Cars & Motorbikes What was the first car you ever owned?

Geez, 25/54!? what'd you idle it at? 1500?? I ran 30/70 in mine, also with a 2.5" and twin 45 webbers. My dad and I were the only ones who could drive it without stalling...

 

It would bounce down to 800 then back to 1500 then down and up, like a barp barp barp, sounded like a little 12a .

A mate had the twin webbers, I had a single 1 3/4 SU to start with but it had a horrible flatspot so I upgraded to twin 1 1/4 and DAMN was it a power increase .

With the zorst that size, damn I loved the exhale as you put the clutch in to change gear

 

My first was a 1962, ten year old, Mini, bought for £100. Over the two years I kept it, I spent a fortune in parts, some necessary, some in the mistaken belief that I was improving it. My dad didn't drive and couldn't see why I needed a car so gave me no help, contrast with the Age a couple of weeks back telling parents not to let their kids buy old death traps.

 

Ford Escort with the Cosworth Motor. Paid 2k for it and just recently saw one sell at auction for 50K !! Wish I had of kept that one!

 

Holden Gemini, $1600. I let my girlfriend at the times friend have a crack at driving, she was unlicensed and she crashed it into a house.

I made some good life choices when I was younger

 

LX Torana, 4.2l auto in 1985 for around $3K.

 

Looks like I paid much more than you guys. In 1979 I paid $3000 for a 1972 Celica. Yes, It was an import. McGyver promptly repainted it and rebuilt the motor a few years later- it wasn't even his car. I have always assumed he married me for my car.

 

A good replica goes for 75k !!

 

1973 Holden LJ Torana with a 202. Bought for $1000 and sold for $1900, back in the 80's when inflation was high. Good power for the day, terrible brakes and tail happy in the wet. Good side window ventilation but a death trap in today's terms which surprises me that people are prepared to pay a fair bit of coin for one in nice condition these days.

 

A Holden EJ Ute. First made in 1962/3 I think.
I purchased it in 1977 and held onto it for 8 years as I needed a ute to carry around my work equipment, and I simply couldn't afford anything more update.
I'm guessing one in good order today would fetch good coin!

 

That they were...

 

I had a real Clubman GT as my first car (and second), same colour as this - but stripes were a bit faded.

Had so much fun in this car - My Grandad built me a massive front spoiler out of aluminium that had a slot cut out for the oil cooler at the front - wish I had some pics! I busted the rare hydrolastic suspension going way too fast over speed bumps and converted it to rubber cone, lowered by hacksawing the aluminium tubes they sat in. Ran a 45 DCOE webber carby and a 2.5 inch exhaust that used to hit stuff once it was lowered. Lots of fun, be worth a bit of coin now.

 

Nice and clean. Wouldn't mind a 240z as well.

 

My first (1971, UK) was a 1962 Mini, still with floor starter button. Cost me £100 ($200) and several times that over the next two years in non-stop repairs, both necessary and not. I was a sucker for anything going: now I would reason that if changing the carb needle to an AM would make the car go faster and use less fuel, they'd have put one in as standard. I should have bought something simpler like a Morris Minor or Austin A40, and would also have been much better off had my dad been prepared to help me out so that I wasn't confined to the rustbucket market.

 

Ford Escort. Total lemon. Never bought from a private dealer since then.

 

Toyota Starlet, tiny bubble car, but very reliable.

 

Mine was a Mini, too. 60s one. Nothing special. It cost me $60 from my uncle. Then for $320 I bought a Mini Cooper racing car wreck that had been totalled in a prang at Oran Park. I spent much of my final year of high school in the driveway transferring everything I could from the wreck to the first car. The resulting car only ran when it felt like it, but when it did it was very quick.

 

1980's Toyota Hilux, 2wd, 4 speed manual but it was a column shift so was interesting to learn in

 

1982 Ford Meteor - the Ghia edition with twin carb (you know, for extra fuel consumption)! I bought it from my sister in '94 I think.

I even had an officer suggest to me one day that I really shouldn't try to get away. My incredulous double take must have convinced him that I just did not see him, and pulled over as soon as I did, 'cause he downgraded the ticket and we had a good ol' chat about them having being used as police cars at some (very long ago!) point...

my second car was a 1984 ford meteor, also bought from my sister...

cheers,
Inertia.

 

LJ XU1 Torana bought second hand for 6k. Would have kept it but was a rust bucket