What was your first car?

Hey, dne’ here! A monumental moment in life, getting your first car!  (I’m not talking new cars like today!!!)  It was a life changing event as it gave us freedom to roam the roads, become a little more independent, and become one with our first ride! For most, we took great pride even though it may have been a clunker, but I thought my 66 Plymouth Valiant was the most awesome thing! I washed it, waxed it, changed my own oil, learn how to un-stick the choke! 😉 Not everyone at school had a car, looking back, it was a privilege!

The 66 Valiant below is not mine, we didn’t have a camera phone to take a picture at every turn of our lives back then! After searching, I found this 4 door Valiant in beige~ pretty darned close to what I had!!;)

My 66 Plymouth Valiant had an automatic transmission, NO ac, NO power steering, No power brakes, but had chrome bumpers and an AM radio with the infamous Slant six, and I do remember mine having carpeted floor, so it had to have been the luxury model! 😉

My father bought a Valiant brand new in 1966 and he passed it onto to me when I was 16 y/o in 1970 ! It was still in pretty good shape by the time I was handed the keys and had a lot of life left in it. I drove it to school and picked up three other school mates along the 11 mile journey to high school.

I honestly don’t remember wearing a seat belt, there were lap belts in it, now I wear seat belts religiously!

Mine was an automatic, but how much more simple could a car be!? I did have an 8 track player under the seat and had one 8-track, the Beach Boys! The Valiant pictured here is a 3 on the tree.

Buying gasoline back in 1970 (10-11th grade) was more of a nuisance to get than gripe about the price. At usually between .17 and .24 cents a gallon, I could go to the beach and back on about 2 dollars. In a pinch, I could usually find some change on the floorboard to get a gallon or two! 😉

I’m not going to go into detail, but I have fond memories of this Classic car and find myself wishing I still had it. I don’t know if kids today get the same tingly feeling that I (we) had way back when. Most never learn what’s under the hood, or rarely even “pop-the-hood” to say, check the oil level?

There were no fancy features, no “check engine light”, most the time would could figure out what was wrong by using common sense, or a fella at our local Hi-Lo auto parts would give a listen!;)

I hope you enjoyed this brief glimpse into my past~ let me know what you drove, send me a picture of your first car and tell me a little bit about it and I’ll post it on this blog if you’d like!;)  I will only include your first name, what you wrote and a pic or two;)

Send to: Classicccarsandtools.com

The following pictures are from folks that want to take part~ I appreciate everyone and all the awesome cars/trucks from our past! Thank you all!;)

==================================================================================

This is from Bruce, he’s been following me for quite some time, Thank you Bruce for sharing some history of your family and the awesome cars you remember way back when!! 😉 Another thing to keep in mind, not everyone had pictures of “things” back then. I had a Polaroid Swinger!;)

Bruce wrote as follows:;)

My father had a 1960 Dodge Lancer and my mother had a 1962 Dodge Lancer. They were identical to the Plymouth Valiant of the same years. Did your’s have the push button automatic transmission and the slant 6 engine? If you had the slant 6 engine, you could still be driving it. I don’t think they ever wore out.

Bruce’s fathers had a 1960 Dodge Lancer, this is a googled image;) I love that car!!

What was really cool about these particular Classic’s, they had a push-button panel to put the car in gear!! Whereas my 66 Valiant had the on the column PRND!

And Bruce’s mom had a 1962 black Dodge Lancer, another googled image;) I’d look good driving that!;)

Bruce also added;)

I recall that my father traded in his blond 1957 Plymouth Fury (a massive car with huge tail fins) for the tiny (by comparison) Lancer. Actually I don’t know if he really traded in the Fury. That could have been a cover story. I know he loved it and raced it at a nearby track. Mother was not happy with his racing. One day the Fury didn’t come home and a wee black Lancer had taken it’s place.

Can you imagine having raced this cool machine! A 1957 Plymouth Fury!

OK~ Bruce got the ball rolling on First Cars! What did(do?) you have, or your parents, or your friend?

Write me at Classiccarsandtools@gmail.com

====================================================================================

Another CC&T follower wrote in, and lives right close by (Texas slang)!

Arne wrote, and I quote!;)

My first car was a Renault 4 F4 (850cc (51 cu.in.) 4 cyl. water cooled) from the early seventies (purchased for $50 when I was 17 and not allowed to drive yet). I bought it not running and never was able to fix the problem, so I sold it for $25 (never been too savvy of a business man) to a friend of a friend. By that time I was 18 and had a drivers license. I used my fathers car to tow it to the house of the new owner.

I found this little tid bit of info on the net: The Renault 4, also known as the 4L, is a hatchback economy car produced by the French automaker Renault between 1961 and 1994. It was the first front-wheel drive family car produced by Renault. I think that could be a fun vehicle~ with a really big engine that is! 😉

Arne, like me, loves motorcycles too! 😉

And my first bike was a DKW 50cc from the late sixties (purchased for $75 when I was 14 and again… not old enough to drive it legally). It ran great, had a three speed hand shifter and a top speed of 30 mph (35 downhill).

After doing a little searching on the DKW, they had some really fine looking bikes! Check em out!!

Thank you Arne!! I’m sure you have some stories and memories having ridden these for a moment in your life! 😉

=====================================================================================

Classic Cars and Tools was created in 2008 and reaches just about all over the world! Maybe someone from the far reaches of my little shop will write in!;) The dark pink represents the USA with the most hits and the lighter pink all the other countries!;)

=====================================================================================

Hey, Cliff wrote!!!!! 😉

“I don’t have a picture of my first car that i can post (just a couple of snapshots). it was a 1961 austin healey sprite (bugeye). had a great heater and side curtains you would attach with thumbscrews when you wanted windows. it was $500 in 1964. i replaced the rear window on the soft top (sun damaged) and put on recapped tires. hey, i was a high school student and not what you’d call affluent. i still love sports cars and now (at 72 years old) drive a miata with an lfx engine from a camaro.”

1961 AUSTIN-HEALEY SPRITE BUGEYE ROADSTER, thought not cliffs actual car, it’s a googled image and fine one at that!