OT: Parents cars and why you hated/liked them

[Hurst2112]

The fav car thread gave me the idea to discuss what cars our parents had. I remember my dad always buying beater cars cause we could never afford new ones.

My favorite one they had was a late 70's Ford Torino. Yep, it WAS painted EXACTLY like the Starsky and Hutch car. It was almost an exact clone of the car. I will have to find some pictures. My parents got it in 80 when they got married. I remember going with my dad to get it, thinking I was the coolest kid. My mom hated it, which is why they eventually sold it.

I also liked my dad's purchase of an early 80's maroon Buik Electra 225. That thing was huge. It was the kind of car you could take on the highway and get it going about 100 and watch the gas guage drop. It rode really smooth.

We also had our share of AMC products (Wisconsin native...hehe)

Hornet, Gremlin (2 of them)

We had a Duster as well. 78 Impala, 79 Horizon and a VW bug. This was the model that had the mock rolls royce grill. We ended up painting it camo and making it into a dune buggy.

Oh, and then there are the various rusted out trucks and vans that my dad had. When you are in junior high, there is nothing more embarrassing than having your dad pick you up from the roller rink in an 82 Ford Econoline...hehe.

[Ksyrup]

Two cars standout in my mind:

1. My dad's 1987 Fiero GT. I was 16 at the time, and loved driving that car when I got the chance. That was really a fun car, despite all of the negative things people said about it.

2. My parents leased a black Cutlass Siera from about 1985 through 1989. My dad's mother always told us not to have a black car, as it was symbolic of death in the family. Well, she and my remaining 2 grandparents and an uncle all died while we had that car. Since then, there hasn't been a death on either side of my family. *knocking on wood*

[JeeberD]

My dad had the coolest cars. He had a gray (excuse me, "charcoal") Porsche 924. Then he traded it in for a beautiful green 928S. Then he got tired of the very expensive repair bills (even though it was cheaper since we lived in Suttgart and he took it directly to the factory for repairs) and got a Toyota MR2. He decided that didn't have enough oomph for him, so he traded it in for a BMW M5. After having that for a few years, he decided that it wasn't a good car to have in the snow and mountains of Colorado, so he traded it in for a Toyota 4Runner. After ten years he finally traded that Runner in for a a brand spanking new one that he's in love with.

Oh yeah, and he used to have a 1937 Cadillac. Beautiful car. And the car I drove in high school was a 1969 Plymouth Valiant that has been his when he was a teenager...

My mom had a Plymouth Duster when I was really young. Since then she's had a couple of nice Audis...

[Alan T]

my mom had a Corvair that I hated.. the stupid Duel carborators always had to be messed with to keep it running. The engine in the back thing was cool though :)

[JeeberD]

My dads first car out of college was a Corvair!!! I barely remember it. I think he finally got rid of it when I was around 5 (1982 or so)....

[Blade]

I was always stuck driving my parents' old station wagons...they were huge box-shaped vehicles which were quite embarassing to drive. The only good thing was that they were tanks...hit something that the car was never damaged.

Funny thing was, my wife's name is Patty, and when I started dating her in High school, the station wagon got nicknamed the "Patty Wagon" by my friends...

[cuervo72]

Here's the list I can remember:

Green 50's (?) Ford (?) Pickup mentioned in the other thread
'73 Ford Ranger Pickup (I think), Yellow. Used to remind me of Uncle Jesse's pickup.
'72 Chevy Chevelle/Malibu, White/Black hardtop
'72 Chevy Impala Convertible Coupe; originally metallic gold, painted metallic blue w/new white top (was my grandfather's)
'79 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, Dark Blue (tree fell on it :) )
'85 Chevy El Camino SS, Black/Silver
'85 (or '86) Chrysler 5th Avenue, Black

[tucker342]

A 1985 Volvo.

I hated it so much that when it was brand new, and I was a couple of months old, I took a brick to the side of the car:D

[RendeR]

My mother bought a Cavalier Z24 while I was in high school. For those days it was one hot damn ride. My friends and I would drive the back-lake road at ungodly speeds in that car....she still thinks she's the one who punched a hole in its oil pan.....far be it from me to shatter her illusions =)

[Fonzie]

My parents had an early 70's Charger during my early youth which I can barely remember, yet I'm tempted to list it as my favorite just because it was a Charger. They sold it and got a late 70's Gran Torino instead. Ugh.

They also had a '64 Corvette, which I'd have to list as my favorite even though it caught fire with my mother, sister, and myself inside of it (gas line broke). We were, of course, OK. My dad has been "repairing and restoring" it very slowly for the last 20 years or so. That project seems to have become a constant companion of his. :p