(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.
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!