“If you find something you like, you tend to stay with it”…that old adage certainly has applicability to motor vehicles. If you’ve developed a fondness for a certain make/model, you’ll likely buy another…and another…and another. So, today’s QOTD is; have you purchased the same make and model vehicle multiple times over the years? If so, how many in total have you owned?
Couple rules of engagement; 1) it should be the same brand/make and model (i.e., a Ford Escort, not just a Ford), 2) different trim or grades within specific models are allowed, and 3) it should be personally owned – not a fleet or business vehicle.
I know this question tends to favor older drivers who have had longer driving careers, but we’d like to hear from everyone – so, if you’re in your early twenties and have had two Civics, we’d like to hear about it. More importantly, tell us why you decided to buy another one…
To help illustrate and as an example, here’s mine;
Though I’d like to tell you I’ve owned six Corvettes, or five 911s, our family is currently on our fourth Toyota Previa/Estima van. All have been used (not new) – a 1990 US model, and three JDM versions; a 1992, a 1999, and our current 2007.
Why’d we keep buying them? Reliability – each one we’ve owned has been absolutely trouble-free – the 1999 model we owned for 10 years. I also have to admit I find the design attractive – especially the 2006 and up model.
So, what have been your multiple-owned curbside classics and why’d you keep buying them?
Multiple VW owner here…77 Rabbit, 80 Scirocco S, 83 Rabbit GTI, 86 GTI. My future wife had an 87 Jetta Wolfsburg when we met. We both grew up with VW’s in our families…me in Vancouver and her in Montreal. My parents had a 59 Beetle and a 61 Bus and her family had several Beetles including an “Automatic StickShift” and her Grandparents had a Karman Ghia. We currently own a 13 Golf TDI.
I should add a bunch of Nissan products in my life also….73 Datsun 510 (first car), 90 Pathfinder SE, 93 Pickup and a 94 Altima.
2 GM’s… 76 TransAm Firebird and a 76 Chev G20 Campervan
Hey Man, you broke the rules.
I’m a bit behind you, only have owned qty-3 VWs, but have owned no other make in 35 years (1981-now)….I bought my ’78 Scirocco early in 1981, bought my ’86 GTI in 1987, and my 2000 Golf which I currently own…so technically only 2 of the same in a row (2 Golfs) but totaling 3 VWs.
I have 2 sisters who have owned a total of 4 Nissan 240 SXs (one still owns one)…My dear departed father owned 3 Mercury Sables in a row (1989, 1994, and 1996)….he also owned 2 Ford Wagons in a row (1969 and 1973). He also owned a lone 1959 Beetle (I’ve owned more VWs than he, but never anything aircooled).
For no particular reason, in my 34 years, I’ve had seven Oldsmobiles:
Five Cutlass’
`71 Cutlass S
`80 Cutlass LS
`81 Cutlass Calais
`87 Cutlass Supreme Brougham
`95 Cutlass Supreme LS
And two Custom Cruisers:
`83 Custom Cruiser
`92 Custom Cruiser
I blame most on being young and having a wild case of automotive A.D.D., lest you think I have some kind of affinity for GM.
I’ve owned 3 Honda Civics and an Acura Integra.
I liked the size, fuel economy, and well considered engineering (I’ve owned cars, usually American, where features looked “added-on”). I might own another one, someday, but it will probably be a used car as the Honda dealers in this area aren’t all that great to deal with.
And since I want a smallish hatchback, my choice at Honda is getting smaller physically.
Too many VWs. ’59 bus, ’66 bug, ’69 squareback, ’67 bug, ’65 ghia, ’74 squareback. I didn’t especially like them, but my tools and skills were “vested” or “amortized”. I knew what was wrong and could always fix it.
I’ve only bought Mopars new:
1996 Ram
2002 Durango
2004 Ram
2010 Challenger
I managed to hold on to them; the 96 has 220K and now is a hot rod, the Durango has 150K and is now my daughters first car, the 04 has 140K and the Challenger has 26K. They have all been good reliable vehicles or I wouldn’t have kept them.
My classics are mostly Mopars too:
69 Charger
71 Road Runner
72 Fury police car
79 Volare wagon
Plus I have an Olds and a Pontiac so it’s not like I’m Mopar or no car, they are just mostly what I like and comfortable with plus they’ve been good vehicles to me. If one fails or if GM or Ford builds something I absolutely must have, I would buy it.
’02 Durango, nice. Owned one myself. Had you the 4.7? Good motor.
The 4.7 gets no respect, and yet I see TONS of Dakotas, Durangs, and Grand Cherokees in particular with well over 200K on the original motor. Its no Hemi, but it cant be all bad either.
Mine had 322,000 kms, was still going strong. Transmission not so much.
This is easy. Despite my handle being Retro-Stang Rick, it should probably have been T-Bird Rick, as I have had more of them than any other car. I like personal luxury coupes and Fords, and the Mustang is the only thing in Ford’s lineup right now that fits the bill.
my list of TOAL(s) – T-Birds of a Lifetime:
1983 T-Bird 3.8L V6 (the first Aero-Bird) in very light grey.
1988 Thunderbird LX 5.0L V8… All Black, and all the options.
1988 Turbo-Coupe (former wife’s car) in Saphire Blue – This one was a STICK!
1994 Thunderbird LX 4.6L V8 (also her car) in that Pearl Opalescent color.
1988 T-Bird Sport (in Red that we bought for her son at the time)
1997 Thunderbird LX 3.8L V6 (I bought this one after we split up) Pacific Green
In the case of of the last t-bird, the ’97, I traded my own personal COAL in on it, the aforementioned ’88 5.0. That black bird had 236K on the clock and was still breaking the tires loose when I got the ’97. But being single again and not having access to a back-up ‘bird anymore, I needed something newer and more reliable. Why I bought another Essex motor, I’ll never know.
Oh boy….
Jeeps
94 Cherokee 4 door teal
99 Cherokee 4 door silver
93 Cherokee 2 door white
98 Cherokee gold
97 Cherokee 4 door black
98 Cherokee 4 door black (just bought this)
98 grand Cherokee 4.0 tan
98 grand Cherokee 4.0 white (still have this one)
97 grand Cherokee 4.0 (398000 miles!!!)
02 grand Cherokee 4.7 (terrible)
87 Comanche
99 wrangler 2.5
97 wrangler 2.5
98 wrangler 4.0
More I’m probably forgetting
BMW e10 X 5 (2 at the same time)
BMW e21 X 4 (2 at the same time)
BMW e24 X 2
BMW e28 X 6 (3 at the same time)
BMW e30 X 9 (2 at the same time)
Opel Ascona ’74 & ’75
Over a 36 year time span.
This is an OLD photo when I actually lined up my daily drivers on one occasion. My DD’s was a revolving door.
Love your pic, that black hood of Opel stood out.
For me it was a string of Acura Integras.
I, being a car magazine reader, bought my first one in 1986 when they were new in the market and no one knew what they were. I got a great deal from a starving salesman in an empty showroom. I loved that car with its zingy 7,000 rpm redline dohc engine.
Two years later, I traded it in (foolishly, in retrospect) for a 1988 because the dealer gave me what I’d originally paid for it. Fortunately the younger sister was just as great a car.
In 1991, I decided that my wife should have one of her own and bought a third. Hers was the second generation which I didn’t care for quite as much (running -mouse seatbelts were annoying) but as reliable as a car can get.
In late 1993 though, my company elected to send me out of the country for a few years. Both cars were sold and overseas …well, that’s a story for another time.
I returned to the States in 1998 with a dilemma – I needed a car right away. Rather than burning up money by renting a vehicle for a month while I car-shopped, I did something both obvious and daring: I took a taxi to the dealership, and bought a new (my 4th) Integra right off the lot. I got a decent deal price wise, but later really came to dislike that car. While I was away and oblivious, the value of the Yen had gone waaaay up. Acura had elected to keep the price of the Integra down by decontenting the car, and by 1998, they had suffered 1,000 tiny cuts. Soundproofing – gone. The clock in the dash lost a minute a week. Seats as hard as bricks. Interior panels were single slabs of molded plastic. The upholstery started to show wear at 10,000 miles. Alpine stereo couldn’t hold the signal of my favorite station where my friend’s cars could. Perhaps overall the car wasn’t so bad, but I’d had three previous Integras which were built to a much higher standard. Worst of all, I didn’t enjoy driving it. I dumped it to CarMax after a year, and haven’t been back in an Acura dealership since.
I think that they are (no doubt) great cars again these days, but having been disillusioned once, it’s hard to forgive an old lover, no matter how pretty.
Those first-gen Integras were really special. I bought a 88 with high miles in the mid-00s and it was reliable and tons of fun for years until advanced tinworm forced a parting.
1963 Ford Galaxie 500 XL
1966 Ford Galaxie 500 XL
1972 Ford LTD
1978 Ford LTD
1978 Ford LTD
1983 Ford LTD
1983 Ford LTD
1988 Ford LTD Crown Victoria
1988 Ford LTD Crown Victoria
1993 Ford Crown Victoria
1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
1998 Mercury Grand Marquis
1970 Dodge Challenger RT – bought new, currently own
1971 Dodge Challenger RT – currently owned – in a 100 pieces in my shop
Hmmm.
We’re on our fifth Chrysler-platform minivan:
’98 Caravan (totaled when a lady pulled out in front of my wife on a 55mph road)
’98 Grand Caravan (went 272,000 miles before the transmission failed)
’06 Grand Caravan (totaled by a direct lightning strike on the interstate)
’05 Town & Country (went a bit over 200K)
’12 Routan (currently at 64K)
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/cc-capsule/curbside-capsule-2012-vw-routan-sel-the-orphan-that-caravaned-from-town-to-country/
I’ve owned five VW Beetles and a Bus:
’62 Type I Sunroof (long-term resto project)
’63 Type I (long-term resto)
’64 Type I (daily driver for six years)
’71 Campmobile
’00 New Beetle (sold at 219K miles, still see Herbie around town three years later)
’13 Beetle convertible (sold after 18 months, abandoned VW brand)
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/curbside-comparison-1964-beetle-2000-new-beetle-2013-beetle-convertible/
Oh, and we had four Vegas at one time back when I was in high school and college.
Lightning strike?! The odds… That’d be an interesting call to insurance.
Nationwide is on your side jingle comes to mind
1968 Impala convertible*
1965 Impala Sport Coupe
1965 Impala SS Convertible
1969 Impala Sport Coupe*
2 different 1969 Impala Convertibles*
1967 Impala Sport Coupe*
1984 Caprice Classic Landau Coupe
1980 Caprice Classic Landau Coupe*
1986 S10
1998 S10
1986 Cavalier
1989 Cavalier Z24 Convertible
2 different 1995 Berettas
2010 Camaro*
2013 Camaro*
2012 Colorado*
2016 Colorado*
The ones with the asterisks I still own. If you go with family members who’ve owned the same the list gets quite long!
’68 Saab 95 V4
’69 Saab 96 V4
’68 Saab 96 V4
I count these as the same model, different body style.
’71 Peugeot 504 gas, 4 on the tree
’78 Peugeot 504, 4 on the floor
’74 Peugeot 504, automatic
The first Saab and the first Peugeot were totaled in crashes, so the count for each make is one more than it would otherwise be, but the fact remains that I re-upped.
I’ve similarly doubled down on the Peugeots
’75 Peugeot 504 diesel, manual
’74 Peugeot 504 gas, automatic
and:
’87 Chevy Nova
’88 Chevy Nova
and :
98 Honda Odyssey
2005 Honda Odyssey
and:
2006 Scion Xb
2006 Scion Xb
2006 Scion Xa (same car underneath)
I guess I do this more than I think
I have owned 2 2003 Acura TLs, both purchased used from the same dealership 6 months apart. The first was a base model, the second the sportier Type S. I bought the first to replace my falling Durango, I liked it’s looks both inside and out as compared to the RL I was also checking out, and it was attractively priced. That lasted 4 months and 11,000kms, then it fell victim to a run-in with a Crown Victoria. After a (painful) 2 month search, chance or divine providence provided a Type S at the same dealership. It had just been traded in, the salesman only received the car from the owner that morning, and had quickly thrown up an ad online. I saw the ad and happened to be in the city that day, so decided to check it out. Loved the grey color, was hesitant on the Type S part, missed the base wheel design. After painful negotiation (I am not a negotiator) and 3 weeks of waiting for a safety inspection, I bought the second. I prefer the first as it rode smoother compared to the sportier second, but it’s really hard to fault either car, I love both. The joke was that the dealership best have another ’03 TL in 6 months, just in case; no need for a replacement yet.
Both cars look absolutely gorgeous, conservative in design for the most part, but with crisp lines that draw the eye. I do wish they had rwd, but they still drive with brisk confidence. The interiors are as attractive as the outside, and are comfortable places to be in. They ride quiet and smooth, though more so the first. The first was so good, I had to buy a second.
On a side note, I almost bought a 1999 TL to replace the first. Same colors, tan and beige, but missing some options I wanted that the first had.
On another side note, my sister had owned 2 first Gen. Ford Focus, ’02 and ’06, split by a ’98 Corolla.
Did your TL Type S have the gray-toned interior wood? I test drove one so equipped, I believe an ’02, and thought it was a fantastic look. Ended up passing on the car due to its having higher miles than I would have liked (it was closing in on 100K at 4 years old.)
Cant count the aircooled VW’s, as they are/were different models.
Of multiple regular cab pickups, full size Chevy wins.
1971 C-10, absolute stripper, I-6, three-on-the-tree.
1993 C1500, Work Truck trim, but did have A/T, A/C, AM-FM Cassette.
2000 K2500, fleet model, last year of the GMT400’s. Still own it.
I’ve never bought the same thing twice, but the parents have shown unwavering loyalty to Toyota. They bought two Corollas, a ’78 and an ’82, followed by two Camrys, a ’91 DX wagon and a 2004 Camry LE, the last of which is still in the family fleet.
’93 Dodge Dakota Sport 2WD short bed regular cab V6
’02 Dodge Dakota SLT Quad Cab 4WD 4.7
’78 Chevy Malibu Classic
’00 Chevy S-10 LS
’04 Chevy Impala LS
If you count she with whom I share the driveway….
’00 Subaru Forester L
’05 Subaru Forester X
’75 Chevy LUV
’78 Chevy LUV
’74 Chevy LUV parts truck, it was free
Reliable and tough!
Would you say you LUV your trucks?
I couldn’t resist.
Volvo 164
Volvo 245
Volvo 740
Volvo V70
Saab Sonnet V4
Saab 96 V4 (beige, the children called it “potato car”)
Saab 96
Olds Omega
Olds Omega
X-cars, bought them cheap, wife drove them till the trans cacked.
Just checking in from the other extreme. My purchasing habits are all over the map.
Highlights include: Note: These cars were all daily drivers.
1941 Ford Super Deluxe Coupe (stock)
1972 AMC Gremlin X (401 powered)
1963 Austin Mini 850
1981 Peugeot 505 TurboDiesel
1981 Jet Electravan (EV) present driver
Next:?????
Stayed in the GM camp
51 BelAir
82 Buick Regal
86 Old’s Cutlass Suoreme Brougham
92 GMC Safara van
05 Buick Park Avenue
07 Chevy HH
01 Dodge Dakota
01 Dodge van
05 Dodge Dakota
I’m a Honda guy – as you will see!
1980 Prelude – 5-speed – Longleet Gold Metallic – 2 years – totaled (old lady hit me)
1992 Accord LX Coupe – Auto – Rosewood Metallic – 2 years/50k mile lease
1990 Accord LX Coupe – 5-speed – Cappucino Brown – 2 months – had awful dog smell!
1991 Accord EX Sedan – Auto – Frost White – 1 year – neighbor begged me to sell it
1992 Accord LX Coupe – 5-speed – Bordeaux Red – 7 years – wife’s car – 180k – still mad at me for selling it
1994 Accord EX Sedan – Auto – Sherwood Green Pearl – 3 years – totaled (policeman hit me)
1998 Accord EX Sedan – Auto – Heather Mist – 1 year – lost job had high payment
2003 Accord EX Sedan – Auto – Satin Silver – 3 year lease
2004 Accord EX Sedan – Auto – Nighthawk Black Pearl – sold because I got tired of high monthly payments
2002 Accord Special Edition Coupe – Frost White – 1 year – wife missed 5-speed and never let me live it down – traded for 2006 Civic
1993 Accord EX Wagon – 5-speed – Seattle Silver – 10 years – 250k miles – tin worm rotting suspension forced sale – best/most favorite Honda of all!
2006 Civic EX – Galaxy Gray – Auto – 3 year lease
1991 Accord SE – Auto – Brittany Blue-Green Metallic – 1 year – friend needed car
1994 Accord EX Coupe – Cashmere Silver – Auto – 6 months – I fell asleep at wheel and totaled it
1996 Accord LX Sedan – 5-speed – Heather Mist – 230k – 1 year – found present car so traded it
1999 Accord EX Sedan – Auto – Heather Mist – currently 193k miles and runs new
2002 CR-V EX – Auto – Eternal Blue Pearl – 5 years – traded for current CR-V
2011 CR-V EX – Opal Sage Metallic – current vehicle 101k miles
So as you can see I’ve had my share of Hondas! By far our favorite was the 1993 Accord EX 5-speed wagon and my wife’s 1992 Accord LX 5-speed coupe. I’ve enjoyed all of them immensely. Some of them didn’t survive a crash, others I made money on when I sold them, others I bought as fill-in cars when something nicer came up. I have never had a major/catastrophic repair on any of them. I really hope our current CR-V lasts as long as our wagon did. I am shooting for 250k miles again!
Not exactly a straight line:
84 Citation II notchback 2 door to:
99 Cavalier 2 door via an 86 Olds Calais 2 door.
95 Saturn SL1 to:
05 Saturn ION 1 only because the Chevy dealer stocked so few Cobalts and all of them loaded with things I didn’t want. They went overboard trying to promote the Cobalt as Chevy’s “premium” small car.
Hard to be consistent with so many manufacturers playing the name game.
1970 Peugeot 404 wagon
1969 Peugeot 404 sedan
1968 Peugeot 404 sedan
1965 Peugeot 404 sedan
1964 Peugeot 404 sedan
1959 Peugeot 403 sedan
1964 VW Beetla
1963 VW Beetle
1962 VW Beetle
Meanwhile, we Minnesotans are like, “what’s a Pudg-ee-ot?”
I said “pig out” as a Minnesotan. I guess as a then Citroen owner I shouldn’t throw stones.
I used to say “pyu-jit” when I was younger, and I say it like “pyu-zhjo” now. For some reason I’ve always Renault as “Ren-oh” and “Citroen” as “Sit-tren” though.
I was talking to a few friends last night, somehow one of them commented that I have things backwards as I like French cars and German food. That got me thinking, yes, I love the old French cars Renault 16, Peugeot 504, Citroen CX … all soft sofa and comfortable ride. And of course I love my eisbeins, broiled not roasted.
My most memorable experience with a French car was a Renault R4, driven in Croatia in mid ’80s. I never had to work so hard with an umbrella stick to get the last hp out of that tiny engine while all the time leaning one way or the other.
Three AMC Concords (4 if you count the one I couldn’t afford to insure and gave to my Dad), 3 K-cars all of them Dodge Aries, and 2 Ford Focus wagons.
Fortunately, only one disastrous VW Jetta.
I’ll stretch it to include sibling/clones.
Ford Taurus/Mercury Sable:
1986 Taurus L wagon
1987 Sable GS wagon
1992 Sable GS wagon
1994 Taurus GL sedan
2002 Taurus SE wagon
The last two, I still have.
Plymouth Valiant-Duster/Dodge Dart:
1968 Valiant Signet 4-dr. sedan
1970 Dart sedan
1972 Gold Duster
1974 Valiant Custom sedan
Multiple examples of the same vehicle…in order of purchase:
S-10/S-15 1982-92
’85 2wd longbed, 2.8/4-speed. Leased Fall ’85 from Stafford Chevrolet, Dryden NY. Flipped into purchase when I left the state six months later. Traded on new Corsica in ’88.
’82 2wd longbed, 2.8/4-speed. Bought February 1989. Totalled in head-on collision, February ’93. Mercury Sable made left turn into me. By the Lord’s grace I walked away.
’84 4wd Jimmy, 2.8/5-speed. Traded ’88 Corsica to get it, late 1991. (Corsica engine rebuilt twice under warranty and was headed for 3rd rebuild in 88,000 miles, which would be out of warranty) Sold Fall ’93.
’85 2wd longbed, 2.8/TH200-4R (?). Bought 2002. Don’t remember how it was disposed…engine had bad compression rings and needed frequent air filter changes.
’89 4wd extended cab, 4.3/TH700-R4. Bought 2003, sold 2004. I overheated it and blew a head gasket.
BLAZER/JIMMY (all 4wd, 4.3/4L60-E) 1995-2005
’97 Blazer LS. Bought Winter 2004. Engine began to develop a slight knock around 160,000 miles, most notably going down steep hills using engine braking. Traded on 1999 Jimmy below, Summer 2007.
’97 Blazer LS. Bought Summer 2004. Differences to Blazer above were green vs. black paint, different pinstripe, tachometer and liftgate. Otherwise identical down to the cloth interior and touring suspension. Still own but fate is uncertain. Needs wiring work. Have put nearly 250,000 on this one. Engine, tranny, rear end all changed in 2009.
’99 Jimmy SLE. Traded the first ’97 Blazer for this one. A lemon, it had a new engine but cam may have been set retarded by the remanufacturer, it NEVER had the power of the Blazers. Plus wiring issues exacerbated by poor engine installation resulted in my taking it back to the dealer for a full cash refund, fall ‘2007.
’95 2-door Blazer. Fall 2010. Also rebuilt engine but this one ran like a V8. Fuel system issues developed, fuel pump replaced 3x but issues were never fully sorted out until my son sold it to a neighbor a year or so ago. They got it going and drive it to this day.
’67-’72 CHEVY PICKUP/K-5 BLAZER
’70 C-10 Fleetside Longbed, 350/3-speed. Dad bought but was “half mine”, Spring 1973. He traded on new Toyota Hilux, Summer 1974.
’68 C-10 Fleetside Shortbed, 350/4-speed w/granny 1st. Bought Fall 1989, after six months the trans locked up, spent next 3 years redoing truck on a strict budget, drove once after completion, March 20, 1993, then lost it in a garage fire that afternoon.
’72 C-10 Stepside Longbed, 307/TH350. Bought for parts for the above ’68, February 1993. Scrapped Summer 1993 although rolling frame remained here until 2005 or so.
’70 CST-10 Fleetside Longbed, 350/TH350. Bought Summer 1993 to replace ’68. Project, never finished, sold 2001 to someone who did finish it.
’72 K-5 Blazer, 307/TH350. Bought Summer 1996. Project, finally made roadworthy two years later. Sold Thanksgiving Day 1998 to a guy from Jackson, MI who restored it and sent pix…awesome job.
’68 Custom-10, 327/TH400. Factory air, factory wood bed floor. Bought Fall 1996. Project, I sold two years ago to a family friend in exchange for work on my house project. Now separated, his wife just sold to someone who’s making it a family project. Expecting great things from newest owner.
TRI-FIVE CHEVIES
I’ve also owned a Tri-Five in some state of disrepair continuously since 1979. Only one of these was regularly driven and enjoyed, the rest were projects or parts cars. The ’57 Handyman I own now is my eighth ’57 Chevy, bought Summer 1999, in dry storage in the garage awaiting completion of our house reno.
SUBARU OUTBACK
’98 Legacy, bought Fall 2007 after Jimmy debacle above. Head gaskets replaced under extended warranty. Traded Summer 2009 for…
’05 Outback. First set of head gaskets not covered by extended warranty, making that warranty a $2000 waste. Was on its way to needing second set of head gaskets at 176,000 miles, traded on 2011 Equinox.
Two first-gen Toyota Matrixes.
So far, all I’ve owned were Toyotas.
1978 Toyota Pickup
1987 Toyota MR2
1992 Toyota 4Runner
and recently,
2006 Toyota Corolla
59 Beetle (used to make fiberglass dune buggy)
62 Beetle (at 14, got it running and sold it before old enough for driver’s license)
63 Beetle (to replace first beetle I wrecked)
66 Beetle (first car when had a drivers license.) Totaled it
71 Super Beetle (bought with bad engine to resell)
73 Sport Bug (last Beetle)
66 VW Fastback (needed rebuilt engine it came with installed, replaced Sport Bug)
66 Fastback #2 (needed engine rebuild, replaced 71 Vega)
68 Fastback (wrecked, good engine and interior, parts donor for 68 Fastback #2)
68 Fastback (straight body, need engine and interior from Fastback #1)
65 VW Bus camper
66 Bus Sundial camper
65 Chevy C10
70 C10 (had this one 30 years, 76 to 06)
75 Rabbit (wrecked after 2 years)
75 Rabbit #2 (for parts to repair 75 Rabbit #1, wound up selling both cars for parts)
77 Rabbit
80 Rabbit
80 Jetta
86 Jetta (still driving today at 306k miles, bought in 91)
87 Jetta (bought last year, same color as 86, bought for nephew but still mine at this time)
89 Jetta (family member owned for 5 years, wrecked it and bent frame, use for parts car)
That’s all. Had one of each of these. 64 Squareback, 65 Karmann Ghia, 68 New Yorker, 71 Vega, 79 GMC Cabrillo (El Camino).
Oh yeah, and I still have my ’04 Titan I bought new, now has 14,500 miles on it. Just replaced it original 12 year old battery last week.
14 500 Miles in 12 years !?!?!
Here’s my list of same make AND model:
1988 Honda Prelude Si
1992 Honda Prelude Si
Fun to drive, Honda reliability
2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee
2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Great utility, Jeep cool
1995 BMW 325is
1997 BMW 328is
2002 BMW 330Ci
Great driving, great looking
1995 BMW 525i
1998 BMW 540i
2001 BMW 540i
2003 BMW 540i
2011 BMW 535Xi
2013 BMW 535i Xdrive
Great driving, comfortable, safe
B bodies:
1978 Chey Caprice Classic
1991 Chevy Caprice
1995 Chevy Caprice 9C1 LT1
1993 Buick Roadmaster wagon
1988 Chevy Caprice Estate
1995 Chevy Caprice wagon
1993 Chevy Caprice wagon
1995 Buick Roadmaster wagon
K Cars:
1985 Chrysler LeBaron
1987 Chrysler New Yorker Turbo
1988 Dodge Aries
1992 Plymouth Acclaim
1991 Chrysler New Yorker
1994 Dodge Grand Caravan
I have owned 6 Mustangs. Actually7 if you count the Mustang II I had for my kids to drive to school and jobs.
1967 Coupe
1975 Mustang II Coupe
1978 Mustang II Coupe ( kid’s car)
1986 Mustang Hatchback
2003 Mustang Coupe
1966 Mustang Coupe ( still own)
2009 Mustang Coupe ( still own)
Other Ford products I have owned in the past:
1955 Fairlane sedan
1962 Fairlane two door
1964 Galaxie fastback
1959 pickup
1973 Ranchero
1988 Ranger
1995 Ranger
I also had a ’33 Ford street rod project that I passed on to a friend and a ’53 Ford pickup project that also got passed on .
Good day:
I always enjoy your articles.
I’m a Ford, Mercury & Mercedes Benz guy, so I have repeatedly purchased these type vehicles. Of course, I’ve also driven a number of other vehicles as well.
Here’s my Ford & Mercedes Benz list:
FORD: – (In order)
1981 Ford Thunderbird Landau (New)
1984 Ford Tempo GLX (New)
1974 Ford Torino (Used)
1984 Ford Ranger Pick-up (Used)
1976 Ford LTD Landau Coupe (Used)
1978 Ford LTD II Coupe (Used)
2008 Ford Expedition XL King Ranch (New)
MERCEDES BENZ – (In order)
1990 Mercedes Benz 300 SEL (Used)
2006 Mercedes Benz S430 (Used)
1986 Mercedes Benz 190e (Used)
MERCURY GRAND MARQUIS – (In order)
1978 Mercury Marquis Brougham (Used)
2004 Mercury Grand Marquis GS w/Convenience Pkg (Used)
2008 Mercury Grand Marquis LS Limited Edition (New)
NOTE:
* Many of my cars say used, because I usually buy a car when they are a year or two old. I seem to stay ahead that way and am able to make my trade-in a little more prosperous.
** I love driving the Mercedes Benz vehicles, not for status, but for reliability & trade-in value. Plus, to me, they are tremendously comfortable cars to drive.
*** I love the Mercury Grand Marquis. It’s big, with a roomy cabin and gigantic trunk space. The 4.6 litter motor is nearly bullet-proof. I drove my ’04 until nearly 300,000 miles on it, then sold it for $2,500. My ’08 has got 70,000 miles on it, and has been totally free of maintenance, except for oil changes. I’ve had no trouble with it at all.
my past 3 cars have been Volvos.
1992 Volvo 245 – Green/Beige
1996 Volvo 855 Turbo – Red/Beige
2007 Volvo V50 T5 AWD -Silver/Black (current)
I became addicted to Mercedes-Benz coupes, beginning in 1976. Mercedes-mania in Southern California took hold of me and I was powerless to stop, I was drawn to them like moths to the candle flame. Interestingly, only one of these was new, the rest gently used:
1974 280C
1983 300CD (the new one)
1991 300CE
1999 320CLK
They were great looking cars, drove nicely, and provided that aura of prestige and “I have arrived-ism” that only Mercedes could attain, at least back in the day. They are a dime a dozen now, everyone drives a Mercedes, it seems. But I finally came to my senses in 2005, after umpteen thousands of dollars and almost 30 years of maintenance and repairs wore me down. I broke free of the spell, acquired my 2003 Thunderbird new, jettisoned my last MB, and have been happy as a clam ever since.
Multiples I have had:
Mazda-
1986 Mazda 626 LX
1987 Mazda 626 GT
1989 Mazda MX-6 (626) DX
1991 Mazda 626 DX
1991 Mazda 626 LX Touring
B-body Chevrolet-
1961 Chevrolet Biscayne
1965 Chevrolet Bel Air
1968 Chevrolet Impala
(I include these since I consider the Biscayne/BelAir/Impala/Caprice trim levels of the same car.)
Honda-
1987 Civic Si
1996 Civic DX
Citroën:
1985 2CV6
1982 Visa Club
1987 BX 1.4
1986 Visa 1.1
1985 CX 22 TRS
1984 CX 20 RE
1988 CX 25 GTi
Opel:
1979 Kadett D 1.2 N
1987 Kadett E 1.3
Peugeot:
1984 205 1.1
1986 205 1.1
1987 305 1.6 GR
1991 309 1.4 XR
Volvo:
1982 66 1.1 GL
2009 V50 1.6D
Not quite to the rules of engagement but here goes…
19 Citroens:
A Series – 2CV6, Dyane, Ami6, Ami8, Ami Super, AK
Visa Super
BX – 16TRS, 16RS, GTI x 3, 14RE
CX22
D Super 5
C2, C5, C6
DS3
I have always had an A series – the Dyane was my first car, I’ve had the Ami Super and AK Van for a combined 63 years… We had 4 BX’s in the 80’s because they were perfect for us then and the 14RE we got last year reminds us of…well, the 80s…
I love my D – I shall never sell it, but I’d like a CX again (as well) – a GTi this time.
Since 1992 I stopped having just Citroens, so:
Italians:
4 Alfa Romeo –
164 3 litre, 2 litre
156
Brera
My wife loved the 164 so much I had to buy her one of her own…but they will break your heart (sorry, wallet), usually just out of warranty.
…plus a Fiat Coupe 20v Turbo – which might be the best car I ever had (including the D Super 5…) although I gave up getting Tony to fix it again after 80,000 miles.
and a Maserati Gran Sport (much missed and I cant afford the Maseratis that I dreamed of when I was 12)
and Germans:
Porsche Boxster (the most unreliable car I’ve had in terms of warranty work so I wont be going there again)
Merc C63 – conversely the most reliable car I have had so far. I expected to keep it 2 years, I’ll probably keep it forever
BMW i3 (a lot of Citroenistes are getting into i3’s because we like cutting edge…)
and Japanese:
Mitsubishi Galant VR4 Type S – one of 100 UK Ralliart cars. The height of cool in 1998
Subaru WRX STI Prodrive Performace Pack
The Mitsu was the better car, despite the thirst – but they don’t make either like that any more so I won’t be returning to those brands although I did look at a BRZ a year ago – but no. Not exciting enough)
…and a Saab 900. The worst most inadeqate car I ever had (apart from the stereo and the air conditioning)
…and a Lotus Elise sensibly with a Toyota motor. In fact I’m looking for a new one of them as its been nearly 10 years gone.
So my brand loyalty has stretched beyond the original approved list of Citroen and Alfa, just a bit…
You are da man Owl, so many cool cars. I owned a CX, driven a DS for a short distance. LOVE THEM. I long to have a CX prestige or a modified DS. I like the looks of DS3, but they are not available in the US. I also like the looks of Brera but again not available in the US and heard that its somewhat under powered?
1989 Crown Victoria
2004 Crown Victoria
2010 Grand Marquis
Hmmm. I have tended to buy in clusters. They might not be the very same car, but they are very closely related within a family.
C body Mopars: 66 Fury III, 68 Newport.
Fordward Look Mopars: 59 Fury, 64 Imperial
B Body GM cars: 84 Olds 98, 85 Buick LeSabre Limited, 89 Cadillac Brougham
Panthers: 85 Crown Vic, 93 Crown Vic and son’s 89 Grand Marquis
Hondas: 88 Accord, 96 Odyssey and daughter’s 98 Civic
In each of these groups, I have picked others that were sort of related. In my Ford phase, I had an 86 Fox body Marqis and a 94 Club Wagon. A 71 Scamp was kinda sorta related to the other Mopars.
Sounds like you threw (out) a Fit there, somewhere. 🙂
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/curbside-updateqotd-2007-honda-fit-sport-lacking-clarity/
I have owned 6 Mustangs. Actually7 if you count the Mustang II I had for my kids to drive to school and jobs.
1967 Coupe
1975 Mustang II Coupe
1978 Mustang II Coupe ( kid’s car)
1986 Mustang Hatchback
2003 Mustang Coupe
1966 Mustang Coupe ( still own)
2009 Mustang Coupe ( still own)
Other Ford products I have owned in the past:
1955 Fairlane sedan
1962 Fairlane two door
1964 Galaxie fastback
1959 pickup
1973 Ranchero
1988 Ranger
1995 Ranger
I also had a ’33 Ford street rod project that I passed on to a friend and a ’53 Ford pickup project that also got passed on st
2 ’78 Chevy Malibu Classic sedans, both 305 powered, in a shade of brown.
2 ’87 Chevy Caprice wagons, one Estate, one Classic, both in yellow gold
6 Chrysler/Plymouth/Dodge M-Bodies. A ’78 Diplomat coupe, a ’79 LeBaron sedan, an ’81 LeBaron sedan and one of each ’87 offered, a 5th Ave, a Diplomat SE and a Gran Fury Salon. Close relation, one F-Body, an ’80 Volare sedan.
3 AMC’s. A ’70 Hornet SST coupe, and two Concord sedans, a ’79 D/L and an ’82 base model.
Two BMW E90 sedans: a 2006 325i and a 2011 328i.
The second one was mildly interesting: if you believe the online dealer inventories, then we bought the last “traditional” 3er sedan in New England: straight six, naturally aspirated, rear-wheel drive. (Automatic though–all the sticks were already gone.)
The earlier one was a total stripper, the kind which exists only so the dealer can advertise a low, low lease price. It had a stick shift and manual vinyl seats–but other than that, it still felt like a full-fledged BMW. That’s the advantage of buying the cheap version of an expensive car: not a lot of toys, but plenty of good engineering.
I tried to get something different as much as possible. Still, there were a few repeats:
Ford Mustang (4): ’67, ’82, ’85, ’01
Toyota Prius (3): ’04, ’10, ’13
Mopar A-body (Dusters, Swinger) (3): 1970, 1971
Mazda MPV (2): ’02, ’04
Multiple of same models:
Minis:
68 Cooper
71 Clubman
73(?) Clubman Traveller
72(?) Shortnose
Suburbans:
96 Suburban
01 Suburban
07 Escalade ES
Multiple of same brands:
Ford:
66 Galaxy 4 door (or could it be a Fairlane?)
02 Focus ZX3
16 C-Max Energi
Honda:
97 Accord
05 Element
Alfas:
66 Sprint GT
87 75 (Milano as known in US)
75 Spider
84 Spider
Jeeps:
?? Comanche
85 Grand Wagoneer
Toyotas:
95 Previa SC
14 FJ Cruiser
05 SC430 (does Lexus count as Toyota?)
My list is pretty short 2 vw van kombi’s (with Windows). First one was a stripper I camperized and the second was had a fold down bed seat. The first was a 1974 and the second a 1973. I picked up the second one because I had lots of spare parts and by that point knew how to fix them. For cars I had a 1980 Jetta and a 1992 turbo diesel Jetta. I liked the 92 a lot more than 80 until I had to work on it, even changing the oil was a pain to squeeze the giant oil filter out. However the 92 was way more reliable. I also had 2 Honda CJ 360 motorcycles a 74 and a 76. Now I have a 1996 Toyota previa like the author’s and I think if this one eventually dies I would be on the lookout for another.
Three Dodge/Plymouth K – P – bodies. The wife’s grandmother was given a 1991 Plymouth Sundance 2.2L sedan new by her nephew who owned a Chrysler Plymouth franchise. My wife eventually inherited the car, then me. I always had a strange affinity for it, the only downside being that it was a bit slow so I sold it and bought a one owner ’93 Duster 3.0 coupe out of Cleveland. After a few years of driving daily rust was getting to visible areas so I bought a one owner ’94 Shadow ES 3.0 Coupe (still with it’s original Chrysler cellular telephone oddly enough) out of Hatboro PA to replace it. Ended up keeping the Duster after all so now have both of them. I call them the bookends to my collection. Also have 1971 and 2013 Dodge Challengers. Does that count?
I have owned 4 Nissan pickups:
1982 Model 720 2WD, 4cyl Diesel, King Cab 4 or 5 Speed (Can’t remember which, lol)
1995 Hardbody 4WD, 4 cyl, Regular Cab, 5 Speed
2007 Frontier 4WD, V6, Nismo King Cab, 6 Speed
2013 Frontier 4WD,V6, SV King Cab, automatic
All these trucks were bought used and the ’13 automatic was bought under protest, but my 60 year old cranky hip and knee threatened to jump ship if I bought another standard shift. Nissan has thankfully conquered the rust problems of the earlier pickups. The 1995 had to have the original rusty bed replaced but still ran like a champ with over 200K miles on the clock when I sold it. I like the size of these pickups, which fit in my smallish garage, and the towing ability with the V6 engine. I live in middle TN and the ’13 was used as one of the go fer vehicles at the Nissan factory in Nashville. The ’13 has the reverse sensors and backup camera, which are a great help to an old feller like me.
Great trucks, dependable and easy to fix. I see no reason to buy anything else.
I’m just like my father, either Ford or Chrysler:
My Father:
1968 Plymouth Barracuda
1973 Ford T-Bird
Me:
1985 1/2 Ford Escort
1989 Chrysler LeBaron GTC Turbo Coupe
2005 Ford Focus