(Update: It’s a treat reading all of your responses so far; what a remarkable diversity of readers and their rides. Thank you all for sharing; it means a lot to me to get to know some of you a bit better. I’m going to leave this post at the top of the home page for a few days, so keep them coming!)
It’s a lovely Sunday for a virtual open house. We have about a quarter million readers drop by every month, so maybe at least 0.1% (250 or so) of you might like to stop and say hi and tell us what’s currently in your fleet, and maybe where you hail from? And anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself. Or about CC. Here’s our chance to get to know each other a little better as well as well as anything else you’d like to share.
You all know the Niedermeyer fleet pretty well by now. I’m just about to get into the old Ford F100 and haul a giant load of weeds and brush to the wood recycling yard, and return with a load of compost for the veggie garden. The ’77 Dodge Chinook hasn’t been out on the road since the summer before last, but it doubles as emergency guest quarters when the need arises. The Acura TSX wagon has been a champ, and is a dream on longer trips and gobbles the miles and curves. And the Xb is perfect for in-town errands and short haul trips on rough forest roads. They’re all very different, but each plays its role well; keepers all.
Your turn.
Still got my 98 Citroen Xsara turbo diesel it recently got fed new glowplugs and a starter motor, it does the daily drive duties.
My 59 3a Hillman Minx is still here it recently did a trip over the mountain ranges to Taupo for the club AGM and handled the highway easily and did daily work drive duties while the Xsara was being repaired, I also aquired a 74 Hillman Hunter wagon for mechanical upgrades to the Minx auto adjusting rear brakes power booster etc.
I am from Germany and my fleet – including my wife’s cars – consists of my 2014 Ford Focus ST, my 1982 Porsche 944, my wife’s 2012 Ford Kuga and her 1977 Ford Escort. CC is one of my favourite sites, so keep up the fine work!
A 2003 Toyota Matrix, and a 2015 Mazda 3.
My fleet…or rather, duo: a 2002 dark green metallic SWB Toyota Land Cruiser 90-series 3.0 D4D with a 5 speed manual and a saddle-bronze metallic 1969 Plymouth Barracuda 340 Formula S with a TF 727.
I’m 49 years old and I come (or hail) from the Netherlands.
This site is, by a huge margin, the very best car-related website I ever came across. With contributors and commenters from all over the world, truly unique !
Thanks for that, and all the best to all of you.
So that’s what it looks like. Very nice.
+1, I hardly ever see a 67/69 at shows or in magazines.My brother had a 69 for a few weeks until he lost his storage and had to move to somewhere with space for 1 car and 1 bike
Ditto here. Further up north in my country is a pony- and muscle car specialist. While they have been selling and restoring plenty of E-body Barracudas and Challengers (they end up all over Europe), the previous A-body Barracudas are extremely rare. Never saw one in their showroom, or found one on their website’s “Sold” list.
The 1968 and 1969 Dodge Chargers seem to be the most popular, and generally sell very fast. Often before they even hit the shore.
I’ve shot a rough ’68 in Eugene and then just shot a splendid 340 Formula S when we were down in the Bay Area, so a CC on these terrific cars is way overdue.
Johannes, your car is exceptionally beautiful, and is shown to best effect in that photograph. It made my heart stop for a moment.
Beautiful car, great color.
Ditto, very nice
Beautiful – another Barr-A-cuda fan here.
Lovely Barracuda! I’ve always thought the styling of these to have a certain grace that the first and third-gen cars lack, even if those do have charms of their own (like the huge glass on the 1st-gen and the legendary aggression of the E-body). Nice, uncommon color as well.
A 69 Formula S Barracuda is one of my dream cars and has been since 1969; a friend had one then, and I have been in love ever since.
Wow man….that fish is a beauty! I love the color. Ive always thought Mopar A bodies and slot mag wheels were made for one another.
Thanks guys, for all the compliments. The car was imported from LeNoir City TN, in november 2010. It was in the showroom of a classic car dealer. Its full restoration was completed in 2006.
You really get used to the typical Mopar power steering, yet for a more than 45 year old car its handling and road manners are more than satisfactory on our quite narrow and bendy roads. No white knuckles here, and a very stable ride on the freeway.
The rebuilt 340 engine is stock, except for the Orange Box, and that includes the Carter AVS 4bbl carb. The only thing we had to do, was to advance the timing quite firmly.
If you got a few minutes to spare you can have a closer look here. My brother made the video just after the car had arrived.
The rest of your fleet’s not bad either! 😉
Wow….most impressive, man. That car sounds sweet, and is at least as nice as when it left the showroom floor and its about the ideal setup. For making your friends drool, a B or E body running the Hemi would be the knee jerk choice. But for a car I actually want to drive on the road and savor the flavor, yours seems just about perfect. Thanks for sharing, J.D. What a treat to see and hear that beast snarl.
Beautiful! A 340 A body from the late 60s. Just in case you are wondering, it would be tough to trump that experience no matter where in the world you might be.
Second half of the sixties: The Chrysler Group’s all-time peak ? I mean quality- and engineering wise.
I’ve read (a bit) about their “ups and downs”, since they started building cars. I wonder what their absolute “up”-era was.
Absolutely gorgeous! Love the color!
That beautiful car certainly reminds me of my old 67 383 4-speed Barracuda fastback. Mine was medium metallic blue on black, with chrome wheels.
Haha, my girfriend was making fun of me the other day for calling it “my fleet”. I’ve got a 2000 XJ cherokee 4.0 2wd which is my daily driver/work truck, 1987 chevy caprice classic rat rod w the 305, and a 1976 Honda cb750f.
As for my feelings on the site, well it is the first thing that comes up in my browser when I type in “www” sooooo…
Why not go all the way, and make this your home page? 😉
Our two person family has 5 registered and insured vehicles here in Murrayville Ga., about 50 miles north of Atlanta:
My daily driver is a 2009 BMW 335i sedan with a JB4 tuner pulling 15+ PSI of boost.
My wife Janet drives a 2011 Infiniti G37 coupe.
We also have a 2001 GMC Sonoma super cab with a topper on the bed.
Next is a 1985 GMC S-15 used for brush removal around our property and when an open bed is needed.
Last is a 2006 Harley Davidson Super Glide Custom.
Not for the road is a recently purchased Cub Cadet XT1 GT50.
Yes, our local tag office and insurance company both love us.
Fortunately, I’m able to do about 98% of all maintenance and repairs, and am lucky to have a well equipped heated and air conditioned shop building.
For almost 40 years I was a loyal GM guy in spite of that corporations stupid/evil behavior over the years. I fired them when they killed Pontiac (my favorite brand). Not too long ago, I would have never expected to have Japanese and German hot rods in our garage. I suppose times, people and circumstances change.
Except for my pickup, I realize there are articles on everything I own. But here’s a rundown again, with a few more specifics.
2014 VW Passat with the 1.8T engine. It currently has 8,900 miles. It has never returned less than 30 mpg with a high of 36.3 mpg. Wonderful car.
2007 Ford F-150 Supercrew with the 4.6 liter engine and four-wheel drive. It rolled over 116,000 miles last weekend. It’s easy to see why crew cab pickups are as popular as they are after owning this one since 2012.
2000 Ford E-150 van equipped with a 5.4 liter engine. The drivetrain is the only redeeming feature of this rolling tub. 🙂 It has 112,000 miles.
1963 Ford Galaxie 500 with the 352 cubic inch, 5.8 liter engine. It recently rolled over 77,000 miles – we’ll be seeing it here again.
While having grown up in extreme southern Illinois, I have lived in Missouri since 1992, having lived in Rolla, Jefferson City, Cape Girardeau, St. Joseph, Hannibal, and Jefferson City now for the second time.
Stumbling onto CC in October 2011, I submitted my first article in February 2012. I have no clue how many I have now written other than a bunch.
Jason, can we get an article in which you clarify your exact feelings about the van? 🙂
Yeah, stop holding back and sugarcoating your feelings.
If I were to say anything nice about the van, nobody would believe it.
My mixed bag fleet:
1997 Outback Limited. 200k miles, the dog/camping/yardwork car. My truck
2005 Volvo V70R- 30k miles. Purchased in 2008 off lease with only 27k miles to replace the Outback. Decided it was in way too nice of shape to subject it to that, so now it’s my nice day/Cars & Coffee cruiser.
2013 Nissan Altima- The DD. Very good at what it does; supremely comfortable, quiet, and averages 37 mpg mixed driving.
1994 Chevrolet Beretta- My first car, just never let it go. It just received a new engine (GM 3100 made it to 181k mi, with alot of teenage abuse…). Also rather pristine for what it is; definitely a labor of love over sense.
[URL=http://s216.photobucket.com/user/cgaultokstate/media/myfleet.png.html][IMG]http://i216.photobucket.com/albums/cc259/cgaultokstate/myfleet.png[/IMG][/URL]
2013 Mercedes Benz E350 and 2005 Chevrolet Impala. My special occasion with valet car, and my trusty daily driver. I love them both in different ways. I’m a 36-year old single professional in Atlanta and this website is my favorite after work relaxation technique. I’ve learned so much on here, thanks to all the brilliant commentary and articles. Well done, my friends. Keep it up!
This old SAAB and a Fiesta ST. Planning on consolidating this year.
From the home of AMC, Kenosha, Wisconsin:
*2009 Mercury Mariner (New to the fleet; replaces the totalled Mazda5)
*2001 Chrysler PT Cruiser (manual)
*1994 Isuzu Pickup (infamous for its complete lack of options)
*2000 Kawasaki 500R Ninja
2012 Ford Fusion. I don’t really have a fleet anymore. Never really did. The most I had insured at one time was a k-car, van, and CRX, but that was during a transitional time during my 4th year at uni.
Instead of talking about a fleet, I thought I’d briefly mention cars I’ve owned in my relatively shorter driving career. I’ve had a 1970 Chevrolet Impala, 1989 Plymouth Reliant, 1989 3/4 ton Club Wagon, 1991 Honda CRX, 2003 Mercedes C230, and 2011 Ford Ranger.
Have to say, besides my current vehicle, if I could go back in time and bring back a vehicle it would be the Ford Club Wagon. I absolutely loved that truck. And it was a truck. A brutish softie with all the luxuries of the XLT designation. Anyway, it drank fuel at the rate of 11 mpg, so it became impractical at a time when gas prices were steadily rising in the early 2000s. It had the fuel injected 5.8 and 3 speed automatic combo (C6?) which I thought was odd since the 4 speed was available and it was the top line model. I believe it had a 3.55 rear as it did have a balanced sort of spunk to it. It was owned by a senior care facility so I knew it had routine maintenance as well as it was required to pass government inspection indicated by the current CVI (commercial vehicle inspection) decal on it when I bought it. In British Columbia, only vehicles used for commercial/social work, etc. purposes require yearly government inspection.
So… why not the Merc? Repair bills.
I’ve been reading this website for a while, but just started writing last month or so. Needless to say, I’ve come to love Curbside Classic and its articles.
Anyhow, I live now in Northern Virginia, and my current vehicles are:
1) 1995 Ford Thunderbird (wrote about this car here recently),
2) 2006 Ford Crown Victoria (hope to write about it soon),
3) 2010 Honda Odyssey (we put most of our mileage on this car — long trips halfway across the country!).
I’m a litigation attorney in Manhattan splitting time between my apartment in Turtle Bay and, especially in the summer, my parents’ house in eastern coastal Connecticut where I grew up.
I have two old cars which I refer to as the “Armada”, being almost 40 feet and 9,000 odd points of steel, cast iron, glass, rubber, and fake wood trim:
1977 Buick Electra 225 4 door sedan. 85,000 miles. Dark green with tan cloth interior, 350 Buick V8.
1975 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight Regency, 4 door hardtop, 71,000 miles, powder blue with navy pillowtop velour interior, 455 Olds V8.
I alternate between keeping one in my storage space in CT and my parking space in NYC. They aren’t daily driven but are driven once or twice a week and almost every weekend in the summer. I tend to switch them out every 3 weeks or so.
I found CC in summer 2012 looking for a no-longer extant article I had seen on a site called Beater Review regarding a Cadillac Brougham (I once owned a 1987 model). Instead, I found JPCavanaugh’s excellent write-up, and was hooked from there. I’ve contributed an article on the Buick, and will eventually do so on the Olds. I’d also like to do a NYC walkabout as my neighborhood in Manhattan is full of CCs.
I used to read Beaterreview as well. Clunkbucket.com wasn’t bad either. CC pretty much easily surpasses both but combines some of their elements.
Here are two shots of the Armada at large in the wild. The Olds is parked at a motel on our road trip together. The Buick is shown in Manhattan, where I found a ’91-’96 Roadmaster wagon to park it in front of. Recently, I’ve seen a 90s Park Avenue parked there as well, and am hoping for a day when I can catch them with an open spot and line all 3 up.
The Olds just received new fender fillers and is having an ignition issue, but hopefully will be fixed soon, in time for a fresh paint job this fall (original color).
Great cars. I dig the Olds- it reminds me of one that used to drive all around Snohomish, same powder blue color. Always liked the Ninety Eights the best of the GM luxury cars.
’86 Jetta GL 4 door sunroof bought in ’91 from original owner with 100k miles. 5 speed, AC, PS. Now at 305k miles, original paint and interior have held up well, except for headliner. Was my drive to work car until the end of ’08 when a layoff ended the daily grind and allowed me to take care of my aging parents, Mom died in 2010 and Dad in 2013, and now manage my 2 rentals at a more relaxed pace. ’04 Nissan Titan is my landlord duties and road trip cruiser, only has a little over 14k miles since purchased new and still looking almost new. Even still has original battery! ’85 Yamaha 700 Maxim, bought used in ’94, now at 74k miles and needing tires and battery. All still have their original engines and transmissions. Yamaha got new paint and seat recover in ’98 and still looking good. Moved from Southern California to present location in Vancouver in ’97. Lived in Portland from ’61-’67 and always wanted to come back. Been a CC fan since the TTAC days. Enjoy keeping my “fleet” maintained, haven’t seen a repair shop in many years except for tires.
1991 Volvo 240 5-speed, 160,000 or so miles. Was my dd since I got it in 2009; now, not so much, but she always starts right up even after sitting for two weeks. Needs the exhaust re-hung because replacement is way too tight and it hits the floor all the time, and the shop that did it is inconveniently 1500 miles away. Some day I’ll fix that, but not today.
2014 BMW 335i 6-speed, factory ordered to exact spec, Msport, Mperformance upgrade, now you know why I don’t drive the Volvo very much anymore. Had it almost exactly one year, but barely 6500 miles because I travel so much for work.
Is that lovely looking Volvo Eggshell White or that Tan some of them were painted? Cannot imagine finding a 5 speed is all that easy. Hope the AC is not outdone by the Georgia climate. Good choice on the license plate by the way, I find the other option to be too busy.
Too many cars:
2000 Mercedes-Benz ML320, black, 190k miles
2003 Mercedes-Benz ML320, black, 180k (the twins)
1994 Isuzu Trooper, beige, 91k
2002 Ford Focus, red, 130k
Still always looking for more cars though it seems!
I’m rolling in a 2014 Honda CRV and my wife just bought a new Beetle TDI, in old school baby blue. This is the first car she has ever bought that I like. I am one of four people who have fond memories of a MK IV Jetta – no big problems with mine and VW really does make a nice driving car, especially in TDI form.
67 Mercury Cougar — in pieces and for sale.
81 Chrysler Imperial — next LeMons race car.
90 Mazda Miata — rust-free car I’ll never sell.
95 Ford Probe — current LeMons race car.
03 Ford F150 — tow vehicle for race cars.
15 Ford Mustang — DD.
90 Honda Nighthawk 550 — haven’t ridden it in three years, don’t want to part with it yet.
Here’s a couple of them together:
Nice job on the Probe!
’81 Imperial Lemons car? Wow, impressive. Though I can’t decide if that’s the greatest idea ever, or kind of a shame to take one of the few remaining ones off the road…
If it wasn’t roadworthy anyway, then obviously the only option left is greatest idea ever.
Thanks John!
Chris — LOL! I’ve always really liked this gen Imperial, and there has never been an Imperial in LeMons, so it’s a natural fit. It runs well and the body is solid, but the red interior was incredibly nasty — it had so much mold/mildew that the back seat was greenish white. Truly disgusting. Good thing that I would’ve stripped the interior anyway, but none of this interior was salvageable or saleable. I figure LeMons was this car’s only chance to stretch it’s legs again and rack up some fun miles!
My fleet currently includes:
2010 Mustang GT. Kona blue, saddle interior, 6 speed.
2014 Hyundai Santa Fe. Wife’s car and family transporter.
1996 Buick Roadmaster wagon. 94k mi, white with wood delete option. Project supply hauler and highway cruiser.
I live in the beautiful, scenic little town of Houston, Texas and am a firefighter/paramedic for the fire department. It’s a decent city for curbside classics. Not as good as most of the west coast, but probably better than most of the rust belt. I’ve been a regular reader and occasional commenter since just before CC moved from TTAC. Love the site, but I find I often spend too much time on it. Please make it less interesting!
You know most of my fleet –
2014 Chrysler 300C AWD, rolling up the miles without any issues
2002 Porsche 996, coming up on 78,000 miles now and probably looking at new brakes and suspension soon, may be needing a radiator as well unless it’s just AC condensate that drips every now and again…
2011 XX xx – The wife’s transport which need to do a COAL on soon seeing as how we’ve had it for almost a year and a half now, it replaced the 2012 Touareg TDI.
I spent my first 12 years in Germany, the next 28 in Southern and Northern California and now Northern Colorado for the last five. I still spend way too much time reading CC (and was reading PN’s articles on TTAC before that.) and after my COALman turn trying to find more time to write more soon and more consistently. Interesting pictures keep piling up on my memory cards…
Me and my wife (plus two kids) currently own three:
Renault Clio III – as a daily driver
VW Golf VI Variant – for family trips
VW Golf III GTI 16v – as a future classic (although thinking about using it as a normal car replacing Clio)
We live in Cracow, Poland
Our little fleet consists of a 2010 Edge which is a great car for cross country driving trips now that we are retired. It replaced a 97 Voyager. Would have gotten another mini van but they have become too large for the two of us. Next is my DD an 02 PT Cruiser with a stick. Rust is becoming its enemy here in salty NE Illinois. But I drive so few miles in it now that I’m retired I can’t justify replacing it until something big blows up. Last but not least is our 64 Chevy Impala we have had for over 20 yrs. It was a real rat when I bought it in NC. But is a nicely rebuilt and refinished car for enjoyable cruises now.
The currant “fleet”:
1984 300SD Turbo
1990 300E
1998 Ford Home Schooler Van, 14 passenger plus driver, that is if you wish to leave the parking space. If you have a 15 passenger you’re not going anywhere…
2002 Kia Rio art car, “Carasaurus”
They were many that had to be passed on….
Oh dear!
Here goes;
1968 Fleetwood Brougham
1969 Fleetwood 60 Special
1971 Eldo Ragtop
1973 Eldo Ragtop
1973 CDV
1973 C10 6/standard
2x 1975 Chev Monte Carlo’s
1975 SDV
1976 SDV
1978 Belair
2x 1979 CDV
1981 CDV
1981 Fleetwood 4dr
1982 Buick Lesabre 4dr
1983 Olds 98 4dr
1984 Pontiac Parisienne
1985 C/Vic 351W
1990 G/Marquis (my old man’s last car)
2002 Focus wagon 5spd aka “The Frog”
All are “drivers”, and definitely not show cars. The Frog is the expendable daily driver. Currently out and about are the ’69, the 75 M/C, the 75 SDV, and the truck. I will probably end up on an episode of Hoarders, unless I falter and the cats eat me first.
I think you win!
That’s like two blocks of (awesome) cars!
I envy the fact that you have enough space to store that fleet! Are they all roadworthy? Though I imagine just maintenance takes up more time than many “projects”…
I also wasn’t aware there was still a Bel Air in ’78, thought that nameplate died at downsizing. Love gaining new bits of trivia like the fact that it still existed. Must be a rare car!
Canadian
Yes, the short answer is a large shed, with each car oil sprayed to avoid moisture creeping up from the floor. The Bel Air is second on the right. Unfortunately no power, and long Ontario winters force storage for almost six months.
Belair and Grandad Marquis
I’ve always admired the clean lines of the Belair. It is equipped with a 305 2bbl, THM350, PS, PB, AM radio and rear de-fogger. It is really a solid car, but really needs a new coat of paint to look good again.
Serious envy
Sounds like Heaven!
The current project is the ’75 SDV
Amazing all those cars survived to 2015 especially in Ontario.
Met a fellow in Ennis, MT who owns a 1958 Chevrolet Delray which they say is a former rental car and the 1950s version of a 2005 Chevy Classic.
Fleet!
I live in Glasgow, Scotland, drive Mercedes Sprinters for a living and have had various driving jobs in the past (and non-driving ones too).
We have a rusty 2004 Mazda 2 as our family car, and I’ve started commuting to work on my wife’s rustier 2003 Yamaha SR125.
Did not realize Scotland allowed rusty vehicles on their roadways since I never see any on TV.
You been watching Outlander? 😉 Mazda passed its MOT test yesterday with advisories on rusty coil springs and brake pipes.
Just surface rust on the body really. Not bad enough to notice on TV 🙂
Never heard of that until now. Just from watching Midsomer Murders, Top Gear United Kingdom, Rosemary & Thyme, and some other TV shows I never see any rusty vehicles so I figured rust holes were frowned upon. When there has been a rusty vehicle on Top Gear MOT failure is usually mentioned.
Yeah, it will fail on suspension mounts etc – anything structural. Anything jagged on the body which would slice open a pedestrian is also frowned upon.
I’m amazed when I go to Minnesota and see cars which are more rust than steel, and my favourite is where they seem to have hacked rusty wheelarches and other bodywork off with a can opener, leaving razor sharp edges.
My car doesn’t actually have holes in it. You’re right in thinking that most people here drive relatively shiny cars. Every other 2004 Mazda 2 I see on the road is totally rust free.
1992 Custom Cruiser white on blue. 46 k on the odometer.
Love it!
My friend drove one just like that in high school, except his had over 200K on the odometer. Also we appear to have similar names. Coincidence? Hmm.
Very nice Custom Cruiser though! 307 or 350?
Be still my heart. Very nice.
My, my. Great idea to do an intro round for everyone, I often wonder who is behind those internet handles, who comes here, stays here.
As for me: I’m a 28-year-old recent international law graduate (it took its time) from Maastricht, the Netherlands. NL is a small country, many other countries are almost literally within a stone’s throw, and my current living situation (inner city) makes owning a car more of a burden than a blessing. My fleet therefore currently consists of an older mountainbike, an ’80s racing bike and a train discount card, although I do drive cars frequently.
Nonetheless, the curiosity for and love of those four-wheeled freedom cans has always been with me and will stay so in the future. It is just that, the world that even the tiniest shitbox can open, that makes me love or at the very least appreciate every car made. Certainly, fast sports cars, and the adrenaline kick they give you when driving one are brilliant, but it’s the ordinary, workaday cars that are within arm’s length for most people, and that create that teensy bit of personal space to travel in, wherever you’d want to go, are the one that I value the most. That appreciation for every car, no matter its heritage, and the tons of information, is why I keep coming back here.
I once stumbled onto this site when looking for information on the Omnirizon (imagine), and stayed for the sheer information archive and the clear enthusiasm in each article. There is so much I learned about many cars here, some of which I barely registered the existence of before. Sure, some cars are not everyone’s cup of tea, I’m not fond of Broughams, but the fact that one can easily have a well-informed chat about them without getting hostile, that is what I enjoy about this place.
Thanks and keep up the good work! I have only published an article once here, although I’m sitting on a few half-finished ones. I’ll finish them, but there is a standard to live up to here!
Three cars in our fleet, or four – depending how you’re counting.
At my address in southern Australia:
2000 Mitsubishi Verada (Diamante in US), gold, with 320,000km on the clock, and just starting to get a bit ticky in the valve department. Very comfortable. Jane’s everyday car for the 50km work commute. The main car for hot weather (best A/C) and cold weather (best heater too!).
2005 Mazda 3 Maxx Sport hatchback, blue, coming up to 200,000km. My everyday drive. I’m retired, and just keep fairly close to home these days. It’s good for picking up stuff from the farm supplies and hardware stores, and taking stuff for recycling – yeah, I use it like a pickup! It’s also the family car for in-between weather. Enough oomph, but I wish it didn’t feel quite so heavy to drive. Clutch is going out – we’ll see what that costs!
2006 Honda Jazz VTi-R, in Very Bright Yellow! Our daughter’s car, but she doesn’t drive much. 130,000km and no problems.
Elsewhere:
The ’84 Suzuki Swift has been seconded to my brother-in-law’s farm in southern NSW, where it comes in handy as an economical go-to-town runabout, and for teaching the grandkids to drive. Probably just over 100,000km by now – low mileage! Had the head gasket done about fifteen years ago after sitting almost unused for a few years, but has given no trouble since.
It’s not a proper Mitsubishi if the valves don’t tick. We had the same shape (a Magna) for a while and it also was the car of choice for actually getting places. Mitsubishe hasn’t got a great rep here in NZ, but in my experience they’ve been robust and competent
1978 Mini 1275 GT.
2010 Mitsubishi Outlander.
The mini is my wife’s daily driver. A bit tatty in places but fast and fun!
Sweet!
Did not realize the Mini was given such a facelift.
They gave it the boxy front end to update it for the 70s and called it “Clubman”. They now use that for the wagon, which originally were either “Countryman” or “Traveller” depending if they were Austin or Morris.
The original front was kept on the van, pickup and base model, and outlasted the facelift. Also outlasted the Metro which was supposed to replace it.
Was that Mini built in NZ? I notice it doesn’t have the flush door handles like the Aussie one.
The Mini was assembled in NZ from CKD packs from the UK. Hence no NZ-assembled models had the flush handles. Despite us getting more models than anywhere else in the world (15 variants in 1969 says Donn Anderson in Mini Down Under: 50 Years of the Mini in New Zealand), demand was greater than the assembly plant (in Petone) could keep up with. Hence plenty of Aussie-built models were imported through the 60s and 70s to supplement the NZ-assembled models. The flush handles always give away the Aussie-built ones.
It was a bit polarising when they did it, and ultimately the “classic” front won out as tonito points out. Personally I like both. In theory you get a bit more room in the engine bay but actually it’s identically cramped at the back and sides so unless you’re swapping in a VTEC it’s not really an advantage.
And just to prove I’m ambidextrous about mini styles, here’s the last photo I took of our last one. It was a sad day…
The Clubman front met the ADR crash standards where the original failed so the OZ versions used Clubman front sheetmetal, NZ had no such design regulations.
Here in bumper-to-bumper Vancouver, the garage is:
My trusty 2000 Acura TL. It now has 130,000 km on it,and it is now in secondary duty. I want to keep it nice and it is heavy on premium fuel, so it is now reserved for Annie to drive. We will take it to the Rockies this August, however, and I am looking forward to that.
A little over a month ago, I finally leased a little city car to bomb around in. I got a stripper 2015 Kia Rio LX manual. It drove a lot of cars while shopping, and in all honesty this was the only car that shouted “take me home!” It drives and handles much better than I thought it would. I corners flat as a sports car, has plenty of power (138 hp in a 2500 lb car), a close ratio six speed manual and four wheel disk brakes. The flexibility of modern engines, and efficiency, is really impressive. I mean, cheap car has GDI, CVVT and variable intake manifold. The lease rate was 0% and the residual absurdly high, so it cost peanuts to run. So far it averages 7.9 L/100 km in city traffic, which I consider excellent.
Those bargain leases can be excellent ideas. Isn’t it amazing how far Kia has come?
From Glasgow, Scotland.
2014 Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC ES (Manual!)
2014 Audi Q3 2.0 TDI (177) Quattro S-Line S-Tronic (the number of descriptors here amuses me)
Looking at adding something fun since the newly-qualified young driver in the house has annexed the Honda.
I’m a 57 year old bird watching vegetarian spinster and live in South East England. I haven’t got a car right now as I have no garage space and don’t really need one. I like Curbside Classics when a car I’ve never heard of turns up or it’s a favourite of mine(the big 6 cylinder British Fords and Vauxhalls,Euro American exotics and American cars from 1955 – 70). I love Roger’s pieces on cars from when I was a kid in the 60s and 70s,(even the BL abominations), cars my teachers and parents drove that were common place then.I also enjoy Australian and other “parallel universe” cars.
1977 Mercedes Benz W116 280SE
I live in the inner suburbs of Melbourne and use my feet and public transport to get around. The MB gets used a couple of times a week.
I kept coming across CC on random internet car searches. It took me a while to get a handle on the CC thing; it was Paul’s articles on the influence on the Florida and the Corvair on car styling that gave me the confidence to start writing myself.
The commentariat blows me away here. Knowledgable, well-mannered, international. No other site has a comment stream like this one. Some others come close, but this place feels like a great chat around a table. Sometimes I just love to lurk through comments about which I have so little knowledge. When a bunch of commenters are discussing the run-out versions of the 396 I just sit back and enjoy the arcana.
Thanks so much Paul.
“No other site has a comment stream like this one.”
Go to TTAC Don. Many of the commentators here were/are veterans from over there.
Were I came from, your Benz was called the “tiburon” (shark). Next gen was the “ballena” (whale).
My fleet includes the following:
* 1968 Dodge Monaco 4-dr hardtop, my personal favorite that I like to drive as much as possible in the summer. Going to roll the odometer over soon.
* 1972 Plymouth Valiant Scamp, a car I picked up 4 years ago since it was so close to my dreams of a Duster, but honestly I prefer the Scamp given it’s higher level of rarity by comparison.
* 1997 Dodge Neon Highline, my original high school car. It’s painted up in hemi orange so it really turns heads for just being a Neon.
* 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport, I primarily drive it in winter. It has the 4.0L, 5-spd and 4WD. It’s seen better days as the typical Jeep rust takes hold, I have cranked it past 200,000 miles already though.
*2006 Jeep Liberty Sport, I bought it with the original intent to replace the Cherokee. Though ironically the Cherokee has proven itself to still be more fun to drive and dependable.
Other than that I call Wisconsin, USA home. I used to work for John Deere making their gators and lawn tractors but have since moved onto making Broan-Nutone ventilation products.
I love those 67-68 Monacos, the only flavor of that generation of C that I have never experienced. And aren’t those 71-72 Scamps little sweethearts?
I’m in Lansing Michigan and my current fleet is
1995 Olds 98 which I’ve had almost a year. A little more rust than I’d like, but otherwise love it.
1965 Chrysler which is some combination of project and driver.
I don’t remember exactly when I discovered the site, but I suspect it was one of Big Old Chryslers, or Imperial Captian’s pieces.
This picture was taken last year after I got the Olds, but before I got rid of the ’74 Dart.
When do we learn more about that 300? A ’65 or ’66 is next on my (totally imaginary never gonna happen but a girl can dream) list.
I have about half a dozen pieces started, but can’t ever seem to get them finished. The 300 is definitely one of them. One problem is mine is awfully similar to the 65 Newport that Paul found a few years ago, so I have to find a different spin.
That was a long time ago, so don’t let that stop you.
Bet that 300 is fun in the summer with the top down! I also love the glass-covered lamps, just before such things were made illegal.
That car is a never ending project, that has been a time & money suck for 12 years now, and every time I get to put the top down on a nice day I relax and remember why I put up with it. 🙂
Great photo, Dan! Enjoyed riding in your Olds in Auburn as well!
Gloucester County, VA
My fleet is:
1968 Dodge Coronet R/T 440/4 speed
1969 Dodge Charger 318 semi-survivor
1971 Plymouth Road Runner 440+6/auto
1971 Plymouth Satellite sedan 318
1977 Pontiac Grand Prix Model J 400
1979 Plymouth Volare wagon 318
1984 Olds Delta Royale Brougham 88 307
1996 Dodge Ram 1500 360
2004 Dodge Ram 1500 4X4 Hemi
2010 Dodge Challenger R/T Hemi/6 speed
All are registered, tagged, insured and driven on a rotating daily basis, except for the Road Runner which is currently mostly apart for a mild restoration.
Nice bunch of vehicles! How did a couple GM’s get into a herd of Mopars?
You sound like a prime candidate for some COAL posts! Especially that 440 6-pack RR…
Thats one impressive roster. Its high time you did a few COALs…
thanks guys, I appreciate the compliments. I was just thinking the other day while catching up on here that Id like to try writing a COAL; some of my cars have cool stories behind them, I just need to find the time to actually do it.
The GMs are there because the Grand Prix is my first car that I got as a hand me down from my brother when I was 16 in 1990 and he had it since 1983, I cant get rid of it! The Olds was my Mom’s car that she gave me a couple of years ago when she got remarried, moved, and didn’t have room to park it anymore. Like many here, I have a soft spot for the big Olds and its the last of the great cars from GM so I kept it as a driver.
Im not a Mopar guy, just a car guy that has a bunch of Mopars; there are plenty of GMs and Fords (imports, not so much) that I would love to own if space and finances would let me. A 66-72 442 is next on my dream sheet.
Nice fleet you have there!
Didn’t realize how many different cars you had! Cool. You should do a COAL on the Grand Prix sometime.
2003 Toyota Matrix XRS automatic, Cosmic Blue, in terrible cosmetic condition but running like a champ. It’s probably worth $1500 in its current condition and I dropped insurance to just liability. It’s my beater and the more beaterish it becomes the happier I seem to be with it.
2006 Ford Focus ZX5 SES, in anonymous silver, with leather and a sunroof. Most fun-to-drive car I’ve ever owned — quick, handles pretty well. It went through a long stretch of unreliability last year. Writing about looking for its replacement here at CC late last year seems to have scared it straight.
It went through a long stretch of unreliability last year. Writing about looking for its replacement here at CC late last year seems to have scared it straight.
Please elaborate? I was considering an 06 ZX3 for a beater, was hoping it’s scruffy looks would make the dealer desperate enough to cut the price. No such luck.
I have heard stories about that generation Focus having issues with the hatch wire harness breaking, alternators failing with little or no warning leaving the car stalled in the middle of the street, rear door locks that don’t lock
I think Jim’s Focus has intermittent transmission issues (his is an automatic).
Usually Focii are killed by auto tranny failure or rust.
My 01 is a 5-speed and I rustproof it annually so no such issues with mine.
I have had the alternator fail with no warning light, I had previously experienced this with our Windstar so recognized the symptoms and made it home before it died. There are worse things that can happen with any vehicle.
All in all we love our Focus, recommended as a beater..
My Focus has needed motor mounts (a common problem with these), an alternator, a new valve cover gasket, and a few other things that frankly alcohol has helped me to forget. I dumped about $2500 into it last year keeping it running. Kind of hurts when I paid $6800 for the car.
But it’s a delightful driver. Handles like a champ. Has good power. Most fun to drive cheap car I’ve ever owned.
-retired layabout near Detroit.
Just one resident at casa del Steve at the moment: Fritz the VeeDub
Fritz didn’t look happy encrusted in road salt last winter, so have been considering a sacrificial car. It would be nice to have a second car in which the lights and wiper controls work the same as in the Jetta. As people with used Jettas and Golfs seem to think their sleds are made of gold, I have considered alternatives, particularly the late, unlamented Saturn Astra. Having looked at three Astras, and seen enough check engine lights, tranny fuild leaks and cooling systems clogged with Dexcool sludge, to last me the rest of my life, I’m thinking the Astra isn’t worth the pittance most are asking for them.
Try a 1997-2002 Mitsubishi Mirage. They can be had for cheap due to next to no resale value but are reliable and parts are easy to find.
I got a 2000 Mirage last fall as a beater car to spare my Lesabre and firebird the need to hang out on rock salt all winter and it seems like a good car so far. I am 6ft 1in tall and and with the drivers seal all the way back I cannot reach the pedals without effort.
61 years old here, retired from Ford, living in Bloomfield, MI. Fleet consists of:
2009 Mazda6 4 cyl, auto, roughly 32,000 miles. Wonderful suburban driver, with occasional blasts on the freeway.
2010 Chrysler Town & Country wheelchair van. Around 30,000 miles. Eh, it is what it is, a van with a few hundred extra pounds packed in.
I’ve been addicted to the site since Paul split it off from TTAC. It’s one of my daily reads.
I’m from Auckland, New Zealand. Have a 1980 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham D’Elegance and a 2001 VX Commodore wagon with a GenIII LS1 350 V8 in it.
The Cadillac has quite an interesting history – it comes from Hong Kong originally, and was assembled there apparently from a CKD kit, the right hand drive conversion being done during assembly. The dealer I bought the Caddy from here in NZ in 1995 (in Christchurch) told me GM had a small plant there doing assembly and conversion for the Asian RHD markets up until the mid 80’s, probably just a warehouse / shed behind a local dealer.
When I got the Caddy it had about 28K miles on it, but the motor in it was the 8-6-4 368 which was not a good motor. It stripped the timing gear within a couple of years of me buying it, and it wasnt going to be worth fixing so I said to the mechanic see what else will fit – he had two, both which would need a rebuild, a 425, and a 500 cubic inch from an early 70’s Coupe De Ville. I told him if the 500 fitted, put it in. It fitted, and he rebuilt it. During the rebuild, he called me asking if wanted it bored out, blueprinted, ports polished etc etc. I figured that while it was apart, might as well, so said yes each time.
As a result of that, and having no smog gear, it gets up and goes! Have given a few local “rice rockets” an unexpected surprise at the lights….
The Commodore is fairly standard apart from a bigger exhaust with no catalytic convertes and mags. Am planning to tweak the V8 to HSV spec, and put in a over the radiator cold air intake, although it goes pretty good now. Pic is not mine but same model same colour
Boyfriend has an Toyota Vitz (known as an Echo in the USA). Its a 1.3 litre, CVT, so not exactly exciting. Or fast. Dull but reliable…. and I dont see the point of posting a pic 🙂
I’ll look out for you! Shouldn’t be a hard spot, as there aren’t too many of those around (the Fleetwood, not the Holden). I’m way out East though, in Bucklands Beach, and those are Westie cars I’m thinking…
Actually funnily enough I’m not far from you, now living out East as well, although orginally I’m from Ranui out West. The Cadillac is garaged, although I have it out every few weeks for a run
Have had a few big V8’s, prior to the Cadillac had a 76 Ford LTD (a car I now really regret selling -possible subject for another CC post – the ones that got away), before that a 73 Holden Statesman, and a 72 Valiant CJ Limo (not actually a limo per se, but a model name, similar to Brougham)
The number of Kiwis on this site is multiplying! Bryce, Scott, now you guys as well. Great to see some other Oceania-dwellers on here 🙂
Also, it’s great to see how many LGBT automotive enthusiasts are on here! We are many! I’d like to think this civil, pleasant, harmonious environment Paul has fostered makes everyone comfortable enough to be able to just casually mention who they are and the special people in their lives. You go to other automotive sites where things are allowed to get too rowdy and too political and you read some really disgusting things said against LGBT people. It makes things tense. I’m quite happy to be blissfully unaware of everyone’s party affiliations and political viewpoints here on CC, so long as we all treat each other with dignity and respect, keep things pleasant and talk about CARS! 🙂
Cheers, have to say that these days the whole LGBT thing is no big deal now most places I go online or off, most people worry more about the price of gas…. I know I certainly do with two V8’s 🙂
And I’m on the lookout for a third, always wanted a Camaro or Firebird, preferably with a big block. Again, being way down in this part of the world I’ll have to pay over the odds
+1 on these sentiments
+1 my best friend is transgendered,we go to car and bike shows and music festivals and concerts.
I’m with you there, William! CC has been a remarkably civil place, thanks to Paul. I have run into so many LGBT people who love, and are knowledgeable about, old cars. When my husband and I got married in San Francisco in 2013, we stayed with friends there who both are very much into classic cars. They themselves have an early-60s Lincoln Continental that they’re restoring, and they took us to a wonderful museum in a town in the Bay Area (darned if I can remember the name!) and their car club had a show as well that day. I saw cars I never imagined I would see in the flesh, as it were! (For instance, a 1958 Edsel Citation convertible; several early-to-mid-60s Lincolns; etc.)
My husband has fond memories of his family’s 1961 Chevy Parkwood station wagon into which they transplanted a late-60s Chevy Camaro engine (maybe a 350? He doesn’t remember, except that it was labeled as Turbo-Fire).
As a gay Kiwi, I say +1 to both the Kiwi and LGBT sentiments William! It was a pleasure to be able to post here about my partner’s Peugeot 307 SW a couple weeks ago and not have to avoid saying “he likes it” etc.
In our circle of friends, I’m one of two gay guys who has any interest in cars beyond filling them with gas. Said other friend just bought a 2015 Hyundai Sonata Limited; he and I had a blast playing with the adaptive cruise control on various Phoenix freeways while our husbands hung out at the house chatting and watching tv. The friendly climate here at CC is what keeps me coming back…Thank you Paul for fostering this…I really enjoy my time here.
My mother taught at Ranui Primary School in the 1970’s. She always wanted a MkII Jag as her fantasy car, but it never happened.
Wow a dark blue metallic Fleetwood Brougham D’Elegance with 28K miles and a Caddy 500 engine. Would love to see more on that car.
I have a 1986 FWB and it is quite the attention getter. Valet parked it last week and they put it in the front row with some very good company.
Funnily enough yours is much closer to the colour I originally wanted when I bought my Fleetwood. I had been looking at a white 75 but it had rust issues. Does yours have leather or cloth, mine has the leather – again I would ideally have liked cloth, but these are rare out here and beggars cant be choosers. Have put seat covers over the leather for comfort which has also meant that the leather is mint condition
I prefer the dark Firemist-ish metallics like the brown or blue or red but noticed while looking that those colors were always dull or faded no matter how low the miles and were often repaints. The low mile whites and yellows were usually original and shiny looking. GM did not use a clearcoat back then and when they introduced it around 1990 it tended to lift.
I have the base (non D’Elegance) leather. 1986 was the last year for this sew style. In 1987 it moved to the type in JP Cavanaugh’s Hello, Old Friend article the one that brought me to CC.
Your seats have my favorite sew style and material. The design was an instant classic and ran virtually unchanged from 80-92. It may be 77-92.
I gave up looking for that and settled for a base. Probably a good thing I did. If I had your leather I would cover it not because of the heat but to protect it. The pillow tops tend to tear in the creases that the buttons pull in the leather and the buttons like to fade. The dash and carpets in my car are already covered it might look weird if the seats were too.
The cloth version of the D’Elegance is super cool and I would take it if I could get a brand new Brougham but I have a problem with the cleanability of cloth. I got a ton of dirt off these seats using the gentle Leatherique treatment. I can’t image how much dirt a 29 year old cloth seat would carry. Then there is the disturbing mental image still fresh in my head from a thread here some time ago about swap ass + cloth seats in the warmer parts of the country.
One problem with CC when you’re busy is that it can mess with your priorities. Like now I had to tell someone let’s talk later I have something important to do which is to show someone on the internet my leather which you can’t even mention as a real reason because it sounds all wrong.
You should do an article on your car some day for Paul. I hesitate on mine because the 80-92 Broughams have been posted to death on this site, probably 3x more than the next most written about car. But yours is truly special with that color, specs, background and engine.
For Paul and the powers that be my housekeeping input is to allow us to attach more than one pic per post. I know most sites don’t even allow one but CC isn’t like most sites 🙂
Welcome Peter, and that Caddie sounds awesome! I’m not up in Auckland that often, but will keep an eye out for the car – I hope the exhaust note is as delicious as I imagine! 😉
It is nice, would be even nicer with a twin exhaust though, put a twin exhaust on my LTD and that sounded great, wish I’d kept that car. I had a lot of fun in it, deep buttoned red crushed velour and all!. I dont bring the Cadillac out as often as I should, although try to drive it to work on weekends ocassionally
Couldnt load the Commodore pic as well as my Caddy… like I said, not the same car, I just drive it the same…..
And yes, this is an awesome site, now one of my daily reads. Much of the USA stuff on here that is no big deal in the States is rare interesting and desirable here in NZ
I’ve been reading CC every day all the way back to when it was still part of TTAC. Thank you Paul!
I live in eastern Connecticut and my current fleet is made up of:
2002 Subaru Outback Wagon (5 speed)
2003 Subaru Legacy Wagon (auto)
2005 Honda Civic Hybrid
1925 Dodge Brothers touring car
Both of the Subies have well over 200K miles and the Dodge just recently was (legally) put back on the road after 68 years.
You get the prize for biggest spread of years!
Love to see a post on that Dodge! Back on the road after 68 years…just wow. Must be more than a little surreal to drive.
+1
Well, I sold all the “Toys” before leaving Iowa.
All that’s left is “Butchie” my F-150.
It’s a 1995 XLT that I bought off of the original owner last year. It had a tick over 134k on it when I picked it up and it’s at 138,9xx now, before that the last Oil change sticker shows 132k in 2012.
It’s had one repaint and almost every suspension bit replaced. The interior is like new and everything works. The AirCon will freeze you out and the inflatable lumbar supports make sure you don’t get fatigued on long runs.
This ride owes me nothing. Because of that I’m going to “restore” the body. Might as well make it look as good as it drives.
I only have three in the fleet, which is fine for now. Since 2012, I haven’t owned a GM product, which is a first since I started driving.
1) 1972 Ford Gran Torino Sport, fastback, unrestored car been in the family since day one. The car has about 150K miles on it, and I have refurbished some of the car and done a few subtle upgrades (it looks bone stock). The sheetmetal, interior and engine/drivetrain are still untouched.
2) 2008 Toyota Tundra Double Cab 4×4. My daily driver and first Japanese vehicle, although my wife has owned Japanese cars exclusively (which of course I used). The 4×4 is a necessity on my rural roads in the winter since I leave before the roads are plowed. it does fine pulling the boat, packed to the gills of vacations or filled with other various materials/junk. It’s got 100K miles on it, and it has been absolutely bullet proof. Top notch truck and will drive the wheels off it.
3) 2010 Toyota Prius – wife’s daily driver and family car. Amazing reliability, amazing MPGs, but not too exciting to drive. She likes it, and the operating costs have been phenomenally low. Getting close to 100K miles, and still top notch reliability. We’ll probably replace it in a couple years with something that has more room for the family.
As for the site, keep up the good work Paul. I especially enjoy reading your articles. I tend to favour the articles on cars from 1946 to about 1980. I don’t really have much interested in the newer stuff. The historical articles are great and keep me referring to my archives/library.
David from suburban Phoenix…
-2013 Mazda 5…bought to use as our cross-country car, so far it’s been to California but performs DD duty for a 42 mile commute.
-2015 Kia Soul !…purchased two months ago to replace a 2010 MBZ GLK 350 4Matic with issues.
1989 635csi
1991 535i
2000 Tahoe Z71
1994 Lumina APV
Officially jealous. The E24 has been one of my favorites since childhood. Looks beautiful!
First time comment! live in the Kansas City, Missouri area.
Love the articles and comments on this site! May have even had something to do with my last two car purchases.
1968 volvo 122s b18b, 80k miles, just bought in Jan. gonna do a top to bottom restoration on this one.
1999 jeep xj limited 4.0 150k miles bought last year to let my daughter drive as her first car, now i like it so much i’m gonna have a hard time giving it up!
2004 f-150 4.6 supercrew 87k miles. my work truck, only vehicle i ever bought new, 11 years old, besides general maintenance zero repairs. 21st century LTD.
2004 volvo xc90 2.5t 130k miles my wife’s car nice to drive, pretty reliable so far… but was a shock last year when I had to shell out $1000 for a new hvac stereo module.
You know whats funny? the ’68 amazon has the lowest mileage!
here’s the rest of the fleet.
KC has been wonderful for CC finds. My daughter was born at St Lukes on Barry Road
That’s pretty close to where I live in Liberty, MO!
I have to agree about the number of CC’s in the KC metro area.
My wife’s best friend lives just off 435 – the same exit where the Mormon church was built a few years ago. I’ve been to Liberty more times than I can count.
Between me and my family, we have a full shed. Start out with my ’74 dart with a slant/ 904 combo. Then my ’78 trans am bandit car that he said, “here”.
My brothers ’73 satellite and ’70 duster are here.
My dads cars are his ’01 olds alero daily, his ’73 and ’74 roadrunner. then another ’73 satellite. (we like early 70’s mopar B’s) A ’77 trans am that has an early formula clone in its future. A white ’66 charger and a hauling 454 equipped chevy dually. My moms got her ’01 pontiac grand prix.
The pace car ’75 olds 442 finishes off our inventory. Needless to say, we have plenty of cars.
Man.. I’m a little jealous! I’m partial to the chargers myself, but your fleet could make a Mopar man green with envy…
Just a leased 2012 Honda Civic coupe, until the lease expires in 1-16.For now anyway.
St. Albert, Alberta
1984 Ford Mustang GT convertible (still in storage, still debating if I should sell it)
1985 Mercury Grand Marquis LS (going up for sale soon, want something smaller)
2003 BMW 530i
2003 Ford Mustang coupe
I live in southern Indiana not too far from Illinois and Kentucky.
I love the site and check it out every day. I can always find something interesting.
My wife and I are the only ones who live at our home now as out 3 daughters are all married and have families of their own.
Our current, fleet includes a 2009 V6 Mustang , 2005 Toyota Solara ( my wife’s car), the 1979 V8 4 speed Malibu coupe that I bought new, and my 1966 Mustang coupe. We also have a 2009 Suzuki Boulevard C50 motorcycle and a 1965 Cub Cadet 100 that I restored from junk a few years back. The Cadet is a toy and is not worked.
Cars have always been one of my favorite things all the way back to about 1 or 2 years old.
My fleet is down to just two cars:
1994 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham, daily driver. “One family car” as it was purchased new by my grandmother and passed down to me.
1974 VW Standard Beetle, I’ll-fix-it-up-one-day project. I bought it for a driver when the Caddy got crushed by a tree in Katrina and drove it until the Caddy was repaired.
I love the dichotomy here, one of my cars being the largest land yacht available since the 1970’s and the other being the smallest mainstream car in US history. Yes, I realize that’s an iffy claim but if you focus on the “mainstream” caveat I believe it holds. Nothing smaller than a VW ever really seriously caught on.
I agree. Nothing smaller would even approach the beetle in sales numbers. I like both those cars!
In the late 60’s my Uncle who was an engineer for NASA had a 60’s Cadillac and Beetle. The Beetle was what he drove to work and that is all he used it for. It never moved on the weekend. The Caddy was replaced with a 69 or 70 Olds Delta 88. I’m guessing that since he now had 3 kids was the reason he moved down to the Olds. Both cars had those clear vinyl seat covers with the diamond embossing to protect the cloth for the next purchaser.
Hah, no vinyl seat covers here. That’s basically the idea for my cars: use the VW around town for ease of parking in the old New Orleans neighborhoods and have the Caddy for road trips and hauling friends. Of course for that to happen I need to fix the brakes on the VW…and rebuild the engine…
Hello from rural northern Ohio! This is my rig, a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado 1500. I bought it for $601 four years ago from a mechanical contractor. It was smashed, dented, and thoroughly abused. Some elbow grease made it serviceable, and it’s been my ride for almost four years. If it could talk, oh the stories it could tell! Its at almost 196k, and still runs like a top, at least most days…
This is my back up vehicle, more or less. The title may claim that it belongs to my father, which it has since 1988, but I’ve put more miles on it than he has the last few years. Its in pretty rough shape as vehicles go, but there is something about the rumble of a big block Ford engine that makes me love the old wreck. Most of its use comes from farm work, where the 4×4 makes it unstoppable. Its a ’67 F250, for those who are wondering. And while its worked quite hard and put away dripping wet–and looks the part–my eventual goal is to restore the old beast.
Whoops, forgot the picture!
Impressively good deal on that Silverado and never have seen lights on a toolbox like yours. Nice Montana mudflaps on the F-250, never have seen those representing any state east of the Rockies. the Bicentennial plates are also nice.
like that rusty old truck!
Wow – envious! And you paid just 600 bucks! Out here I’d have to pay $15-20K for one of those, even in the condition you described. I looked at a few as a daily driver before settling on my wagon. Was tempted by an 89 Silverado, diesel, but very tidy, and “only” $16K. Passed on it as wasnt quite ready to buy
I’m blown away by that. You should start a car import business!
Was working at a Mercedes dealership in Calgary, Alberta in 1994 when a 1991 BMW 318iS was traded in on a new Benz. Bought the BMW on impulse. Only 250,000 kms now due to a series of winter beaters. Runs as good as new with just a bit of rust appearing around edges, so will keep indefinitely.
Last “winter beater” was supposed to be a 1993 VW Passat 1.9 TD, bought cheap and tired. Put up with high oil consumption for couple years, then had engine rebuilt, turbo replaced, rust repaired… etc. Classic case of mission creep to near total restoration, so now I have to keep it for a decade or two!
Well, you’ve seen a few of my earlier cars in my COAL series, but right now I’m literally in the middle of a massive move from Japan back to Michigan, so I’m in the market for a new car. We just parted with our ’07 Mazda Premacy (mmm, JDM name for a JDM car with JDM bells and whistles, ooo….) yesterday.
Anyways, I’m Matthew, a 34 year old NMU graduate married to a Japanese woman and I just finished 4 years as an English teacher. We have three small children (5 y/o, 3 y/o and 5 mos) and we will be looking for work this summer somewhere. My dream job would be writing (pretty much anything, although I like cars and comic books the most), but at this point I think I’ll take what I can get, ideally in Marquette, MI.
We’ll be looking for two cars this year, but the first one is going to need to be up to family duty. The current front-runner is a Subaru B9 Tribeca, one of the early ones with the goofy front-end, but a Subaru Outback isn’t out of the question, either. It would become my fourth Subaru after a string of good ones. The second car will be after we acquire a job or two, and that can be a more flexible choice, although five seats in case of Subie repairs is a necessity.
Thank you, Paul, for allowing me to run my articles here. I enjoy all the other content, it was my favorite part of TTAC a few years ago, and I’m happy that it made the transition to its own website!
For my family of three (me +2 cats), my current fleet includes:
2003 Honda S2000: Last year for the 9000 rpm redline and a real throttle cable vs. drive-by-wire, and first year for glass rear window in the convertible top. So this is arguably the best year S2000 to have, IMO.
Purchased brand new, and hasn’t broken 70K miles yet. It’s been my DD and I have a short commute to work. I have not done any mods except for upgrading the door speakers and adding headrest speakers. The car has been problem-free since new, except tires do wear out far more frequently due to the suspension design and soft tire compound specified. So every other year or so I’m replacing tires, but it’s been more than worth it for the sheer driving pleasure I get.
Will there be a CC for the S2000 at some point?
2008 Toyota 4Runner SR5 V6 4WD: Purchased used a few years ago, and it has been bullet proof so far.
2012 Starcraft Comet 816 popup camper aka tent trailer (can we include RVs here?) This is less than 12′ long when closed down, so it fits inside my small San Francisco garage (all our garages seem to be tiny here in SF)
My past fleets have been somewhat more colorful:
1987 VW Vanagon Westfalia camper – bought it used in 2000, drove it home from Colorado. I totally restored it and enjoyed it until 2013 when I finally sold it, since I really wasn’t using it much for its intended purpose anymore (camping), and I was becoming increasingly tired of replacing torn axle boots and worrying about a 25-year old vehicle leaving me stranded somewhere. Plus it was stored outside, and our SF marine climate wasn’t doing it any favors. I was sad to see it go, though.
The aforementioned 4Runner towing the popup camper now meets my camping needs, and is much more comfortable and reliable (and even pulling the trailer it gets better gas mileage from a V6 that is twice the displacement of the old wasserboxer).
And from when I lived in San Mateo, CA and had more room to park and work on cars:
– 1975 Porsche 914 2.0 with D-Jetronic FI (very fun to drive!)
– 1982 VW Vanagon Adventurewagen, air-cooled. The very definition of slow. That Type 4 engine with L-Jetronic FI was OK in a Bus, but somewhat overtaxed in pushing the larger, heavier Vanagon around, let alone a high-top camper. But I drove it to Alaska and back in 1991, and only suffered a couple of flat tires for over 10,000 miles of driving. Adventurewagens deserve a CC write-up, too!
– 1973 VW Type 2 Westfalia camper
– 1966 VW Type 2 Kombi
– 1972 Toyota Corona MkII coupe (my very first car)
– 1973 Toyota Hilux pickup
– 1982 Datsun 200SX coupe
– 1971 Mercedes 250/8 (W114 model)
– Probably others I can’t remember
For some reason, my parents had mostly American cars, but I was always attracted to foreign makes.
From Royal Oak, Michigan
My fleet, in reverse chronological order:
1. 2012 Chevy Sonic Turbo
2. 2008 Pontiac Solstice GXP
3. 1979 Seville, proud to be honored at last October’s CC meet-up in Auburn
4. 1964 Corvair, which I may sell soon. But it’s a great Corvair
And formerly:
2(a). 1997 Mazda Miata, now in the stable of CC’s own Jim Cavanaugh
Your Seville has me seriously thinking about finding the seats from one in a salvage yard and converting it into an office chair. Those were some of the absolute most comfortable seats I’ve ever encountered.
A certain Miata will be employed in my 5 minute commute momentarily. 🙂
Interesting question and comments…
4 car fleet here in the Midwestern US, and enjoy them all:
2010 Dodge Challenger (hobby car 1, good weather driver)
1952 MG TD (hobby car 2)
2011 Dodge Caliber (daily driver, winter car)
2007 Volvo V70 (wife’s car, winter trip car)
Long time reader, occasional commenter. Enjoy the site. One very good thing is that the comments and discussions are generally kept pretty civil and respectful on this site. Nice break from so much of what’s on the internet these days. And much appreciate the photography and write-ups on such a wide variety of cars, both foreign and domestic. Keep up the good work!
2008 Toyota Yaris 3-door. Not the most interesting car but it is a stick and keeping 44 PSI in the tires gives it the cornering of an old-school French car – it doesn’t help the massive body roll but it’ll hang on.
Would love a hobby car – I was sorely tempted by a colonnade Chevelle sedan in great shape for cheap some years ago – but don’t have the time, money or space.
the little d fleet here in st louis consists of 93 ranger xlt stick owned 12 yrs 130 k barely broken in decent old ford probably never get rid of it also have 00 forester owned 7 yrs usual forester issues 170k like it to go 190k before it goes to taylors salvage it really is a nice driver though this is a fine website!
My fleet has two ships that can put out to sea at any time: My wife’s 2014 Mazda 3 sedan, and my 2003 Mini Cooper S. The Mazda is a very good car, but there is nothing special about it. I’ve owned the Mini from new and it just passed the 234K mile mark last week. It’s makes a great pint-sized Sport-Utility vehicle. I autocross nearly every weekend April-November and it also makes occasional trips to the dump. Here it is in “sport” mode:
Here is the Mini in “utility” mode:
Wow! I didn’t realize Mini’s were so hardy!
I’m 64, retired from the title insurance field. Our current fleet actually looks like a fleet: my 2003 Chevy Silverado and Mrs. Tom’s 2008 Trailblazer, both Kelvinator white (don’t laugh, it does make a difference in Phoenix)
Mrs. Tom can’t drive now since a stroke, but she would shoot me if I sold her ‘Blazer. I’ve always had some sort of pickup (F100’s and Rangers before my conversion by St. Mark of Excellence); she has had a ’71 Beetle, a ’77 Rabbit, a couple of Cavaliers, a Dodge Intrepid, and a Volvo S80 T6. I tend to hold onto vehicles until they cry uncle.
Paul, thanks for the daily dose of information and humor. I appreciate that you include trains, planes and buses as well as cars.
As others have noted, the discussion on this blog tends to be civilized and informative with the right touch of humor (intentional or otherwise.) Kudos to Paul for his moderating skills.
I used to live in the Valley and I concur there is a good reason why white cars are so popular there.
We drive a lot, so here goes (From oldest to newest):
1986 Dodge Ram D250 (No bed- it runs and drives, but isn’t on the road until I put a bed on)
1987 Chevrolet R10 Custom Deluxe
1992 Dodge Dakota LE (Farm truck only- not driven on public roads anymore)
1995 Ford F150 Flareside (All Show, No Go)
1995 Buick LeSabre (220k and still my secondary car- I still make the 80 mile round trip to work in it)
2000 Chevrolet K3500 “Classic” – Our “Tow Pig”
2002 Audi A6 Avant (Our main driver)
I’ll see what I have in the way of photos. Nothing rusts out here- even on the 1986 Dodge, there isn’t a speck of rust.
This is the 1986 Dodge. I paid $450 for it back in February. It was a county truck consigned to a farm auction that almost nobody attended. Trucks were going cheap, and I wanted a project.
It has the 360 with 4bbl carburetor, and a 4 speed manual. The truck drives very nicely. I can’t believe how quiet it is. I traded some work for a bed. I just have to put it on. The truck had a service box that wasn’t included in the auction.
These are wonderful pickups. It appears to be a 3/4 ton, too. Nothing is going to phase it and seeing yours makes me miss the one I had.
It is a 3/4 ton. It has the 4bbl 360 that will pull anything (At least on the farm- I’m excited to tow/haul with it on the road). It’s my only carbureted vehicle, so I’m learning how to become better at starting it. Other than that, it’s a tight, solid truck.
I bought it figuring that I could flip in when I was done, but you know how that always goes….
From pulling with my ’87 3/4 ton (automatic) it was happier with 4000 pounds or better behind it and there was no appreciable drop in fuel mileage – it’s just bad either way. The 4.10 or steeper gears likely helped in both regards.
Does yours have a Quadrajet? Mine did and it was one push about 2/3 of the way to the floor and she’d start every time.
I want to say that it’s a Rochester, but my knowledge of carburetors is small, and that’s putting it generously. Here’s how I’ve gotten it going:
When it’s sat for at least a day, don’t touch the accelerator. Crank for 10-15 seconds. Then, turn the key back to run, and pump the pedal twice. Crank with 80% throttle, and it’ll come to life within 5 seconds.
If I drove it earlier in the day, two pumps, and 80% throttle, and it’ll start.
There is probably a better procedure that someone on here knows, but that’s always worked for me. Until I came up with that method, the Dodge was far and away the hardest starting truck that I’ve ever owned. Now, it’s bearable.
This is the 1987 Chevrolet. We bought the truck back in 1996 with about 50k miles on it. It was used as a farm truck until about 75k miles. We quit farming for a couple of years when we had a drought, so the truck sat abandoned for 8 years. I fixed it up and got it roadworthy. When I needed this truck the most, it was always there for me. If it wasn’t for this truck, I would have been up a creek without a paddle many times. It now has about 82k original miles on it. This truck has the 305 with TBI, and the automatic transmission.
This is the 1995 LeSabre. The story on this one:
My Flareside was in the shop (Again), and our only two vehicles at the time were an Impala with major electrical issues, and the 1992 Dakota- a truck that shouldn’t have been on the road. Due to a family emergency, the Impala would be leaving the state for a week. The two of us were left with an 80 mile commute every day, in the winter time, with a truck that was ripe for a breakdown. I had some money at the time, but refused to rent a car. I figured that we would be better off to buy a $1000 beater, and sell it if we didn’t like it. My F150 was running me broke on gasoline, and the regular cab didn’t work well for my business. I found the Buick on Facebook for $900. We literally looked at it the day before the Impala was leaving. Nobody wanted a 1995 LeSabre, so the seller lowered his price to $700. We bought it, and 3 years later, I still have it (I even had the transmission replaced when it went out). It’s my favorite vehicle, far and away….
Nice mix. Where’s the “here” that vehicles don’t rust?
Wyoming.
The Dodge spent it’s whole life in state, and there isn’t a speck of rust to be found. We have paint fade and vinyl roofs don’t do well, but I’ve seen Ramblers that have been in the junkyard for 5 years that are in excellent body condition.
As for my vehicle choice, I’m definitely “eccentric” when it come to cars. Even though I own the Audi A6, I still prefer to drive the Buick. I’ve been known to drive a certain vehicle that day, just because I “felt like it”.
What makes the Chevy and R10? Nice fleet and the LeSabre looks good.
The only reason that it’s an R10 is because it’s a 1987. Since the new trucks were coming out in 1988, GM wanted to use the C/K designations for them (So that you could have a C1500 or K2500). Through 1986, they used the C/K designation on trucks (Such as a C10 or K20), but for 1987, they switched to the R/V designation. An R designation (Such as my R10) meant that the truck was a 2-wheel drive unit, while the V designation (Such as V20) meant a 4 wheel drive truck. I think they used the R/V on the Suburban through 1991, and I believe that it stayed on the 3500 chassis cabs that retained the square body styling.
1987 is an odd year. It was the last year of the square body styling, and the first year of the fuel injected engine. So, it’s a one-year-only truck. A lot of collectors seek out the 1987s, but mine isn’t worth much, because of the abandonment. The only thing that benefits from being parked is the odometer.
Thanks on the Buick! There is a little paint missing on the rear doors that I’ll need to address, but since there is no rust, it’s not an urgent matter. I like the car a lot. It may be a grandmother’s car, but granny must have good tastes!
Sort of like how the remaining RWD A-bodies were redesignated G-bodies when the FWD A-bodies came out.
Thanks for the info and I had a 307 Carbureted 1987 Caprice Estate so I might be assuming wrong, but I cannot imagine a 305 in a Full Sized Truck.
From what I understand, the Olds 307 had more torque, while the Chevrolet 305 had a little bit more power. My other half ton is a 1995 F150 with the 300 I6. The 305 makes the Ford it’s whipping boy whenever I use it. I have the 2.76 rear end, which is not what you want for towing or hauling. I’ve towed identical loads with both trucks- about 4000# including trailer. With the Ford, it was foot-to-the-floor on the hills, and I was pulling at 25 MPH. With the Chevrolet, I was able to cruise at 55 MPH (And, without really pushing it). For most uses, the 305 is fine. I hauled a load of scrap (About 1400#) to the yard that is 100 miles away. I was able to do 65 (70 in Montana) without kicking down. Now, on the way back, I hit a strong wind while unloaded. I couldn’t go above 60, then.
For a half-ton, the 305 gets the job done. I’d much rather have a 350, but the truck started out as free. I only spent a few hundred dollars and some weekends to get it on the road, so I’m not going to complain there.
It’s still a lot better than my Ford!
I’m in Maryland, near Baltimore.
The fleet consists of:
2012 Nissan Pathfinder LE – the daily driver
1989 LaForza 5.0 – an eBay impulse purchase, I saw one in a magazine when I was 9 and thought they were the coolest thing ever, figured this was my only chance to own one. It currently lacks working headlights (again), presumably after I shorted something out jump-starting it.
Wow, a LaForza! I had forgotten that LaForza’s ever existed until just last week when I came across an old ad for one from 1989. At the time, I wondered if there were any still on the road; I guess you answered that question for me (at least in the daytime when the lights work).
I shot one here and wrote it up a few years back. And then just the other day, i saw it again. It’s in good hands, apparently.
I had to Google that (the La Forza).
Never even knew they existed until now
Nice collection you have there and I like that style of MD plate especially since it is a funny vanity.
Ok then,
2009 Kia Rondo
2008 Toyota Corolla
2001 Ford Taurus
1967 Imperial Crown Coupe
1960 Imperial Custom
Don’t tease us! We want Imperial pics! 🙂
Yeah, Imperial Pictures!!!!!!
Gulp! I will post some pictures I promise!
I am admittedly a little gun shy though as a 60 Imperial (in the same Glacier Blue as mine) was a CC a while ago and was crucified for its styling .
I saw a ’60 Imperial the other day. You’ll get nothing but positive from me about it.
Never let that stop you. There’s a big difference between critiquing a car’s styling when it was done at the time, and admiring it now. We all love the grand old cars of those times, even if they are a bit eccentric.
Dont know why – those Imperials are one of my dream cars, they’re unique and awesome looking cars, really stand out in a sea of Jap econoboxes. They are rare here, only two that I know of
2009 mazda5. Closest we could get to replace our 98 odyssey
2007 Honda accord. 4dr exl 4cyl and stick. A rare Combo I think
2004 ford focus wagon surprisingly good car
2002 Mazda miata laser blue. Was my mother’s.
I had a ’98 Odyssey too – loved it — the 2.3 VTEC made a world of difference over the 2.2 from prior years. I wish we could still get a van of that size – Rondo and Mazda5 are a bit too small for my family. Currently we have a ’10 Odyssey and it is a battleship by comparison.
I really liked the 96 Oddy that I had. It was a “just right” kind of size, there were/are very few other cars of that size.
Architect living in Melbourne, Victoria. Followed Paul from another site for his entertaining outlook. Always enjoyed the variety of cars, trains, planes and characters to be found here. I love the detail related from first hand experience and the context provided by stories of ownership, especially when new. I enjoy other sites but too often the commercial motivations overwhelm the discussions.
This site is about using cars as intended, they are not static artifacts here or investments under glass. They are integral parts of families and lifestyles. They are used, adapted, worn out and reborn often at greater cost than replacement because they provide that something indefinably special for, at least, the majority of the time. At those times when recalcitrant mechanicals and other maladies erode enthusiasm this place can be inspiring.What do you mean “design life”?!
Metal, glass and rubber residents on our property now: 1966 W112 300 SE Coupe, 1968 W108 280 S (daily driver – base model with only tinted glass – I love my radio delete plate), and W116 450 SE L 6.9.
W116 6.9 *and* a W112 coupe? Wow, very nice indeed. And that W108 is none too shabby either. Like so many others, we’d love to see write-ups…
+1 Lovely little fleet!
I’ve told the stories of our vehicles plenty of times in these comments over the past couple of years,,,,,,
2005 Subaru Forester X (base model) 74K
2002 Dodge Dakota SLT Quad Cab 4×4 117K
I’m in Alton, Illinois, where the ghosts are many and the Subarus are very few!
I’m 32 and on the warm side of the Rockies in BC. Sadly I have no license due to medical reasons, but that doesn’t stop me from working on cars or reading CC. Fleet is smaller than it’s ever been, but that’s probably a good thing.
-1975 AMC Gremlin X, original V8 car, now 343cid, 727 Torqueflite. Permanent garage-hogging project car, had it since I was 17.
-1983 Toyota Pickup 22R, 4spd, no options. Firewood hauling go-cart, converted to propane. Gets 1000+kms to a 120 litre tank of propane. Half the size of most trucks out here.
-1983 Honda Magna V65. Bought from original owner, 35 000 kms. Love it, have no desire for any other bike
-2009 Toyota Tacoma, 4cyl, 5spd 4×4. Reliable daily driver, great in the back country. Only vehicle I bought new, I plan on driving it forever
I’ve also got an old Bigfoot camper I’m fixing up and a ’97 Polaris 700 triple that requires constant attention. Love the website, probably the only place I actually read the comments.
Love to see an article on the Gremlin X particularly with your having owned it since age 17…. Those were always feisty little Traffic-signal-surprise racers in my day.
Perhaps I’ll do an article when we’re both back on the road. It’s the last of a long line of AMCs I’ve owned/destroyed.
I am in the Detroit Metro area
1987 Audi 5000S Quattro – driven every work day 110 miles round trip.
1984 Audi 5000S Avant – In storage as a future replacement to the 87
1976 Ford Mustang II – Exactly like the wife’s first car.
1992 Mazda Miata Turbo – New addition
2001 Chevrolet Blazer – Wife’s vehicle and it tows the watercraft
I heartily commend you for keeping not one but two C3 5000s alive! My family had an ’86 years ago, electrical nightmare, but a car that looked great, drove well, and was comfortable and spacious inside. Shame its constant electrical issues made it totally impractical to keep.
Both of yours look great and are rare to see these days. And a Mustang II and a turbo Miata? Very nice stable.
1999 Dodge Dakota 2 wd reg cab, 8 foot bed. 157,000 miles. Everyone tells me it looks funny, too short and the bed too long. I tell them that’s what trucks are supposed to look like. I don’t think I’ve convinced anyone yet.
Some of those Dakotas look odd because the third brake light is mounted on the tailgate.
On a 1999, it would be above the rear window. The tailgate light was only on the 1994-1996 models. To me, that seems like a terrible place to put it….
We own a 1992 Dakota that’s also a regular cab/ long bed. I think they can look a little weird, because of their width. They’re narrower than a C1500 or F150. But, they’re just as much truck. You get all of the large truck benefits, with the ease of driving a compact truck. It’s a win-win!
I’m nearing retirement age, living near Charlottesville, Virginia. I grew up in Pittsburgh, PA, went to college in the Philadelphia area, then graduate school in Bloomington, Indiana. I got married in Bloomington, lived for short periods in the Indianapolis area and Louisville, Kentucky. I moved to the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC at the time I started working for my current employer when Jimmy Carter was still president.
I was transferred to the Charlottesville location in the early 90s and have been here ever since. My wife and I tend to keep cars for a long time, but my fleet just turned over in a major way because of two great deals from my employer. This is the first time I’ve had all of my “fleet” courtesy of said employer:
1998 Nissan Frontier XE 2wd regular cab, 2.4-liter 4-cylinder, 5-speed manual, 86,000 miles. This August, I will have owned this truck for 17 years. I feel certain that it will still be in our driveway beyond the 21 years we had our 1980 Volvo 240, although I don’t think it will ever come close to the 245K miles racked up on that car.
2014 Toyota Prius Five liftback, 1.8 4-cylinder + electric motor, CVT, 12,000 miles.
2015 Toyota Camry XLE Hybrid, 2.5-cylinder + electric motor, CVT, 3000 miles.
CC is my favorite for cars and I check in essentially every day. I’ve been following Paul since he wrote for TTAC and absolutely love this site. I am totally blown away by the huge number of curbside classics still on the road in Eugene, Oregon. Here, I see many of the traditional classics on fine weather days, but never any Datsun 710s, Toyota Coronas, Isuzu I-Marks, or others like these!
We have two in our stable:
2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid. Lots of bells and whistles, but has proved ridiculously reliable. Comfortable highway car, and gets about 34 mpg, city or highway. Does even better in spring and fall when we don’t need heat or A/C. Plenty of acceleration.
2000 Ford Ranger XLT with the extended cab and rear doors, 3L V-6 and automatic. It has about 120,000 miles now, but still is reliable. The only thing that doesn’t work is the power door locks; they failed early on, and were ridiculously expensive to fix. It really, really likes E-85 fuel, but loses about 3 mpg on it.
Tucson has an amazing number of old cars on the road, enough that I sometimes take it for granted. To be sure, a lot of these old cars look every bit their age; the sun here is NOT kind to paint, plastic, or rubber! But rust is not an issue. I see a number of early Mustangs, for instance, as daily drivers, apparently unmolested and not tarted-up into something they never were originally. There’s someone who lives in our area, apparently, who has a 1971 Chevy Impala 4-door sedan that looks amazingly good. It’s probably been repainted, but it hasn’t been “restored” to within an inch of its life. It seems to be a daily driver. And there are lots and lots of Centurys, Cieras, 6000s around, along with plenty of 1977 and later B-bodies, seemingly indestructible. Lots of early-60s Falcons around, too. Not many Mavericks, though.
I really enjoy this site because generally everyone is respectful toward each other. There’s a minimum of politics and religion, and if things get out of hand, well, they get pulled back under control.
My fleet includes a 2008 Lexus RX350 and a 2011 Acura TSX Sportwagon (just like Paul’s except gray). My CC though is a 1975 BMW 530i, which was on this website last year. It has a 5 speed from a later model E12, and is a blast to drive. It’s a great car.
I’m from Worcester, MA, about 40 miles west of Boston. We currently have a 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT (with the extended wheelbase and third-row seat), which is my wife’s, and a 2014 Ford Escape, which is mine. The Escape replaced a 1999 XJ Cherokee with 140,000 miles on it in the fall of 2013. I hated to give up the Cherokee — we had owned it since it was new, and you can’t really get anything quite like it anymore — but it had finally reached a point where the amount of repair work it needed was starting to exceed the potential monthly payments on a new car, and it was time to get something that would be more reliable. I couldn’t afford to both fix the Cherokee and buy a new car, so I reluctantly cut the Cherokee loose.
My automotive buying method has historically been to buy new but inexpensive vehicles and run them as long as possible. In the last 15 years my wife and I have had only four vehicles — the Escape, the Traiblazer (which was a year old when we bought it), the Cherokee, and a 1995 Ford Escort (which we bought new and had for 12 years). At the time we got rid of the Cherokee, it had been paid off for nine years. The Escape is a base model (steel rims with wheel covers, non-tinted windows, non-Ecoboost engine) that we found on special in a dealer’s ad — you know how they say they have one available at this price,with a specific stock number? Well, this is the one, with that specific stock number. The Cherokee was also a base model (crank windows, manual door locks, grey steel rims with center caps, AM/FM stereo with two speakers and no music player of any kind).
Never been there, but I always remember Worcester since reading about the tragic warehouse fire there in 1999 where 6 firefighters died.
Great stuff here. My fleet is a bit unusual for Southern Ca, I will not give in to the “have to have the newest mentality. 1 1970 Opel Kadett sedan with the 1.1R. This is my current daily driver and a fun one at that. 2 1962 Studebaker Champ shortbed. 289 Studebaker V8 huge truck 4 speed, 3:55 twin traction rear. This one was put together from several different vehicles, truck and Lark. Not a bad driver. 3 1971 Dodge D 200 Sweptline crewcab. This one is a monster, 383 auto, P.S. P.B. factory air, limited slip 4:10 Dana 60 rear. 4 1977 Chevy Vega wagon. Still has the aluminum Vega motor, auto, air. This was the daily driver for 5 years before I found the Opel on Ebay. Very rust free for a Vega, it needs a new home.
Wow! You win “The most eclectic” award. A DD Opel Kadett!! Holy Mackerel! as my father would say. And a Vega too, with original engine.
I hate to be pushy, but I would love to have you write up a little something on the Kadett, as I’m a bit obsessed with them, and you’re probably the only person with a DD Kadett.
Not to mention, don’t you still have that “bounty” out for a stock-engine Vega sighting?
If it were a ’71-73, I’d be mighty tempted!
Mighty impressive fleet, how does the Vega do with Smog Testing?
My current “fleet” is my 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera (148k miles), and my 1975 Chevy Camaro that, despite running and driving very well, is in need of some serious rust repair. The real fun begins with my Dad’s fleet.
Currently running and driving:
1981 Mercedes 300D– 230k miles, Dad’s ‘nice car’
1990 Honda Civic hatchback– 250k miles, Dad’s daily driver
1996 Ford E150– 135k miles
The projects and parts cars:
1962 MGA – in storage until Dad retires, and can start the restoration
1977 MGB- parked since 1997, I have been slowly trying to make a presentable driver out of it. Will be ready for paint in a few weeks. Looks like I will take the MGB and Dad will get my ’75 Camaro
1981 Mercedes 300D- parts car for the other ’81 and the ’83
1983 Mercedes 240D- awaiting engine swap and other misc. repairs
1990 Honda Civic – parts car for the Civic hatchback, will be cut up in next few weeks and sold for scrap.
…He still has a Lola T642 Formula Ford race car with a trailer full of parts…
My Dad is also storing a 1964 Austin FX4 (London Taxi) for his sister. Wasn’t too bad when she bought it, but after 9 years parked outside in the NW Suburbs of Chicago, it is probably beyond hope of ever getting a full restoration (RUST!)
Current fleet:
1972 Ford Pinto
2012 Volkswagen up! 5 door
I claim to be the only person in the world to have owned both an up! and a Pinto. Eccentricity runs deep.
Where are you? Presumably you can’t get an up! stateside and I’m wondering how many Pintos left North America?
I’m in Australia.
The Pinto was a private import, and the up! was marketed here for a brief time. It was a huge sales flop, but they are great little cars.
’05 Pontiac Vibe. Just about one year ago i was looking to replace the ’03 Ford Windstar SEL with something smaller. I still needed a hatch to accommodate an English Springer. Jim Grey’s dilemma of which to keep: Ford Focus ZX5 or Toyota Matrix XRS swayed me to go for the Pontiac Vibe (sister model of the Toyota Matrix) that popped up on Craigslist only 1 mile from my place. It was not all love from the get go but it has grown on me. I made minor modifications to improve on the weird seating position and to get some lumbar support.
My wife’s Ford Contour was purchased in 2006 and still does its in town duties. It is rusting away though.
A ’98 Mazda Protege 5 speed taught my 2 boys how to work three pedals. It is the younger one’s daily driver. It too is nearing retirement because of rust. Both boys have a thing for Mazda now.
The older son uses a ’97 Mazda B2300 truck. It is the sister model of the Ford Ranger 2.3. It too has a manual 5 speed transmission. We bought it not running. The previous owner tried to replace the timing belt and lost his patience in the process. I had it running 2 days later thanks to the internet.
I love those 1st Gen Vibes!
I’d love t see a write up on the Vibe with the GM SPO supercharger option. It was listed in earlyVibe brochures as an option, and they are certainly very rare. Supercharger or otherwise, the Vibe has always been one of my favorite cars of the modern era.
Live in Iowa and work as a machinist. Married with one daughter.
46? Oliver 70 (snow tractor)
48 Allis Chalmers C (mowing tractor)
50 GMC half ton
58 Allstate mo-ped
65 Marlin + a parts car
66 Bonneville convertible
69 AMX
70 AMX
71 Scorpion snowmobile
74 Javelin (my first car)
92 Civic + parts car
95 Saturn SL1
96 Dodge Ram half ton
05 Honda Pilot
Also 66 Ambassador 660 for parts
74 GMC 3/4 for parts (454 mostly)
I am currently in Toronto, Canada. I own a blue ’06 Honda Accord EX-L sedan, auto with a 2.4L four cylinder engine that has 52,301 km (or about 32,500 miles), which is a practical choice. I had purchased it used from a dealership and have owned it for 7 years. I think of replacing it sometimes but it is my first car. I used to drive V6 Pontiac sedans from the 90’s owned by my dad prior to that, but GM had its own issues. Parking is currently limited but maybe some day I will have a fleet. I was born in the 80’s but I have an appreciation for all kinds of cars and vehicles, old and new. I never got into auto mechanics but I have a strange disease which is an unusual obsession for cars. This site helps fuel that obsession.
Good idea to post this, Paul. I’m always curious about my fellow Curbsiders and what they drive.
Like many people here, I followed Paul over from TTAC and right away knew this was my favorite site. On literally any other website, I get so angry reading the comments section but here… This site has the best community of any site I’ve ever been to. There’s no petty name-calling or political derailments or ad hominem attacks. And the experience and insight offered by the commentariat means that so many people end up contributing articles, which is wonderful!
I’m a (less and less) recent university graduate (Marketing and Journalism), born and raised in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It’s a perfectly serviceable city but it’s not where I want to live, and I briefly moved to NYC until I was forced to move back. Loved that city with all my heart, even though I didn’t have a car there! I’m hopeless mechanically, although I am endeavoring to improve my skills there, and I want to work in automotive journalism or in marketing for an automaker. I submitted my first article here in 2013, I believe, and I have a helluva lot more in the pipeline. Once you start writing for CC – and I thank Paul ever so much for giving me this amazing platform on which I can write and publish articles – you find that ideas keep coming to you, and it’s not enough to just photograph interesting cars anymore. You have to write too!
2013 Subaru Impreza hatch, black, mid trim, 2.0 H4 and a godawful CVT that redeems itself with excellent mileage. Delightfully roomy and it actually has glass area. A novel concept in today’s market.
1959 Chevrolet Impala Sport Sedan (4 dr hardtop), Snowcrest White, 283 with a 2 bbl and Turboglide. Someone was trying to pull a funny on the order sheet with a powertrain combo like that. It’s been in various phases of restoration since my Dad and I acquired it when I was 8.
I’m not sure how many Subaru owners out there also have 59 Chevy’s, but my guess is not many.
Earlier this year, I traded in my “fun” 2001 MR2 Spyder and “practical” 2013 Acura ILX on one vehicle that met both criteria for me, a 2015 Jetta GLI 6-speed.
Just my 01 Sable for now. I saw a car today I might ditch it for. Too many little goofy things are going wrong with the Sable, making it unpleasant to drive.
I might keep both for a while, since it doesn’t affect my car insurance much. The “other” car is a 2003 Grand Am GT.
Here’s a far-away shot, but you get the point.
1995 Miata M-Edition and 1996 Avalon XLS. 93k and 105k, respectively.
Loving it in sunny Sarasota, FL. Btw old cars abound in these parts due to the lack of snow/salt and the retirees who keep their last vehicles in pristine garaged condition before….well, you know.
-my DD is our trusty and trouble-free 2009 Saturn Aura XR. We were looking at Accords and stumbled upon this at a dealership in Ocala. We stole it compared to the 2004 Civic we were walking away from at the time. Been great for going on 6 years and hopefully we’ll get at least 6 more.
-the family hauler is our 2005 Nissan Quest XE. It’s been a great around town an occasional road trip ride with our two young kids. It’s been impossible to keep the interior clean on this one.
-I use my 1993 Ford Ranger XLT 5 speed for my work beater and also take it on all my fishing and kayaking trips. Best $850 I ever spent.
-My 1992 Volvo 240 is the 5th Volvo I’ve owned. It’s a rolling project that I’ve been fixing up while driving on the weekends. Other Volvos I’ve owned: ’88 240DL wagon, ’97 850, ’01 V70 T5 wagon.
Within the next 2-3 years I want to replace the Quest with a new-ish Volvo XC90 and replace my old Ranger with an old F150 or 250 to tow toys around with. I also have a hankering for a convertible. Maybe sell the 240 and get an e36 M3 while they’re still cheap.
Here’s a pic
due to early retirement from work “the fleet” is only one vehicle but over 35 years as a driver it is number 51 on the list of DDs. you could probably add that many again of projects, non working toys etc.
the start was at age 5(1968), when my dad decided to be a smartass coming out of the local grocery store. the owners son was trying to get his 1950 Hudson started in a thunderstorm and the old man gave me 5 bucks and told me to offer it to the kid for his car. nearly 50 years later I can still remember the look of shock/horror on dads face when I came tearing back across the street screaming I had bought it! since then I have always had an affinity for oddball cars.
the current DD is my first 4×4, a 97 jeep grand Cherokee limited. love it! wish I had bought one years ago. of course it had to have an oddball moment to be mine. was owned by an older german lady who hated winter driving!(and she bought a full time 4×4 why???) works for me tho as here in the salt belt of Canada(Ontario) an original bodied rust free jeep is a rare and wonderous thing. could have sold it several times and made money but I like it too much.
like the blog too! recent arrival but read it every day and as some said earlier only one I read the comments on.
so thanks paul, and everyone that contributes for a fun, entertaining and enjoyable internet site…again like my jeep something rare and wonderous in the web these days!
bill shields
Another southern hemisphere reader here, from Sri Lanka no less, which I guess is a great indication of just how global CC’s reach is. I visit daily though I don’t comment very often and I would say CC is my favourite automotive website (it’s certainly the one I spend the most amount of time on!) with fantastic content and a lively and always civilized comments section as well (honestly quite hard to find online these days!)
I live in Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka and I work in the Agriculture sector (Seed supply, specifically), so my daily driver is something that is at home off the beaten track.
It’s a 1993 Toyota Hilux with a 2.8 Litre naturally aspirated diesel four, five speed manual and leaf springs all round. It’s been in my family since new and now has just over 500,000 Kilometres on the clock and is still going strong. I aim to push it past the Million mark…. Here it is doing some splashing at one of our national parks.
And this is the weekend fun/project car, a 1998 Jaguar XK8 Convertible, one of only two XK8 convertibles in the country and the only one that is now left in original shape. Used to drool over this car when it was new each time I saw it on the road (interesting cars are VERY rare here due to our import restrictions) so when the opportunity came up to buy it, I jumped!
Keeping it in good shape is a bit of a challenge here because basically everything needs to be imported from the UK and specialist knowledge is hard to come by but that’s part of the fun!
Wow, impressive story and I hope you keep enjoying your vehicles. Never have seen a license plate as small as the one on your Jaguar.
OK.
Daily Drivers:
1998 GMC Safari SLE van
1986 Volvo 760 Turbo
2002 Lincoln TC (wife’s)
Rest of Fleet:
1962 Corvair Monza Coupe 4 on the floor
1964 Austin Mini Cooper S
1965 Austin Healey BJ8
1968 Mercedes Benz 280S (W108)
1972 Maserati Bora 4.7
1973 Citroen SM
1973 Citroen DS21 5M
1973 VW Super Beetle
1974 Porsche 911 Targa
1977 Lincoln Versailles
1979 Lincoln Versailles
1980 Maserati QP III
1982 Maserati QP III
1983 Maserati Biturbo
1983 Porsche 928S
1983 Porsche 928S
1983 Fiat Pininfarina 124 Spider
1984 Maserati QP III
1985 BMW 745i (E23 turbo)
1986 Maserati 425
1987 Maserati Biturbo Si
1987 Jaguar XJ-S V12
1989 Maserati 430
1991 Jaguar XJ-S V12
1994 Suzuki Swift GT
1994 Jaguar XJ V12
2002 Ford F150 Harley Davidson SC
2004 Mercedes Benz CL500
1979 Honda CB750 Super Sports
Multiple Maseratis, Citroens AND V12 Jaguars? You sir are a Brave, Brave man!
Wow! All current daily drivers? One for every day of the month? And where do you keep them all? A warehouse for a garage? My hat’s off to you!
Update: I missed the break after the first three cars…only those are the DDs. Still…..
Whaaaaa? What a phenomenal (and phenomenally large!) list of cars! Are you a dealer or just a collector with excellent taste?
Insane. I’ll take the QPIII. Or one of them, at least.
It must take some time to choose a car on any given day!
Actually, a nice problem to have
He did say only the first 3 are daily drivers. Still, if they are all registered and running, damn impressive!
I told myself several posts back that I was going to stop commenting on each interesting fleet and consign the rest into one appreciative post, but…just wow. Really, wow. Eight Maseratis, including a Bora? SM? More than one V12 Jag? Incredible. Any photos? 🙂
BTW I forgot to list one, a 1972 Lotus Europa SII.
I also forgot to introduce myself, I am 65 retired consultant (Accounting Systems) and live in Houston, Texas.
Yes, I do rent a 5k sq/ft warehouse to keep all my toys indoors. I am basically a collector but sometimes I have to sacrifice some of them to cover expenses. In the past 12 months I sold a 1979 Porsche 930 and a 1966 Porsche 912.
Thank you for your comments.
I knew I should have studied Accounting…
Youd need to be ana ccountant to count them all….;-)
You win the award for the most eclectic list ever!
Never in my life would I have expected to see Jaguars, Maseratis, and Porsches occupy the same list as not one but two Lincoln Versailles!!! Even the Swift GT makes more sense. Bravo to you!
Yes, those two Lincoln Versailles-es popped out at me as well. “Two of these things are not like the others . . . . ” 🙂
+1
By golly that is an impressive list!!
This is such an interesting site with a diverse group of contributors, Oddball and unpopular cars and models are appreciated here. Six cylinder lovers unite! The home of “Panther Love” I’m a retired state trooper living in San Jose Ca. I admit to loving the Brougham Life. Ex long time m/c rider. Current stable consists of:
2007 Mustang V6 Pony edition. Great handling very stable and secure handling. Plenty fast and returns 27 mpg at 70 mph. This model really is a huge improvement over the previous model. Was my wife’s car which we gave to our daughter.
2007 F150 XL long bed access cab V/6. This truck is a revelation. Extremely comfortable, rides as smooth and quiet as a Lincoln and handles just great. returns 20-21 mpg at 65 mph,
1996 Mustang GT convert. Bought this four years ago as a hobby car. Replaced top and keep it good mechanical repair. Loud with Flowmasters, rides rough, handles good rides terrible. A scrappy little fun car. 25 mpg. at 70 mph.
1970 Mustang base hardtop with 250 six/auto. My current project which is now driven almost everyday. Modified suspension handles pretty good. Slow, and gas mileage is not very good, around 17 mpg. at 65mph. You gotta love it for what it is.
1996 Chrysler Town and Country LXI I loved this van and put over 75k after buying it with 75K on it, Trans went out twice, Sat for almost a year in my driveway before I got rid of it. Miss it. I will admit to liking Minivans.
hi all…I live in southern AZ with two daily drivers, a 2000 Vic Police Interceptor and a 2001 Grand Marquis. My wife drives a 2012 Xb cause I can’t talk her into a Panther, lol…I also have a currently non-operational 75 Chevy pickup. Plan on getting a B-body wagon pretty soon as we are foster parents and one of my unbreakable rules is that I will not drive a minivan. 🙂 love the site, mostly because it covers cars you don’t see anywhere else.
Another Crown Vic owner – 2001 P71 living in TX. A big thanks to Paul and everyone else who works hard to keep this site running.
I think I’ve written about all of these here and there:
2015 Honda Fit EX (rebadged as a Jazz just to keep people guessing)
2012 Volkswagen Routan SEL
1999 Ford F-250 Super Duty XL Powerstroke 4×4 (the farm truck)
1963 Volkswagen Type I Sedan (sitting disassembled at the moment)
1962 Volkswagen Type I Sunroof (ditto)
1977? Allis Chalmers 190 Series III (75 hp tractor with loader)
1973? Hesston 6400 Windrower (/6 powered!)
1950 Ford 8N
Just added to the fleet yesterday.
Wife’s
2010 Fusion Hybrid
Son
2001 Grand Marquis LS Limited
Daughter
2003 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor
General Family use
2003 Mountaineer, I had been using it as my DD since my son took over the Grand Marquis as his daily driver, but it is mainly kept around for its passenger and tow capacity and for traveling over the pass in the winter
Mine
Panthers
2005 Crown Victoria Police Interceptor, new daily driver, purchased at the auction yesterday.
2003 Marauder, toy.
1992 Crown Victoria, was my daily driver for 15ish years, but I can’t bring myself to get rid of it because I think the aero nosed 6 window is the best looking version of the lesser Panthers, but it hasn’t been really used in a long time.
Work rigs mainly used for maintaining and improving my properties.
1984 F350 crew cab
1982 E150 high top
1973 International 1510 dump
Part work/part toy
1973 Scout II Cab top.
Other toys
1972 Scout II Travel Top
1972 Travelall 1010
Parts rigs/projects for when I get around to it
1971 IH 1210 4×4
1973 IH 1210 Travelette flat bed 4×4
1973 Travelall 1010
1969 Buick LeSabre 400 Convertible
1969 Buick LeSabre 400 Sport Coupe
1956 F100 (x2)
1992 Crown Victoria
1989 Tempo AWD
Nice fleet there and I saw an AWD Tempo in Missoula last month with a bug shield. Do not think I had ever seen an AWD Tempo until then.
Knew of a few farmers back in the Southern Tier who used High Roofed Wheelchair Econolines and other Vans as work trucks, they found the lift to be handy. Think one of them loaded at least one round Hay Bail in the back as an experiment to see if their Van could make a Hay hauler for those times the Hay cannot get wet.
We actually have had 3 AWD/4WD Tempazes. The first was a 1991 the last year when they properly labeled it a 4WD. I also picked up a Topaz for $200 as a parts car and then the current 89 as a parts car too but when the 1991 got T boned I put its low mile power train into the 200K+ 89.
My van was originally a wheel chair lift van with the left over holes and switches from the lift and power sliding door which where both removed before I got it. I wish it was still there some times.
97 Lincoln Mark VIII DD 200,000 miles
84 GMC Caballero
Central California
Currently:
1965 Ford F-100
1967 Mercury Park Lane
1968 Mercury Couga
1968 Ford Mustang
1973 Dodge Polara Custom
1991 Mazda 626 hatchback
1998 Mercury Sable wagon
2004 Ford Focus.
Have an option to buy these two:
1986 Plymouth Caravelle for 1K. Never seen one before and only 67,000 miles and owned by a retired US Navy Captain JD. Just diagnosed his smog failure today.
1978 Celica GT Liftback with 134,000 miles and owned by a fellow volunteer on the Hornet for 800. Good deal because he knows I am a strict traditionalist as evidenced by my restoration work on the Hornet. The Hornet is my ultimate toy with about 12,000 hours into her.
Of course, neither are that easy for locating parts that are not mechanical.
Celica
I live in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne , Australia.
Discovered CC late last year , without a doubt its the best thing on the web for me.
I have learned so much, its just the best.
I love the civilised friendly nature, and the knowledge that when you read something here you can trust its right , or if its not , there’s always someone to put it right.
I dont have a fleet , but drive a 2003 Falcon ute with 4.0 straight six & 4 speed auto.
Love American cars and hope to get something special one day.
Love Mopars and your El Camino’s and Rancheros.
Thanks so much.
John
Love this site and digging the bizarre combos and stories. We split time between Guerneville, CA and San Francisco. We haul furniture and antiques for our businesses -thus we have a small fleet–
-2011 Toyota Sienna Limited. Brilliant, plush and you can shift it manually and retain some level of driving pleasure and control. 54k.
-2006 Toyota Sienna XLE. 155k miles and bulletproof. Spent most money on door workings but this van is a star.
-2002 BMW 325it. We’ll never sell it. Fits in our 1890’s narrow San Francisco garage and remains the most brilliant vehicle (in a list of 21) ever.
-if I ever find a decent one, I’ll add a Renault LeCar (5) in Orange, lime green or yellow with that bonkers sunroof. Dream car besides a ’72 MB SL.
– 2010 Prius, Barcelona red, 17 ” wheels (my wife daily)
– 2010 Mazda MX-5 Nizeko roadster coupé, black (my daily)
– 1996 Civic coupé LSi, black (not common in Europe)
– 1994 Toyota Previa GL, auto, dual sunroof, 8 seats, “cool box” and independent rear suspension (for vacation)
Not really a fleet.
2007 Honda Fit, blue. The thing is like a TARDIS, its actually quite small but feels huge on the inside.
one-car fleet consists of the multiple personalities that make up a Citroen DS-5 semi-automatic
I’m a mechanical design engineer from Auckland, New Zealand, and our ‘fleet’ is down to three for the first time in a while.
2004 Subaru Legacy 3.0R with 30,000 km – my DD
2007 Honda Accord Euro (Acura TSX to many of you) with 70,000 km – my wife’s DD
1987 Toyota MR2. Supercharged, hardtop, manual, 80,000 original km. My toy. ? I bought it while still studying at university nearly 20 years ago (1996). It’s been a reliable daily driver, a track day car, and a garage queen in its time.
I love CC, and I am so thankful to all the contributors and especially to Paul for the amazing effort he constantly puts in to make this easily the most consistently readable, compelling and fascinating website that I’ve yet found. Bring on the CC’s – American, Japanese, European, other, I love ’em all.
Here’s an old pic of my MR2:
Lovely MR2, makes me miss mine. I had both an 85 AW11 and an 87 AW10 (The Japanese market econo model with the carb fed 3A motor) at the same time. The AW11 was an ex race car so had been abused while the AW10 was a showroom fresh minter. Wanted to hang onto them long term but then the Jag came up for sale so plans changed and I parted with both recently….. Hope I can own another one someday, they are rare over here (about 15-20 cars total).
Thanks! I wish I could use it more often than I do. Interesting that someone imported an AW10 – I drove one once and found that engine totally at odds with the rest of the car. I did quite like the basic, clean, no-frills look of it though. I would find it hard to keep myself from repowering it with a silver top 4AGE. Do you have any photos of your MR2’s?
Belgian reader here and my fleet goes like this :
– 1992 Mazda 121, dark green, 1.3l inline 4, 5 speed manual. My old daily, a true beater in every sense. It has been faithful to me and my family for the last five years but a engine block that felt under the car while I was driving made her upcoming retirement come faster than expected. It took some MacGyver-style repairs to get it back on the road while I was looking for a replacement.
– 2007 Peugeot 207, dark metallic green, 1.4l inline 4, 5 speed manual. My new daily, picked up last week. Quite a step up from the mazda even though it is the base trim level. It lived a rough life in the busy city of Brussels before I got it, so it has dents and scratches on pretty much every panel, which made a good arguement when negociating price. It is a mechanicly new as you could get one though and every invoice since new was religiously kept. A good bargain.
– 2007 Peugeot 307 SW, light metallic green (what’s up with all these green cars ?!), 2l Turbo-diesel, 6 speed auto. My mom’s daily. The SW model is basicly the wagon with the “panoramic” glass roof. It’s quite the highway cruiser and has been reliable and confortable since we got it new. Traded in our old Peugeot 806 for it, which was also quite the confortable cruiser.
– 2013(?) Fiat Ducato, light blue, 3l turbo-diesel, 6 speed auto. Known as the Ram ProMaster in the US. As good as a modern work van get I guess, great cargo capacity (and a treat to load compared to our previous 3 VW’s LT and 2 Ford transit, thanks to FWD). Pretty fast too !
– 1967 Volvo 122S, dark green, 1,8l, 4 speed manual. My dad’s vintage car, full restoration he did a while back. It’s only getting out on rare occasions though.
Motorcycles : We have quite the collection, and the youngest one is 28 years old.
Project cars :
-1972 Volvo 144 (mine)
– 1976 BMW 518 (mine as well, got it from my late grand-father)
-1980’s Citroen Dyane 6 (my father’s, from his late godmother)
Absolutely superb site – always informative and entertaining. The fleet;
– 2012 Volvo C30 T5 6 spd – joy to drive, 5 cylinder snarl, 3 years no problems
– 1999 Toyota Previa – the ultimate schlepmobile – takes a licking and keeps on ticking…
– 2001 Toyota FunCargo – Toyota’s “Fit” – daughter’s car….
– In storage in US – 1978 Lincoln Town Car – 5600 miles – once in a lifetime find
Currently an ex-pat living and working in Tokyo……..
Our fleet consists of, in descending order of year:
2012 Ford Fusion
2005 Chevy Aveo (Hate that thing.)
1999 Jeep Wrangler
1996 Buick Century wagon (Mine. His name is James.)
1992 Ford C350 Centurion (My personal favorite)
1963 King Midget
1949 Dodge B series pickup.
The Dodge has sat neglected in my driveway for 12 years now.
The Ford C350 Centurion is mighty impressive and it looks like they made a shorter wheelbase version.
Here’s the Midget, with my late, polio stricken grandfather at the wheel, flanked by my great-uncle. Both WWII aviators turned farmers.
I’ve been here since CC became its own website. Before that, over on TTAC since I signed up in 2010. These are the only two car-related web sites I deal with, let alone have time for.
Right now, all we have is Wifey’s 2002 Honda CR-V w/120K miles and my 2012 Chevy Impala LTZ w/67K miles.
Our cars are getting old like me! For the record, I’m 64 and live in the northern Cincinnati area.
I’d like to own and drive something old, but don’t have a clue what it would be. Our Craftsman lawn tractor is old, but that doesn’t count. However, it’s the only vehicle I can actually work on and fix!
My rolling stock includes:
1997 GMC Sierra C-1500, regular cab long bed, 5.7, 5-speed, 147K.
1998 Chevrolet Express, Choo-Choo Custom, 5.0, 128K, my daily driver.
2005 Silverado K-1500, Z-71, regular cab, 5.3, 75K.
International 140 tractor. Interesting unit, circa 1970, an industrial model, it has factory yellow paint, and no “Farmall” signage.
2010 Kubota MX 5100 tractor, Hydrostatic transmission, 4X4, front end loader, rear tires water filled.
2007 Kawasaki Mule 3010, 4X4, camo paint.
2014 Impala Limited, wife’s car.
My son has neat toys, W-250 and D-350 Dodge diesels, a 1978 Peterbilt 282 COE, 6V92 Detroit, 6-speed, and a 1979 CO-4070B International Transtar COE, 290 Cummins, 13-speed. It’s for sale.
I live in Atlanta and I drive a 2014 Volkswagen Eos. My sixth VW and second Eos ~
I’m one of the early CContributors. I set up the CC Facebook news feed, which is still in place today.
I have to admit, I don’t contribute to the site as much as I should. It’s a great diversion, and the quality of posts are top-notch. I think it’s fantastic how the site has expanded to cover pretty much anything automotive-related.
My current rides are are a 2007 Ford Focus and a 2008 Kia Rondo. Both have about 130,000 km on the odometer. Their resemblance is pure coincidence, but I think they look nice in the driveway. I wrote a CC on the Focus in January:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-2007-ford-focus-theres-pope-for-the-blue-oval/
I live on the Loyalist Parkway (King’s Highway 33) in Eastern Ontario
( http://www.loyalistparkway.org/ ) which is one of the oldest developed roadways in Canada. I’m a history buff, especially things highways related. My son and I quasi-restored a Hwy. 33 route shield as a fun father-and-son project. The sign’s historical accuracy has been skewed slightly by creative licence, but it’s weather resistant. Thanks, Paul for this post idea… I was reminded that happened a decade ago digging up the pics for this post!
Well my current “fleet” consists of just a 2006 F-150 Crew and a 2005 Grand Caravan that we will be replacing this fall.
My first car was a 1960 Bel-Air sedan that I bought for $400 when I was 15 in 1991. 235 straight 6, 3 in the tree with overdrive. No power steering or brakes of course. With help from my dad I spent the time until I got my license making it road worthy. Simple stuff like shocks, brakes, plugs and wires, hoses, seat covers, and fuzzy dice for the mirror. Along with some rubbing compound and a lot of elbow grease. Adjusted the valve lash. No oil filter but an oil-bath air cleaner. Later in 1992 I believe we rebuilt the engine. I learned a lot with it and it’s what really sparked my lifelong interest in cars. Along with giving me a somewhat eccentric reputation in high school.
I think overall what I have owned has been fairly interesting although not nearly so much as others here.
1980 Mustang 2.3
1984 Mustang GT 5.0
1989 Probe GT Turbo
1985 Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park wagon
1998 Explorer Sport
2001 Civic
2000 4Runner
2012 VW GTI in Tornado Red with the 6 speed. It’s my daily driver for my 90 mile-per-day commute and it’s a great car for that.
1997 Mazda Miata M in Marina Green Mica with tan top and interior and the 5 speed. Bought in 2011 after a 7-8 year search for the right Miata! I love this car to pieces, even though I seem to drive it less and less.
My wife drives the 2011 Silver Hyundai Elantra that she bought prior to us marrying in 2014. We use this car for most trips and errands, especially since I’m very quickly racking up the miles on the VW.
Past cars (in this order) were: 1971 AMC Gremlin (electric poly blue with white stripe!), 1991 Dodge Shadow America, 1998 Mazda Protégé LX, and a 2006 MINI Cooper (base model).
I’m 34 and soon to be a father, so my next car will probably be much less fun.
1984 Toyota Van LE [5MT]. My parents bought this new when I was a little kid and gave it to me in high school. I’ve preserved it since. 121K miles!
2012 Honda Odyssey [wife’s car]
2015 Acura ILX 6MT. They were making really strong lease deals on these. Picked up the last 6MT in Ohio
A 2003 F-150 XLT 4.3L Triton V8 and some crazy contraption I built from a Toro weedeater motor and some Huffy bicycle parts to speed over to my father’s house when I feel lazy.
I followed Paul here from TTAC after it, uh, became uninteresting. I live in Los Colinas Texas, which is part of the Dallas Metroplex. The current fleet is , in reverse order of age and interest:
2014 BMW 528i
This is my daily driver although I don’t drive it that far since I’ve retired – only 8,000 miles a year which is very low by American standards. The car is a nice electronic simulation of a BMW but with electric steering, fly by wire throttle,and computer-controls on the suspension, it lacks connection with the road. Not my favorite car.
1998 BMW 328i
This is my wife’s car. We bought it for her new in 1998, and she has only managed to put 68,000 miles on it since then (Yes, she used to drive it to work every day, but her office was very close by). Covered parking at home and at the office have kept the car in very nice condition and my wife refuses to consider replacing it – she just loves it. I’ve gone through five different cars since 1998, and of them, this is my choice – I think of it as “Peak BMW”.
1971 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce
This is my third Alfa – a 66 followed by a 74, a long gap, and finally my current project the 71. She was very, very tired when I got her a few years ago, and it has been a long process of getting her back in condition. The engine, suspension, and transmission have all been rebuilt and now it’s body time. New fenders and nose have arrived from the UK and will replace her cute but crooked nose. I have just pulled the engine back out and and am currently removing everything that won’t be painted Italian Red!
The current family fleet that I am responsible for includes 6 cars and 5 licensed drivers.
My DD 2008 Mazda RX-8 40th Anniversary Edition
Wife DD 2006 Mazda Tribute
Daughter 1 2001 Mazda Tribute
Daughter 2 2004 Mazda Tribute
Daughter 3 2005 Mazda RX-8
And the last vehicle in the fleet is the 1991 Mercury Colony Park – (cc write-up coming soon).
The fleet consists of a fair-weather flagship and its plucky little lifeboat.
The ’06 Mazda has over 80k on it and yes, true to its reputation, it’s starting to rust a bit. The queen and I turn 42 this year. We’ve been together since 1991 and like Prince Charles, I’m resigned to the fact that the old lady will probably outlast me. She just broke 56k and does not have permission to rust, though I see some insubordination under the vinyl roof. She takes a wax job better than my hoop’s backboard, which is half her age.
I don’t write as many articles here as I should. I’m also a fundamentally boneheaded mechanic, yet the cars and the site keep me around anyway. Thanks, Paul. 🙂
Nice pic. Love the long hoods and chrome topped fenders of the ’69’-73 Imperials.
Last true fuselage? That is one beautiful car
Thanks to both of you!
Started reading this site years ago. Posted a few comments every now and then. Usually the thread has run it’s course by the time I see it due to my strange work hours and I don’t bother.
From east Hamilton Ontario here in the great white north. I sometimes think that east Hamilton should have a motto of “A hot rod on every block” and my friend calls it the Detroit of the north. Not that we’re much further north.
The fleet right now is 2006 Nissan Sentra daily driver. 1971 510 longroof, I made an ambitious project out of it again while another one is already on the go. Going to assemble another motor for it and get it out on the streets again in the next couple of weeks and then concentrate on the real issue. A 1967 Datsun 1600 that is completely disassembled. Finishing off the list is a 1974 cb360.
I was travelling the last few days, and will have to come back and catch up on some things, including all of the comments here.
The JPC fleet is familiar to most here. The flagship is the 2012 Kia Sedona, a very nice but simple family cruiser, which just hit 40K over the weekend.
The 2007 Honda Fit is over 90K now, and is still the second all-around use car. The 1993 Crown Victoria is one step from the scrapyard, but continues to primarily serve a college-age son. The odometer broke at 131K a couple of years ago, so it may be about 140K now. Finally, the 97 Mazda Miata is Dad’s fair-weather craft.
My driveway has been temporarily docking my mother’s 06 Buick Lacrosse for several months, as she recovers from an illness. It is used when none of the others is available or suitable, as sort of the car of last resort because nobody in my family really likes it.
1973 International Wagonmaster 1010
Sweet a Wagonmaster is on my list of vehicles to add to my IH collection and a 73 1010 would be my first choice, complete with wood grain though I would take a 1210 4×4 too.
I’m a 63 year old bachelor in Richmond, Virginia, and I work for a local financial institution. Unlike my father and my brothers, I am not a serial car owner. In 47 years of driving, I’ve owned six cars. My current ride is a 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis LS that I love. However, I enjoy reading about cars of all kinds, from Lloyds to Lincolns, and so I’ve been a Curbside Classic follower since the TTAC days. Paul, thank you for making this site so civil and so diverse that car people around the world can come here and talk cars without having to endure politico-religious ranting. You’ve put a hell of a lot of work into this, and I just want you to know how much you are appreciated.
Always on the prowl as others say, but currently have 3:
2013 Acura TL (6 spd)
2003 Audi A4
1974 Coupe de Ville (playing with the idea of submitting a write up on this one). Next will be a mid 60’s Coupe de Ville most likely.
If I include the cars I paid for but that my ex-wife now has:
2004 Yukon Denali XL
2010 Subaru Legacy
In the 15 years prior (in reverse order) had 2005 RX-8, 2004 Pontiac G6 convertible, 2000 Dakota Extended cab, Honda Odyssey, Used Dodge Colt, 1976 Firebird Esprit (sad to let that one go), Nissan Quest (3 kids), 83 Caprice Wagon (more room for 2 kids -complete with wood grain! – a steal at $3800 but the 307 was so underpowered), Subaru Impreza wagon (2 kids – a squeeze), Toyota Tercel (1 kid) , Honda CRX (no kids)
Basically, kids, spouse, and finances all contributed to my automotive history…
Hi from Puerto Rico. I have been following CC since it was in TTAC. Followed Paul when he created his website in 2011.
My current fleet consist of,
2013 Chevrolet Spark purchased last December with 14k miles and now with around 32k miles, my daily driver. So far has been a very reliable and economical car to own except for the A/C system.
1996 Toyota Tercel, has been with us since 2000, about 330k miles, original engine, second automatic transmission, my wife daily driver. She refuses to get rid of it.
2003 Mazda Tribute, former daily driver. Transmission died about two years ago after 278k miles. Plans for it are to sell it as is.
1999 Nissan Pathfinder. 178k miles. My stepdad gave it to me after one of my brothers gave to my mother his car when he accepted a job transfer to North Carolina. We had to stop using it last November due to a problem with the registration papers. Got that fixed and now I need to renew the tags, replace the brake cylinders and the A/C blower. Use it a few more months and then sell it along with the Tribute to purchase something newish for my wife. Will keep the Tercel since my wife doesn’t want to get rid of it.
Our current “fleet” is rather boring, as our money goes to daycare, gymnastics class and dance class instead of cars (for now, anyway!). Curbside Classic lets me vicariously enjoy various interesting cars from all over the world. This is a terrific site.
I drive a 2003 Honda Accord EX sedan with the four-cylinder engine. It has 238,000 miles on the odometer.
My wife’s car is a 2005 Ford Focus SE sedan with 207,000 miles on the odometer.
I did have a 2001 Honda Prelude in the early 2000s, and a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Holiday coupe in the 1990s. And my wife once briefly owned a well-worn 1977 Cadillac Seville that she received in a court action over an unpaid loan.
1963 Buick Riviera
2002 Subaru WRX
2003 Honda Odyssey
Yesterday the Riv had to save the WRX
Daily driver and go-to-the-hardware store: 2002 Ford Taurus SE wagon
Wife’s commuter (about a mile each way): 1994 Ford Taurus GL sedan
Nicest, most comfortable, best-handling, for out-of-town trips: 1995 Dodge Intrepid
Toy: 1963 Chevrolet Corvette roadster
Cool.
2009 Volvo V50 1.6 diesel
2002 BMW 530i Touring
1985 Citroen 2CV6
1963 Cadillac Sedan de Ville
Great selection!
My ‘fleet’ consists only of my ’05 Ram 1500. Its a 2nd swarm Rumble Bee which I bought 2 years ago. At the time I really wanted a 4×4 Dodge, but my main criteria was a Dodge truck in nice condition, single cab swb, that wasnt some glitzy chromed put rhinestone cowboy rig. And I really wanted the Hemi. Bees are rare so a clean 47K mile example wasnt going to stay unclaimed. Ive dumped the suspension, swapped the stock 20″ clown shoes for torq thrusts, added a rollbar and a black honeycomb grille. This rig has been a great meld of pickup and hotrod
Me, Im a ’74 model. Ive been in the Portland, OR area for 8 years but originally a Jersey kid who grew up in west TN. As my name suggests, Im a Mopar fanatic and love my rock music: classic, hard, grunge, or metal. Tattoos, delicious OR beers, and NY Giants football are just a few other pastimes of mine.
CC has been one of the few online forums to hold my interest…about a year and a half now. The sheer variety of vehicles and the diversity of this community has me learning something new all the time. Even with some stark differences of opinion, by and large there is good interaction here. Reading, contributing and posting here has been greatso far!
Ah ! Dodge Rams. Never officially imported here, yet pretty widespread throughout the country. All models since 1994, gasoline (with an LPG system) and diesels. And a lot of them are black.
Used professionally, so registered as commercial vehicles (like vans).
I like your single-cab !
Thanks, man. Ive always liked single cab shorties the best. Sure, they lack interior room, but any other bodystyle just looks…off. The shorties just look the most pure and purposeful. And even the smallest of fullsize trucks is still a big lump of pig iron. I venture into downtown Portland enough that Ive had to circle the block 5 times to find a spot I can shoehorn this beast into. A crewcab longbed….YIKES.
With a Crew Cab long box, you give up on parallel parking. Our 2000 K3500 is the crew cab with the long box. We affectionately call it the “I’ll keep circling” edition.
In parking lots, at the ends, if you back into the space, the overhang can sit on top of the grass at the end of the lot. That isn’t too bad. I can squeeze ours into a single space, but it’s not easy!
Wonder if it is your lovely Dodge that was in an article within the past month or two about seeing quirky vehicles in East Portland? I am wondering if I have also seen your vehicle around town? How long is your Dodge by the way, I have noticed that while my Caravan is about as long as some trucks it is not as wide which makes driving downtown easier.
If you mean the Belmont area, yup that was me, and a shameless plug of my own rig at the end. Ive never measured it…the bed is 6.5 ft so im guessing overall 12-14ft. I live in Beaverton but im all over town. There are other Bees in the area though.
Cool, thanks for the info. I might have seen at least one Dodge Ram SRT-10 while around town or maybe I was suffering contact high.
Greetings from mid-Michigan! I will echo what others have said about the site, best one out there in my opinion.
Currently, the fleet of roadgoing transportation is:
2010 Nissan Sentra 62k (Wife’s, replaced a 2003 Civic EX that was taken out by a deer a year and a half ago)
1995 Nissan Altima (my DD for the last 9 years, still runs great at 198k but Michigan winters are starting to get to it)
1999 GMC Sierra RCLB 5.3 Z71 136k (Owned for 5 years and mostly used as a work truck)
1986 Caprice Classic Brougham 112k (slowly making it presentable, mostly repainting sunburned spots, not licensed but runs and drives well)
1977 Suzuki GS400 17k, fun bike but don’t ride it enough to pay for insurance the last few years
1986 Honda Spree 9k, old and beat up but fun to ride into work occasionally, and to use for kayak spotting duties 🙂
Currently down a couple vehicles from what I normally have on hand, hopefully I’ll get another toy or two soon if I stay in the wife’s good graces!
Retired electrical engineer, living just west of Montreal Canada.
Fleet consists of a 2015 Infiniti QX50 (brand new – picked it up on Friday – replaced my 2009 Infiniti EX35), a 2002 Mazda Miata 6-speed, and in the background, a 2004 Giant OCR-2 27-speed.
Occasional commenter, very occasional contributor – one full article on the Renault 8 and Peugeot 204, a couple of CC-kids features, and some vintage pictures to test everyone’s car-spotting skills.
Been enjoying the site since 2012 – a fun, friendly, informative and interesting place to visit each day. Thank you Paul, and the rest of the gang!
My collection is not as diverse as some, but I thought I’d share anyway as it reflects why I read this website.
2008 Subaru Forester – Wife’s daily driver
2000 Mazda Miata – My daily driver that has a hard top for the winter months
1977 Triumph Spitfire – Completed project car I’ve owned for 12 years, now up for sale
1961 Rover P5 – Barn find that has sat since 1975 with 32,000 miles; almost perfect body and interior
1960 Rover P5 – Running parts car that will be donating engine and transmission to the above car.
Oh, and I live in the USA, so restoring a Rover P5 is truly a labor of love. The bright side is that I’m unlikely to see another one on the road ever.
” Labor of love” is probably an understatement
Well, the internet does make things easier than they used to be, but I do have a few parts-hunting stories. The best is probably the time I brought back a pair of rebuilt front disc brake calipers and a rebuilt brake booster for the P5 in my carry-on luggage from London to San Francisco. I thought I’d have problems with security, but after I told them it was car parts they just sent me right through.
Fortunately, they don’t weigh carry-on bags, which is a good thing as mine was over the weight limit for checked baggage. Getting the bag in the overhead bin was a bit of a struggle, though, as you might imagine. Good thing I’m in reasonable physical shape, and that the latch for the bin held all through the flight.
Rodney Jaguar Rover in Claydens road, Warkworth New Zealand can supply pretty much anything for obsolete Rovers theyve been wrecking them and buying NOS since the 50s.
CC effect. A Rover P5 saloon has appeared parked at the end of my road. Not a coupe, not a 3.5, not in a swish two-tone colour scheme, but just a basic, original, unrestored P5. How it’s survived this long, or what it’s suddenly doing in our suburban south-west London street is a mystery. A good P5B Coupe is (one of my) dream car(s).
My fleet is pragmatic (dull but useful) – one 2008 Volvo V70, on 87000 and rising, and one 2013 Fiesta for runabout duties. Both (touches wood) solid, reliable workhorses.
In chronological order by year of birth…
1967 Ford Mustang convertible – 289 2 barrel, 3 speed auto, manual everything except the transmission and the top
2004 Ford F150 Heritage – 4.6 V8, 4 speed auto, standard cab and a flatbed
2005 Pontiac Vibe – base model, 1.8 4 cyl, 5 speed manual, wife’s car
2010 Toyota Highlander – 3.5 V6, AWD, 3 row – base model but optioned like an SE minus the back up camera – and according to the VIN has the tow package but has never had a hitch installed on it.
This is for a 3 person family (husband, wife, and 9 month old). The Toyota V6 has roughly a 50 hp advantage on everything else in the fleet – and I do love to use all those horses. Everything but the Toyota is fully paid for and I have yet to own a new car.
Some mighty impressive collections here! Very, very impressive indeed.
As to me? My name is Chris (obviously). 34, married, resident of Richmond, VA. Seems like I’ve got a few fellow commenters here in town. I’m a computer Systems Engineer by trade, but I’ve had a passion for cars since I was a little kid–my parents tell me my first word was “car”. The current fleet, as it were, consists of four members:
-2012 Kia Forte Koup EX. My wife’s car primarily, but also used for long trips. First and, so far, only car we’ve purchased brand new.
-1997 Ford Crown Victoria LX. My DD. 108K miles, not too bad for 18 years. The third Panther I’ve owned.
-1988 Volvo 780 Bertone. Semi-project, runs okay but needs a lot of little stuff. Fairweather weekend driver is the plan.
-1979 Chevrolet Malibu. Stored back in Greensboro at my parents’ place. Hasn’t run since 2001, but it was my first car and my grandfather bought it new. Restoration, eventually.
The three that live with me currently:
So I’ve got one kid already in college in Greensboro, and I’m dropping another kid off in Richmond this August.
Another interesting coincidence there… I lived in Greensboro from age 3 until I left for college in ’98. I’ve been here in Richmond for about 3 years now. (Lived in Raleigh, NC and Durham, NC in between…)
We actually came up here for college as well; my wife just finished a master’s degree program at VCU.
Hi, I’m from Tampa, Florida and have been reading CC since the TTAC days. Our current inventory:
1967 Caprice, 76K, 283 with Powerglde
1989 Cutlass Ciera, 78K, 3.3
1992 Izusu pickup, 122K, 2.3 with 5-speed
2003 Taurus, 170K, 3.0 Duratec
2001 Prizm, 93K, 1.8 with auto
2004 Impala, 69K, 3.4
2008 Milan, 74K, 3.0 Duratec
2012 Jetta, 33K, 2.5 with 5-speed
I need a malaise ride from the 70s to cover the last six decades!
Me- 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis LS w/ 4.6 and a “Wilblough” three outta four ain’t bad automatic
Brother- 2000 Ford CVPI & 1975 Olds Cutlass Salon w/ ’68 Olds 350 & TH400
Dad- 2006 Dodge Dakota “Night Runner” V6 & 6 speed stick
Mom- 2012 Kia Forte LX
From Silicon Valley – Google-land and Facebook-land:
2009 Toyota Camry LE (2.4L)
2012 Honda Civic EX sedan (1.8L)
Total appliance cars but gets one to/from work with no fuss.
Silicon Valley’s namesake is derived from more advanced concepts than two websites.
If you think Google is just a website, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you. And increasingly, the same applies to FB.
Well, of course. Silicon Valley is more of a state of mind rather than a collection of companies. FB and GOOG are just a couple of the more prominent companies in the area – there are more and there will be others popping up in the future.
In our DINK (Double Income No Kids) household, we keep three vehicles:
2003 Subaru Legacy Outback H6-3.0 wagon, 154K miles–owned it since new, and my daily commuter car, as well as general dog-hauler and workhorse.
2011 MINI Cooper S Clubman, 17K miles – my wife’s daily commuter, when she was commuting daily, though now she travels every week and doesn’t drive much. Our second, and likely last, MINI (the novelty has worn off–not really a *bad* car but the second-gen interior is cheap and I can only imagine where it will go from here). Someone will get a nice low-mileage car when we trade it.
1998 BMW Z3 1.9 roadster, 83K miles – my wife’s present to herself for a bonus she earned last year. As with any old German (though assembled in South Carolina) vehicle, it has needed some work, but it’s a lot of fun to drive, and gets 30MPG to boot. When we want to take a road trip, we stuff a couple of duffelbags in the tiny trunk and head out–drove it from Pasadena to Scottsdale and back just recently with no problems.
We are really in a car-surplus situation, so we will likely let one go in the next few months–probably the MINI, even though it’s the lowest-mileage vehicle. The Subaru just keeps plugging along, and the roadster is too much fun.
Here’s one that left our fleet last week…thankfully nobody got seriously hurt.
I am glad no one was seriously hurt and car collisions always suck.
’95 Saab 9000 Aero (daily driver for past 7 years), ’78 Triumph Spitfire, ’72 BMW R75/5, 2001 Celica GT (wife), ’90 Gyrocopter
I’m an Engineer in the Toronto, Canada area. Mrs DougD is an NP and we have two great kids 12 & 14.
Here’s a shot of the D driveway this afternoon, in our stable is:
2007 Dodge Caravan (will not impress anyone but it’s the cheapest tool that will get the job done)
2001 Ford Focus ZTS 5-speed (Still very fun to drive, and unlike Jim Grey’s Focus it’s very reliable)
Now you may think that those are pretty cheap cars for a double professional income family, and you’d be right, but they don’t give us much grief and they’re basically worthless so why get rid of them if they’re still doing the job? Also that frees up money for:
1993 Kawasaki Concours 1000 – Big heavy transcontinental sport touring bike that I mostly use for commuting. I need a big motorcycle trip this year.
1993 Jayco Eagle 8ft popup trailer – Family camping fun, and light enough that it doesn’t cook the transmission on the Caravan
1986 Honda Interceptor 500 – Some women ask for pickles and ice cream when pregnant, Mrs Dougd decided she needed a sportbike. Had it 15 years now.
1962 VW Beetle – You can just see it inside the garage, SOOOO close to being on the road, my current excuse for not working on it is that it’s blocked by a bag of mulch so I can’t take it out of the garage.
Another Dutch visitor here, driving a 1995 Audi Cabrio and a 1996 Fiat Cinquecento Sporting.
Used to drive all sort of American cars, but they just are to expensive these days, never will pay 10.000 euro for a Caprice…..
Love the site, learned a lot about obscure cars and specially like the coals.
2000 GMC Sierra SLT extended cab Z71
2006 Porsche Cayman S
2012 Chevy Volt
My personal fleet, being of college age, consists only of a 1988 Lincoln Mark VII LSC (photo attached).
My parents however have a 93′ Silverado, 67′ Grand Prix, 68′ Beetle Convertible, 70′ Karmann-Ghia, 95′ Mark VIII, 88′ Jetta GL, and a 91′ Rabbit Cabriolet.
College kids unite! Sweet choice of ride!
Good taste! I can’t imagine there are many current college kids with an interest in the best Lincoln of the 80’s. Actually one of the best Ford products of the 80’s and in the top 10 of all 80’s car, IMO.
Agreed, definitely a very cool car for a college-age guy. I bought a Mark VIII when I was 24, so I definitely get it! (Wish I still had that car.) The VII is definitely a modern classic already and definitely one of the very best cars of the 80’s.
Great choice of car for an enthusiast in college. I know keeping something 30 years old on the road is a pain, especially when you are busy, but it’s worth it. Wondering if your non car nut friends notice the Lincoln or are oblivious. No one would be oblivious I guess I’m wondering if your friends who aren’t normally into cars get into the LSC.
It was a pain to put it on the road in the first place after I bought it in the first place but its been relatively trouble free after the initial repairs, with the biggest expense being feeding its 18 mpg habit.
I’d say, that my friends who aren’t normally into cars notice it at first, for being an oldish car with such unique proportions, but after a while they treat it no different than the Malibus and Neons they have.
The ones more interested in cars outright, though, they like it. Some admire it as a “pimp” car, or for its similarity to the fox mustang. Others joke around with it as a “Grandpa” car, but still like it. I think I’m still probably one of the few people I know that likes it for what it is, rather than what it is like (mustang) or what it could represent.
Currently, a lack of a place to keep another car means we are limited to my wife’s and mine daily drivers: 2007 Pontiac Torrent (which really needs a write-up) and a 2014 Subaru Impreza. Eventually my dad will retire and I’ll need to find a place for a 1954 VW Type 1.
In Boise, Idaho
Mine: 2002 Escape XLT
Wife: 2012 Accord EXL >> looking to replace with 3-5 year old Pilot or Explorer
Work: 2014 Fusion SE
Hello everyone, I’m from Toronto, Canada. I’m a Profesional musician/educator who has been enjoying this site for years. current fleet is:
1995 Roadmaster wagon DD
1976 Monte Carlo semi DD
2000 Chevy Blazer (perfect for winter)
Always in the market for a car, but short on places to put them.
Thanks to all for making this such a great site. Every day I enjoy reading the great articles and comments from such an interesting and diverse group of people, everyone united by their passionate feelings for any/all cars.
As for me, our family (wife, 15 year-old-daughter, 12-year-old son) lives in the North Shore suburbs of Chicago, and our current fleet consists of the following:
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit, Brilliant Black with Monaco Black leather, Hemi V8 (mine)
2013 BMW 535i xDrive, Imperial Blue with Venetian Beige leather (my wife’s)
1998 Jaguar XK8 Convertible, Meteorite Silver over Oatmeal leather (I guess oatmeal is better than “Grits”). This is our crazy play car, and it only has 20k miles on it. We bought it in the Summer of 1998, when we were “dual income no kids” and it was my wife’s dream car. As life would have it, 3 months later we learned we were having our first child. I actually wanted to sell the car and get something more practical, but my wife absolutely insisted on keeping it. Given her obsession with the car, I nicknamed it “Christine” in honor of the movie and the Plymouth Fury. Since my wife won that battle, we added a Jeep Grand Cherokee to the fleet back then for family duties and have been a 3 car family ever since. Now that the weather is nice in Chicagoland, we are frequently out in Christine and really happy to still have it. As for my kids, my daughter’s dream car is a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited in White, while my son (huge car nut like me) lusts after a McLaren P1 in Orange. Neither of them will be gracing our driveway anytime soon however.
I also thought it would be interesting to look at my extended family, as these are the other cars that can be considered as part of our gang.
My Mother (New Orleans, LA): Just stopped driving after too many minor mishaps (she’s OK with it as she enjoys riding with friends everywhere), but her last car was a 2009 Jaguar XF in black over tan. My older sister (New York City): Shares a 2010 Honda CRV EX-L with her boyfriend. It’s dark blue with a gray interior. My older brother (New Orleans, LA) and his family: He drives a 2014 Mazda 6 Grand Touring in dark blue over black. His ex-wife has a 2011 Lexus IS350 in black on black. My nephew has a 2011 Ford Escape in red over gray, and my niece has a 2013 Fiat 500 in avocado green over beige. My mother’s half brothers in metro Los Angeles: Uncle Colby 2012 Lexus LS400, black on black, Uncle Cameron 2013 Audi A8L, silver on black.
My wife’s family, all in the NYC suburbs, either in Northern New Jersey or Southwestern Connecticut. MIL has a 2003 BMW 530 in light blue over gray, FIL has a 2007 Camry XLE in dark gray over gray, his wife has a 2010 Toyota Highlander Limited in silver over gray, SIL has a 2015 BMW 750Li xDrive black on black, her husband has a 2002 BMW 330iC in medium blue over gray, wife’s half brother #1 has a 2007 BMW 328i in silver over black, wife’s half brother #2 has a 2015 Toyota Camry XLE in silver with gray inside. My wife’s uncles and their wives are the Mercedes contingent: Uncle Fred has a 2005 S550 in Silver with gray inside, his wife Renee has a 2009 C300 4Matic in gray over gray. Uncle Russ takes the prize with a 1996 S350 turbodiesel, the ultimate battle warrior, with over 400k miles. This black on black beast still chugs across the George Washington bridge into Manhattan every weekday. His wife Barbara has a 2008 E350 in black on black.
A few things come to mind when I scan this list: 1) out of all these people, only my nephew and I drive domestic nameplates and 2) we all drive the most boring color cars, basically nothing but black, gray and blue. So for all my complaining about lack of interesting car colors today, we as a family are definitely contributing to the trend.
Based on this observation, I thought it would be interesting to go back in time and take another look at my family. I picked 1975, as I have either asked about, or I remember directly, the cars in the fleet from back then. It’s an interesting contrast, so here goes:
My family, mostly in Louisiana, Southern Mississippi or Tennessee.
My Mom and Pop: 1975 Oldsmobile Ninety Eight LS, yellow with a tan top and interior, 1975 Buick LeSabre Custom (company car), maroon with a white top and maroon interior, 1972 Pontiac Grand Prix (kid’s car), dark green with a beige top and interior. My Pop’s mother had a 1973 Buick Century Luxus in light green with a dark green interior. My Pop’s father had a 1973 Ford LTD in copper with a beige top and interior, while his wife had a 1972 LTD in triple brown (body, top, interior). My Pop’s sister (Aunt Lavinia) had a 1975 Buick Riviera in dark blue with a white landau top and white interior and her husband (Uncle Skeeter) had a 1974 Buick Electra Limited in dark green with a light green top and interior. My Pop’s Aunt Berta had a 1975 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham in dark green with a beige top and interior. On my mother’s side, her father in Los Angeles had a 1973 Jaguar XJ12 in “chocolate brown” with saddle inside, while his wife had 1973 Oldsmobile Toronado in triple maroon. My mother’s half brother Colby had a 1974 Datsun 260Z in light blue/black interior, while her other half brother Cameron had a 1972 Datsun 510 2-door in orange/tan interior. My mother’s mother in Houston had a 1972 Olds Cutlass Supreme in Gold with a white top and interior, while her husband had a 1972 Buick Electra Custom in light blue with a white top and blue interior. My mother’s Aunt Lovey in the Massachusetts Berkshires had a 1971 Plymouth Satellite in medium blue inside and out.
For my wife’s family in 1975, the following cars were in the New Jersey driveways: MIL 1970 Buick Riviera in Gold with a black top and interior, FIL 1973 Ford Pinto in medium green inside and out, MIL’s mother 1975 Olds Cutlass in “burnt orange” with tan inside, Uncle Fred 1973 Mercedes SLC in silver with red inside, Aunt Renee 1974 Mercedes 280 in yellow with tan interior, Uncle Russ 1969 Pontiac Firebird 400 convertible in red with white interior.
So, back in the day, there was tons of interesting color in the extended family fleet, and the imports were creeping into the mix on the coasts… Poor GM really got hammered, as they had the largest percentage of the family’s mix by far.
So that’s my exhaustive list, thanks for the opportunity to share.
2011 Toyota Land Cruiser (Replaced a Porsche Cayman S . . . LC better for the kids)
2004 Toyota 4Runner V8 (can not part with)
2015 BMW X3 diesel (awesome handling, mileage — for a fake SUV)
Great question, and some fascinating answers. What a variety!
I’m based in Cambridgeshire, in eastern England around 60 miles north of London and just a couple of miles from the Greenwich Meridian.
The current Carr car fleet is 3 strong.
No 1 and my daily driver is a 2011 Ford Fiesta TDCi, with the 1.4 litre turbo diesel. I’ve had this car since February 2012 and added 85000 miles. Don’t believe any of the Fix Or Repair Daily stuff. Fords do not go wrong. I’ve driven 2 Focuses (a Mk1 and a Euro Mk2) and now this Fiesta for 13 years for over 300,000 miles with 1 unscheduled workshop visit and a buckled alloy wheel.
No 2, and my wife’s daily driver is a 2009 Peugeot 207CC 1.6 Sport, which had the USP of the folding roof. Another good car to own, and the roof is a brilliant solution.
And No 3 you may have seen here – a 1990 Mazda MX-5 Mk 1 (aka Miata). Now reading 120,000 miles, I’ve had this for 3 years and had a lot of sunny and (and occasionally rainy – this is England) pleasure in this car. A great choice for a first classic/sports/recreation/hobby/whatever you want to call it car.
Oh, and the cat like the Mazda best!
Cute feline!
My fleet only consists of my 2005 Impala LS. It’s beige with the beige leather interior. The standout feature in my mind is the leather bench seat up front. I inherited the car after my grandma died 7 years ago. It only has 121k on the 3800 V6. I’m set for a long time!
Sure, I’d love something different and more exciting. But this car starts every time and it’s all paid off. Plus the sentimental value can never be replaced as it came from my grandma.
great article.
I’m in dayton Ohio.
63 male, retired.
1. 2013 Dodge Challenger sxt v6
probably my last ‘new’ car.
great deal on a base left-over car
in 2014. challenger for dart money.
daily driver, chick magnet.
2.1989 Dodge Dakota sport convertable.
was looking for a Miata, wanted a convertable
and found the Dakota.
haul mulch with the top down.
everyone wants to know if I cut
the top off.
Ram needs a drop top truck NOW.
3. 1985 Toyota Sunrader mini motorhome.
22re four, 3sp auto.
my fun winter ride.
slow and reliable.
recently found a Cadillac I’d like to have.
1946 Willys CJ2A
1966 Cadillac Calais 4 door pillared sedan
1966 Cadillac DeVille Convertible
1972 Mercury Marquis Brougham (coupe)
1998 Dodge 1500
2008 Cadillac DTS
1) 2011 Chevy Equinox LTZ. Charcoal. 80K miles. 2.4 engine. Wifey’s ride. She loves it. I’m glad she doesn’t own a freakin’ head-gasket-poppin’ Subaru anymore.
2) 2002 Chevy Tahoe LT. Black. Loaded. 140k miles. 5.3/4L60E. Love it. Didja know these have coils in the back?
3) 1997 Chevy Blazer LS. Emerald Green. 303k miles. 4.3/4L60E replaced about 100k ago with used-but-in-good-repair parts. Drove it to work today.
4) 1957 Chevy 210 Handyman. 100k miles appx. Thought this would be the year I’d get to this one but I had an unexpected $24k tax bill instead.
It awaits in a dry garage. The others sit outside.
I’m very late to the party here, but had to chime in as CC is my favorite website. (And I liked the suggestion someone posted above about making it one’s home page; I’ve just done that as I’m usually going there anyway when I open a web browser, and the site deserves the extra hits even when I’m not.)
I own a Turkish vehicle that I like (Ford Transit Connect wagon), but I wouldn’t count it as part of my CC fleet. Instead, the CCs are the rather dissimilar two pictured below …
Dissimilar but makes perfect sense. When you want a sporting drive, a by-god sports car. And when you need something with some space, something with SPACE and lots of it. And not totally dissimilar, they are both blue after all. Nice pair.
So similar to what I used to have in the driveway for about three glorious summers! In fact, my wife and I would cruise with the local Miata Club in our “renegade” RX-7!
Great photo!
I hardly drive the poor wagon because it’s too nice to subject to the tasks I originally envisioned it for (hence my purchasing the Transit Connect) but I’d love to have a trailer for it such that it and the Miata could go places together.
Great looking wagon!
Great combo! Do you park the Miata in the back of the Ford when not in use? Just kidding :-p
I’ve thinned my herd a bit, down from two to just my 77 Chevy Chevelle sedan.
I sold my beloved 1995 Explorer after it hit 340,000 miles because I was tired of messing with it, and it no longer fit my needs, and it was facing a very expensive trans rebuilt to survive city commuting much longer, it’s living its life now in a small rural town where the living is easier on it. (I’d trust it go cross country, but cross town was a whole nother story)
Agreed. I limped my Buick along for 5-10k miles of highway driving. Then, one day in the city, and I was coming home in limp mode. It’s amazing how much easier highway driving is….
My dad’s 93 Legacy finally lost third gear so for about a year he drove without which resulted in a buzzy 25-30 MPH and a nearly lugging 30-35 MPH. Never could go the speed limit in city traffic and the tranny finally failed. The car rusted to death years ago.
Current fleet in CA
1962 Ranchero (just came home, I’m always a sucker for the “Ran when Parked” moniker
1965 Ford F-250
1975 Toyota Hilux (restored)
1994 Ranger
1999 Dodge Durango
2006 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport
And I’m officially out of parking….
2006 Tacoma Double Cab
2003 BMW 325i
1997 Toyota 4Runner SR5
1965 Galaxie 500 2 door hardtop
2004 Key West 186CC center console boat
Nice Galaxie, but what is that thing behind it? A giant ball valve?
1978 Fairmont 2 door, 2005 Crown Vic P71, 2011 Road Glide Ultra. And with a little luck a little known and ultra rare Fox body variant may join the fleet 🙂 .
Somewhere in North Texas
2011 328xi
2008 Chevy Colorado Crew Cab
1997 Civic
1997 Mustang Gt Convertible
1996 Maxima (recently moved to Eugene..Springfield area with my daughter).
I’m from Michigan, I am a 21 year old college student, my current line of work is in auto parts and my fleet consists of:
1959 Edsel Villager 6P Lt. Green and White two tone w/ 6cyl & 3 on the tree
1967 Ford F250 Camper Special 2WD in Purple w/ 352 V8 and Automatic
1970 Cadillac Superior Hearse w/ Suicide Doors
1976 Pontiac Bonneville 2DR in Lime Green w/ 400 V8
1977 Lincoln Mark V in Mint Green with Emerald Landau Roof w/ 460 V8
1980 Ford LTD Crown Victoria 4DR in Maroon with White Landau Roof w/ 302 V8
1980 Chevy Citation Notchback in Silver w/ Red interior and 2.5L and 4spd
1982 Mercury Cougar 4DR in Red with Black Landau Roof w/ 3.8L V6
1983 Buick Park Avenue 2DR in Brown w/ 4.1 V6
1986 Pontiac Parisienne Safari in Gold with Woodgrain w/ 307 V8
1986 Oldsmobile Delta 88 2DR in Grey w/ 3.8 V6
1987 Dodge Ram B250 Conversion Van w/ 318 V8
1990 Chevy C1500 Ext. Cab Long Box in Red w/ 350 V8
1992 Ford Crown Victoria in Maroon w/ 4.6 V8
1992 Isuzu Trooper in Grey
1993 Cadillac Fleetwood in Silver w/ 350
I think that’s all of them. Haha
At 21? That many in the fleet? Truly impressive. Especially the Edsel…
Impressive! I had a friend who owned about that many cars when we were 21, but all but one or two were not roadworthy at any given time.
Thanks for your interest! I have been building this collection since I was 14. The ’67 Ford was the first one, I saved it from the junkyard. It’s currently my daily driver. My Grandfather bought the ’90 Chevy brand new and incidentally is the vehicle I road home from the hospital in after I was born. I pick them up here in the Mid-Michigan area as I find them, usually as barn-finds, on Craigslist and at local junkyards, estate auctions, ect. The majority of them have been Michigan cars their whole lives, most have been in the local surrounding areas since new which I think is kind of cool, but it is Michigan so most of them do have rust, some worse than others, but all perfectly sound. Most of them do run and drive also, some better than others. Are they all perfect? No, but that’s ok, I just take care of them the best I can with the resources I have. Actually, I’m actually one of three guys that collect old vehicles together. My brothers (not actually brothers but might as well be) do too, they’re 23 and 21 years old. Between the three of us there’s about a 100 vehicles total. In fact, my brothers recently acquired a hoard of 16 diesel Chevettes. Most are only good for parts though.
Wow- somebody wanted 16 Diesel Chevettes? One would have probably been enough for me! 😉
That is quite the collection. How many in your fleet are daily driveable?
Currently 9, working on a tenth (the ’77 Lincoln). Some are close, like the Edsel would be as soon as I can get the carb issues straightened out.
Not bad! That Edsel looks absolutely gorgeous!
So, for the $43,692 question: Which is your favorite?
Whereabouts in mid-Michigan are you, Robert? I am in Midland, and the closest I get to admiring vehicles like that is at the Michigan Antique Festivals at the Midland fairgrounds.
Chris
I’m in southern Saginaw County, aka Marion Springs. Funny you should mention the Michigan Antique Festival because that’s actually where I bought my Edsel. As for my favorite, I don’t know, that’s really tough. Grandpa’s truck, the ’90 Chevy definitely has the most sentimental value. As far as favorite to drive, probably the Edsel or the ’76 Bonneville.
Another Kiwi from Auckland, New Zealand. A fleet of three:
1986 Mitsubishi Eterna CS Hardtop
1988 Mitsubishi Sigma GSR-X Turbo
2014 Toyota HiLux 3.0 D4-D Double Cab Utility (work provided and essentially free daily driver)
Too many for my inner-city location…
Eterna below:
And the Sigma. New Zealand-assembled and similar to those used locally in the 1980s by the Ministry of Transport as pursuit cars, presumably due to their decent pace…
I drove one of those for a while as a loaner, a few years ago, had the V6 in it, very nice car to drive considering it was at the time just an old beater my brother had traded in at his yard. Comfortable, quiet, and quick with it
Now that Eterna looks like what we got badged Sigma in the USA. Always one of my favorite Japanese cars of the 80’s, sleek styling and well-equipped with luxury and tech gizmos. Glad to see that you’ve got one still running, they’re very rare over here as Mitsubishi did not have much market share at the time. Think I’ve seen two in the last 10 years or so.
The Eterna was rare when new here (NZ) too. The Sigma was the volume seller; the hardtop Eterna was rather expensive and not many were sold. Of course many more came in once our used-JDM import market became established in the late 80s (and it was probably the arrival of cheap used JDM Eternas that killed off any demand for NZ-new models!).
Correct as usual, Scott. I believe the top-spec locally-assembled Sigma GSR-X was around NZ$43,000 while the Japanese-built (single-spec) Eterna CS was NZ$56,000 in 1987. Not an insignificant amount more for essentially a unique hardtop bodystyle, less power from a larger (2.4) engine and digital instruments! Although, tariffs on CBU cars would account for some of the difference.
Plenty of used-JDM imports appeared in New Zealand in the early to mid-90s with a variety of engines and equipment grades. Powered by anything from a 1.8 carburettor through 2.0 and 3.0 V6s, up to the remarkable Sirius DASH 3×2 turbo.
Definitely eroded the value and uniqueness of the NZ-new examples, however. Very happy both of mine survived!
Hi all……
Happy to check in – this is my favorite car site – check it first thing in the morning and again before bed!
I’m 49, and from New Haven CT area. Been a car nut since I was a little kid. The fleet currently includes 7 cars and 2 boats – i try and use them all regularly!
Cars:
2011 Ram 1500 Laramie 4×4 Hemi
2010 Volvo XC70 – Wife’s car
2007 Volvo S40 2.4i 5 speed – 18yo daughter’s car
2005 Mercedes S500 4matic
1989 Porsche 911 Carrera 3.2
1987 BMW 635 CSi 5 speed
1976 MGB
Boats:
41′ Maxum 4100 SCR – twin Cummins 6BTA-370HP
24′ Vectra 24′ – Evinrude E-Tec 225 HO 2 stroke – my second favorite engine in all my vehicles – 911 3.2 is my favorite!
Hope everyone keeps posting – this has been a fun thread!
From Midwest (IL), @ 20 vehicles in my past 🙂 Currently in the garage:
Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited ’99 1-owner 59K miles, Sienna Pearl/ Camel Tan Leather
Cadillac Seville ’79 2-owner 38K miles, Laramie Beige/ Antique Saddle Leather
Cadillac (with fully restored & reliable Bendix/Bosch EFI), gets used as daily driver May-October… perfect weather days only.
I’ve been away and a bit late to this party! Like a few others here I’m in Melbourne, Australia (inner north east for those who know it).
Melbourne is pretty dry with no snow, so a great place for cc’s – but I’ve now sold my older ones – a 1981 Porsche 911 targa, 1976 two door Range Rover, 1963 Land Rover Series IIA and a 1977 Porsche 924 (Martini & Rossi special edition).
What’s left? In addition to my wife’s dd 2004 Prius (which has been great and she refuses to part with it), I have two G1 Honda Insights (maybe the only ones on this site?).
What next? Well, I have become partial to Hondas – NSX, s2000, Civic Type R (FN2) or maybe even another hybrid – CR-Z.
I think I would like a stick shift 1st gen Insight one of these days, they are nice looking and clever.
Hi Teddy – all G1 Insights in Australia were stick shift – which we call manual transmission here. There’s not many though (see my reply below). But if you’re in the USA there are many more to choose from (though still not common). If you’re interested, visit the enthusiast site Insight Central. There’s a huge amount of information there and some very enthusiastic enthusiasts.
Thank you for the info and I figure the stick shift is the way to go so I am less likely to get bored and/or fall asleep. First I need to refine my stick shift/manual skills and then find out if I even want to drive an Insight. I might end up buying a pair of noise canceling headphones for long drives if need be.
Why did Honda sell so few Insights in Australia?
You would thus own a fair proportion of the Insights in Australia, weren’t there only 100 or so sold?
Hi John H – even less than that. Only 45. All manuals (stick shift) – 20 silver, 16 red, 7 citrus (green) and 2 black cars. I will go from one year to the next without seeing another (apart from my two). They are excellent, fun little cars to drive. Reliable with lots of support from Insight Central if needed.
If you all remember my COAL, I of course have my ’59 Beetle. I also have a 1963 VW Bus, 1992 Jetta GLI 16v and I just bought my first ever Japanese car a few weeks ago, a 1992 Miata.
GLI 16v, eh? How do you like it? I had a 1990. I remember it being pretty fast, and liking to go fast (like driving 100 mph on the freeway)- which is odd, because according to the numbers it’s pretty pedestrian. Probably rose colored glass, as I was pretty young then. Maintenance was a nightmare at any age.
Also, how does it compare driving back to back with the Miata? My “fun car” for now is a 1995 Miata, which in comparison to my my recollection of the GLI feels much more like a sports car (lower, less body roll, sticks better) but slower.
Currently I have two in my fleet. A 2003 maroon Dodge Ram 1500 quad cab with 5.7 L hemi
Great truck had it since 2008.
Last September I bought my silver 2007 Ford Focus SE.
Both of these are very common cars in charleston sc
So many great rides here. I’m impressed.
I presently own 4 cars:
1967 Impala
2006 Pontiac GTO
http://i.imgbox.com/sfKfuBEL.jpg
2007 Subaru Legacy GT wagon
http://i.imgbox.com/yury360N.jpg
2009 Toyota Tacoma Prerunner SR5
http://i.imgbox.com/zE89yyc4.jpg
I attached a larger version of the Impala since this is Curbside CLASSIC.
This is the only vehicle in my fleet at the moment though I look forward to diversifying.
Nice to see your vehicles are working out well Paul and was wondering what was up with the Chinook. Did you paint the rims on the Xb or they come from the factory like that? Impressive amount of comments this article is getting.
He rattle canned the Xb wheels. Makes it easy to spot him around town.
Cool beans.
My current “fleet” consists of just 2 cars, a ’79 Chevy Monte Carlo for fun and a modern Acura for transportation. Here’s the Chevy:
I am a sucker for those 78-79 Monte Carlos before the styling changed.
I’m Mikey….Long time TTAC er, and sometimes C.C er. I’m from Oshawa Ontario. After a few years of juggling cars, and trucks, {mid life crisis ?}. whatever.
My fleet, for now, and maybe forever ??..A 2008 Mustang base model convertible, only driven in the non snow months. She’s got 76000 klms {43,000 miles}
My other car is a 2014 Impala LT, with a 2.5 litre engine. She won’t win too many races, but a beautiful car to drive. I have it rust sprayed every year. and hope to drive it for many more years
Hello from beautiful Western Michigan (Grand Rapids)!
52 year old Graphic Designer/Prepress Technician/Production Artist. Have been following Paul since the TTAC days, on CC since it started. I have been a photo contributor on occasion, but I see some of my other fellow travelers have improved their skills with Photoshop. I met several of the other long timers on this blog at the October Auburn CC Meet-up. The highlight of my year, last year.
In our current fleet:
1997 Chevy Cavalier, 277,000 miles. Currently my daughter’s daily driver, but finally on it’s last legs. 18 years of Ohio and Michigan road salt have done their worst. The mechanicals are just fine.
2004 Pontiac Aztek Rally edition, 167,000+ miles. Our third one, bought used and treating like a pickup truck. The rougher I treat it, the better it seems to run.
2009 Pontiac G6 Sports Sedan. When I bought it, it was described to me as a G6 GT, only with the Ecotec instead of the V6. Loaded to the gills, just approaching 90,000 miles.
Up until recently I was looking for a hobby car, but may change living quarters. Until I know what we’re doing I’m putting off any hobby cars for now.
Hey geo, I thought of you a couple of weeks ago when I passed an accident – a young woman in a black Aztec rear-ended a mid 90s Ford pickup. A real CC mashup. The reason I thought of you was that the black Aztec was one of the nicest looking Aztecs I had seen in ages. After being on the receiving end of years of your Aztec-evangelization, I was genuinely sick at seeing that sharp Aztec destroyed.
Thanks, Jim. I’ve never thought of myself as an Aztek-evangelizer, though. I wasn’t even a fan of the cars originally. But I changed my mind after living with one. Still, there are compromises with those cars, at this point in time, I’d really like a minivan. But my wife doesn’t agree…
I generally hate to see any well-preserved car get wrecked or totaled, because someday down the road we’ll wonder: “whatever happened to…”, like we do today with Studebakers, Packards, DeSotos, Oldsmobiles, or Pontiacs, (very soon…)
Been here since the beginning (followed Paul from that other site). I have to mention that this has become my favorite web site. Period. Excellent content for the automotive obsessed and the commentariat here are without par.
Anyway. after about a decade of messing with all manner of mid-1960’s to mid-1980’s Italian oddities (Fiat 124’s, 128’s, X1/9’s, Alfas, Lancias, Maseratis) and a few British ones (MGB, Spitfire), I’ve drastically downsized and am down to…
1991 Toyota Land Cruiser 3FE
2001 Honda S2000
Both are DD’s with the LC getting heavy use during the messy winters here (in PA), and the Honda getting used heavily in the fair weather months while it hibernates from December to April.
The Land Cruiser only has 135k on it, so with its current mileage accrual coupled with the longevity they are famous for, this thing could last another few decades.
Im an aviation museum curator here in Melbourne, Australia, and only been visiting for a short while, thanks to a similarly afflicted mate that’s not helped my workplace productivity by sending me here 😉 I enjoy seeing stuff from around the world that I’ve been previously unaware of, and CC has also helped me see where some of our Aussie GM stuff has derived various styling and nameplate cues from!
My current fleet:
1964 Mercedes-Benz W111 220SE sedan
1964 Mercedes-Benz W112 300SE LWB sedan (under restoration, with a second ’64 car as an organ donor…)
1974 Holden LH Torana SL/R 5000 L34
1989 Mercedes-Benz W201 190E
2008 Holden VE Commodore Omega
Nice to see another 190E owner. I’ve had mine for about a year and think it’s one of the most underrated hobby cars out there. Not too shabby as a daily driver either.
Psst…ask about replacing the engine bay wiring loom. Go on, a wider audience needs to know that the injection system takes a temp reading from the windscreen washer jets. Ask also how that was discovered. It wasn’t by reading the manual. But yep, the W201s are big cars built small by engineers not accountants. Love ’em.
Your comment about taking the temp reading from the washer jets has me wondering if the ambient temp display is maybe picking up from the same location? Because when it’s hot out and I’m in traffic I get outside temp readings like 136 degrees.
The cooling system is pretty advanced and keeps the coolant temp between 80-90. As it climbs from 80 the first thing that happens is the fan clutch engages and you get the fan whir. Then as it nears 90 it feels like the ignition timing gets retarded (mine is a year or two before the knock sensor was introduced). Past 90 the electric fans come on and finally the A/C compressor cuts out.
It’s gotten to the point where I can tell what the temp gauge says simply by listening to the car. It works so hard to keep itself cool which I love because overheating can easily blow a head gasket. BMW’s run much hotter from what I’ve heard.
On the wiring loom if you mean the insulation issue my understanding is that problem started around ’92 and affected W124s more than W201s. Mine is a ’90 which is the second year of the cladding and more flush headlights. It’s the first year of the darker wood inside. It’s the last or second to last year before they went to 1st gear start on the A/T. I like mine with the 2nd gear start, you can get it to kick down to 1st with the throttle or flick of the lever.
I’ve really bonded with my 190E and consider it the best car I’ve ever owned. The gas mileage, which isn’t much better than my Cadillac, is the only disappointment. I’m going to have the injectors replaced to hopefully cure the rough idle for 2-3 sec. when cold. I’ve replaced plugs, rotor and cap and the problem is still there.
Do you know what this might be? Also do you think my fuel economy might improve if I replace the injectors? Car has 62k miles and previous owner didn’t drive it much. I’ve already run three cans of Techron through the tank.
I understand the loom was replaced because of water ingress at the bulkhead connector and the subject wires were snipped on the donor vehicle.
To be honest I just stand on the sidelines making unhelpful remarks about the deficiencies of plastic bumpers – the magic of things like computers, sensors, injectors, fuel dividers, pumps and filters elude me. Maybe Brad can offer some help.
Jim’s got himself a bit confused again here…
To the best of my (amateur mechanic) knowledge, the wires heading out to the washer jets are to warm them up in cold climates, so they still allow liquid water to come out the holes – not too useful/essential here in Australia, but makes more sense where you guys are – I’m told that you get snow, and all that sort of thing!
As Jim did mention, I did a full engine wiring harness change after some water defeated the splash guard over the ECU, and corroded around the main connector, causing some interesting fault symptoms that were looking very much like a dying gearbox…having said that, it would have been easier to do the gearbox.
Mine is an ’89 model, and doesn’t have an outside temp display. And equally, after the harness change, the temperature management side of things hasn’t worked exactly as advertised, and I’m considering installing a manual switch for the electric fans to overcome this issue.
Having said all that, I agree that the 190E is a great little car, and for all the hassles mine has (and that it’s rapidly approaching 300K km on the odometer), it’s still a comfortable and relatively fun thing to get around the place. It’s much more comfortable on long trips than the ’05 Golf TDI that replaced it as a daily driver, and a nicer place to spend time than the current ’08 Commodore family hack.
As for your economy, my car only does short trips, and drinks a lot as a consequence. Before our hassles with the car, we were getting around 9l/100km, fairly consistently, but at least on mine, the relatively sealed nature of the injection system means that to me at least, it’s something that I don’t really have much of an idea on getting sorted, unfortunately. I think the best bet may be to talk to a Bosch guru, and see whether they have an insight…
Jim had me thinking MB put a temp sensor by the jets which made about as much sense as heating the jets but then again I live in SoCal and have no use for that.
I noticed the heating system has its own pump under the hood which makes it clear that W201s (like most old Benzes) were overkilled more for cold German weather than warm LA weather.
Believe me I’ve checked with the experts on this era Benz and CIS injection. Apparently it’s a simple but at the same time very complicated system that no one wants to mess with unless the car is running badly. One component called the “fuel distributor” can be expensive to replace.
I’m going to do the injectors. I found a shop that has the equipment to check those so we can reuse if OK.
Glad to know I’m not the only one who refers to my collection as a fleet. In order of acquisition…
1989 Honda Accord – my first project, bought back when I was in college. I’ve since rebuilt the engine, transmission, and suspension. Shown in 2013 at the local Honda dealer along with a friend’s newly purchased Accord.
1998 Jeep Cherokee – Rarely sees on-road usage other than driving to trails. Constantly modifying it to make it better off road.
1999 Jeep Cherokee – Daily driver with a few performance mods.
2014 Mustang GT – Weekend toy for the trips that only involve paved roads.
Daily drivers:
2005 Ford Five Hundred
2007 Ford Five Hundred
1996 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup
2000 Honda Odyssey
Others:
1946 Willys CJ2A (VEC-Very Early Civilian)
1965 Mustang Fastback
1970 Lenham Le Mans Coupe
1973 MG Midget (currently getting a rotary engine)
1974 MG Midget
1977 Mazda RX3-SP
1982 Mazda RX7 GSL
1985 Mazda RX7 GS
1985 Mazda RX7 GSL (SCCA ITA/Spec RX)
2007 Monte Carlo bodywork on a Late Model Sportsman (originally a mid-70s Nova)
2013 Nissan Xterra Pro 4-X
1974 Ford Galaxie 500 (19,000 original miles)
Wow, that is a lot of blue!
It is!
Nice ! The color is Big Baby Blue ?
Two 1975 orange Bricklins – one a parts car
1968 Mustang convertible
1965 Thunderbird
2007 Cadillac SRX
2009 Lexus RX350
A Bricklin! Or, two actually. Now that’s a rarity. AMC or Ford power?
Also who would have thought the bolt pattern would be the same as a newer Mustang?
Wow! I’m a 43-year-old lawyer in Los Angeles, California, poking my head up from writing a report that does not want to be written, just now.
Without ever intending it, my wife and I have established an all-Swedish fleet. I wrote about my 1995 Volvo 965 that I bought in 2012 during “wagon week.” We bought her 2004 Saab 9-3, with the lower-pressure turbo, last summer. Of the two, I prefer the smooth if gutless Volvo, but the E12 530i I had as a teenager still is my personal high water mark.
I think I found this site in the spring of 2012. It’s been fascinating to discover, from writers and comments, how many different ways there are to appreciate cars and trucks. This site is really a testament to what “user generated content” can be, as well as to the dedication of Paul and others who have written in volume for the site.
in upstate NY. my town claims to be “10 sq. miles surrounded by reality.”
I have a fleet of 3 four wheeled vehicles.
1) 2013 MINI cooper clubman. my 3rd BMW MINI (& 2nd clubman). I believe this now out of production clubman is/was the best model in their lineup. a plausible primary car for a couple. plausible back seat for an adult.
2) 1996 Buick Regal my former supervisors late mother’s car. (how’s that for a tortured lineage?) he called it the Geezer car- spot on. 81k on it. my 1st GM ever. Has the 3.8 series II. great engine. annoyingly high maintenance unspectacular brakes. otherwise, the thing has acquitted itself pretty well.
3) 1987 ford escort wagon. 1st gen. has 15, 500 original miles. came from my eccentric cousin in DC. he drove it an average of 230 miles/year to take it up to 5,200 miles when he stopped driving. I have been flogging it with 3,200 miles /year in summer driving. son will use this extinct beast for his road test this summer. will probably freak out the adjudicator with the automatic shoulder belts.
my dream garage would have a triumph tr3 and a citroen DS for certain.
I grew up in Tompkins County near the City of Ithaca which you speak of and how bad is the rust on your 20th Century vehicles? Before I left in 2012 my 1995 Voyager was one of the oldest on the road and I would try to find vehicles older than mine that were also driving around.
Did not realize motorized seatbelts existed as early as 1987, but I remember my dad’s Legacy’s belt broke in the upright position. Anyway, when I took the road test in the Voyager the back was full of Pine Boughs for making Wreaths and the radio did not work. The instructor climbed in, tried to turn on the radio (rude of them), and I said the radio is busted. He sniffed the air, looked over his shoulder, and was visually surprised by the Pine Boughs. I told him they were for making Wreaths and his reaction was probably this if he would have said something “The weirdos I have to deal with.”
the escort is utterly pristine. lived in Arlington VA in a brick garage. has never seen snow or salt .probably never driven in the rain when my cousin had it. now is a late april to october kinda car. the Buick is holding up pretty well, with rotted rockers and the bottoms of the front fenders. otherwise, only a few bubbles. the frame will give out long before the mechanicals or the body die. I am waiting for the day the shop tells me it will cost 2500 in welding to pass inspection.
Well PA does not allow rust holes bigger than a Quartah, but thankfully you live in New Yawhk. My family has owned a few vehicles no longer safe enough to be put on a lift and only one has failed while in use, but at least it was parked at Agway. The mechanics in Portland, OR always make quips about the rust on my Caravan when he gets work done.
Keep enjoying the Escort it is nice to see someone preserving one, but watch out for the potholes.
Daily drivers:
* 1997 C35 Nissan Laurel Medalist sedan; 345,000km; RD28 2.8L straight-6 diesel; #153 C35 built.
* 2005 Gen3 Toyota Caldina ZT station wagon; 187,000km; 1AZ-FSE 2.0L 4-cylinder.
Weekend drivers:
* 1989 Mk2 Ford Sierra Ghia 4×4 V6 estate (here); 190,000km; Cologne 2.9L V6; 64x ’89 models left, only 9 licenced.
* 2007 Peugeot 307 SW wagon (here); 139,000km; 2.0L 4-cylinder.
Garaging:
* Not enough!!
Forgot to add; 41 years old, live in Cambridge, New Zealand. Bachelor of Arts in History. 6 years working as a milk vendor, then 12+ years in sales & marketing for one of NZ’s largest drinks company. Currently 18 months in accounting admin.
Chateau Snitkoff currently has two rides: my Ingot Silver 2013 Ford Focus SE with the DCT and my dad’s 2006 Ford Taurus SEL with 170,00 miles.
Eventually I want to get a project car. My idea? A first gen Taurus wagon with an Ecoboost crate engine dropped in. Not sure how feasible that is, but I think it would be amazing.
Hello from suburban Waco, Texas, where we still have Old West style shoot-em-ups.
I wanted to post last night but had an intermittent internet connection.
The first two lines are not related to my knowledge.
I’ve been in the collision repair business for 32 years, and am expecting some bullet hole damage to repair soon. This years marks my 50th in the car business in one way or another. I started washing friends and neighbors cars when I was 9 years old.
My current fleet:
’01 Tahoe. Wife’s DD. A reliable vehicle that has served us well. I am not a SUV person, but she likes the the commanding view and a car that you climb into instead of climbing out of works better for her back issues.
’94 Cutlass Supreme. My DD. It has been in the family for over 14 years, now reading over 222,000. My kind of car, a full sized sedan that you can see out of. It just keeps going and I plan to ride along as long as it is willing and able. And it averages 25 mpg to boot.
’03 PT Cruiser. Actually belongs to my mother-in-law, but since she does not drive (never has) then it may as well be mine, as I get to take care of it. It’s main purpose is for brother-in-law to use when he makes his annual to semi-annual 3 month visits. It has been very reliable, but does not get driven very many miles.
’70 Chevrolet C10 pickup. My project and weekend chore vehicle. It is pretty rough, but runs well. It has lived outside in the hot sun all it’s life, and that has taken it’s toll, too rusty to reasonably restore, so it will probably always be a beater. But it is hard to beat an old truck.
I am a simple minded old geezer who really has trouble with the unnecessary complexity (in my opinion) of modern cars.
Many thanks to Paul and all the contributors and the commentators for making and keeping this site first class. I found it about 3 years ago while searching for something I have long forgotten. I only wish I had more time to read all the articles. Maybe someday…
Was surprised to read about the shootout, that does not happen every day. Not sure if I would fix bullet holes in my vehicle I would really have to ponder it.
The police still have all the cars in the parking lot impounded as evidence so I have not seen any as yet. But I have heard a few ‘friend of a friend of a friend’ type stories about some folks who were eating at the restaurant next door and their car got caught in the crossfire.
Live near Boulder, CO. Have owned 60 different cars through the years, as many as a dozen at one time.
Right now:
91 300SL
98 M3 vert
99 E320 4matic
Some I wish I still had:
72 GP
70 Satellite 2dr
83 944
65 230SL
66 Coronet wagon
This is the best car site on the net IMHO.
I’m a 35 year-old architect in Brooklyn, NY. Despite being a car fanatic from a young age, my car history is pretty sparse, partly due to the fact that I’ve spent much of my adult life living in NYC.
My first car was a 1989 Honda Prelude Si, a hand-me-down from my brother, which was incredibly fun-to-drive but was unfortunately totaled in a hit-and-run accident during my first year of grad school.
The Prelude was replaced by a 1998 Volvo S70 base model bought used in 2002, which served me for about 2 years until I completed grad school and moved to Manhattan.
After that, I was carless for about 7 years, but the S70 was being daily driven by my mom in New Jersey during that time, until I regained possession of it in 2011.
In September 2013, I traded the S70 (with 140k miles) for my current car, a 2010 Volvo V50 2.4i, which essentially has the same 2.4 liter 5-cylinder engine. I bought the V50 with 32k miles, and have only added about 8k since then. Living in NYC, we really only use the car during weekends. Because it is street-parked, it does get a weekly trip around the block when it needs to be relocated according to the street cleaning schedule.
I guess my parents have had a bit more of an interesting car history, with my dad having owned, during the 1970s, an MG 1100 sedan, an MG Midget, and a well-used Alfa Romeo Giulia Super sedan. He then spent 30+ years managing car dealerships and always had a new demo to drive home, which would usually be swapped out every 4-6 months.
Growing up, some of the highlights that I recall were a 1985 Jaguar Series III Vanden Plas in a beautiful metallic taupe color called Antelope, a slightly sinister black 1986 Volvo 740 Turbo sedan, and a 1989 Honda Prelude Si 4WS. There were many other Hondas, Acuras and Volvos during those years.
My dad was at a Honda store during the late 80s and early 90s (Honda’s golden years), and we would often get stopped by people on the street with questions whenever he got a new, freshly-introduced car at the beginning of the model year. My favorite from that time was probably a Fresco blue 1992 Prelude Si. Despite some visual similarities to the nose of the Eagle Vision (which debuted slightly later) and the taillights of the Olds Cutlass Supreme coupe, I still think that Prelude generation has a gorgeous design.
My mom usually had an older car during that time, which was always something that was taken as a trade-in by the dealership and that my dad could get a good deal on. In retrospect, most of my mom’s cars were rather quirky choices. There was an Audi Fox, followed by a Volvo 244 DL, and then perhaps the only two “conventional” vehicles that my mom’s ever had- a 1983 Accord sedan and a 1989 Jeep Cherokee Limited. The Cherokee was only 2 years old when we had it, but it had a bunch of issues with recalls and mechanical breakdowns, so my dad replaced it with 1986 Jaguar XJ6 Series III ! After a couple years, they replaced that with a 1985 Jaguar Vanden Plas, which my mom daily-drove for 10 years with no real issues until she took over my S70 in 2004.
Today, my parents have a 2010 Volvo V70 3.2 R-Design wagon, which is the only car they’ve ever bought new, other than a 1977(ish) Honda Accord hatchback. My dad also has a 1960 Bugeye Sprite which is in need of some restoration after sitting in the garage unused for much of the past 20 years.
Thanks for bearing with my somewhat extended mini-COAL; here’s a photo of my V50 from last winter:
Came across this wonderful website in 2011 or 2012 and since then can’t spend a full day without checking what’s going on here.
25-year-old Mechanical Engineering student living in Brasilia, Brazil. Recently I’ve spent a year in Finland from where I shared a few shots on the cohort of its interesting classic car scene (mostly big American steel).
I’ve always had a soft spot for large comfortable sedans, and my first car was a hand-me-down 97 Chrysler Stratus (quite big for local standards) with a v6 engine. A great car to drive, and also pleasing to the eye. But after too many stops at the repair shop it was traded in a 2011 Hyundai Azera. For me it is simply one of the best cars ever made! A perfect contemporary interpretation of the traditional full-size sedan– soft suspension, not so high beltline, great visibility, amazing headrests, physical buttons for the AC, decent fuel economy (can get 27mpg in the city), more room than I ever needed, quiet cruise below 1500 rpm @ 50mph. It just hit 70000 km without any issues so far.
Keep up the great work Paul!!
Current fleet at the built over WW II airstrip I we call home is:
2005 Holden Commodore wagon.
1969 Skylark Custom
1999 Peugeot 306.
Past cars include SBC powered Holdens, Holden Geminis, Fiat 128 3P & a 125S
Here’s the 350 SBC Holden
Very nice Prem wagon. If I found one in metallic pink, it’d be a keeper.
The Commodore will be the model after mine (mines a 2001 or 2 VX). I looked at a 2005 HSV wagon before buying mine but it was a little too pricy for my daily driver left outside. That 350 SBC Holden is very nice, good colour scheme too, is that original? Just noted its a Premier too, very nice (I used to have a Stateman). Pic of the 69 Skylark would be awesome!
I have a 1997 Ford Falcon ute, a couple of Hillman Imps (1964 & 1968) and a 1975 Ford Escort mark 1, plus future project & parts cars… and a company car DD, currently a Corolla.
Hi, from Fiji and currently got a 2004 Subaru Forester 2.0XT, sadly my only car in the moment. A great car as such, oodles of fun and practical to boot, but not quite what has been through my garage already. See the website for an excerpt of that…. though after all those came a 1971 Valiant Hemi Pacer, Ford Escort Mk2 coupe, a Nissan Cedric Brougham VIP, a Starlet GT Turbo and a 1987 Pajero…
I have a bicycle and that’s it. I live in Copenhagen, so I don’t really NEED a car. It would be very nice to have though. Once I get a job again, I’m getting one.
Thanks to Paul for his inspiration and for all the hours he is putting into producing my favorite website! I enjoy checking in every evening.
I’m a 59 years old office worker in a small Aerospace & Defense company in Denmark. My wife and I are both driving Fiat 500’s although mine will probably be replaced soon, perhaps with a Hyundai i10.
I’m a twenty-something in his last days of being one, working for a quite well known car suspension supplier and living in Germany nearby the border to Luxemburg. I stumbled upon this website a few years ago and am now a daily visitor as well.
You guys do a great job in giving a detailed picture of car history, not only giving a better understanding for american iron but also showing the commonplace cars from over here from a different and also revealing angle, thank you for that.
As for the fleet:
#1 in every instance is my 1987 Audi 100 1.8, a carb’ed plain jane with no extras apart from sun roof and fifth gear to row. what is the thing with power steering anyway? reliable and unpretentious as an anvil, happy doing 160 kph on the autobahn all day long, quite quick at getting there and easy on gas and my backside while doing it. my vehicle of choice for longer travels but with its tippy-but-grippy 80s-VAG-handling still as much fun as a bag of puppies on winding backroads on my commute. On my sheet the only downside to a new Passat/A4 is the lack of AC, since the greenhouse lives up to its name royally during summer days.
#2, to help out the 100 on daily duty and sweeten the commute (genuine Rally Deutschland stretch of roads) a little more, the 1994 MX-5 1.8 – I guess there is enough said about on this pages.
#3 1984 VW Passat Variant, as basic as it gets, with 1.6, carb and 4 on the floor. Still a fun and roomy vehicle, but I bought just because of the price, actually. A little rough outside but very solid and nice inside and going strong anywhere you ask it to.
#4 is real estate for several years now. A 1972 Datsun Sunny/1200, as rare as it can get over here. I had boatloads of fun with it for a year, started a restoration but the sheer amount of rust/lack of substance went really hard on my motivation and the little Datsun went in a barn. maybe someday…
Inner east in the city of 4 stations in 1 hour / random weather. The locals say it’s 4 seasons in 1 day, but I think they are too optimistic. From what I can see, there are plenty of “neighbours” around here.
Current fleet:
1997 VT Holden Calais, AKA “The Tank” or “Papá Holden” depending on who you ask
1998 Saab 900 2.0
Before, in a previous life…
1991 Isuzu Impulse XS, dearly missed. A turbo would have made it a perfect freeway stormer.
1991 Isuzu Impulse RS
I like quirky cars, the Commodore is the most normal I have bought. And yes, I want more Saabs and keep looking from time to time for Isuzu cars.
I’m an engineer and live in southern Chile. I’ve been reading this site since 2013.
My fleet consists of a 2004 Mitsubishi L200 4×4 pick-up and a 1993 Subaru Loyale 4×4. The mitsu is our familiy (wife, 2kids and a dog) DD and mini farm-mobile, and the Subaru is sort of a backup-car. The Mitsu runs with Biodiesel made out of waste vegetable oil.
At the moment I’m searching for an old VW… hope to find something before the end of this year!
32 y/o const/mfg co. office manager / volunteer EMT
1976 Cadillac Coupe Deville – daily driver
1958 Buick Special sedan
1966 Jeep Wagoneer – just bought last month
1964 Ford F-100 -selling this now since I got the Jeep.
Nice fleet! Good old American iron.
Great looking Buick 🙂
Good looking Buick!
I second (. . .third?) these comments. Love the ’58 Buick – and it looks great in that color combo.
Her name is Lola, she is my show car. I’m a hospitality manager who lives, works and plays in downtown Toronto. Lola is my summer wheels; Curbside Classic has been my daily driver for years and the best reason to have an Internet.
I’m from the Witch City (Salem, MA). I’m approaching my mid- 50s & work both as an attorney & reference librarian. I currently own a 2005 Focus, which I do enjoy although the interior plastics are rather cheap. I previously owned a 1985 1/2 Escort & a 1989 Lebaron GLC Turbo Coupe. I like reading this site & the varieties of the cars & their owners
We’ve got a 2008 Saturn Astra, bought lightly used and now at 71,000 miles. It’s my dad’s dd. The car has plenty of electrical gremlins, but when it’s working it’s quite a fun car. My dad is planning on replacing it with a Golf GTi over the summer and giving the Astra to me for school. We’ve also got a 2015 Honda Pilot as my mom’s kid-ferrying car and the overall good car. It was bought new in December, so it’s only got about 5,000 miles on it.
We’ve got a 2008 Saturn Astra, bought lightly used and now at 71,000 miles. It’s my dad’s dd. The car has plenty of electrical gremlins
The Astra has also been on my list as a beater candidate. It’s virtue, along with the first gen Focus, is the headlight and windshield wiper controls work the same as my VW, and a used Astra costs thousands less than an equal age and mileage Golf or Jetta.
Both of the Astras, one of which has 68K on it, I have looked under appear to be leaking automatic tranny fluid from the bellhousing. Is yours leaking, or is yours a stick? I think the 68K one already had the tranny heat exchanger leak fixed as most of the splash shields under the front end are missing. The one remaining shield is held on by a zip tie.
What kind of electrical gremlins? I have heard about the fragile wire harnesses in the back doors.
Thanks!
Still running our cockroach candidate 1997 Saturn SL2 with 137,000 miles and an oil leak. Apparently as long as you keep the oil topped up the Saturn Styrofoam engines will run a very high mileage despite their high oil consumption.
My 1978 BMW R100S Motorcycle is also out of winter slumber now that rain is occasional rather than constant. Also plans are afoot to resurrect my wife’s 1983 Honda CM250C belt drive which has been stuck in the garage for 15 years.
If it holds up like our old ’95 SL2, it’s got another 130k miles left in it.
My fleet is hyper boring or subtly interesting depending on how you look at it. I live vivaciously through others on sites like this. I have too many obligations to mess with cars or I spend too much time on the internet looking at cars to mess with cars.
2007 Prius Flamboyent styling and chock full of engineering innovations make this a future classic except for the high production numbers and a bias against it. I might keep it until it’s classic, because whatever I might replace it with will be less efficient, not as stylish or too small.
2004 Sienna The only van that met the Mrs requirment of “AWD and less than 10 years old”
2000 Silverado To do truck things. Might be replaced with a “classic” version although I will miss the comfort, reliablity and efficency of the modern version. Maybe a trailer would do it’s job and make life less complex.
Sometimes they make or sell a gorzillion of something because they are good. That makes the thing boring for being common but it is good none the less.
Hi Y’all! Deep South, here! My current fleet (I’ve decided to downsize & have sold off a couple) consists of:
1969 Dodge A-100 Sportsman Window Van: recipient of a transplanted 340 c.i. engine; currently suffering from “benign neglect” and in need of a large pile of pictures of dead presidents to finance restoration! 🙂
1989 Honda Accord LX-i: My first Japanese car, bought w/ 149K on the odo; 215K currently & 2nd 5 speed trans!
1998 Honda Civic: Currently in completion stage of a B-20 swap, that stretched into 3 years (don’t ask!) 🙂
1983 Chevy Silverado Pick Up: If you own a house, you need a truck!
1970 Dodge Charger 500: 140K+ mile survivor, first time eBay purchase; replaced my first car lost in an accident, 1978.
1974 Dodge Challenger: 69K actual miles, replaced my totalled 70 Charger in 78.
2012 Honda Fit Sport 5 spd M/T, replaced my ’07 Fit totalled by a H&R driver
and, continuing in the theme of downsizing, my lastest acquisition, a 1993 S-10 Tahoe extended cab pick up.
Paul & CC, a part of my daily routine, and I’ve read everyone of these “DELICIOUS” posts!! 🙂
Our fleet is comprised of a 1999 Ford Ranger 4.0L King Cab w/294,000 miles, a ’99 Lexus SC 300 and a ’66 Volvo P1800S project car
Very late to party.
Live in Columbus, Mississippi Love the site.
My Fleet:
1986 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Bought used Jan. 1990 137,000 miles. Drive once or twice a week.
1996 Chevy Impala SS. Bought new Jan. 1996. 100,000 miles Drive Regular.
1996 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. Bought used Nov. 2003. 154,000 miles Drive Regular.
1996 Buick Roadmaster Limited Wagon. Bought used June 2005. 146,000 miles Drive Regular.
2008 GMC Sierra SLE 4WD Xtd Cab. Bought New Sept. 2008 36,000. Drive mainly on long trips.
Article I wrote a while back with last picture showing the fleet except GMC replacing S-10.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/my-curbside-classic/my-curbside-classics-1996-impala-ss-1996-buick-roadmaster-woody-1995-cadillac-fleetwood-brougham-the-lt1-holy-trinity/
Also late, but here is my current fleet:
1964 Cutlass F85 2 door Hardtop- 330 V8
1967 GMC short stepside- 250 inline 6
1991 Camry- 2.0
1992 Camry- 2.2
I’ m in San Jose, CA and this is absolutely the best automotive site on the web!
Easy one – still have our 1999 ACCORD EX 2.4 – 178k miles, runs and drives like new and is not going anywhere anytime soon! (Heather Mist – beige cloth interior) Probably one of the best cars we’ve owned, next to our beloved 1993 Accord EX 5-speed wagon!
2011 CR-V EX – bought with 76k miles and hoping to get as many miles and years out of it that is humanly possible. Hey, if million mile Joe can get a million miles out of his 1990 Accord, I know our CR-V can do it too. And he bought his with guess how many miles? 76k!! (Opal Sage metallic – beige cloth interior)
62 year old retired engineer in SoCal.
Current 4-wheel fleet:
1969 VW Karmann Ghia coupe
1972 Buick Skylark 350 2dr HT
1974 VW Thing (pictured)
2005 Toyota Tundra regular cab 4×4 with slide-in camper
2010 Honda Fit Base manual transmission
Other related machines:
1990 Yamaha TW-200
1967 Chevy Corvair experimental aircraft engine conversion
“1967 Chevy Corvair experimental aircraft engine conversion”
Tell us more please!
2002 Dodge Durango SLT 4.7 4×4 Class IV Tow Package
2005 Ford Freestyle Limited FWD
2006 Sea Ray 205 Sport 5.0 21″ runabout, ShoreLand’r Tandem Trailer.
2012 Ford F-150 Lariat Crew Cab 5.0 Short Bed Class IV Tow Package
I really enjoy the global content and especially the “alternate universe” cars from the North American based manufacturers, as well as all the old Detroit iron.
Also late, I’m from the Chicago suburbs in the Schaumburgish area, and my fleet, well, it doesn’t really count as a fleet since my daily driver and hobby car are one in the same but it’s my quite heavily modified 1994 Cougar XR7, which I just this week converted to a 5 speed stick. It was my first and only car I owned since I was 17 and am coming up on the ten year ownership mark with it. The body now has over 100k on it but mechanically it’s probably got 20ks worth of parts swapped into it on average.
I guess I’ve kept it around so long out of a combination of attachment and lack of money when the opportunity to move on to something else pops up. But the Cougar is looong paid for, gets high 20s on the highway is plenty fast, sounds awesome with it’s loud worked over V8, is fun to work on(big selling point in any car to me) and as of late it really stands out in todays traffic since it’s the last of the true rear driven long low wide coupe designs out of Detroit, and the fact that it’s become the antithesis to current automotive design trends really makes a fitting statement.
And I love CC, It’s really a good source and outlet for old car related facts and opinions that I really can’t take in or share with my otherwise mostly car disinterested friends or the single focused ones(the “I bleed Ford blue and everyone else sucks” types), and despite the occasional irritation or disagreement I do respect every contributor and commenter here, unlike so many other car related sites and forums where it devolves into yelling and condescension, CC is so much more diverse and the sharing of different experiences of different cars from all sorts of different backgrounds results up for an enlightening read whenever I log in. I was very much a Muscle Car only guy when I first started reading here but I’ve come to appreciate so much more.
Hey Matt, that’s a really nicely done XR-7! Great job!
That conversion from an AOD to a stick has long fascinated me, mainly out of my dislike of the AOD. I recall some guy on a Panther forum did a 5 speed conversion on a box Panther, but his detailed posting showed that it was not a conversion for the faint of heart. I salute you for the effort!
Thanks! I actually swapped out a 4R70w, which was pretty nice itself as it was rebuilt and upgraded in 2007 but I wanted to make a change in direction with the car.
It definitely was a challenge and took lots of planning as there’s not much available for the platform for this conversion besides the (very hard to find)SuperCoupe pedals and console, so I had to fabricate shifter linkage, hydraulic clutch linkage and mix and match all sorts of parts to work together. But it’s all been worth it to me 🙂
This fully-loaded 1990 Toyota Camry V6 LE. 25 years old and running like a champ.
1996 Nissan Pickup XE King Cab 2wd (2.4/5-spd)
1988 Toyota Corolla Deluxe wagon (1.6/5-spd)
2001 Toyota Roxy Echo sedan (1.5/auto) (wife’s car)
2015 Cadillac SRX
2014 BMW 328ix
1984 Porsche 944
1972 Olds 422
944 vs 422, finesse vs power? Which one is more fun?
Wow, what a stable of stables CC has become!
As for me, too many cars for a city lot with single-wide driveway:
* 2010 Prius: Our all around go anywhere, do anything, carry stuff car.
* 2004 Mini Cooper S: Lily’s car, her prize for getting her first novel published.
* 1993 Miata: My joy, once slated for EV conversion but now just a nice day ride.
* 2011 Think City: My commuter EV.
Plus, all four cars are red.
Current used car lot consists of:
1999 Mercedes SL500
2003 BMW 325i
2009 Ford Flex
2013 Ford Fusion
1989 Chevy 1500 Short Cab / Short Bed
2009 Subaru Outback (first auto I’ve ever owned); Mrs. F-85 has a 2008 Infiniti G35x.
Very much miss my prior rides — ’71 Super Beetle, ’85 Tercel, ’90 Celica ST, and ’99 Maxima SE. One would replace the other. Each time, I felt I hadn’t known what I’d had ’til it was gone.
Felt we needed to migrate to all-wheel drive, though. American Midwest; the winters just seem to get tougher each yr. Or maybe I’ve less stomach for them.
Oh, have I mentioned that I love this site?
Short list compared to some…
1970 Citroen AK 250 Weekend – former Belgian Post Office van on an Ami Super chassis with a 1300 flat four and five speed box
1974 Citroen D Super 5 – nice
1976 Citroen Ami Super – the only road registered right hand drive Ami Super saloon in Britain and therefore possibly the only one left period
1989 Citroen BX 14RE – architypal one little old lady owner and 42000 from new. Now power steering no injection, not cat, no ECUs no ABS what could possibly be there to go wrong?
2004 Citroen C2 – the weakest link
2007 Citroen C6 2.7 HDi Lineage – its a C6…nuff said
2011 AMG Mercedes C63 Estate Performance Pack – 500PS – the fastest builders wagon in Oxfordshire
2015 BMW i3 – – just getting used to seemless electric torque
You sir, have very interesting taste in vehicles. There isn’t one that I wouldn’t love to drive at least once.
No CX 🙁
I am from Germany, 34 years old and have spent countless hours on CC. I just love this place!
My current list of cars:
1970 Ford Torino Squire Wagon 351C, Oregon Survivor, originally sold by Kendall Ford in Eugene
1970 Plymouth Fury III Coupe 383
1978 Chevy Caprice Classic Coupe 305
1993 Chevy Caprice Classic Sedan, Daily Driver running on Propane
1999 Ford Police Interceptor, Ex-Connecticut K-9 Unit, former Daily Driver since 2012, now in storage(not ready to sell, because it’s such a great performing car!)
My Dad has a 1972 Gran Torino Sport Fastback, Ex-Oregon car out of the Portland area.
Now let’s see: B-Body? Check. Panther? Check. Malaise-Era? Check. Mopar Landyacht? Check. Where else should I end up but here?
here’s my hodgepodge fleet oldest to newest:
1968 Cougar XR7, White/tan, no vinyl roof, 390 2bl/6.5L badges, 45K, 3rd ownr, 9/99
1973 Triumph TR6, Navy/blk/blk, 120K, picked up new at dlr w dad 10/73, inherited ’98
1984 Mercedes 380SL, gold/choc/tan, 130K, 2nd owner, bot 8/98
2001 Acura CLS, sundance gold/blk, 127K, bot new 8/00
2003 Chevy Corvette Conv, 50th Anniv Red/Tan/Shale, 8K, bot new 2/03
2005 Ford Mustang GT, Race red/red, 67K, bot new 11/4
2007 Ford Ranger Edge, Elec blue/gray, 64K, 4.0V6, bot new 7/7
2014 Mercedes E350Coupe, Steel gray/red, 7K, bot new 10/14
Here’s a pic of all but one of our cars (there is also a Dodge Dakota out of view to the right that we use for hiking and trips to the woods). The green 440 wagon is undergoing a long list of repairs (brakes, wiring, undercoating, tune up, etc). It is mostly used for taking the dog out in and going to the hardware store. The Lexus is my daily driver. Out of view in the carport is my friend’s barn fresh 1975 L82 Corvette, with a 4-speed manual and Holley carb, running strong but in need of some cosmetics . . .
. . .Here it is, covered in a fine layer of carport dust.
I don’t have a modern car, but all four of mine get driven roughly equally:
1960 Porsche 356
1978 Cadillac Seville
1980 Rolls Royce Silver Shadow II
1985 Mercedes 300D
What’s your experience on Seville vs Silver Shadow2? I liked them both, driven both for short period of time back in the days, but couldn’t really remember any more.
toffee,
Here is a post I’d made in a previous thread:
“I read with interest the comments comparing the original Seville with Mercedes and also Rolls Royce. It was always my perception that while the Seville was about the same size as an S-Class Mercedes, it was not meant to be a direct competitor but rather an “international sized” Cadillac. Wasn’t the Seville a decent seller for an American sedan in Europe of that era? (I know that’s not really saying much).
Currently I own a ’78 Seville and an ’80 Silver Shadow II, as well as an ’85 W123. I agree that the Seville is quieter on the go – the Shadow has a surprising but not unpleasant subdued engine roar when you give it a good bit of throttle – and there is usually less wind noise as well. I would say the ride of the Seville is smoother on unchallenging surfaces, but the Shadow handles bigger lumps and imperfections in a better fashion which is not surprising given the IRS vs. leaf-spring designs. In the corners, the Shadow feels like it’s going to topple over while the Seville remains nicely flat. The Rolls greatly trumps the Seville in terms of steering and braking, however. The rack and pinion system of the Shadow provides excellent feel for such a large sedan of the era, and the Citroen braking system is superb.
I enjoy driving both of them but the Mercedes is the best of the bunch overall, with its superb build quality, comfort, durability and overall driving experience, IMO.”
PS The Seville is A LOT cheaper to run.
My current fleet is comprised of the following:
1997 Buick Lesabre- My daily driver
1999 Pontiac Firebird- A nice weather driver
2000 Mitsubishi Mirage coupe- winter/bad weather/”days i feel the urge to drive a manual transmission car” driver
I have had the Firebird since last May and it was part of a “package deal” with a 2006 Ford Taurus(see my COAL on it) as I know I could not make a Firebird a daily driver year round (my back would not allow it). I got it with 88,921 miles on it and I just hit 91,674 so you can see how much it gets driven.
I have started to drive it more now that the weather is good.
The 97 Lesabre replaced the Taurus and it is my daily driver. I have owned it since Aug 2014 and it has not needed a thing save regular maintenance items(oil change, transmission fluid drain and refill etc)
In the fall of 2014 I bought a little Mitsubishi Mirage coupe to serve as a daily driver during the winter months to protect the other two cars from all the rock salt Maryland likes to use.
The car was cheap and was a manual trans so I could have a stick shift car in the fleet. The Mirage has been a good car so far. Its biggest challenge was the fact that despite it being a one owner car from a trusted source and the fact it spent its entire life in MD, it seems like every bolt is rusted and I have broken several but I have been able to drill them out and put new bolts into the holes. Currently the car is on down time since I broke one of the bolts holding the distributor cap down due to the shop that changed it out previously having Hercules tighten it hundreds of foot pounds. So $130 and 20 mins of my time on Friday will fix it. Though even with the broken bolt the car still starts up and runs(a tough little car)
Seriously Paul, GREAT site. I look forward to dropping by each day! Thank you so much!
This is my DD, a ’65 Plymouth Valiant V100. My current project that is just taking waaaaay too long is a ’64 Ford Falcon Squire station wagon, and my wife’s DD is a 2011 Hyundai Tucson.
And here is the Falcon Squire.
Odd mix, but not as odd as some
1968 Mustang Coupe – the car I never wanted
1991 S10 Blazer 4 door – only vehicle I bought new, ordered the way I wanted it
2002 Dodge Grand Caravan – slowly succumbing to rust
2005 Pontiac Bonneville GXP – fun but so expensive to repair
The Blazer had 235,000 miles on it when I stopped driving it in 1999. It has turned into one of those “I’ll get to it one day” projects that keeps getting pushed back by house repairs, kid’s needs, bride’s health issues…so it sits in the back garage awaiting its fate, but I know I’d regret getting rid of it the way I regret getting rid of my Chevelle Malibu. But next up is a carb rebuild I need to do to get the Mustang back on the road.
My daily driver can has been fun.
2002 Subaru Outback H6. Wish it had a manual, but the 6 is auto-only and I didn’t want to face the prospect of head gaskets on a used car. Otherwise solid car, even at 165k miles
2006 Mazda6 for No.1Son. Stripper with a manual. Lots of fun to drive but the interior is so cheap in comparison the the Subie. Appears to have been hooned by previous owner as transmission disintegrated last month at <120k miles.
2010 Honda CRV for wife. Boring, feels weak, mileage isn;t what it should be (at least with A/C on, which wife always does)
Slightly OT, but it still hits the mechanical fascination button:
1995 HHRacing Group Harry Havnoonian Professional. Lugged and brazed Vitus steel tubing with long-point webbed lugs, Campy Athena and a variety of USA and European parts.
1993 or so Cannondal touring frame with a wierd variety of parts, from an old Campagnolo Rally derailleur to 1984 SR triple crankset, and cyclocross tires. I get some odd looks at the top of singletrack mountains from the guys on the $5k transformer-looking 29-er mountain bikes. "What's that road bike doing up here?"
And further OT, but still following my fascination with quality handcrafting in my transportation equipment:
Alico Tahoes, made in italy, size 9W, with old-school replaceable Vibram soles.
Sad that you call the CR-V boring. Love my 2011 EX. It is such a great reliable vehicle, and it handles and rides fantastic. Plus 24 mpg all the time. Were you expecting something else from it?
Oh, it’s reliable enough, but feels underpoweed, at least in comparison to the rest of our fleet. It hates the 15 towards Vegas. The CRV handles ok, but again the Subie and especially Mazda are better. And we get nowheres near 24 mpg. Dunno, maybe it’s the short trips to/from school or the fact thar Mrs. C uses AC a lot, but we rarely break 18 mpg.
In southern Vermont my fleet consist of a 1996 Toyota Corolla daily driver, 1985 Toyota 2WD pickup for errands and chores and my 70,000 original mile, unrestored 1st Series 1949 Dodge Custom Club Coupe.
Sorry for the quality of this shot, but I cropped it out of the background of a different photo. Never thought I’d be posting a pic of THIS old beater!
An 1980s Toyota that has survived in Vermont for so long is worthy of a photo.
That WOULD be remarkable, Teddy, but truth be told, it’s originally a Texas truck and has seen no winter miles in the five or six years that I’ve owned it.
My toy….
Sweet.
Thanx, Jason. ‘Tis!
Fluid Drive FTW!
Yup…
My toy, too….
Love the car and the color.
I love the diners too. It’s hard to find anything much more authentic than a Panda Express in SoCal. ;-(
Thanx, Craig. The color is called Lullaby Blue and is thoroughly in keeping with the sleepy nature of the car.
I’m a freak for diners. The Blue Benn is a Silk City and the Miss Bellows Falls is an authentic, largely unaltered barrel-roof Worcester Lunch Car. The Blue Benn interior is a festival of Formica and stainless steel.
Alan checking in from the Front Range of Colorado. Our fleet consists of the following:
2006 Ford Escape XLS 5-speed – Daily driver, utility workhorse and long distance road tripper.
2003 Subaru Outback H6 3.0 – Second daily driver and winter ski trip rig
1989 Jeep XJ Wagoneer Limited – My CC, camping rig and never ending project ( i.e. money pit.) CC here: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-american/my-curbside-classic-1989-jeep-xj-wagoneer-limited-a-cherokee-with-a-few-extras/
Love the site and look forward to many more CC’s to come.
from Calgary…
2008 Mazda 5 GT (Canadian version of “Touring” spec in the US), heavily depreciated with hail damage, so it owes me almost nothing and serves as general around town transport.
2006 Toyota Sequoia SR5. My fave. Purchased as a tow vehicle (for the 2012 Rockwood Minilite), it has more than validated my faith in Toyota reliability. With over 100,000 miles (not km) on the clock, it’s hauled the trailer and the family (5 noses, 12 legs) the entire length of the Trans-Canada highway and back again, and never missed a beat.
I’m from Nebraska and currently have a 2014 Chrysler 300c, jazz blue pearlcoat with the brown/beige/light wood interior. I got it because its about as Broughamtastic as they make cars these days. No problems so far, I really enjoy it.
Also have a 2012 Escape Limited, black with light beige interior. Also a very nice car, just not as refined as the 300, or my old 2002 Explorer for that matter, though it is to be expected since the old one was an Eddie Bauer to boot.
Is Broughamtastic in the dictionaries now?
I’ve learned that scuba divers and car enthusiasts are exactly alike: they are never at a loss for conversation when around those who share those passions -and their discussions enrich the day, creating instant community. Like CC: a global community of enthusiasm and learning.
The fleet:
1975 Fleetwood 60 Special -89,000 completely original, 2nd owner
-Greystone vinyl over Vapor Mist grey -Antique Blue, Sierra Grain leather
1976 Seville – 93,000 3rd owner
Ivory vinyl over Phoenician Ivory -Light Ivory Gold Sierra Grain leather (translation: yellow on yellow all over a mustard interior)
–
1979 Sedan deVille d’Elegance -140,000 -original owner kept her like new (see below), 2nd owner
Sable Black & Pottery Gold firemist two-tone with Bronze Venetian Velour interior
[ya gotta love Cadillac’s descriptors]
1988 BMW 635CSi – 79,000 3rd owner
Alpine White with Lotus white interior
2005 BMW 325i – daily driver 74,000
.
I have been editor of our car club’s monthly magazine for 8 years -an audience of 100 LGBT members in Dallas.
That is one beautiful car in the pic, very similar to my 80, but mine doesnt have that neat two tone paint job
Love that deVille – is that a factory two-tone combination? Combined with the d’Elegance package, that was a rarity when new, let alone 36 years later!!
Actually, there’s a thread on this subject on the Cadillac/LaSalle club site (here -and there are pictures of each -ironically my car is pictured among them, from when it lived in Kansas). From that website, here’s Cadillac cognoscenti have offered:
1) Saxony Red and Cotillion White.
2) Atlantis Aqua and Biscayne Aqua Firemist.
3) Sable Black and Pottery Gold Firemist.
4) Crater Lake blue and Norfolk Grey.
5) Crater Lake blue and Cerulean blue firemist.
Cadillac also offered other two-tones on Eldorados and then two special editions: the D’Marchand & the Chesapeake (Sable Black and Slate Firemist is the D’Marchand; Haven’t been able to validate the Chesapeake colors or model).
OK, not my cars. My street in Brooklyn though, from about three or four years ago. All cars shown are owned by people living across the street.
That’s the back side of a school being remodeled in the background.
My own car is not actually in the picture. It’s a…….minivan.
Uggg, so much Silver, but hey, those are some mighty straight and clean looking NYC vehicles. I too own a Minivan and like the (Grand) Caravan owner I have removed my wheel covers.
No fleet. Urban dweller (Santa Monica) with one parking space filled by my avatar, a 2010 Infiniti G37 bought new in the summer of 2010 when the pic was taken. With 26K and always garaged, it still looks the same and performs flawlessly. It is my fourth Nissan product (300ZX Turbo, Altima, Maxima), all of which have been great cars. Have loved cars since I was 3-4 years old when I started identifying every make and model on the road. Found CC shortly after I retired in 2011 (now work part-time as a consultant and fly rather than drive to work).
My dad always had a fleet of cars. When he got married in 47 he had a 39 Ford V8 coupe and a 40 DeSoto convertible. When I was in high school we always had at least five cars in the driveway, most from Ford (Thunderbird, Fairlane, Falcon sedan, Falcon Ranchero, F-series) and at least one VW (mine). I’m working on a list of cars he owned (his first was a Whippet) and it is a long one.
CC is one of the friendliest auto websites around, with none of the posturing among posters that predominates just about everywhere else. Kudos to Paul, the team of writers, and those who post such interesting and informative comments.
Hi, I’m from Milan, Italy and I’ve discovered this great site two years ago, for which I give you all my congratulations because it gifted me lots of enjoyable reading about some real-life USA.
My daily driver is a CC ’93 BMW 318i E36 which I still like very much; not powerful but very pleasant to drive.
I also own a ’12 Guzzi V7 Stone, and ‘she’ is a real passion…
I’m from Massachusetts. The fleet doesn’t really have anything interesting in it, but it takes up all available space and then some when it’s all home.
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo (mine – love it!)
2006 Chrysler Town & Country (wife’s – the family truckster)
2006 Nissan Altima (son’s, he just graduated from college, so it will be gone soon)
2008 Kia Sportage (daughter’s, sits in the driveway a lot because she doesn’t take it to college, wife drives it sometimes)
Once the Nissan and Kia are gone, I hope to have room for something more interesting. I had a Volvo 122S after college, so would like to get another one.
2003 Buick Regal LS w/ 80k on odometer. Nice, great riding and driving car with plenty of power from the 3800.
2005 Buick Park Avenue. Great car. It’s the last of the true Buicks. It rides quietly and softly with plenty of power and is fully equipped.
I’m from Regensburg, Germany. I started taking photos of old cars that I found curbside about 10 years ago and I was really intrigued once I discovered CC. This place is perfect for me, I enjoy the finds of the authors and particularily like reading up on car design history here. And the comments are always a joy to read as well. All in all, it’s a great site you’re running here Paul and the internet would be a lesser place without it!
I’d really like to own a classic car (there are too many that I like), but I know nothing about repairing cars so owning a classic is probably not a good idea. Since last September, my girlfriend and I got the father-in-law’s 2002 Mazda 6 estate, which is actually our first own car ever.
1994 Ford Escort GT, my current project car/beater. Trying to fix it up, keep it rolling, and survive being poor with it for the next 2 years. It’s completely invisible on the road and absolutely no one knows what it is or cares. I love the site and I am perpetually saving up (bad quality phone cam) pictures of the eccentric, misplaced, or disposable classic cars I see around (I definitely have quality finds). One day I will do something with them. One day.
As I’m between buying and selling a house, which means moving, the driveway is culled down to the bare minimum:
2008 Kia Sedona (our RV)
2006 Kia Spectra SX (riced out – Maggie’s car)
2005 Scion bB (yes, that’s what the markings say – my car)
2003 Honda Metropolitan
1988 Harley Davidson FXR Super Glide
And a whole load of bicycles ranging from a 1959 Raleigh Lenton Grand Prix to a pair of mid-80’s Rossin’s.
me? an old fart from Palm Springs area. My cars:
2003 Mercedes C240 wagon – 100,000 miles -white with light brown interior.
2005 Lexus SC430 – 50,000 miles – eggplant with white interior.
2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser – 20,000 miles – Beige with black interior.
I am going to see a 1975 Peugeot 504 Couple this afternoon … that may be the next addition:
I saw that car on BaT it’s a real beauty. I love the color. Are you going to fly up to Oregon and if it checks out drive it back to Calif? Or better yet out to Paul’s place first?
Fortunately with a ’75 there is no smog check to worry about but the fact that it wasn’t a US-spec when new could be a problem.
I am in a road trip so went to see it this afternoon, it’s a new import from France with no A/C, and i am from Palm Springs so won’t work,
Currently in the stable:
1972 F100 -Originally paid $75 for this on in 94
1971 F250 -Bought on Ebay for $511 (not in this shape)
2007 Suzuki Bandit -Bought new. Best bike ever.
1972 Honda CB350 -Given to me with locked up engine. Runs like a top.
2010 Toyota Corolla S -Wife’s car. Love the gas mileage.
2000 GMC Sierra 1500 Z-71 -My daily. Bought in 2012 with 61k miles… Garage kept and never saw mud.
that F-100 is a beaut!
I have to say, at over 500 comments and climbing, this has to be the best conversation we have ever had here. I’m not sure if I am more impressed by the variety of cars (from Laforza to a King Midget!) or the variety of people who own them. What a great place this is!
Agreed. Quite amazing. There’s so many more CC’ers out there than one might assume from the more prolific regular commenters.
And it’s made me really think about getting a “classic” car other than my beater work truck.I just need to finish this house and a few other projects….and build a car shelter for one. But the hardest part will be deciding what I really want. Way too many possibilities.
What would you like to get Paul? I am intrigued to find out what caught the fancy of a very knowledgeable car guy: which era? what category/type? Picking a classic for Paul deserves its own thread!
Peugeot convertible?
+1 You beat me to it
How about one of the Mercedes W111 or W112 cabriolet ? Like this:
No convertible, too much noise.
Mid-sixties Peugeot 404 Break Super Luxe.
My current fleet:
1972 MG MGB Roadster
2002 Ford SVT Focus
2007 MINI Cooper S Convertible
2013 Subaru Forester
All compact cars with 4 cylinder engines and manual transmissions, but I also have an irrational attraction to big plush V8 powered sleds…
Everybody here has a great mix of some pretty awesome cars! Paul, thank you for keeping this site going. I’m an occassional lurker, but would like to submit a CC one of these days.
My fleet consists of:
2007 Hyundai Sonata V6 – Bought it from my father when he was unable to drive any longer. General family duties.
2003 Jeep Wrangler 4.0 – The best of both worlds! Nice weather, open top vehicle and also an incliment weather vehicle for our NJ winters.
1995 Chevrolet Tahoe – first year of the four door GMT400 Tahoes. Its my junk hauler and capable enough to get to my favorite fishing spot.
We have the “normal” car (a BMW SUV), the “surfwagon” (2000 Chrysler T&C, whose sole purpose in life is to tote my wife’s surfboard), and two real CCs. I believe I’ve introduced them before….
Ruby, a 1990 Lincoln Mark V LSC SE:
And Sylvia, a 1967 Imperial:
wow
all I can say is…wow
Mortified by my typo: Clearly a Mark VII, not a Mark V.
Love the SE’s! Nice ride.
I’m 59 years old from south Georgia, USA. Current stable includes :
2005 Chevrolet Silverado 4×4 with Quadrasteer.
1987 Mercedes Benz 300E, been in the family since new.
1955 Plymouth Belvedere, possible future CC
The Mercedes and Silverado
1 Please do write the ’55 Plymouth Forward Look article! There are so many occasions when ‘lowly’ Plymouth had striking styling and the early Forward Look Plymouths are definitely among them. Plus ’55 was the only year that they offered the in-dash gear selectors, which were a ‘daring’ interior design (if hazardous during a wreck ! -hence their short life-span).
Thanks for posting the picture~ !
+1 That’s a solid looking Belvedere.
Great ’55! Powerflite or three-on-the-tree with that V-8? And how many doors?
Well, I’ve written up most of my cars here, but they include the following:
1953 Buick Special Riviera
1965 Dodge Dart 170 wagon
1965 Mustang hardtop
1965 Corvair Monza Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark hardtop
2012 Focus SE 5-speed
2014 Malibu (wife’s)
All are on the road (most of the time). 🙂
I might as well chime in with comment # 529. Soon-to-be 55 year-old not-married guy working in the Seattle area for a little tech start-up called AT&T. My primary mode of transportation is actually a bicycle (perfect for car-spotting), and unlike many of you automotive polygamists, I only have one car, my ’92 Geo Prizm. I guess that makes me the reverse of most people; my bike is the daily driver and my car is the toy. I’m always got my eye out for interesting cars to photograph, and I contribute regularly to the Cohort! This is is one of my favorite websites, and the preceding 528 comments show why this is so… What a good group of people, with some very interesting tales to tell!
My 2004 Citroen C5 HDi 110hp LX estate and my wife’s 2006 Nissan Almera 1.5SX.
And in spirit, but with no space to put them and not enough time and money to fix them, the 1935 Austin 7 Ruby and 1963 Morris Minor Traveller up on blocks in my mum’s garage. Now that she plans to downsize, they will no doubt go to good homes before too long.
1959 Catalina 2DHT
1968 GTO HT
1973 Grand Am coupe
1978 Grand Prix SJ
1981 Bonneville coupe
1997 GMC Safari
1997 GMC Sierra GT
1999 Jeep Wrangler sport
2003 Explorer Sport
2005 Mustang V-6
I’m in Minnesota, I was a tooling engineer for 30 yrs and am drifting into retirement as a carpenter. I like this site a lot.
Daily drivers:
2010 Honda Civic wife’s car
2000 S-10 work truck
1999 Volvo S70 stll-at-home son’s car
1995 Toyota Corolla back-up beater
Projects
mk 1,2,4 Sprites
1966 Mini
Westfield 11
(note common engines)
1969 Fiat 850 coupe
50+ motorcycles, mostly British and Italian (40 yrs of collecting and rarely selling)
Kept buying stuff and not getting enough time to work on it. Managed to hang on to a lot due to good storage. Now as I wind down work and family responsibilities I hope for good luck with health and finances so I can sit out in the garage and screw around with my stuff. Owned two Olds X-Omegas in a row. D-D an MG Magnette ZB for years. Paid $800 for an XK140 ots and drove it in the snow. Made a Saab 96 into a convertible! I’ve had a good time with cars and enjoy reading about other peoples. Keep it up. Steve
Excellent thread. My fleet, from St Paul:
1997 Miata, summer use only
2003 Forester, shared ride for the kids to use around town
2012 Jetta, my daily driver
2012 Volvo C30, wife’s daily driver and dedicated tow vehicle
2014 Silver Shadow teardrop camper
My car: 2007 Infiniti M45 Sport.
Wife’s car: 2009 Ford Flex Limited.
Not simultaneously, but consecutively: I’ve only owned them one at a time, since 1976:
1976 VW Passat 3 dr hatchback
1966 Corvair Monza 4dr hardtop
1979 VW Passat 3 dr hatchback
1981 Honda Civic 4 dr
1983 Honda Accord 4 dr
1987 BMW e30 325iS
Great collection of cars
Here in Oakland, CA add
’06 Mazda6 GT wagon
’06 Subie Baja
’15 Mini Cooper S added 2 weeks ago
Thanks very much for the post. I now have fleet envy, especially the Bricklin and all those Imperials
Great question and it’s neat to see what everyone keeps and enjoys! Our “fleet” in Little Rock consists of:
2009 Honda Fit
2013 Subaru Outback
2016 Mazda6. Brand new! Less than 1,000 miles.
All great cars serving different purposes and we enjoy them all. Our one concession to interesting is that they all have manual transmissions. The Outback and Mazda6 in particular were not easy to find. The Fit is about to become the designated teenage car and my teenager’s friends and their parents alike think it is cool that she will be driving a stick shift.
Love this site and the community of folks it brings together.
My Βοανηργες
(Βοανηργες=Boanerges=”sons of thunder”)
which is only half of my fleet
I don’t have pics of the other half: 08 Civic stickshift, 98Taurus SE 4wh disk brake
I recently sold a: 69 Newport 2door w/440 727, 89 Chevy 1ton w/12′ flatbed
ummm, it might’ve been more like 14foot now that I think of it
The civic is the daily driver because it gets 39MPG combined city/hwy. The pickup in the pic gets 10MPG and gets used only for extreme situations like towing, hauling, or blizzards. The Taurus is kept around for long distance trips in the snow. Unfortunately the Civic is absolute crap in any kind of snow or ice or even slush.
Here’s a portrait I took with (along with my parent’s fleet) a few weeks ago.
Dad’s 1971 Ford Torino 500. Black vinyl seats with red accents.
My recently-retired 1995 Buick Roadmaster. (My 1st car!) Blue leather.
My recently-acquired 2012 Buick Lacrosse. (My 2nd car!) Light neutral/cocoa.
Mom’s new 2014 Ford Taurus. Black/gray interior. Following (driving over?) the tire tracks of her white ’97 Taurus and her white ’07 Taurus.
The 1992 Ford Ranger that no one really claims. Red cloth interior, sporting the wheels off Mom’s old Torino.
Dad’s utilitarian 2000 Ford F-250 work truck. Spartan gray vinyl seats.
Not pictured: Dad’s 1980 Ford Pinto Rallye. White…with black/orange trim. Red interior. He parked it shortly after I was born in 1983, thinking it would be my first car. I wonder if that wasn’t in my subconscious when I went for the Roadmaster. Oh well, love you anyway Dad.
I like the work truck and the Torino. You can keep the rest.
So far these brands haven’t been mentioned:
– Tesla
– NSU
– Ferrari
– Jensen
– Lamborghini
– Packard (but Desoto was mentioned)
– TVR
– Matra
– Riley
– Wolsley
Others that I don’t recall seeing:
-Bentley
-Aston-Martin
-Daihatsu
-Fisker
-Autobianchi
-Lancia
-Simca
-Talbot
-Alpine
-AC
-Sunbeam
-Anything from behind the iron curtain
-Any prewar brand that didn’t survive post WWII
-Any Canada-specific brands from US manufacturers (Acadian, Meteor, Fargo, etc.)
Leaving aside highly unlikely exotics/oldies like Iso, Alvis, Facel Vega, Borgward, Goliath, Saleen, etc.
Lancia has been mentioned, Quite a few Rolls, and yes, no Bentley.
Well I do own the rotor housing from an NSU Ro80 if that’s any help! It’s not quite the entire car though… 😉
Houston; school administrator.
Daily driver: 2013 Subaru 2.5 Outback
Spouse: 2010 Ford Edge
Play: 2004 SAAB 9.3 Aero ‘vert & 2001 Isuzu Trooper
OK, nothing exciting here…late 40s, married, born and raised in Cincinnati, spent 25 years in St. Louis, MO/St Charles County MO, back in Cincy for 5 years.
The fleet, such as it is, consists of the following:
2014 Honda Accord LX,metallic black, black cloth
2013 Honda Civic LX, ugly light brown (Urban Titanium) with tan cloth
the other 2013 Civic was destroyed in a collision 2 weeks ago, it was an EXL in a great charcoal gray color…4 car wreck, we were the only ones insured?!?
2000 Volvo C70 convertible, black with tan top and tan leather
1997 Volvo V90 wagon, black with taupe leather, named Black Betty by her former owner, we just call it the hearse.
My bride likes to have at least one new/newer car around for road trips, but we are planning a short vacation to Put in Bay this summer and one or both of the Volvos will probably get the nod…it’s only 250 miles each way, and the people and stuff won’t fit in one car. The V90 is going for sure, still debating on whether we know and trust the C70 enough (just bought it a week ago). Trying to avoid putting miles on the leased cars, which kind of defeats the purpose of having them.
To my eternal shame I have to confess I am car-less at the moment. Last vehicle was a 1992 Ford Escort CLX diesel which has left to Gypsyland slightly more than a year ago. Although living where I am (Vienna, Austria) I could get around quite well using public transport, not having a vehicle is now starting to get to me and I’ll be looking at bringing this state of affairs to an end, with the most obvious purchse being Alfa-Romeo’s Giulietta. Finances allowing, there will be a 1971 Dodge Dart in my future as well, but I never had more than two cars at the same time, and not likely to change.
I´m from Europe, Czech Republic and love american boats since kid, although back in my young times american boats were rare birds. But not anymore, both old and new us cars are fairly popuplar, I might compare it to Netherland. I had some cars on both sides of ponk, listed as they went.
1994 Ford Aerostar – SOLD
600USD purchase, bit Ohio rust and 400k on the clock on his second engine, but drove well except shot noisy exhaust. Glad there were no technical inspection in OH back then. After big storm wont start, after two days it did start and we hit the road from OH to Waschington DC and Niagara falls, back to OH. What road trip, call it adventure! And I did not mention smelling, almost not working brakes after first downhill or serious attempt to slow down, until cool down again. Travelling on budget and stupid, for sure we were:-D
1991 Camaro RS V8 with stick – SOLD
Got it instead of 2nd generation F-body I always wanted, but that was hard to get in good condition localy. First V8 car, not the fastest, but with manual stick it was fun. Fairly trouble less car and still have first burnout video! 🙂
1992 Plymouth Grand Voyager -SOLD
1200USD purchase from US japanese guy, 195k on the clock but drives very well with good service history. Except tired front shocks eating front tires. Ice cold AC and captain seats in second row, used for +15k miles in West Coast visiting national parks. Tendency to overheat going uphill. Only the car sold for more then purchased, 2 days before leaving SFO downtown flying home.
Both vans used in USA for travelling during WAT student programs, fond memories.
My current fleet:
1987 Chevy Caprice Brougham (Made for Switzerland)
Previous owner contacted me, when read on carforum I might like to get some fullsize. Camaro was sold few weeks already and I needed new toy, so it was mine soon 🙂 I had to put some money in to drivetrain after few years. Should have go Vortec 5.3+tranny swap instead, but at least now have nice original car from the 80s. Even radio is original.
1969 Dodge Polara convertible
Had some rust issues when arrived, blind purchase from US. Bottom up rebuild was following, took 2-3 years and since then put around 4k miles on it. Its fun with the top down and 383cui roaring, but lesson learned. Buy as nice car as you can, otherwise you will pay 2-3times more to get there 🙂
2005 Ford Focus
2013 Kia Ceed
I´m still missing Ford in my old car fleet, perhaps some 60s wagoon would be handy. But more important is how much/often you enjoy the old cars. Imho its not about the number of cars you have, but the memories you create driving them.
This is just great site I spend maybe too much time on, especially during winter when the old cars are stored. I have learned there a lot of useful info from both, articles and comments by other readers. Please keep it going.
2012 Mercedes S350 CDI
2000 BMW 728i
1999 BMW 318ti
1999 Mercedes CL500
1995 Mercedes E200
What I’d love to add LOL: 1967 Rolls Silver Shadow, 1967 Buick Electra Limited, 1968 Cadillac Eldorado, 1972 Buick Riviera
OK, I will comment in hopes that this post will be allowed to move from the first post position.
2005 Chevrolet Cobalt (total POS and my last American car).
2014 Nissan Rogue (our second Rogue and a delight as always)
Missed this one last year. Just heard about it on “what was your driver ed car”. So here ya go. I’ll start with what it is, when bought, and how much. And maybe a few quick notes.
71 2Dr Maverick-11/83-$625
71 4Dr Maverick-07/88-$1200 (bought from Chevy dealer)
73 2dr Maverick-09/90-$1100
70 Maverick-04/94-$250
76 2dr Maverick-03/99-$800 ( has the one year Stallion option)
72 2dr Maverick-08/00-$300 ( has the mid year Sprint package)
75 4dr Comet-08/00-$500
78 Pinto Wagon-10/01-$50 ( has the Cruising Wagon option)
79 Lincoln Continental-10/01-$750 (best car deal I’ve made, receipts in glove box totalling over $4000 for stuff done in 5 years prior to me buying it)
79 T-bird-04/02-$900
78 Pinto Sedan-06/02-$100 ( rear ended hard in 79 with only 12,000 miles on it. Owner bought it back from insurance company, then it sat in a shed until I bought it. Its like a time capsule. Except for one oil/filter change, everything on car is original.)
76 4dr Grand Marquis-10/02-$700
74 2dr Montego-04/03-free ( been in family since new)
74 Impala Sport Coupe-08/03- free ( grandma’s car with only 72,000 miles on it)
88 Taurus MT5-03/04-$450
94 Taurus GL-03/15- free ( given to me by a close friend. He’s owned since 99. Know the complete service history of. Even did some repairs to it myself to help him out.)
Missed this one last year, also. Let’s revive this thread, for the new members, also.
Can’t pics of some of my fleet…On the wrong phone. lol