Car Love: Sleds That I've Owned

[BmillsSkier]

Vehicles have shaped my life to no small extent. I’ve had 132 points on my real driver’s license and 47 on a phony license (that I shredded 15 years ago after a state investigator showed up at the phony address). My license was suspended for one 11 year stretch and a bunch of 30/60/90 day spans.

I’ve had 3 constants in my life; an engine, skiing and sex. I have to eliminate the first one for my son’s sake. When I walked away from competition, it was worse than a divorce and I have so little to show for it. Having my self-esteem attached to a conveyance was not healthy nor did it provide any security.

I was getting curious as to how the hell you're still alive, much less legally able to drive after all those tales... until I read your epilogue.

Good post, very interesting and glad you made it here in once piece.

[Art Shirk]

Epic posts Gepeto.

I'm noticing, despite what's fashionable, that people are getting some serious longevity and fun out of their audis.

[oftpiste]

In order....kinda as there were a few overlaps.

1959 VW. No gas gauge. 36 HP engine made trips up Snoqualmie pass in the snow interesting. But I did it a lot.

1963 Volvo 122s 4-door. Purchased from a wrecking yard for $300.

1978 Fiat 850 Spyder. Fun, tiny. Always thought it would be fun to have another one.

1963 Short bed Chevy Stepside (short 'gravel bed' with wood floor). Had a 230 straight six, 3 on the tree, Cragar mags, fat tires and a gun rack. Purchased from an Ellensburg used car lot for $500.

1968 BSA Starfire 250. Inherited with a bad rod bearing from a pal who left town. Rode it that way for quite a while in the summers.

The two above vehicles I literally abandoned when I left Ellensburg. Stupid kid.

1973 Volvo 142s 2 door. I put big sway bars and good tires on it and was pretty fun to drive. Eventually was sold to a friend who went on to become an extremely successful record producer.

1978 Fiat 124 Spyder. Loved that car but was a PITA to maintain.

1989 Saab 900T. The one with the INCA mags.

1968 BSA Victor. Gift from my wife on my 30th birthday. I love her. Still have it but it needs some rehab and TLC.

1994 Saab 900T. Big sway bars, some computer tweaking, super fast and fun with UTR looks. Was late to show a house one day and failed to set the brake when I parked it on a hill. Rolled over an embankment and nearly plowed into the side of someone's house. Totaled. Heartbroken.

1959 Ford 4x4 pickup. Straight six, 3 on the tree. Real farm truck. Had a PTO on front and rear to take farm implements and came with a PTO winch. Used to drive it to Alpy to ski, and rescue snowbound drivers in storms just for giggles.

1994 GMC K1500 Suburban. Skimobile/adventuremobile for a long time (276k miles at the end) and a great car. Best $3000 I ever spent. Met an untimely end in a slushy rollover on the Mount Baker Highway last winter with thing #1 behind the wheel. Truck destroyed, but the 3 kids inside unscathed so I don't gripe too much about it.

Current quiver:
1997 Saab 9000 Aero. Upgraded to stage three, chipped, fat suspension, big exhaust. Very fast and fun.

2000 Volvo V70R. Was wife's now mostly kid-driven. Hope they know how lucky they are.

2003 Toyota LC. Adventuremobile the 2nd.

1984 BMW E23 745i turbo. Greymarket car inherited from my father in law when he tried to trade it in for a Prius and they told him what they'd give him. Gave it to me instead. The car is mint. 59k miles, water buffalo hide seats, factory fire extinguisher under the drivers. It's a bit of a pig but fun to wheel around every once in a while and it's soooooo pretty.

[Lindahl]

How do you like the Pilot?

[Flexon Phil]

Not in chronological order...

83 Subaru DL5 SW,
82 Subaru GL4 4WD SW
83 Subaru GLA SW
85 Subaru BRAT
86 Subaru BRAT,
88 Subaru Justy GL 4WD 5sp
90 Subaru Legacy L+ AWD SW
96 Subaru Outback SW
98 Subaru Outback LTD SW
99 Subaru Forester
00 Subaru Legacy SW
00 Subaru 2.5 RS Coupe
06 Subaru Leg SE SW
09 Subaru Forester X Prem
10 Subaru Impreza Prem
63 Volkswagen Bug
67 Volkswagen Bug
69 Volkswagen Bug
69 Volkswagen Conv.
73 Volkswagen SuperBeetle
83 Volkswagen Rabbit Wolfsburg
84 Volkswagen GTI
93 Volkswagen Golf III
94 Volkswagen Passat VR6 wagon
00 Volkswagen NB GLX
92 Volkswagen Passat CL
10 Volkswagen Jetta SW TDI (Current)
01 Audi A4 Avant 2.8Q 5 sp.
90 Mazda Miata B
90 Mazda Miata A
92 Mazda Miata C
92 Mazda Miata SBY (Current)
96 Mazda Miata M
96 Mazda Miata R
99 Mazda Miata 10AE-1AB
05 MINI
88 Mazda GLX
88 Volvo 744T
94 Volvo 855 GLT
02 Volvo xc70
73 Chevy van
82 Ford Ranger
84 Dodge Omni
83 Renault Fuego
78 Renault leCar
93 Dodge Caravan
96 Toyota Paseo
92 Nissan Sentra SW
08 GMC Yukon XL (Current)

[BmillsSkier]

88 Subaru Justy GL 4WD

Somewhere in the ether is a video of my high school buddies absolutely launching a Subaru Justy 2D over a railroad crossing. I'm talking right out of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, just in a much shittier car.

That thing completely framed-out on impact and killed the suspension. Sparks flew, the front bumper went flying into the ditch and they rode off victorious with the destroyed heap smoldering. Their laughter could be heard all the way till they drove out of sight.

[irul&ublo]

Not in chronological order...

78 Renault leCar

Ha ha



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[Flexon Phil]

Ha ha



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It actually was pretty cool, it had one of those big sardine can sunroofs. The Fuego was the car that I was most embarrassed to have owned, thankfully it was only like three days. The bank paperwork was screwed up and I came out of the ether, I dodged a bullet on that one.

[ill-advised strategy]

73 Chevy van

[Art Shirk]

It actually was pretty cool, it had one of those big sardine can sunroofs. The Fuego was the car that I was most embarrassed to have owned, thankfully it was only like three days. The bank paperwork was screwed up and I came out of the ether, I dodged a bullet on that one.

I believe carpeting was an OPTION in those things. As in, its an upgrade, otherwise you are looking at Turkish tin at your feet.

[Bcar]

i said S4/A4 too small and are for girls, since girls are usually smaller

please explain how youre going to go from an old ford and old bmw to a AMG???

an e63... keep dreaming bud jajajajajajajajajjajajajajaja

Again, you dont know WTF you're talking about if you think S4s are "girls cars..." But please, keep showing your car ignorance to the rest of us, we find it amusing...

How do I go from an old explorer (my tow/beater vehicle) and an "old BMW" (which just so happens to be the rarest modern BMW made) to an AMG wagon? Well, the hardest part is finding the right one with low miles and a full maintenance history, then I will probably buy a plane ticket to where it is located (doubtful I'll find one close to home), then I simply write a check to the owner or dealer. So all in all, it is a pretty easy move to be honest, but thanks for asking No dreaming required, although I do have to convince my wife that she needs one over a cayenne turbo.

The real question should have been how did I go from an old Escort LX to a brand new E46 M3...

[philth]

mmmkay

77 datsun B210

87 Suzuki Samurai. Laughable. reliable as fuck. traded in

87 320i parents old ride…unreliable as fuck. Donated to charity

97 tacoma. traded in

2000 Tundra…still active

05 Volvo XC70. great car. traded in

1972 Land Rover series III. drive every day in summer when not hauling kid

11 volvo XC70. beast ski car. daily driver… Liked the 05 better

15 audi A3. Wifes rig. unimpressed.

bikies

bmw f650 dakar

ktm 525exc. with plates

[Timberridge]

1972 Land Rover series III. drive every day in summer when not hauling kid

ktm 525exc. with plates

Nice, very nice.

[54-46]

66 VW Bug
Vespa 100 Sport
78 BMW 320i
88 BMW 325i convertible
00 Subaru Legacy GT Wagon
05 BMW 330i

Girls always wanted to ride the Vespa; BMW convertible also had its moments. Subaru was the only one I got rid of before 140K...

[Tye 1on]

Let's see...

Started with something like a 71 Cutlass, pretty much a POS.
Gave that to the little sis, scored a 65 Galaxy 500 in great shape, drove that for a few years. Learned how to wrench a bit on that one.
Grabbed a 74 Honda CB360, rode that a lot in the summer, figured out why slamming the front brake on while approaching a stop sign is a bad idea, even if not sober-
Moved up to a 75 Honda CB750F, rode the shit out of that.
Ended up moving up to a 81 Suzuki GS850, shaft drive, moved out west on it.
Two years later, wrecked on it, wanted to get into a car. Swapped titles with some hippy that had a 72 VW van. Went a year or two on that...
Had some pos GM for a year or two, then found a 73 International Scout II. That was awesome. Got ~4 years out of that, never should have sold it.
Went to a Dakota, probably a 88 or so. First car loan.
Then added a 75 Datson 280Z.
Then traded the truck on a 91 or so Ford F150.
Moved both to ATL, then sold the truck and drove the 280Z cross-country.
Decided a/c would be good, so sold that, bought a 1983 Mercedes 300DT on Ebay, buy it now, click!
Put 80k on that with very few repairs, but thought it might sorta suck in snow country, as a rwd diesel.
So bought first [and last] new car, 06 Tacoma. 150k miles, total repairs=front brakes. Super solid.
Added a 99 E320 4Matic a year ago, great summer car. Put 27k on in 14 months, great car so far...

[Mazderati]

[El Chupacabra]

Here goes:

1980-something Nissan Sentra
1980-something VW Dasher
1995 Jeep XJ Cherokee
1987 (?) Jeep XJ
2000 Camaro Z28
2002 Acura TL-S
2002 Jeep WJ Grand Cherokee
2005 Jeep LJ Rubicon
2008 Lexus IS 250
2008 Toyota 4Runner
2011 Lexus IS 350
2000 GMC Sierra 2500
2022 Ford F350

[MTT]

This thread got me thinking. Not going to list my lifetime transportation list. But I remember a period of time that was pretty awesome

In 1982 Biloxi Mississippi. My primary ride was a 1981 Honda CB 900 F
I needed to move from Biloxi to Omaha NE
Guy on base sold me. Blue
1966 Pontiac Grand Prix.
I dove that car to Colorado. Tahoe and then to Nebraska. Dragging a Uhaul for my bike and worldly possessions

That car was awesome and I think of it sometimes

For old school long tracks those big powerful cars were amazing

I basically gave it away in Nebraska when the timing chain went. Wish I had kept it forever

[mcphee]

79 Chevy Malibu wagon

85 Chevy celebrity wagon

85 olds cutlass supreme

86 Olds cutlass supreme

90 Honda accord

93 astro van

98 Land Rover discovery

2000 jeep Cherokee

2015 Jeep Patriot (lol)

06 Toyota Sienna
Photos are stock (obvs) except the last one. Pics are the same trim level, color and wheels (daytons!) on everything I had


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[Ted Striker]

79 Chevy Malibu wagon

I'd take the super clean Malibu wagon + Beech King Air 200 combo today if I could.

[m2711c]

the big blue love canoe.....

[Aldo]

Did you say big blue?

[Touring_Sedan]

1986 Pontiac Bonneville LE - 4.3 TBI V-6
1987 Oldsmobile Tornado Trofeo - 3800 Series 1 V-6
1989 Ford F-150 Custom - 5.0 V-8
1993 Pontiac Grand Prix SE 3.4 Twin Dual Cam V-6
1993 Ford Ranger XL - 2.3 I-4
1995 Chevrolet Blazer LS - 4.3 V-6
1995 Pontiac Bonneville - 3800 Series 2 V-6
1997 F-150 XL- 4.2 V-6 *
2000 Dodge Durango - 5.9 V-8
2000 Ford Expedition - 5.4 V-8
2000 Land Rover Discovery - 4.0 V-8 *
2005 Jeep Wrangler - 4.0 I-6 *
2008 Ford Escape - 3.0 V-6
2013 Chevrolet Tahoe - 5.3 V-8
2019 Chevrolet Tahoe - 5.3 V-8
2022 Chevrolet Tahoe - 5.3 V-8 *

* Current

[TAFKALVS]

1996 Jeep Cherokee Classic 4x4 - Had the 4.0. Parents bought it with 60K miles, gave it to me at 200k, I sold it at 280k. It was a great car and I often miss it, probably mostly for all the trouble I got into with it... got in 2 crashes with it, off-roaded it, jumped it, drifted it, broke it, fixed it. I took it camping, skiing, hiking, climbing and girl chasing. It was great. Sold it for $1200

1974 Jeep J10 - Bought it for $800, has been a long term project. Sold the engine out of the truck for $600 (it was a 401 amc.) Currently working on swapping in a 5.3L Gen3 Small Block Chevy.

1992 Jeep Wrangler - Bought it for $2800. I was really excited about it when I bought it but it had some major short comings - 2.5L 4cyl was very lacking in power and soft tops are not as cool as you think. Had some 31" mud terrain tires on it. I quickly traded it for:

1993 Chevy 1500 Extended Cab Pickup. 5.7l TBI with a 5-speed manual. Kept it for about a year, it was a good truck for The combination of a very stiff clutch and a non-functional e-brake driving in hilly traffic a nightmare.

Traded to a guy for $2500 + a 1997 Subaru Impreza Outback

1997 Subaru Impreza Outback - 2.2L with a 5-speed. 240k on the clock. Lots of life left though. Drove it from my house in Leavenworth, WA to Golden, BC and back for the Hoji camp at GAH. Lots of trips to Stevens Pass in this car, quite the tank in the snow. Traded it for:

2000 GMC Sierra 2500 4x4. 6.0L with 4L80e. 240,000 miles. Used it to gather firewood for the fall and then sold it. The high miles made me feel like I was sitting on a ticking time-bomb. Sold for $3500

2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee - 4.7l v8, Quadradrive with Limited package. 99,0000 miles when I bought it. Nicest car I've owned, super quiet and comfortable. Good for driving dirt roads, snow. V8 makes passing easy and efficient. Current Daily Driver.

1990 Toyota Pickup 4x4. Just bought this from a buddy needing some extra cash for $1500. Beater offroad rig, 33s, Marlin Crawler Rear locker, spool in front. 22re + 5-speed. Not sure how long I'll keep it, but its a pretty fun to have a beater truck like this.

This is cute, sounds like a young man with a bright future wrote it.

I sold the J10 in pieces, never finished it.

The wife wrecked the Grand Cherokee shortly after I wrote this.

The Toyota pickup got sold to some Colville Indians who told me it was gonna be perfect for the res. (Their words, not mine.)

Since then I've had many wheels and have sort lost track of order and what I liked:

1994 Jeep Cherokee
1989 Isuzu Trooper (beater to the max, big dent in the side, one of those cars i just drive like I hated it. Very fun vehicle.)
1974 Jeep CJ5
Another 1974 Jeep J10
2001 Chevy 2500
2008 F350 Diesel
2002 Chevy 2500 (8.1 big block in this one, cool truck)
2000 Lexus LX470
2x 1994 FZJ80
2019 Toyota Tacoma
2016 Toyota Tundra
2006 Toyota 4runnner

Thats everything I owned long enough to drive/count. Theres been other vehicles i held on to and flipped almost immediately... never even transferred the title before I sold them.

I still have the FZJ80, and probably won't ever sell it. I thought about it, but I'm too sentimental. Long back story on that, documented on TGR.

The Tundra and the 4runner are in my rotation for daily driver duties. Tundra is bow the official "nicest car I've owned."

[easyrdr]

The daily drivers
1993 Chevrolet Lumina 3.1 liter V6 2 door with the rear spoiler. Bought it from my grandfather. Way to fast for my 16 year old self, totaled it 9 months later smashing head on into a fire hydrant in a snowstorm. And the movies are bullshit no water shot out of the ground that hydrant demolished that car.
1994 Ford Explorer biggest piece of shit ever
1996 Toyota 4 Runner, loved that vehicle, totaled it in Rocky Mountain National Park. Lucky to be alive on that one.
1999 Chevrolet Suburban, never should have sold that one
1998 Dodge Ram biggest piece of shit on earth, had to replace the transmission at 60K, total electrical failure not long after.
1997 GMC 2500 bought it because it was all they had and they were willing to take ownership of POS dodge
2001 Chevy 1500 long bed regular cab, awesome truck. Then a meth head smashed into me while parked in downtown Carbondale. Passenger takes off running. I catch the driver and call the cops, turns out they were driving a stolen car. That day sucked.
2007 Chevy 2500 Classic, replaced the 01, my favorite truck, never should have sold it.
2007 Chevy Tahoe LTZ, shouldn't have sold this one either
2011 Chevy 1500 Crew Cab
2018 Toyota Tundra, towed great but otherwise sucked.
2021 Chevy 2500 Crew Cab, drove it 3 months, way two fucking big, it was dumb, sold it for more than I paid for it.
2006 Chevy 2500 Regular cab, Long Bed. I'm in heaven, good to be back in a truck that is actually a truck. Found it on craigslist, only 30K miles, rust free. I'm never selling this one.

The not daily drivers
1962 IHC Scout 80, rust free out of Arizona, did an LS conversion on it
2006 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited 2 door long bed, bought off an old guy, totally clean he never took it off road

The one's I don't have anymore
1948 Chevy 5 Window pickup, with 3 on the tree
1964 Chevy fleet side pickup also 3 on the tree
1962, 1963, 1965, 1967 IHC Scouts, the 67 was a right hand drive postal scout.
1989 Grand Wagoneer woody, the thing drank gas worse than anything I've ever owned
1990 Chevy Suburban square body
1990 GMC Suburban square body
1975 Jeep CJ5

If I could do it over I would still own a square body suburban and the 48 Chevy Truck.