Drove
this through college and a few years after. The Wonder Wagon. Part because it was a wonder it went anywhere, part because for as beat up and ugly as it was, it never let me down. Really should have kept it, but the frame was rotting out behind the rear wheels.
Bought
this and drove it for a couple years until the motor and body started falling apart. '86 Chevy El Camino. Make all the redneck jokes you want, but it was just what I needed to haul junk. Only had a V6, which had been poorly maintained before I got it and nothing could save it. Body was terrible, had a bad repaint and a load of work that didn't hold up.
Ended up selling and then finding
this beast. '90 Chevy Lumina APV. Bought with 187,000, sold at 197,000, and as far as I know it's still running with well over 200,000 miles. $400 vehicle, had to fix front suspension and put tires on when I bought it. Ran like a swiss watch. Only reason I sold it was I had found a much nicer vehicle and the APV needed a radiator and exhaust system.
The van was replaced by
this. 1996 Chevy Caprice Classic. LT-1, posi-traction, sport suspension, leather, etc. As close as you can get to a police package or Impala SS without actually being one. Averaged 26mpg on a recent road trip, hit 27 through one section where there was a 55mph speed limit.
Funny thing is I didn't intend on buying a Caprice, was looking for a small truck. The day after the radiator popped in the APV I went cruising car lots with my dad and saw this one on a lot. Almost drove by, then thought what the hell, let's look. After about 5 minutes into the test drive I knew it was going home with me. Managed to get the dealer down over $1000 then had to run home to get my checkbook. Hey, I was only going to be looking that day, sure didn't think I'd need it.