People always assume when you have old cars, you bought them for a reason. I always wanted a toyota 4runner, then drifted into wanting a lexus LS400. Yet I always drove my tbird, camaro, van, etc, and people never understood my choice in cars. Well they werent really anything more than a oppurtunity that I took.
How "ADD" is your car collection?
My first car was my tbird, I aquired it from my uncle because he abandoned it in 1996. It was parked in front of my grandmas house for almost 2 years, which is when all the rust started. The transmission had a little bit of slip in overdrive so he just went out and bought a suburban and just forgot about it. My dad LOVED the car, so we took it to my house and parked it out back to prevent any further salt damage. 10 years later he gave it to me for my 16th birthday.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4/gizthegizzygizmo/img284.jpg)
Around the time I graduated high school, I was still mowing yards and making mad dough. My neighbor across the street always had this camaro out front that just sat. His son drove it through high school, upon joining the marines, he bought a 2000-ish SS camaro which sounded sick, so of course he forgot about the little 305 camaro.
Well here I am mowing his grass, and he is out there fiddeling with it (the dad) and made a joke about paying me with a car. I kept poking at him about it until he made an offer, which was to mow for the remainder of the season, and $500.
I've yet to see another (at the time i bought it) 63k mile camaro on craigslist, let alone under $2000.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4/gizthegizzygizmo/testcamaro.jpg)
Then came my astro van, I needed something to haul my photography equipment around. It was an ok buy at $800 bucks. Someone converted the 4.3 to a 350 so needless to say it sounded like a trailer park van. It was sweet but didnt have the elegance I needed as a wedding photographer, so I sold it for $950
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4/gizthegizzygizmo/IMG00012.jpg)
I drove that night to my aunts house, handed her that same $950 and bought her explorer. not bad for a '99 with under 100k.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4/gizthegizzygizmo/_DSC0004.jpg)
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4/gizthegizzygizmo/_DSC0009.jpg)
I recently aquired my dads van. its a 1977 he bought new. It sat out back next to the tbird, and was there since 98 or so.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e4/gizthegizzygizmo/IMG000742.jpg)
I'm going to practice welding on it/ make it nice. it will make him happy that we didnt take it to the s yard.
I'm trying to get his old toyota truck too, but he still has his claws deeeeeep in it haha.
Even though he hasnt driven it for 4 years or so, well hell, since I was in jr high...
So I just felt like using server space, and I know I enjoy reading stories as long as they have pictures so I figured i'd add to everyones content :)
Write back with your stories
I like to think there's some logic to my choices and I usually put some thought into my purchases.
When i bought my S10, I wanted a compact truck and preferred American brands so my only other chioce was the Ranger. The S10 had the better drivetrain IMO and I liked the styling better so that's what I ended up with.
I bought my Cougar because I wanted an older pony car and Cougars are quite a bit cheaper than Mustangs and Camaros. Its probably not my favorite pony car, but I still like it because its unique.
The only car where I specifiaclly set out to buy a particular model was the Mark VII. I looked for about eight months before I found the one. I liked it so much, I later bought an identical car with the SE package and moonroof.
The only car I own that I bought on a whim was a 1979 Malibu that I'm currently trying to sell.
I have a pretty short list. Technically, most of my first cars were my dad's. Cars I have purchased with my own money are.
87 v-6 cougar
87 v-6 cougar
87 v-8 thunderbird
87 v-8 thunderbird
88 5.0 crown vic
Technically the 98 neon should fall into that list, but I was married into it. It was the wifes car, I just paid for it.
I have the 1987 Thunderbird with the V-6 and a 1977 Toyota Celica GT Coupe.
Well i have had a few cars over the years.
82 Z28 that went from stock to 400SB 9inch ladder bar set up over a few years.
85 RS capri that stayed stock.
84 S10
87 Thunderbird. A honda Killed it.
83 Couger that i had for a few years that got smushed by a Jeep and wall.
I still have my 85 T bird but its a Big Block Big Tire car now :)
My one and only 1984 Ford Thunderbird Elan with the 302 :D
I got it for $300, my dad's friend originally bought it for the engine, but instead let it sit for 8 years at the edge of the yard he worked at. So, we went to see it, and after pouring some gas down the CFI, she fired right up. We did some minor brake work and got her home. Baking in the sun with woods on one side of her left the entire clear coat to completely disappear on one side and become flaky on the other. Over the course of maybe a year, saving all my money, selling nearly everything I own, I slowly got her running strong again. A huge list of parts and countless hours working on it.
My collection has been all Ford. I sold the 82 Cougar wagon in October but I still have the 86, 92, tbirds and the 92 Ranger and the wifes 08 Avenger.
I tried to think there was logic involved with my all the cars I have had or own and all I can come up with is that i am probably nuts. Heres my list which probably has 1 or 2 i've forgot but you will notice a theme,
67 T bird, 61 T bird, 72 T bird, 83 T bird, 73 Corvette, 62 Caddy, 64 Caddy, 78 Caddy, 59 T bird, 83 Buick(came with my wife), 89 Festiva(1st new car we bought),94 S-10, 93 Firebird, 95 Dodge, 64 T bird, 65 T bird, 97 T bird, 99 Mustang, 03 Exploder, 65 T bird, 65 T bird, 04 Jeep, 76 T Bird, 70 T bird, 80 T bird, 87 T bird, 83 T bird, 86 Cougar, 10 VW.
Jeesus, it'd take all night to type out the cars I've had. Just since April I sold a Saturn and bought a Chrysler 300, sold a T-Bird and bought a diesel Jetta, and sold a Cherokee and bought a Sonoma...
Oh man, I think I have pics of all but one or two of the cars my wife and I have owned (about 20.) Might be forgetting a couple but here we go...
1986 Cougar V6 - Wife's first car. Her dad bought it back in 1988 and gave it to her when she turned 14. No pic available at this moment...
1974 Caprice Classic - My first car. Originally had a turd of a 400 SBC. Replaced engine with built 350 from my 85 Z28 that my friend wrecked for me.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/caprice.jpg)
1985 Z28 - Originally a 305/5 speed car, I bought it with a built 350 and a 700R4
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/85Z28.jpg)
1987 IROC - 5.7 TPI and all the options except leather. Only car that I have crashed.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/IROCburnout2.jpg)
1995 Camaro 3.4 - Wife's car
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/driveway.jpg)
1999 Intrepid - Wife's car when she got tired of putting a car seat in a Camaro
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/DCP_0001.jpg)
2001 Intrepid - Just another car... Behind the SC
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/DSC00409.jpg)
1986 Cougar V8 - Bought in '99 to replace wife's V6 Cougar and because we needed a dependable car for our upcoming addition to the family. We still have this car, now with a turbo 2.3. Then and now.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/86%20Cougar/scan0001.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/99bb9f8b.jpg)
1999 Camaro V6 - Wife's car, traded an Intrepid for it.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/DSC00051.jpg)
1987 IROC - 5.7 TPI. Wife bought this car on a whim. She just called me and said I'm buying another Camaro."
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/DSC00227.jpg)
2001 Z28 convertible - Sunset Orange Metallic. This car was my precious (like the ring...) Had to get rid of it to afford a house for the family. Traded in for the Cobalt with a lower payment.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/DCP_0008.jpg)
1990 Caprice Estate - My parents had several of these when I was growing up and I always loved them, so I bought my own.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/DSC01467.jpg)
1987 Fiero - 2.5, 5 speed. Fun little car.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/rsz_0082.jpg)
1984 Cougar - Only had 40k on it. I got a good deal on it but never got used to the 83-84 styling and needed a truck.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/006-5.jpg)
1990 Thunderbird SC - This car was awesome! I had exhaust, IC fan, bigger jackshaft and smaller SC pulley. It moved pretty good. Very reliable too, I drove it from TX, through KS, to Las Vegas without any problems. Sold to buy a minivan so my wife could carpool to work.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/SC/IMG_0877.jpg)
1997 Silhouette - Only had it a couple of months. I loved it but it was a pain in the ass to work on and it broke down as we were leaving for one of our Kansas roadtrips. Should have kept the SC.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/SC/IMG_1078.jpg)
2005 Cobalt LS - 2.2, 5 speed. Good little car. Good mileage, decent power, nice looks, great stereo. Traded for Vibe.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/DSC00305.jpg)
1987 Thunderbird TC - Bought as a parts car to swap the 5 speed and rear into my 86 Cougar but I couldn't bring myself to kill it so I fixed it up and drive it.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/756cf72f.jpg)
1996 F150 - Looked for quite a while for a truck like this. I wanted V8, automatic, bucket seats, and 4WD. Only thing this truck doesn't have that I wanted was the Eddie Bauer package. Found this truck in Utah and drove up to get it. Has 175k on it and drives great. My daily driver.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/004-4.jpg)
2009 Vibe GT - Wife's daily driver. Traded the Cobalt in on this because our son was just getting too tall to be comfortable in the back seat of the Cobalt.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/002.jpg)
1986 XR7 - Parts car. Bought wrecked. It donated the drivetrain and interior to my 86 Cougar. Was stolen from my house!
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/86%20Cougar/DSC00591.jpg)
1979 Firebird - Father son project. Looked decent on the outside but serious rust issues so we sold it.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v648/Loaded87IROC/IMG_0827.jpg)
87 Ranger with race built 2.3L, 84 FS Blazer-350, 84 S10 Blazer with comaro 3.1 motor, 86 Tempo 2.3 HSC, 86 FS Bronco 5.0, 91 Mustang 2.3 auto, 89 Mustang 2.3 5SPD, 01 Ranger Edge 4.0 SOHC, 96 Explorer 4.0 OHV and my baby the 88 Cougar which is the only one I still have.
These are the only ones I have pictures of
87 Ranger
(http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/535903/fullsize/my-ranger.jpg)
01 Ranger
(http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/595038/fullsize/picture-001.jpg)
My girl 88 Cougar
(http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/595041/fullsize/picture-004.jpg)
89 Mustang
(http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/713902/fullsize/cars-002.jpg)
86 Bronco
(http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/667906/fullsize/hill-climb2.jpg)
What's ADD???
(http://members.pen 15s.net/turbocoupe50/5birds.jpg)
And if you ever want to sell it, lemme know.
That's very nice.
Wow Tom ! You got me out-numbered with the intercoolers...LOL
We currently have 11 vehicles and at least once a week I ask myself: "WTF is my problem? What am I going to do with 5 Birds and 3 Mustangs ?"
LOL
(http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s3/83-88T-BirdGuy/picsNov142010010.jpg)
(http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s3/83-88T-BirdGuy/picsOct302010017.jpg)
(http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s3/83-88T-BirdGuy/Blue91Couperfshot.jpg)
(http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s3/83-88T-BirdGuy/4eyeBirdsattrackall3.jpg)
(http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s3/83-88T-BirdGuy/Black84Crewcab.jpg)
(http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s3/83-88T-BirdGuy/PicswithFuji077.jpg)
I am almost right there with Tom.. I have 4 TC's
wow, I always wanted to have a fleet of matching tbirds... Id have to finish the one I have first though haha
some very nice cars in here.
I can't figure out how to post pictures, so here's the link to my Toyota page:
http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2119839/1977-toyota-celica
ok this will be a few lol but i've had 14 vehicles in all but now im down to 2 dailys and a show truck lol.
1st is a '78 camaro 1st car when i turned 13
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/CntryBoy_bucket/4591600001_large.jpg)
2nd was my '91 s10 had a built 4.3 ran it on 75hp shot of nos on the weekends until the engine let go lol
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/CntryBoy_bucket/785.jpg)
3rd was a grand marquis i dont recall the yr had a 5.0 and only 25k miles when bought, traded in on a new car.
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/CntryBoy_bucket/527321.jpg)
4th a '07 suzuki reno only had 2 miles when i got it off the show room floor, was a 4cy with a 5spd and i put a lil over 3k worth of audio. Was stolen and stripped :(
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/CntryBoy_bucket/reno.jpg)
5th was this isuzu pup i bought when i went to live with a friend in IL, was cheap and good on gas, already rusty so the snow didn't bother me.
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/CntryBoy_bucket/Isuzu%20Pup/100_6453.jpg)
6th was a '85 s10 with a built GMPP crate 3.4 was one bad little truck kind of wish i still had it.
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/CntryBoy_bucket/My%20new%20s10/003.jpg)
7th vehicle i had was a bagged nissan 720, man this truck was fun but i got out of the mini truck game.
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/CntryBoy_bucket/d21/l_960f6292e4ff407a8ebe5760db8a3387.jpg)
8th was a '96 gmc sierra this was my pulling rig until i let mom drive it, and somehow she blew the engine up go figure lol
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/CntryBoy_bucket/96sierra.jpg)
9th i got this gmc high sierra and put in a vortec crate 350 with a t350 trans had alotta fun in this truck.
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/CntryBoy_bucket/highsierra.jpg)
10th i bought this 4dr s10 blazer cause 1, i needed room for the family and 2 it was lifted and 4wd so i could still take it in the woods.
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/CntryBoy_bucket/2400.jpg)
11th was this beat up s10 just bought so i could beat the hell out of it offroad, also was used as a 1st responder for winterville FD had all the lights and sirens.
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/CntryBoy_bucket/The%20Bruiser/thebruiser002.jpg)
12th is the 88 t-bird and yall know it lol
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/CntryBoy_bucket/88%20T-Bird/130319976ZffIf2GBDSC_3703Large.jpg)
13th is a grandprix i bought for cheap at it gets used as a daily
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/CntryBoy_bucket/prix.jpg)
And this one is my baby, its a '69 c10 me and dad built from the ground up only gets driven to shows but can be driven anywhere.
(http://i169.photobucket.com/albums/u231/CntryBoy_bucket/My%20new%20s10/1941%20chevy%20street%20rod/1969%20chevy%20c10/l_e1c6b59d58a84397bf86f6c3b9bda3eb.jpg)
soo yea thats all my toys im only down to my bird,grandprix and the '69 now but im always buyin somethin:mullet: