|
Drive!
Apr 4, 2015 22:45:01 GMT
Post by peggs on Apr 4, 2015 22:45:01 GMT
I just read the news about the dismantling of the Top Gear set and pretty much the teardown of the entire show. I quite liked that program; Clarkson, May and Hammond (and The Stig) looked like they were having fun. In honor of the show and autos in general, what was your first automobile? Or a memorable vehicle in your life? If you don't drive or have never owned a auto, is there one that stands out as your dream vehicle? My first car was a 1967 Jeep Wagoneer (not the one pictured). It was green, didn’t have too much rust on it and had ‘3 on the tree’ (manual shift on the steering column). It hauled seven people comfortably, innertubes of various sizes, coolers of beverages and Bernie the St. Bernard to the lake on many occasions (a good party vehicle too - lots of shrubbery involved). If I remember correctly, I paid $300 for it in 1975.
|
|
|
Drive!
Apr 4, 2015 23:35:08 GMT
via mobile
Post by donavan on Apr 4, 2015 23:35:08 GMT
Top Gear is a disgrace and deserves to die. Three unfunny wankers who have passed their sell by dates. Go away, not that funny in the first instance, simply boring now.
First car I drove legally, VW Polo.
Loved it.
|
|
|
Drive!
Apr 5, 2015 0:35:30 GMT
Post by peggs on Apr 5, 2015 0:35:30 GMT
Point taken, donavan. The trio's (mostly Clarkson's?) behavior, as un-PC as it is, is something not tolerated on mainstream American television. That's part of the appeal on this side of the pond; at least it is for me.
|
|
|
Drive!
Apr 5, 2015 5:00:14 GMT
Post by Nonsuch Ned on Apr 5, 2015 5:00:14 GMT
Between family cars and others I drove I was widely experienced with beaters from the mid-80's Chevy Colt, Dodge Diplomat (cop car), Ford Festiva, Pontiac Safari Station Wagon. Those were the cars I learned on. The first car that was "mine," as in I was somewhat responsible for getting it (weird story in which I basically got it in trade for bailing someone out of jail) and was the almost exclusive driver, was a fantastically weird one. A 1986 Nisaan Stanza WagonI had it around 1998 (and it lasted only about a year before the starter went and was judged not worth fixing. It had an actual 2x4 installed in place of one of the rear shocks... a plank of wood. You felt every bump and wind blew through the door gaps. It was a POS... but somehow I still loved it. Before the starter went, it actually ran pretty reliably, had a little pep and was the first tall car/truck I've ever driven... now called a crossover and my preferred vehicle type, especially a compact model like that one. Top heavy though, very nearly tipped it speeding on a back lot (former Air Force grounds) with loose gravel. Then I had an 85(?) Crown Victoria which I nicknamed for the TMBG song "Boat of Car"- horrible huge white thing. 87 Buick Century. Not bad, had some style, didn't last long though. My favorite early beater though was my 87(?) Honda Accord HatchbackNo power steering, a tricky stick, and a "scar" that ran from its headlight up to it's roof. Presumably some sort of pole fell on it before I bought it (for about $300 IIRC). I do love my small cars, they handle so well, you feel all close to the road, and this car just screamed personality. I made such a mistake when I moved to Milwaukee and traded it with my parents for another compact beater- a mid-80's Dodge Omni. I hated that car, worst stick shift I ever used. Reverse was placed "under" first gear, so if you pressed too hard while starting it, you went backwards instead of forwards. Great fun at stoplights.
|
|
|
Post by donavan on Apr 5, 2015 8:57:00 GMT
Point taken, donavan. The trio's (mostly Clarkson's?) behavior, as un-PC as it is, is something not tolerated on mainstream American television. That's part of the appeal on this side of the pond; at least it is for me. Maybe I was a bit harsh. They can be funny at times, it's just the joke is wearing a bit thin. And sliding around corners in cars we could never afford has limited appeal. Funnily enough an episode I did enjoy was one from this latest series before it got pulled. But I think I can live without it. Only watched it because my teenage son did and even he's had enough of it. My dad had a Zephyr 4, which I thought was so cool.
|
|
|
Drive!
Apr 5, 2015 9:36:05 GMT
Post by chrisb on Apr 5, 2015 9:36:05 GMT
I bought my first car in 2004, a metallic blue Nissan Almera 1.4si, quite toe-y given it's size. My current machine is a 2.5 Mitsubishi L200 4-work pick up 4x4. I can't stand Clarkson and Hammond but I must admit I liked the episode where they were test-driving tractors and trying to get the slowest ever lap time. Also the Claas combine/snowplough episode was funny too.
|
|
|
Drive!
Apr 5, 2015 11:28:04 GMT
Post by peggs on Apr 5, 2015 11:28:04 GMT
Ned, the 2x4 as a shock is great! What a ride that must have been. I had a '68(?) Buick Wildcat for a short time with rear frame damage; the back end of the car was held in place by metal strapping and stove bolts.
|
|
|
Post by Suzi on Apr 5, 2015 12:00:06 GMT
I know you asked for the car we first bought.... but ..... my Dad bought this Datsun 240z from a buddy of his. My Mum flipped out and called it a mid-life crisis. Funny thing was I just about fainted dead away when he brought this home. Stranger still? The guy barely even drove it. It basically was my car. Growing up in a small town, I was known as " the girl with the car." I loved that thing; me and that car were tight !!! But it was fleeting and my Mum made him get rid of it that next spring. I. Was. Crushed. This is a pretty good pic of it (not mine; googled) but it was this same colour. So far as Top Gear, I used to watch it a lot. Clarkson, May and Hammond were entertaining for a time. Jeremy Clarkson's ego was bound to catch up with him and now has. Actually, I found The Stig more interesting to watch then the other three.
|
|
|
Drive!
Apr 5, 2015 12:20:01 GMT
Post by Suzi on Apr 5, 2015 12:20:01 GMT
Actually, Ned ... I have a question. Did your Honda Accord have a manual choke? I'm curious because right when I learned to drive, my Dad had bought a 1979 Honda Accord Hatchback and it had a manual choke which I found a pain in the ass. Loved the car .... great pick up and smooth gear changes. In my house, you either learned to drive a manual or you didn't drive.
|
|
|
Post by peggs on Apr 5, 2015 16:25:36 GMT
Wow, Suzi, that Datsun is an awesome car. Lucky you for getting to drive it. The family car that eventually became mine was a 1966 Buick LeSabre convertible. I loved that car; rust and dents and all. It's been long gone from my life but I still miss it sometimes. I do still have the original keys though. This car was the one after the Wagoneer. A 1967 Ford Falcon. What a sweet little car. I wish I still had this one. When looking for web images I learned that the car wasn't that popular in the US but took Australia by storm. This image is of the Aussie model.
|
|
|
Drive!
Apr 5, 2015 17:17:55 GMT
Post by Nonsuch Ned on Apr 5, 2015 17:17:55 GMT
No manual choke on the Accord Hatchback.
Really, that car should be a classic but for some reason that model wasn't too popular. Everyone is familiar with the boxy Accord sedan and the tiny Civic hatches, but I've never seen much Accord LXI Hatchback love.
|
|
|
Drive!
Apr 5, 2015 17:32:13 GMT
Post by chrisb on Apr 5, 2015 17:32:13 GMT
This car was the one after the Wagoneer. A 1967 Ford Falcon. What a sweet little car. I wish I still had this one. When looking for web images I learned that the car wasn't that popular in the US but took Australia by storm. This image is of the Aussie model. Ford Falcon, a proper Mad Max car! Although the various Aussie Falcons used in the first two films were later models made between 1973 and 1976.
|
|
|
Drive!
Apr 5, 2015 17:59:15 GMT
Post by Suzi on Apr 5, 2015 17:59:15 GMT
Wow, Suzi, that Datsun is an awesome car. Lucky you for getting to drive it. Yes, but it was fleeting. Just one season from April until about the beginning of November and my Dad stored it for the winter and sold it in the spring. Me; all of 19 years old getting to fly around town in that was great. Memories !!! This is what he replaced it with. A Nissan Pulsar. Tinny, boxy... felt like you were going to fly off the road in the least little bit of wind. I hated that thing. It was a great way to make me fall back down to earth. My Dad's was black with silver accents. A huge piece of junk ... avoid at all costs !!
|
|
|
Drive!
Apr 5, 2015 22:05:03 GMT
Post by cicadashell on Apr 5, 2015 22:05:03 GMT
Actually, Ned ... I have a question. Did your Honda Accord have a manual choke? I'm curious because right when I learned to drive, my Dad had bought a 1979 Honda Accord Hatchback and it had a manual choke which I found a pain in the ass. Loved the car .... great pick up and smooth gear changes. In my house, you either learned to drive a manual or you didn't drive. :P my first car was a 1973 honda civic with a manual choke. the previous owners had hand-painted it yellow and put in dark blue shag carpeting. it was truly charming. the shock towers were rusted and one day i took a railroad crossing a bit too fast, and the left strut broke through and was just waving around under the hood. i thought the car was done for, but an enterprising friend rebuilt the area using, if i recall correctly, part of an old vw bug roof. i got another year or so out of it after that. pictures of this car exist somewhere, i may have to dig them up.
|
|
|
Drive!
Apr 6, 2015 19:27:57 GMT
Post by peggs on Apr 6, 2015 19:27:57 GMT
Cicadashell, I hope you find a photo of that Civic; it sounds delightful. This trip down memory lane is fun. Finding images of past cars has brought back some fond memories - life was so much simpler then. This is a picture of a car I had no business whatsoever owning. But it was a beautiful machine and my male friends were always asking to drive it (race it more like it). A 1970 Mercury Cyclone GT. Mine didn't have a rear spoiler and was cosmetically in much better shape but the same colour. I drove this from '79-81 or 82. Hearing songs from Saturday Night Fever reminds me of this car.
|
|