Car Mistakes that we bought

[lshlsh2]

Just finished Louisanaboy's post. I got to thinking about My first car and it was a mistake.

It was a 1971 opel gt. Never got on the road. Never could find parts. It sure did look good though.

Ps I am glad we helped him not to make one of our mistakes.
Larry

[csstrux]

63 impala sport coupe I think ( hard top ) Fire engine red pencil neck 2 pot powerglide pegleg rear end. Red guts not bad shape after about 15 solid scrubs. Frame rotten everywhere the suspension wasn't. rust up to the door handles, well about 6" above the spear or whatever you want to call that trim piece. Two days after I got it a friend of mine and I decided to go see what she would do, Coming out of a 70 bronco with a 302 and a three on the tree, when I went for second I threw the car into reverse at roughly 60 with my foot as deep into it as she would go.....KACHUNKCHHHHH.......whe re are the brakes? look in the mirror, there were parts rolling down the road behind us for better than 1/2 mile, I had shiz everywhere, mostly rust and parts of the frame and tranny. Blew the curbside motor mount out of the car, engine cranked over ito the column before the distributor got shattered. The azz reaming I got from my dad I can remember to this day, in retrospect I can understand why he wanted me in a chevette or something like it. after assessing the damage, and replacing the motor mount, distributor and brake lines galore, or should I say all the brake system, she fired right up and drove. Do that with a new one...I dare you. We called that car Christine because it started on fire every time my girlfriend was in it.
Still aint figgured that one out God I miss that old P.O.S. I still have the engine out of it some day I'll use it in something.
Then there was this 79 cobra mustang gtt, NOW THAT WAS A PIECE!!!
This one is gonna be fun, Good post

[citcapp]

To many bad cars to post. American motors Matador 50K miles timing chain broke door handle broke window fell out of drivers door, all in less then a week. 59 Imperial never could find the parts to get it on the rosd. lean burn 75 dodge never could make it run right. I hope I have learned my lesson. Still have to stop an look though. Last one I looked at was a 52 Stude lowboy, always wanted one with a caddy engine just like the one a friend had in our car club in high school, one cool car. didn't buy it all bondo no metal left

[gearheads78]

No real mistakes because I have learned something from every car I have owned.

[daves62]

69 charger rt root beer brown and rust. It would just die, dash lights didn't work but man I thought I was cool

[68conv455]

This is going to be embarrassing but...
1978 Datsun B210 with honeycomb hub caps. Ugliest car ever.
I bought it for one dollar. Got it at half price.

[66 Olznut]

Originally Posted by 68conv455

This is going to be embarrassing but...
1978 Datsun B210 with honeycomb hub caps. Ugliest car ever.
I bought it for one dollar. Got it at half price.

HAHA, was it the "Honey Bee" edition?? Neighbor had one and I remember the day she brought it home from the dealer!! Mistakes? Well, since just about every used car I got was a '66 Olds, 2 F-85's and 2 442's, I can't really say too bad on here, first 442 was a bondo bucket, electrical nightmare and then some. Hey, I was 16 and paid $600 for it in 1988!! First F-85 was more like a driveable parts car for first 442. 2nd F-85 was a gem, $2000 got me a 32k mile original purchased from original owner, shoulda kept it, even had the Packard wires and spiral shocks on it still. 2nd 442 is my current project, got it for free from the tow yard I used to work at. Super nice body, orig So Cal car, still has orig black n yellow plates with Century Olds, Van Nuys frames. My only other make used car was a '83 Civic hatchback I got for $100 from said tow yard. Actually a fun little car except for the funky 3 barrel carb with 10 miles of vacuum lines that nobody could fix right. Nobody would tailgate me because it would backfire whenever it felt like it, shooting pieces of cat convertor at the offending a$$hole. My first BRAND NEW vehicle was a pile, looked good but a pile. 1995 S-10 extended cab. 2.2L 4cyl and 5 speed. Day 1, the radio speakers were working when they wanted to. Was in the dealer EVERY MONTH for something, almost like clock work and up to the same day 2 years later when I traded it in on my first new Dodge, the tape player decided to eat my tape! My current Dodge has been a sweetheart, all 465HP/812TQ and 22 mpg of it.

[dan2286]

I am kinda young and only have had 3 cars. The first one I got was a nice looking car, but mechanically a P.O.S. It was a 95 Monte Carlo Z34 with the 3.4 DOHC. It was the year when G.M. started to switch to OBD II, and it didnt work to well in that car. When ever I started the car when it was cold it idle up and down and sometimes die. When it was warmed up it ran pretty good. No mechanic could figure out what was wrong with it and cost a lot of money trying to get it fixed. It was also a pain to work on, everything was so crammed in the engine compartment. You had to take off the upper intake manifold to get the back spark plugs out, and I think the engine needs to be lifted to get to the alt. When it was running good, it was a pretty powerfull car. I got lucky and got rear ended and that totalled the car, I was so happy.

[esisson]

In 1985 (Senior in High School), I bought a 1973 Datsun 240Z - Had to have it. Paid $1400 cash from a minimum wage job I had been work at for several years. Midnight blue, dual Stromberg carbs, inline 6 cylinder engine. Super fast and great performance. Drove it 6 months until the hack job frame rail repair broke loose. Took it to the shop and when we put it on the rack, the whole underside of the car was patched up with bondo. Sold the car for parts for $400. Expensive lesson.... 6 months of driving a sports car in High School... Priceless.....

[Lady72nRob71]

Although I never had a regretful car, my sister did. After passing my mom's old Pinto down to me in 89, she bought a brand new hundai excel - remember those??
They were a big hit when they came out but I see more Pintos now than Excels...
After a couple years when her warranty expired, the heater valve decided to dump coolant in the passenger floorboard. Okay, I fixed that for her.
LAter she wanted driving lights in it. She bought the factory service manual so i could see how to wire it to a factory switch. After 5 blown fuses I found that the manual was written wrong!

After 4 years, the manual trans crapped out and would not go into 5th, then later dumped 4th. She spent 1100 bucks to fix it. 2 years later, the trans crapped again and she sold it as a parts car.

That makes my trusty old Pinto look like a champ with 150K and the original trans and clutch!

[wolfman98]

My very first car was a piece of tin. it was a 1970 Datsun F10 4 door 4 on the floor. When i fixed it up I riveted pieces of thin metal to make fenders and rocker panels. I put 3 clutch plates in in 3 weeks , could have been my driving. The motor started to smoke soon after so I sold it to my brother

[OLD SKL 69]

I would say it would be the 02 F150 I had. I bought it used when I was living in upstate NY and it looked great and had 83k on it. I drove it about 5k miles and then I started to listen to tick, tick, tick as I was driving. Checked it out when it got warmer and found that 3 of the exhaust studs had broken off of the exhaust manifolds. They all broke off inside the heads. No way to drill them out either with the engine in the car. So I either had to pull the entire motor and replace it or get used heads from the junk yard and then also deal with dual overhead cam timing. Not what I had in mind when I bought it. So I sold it for much less than I bought it for and took it in the shorts, deliverance style!

[Jamesbo]

Originally Posted by OLD SKL 69

So I sold it for much less than I bought it for and took it in the shorts, deliverance style!

Paddle faster,I think I hear banjo music

The biggest mistake i ever made was buying an Audi. It was by far the biggest POS I have ever owned.

[redoldsman]

Mine was a 94 Suburban. I bought it when it was about 3 years old and had about 40,000 miles on it. It was a cream puff and had never had a trailer hitch on it. In the 2 years I owned it I replaced the rear end ($1,300), had to have the rear air fixed and the windshield wipers fixed. They had a recall on the 95's for the windshield wipers but would not fix my 94. It was a little circuit board in the wiper motor that cost about $50. When the transmission went out, I paid $1,250 to have it fixed and took it to a Ford dealer the next day and traded it in on a new Expedition. I had never owned a new Ford and only a couple used ones. The Suburban had a new set of Michelins and new Monroe shocks on it. GM did not give a rat's azz about it. I chose to not spend anymore money with them. I still have the Expedition and it has 127,000 miles on it. Other than replacing a few coil packs, it has been an excellent vehicle.

[OLD SKL 69]

Paddle faster,I think I hear banjo music

Right on! I think I heard banjo music when I was buying it. That'll teach me!

I think the 2nd worst car I had was an 04 Camry. El cheapo hard plastic interior, uncomfortable seats, and brake, suspension problems drove me nuts, I hated that car.

[OLD SKL 69]

I think the 2nd worst car I had was an 04 Camry

Oh yeah, I should clarify, that was my wife's car. I would never buy that for myself.

[Lady72nRob71]

Originally Posted by OLD SKL 69

I think the 2nd worst car I had was an 04 Camry. El cheapo hard plastic interior, uncomfortable seats, and brake, suspension problems drove me nuts, I hated that car.

Many late 90s-early 00 camrys and avalons came with wrong front suspension bushings. It should have been a recal, but toyo tried to hide it. My ex GF went through this and a mom & pop shop gave her a copy of the service bulletin explaining it.
When the dealer saw her armed with that, they fixed it free and took the sheet away from her in disgust. Dishonest company they are...

[daves62]

Originally Posted by 68conv455

This is going to be embarrassing but...
1978 Datsun B210 with honeycomb hub caps. Ugliest car ever.
I bought it for one dollar. Got it at half price.

I had a B210 myself got 4 of them out of a field built 1 out of the bunch
cut the top of with a torch drove it all summer had a ball

[pogster]

The worst car I ever had was a 82 Lynx wagon with the fake wood on the side. It think it was called a Villager trim option. I bought it in 1988. For a Lynx it was top of the line with AC, cruise, and lambs wool leather seat inserts which I thought was kinda unique. I didn't have much money at the time but the engine had just been rebuilt so I bought it. Bad decision. The engine never gave me a problem but the rest of the car was a piece of junk. Ah the things one buys when money it tight.

[cfmjeeper]

Way back when I was young and dumb and well you know the rest. I had a 1973 Cutlass S Jet green with a landau roof. Decided that it would be a great idea to trade my old buddy in on a Triumph TR-7. My first car that I had to take out a loan on and it was at the fine rate or 21%. Remember Jimmy Carter. Needless to say It did tot turn out well. I was in the Air Force at the time and had to take a second job to pay for the repair bills ( no joke) on that dam British hunk of crap. Like the curse of Babe Ruth or the goat or King Tut I have spent the last 30 years searching for a car, truck or jeep that would hit the same sweet spot that my Olds did. If you comment please be kind.........

[csstrux]

just thought of another, a 78 monza wagon. I have a fetish for wagons/stabbincabbins. Puked transfluid all over the exhaust, bad breaks rusty jurry rigged pos. cheep trans until I could afford more. had it maybe two months.

[55olds98holiday]

Hey Larry my first car was a 71 Opel GT also. The doors were rusting so bad I could eventually put my hand through it. It was a fun little car to drive though. Gary

[lshlsh2]

Gary Never really got to drive it. Just around some dirt roads on the nursery. Might be just as well I was 16 might not lived to 17 in it. I could tell it was fast

[FATRATMATT]

I bought a 76 Cordova for the 400 CI motor it had in it. (Yes it had "Rich Corinthian leather seats") I wanted the motor for my Charger. I drove it for 8 weeks before blowing it up! Young and dumb but damn it was fun!!

[dhoff]

The absolute worst car I ever owned was a 71 Merc Capri, used more oil than gas! The second worst was a 72 Vega put a cam and headers on it and then the whole rear end tore out of the body.

[wolfman98]

Originally Posted by dhoff

The absolute worst car I ever owned was a 71 Merc Capri, used more oil than gas! The second worst was a 72 Vega put a cam and headers on it and then the whole rear end tore out of the body.

A buddy of mine had a Vega and used to carry a case of oil in the trunk.He used to update me on how many miles to the quart he was getting. I just called it our mosquito killer.

[Jon Dahl]

I suppose mine was my first car, but not the first time I owned it.
It was a 1954 Dodge Coronet with a 241 Hemi. My father and I spent all of 1994 fixing it up. I was 14 years old and fell in love with cars, my dad taught me everything he could, then I filled in the rest at a vocational school. (I actually learned more from my dad).
We sold the Dodge in 1995, and the guy who purchased it after that decided to turn it into a hotrod... By cutting the top off of it.

My father passed away unexpectedly in 2004. I found my old Dodge on eBay and bought it back.
I have no idea what I was thinking, other than I just wanted it back. It was in really bad shape. I spent two years, alot of time, and money trying to repair it. And failed. (My wife was happy to see it go).

Finally, I gave up and traded it for my '57 Oldsmobile.

Before:



And After:

[redoldsman]

It is really sad to see something like that happen to a decent car. It would take a real dumb azz to do that. He ought to have his but kicked big time. The positive thing is you are now in an Oldsmobile.

[jensenracing77]

has to be the 92 chevy 1/2 ton ex cab. i will never buy a new car or truck again. well it was not new but was close. it was a good truck but i don't think i will ever have another car or truck loan again. what a wast of money. looking back i could have got a loan for the same amount and got a nice W-30 and still be worth the money or many times more. now i just buy at least 8 year old cars or trucks. i have drove the truck i have now for 2 years and only have $1500 in it. it is not even rusted out.

[hamm36]

this is it!!! I have had 71 S rust buckets before, but at least it ran like a scolded monkey. This one went tits up the day after I drove it home.

[rockethound]

how about a 92 ford thunderbird blew head gasket on the way home from the lot.

[MN71W30]

I went with a friend to pick up a car he won at a local on line auction. It was a place that had real cheap donated cars. We got there and he did all the paperwork, paid a few hundred for an old ford explorer. He jumped in it and I said follow me. I noticed he never moved. I went back and asked what the problem was and he said the car doesn't move. After debating what to do next we decided to scrap it out for a couple hundred bucks at the place next store. So at about 5500 rpm in drive the ford would go 1 miles per hour and we made it to the scale. He only got to drive the ford 200 feet. All we could do was laugh.

[PmL69]

I would say the biggest P.O.S cars i owned were a 87 cougar, 89 reatta, my current car a 2000 focus. i bought it off my brother in 03. he sold it to me for $2000. He had for a month & it needed back wheel bearings & a rear main seal. So far ive put a new head, another tranny, axel shaft, shift cables, multiple wheel bearings, & its due for another clutch. Great gas milage!!
One of the coolest cars i ever had was a 81 fleetwood caddy hearse. it had a dog of a 6.1 maybe? I found a 75 olds 455 & droped down in it with buick rally rims & duals. Loved the looks

[citcapp]

Boy i would have liked to have had that hearse in high school. Queen bed in the back, what fun

[GoodOldsGuyDougie]

Man I have 2.


71 Gremlin with a Big Block. Beautiful metalic Blue, spoilers front and on top Cragers wheels and more. I was walking out of the theater (circa-1978) with a date looking at my car saying to my self man that's a damn nice looking Street machine, and the Girl with me said that car looks like a High top Tennis shoe. It was gone 2 weeks later.

Bought the first year Vega GT, dirt cheap from a Chevy dealer in 1977 with a blown 4 banger Alum Eng. It was mint except for the Motor. I Thought it would be cool to dump a big Block in the car and turn it into something wild. Got the Job done In 6 months but wanted every dime and minute of my life back spent on that Car. I've got a thousand and one stories about the adventures with this Car-(most of them are Like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.). The day I sold this car to a Non-English speaking Mexican was one of my Best ever.

[csstrux]

I thought those cosworth vegas were supposed to be going little machines. I can imagine what that thing was like to drive. I have a Toyota supra sitting in my father in laws barn, one of these days I'm gonna dump a monster into that pig. OHH WHAT FUN THAT WILL BE

[GoodOldsGuyDougie]

It wasan't a Cosworth just 71 Vega GT. Looked great though with the spoilers and I had changed out the Rear lights for those of a 70 Camaro. It actually looked like a miniture Camaro. Had problems every single day with the Car. Can't decribe what is what like to drive except to say I wouldn't drive it around the block today for fear. The whole Car would bend and twist when you romped on it. Big Blocks do not belong in Vega's. It also would over heat about every 5 minutes.