I’ve just told you why it’s the Peugeot 404 wagon for me. How about you? Which one of your former cars would you have the genie bring back to you?
QOTD: Which One Of Your Former Cars Would You Bring Back?
– Posted on July 16, 2021
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Curbside Classics Archives
Wish I still had my 94 Integra GS-R… so that I could sell it! They are bringing good money on Bring a Trailer now.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1994-acura-integra-gs-r-picking-up-speed/
My 1976 Mercury Cougar XR7.
I had one of those too—white with a white Landau roof and an ice blue interior. A really nice car with a bench seat that my then girlfriend, now wife, appreciated because she could sit right next to me instead of in a separate bucket seat. When I eventually replaced it with a 1984 Chrysler Laser Turbo, she had to admit that the Laser was a nicer car, but she still missed the bench seat.
My 1967 Plymouth Sport Fury fast top with the 318 2barrel, power steering and brakes, factory A/C and with the bucket seats/console/floor shifted automatic. It was my first car and I had wanted it since I was eight years old in 1970 when my uncle first bought it. He later sold the Sport Fury to my mom when he replaced it with what is now my 1968 Plymouth Fury VIP. I drove the ’67 for the first thirteen years of my driving life and by the end, it had made it to 265,200 miles before it slipped out of park and hit an oak tree at the bottom of a very long hill. If I had known then what I know now, I could have saved it with another front clip/subframe but by the time I learned about that, the car had sat way too long. When I got the VIP, I stripped the Sport Fury for every single part I could possibly use for the VIP especially all of the fast top specific parts which are safely stored. Some of the parts are already on the VIP.
Here is my Flickr album of the car in which in the background of some of the photos you can see what is now my ’79 Dodge St. Regis: https://www.flickr.com/photos/beautifulpast/albums/72157601636722359
Ouch, but thanks for posting the great pics.
My first car was a 1969 Valiant Regal Hardtop also with a 318 2 bbl, and it too slipped out of park but it was my fault. I was 17 and I had just learned how to check for worn shocks by bouncing the corners of the car, I had checked the fronts ok but when I got to the back, I heard a click from the transmission in mid bounce and away she rolled, fortunately not as far or steep as yours so damage was minimal.
I have been a big user of the hand brake ever since.
This would also be the car I would bring back if I could,
My new 1996 Maxima GLE, black. Put 300k relatively trouble free miles on it. Fast, decent handling, good mpg.
This. Mine was a ’98, tan base model with the 5MT though.
I’m lucky though, I suppose, as I still own my favorite of all time, my ’91 MR2 Turbo.
The contrarian in me would bring back my parents’ 67 Saab 95 2-stroke wagon. Sentimentally, my parents’ 77 Impala wagon would come back to remind me of an awesome road trip while my Mom was still healthy. I’ve thought about getting another 87 Mustang, though this time with a 5.0 not the anemic 2.3. And I do miss our Miata and (in a different fun-to-drive way) my 4.0 5speed Cherokee.
But probably the vehicle I will bring back eventually is my Outback, which hits the contrarian a bit, has some road trip memories, was pretty quick with the 6, and could go where I asked the Cherokee to (I’m not a hardcore 4 off roader).
My 1992 Subaru SVX LS-L a true GT.
My ’92 is still on the road, & in semi-pristine condition. Best offer over 6K.
1979 Opel Rekord 2.0, same color, same vinyl top. My dad bought one with 17000 km in 1981 and it’s a high point in my life (I was 16 then, got to drive it quite a lot after Dad passed away 3 minths later)
Sorry, the above pic is a gif….
Or how about one I almost and should of had?
My mom’s 63 Nova metallic green station wagon was destined for me as I approached driving age. It became my sometime daily driver (drove my mom to work occasionally) once I had my license.
I also spun it out on a damp street when “testing” out the brakes. Fortunately, empty early am (Western Avenue in LA if you can believe it).
So, it was also to be my transportation for college in the upcoming years.
I washed it and kept it clean. One day my older brother was helping (meaning watching) while I washed the car. We were talking about college and how useful the Nova would be for hauling stuff and friends.
I was thinking about the fun it would be to go to some place like Zuma Beach (about 50 miles from my parent’s house, so I was thinking go in the evening and spend the night in the Nova). So I said to my dear brother “I would probably want to put a mattress in the back.” He laughed.
Well, for some reason my mom ended up selling the Nova just before I started college. I did not find out until years later my brother had told my mom about my upgrade plans.
Oddly enough ;
I’d like to have my father’s 1967 Peugeot 404 Break ~ he’d gone to Europe to give a lecture and bought it and shipped it home .
He had it for some years and it really was a stellar automobile .
Of my old vehicles I wish I knew who now has my 1972 BMW SWB R75/5 Motocycle .
I foolishly sold it on in a fit of pique, hands down it was the very best Moto I’ve ever owned .
Peter Albert bought, restored and sold it on along with several other old BMW air cooled twins .
-Nate
R8. No doubt about it.
Hmm, not sure. Everything from my past I’ve pretty much been there, done that sufficiently.
A 1962 TR4 or a 1985 RX7 would be wonderful, but they’d have to be GOOD ones, not the cheap, crappy and rusted examples I owned.
Ok, there is one vehicle I’d like back, the blue 1971-ish Honda Z50 mini bike. That thing was a hoot.
Peugeot 404, for reasons given in the previous 404 wagon post. This time, I want a late one, with discs, the much-better gearchange – the earlier was that French-wacky pattern, and reversed in RHD! – the best of the seats, and a hike in power to a head-spinning 80 hp, all in excellent order.
Oh, and completely rewired, preferably by the Japanese.
Never by the Japanese their efforts arent anywhere near reliable enough, their cars keep the car repair industry thriving here, my Citroen just flicked over 365,000kms today all the electronic systems work as designed zero faults.
My 1972 Checker Marathon. It was a private car from new, had a GM Industrial Products
350, and was perfect at serving its intended function. Not to mention as easy to work on as
an old truck.
I’d love to buy my Mazda 808 coupe back. I was not really ready to let that one go but unfortunately the family’s need for a reliable runner outweighed my need for a classic at the time. I am not the only one who wants it back as it is owned again by the guy I bought it off.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-asian/my-curbside-classic-1973-mazda-808-aka-818grand-familiamizer/
From my early, formative years (as referenced in the earlier post), the family’s yellow, 1971 Plymouth Duster. From the cars I’ve owned, hands down my ’88 Mustang.
My 1974 Dodge Dart Sport is my choice, similar to your Duster.
We had a ‘74 Duster. It was the first brand new car my dad bought. I was a high school senior.
Fiat 128 – or maybe I’d upgrade to a 124 – for sure. Perfect for around town driving and errands. And you absolutely never see them any more.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1974-fiat-128-finally-behind-the-wheel/
My 1974 Innocenti Mini Cooper 1300 with tuned and balanced motor and LCB/RC40 exhaust. Exhuberant and fast little car that enjoyed humiliating GTis….
Or my ’66 427/425 Corvette roadster, but before I had it painted and it became too “precious”….Most reliable, “do it all” old car I ever had – carried my mountain bike, tents,etc. and street raced/rallied as well as touring all over Europe and being a daily driver in Paris.
There are so many really. My 1971 BMW 1600 is at the top of the list (alas it was totaled). Second choice: my 1995 Mercedes-Benz E320 Coupe (one of only 308 W124 coupes sold in the US that model year). It was my favorite of the nine Benz I have owned, including a current E-class sedan, but was becoming a bit of a maintenance diva after 130,000 miles.
Realizing that nostalgia is never quite reality (I did drive a pristine 1972 BMW 2002 a few years ago and realized any decent Civic Si would eat its lunch), I wonder what a drive today in my 1979 Subaru DL wagon would be like. That was a stop gap car that I wound up driving for three years and almost 40,000 miles.
Just like Tom Halter’s Integra, if I had kept my 1970 Chevrolet K5 (rare 2-wheel drive version with less than 1000 sold that year) I might be able to sell it for some serious cash.
My ‘68 Corvair Monza coupe but zuzz it’s up with an upgrade to a Corsa convertible this time around.
Here is the old beast at the top of the Klausen Pass – My friends from the Lotus Club Lwere surprised at how fast it could be hustled…..
My Mazda 323 GTX. Over the years I’ve mentioned that car occasionally in comments here, and am finally getting around to writing a COAL on it, which should be ready next week. Of the 8 cars I’ve owned (either alone or jointly), that one was my favorite.
I always dug those 323 GTXs. It’s a pity there weren’t more on the road. Looking forward to your COAL!
Another try…
My first cars were all beaters; those choices would be purely sentimental value.
But the 1999 Taurus–I should write a COAL someday–served me for 19+ years with barely a hiccup as a comfortable, cavernous cruiser:
The 1993 Audi S4
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coal-1993-audi-s4-my-18th-vehicle-so-far-in-this-series-but-the-first-one-i-really-wish-i-still-had/
Mercedes W168. One of the most brilliant car constructions ever.
https://i.auto-bild.de/mdb/extra_large/30/w168-284.jpg
My 1990 Ford Thunderbird. With a caveat. Instead of the V6 that it actually had, I would prefer to have the V8 version. I can remember calling it the “Starship”, lol. Ford Should bring the Thunderbird back, in some form.
1988 Mazda RX-7 GTU in Sunrise Red. Here’s my actual car in an old article I wrote here:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/curbside-classics-asian/curbside-classic-mazda-rx-7-fc3s-middle-child-syndrome/
I also miss my 2000 Honda Civic Si, but for the prices they fetch these days, I’d probably sell it, since the same money could get me an FC RX-7 Turbo!
I interpreted it as a car from my _past_, not necessarily one I owned or even drove. That car would be my uncle’s yellow ’70 Mercury Marauder X-100. 429 4bbl, a/c, etc.
Our family car, a 1977 Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL with cypress green metallic paint and green velour upholstery.
My father didn’t prepare his will what to do with his cars. After my father passed away, my mum idiotically believed several people that his car wasn’t worth fixing despite the car’s good condition to the contrary. She gave the car away without me and my brother knowing.
My 1965 Vette Stingray.
My father’s 1968 Eldorado and his 1972 Flame Orange Cutlass Supreme with white vinyl top and white interior.
My 1967 Rambler Rebel, 770 Cross Country Wagon. Bought from my Grandfather, he had just gotten a brand new Hornet Sportabout wagon.
Among the cars I’ve owned, I regret selling my 1996 Volvo 850 after seven years, seduced by the new car smell of a VW Passat. The Volvo was in excellent condition and, unlike our other 2001 Volvo, a paragon of reliability (though perhaps not up to the standards set by the 240 series).
I never particularly liked any of the cars my parents owned, which were very basic, but my paternal grandfather, at least by the time I came along, always indulged a taste for upscale cars. I would gladly drive his 1961 Chrysler New Yorker, in sky blue with a red leather interior, or his last car, a 1968 Mercedes-Benz 250 SE.
2 cars. First my 2007 Audi A3 S-line great car and I was willing to upgrade to the new A3 but no manual, no hatch and kind out of budget.
I’ve had a lot of British sport cars. I liked them all but I would of been ahead (at least money wise) if I stopped at my 2nd a 1971 MGB They recreate it but it’s something 6 figures, and I don’t like it that much.
1. 1970 BMW 2002
2. 1979 Volvo 242
3. 1977 Saab 99 EMS – unfortunately fault paint from the Belgium factory.
4. 1996 Cherokee – 265,000 miles… just tires, oil, and brakes. Could NOT “kill” it.
If I could have it in like-new condition with cloth seats, my first car, a ’74 Fleetwood, or my great aunt’s ’56 Olds Holiday 88 that we got to drive to HS in the 70’s. I wish I’d repaired and kept my bashed ’88 Bonneville SE. The only car I regret buying is the Olds Intrigue that replaced it.
A lot of much-liked possibilities over the years, but I’d have to go with my old Corolla FX16 GTS. Loved that little car.
Nothing as exciting as some of the other posters’ cars but I wish I kept my 1988 Audi 100 with the 5 cylinder 2.3L engine or the Ford P 100 “bakkie”, both of which served me when in college and university and which had to be disposed to pay for tuition fees etc.
If it’s any car from my past then I’d have dad’s 1957 Plodge, his 1964 Ford Fairlane or the 1971 Dart.
My grandpa’s 1950 Ford F-100. I barely remember it because he ended up buying a used 54′ F-100 when he hit over 100,000 miles on the ’50. He used it for his plumbing business. He kept the ’54 until he bought a new ’67 F-100. That was the first year they put any type of pollution control on the engines. My dad always said he should’ve bought a ’66.
I would bring back my 1992 Volkswagen Santana. Loaded, beautiful color. Sold with 52k miles. Miss it.
I wouldn’t mind having my ’70 Torino Brougham back. It was my first decent car, after a worn-out Valiant station wagon that donated its engine and a few other things to a ’61 Lancer wagon. The Torino had only about 65,000 miles when I bought it, a strong 302, pleasant Cruise-O-Matic, nice LTD-style upholstery, and (best of all) good factory A/C. It was reliable, and there were maintenance things I could do myself. I drove that car for nearly five years before I fell under the spell of a ’77 Honda Accord.
Beyond that, I’d love my dad’s ’52 Cadillac Series 62, maybe reincarnated without rusted rocker panels and rusted out mufflers. It was big, comfortable, had the great Cadillac V-8 and Hydra-Matic, and power steering (if I remember right). Dad’s dream car, though, was a Mercedes diesel, and he got it in the 190Db that replaced the Cadillac. Noisy, slow, smoky, but it was comfortable. I did have it for a while, and it ended up sitting idle because repairs were so expensive.
Wish I still had my Dad’s 61 Bullet Bird…
When considering the car as well as the driving experience – my 2000 Prelude, without question. If its roof folded at the touch of a button, I might still be driving it today.
The 72 el Camino and the 78 Camaro. The “idea” of those cars is cool but the all-vinyl interior, the abominable ride and handling balance (you looked under the Camaro and could see springs, but the thing rode like they had nothing to do with suspension), always having to start it a couple times in the morning before pulling into fast-moving traffic and weird-stuff breaking QC of the era – the gas gauge in the el Camino was stuck past full more often than not.
The runner-up is the 1994 Accord EX coupe immediately preceding the ‘lude. It was 80% as good and 20% bigger – but it was an automatic.
My ’87 Audi 4000 quattro.
Probably my 1988 Chevrolet Caprice Estate. Probably one of the most useful, comfortable, and trouble free cars I’ve ever owned.
1992 Jeep Cherokee XJ. Not a doubt. Best all-around vehicle I’ve ever driven.
For my own cars, the one I’d like back in absolute new condition (it was used and slightly abused when I bought it) is the 1980 Volvo 240 2-door sedan with manual transmission.
Going farther back, these are the cars, in order, that I’d like back from my mother’s new-car purchases:
1955 Chevy 210 2-door sedan
1973 Chevy Monte Carlo S (our first car with a/c and a V8)
1961 Chevy Bel Air 2-door sedan
I would not hesitate to bring back my 1970 Cougar XR-7, minus all the problems it had. A little rocket ship with its 351 Cleveland V8, I called it my mini-Mark III, leather interior, power windows, air conditioning, even a power sunroof. And those captivating sequential taillights.
Secondly, my parents 1965 Lincoln Continental, triple black, a fabulous car, always felt like a million bucks driving it, powerful 430 V8, but a fairly nimble and easy to drive car. How I loved those elegant center opening doors.
Your parents had excellent taste in cars!
1979 Mercedes 280CE. That had the M110 six and was not quick. Terribly elegant, fine for road trips, high quality and, like all E class coupes, exactly the right size. Owned the car for seven years.
Now that I have subsequently owned 124 series E class cars, including two 300CEs, the 123 280CE might not be quite as satisfying today as I remember it back when. It sure was pretty in red metallic.
Honestly? My 2005 Focus. 3-door, perfect for carrying things and it was a manual. There is nothing better than driving a small car fast. Plus it reminds me of college, and places I drove it to,