Your first car

[craigos]

First bike. Was a beast but not the most reliable.

 

[Jarman3]

1978 Ford Escort Ghia. Sh*t brown with a light brown vinyl roof (gotta love the 70s ). It actually went alright, had the 2 litre 4 cylinder engine so had a bit more go than a lot of other Escorts. I bought it from a catholic church where it had only been used by the nuns to get around so I figured it hadn't been thrashed too badly And they'd actually installed an aftermarket air conditioner since it didn't have a/c as standard, so that was a nice little bonus.

Can't remember exactly what I paid for it... somewhere around $2000, that would have been in around 1995.

This isn't the actual car, but pretty close to what I had...

 

[edgie]

Vinyl roofs and that body moulding were awesome.

My HQ was pretty standard when new, but I've added the chrome body moulding and thinking about getting a vinyl roof put on it too.

 

[Jarman3]

Vinyl roofs and that body moulding were awesome.

My HQ was pretty standard when new, but I've added the chrome body moulding and thinking about getting a vinyl roof put on it too.

Nah, don't do it... I don't think the vinyl roof look has aged well I would have liked that Escort more if the roof were just painted the same as the rest of the car - even if it was still the sh*t brown A decent paint job will always be better than a vinyl roof, I reckon.

 

[RookiePick]

'83 VH Commodore
253ci, traumatic, sports suspension and a banging body kit. Thought I was King Dick!

Loved that car. Killed it years later (with a 355ci by that stage) by trying to occupy the same space as a tree

 

[Lord_Flashheart]

Complete with mismatched red panels. Wouldn't go over 90km/h but still outlasted my next car which was an EA Falcon.

Cost me $500 cash.

The clutch cable broke through the firewall so I patched it up with a piece of folded over sheet metal, this car never died.

 

[Jafa]

I had a yellow TF Cortina. Was a great little car.

Ended up cooking the engine.

 

[JackOutback]

Toyota Corona - something like a 1986 model (about 13 years old at the time) - cost me $2,500 i think. Got me through about 4 years then got a holden commodore for about $5,000 (again about 10 years old)

A 1972 Toyota Corona (comfortably older than me), column shift automatic, handbrake in the dash, got it for free with the carburettor not working and the bonnet not attached. Cost a bit to get it working, brakes once gave out on me while driving, before finally upgrading to a 1989 Datsun 120Y wagon bought off my mum (and yes, that felt like an upgrade). Looked a lot like this, just more banged up.

 

[Over The Post]

1974 Triumph 2.5 PI. The fuel injection was shit so the previous owner ditched it and fitted twin carbs. Beautiful car that I didn't appreciate (does anyone ever appreciate their first car?). Oil light wouldn't go out even after changing the oil and filter, so I reached up behind the dash and snipped the wire. Found out later the screen on the oil pump was clogged

Saw one for sale in Brisbane about 15 years ago, dirt cheap as it had a cracked head. Thought about getting it and doing a dad project with my boys, it would only have cost about $800 for a new head from the UK with hardened valve seats so you could use unleaded petrol. Still regret not doing so.

 

[JackOutback]

Always wanted a Triumph... my GF/now wife wouldn't let me

 

[Wojcinski]

1983 KE70 Corolla, 4 speed manual, bought it for $1600

Looked pretty much the same as this

I remember taking a dremel to the fan control section of the dash to fit an aftermarket cd player. Good times

 

[kickazz]

Early 80s Ford Laser

Manual windows, manual transmission, manual choke that got a good workout on cold mornings when it would conk out at the traffic lights.

Could open the doors with anything that fit in the keyhole.