I know this post is coming WAY after your post but I just had to add my comment to this great reminiscence of yours on old cars and growing up. My first car was a ‘67 Cougar. The first year they came out. What a sweet car that was. Owned it for about eight years and learned A LOT about mechanics and working on cars (which I still do to this day) during that time. Although I have owned a number of cars over the years, that one still holds the fondest memories for me. In 1980 I bought a ‘70 Barracuda which I redid into a totally mean street machine and I still have it today. Although I need to take it apart and redo the paint job. Right now I am in the process of restoring a 1988 T-top Camaro as a first car for my granddaughter. Just a little six cylinder, nothing too wild. As always your posts hit really close to home. Be Cool!

If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were my long lost dad. No shitting. I don’t even post to some of your rants because I don’t want to appear like I’m pandering. But geez, every single time I read this blog it somehow brings up old memories in my life.

And I mean every time.

For instance,

I too used to sleep out of a old grey 1980 Celica. That was before I got blind-sided by some lady and totaled the thing. Insurance paid me about $1200 for the car. Cool thing was, I only paid $500 for it. And, had just gotten $800 on another claim a few months ago for some minor damage to the front end that I neglected to fix. I just took the $800 and drove around with some dents on the hood.

And Dodge Vans, don’t even get me started. I was in love with my 1978 Dodge Camper Van. I had the bed in the back, surround sound stereo set up, and cold beers in the fridge. That thing was invented to park backwards at the drive in movies with the doors swinging wide open.

Also had some great drive in experience in a nicer Chevy Conversion Van. Had another jalopy Dodge van too, but that one didn’t last too long.

Believe it or not, I’ve had about 55 cars since my youth. I always had beaters most of the time though. I loved buying a $600 car and rallying that thing til it died a honorable death.

Jumping the Datsun B210 off the side of truck loading dock inclines was so much fun. And 4 x 4-ing the Ford F-250 into every other tree I could find on Mt. Hood was a blast. Could never forget taking the doors and top off the 75 Chevy Blazer either. That was a blast.

But my very first car was a 1976 Green Ford Pinto. I remember only having $500 and I talked the owner down to $600. But I was still a C-Note short. So I asked my parents if they would help me buy it.

NOPE!

My mother said… “You got a job, pay for it yourself”.

And I’m damn glad she did. My parents didn’t give me much of anything as a teenager. Nor did they have to. I was hustling and working since the age of 12. I always had my own money.

So I scrapped the extra $100 and bought that ugly green machine. It was jacked up with funny looking “Rocker Mags” and had a “Wood Paneling” strip down the side.

We nicknamed that car the “Green Machine” (for multiple reasons).

Ah the lovely ol Pinto.

Right now, I don’t really care about cars that much. They just don’t do it for me. I still have a 1998 Ford Aerostar minivan that is decked out as a “Spy Van”. I used it on private investigation gigs.

It’s equipped with hidden cameras in the tail lights, has tv monitors inside, and has a office built into the back of the van. It was in the back of that van that I learned most of what I know about copywriting by reading John’s stuff, Halbert’s stuff, and Dan Kennedy.

Because of that, I have a certain love for that van and have little desire to get rid of it. Haven’t driven it in a year, but still love to just look at that dirty thing.

But my day to day travels take place in a 98 or 96 Five Series BMW. To be honest I don’t even know the year. Don’t really care either.

In fact, I don’t even know the model number. I think it’s a 531 or something. I’ve lost the fascination with most cars.

Unless of course it’s a Bitchen Camaro or something all bad ass like that.

I’m in the market to buy some cool cars, so if anyone has a ridiculously awesome Charger, Camaro, Lincoln, Cadillac (Bull Horn Hood Ornaments are Double Bonus Points), or anything old and really groovy I’d be interested in buying.

But, really I just want a car that will do BURN OUTS!

No that’s living

J-Mo

PS: I have about 90,000 car stories from my childhood. I could probably write a book or two about the car thieving gang I used to be in as young as 14 years old.

Me and about 8 Vietnamese kids jacking Toyota’s all day. Did you know that almost any old Toyota key will start any other old Toyota? Works like a champ too if you slightly shave down the key a wee bit.

Just now the image of my brother popped into my mind. Get this… He was 12 years old, sitting on Phone Books (no lie) in a Datsun B210 they just picked up from the towing yard for $50. In his lap, a 40 ounce of St. Ides Malt Liquor, and in the passenger seat a loaded pistol. And he was 12 years old.

Absolutely NUTS how we rolled as a youth. In fact, just plain dumb. Damn you rap music!

About 10 years ago I got a serious hankering for a miata, and three years ago bought a 1996. I adore it.

Kat

My first car was a gift for my 16th birthday… it was an early 70’s Pacer, that I received in the mid 80’s. Not sure if you remember what those looked like… like a spaceship… a pod. LOL

I got to own that car for a whole 2hrs… till my step-father had it towed to the junkyard. I was promised a car, and I did get a car. At no time did my father say it what model, year, or if it is even insurable

What I really wanted was this beautiful late 70s dark navy blue Stingray. It sure was pretty, but then again, I thought highschool would never end

Now, what I look for is a pair of really comfy shoes… I walk almost everywhere, and what perfect timing with the gas prices!

What a really fun post this was. Thanks for the walk down memory lane… but that Stingray was pretty though!!!

Sam

Normally, not generally being a car person I would not know something like this and would simply think “Hmm, GMC, that sounds right”. Unfortunately, my brother-in-law has a Gremlin with a V8 that he uses for drag racing, so I’ve heard quite a bit about them.

Anyways, enough with the diatribe, my first car was a 1980 Honda Accord. I loved that little car, the body style always reminded me of a BMW (except for the rust and faded paint).

John Carlton replies:

Dude! You nailed me, red-handed. The Pacer was the GMC model in the “goofy” category, right?

Anyway, congrats on being the only guy to catch the mistake. I shoulda popped over to Google to fact-check…

John

Carlton again:

Nope, the Pacer was AMC, too. I googled it.

Man, those AMC designers must have been doing some heavy drugs during the 70s. They absolutely dominate the doofus designs of that whack era…

First car was a 77 old cutlass — had to repair it all the time; a 9/16″ wrench was my friend… I remember having to jump start it by spraying cologne into the carb often… those were the days…

Then on to my favorite car, an ‘84 Nissan 300ZX (plates “HIPHOPZ”) for my clubbing days, with a huge stereo system, car that went boom… my ‘catch car’ … I could write books on how to “quadruple your dating” and then some… missing all those nights, around Hermosa Beach, Santa Monica, then Huntington Beach clubs….

What I liked best about the 300ZX w/t-tops was this car had a seductive female voice that talked at you, like when you opened the door and left the lights on “lights are still on” in a breathy voice… needless to say it was great… like having “galaxina” on wheels… never needed repairs either, a great car (til I moved to Michigan and the saltwater streets killed the fuel injector nozzles, had to junk it).

Then on to the Camrys — great car, comfortable, but utterly boring.. no style.. so I’m in search of something more exciting… zero repairs in 8 years now… (that’s it, eg 3 cars owned in my whole lifetime and I’m 44… I drive ‘em til they die)…

That 300ZX, I want to get another one though, it was fantastic.

-k

I’ve been waiting for this post.

My first car was a ‘72 Monte Carlo. For those that don’t know, that was the last year they built that body style, then they got big and ugly.

Car buffs know this as well as anyone that’s been around the block a few times, 1972-73 was the last remaining years of any real design on the classics. There were a couple in 74 but not much.

I would tell my wife all about it when we first met. Showed the photos and all. She would say how cool it was, but you could tell she couldn’t “feel” it.

I had that car for all of three and a half years in highschool. Sold it to a guy that worked for my father and didn’t see it again for 15years.

I joined the Army after highschool. Met my wife in Germany. Moved all over the place telling her the stories, telling people and friends the stories about the car. Showed ‘em the photos. Nobody really “got it”.

Then, as luck would have it I move back to my home town with my wife. A few years later a Monte Carlo shows up for sale in town. Looked a lot like mine. Same color of Blue that it was changed too. (when I had it, it was Black with Black interior and a Black vinyl top… ewww it was sweet!)

So I find out through the grape vine that it’s my old car!

I bought it back. Believe it or not everyone who had it took care of it like it was a new born baby.

Original interior-MINT. Vinyl top-MINT. This car still looks new.
The only thing not origianl besides the blue paint, is the new 350 small block and I don’t mind that a bit!

Big car, but blazingly fast. Every time I pull up to a street light next to a fixed up Honda or Nissan with the “New Generation” sitting there, they look and say cool car but they think they’ve got something on me with speed cause “theirs is smaller and weighs less with a Turbo”. He he he.

You should see the look on their face after I “roar” off and peel the paint of their car with my dual exhaust.

Pricless!

The Miata! I still remember my first time sitting in one of those…

In 1999 my mom was shopping for a new car, and I was with her. We were at the Mazda dealership. I had some time to kill and was walking around the show-room.

There was a 99 Miata MX-5 in polished red that sucked your eyes right toward it.

I glanced around to make sure I wouldn’t be attacked by a salesperson, then slipped into the captain’s chair, and felt my hand automatically fuse with the stick-shift.

The other hand comfortably grabbed the wheel and suddenly I was driving 70 miles per hour down the freeway — without the car ever starting up.

I could just tell that — regardless of the power or punch — that car would be a blast to drive!

There’s few cars that give you that feeling without ever having to turn the ignition.

Your 1980 Celica GT Hatchback was one.

The Miata is another.

Damn what anyone else says!

… Oh yeah, and thanks for another wonderfully illustrative lesson in putting real life into your selling.

Roy