I feel deprived. Some really good lists there. Mine looks like:
1968 Ford Country Sedan (AKA station wagon.) High school. Went
through set of brake pads and rotors in 7,000 miles. First speeding
ticket--90 mph on the Garden Grove Freeway.
1970 Ford Maverick --The best thing Road & Track could say was that
the wipers parked with alacrity. Wanted a Datsun 510, but prices on
used ones too high in 1972 "gas crisis." College transport--could get
a whole dorm room's worth of stuff in it, but secretly envied guy who
rolled his A-H BJ-7 in the college parking lot showing off. Couldn't
convince Dad that used Cobra 289 was a good investment.
1972 Toyota Land Cruiser FJ-55. Quirky, rusty and fun, slow up
hills if you lost momentum. My wife jokingly refers to it as a babe
magnet. Sold to high school student who thought it was cool and had
to have it. He gave up after a year--it has probably rusted away by
now.
1961 A-H Bugeye--DPO's mechanic knackered it badly--rebuilt 1098 with
no oil filter and no oil pressure! Redid all mechanicals and was
about to deal with see-thru floor, when a passing Frenchman
collecting cars for European clients made me an offer I couldn't
refuse.
1967 A-H Spridget--Became parts donor for Bugeye.
1968 MG Midget--Became parts donor for Bugeye and friend's Spridget.
Still have the right rear quarter--used for welding practice.
1984 Toyota 4x4--Replaced tired Land Cruiser; used to haul old parts
around. Sold to English guy who wanted to go mud-bogging.
1972 Volvo 164e--Bought for next to nothing because of stripped
timing gear. Great when it ran--like a locomotive on rails with all
that weight out front and skinny tires- but terminal/unsolvable FI
problem. Sold to nice Dead Head couple.
1978 Toyota SR5 truck--Had Mexican body lift kit and shell from days
as fishing truck at friend's Baja vacaction house. Replaced 4x4 as
parts hauler/daily driver until rust and tired motor prompted sale--I
actually made money on this one!
1967 MGB-GT--Swore I'd only buy cars that really interested me, but
couldn't afford XKE or BN-2, and wife too tall for Elan. "Recently
rebuilt motor" had spun bearings, pitted bores when bought from
recently divorced woman who got car as part of settlement. Five year
mechanical restoration, at which time Earl Sheib paint job gave up.
Sold to recent college grad/ musician, who drove it into the ground.
1970 MGB-GT--Too cheap to pass up despite rust and flaking
blue-over-orange paint job. Thought about using engine for '67,
changed mind, sold to college guy who had convinced girlfriend that
"1970 was the model year to have."
1994 Escort Station Wagon--Took over parts hauling tasks. Sold to
fellow UC staff member due to wife's pathological hatred of station
wagons.
1984 Alfa Romeo GTV-6--Bought as 12 year old car w/20,000 mi from
father-in-law, and promptly put thousands into fixing factory
defects. Sentimental favorite, but a bugger to work on/buy parts for.
1964 MGB--Current project/daily driver. Mechanically rebuilt;
awaiting thousands in bodywork and paint.
1968 MGB-GT--Too cheap to pass up. Family project of PO, whose
priorities changed when wall of mud fell down on their house a couple
of winters ago. Sold to a nice guy from Arizona via the internet.
1997 Taurus sedan--Family hauler, reliable freeway cruiser, the car
my daughter will learn to drive with.
Sorry to run on--every car has a story.
Chris Attias
'64 MGB
'84 Alfa Romeo GTV-6
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