blocked radiator hose. Had plenty of water, it just wasn't getting through.

Cracked engine head ... $2500.
Then the air-con unit cracked up.
Various other repairs ... basically $200 a month it felt like. It also had a tendency to break down when I was out on the highway.

I then found at a garage sale of a deceased estate an unregistered 1987 Holden VL Commodore (Google it). Paid $2500 for it and spent about another $1500 getting it road worthy and registered.

Great car to drive, also had a tendency to break down but was courteous enough to do it within town limits. I also learnt how to do a lot of work on it myself (not very mechnically minded) because it was a pretty simple car.

While I was driving it my father ran the Magna into the ground and we gave it away to some kid who eventually wrote it off.

Back to the Commodore ... air-con unit blew up on it as well, didn't care though. I ended up writing it off in a moment of complete and utter stupidity.

After that I was without a car for a while until my father bought my sister a new car (with the excuse "she's just had a new baby, she needs a decent car") so I got a hand me down 1988 Ford Laser. It had rust, it had holes, and you couldn't take it through the car wash without a bucket inside, but you never had to service it and it just kept going!

Eventually though I knew I needed to get a new car and at this stage I was in a new job earning more money so I had some saved up, then with help from my father (he bought my sister a car, he could at least donate to mine!) and the bank I got a second hand former hire car in the form of a 2007 Toyota Camry which I still drive and comes complete with personalised Homer Simpson numberplates and a nice 'Con sticker on the bumper.

I knew you'd have a fun story to tell.

Yeah, I think the Magna is a pile of crap no matter what shape it is or what version it is. It's never been a remotely attractive vehicle.
Ah, a Holden Commodore eh? I'm already very familiar with it. Well, it was ugly until the VX started to change things. The VL was looong before GM decided to make it cool. Still, it's probably one of the better cars out of the first three you listed.
And the Laser...which lived in America as the very similar Escort. Nowhere near being legendary, but not really the worst car either.

I'm very biased about Toyotas. I think the Camry is one of the ugliest cars on the road, and always has been. But hey, it's a huge improvement from the others on your list.

I'm still waiting for GM to export the VE Commodore again to the US, but they can't decide if they're going to do it or not. It lasted 2 years as the Pontiac G8, which is arguably one of the best cars they've sold here in years. Ideally, that would be my first car, but $22,000.00 minimum is a little steep for a used car.

I actually prefer the 80's shape of the Commodore's to the current rounded shapes. Love the old boxy looks.

Technically the Commodore is exported to the US, it's the basis of the Camaro.

And I stuffed up, it's a Corolla not a Camry. Close enough though.

Burn wrote:I actually prefer the 80's shape of the Commodore's to the current rounded shapes. Love the old boxy looks.

Technically the Commodore is exported to the US, it's the basis of the Camaro.

And I stuffed up, it's a Corolla not a Camry. Close enough though.

Yeah, I know. They're all on the RWD Zeta platform, but I personally like the look of the Commodore. The Camaro and the Commodore really only share the drivetrain and to some extent the chassis design. Don't get me wrong, I adore Camaros, but I like the feel of the Commodore a bit better. The Camaro is comfy, powerful, and has a great retro/modern design , but your head pretty much hits the ceiling and you can barely see over the dashboard. It's aesthetically nice inside and out, but it has it's "wtf?" features. One of these days I'll buy one though, and I'll build it into a ROTF Bumblebee replica.
However, GM says they're exploring the possibility of the Commodore sedan, Ute, and Sportwagon for the US as Chevrolets, and we're getting the Caprice as a police vehicle only. Too bad they scrapped the Coupe 60 concept though. Would've been a good Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

And yes, the Corolla's just as ugly as the Camry, but smaller.

A 1995 Ford Escort.

Complete with cigarette burns on the upholstery.

The exhaust was completely rusted out, so it sounded pretty ricey. The sound was beyond embarrassing...

I've had 11 cars in the last 13 years.

But since you asked only about my first one, it was a 1984 Chrysler LeBaron. Bought it for $400 from a "friend." It was actually not a bad ride. Good engine, good wheels, mechanically reliable except for the transmission leak. I used to put a quart (1 liter) of fluid in it every other day. **** got expensive...but anyway, it was supposed to be black, but the paint job was so scuffed up it could have passed for gray. The inside electronics didn't work, no radio, power windows, locks, nothing. Just the shifter, the speedometer and the steering wheel. But it had a moon roof!

I owned that car for 3 months, before the gas hose completely tore off the tank one day on my way to work, so i just had it scrapped. But i had some fun times and near-death experiences in that thing. Just like a first car should be.

A green 2002 Fiat Punto, originally nicknamed "the Hulk". Had it for the past couple of years and a very reliable car. Worryingly, the engine does have a tendency to start blowing every few months, but that might be more to do with my general disregard for speed bumps than anything quintessentially wrong with the car.

My first car was a 1992 Dodge Shadow.
Loved that thing.

My 1st car was a 1994 Firebird. I loved that car!! Won a few shows with it too. Totaled it when I was 21 and got a '95 Formula. Now that was a fun car!!

Starscream's Girl wrote:My 1st car was a 1994 Firebird. I loved that car!! Won a few shows with it too. Totaled it when I was 21 and got a '95 Formula. Now that was a fun car!!

You gotta love Firebirds. Sad that it got killed off.
A few years ago, my dad bought a 2002 Firebird Trans-Am WS6, the high performance Ram-Air model. It had a six speed manual, black leather interior, and was the midnight blue color. THAT was a great car. But he had to sell it after the old Jetta broke down so he could buy a second family car again.
And since Rodimus Prime brought it up, we can discuss our life's car stories too, I'd personally like to hear about the 11 cars in 13 years.

2008 Lamborghini Reventon.

Nah, it will be either a 2005 Chevy Colorado or something newer.

Mine was a 94-96 Subaru Loyale. Bit of a beater, but as luck would have it, when I stalled at a stop sign, some big bruiser in a truck that was twice my size pulled up beside me and then said "Hey, you want some parts for that?" Turns out he had a non-functioning one that he was going to tow away. So he sold it to me and a buddy who also had a subaru loyale and we scavenged the heck out of it.

Had it for 4 years before selling it off. Good car indeed, made me consider buying another Subaru next time I'm in need of an auto-mobile

First car was a 1979 Ford LTD II. What a hunk of crap. leaked oil and tranny fluid so bad I wasn't allowed to park on friends' parents' paved driveways. That thing was super fun though. Got it for $300 and drove it for a year and had tons of adventures in it. It was the same car as the police cars in the first Rambo movie, First Blood.

OptiMagnus wrote:And since Rodimus Prime brought it up, we can discuss our life's car stories too, I'd personally like to hear about the 11 cars in 13 years.

OK, you asked...

1984 black Chrysler LeBaron: January 1999 to April 1999 - died
1986 blue Chevy S-10: April 1999 to September 1999 - wrecked on the way to school
1996 white Ford Escort: September 1999 to January 2003 - wrecked in not-my-fault accident
1991 blue Chevy S-10: November 2002 to March 2004 - sold it, and have regretted it since
1992 blue Ford Crown Victoria: February 2003 to January 2004 - sold it
1988 red Chevy Cavalier: January 2004 to February 2004 - sold it
1990 blue Lincoln Town Car: March 2004 to March 2007 - traded it in
1999 green Oldsmobile Alero: March 2007 to August 2010 - broke down; donated it
1982 blue Chevy Camaro: January 2008 to April 2009 - engine blew up
1997 black Chevy Camaro: August 2009 to now - engine locked up, trying to decide to fix or sell

And I made a mistake there were only 10 cars.

The American insurance system must be great in order for first time drivers to own such awesome cars, unless you're all super rich.

My poopy little one litre Punto cost me £1200 to buy from a garage and the insurance was pretty much the same again. Not very nice for a fresh out of school graduate.

I don't have my license quite yet (hope to soon, though), and when I do, I'm not likely to have a car for a while. My parents probably won't be buying me one, or even helping me get one. I doubt I'll have a very nice car, but I'll hopefully be able to get something that isn't complete crap.

Blast Cannon wrote:The American insurance system must be great in order for first time drivers to own such awesome cars, unless you're all super rich.

I assure you, it isn't.

I currently drive a Pontiac G5 GT. My monthly insurance bill is similar to one payment on the car itself. I've been driving for close to 7 years, with no accidents or major infractions.

I have a forest green, jacked up (redneck-style) '98 Jeep Wrangler. It has a soft-top, but it needs a new one. Sadly, the radio got wet and doesn't work anymore... so no more blasting my Boston CDs...

Praxus Prime wrote:I have a forest green, jacked up (redneck-style) '98 Jeep Wrangler. It has a soft-top, but it needs a new one. Sadly, the radio got wet and doesn't work anymore... so no more blasting my Boston CDs...

I drove a 2001 TJ for a few years before my G5. Loved that jeep to death!

The things was a pig for gas though! I could barely afford to run that beast!

Jesterhead wrote:

Praxus Prime wrote:I have a forest green, jacked up (redneck-style) '98 Jeep Wrangler. It has a soft-top, but it needs a new one. Sadly, the radio got wet and doesn't work anymore... so no more blasting my Boston CDs...

I drove a 2001 TJ for a few years before my G5. Loved that jeep to death!

The things was a pig for gas though! I could barely afford to run that beast!

Yeah, that's one of the reasons I really don't drive it a whole lot. For the most part, I drive my parents' '04 Grand Cherokee.

1984 Camaro

Purchased for $200 from my Dad's friend in '91. Was stolen and recovered, then sat in the guy's driveway for a few years. Needed a battery, tires, oil change/tune-up, and a steering column. Ran good for a while, then encountered all manner of issues, one after another. Had it for about 5 yrs.

The most sublime hunk of scrap that I've ever owned.

What I really miss was that it only took $18 to fill up an 18 gallon tank...

My 1st was an '83 Plymouth Horizon. It was small enough & lightweight so it would only take myself & maybe 2 other friends to pick it up & move it if mine was in the way or parked cockeyed! On the brighter side, it would only take about $5-7 to fill the tank in '96/97 when gas was still fluctuating between the 'ever-so-high" 73 cents to 0.95/gallon. It was a POS car indeed though. My uncle GAVE it to me to get it out of his driveway then put on the title I paid him $11 for it. Their was no floorboard so another uncle put in a fiberglass floor for me. I had to buy a battery for it because it didn't have on in it. Had a gas leak that I didn't get fixed for a month and a half then 3 weeks later the clutch went out. The shop I left it with was SO FAR BEHIND I didn't get it back for 2 1/2 months! When I fixed the muffler the following year, it had that hard engine "ROAR" that others in fancier cars were paying to have. The gear linkage broke through via rust a few months later then a month after that, a lady going 53 in a 30 ran a 4way stop & collided with my front end, thus ending the Horizon's run of awesomeness!!! It was sad & I still have the shoulder pains from my seatbelt pulling extratight so fast. Poor fella!!! I miss that car!

first car was a 1970 Chevelle

but i wrecked it

my most reliable car was probably either my 85 nissan 4x4 or my 89 ford thunderbird