Share Your My First Car Story

Please rely to this post to share your own personal "My First Car" story with the American Profile community.

Wow, I just read the the article in the 6/1 - 6/7/08 American Profile and I'm amazed that I'm not the only person still owning his first car. I'll have 30 years with my '66 Oldsmobile Delta 88 convertible in July (ironically, my 30 year high school reunion is in in July, too!). My dad bought the car for me for all of $650. Had the car painted in 1985 to it's current red (it was brown, originally). Had the front and back seats reupholstered in 1987. I've driven this car all over the Midwest, though less so in recent years. My wife and I used to take it to the local Dog & Suds and then over to the outdoor theatre for our free admission (they would let 1970 and older cars in for free!). Theatre turned into a strip mall about eight years ago, but we still go to the Dog & Suds!





Gordon T

I have owned this 1945 GMC COE Victory Truck since 1980, I have hauled skiders,houses,mrytle wood.

I hope this truck is ok to put here

1945 GMC COE victory truck AFR522 308 (gas) air wipers,air brakes. air spilt rearend and yes it still runs after 53 years.

I had 2 1956 98 Oldsmobile’s. I say had because I sold my very first car I have ever owned in August 2006.
I had kept the car for 39 years. At age 16 in 1967 the car cost $240 and I need to install a fuel pump to get
it off the lot.

When people ask me if it was hard parting with my very first car, I let know a tear was never shed.
Since I have a 98 Hardtop of the very same year, my first car was stored about 2 miles away and not driven for a long time. I had just finished showing it to a couple who was interested, but said they would think about it like so may perspective buyers before them. I closed up the garage and headed home. Ever since my mother passed away less than a year prior, I have a tendency to talk to her and sometimes ask for help.
This was no different. While driving down the street I said out loud….okay mom, what should I do? You were there when I was 16 and helped me buy the car…so now should I be actively trying to sell it? Is something I should be doing? I need a sign here…either way I can live with it….do I just pack it in and keep it stored for another 40 years?
As I pulled in my driveway at home..my cell phone rang…..Another potential buyer…so I turned around and headed back to the storage garage.

In a few minutes I met a couple in their early 70’s. I uncovered the car and proceeded to show them the magazines my cars were in including the book “Setting the Pace 100 years of Oldsmobile”, the man was trying to get a “better” price. His wife seemed a little uncomfortable and started up a conversation with me.
During our talk I find out that I new her older brother and her younger brother married a high school classmate of mine. When she asked my last name she not only new who my brother and sister were she new my mom and dad too! It turns out that she was a retired beautician and had done my mother’s hair for years.

No it wasn’t hard to sell my first car….Mom was there…in life when I bought it and there telling me who should buy it from me with her message from Heaven. Thanks Mom…Love you!

To view my cars… http://hometown.aol.com/olds56/index.html

I'll never forget my first car. It was 1974. I was 18 years old and needed a car to start college. I saw a '67 Mustang convertible for $800 advertised in the paper and asked my dad to go look at it with me.
It was in great shape, had low miles,and only one owner. I had $900 in the bank. My dad said "OK", shook the man's hand and made me shake hands,too. He said we'd transfer the title on Saturday.
Friday night the phone rang. It was the car seller. He told my dad he had gotten a better offer. My heart sank: I knew money was king.
Dad stated,"I made my son shake your hand. I'm teaching him a mans word is his bond."
The next words spoken were, "OK, we'll see you tomorrow."
I still have that car... and, much more importantly, that lesson.

I was on my way back to the States on board the guided missle Frigate USS COONTZ DLG-9 from the Vietnam campaign, November 1966 when I
realized that I would be getting out of the US Navy in January 1967. I wrote my brother in Burlington, N.C. to send me new car literature for 1967
models. We did get mail while out at sea you know. In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, I started getting sales folders from various dealerships from
Burlington, home of Sox & Martin drag racing fame. As soon as I saw that Red 1967 Charger with a Pearl White interior, and Black Carpet, I knew
that was what I wanted to have waiting on me when I got discharged from the Navy. I sent my brother $500.00 for a down payment and asked him to
order the car for me, just like the Red one in the sales manual. When I got home on January 13 1967, I went straight to Bick Long Motors, and on the
show room floor in the front of the building was my Red Charger waiting for my foot to moan the 4BBL carburator. I had been away fvrom cars for 4 years
since being in the Navy had taken me away from reality that civilians enjoyed back then. I didn't know about 426 Hemi's, and maybe it is a good thing I
didn't understand that sort of stuff back then, as my driving style wasn't the best to instill moderation in driving. The 383 4BBL was enough power for me
to contend with. I went to work for IBM in Greensboro, N.C. and drove the car in my work for four years. The car was serviced at Sox Sinclair in
Burlington where Willard Milo Sox ran the station with the local yocals appearing from time to time, being Ronnie Sox and Buddy Martin. Ronnie also
was involved in building Chevy's to drag race using the 409 engine, but that is another story for the Chevy people. Since I was using a car in my work,
I decided to get an air conditioned car, so I bought a 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger with a 318 engine, and gave the Charger to my wife. The wife used the
Charger to go shopping with, while carrying my 'Lil girl around with her. The back seats would be folded down, and the trunk flap let down into the trunk
area and that was Kimberly's play pen while the wife worked in her Laundromat. We could do things like that back in the 70's without the fear of someone
running off with our treaured 'Lil girl. Linda drove the Charger until it became just another old car on the road, and she wanted me to get her another more
modern car in 1982, so I got her a used 1976 Cadillac, and since the Charger would not valued enough for a trade, I parked it back by the cow pasture fence
to keep the cows company. The car stayed there amongst the dirt daubers, rats, and black snakes for 18 years until a ground hog found his burrow under
the car, and that hog pushed up dirt until I couldn't see under the car any longer. I got down sized by IBM in 1993, and for 7 years, I didn't do anything
worth while as watching TV and taking naps wasn't very productive. The wife crawled me in 2000 asking me,"When you gonna get off your butt and do
something around here"? I replied, "Like what"? Why don't you restore that car back there? "Cause I don't have the money." She said, "If you restore
it, I'll pay for it." That got me started into the restoration world, with all of the insights of meeting people, and a different world that I didn't know existed.
I have met some of the most wonderful people since 2000, that I was losing out on before that time period. I didn't do a frame off restoration on the
Charger, as it is a UniBody car, but it got the full treatment of restoration work. Since I had bought the car new, I knew all of the detailing areas to be
concerned with, such as the engine bay, and other areas of the car. I was an Electronics Technician in the Navy, and was able to get the headlights
to operate with the electric motors, and the dash light Electroluminecent lights to glow again. The car became a hit at car shows, as the paint now
was the base coat PP1 Chrysler Red with the Clear coat finish. The Dodge Charger Registry, ran by Jon Gibbs, found out about the car, and when MSD
Electronics Ignition wanted an early Charger to appear in an advertising campaign, Mr. Gibbs told the MSD Marketing team about my Charger. It wasn't long
after that the car was involved in a Photo Shoot at Ray Evernham Motor Sports along with Ray Evernham and Kasey Kahne's Charger. We couldn't get Kasey
to stand still long enough to get his picture in the shoot. He was running around the complex in his flip flops, and burmuda shorts like a youngster.
Here are a few pics of "Ole Red" along with one pic of my wedding day June 14 1970 with the car. This Charger is one of the best cars that I have ever owned,
and the most rewarding car to boot. I hope these pics bring back memories for some of those that look at her. It is now better than when she was brand new.

~ Don R. Dodson ~ Gibsonville, N.C.

My first car was a black 1982 BMW 320I. My parents bought it for me for $1,500. I drove it during my junior and senior year of high school. It was great even though the ac didn't work. Living in sunny FL it got very hot during the summer. I would go to the beach and come back with a sunburned arm from hanging my arm out the window. I would always have all 4 windows open. I would have to turn it off in drive throughs because it smoked a little. One time I had a guy yell at me "SHUT IT OFF!". People used to call it the bug mobile. It was a great car though. And I was the only kid in school who had one, so it got some attention.