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What was Your First car? / How much did you spend? How old were you?

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duragezic said:
1993 Mazda 626

My parents bought in 2001 for $2400 with 128,000 miles.

Just got rid of 'er a few months ago. Pretty amazing to have the same car from age 16 to 24. It would likely have been good for another bit by replacing a wheel bearing and the distributor (or some part of it) but I figured it was about time.
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Not really, my second car, an '89 Camry i got in 1997 for $3,500, I was just turned 18, i sold it when i was well into my 25th year. So Almost the same amount of time. And i sold it, as in it was still running, I just wanted something a little bit more new, and I was starting a new job where i was a service tech and would be driving a LOT more than just back and forth to work.

I also have a little bit of a pet peeve with parents that buy thier kids a car. For me... If the kid can't afford it, then they walk. Period. NOTHING teaches a kid responsability and money management more then buying thier own car.

SparkyJJO said:
First car I paid nothing for. It was my Dad's hand-me-down 93 taurus with about 130K miles on it. Drove it until almost 150k in 2007 when the suspension rusted and broke, not worth fixing (tho the powertrain was OK).

Second car is my current one. My 98 Camaro V6 auto (yeah, yeah) that I paid $3300 for in 2007. It had 104K when I got it, it just rolled to 156K in the last day or so. So much more power and more fun than the Taurus ever was or ever could be, and gets better MPG to boot. It's gonna be getting sold soon however, It doesn't cut it for the long trip to work in the winter weather. Will get a 4x4 truck/SUV, which the MPG will suck in, but the plan is get another Camaro next year. This one just has enough cosmetic and other (rust) related issues that I dont' want to sink the money into it. I could, but not worth it anymore.
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What kind of mileage does the Camaro get? Maybe 20 - 23mpg? A 2003 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 four cylinder gets about the same or better. Just saying, the assumption that a 4x4 truck mileage will suck, is wrong.

xanis said:
2000 Chevy Cavalier, bought it when I was 16 (back in 2006). It only had 65K miles on the odo, and came with new brake pads, fresh fluids, new tires, and a full multi-point inspection. I paid $5200 including taxes/fees. It may not be the most stylish car, and it might not have many amenities (no power windows, no power locks, 3spd auto), but it's been surprisingly reliable and it gets good gas mileage.
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I think you got ripped. I wouldnt have paid $3200 for that car. A stripped BRAND NEW cavalier with 0 miles and warranty is like $9000, paying over $5000 for one with more than 50,000 miles and is over 5 years old is just silly. Oh well

My first car... 1983 Mustang V6 GL with 75,000 miles. I was 17, it was 1996. It cost $800 from a "friend" of my brother's, it had a little bit of body damage, so the price was fairly low for a semi low mile mustang that was 13 years old. I wish id stayed the hell away from Ford. After replacing head cover gaskets when the car started smoking every damn time i drove it, replacing tires and brakes, replacing the muffler because it was rusted completely through, and rebuilding the Carburetor completely because it was spewing fuel all over the engine block, it finally ran okay for... 3 months. Then the shifter fell off completely, like just plain broke, the car was dead, you couldnt put it in any gear. Id already dropped over $1500 on repairs for this thing so i just decided to get rid of it. Worst car I have ever had in my life, I will NEVER buy another domestic car again. ESPECIALLY Ford. Ford is a four letter word to me, lol. But, thats just me, i'm sure plenty of people have had good luck with them, but as im sure anyone whos had a nightmare car will vouch for the fact that regardless of brand, you just steer clear of that brand from then on.

My 89 Camry came with 77,000 miles, i drove the snot out of it from 1997 to 2004 and sold it with 209,000 miles. Current 1999 Camry i bought in 2004 with 109,000, now has 205,000 and is going strong. Say what you want about Toyota, but I will never buy anything else.
 
Paperlantern said:
Not really, my second car, an '89 Camry i got in 1997 for $3,500, I was just turned 18, i sold it when i was well into my 25th year. So Almost the same amount of time. And i sold it, as in it was still running, I just wanted something a little bit more new, and I was starting a new job where i was a service tech and would be driving a LOT more than just back and forth to work.

I also have a little bit of a pet peeve with parents that buy thier kids a car. For me... If the kid can't afford it, then they walk. Period. NOTHING teaches a kid responsability and money management more then buying thier own car.



What kind of mileage does the Camaro get? Maybe 20 - 23mpg? A 2003 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 four cylinder gets about the same or better. Just saying, the assumption that a 4x4 truck mileage will suck, is wrong.



I think you got ripped. I wouldnt have paid $3200 for that car. A stripped BRAND NEW cavalier with 0 miles and warranty is like $9000, paying over $5000 for one with more than 50,000 miles and is over 5 years old is just silly. Oh well

My first car... 1983 Mustang V6 GL with 75,000 miles. I was 17, it was 1996. It cost $800 from a "friend" of my brother's, it had a little bit of body damage, so the price was fairly low for a semi low mile mustang that was 13 years old. I wish id stayed the hell away from Ford. After replacing head cover gaskets when the car started smoking every damn time i drove it, replacing tires and brakes, replacing the muffler because it was rusted completely through, and rebuilding the Carburetor completely because it was spewing fuel all over the engine block, it finally ran okay for... 3 months. Then the shifter fell off completely, like just plain broke, the car was dead, you couldnt put it in any gear. Id already dropped over $1500 on repairs for this thing so i just decided to get rid of it. Worst car I have ever had in my life, I will NEVER buy another domestic car again. ESPECIALLY Ford. Ford is a four letter word to me, lol. But, thats just me, i'm sure plenty of people have had good luck with them, but as im sure anyone whos had a nightmare car will vouch for the fact that regardless of brand, you just steer clear of that brand from then on.

My 89 Camry came with 77,000 miles, i drove the snot out of it from 1997 to 2004 and sold it with 209,000 miles. Current 1999 Camry i bought in 2004 with 109,000, now has 205,000 and is going strong. Say what you want about Toyota, but I will never buy anything else.
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In my highschool you got a lexus at 15 a audi or infinity at 16 and then just a benz at 18. Google parkland florida nothing but rich kids looking for drugs with mommy and daddys pocketbook.


I also hopes that my scion will be as reliable as your camry, i bought it for $7500 with 20k on the clock, its got 52.xxx now and has been a beauty.
 
Heller said:
In my highschool you got a lexus at 15 a audi or infinity at 16 and then just a benz at 18. Google parkland florida nothing but rich kids looking for drugs with mommy and daddys pocketbook.


I also hopes that my scion will be as reliable as your camry, i bought it for $7500 with 20k on the clock, its got 52.xxx now and has been a beauty.
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Makes me sick. Kids will never learn anything with everything handed to them. There are a small percentage that WILL get it, appreciate the dollars that are working for them to have the education and belongings they are getting, and it seems you are one of those.

Anyway, I have every right to think it will. I'd KILL for a Scion tC at that price. My 99 Camry cost me the same... $7500, with 4 times the mileage as yours and 2 years older (at time of purchase). You got one HELL of a deal, 1999 is the newest car Ive owned, and i dont suppose I'd have an opportunity to own one 2007 or newer for quite some time. i plan to keep the 1999 for at LEAST another year, if not two, and my next car will prolly be a 2003ish taco in a couple years.
 
I got 2000 Jetta with 34k miles in 04 or 05 for 10 or 12k. My parents bought it since I got an academic scholarship. It just rolled over 140k and has been a great car, despite the horror stories I hear about them.
 
First car I drove on a regular basis to/from school when I was 16 was my dad's blue 1990 cadillac sedan deville. That thing was a boat, but it had some power in it. He ended up driving it into the ground with over 250,000 miles on it. Then, what did my parents do, but buy another 1990 sedan deville - this time in burgundy - and my dad proceeded to put over 200k miles on that one. It wasn't really a lot for him, he use to drive 40-50k miles a year for his job. Not bad when the company paid him mileage.

Second car was a 1997 ford explorer xlt. My parents ended up getting rid of that one because there was a smoke smell in it that they couldn't stand. My third, and current car, is a 2001 ford explorer eddie bauer.

My parents bought both me and my sister our first cars in the hopes that we'd save our money, graduate from college, and not have to have a car payment.
 
1978 Pontiac Grand Lemans 4 door sedan. Bought used in 1987 when I was 17 for $1800.

It had a 305 in it. Nothing to brag about, but it was a great first car, and held up well. Sold it to my best friend in 1990, and he had it another year or two. We still love that car.

When you are young... a seemingly generic car can be so much fun due to the memories you have made with it.
 
1982 Austin Maestro 1.6HLS, bought it in 1991 when I was 19, it cost £600, then another £400 for a new engine as I bought it at auction and found the head was cracked...

This example is exactly like mine, so much so that I had to check the registration twice to make sure it wasn't actually my old car!
800px-Austin_Maestro_1982.JPG
 
1978 Toyota pickup with the 20R motor. Paid $300 for it in 1996 when I was 16.

Bias-ply tires, see through floorboards Fred Flintstone style but otherwise indestructible.

Blew a sparkplug out once driving to a friends house, pulled over, hand-tightened it and made it back home with no problems.
 
55 Ford Country Squire Wagon, paid $15, needed work. Got it running, got pneumonia working on it, went to hospital and parents had no insurance. I was 16.
 
1966 Mustang GT. I paid $3600, but my dad put another $40k into it for me for a full restoration and build up.

It was an automatic and he didn't want me having a GTO, 442, or big block chevelle.

I was 16.
 
When I was 15 and living in Alaska, my dad brought home a gray 1981 F250, regular cab, 2wd, 300CID I6, 4-speed top-loader with a granny low, and an appetite for batteries (had a short that I just couldn't find). He gave it to me and that truck started my love affair with Fords. It cost him $500, and I paid back every penny. I didn't have a job, but the Alaska permanent dividend fund worked fine.

I sold it to a friend of mine for $700 when I moved.

The first car I paid for with my own money, titled in my name, was my 1988 Honda Accord coupe 5spd. I paid $300 for it, put a $50 transmission in it, and immediately drove it almost 3000 miles with my mom and sister (west virginia to texas and back). I bought it with 240k miles on it, put 16k more miles on it, and then it got totaled by a drunk driver in my driveway. I didn't have insurance at the time because the head gasket needed replaced and I didn't have a lot of time or money so it had been sitting for about 6 months.
 
alkemyst said:
1966 Mustang GT. I paid $3600, but my dad put another $40k into it for me for a full restoration and build up.

It was an automatic and he didn't want me having a GTO, 442, or big block chevelle.

I was 16.
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That was my third car at 16😛
I sold the panel and got a challenger 340/S and promptly got into a lot of trouble. My dad said he'd give me his mustang if I got rid of the challenger.
 
New 1971 Olds 442 (green). Paid $3425 OTD on 6/4/71 the day before I got married. I was 21 at the time and in the USAF. Unfortunately I sold the car in 76 but am still stuck with the wife. 🙁
 
93 Eclipse....I kind of miss that car. As small as it was, my gf and I fit in the back seat just fine....

paid 3500 for it in 2000.
 
My first car was a 1965 Mustang Coupe with a 289 and a C4 Auto. No, power steering, no power brakes, no power windows, no seat belts. But, that was in 1999. My dad bought it for my mom, but she ended up not being able to drive it because of the brakes, steering, and she's only 4'11". So I drove it, but I had to take care of it myself.

959059405.jpg



After that, they first car I actually paid for was a 1994 Camaro. T-Tops, 3.4L V6 and a 5-speed. Was flawless. Too bad it was a V6. But, I got it for $4,000.

958959403.jpg
 
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