Post your life timeline, in cars !!

[table5511]

Let's see what everyone grew up with, what your first car was, etc. Bring back some memories.

Here is what my parents had when I was just a weee little one.
My dad had like a early 70's Toyota Corolla or something that looked very similar to this:

We also had a Volvo 240. My dad always complained about the awful, awful seats. (not actual car)

The old white car was ditched and my folks bought a brand new 1989 Mazda MPV (non 4wd): (not actual car)

My folks picked up a brand new Dodge Neon in 1995, which is before it became the beater of choice in the hood: (not actual car)

Then they picked up a brand new 1997 Chrysler Town & Country LXi AWD: (not actual car)

When I was in my mid teenage/slightly later teenage years, my old man picked up a used 1997 Dodge Ram 2500 Ext. Cab 4WD 5.7 Cummins Turbo Diesel
(this is me in the picture quite a few years after he bought the truck) This is after I parted out my first car, my 90' Jetta GLi story to come later.

At some point late 90's we picked up a honda civic that looked like this:

My folks also picked up a 1995 Mazda MPV 4WD as they loved the 89' one so much.

In early 2000's, my sister picked up a 1995 (or 96?) golf III 5spd which was basically the GTi in that year. That was her first car.
In early 2000's, I got my first car which was a 1990 VW Jetta GLi 5spd. I ended up parting it out because it was a money pit, as seen in the prior picture. Stuck it in my dad's truck and hauled it off to the recycling plant, got 50 bucks for it.
I had it for sale for 2000 bucks and no one would buy it, which is why I parted it out.

My second car to replace my Jetta was my 1997 VW Passat GLX VR6 5spd

When I got married, my wife had a 1999 Toyota Solara: (not actual car)

We also got a 2003 Nissan Altima (not actual car)

We Got rid of the Solara.
We then got rid of the Altima and now just have our CX-9.

Thats my car history!

 

[Force-1]

Mine, in order of purchase:

1965 Dodge Dart Convertible
1969 Chevy Impala
1970 Dodge Charger
1972 AMC Javelin
1974 Chevy Monte Carlo
1974 AMX Matador X
1972 Pontiac GTO
1978 Triumph Spitfire
1971 Mustang Mach-1
1976 Dodge Ramcharger
1984 Dodge Ram D50 4x4 Pickup*
1987 Dodge Shadow ES*
1988 Mercury Cougar*
1988 GMC S-15 4x4 Gypsy Edition*
1990 Lincoln Towncar (Dont ask)*
1991 Pontiac Bonneville SSE
1968 Mercury Cougar
1994 Chevy S-10*
1994 Toyota 4Runner*
1996 BMW 528i*
1974 Ford Ranchero
1997 Ford F150*
1970 Olds Cutlass
1998 BMW 540i*
1999 BMW 740iL*
1999 Cadillac Escalade*
2002 Lincoln LS*
1998 Pontiac Bonneville
2001 BMW 740i Sport
2002 Cadillac Escalade*
2003 Hyundai XG-350*
2005 C6 Corvette*
2006 Cadillac STS*
2008 Mazda CX-9*
2008 Hyundai Santa Fe*
2008 C6 Corvette*

Currently own:
2011 Audi Q7 S-Line*
2011 Audi A5 Cabriolet*
2011 Kia Sorento SX*

*Purchased new

 

[table5511]

Let me ask about your towncar?(fuoops)

 

[Force-1]

Let me ask about your towncar?(fuoops)

I was active duty Air Force, stationed at Pease AFB, NH. Got orders to Vandenberg AFB, CA, so we had to drive cross country. We didn't want to take 2 cars, so we traded wife's Cougar and my S-15 for the Towncar (wife wanted it). It was the perfect car for the trip, and the huge trunk was a plus. Sold it about 6 months after we got to CA as I hated the way it handled, and felt like I was sitting on my living room sofa.

 

[RoadKing01]

I'm only gonna list my cars as my dad has a garage \ used car business since I was 10 and the amount of cars he has "owned" is staggering.

1. 77 Chevy Chevette
2. 78 Ford Fairmont
3. 81 Chevy Camaro ( my first automotive baby)
4. 84 S10 Blazer 4x4
5. 87 Cutlass Ciera
6. 85 Chevy Spectrum
7. 94 Pontiac Grand Prix SE
8. 87 Honda Accord
9. 91 Nissan Stanza
10. 97 Saturn SC1
11. 99 Pontiac Grand Prix SE ( still miss this one, sold it to pay for wedding )
12. 97 Ford Exploder ( Wife's car when married)
13. 03 Yamaha Vstar 1100
14. 04 Pontiac Vibe ( best compact car I have ever drive, was totaled when some moron rear ended me going 50mph when i was stopped at stop sign)
15. 01 Harley Road King
16. 08 Nissan Altima SE ( Favorite car I've ever owned)
17. 87 Pontiac Trans Am
18. 07 Chevy HHR
19. 08 CX9 GT

Wow, I never realized I have had so many cars. I am almost averaging a car per year that I have been driving. I guess that's due to my dad having his shop and dealership. Every time he bought something I liked, I got it at his cost.

 

[jabba]

Holy crap, you guys have owned a boatload of cars; I pale in comparison:

1. 1981 Malibu Classic (my dad's car, I used it from 1986 to 1991; in '89 he bought himself a Mercury Sable, so I had the Malibu to myself)
2. 1991 Pontiac Firefly (the canadian version of the Geo metro, 3 cylinders of power in a 1 litre engine, had it until 2000, this was my car for college/grad school, about 40 mpg on the highway made fueling up cheap)
3. 2001 Audi S4 (bought that once I got a job out of college, had that until 2008, kept modifying it with ECU chip and bigger turbos, made it to 460 HP on the Mustang dyno, I loved that car but man, things broke down often)
4. 2008 Mazdaspeed 3 and 2008 CX-9 (current cars for me and the wife, had to buy both the same year since the Audi was seeing waaaay to much of my mechanic, and my wife's 1995 Geo Prism was still nice, but she wanted to move on)

And that's it. So I've kept my cars for about 8 years or so. We'll probably keep the CX-9 for a while, but I'll likely sell the MS3 in a couple of years and get another smallish sporty car, maybe a GTI, maybe a Focus, we'll see.

 

[table5511]

jabba, when I was in highschool/college, the S4 made me foam from the mouth. However I heard it was very maintenance heavy indeed.
I went to a VW meet and this one dude did a 4 wheel burn out in his S4, I thought that was the coolest thing.

Back in the day, my sister totaled my brother-in-law's father's 2001 A4 w/sport package 1.8T when someone t-boned her via blowing a stop sign. She didn't have a scratch. Very safe cars.

 

[repthemazdas]

99 mazda protege 186K got it at 16 worked on peoples yardsvto save up the money.... lol

 

[RoadKing01]

Jabba, The S4 is a very nice ride. You could probably add up most of the GM beaters I've owned and they would not equal the cost of a single S4. I drive about 15-20k miles a year for work so I always keeps a 4 cylinder beater on hand to save on fuel and keep miles off my nicer cars. I've gone through a lot of them.

repthemazdas, There's a lot to be said for getting and keeping your first car. I consider my 81 camaro to be my first real car, and I bought it the same way. It broke my heart to sell it, but I just could not keep up with maintenance costs anymore. My dad "bought" the 78 Fairmont for me, if you consider paying $500 for the car, knocking $50 off and telling me I owed him the other $450 back. Didn't really care for the car, but it was the first car that was truly mine. At 17 that was all that mattered.

 

[55V8]

Mine's as follows:

1. 198x Mitsubishi Lancer L Type - My parents didn't actually buy a car until I was 9 yrs old or so, and this was our first family car (bought used from a relative - not actual car)

2. 1993 Toyota Corolla XE - This was the first brand new car purchased by my parents. It was eventually handed down to me when I was in senior HS. I then modded it (stage 1 plus mostly cosmetic stuff). I have to admit my taste was a little tacky back then.

3. 1999 Toyota Corolla LE - My sister eventually got her license and we needed an extra car for her. This was bought used from a relative too. (not actual car)

4. 1997 Toyota Corona Exsior - I eventually sold the red Corolla and bought this used. I had this car for 4 years. Within that timespan, I've converted it to EUDM spec, then to JDM spec when I got bored of the previous look. I did a lot of mods to this. The most prominent of which were the ARD wheels, ADVAN RC wheels, full SQ sound system (JL Audio W7 sub, tube amps, Focal Utopia separates). The sound quality of this car was pure bliss.

Day 1 - before modding:

EUDM spec:

JDM spec:

Audio/Video mods:

5. 2007 Toyota Avanza - my family then decided to get an additional family hauler. It's smaller than a mini van and seats 6-8, depending on passenger size.

7. 2006 Toyota Rav4 Limited - I then migrated to the US and this was the first SUV that I bought. I just sold this last month before I got my CX-9.

8. 2005 Mercedes Benz C55 AMG - Last year I had an itch to buy a weekend car. I wanted something fast that will not break the bank. Did my homework and I discovered the C55 AMG. Fast, classy and pretty reliable for a German car. I cross shopped it against a BMW 335i, Audi S4, MB E55AMG, and BMW E46 M3.
The C55 came on top mainly due to the fact that it's cheaper to maintain, and still fast enough to smoke the E46M3 and an un-modded 335i. It's all NA, so no turbos or super chargers to maintain. It has a 5.4L V8, AMG hand-assembled engine, 362hp, 376lb.ft torque. It's the ultimate sleeper too -- looks like an ordinary C-Class to the untrained eye (until you get dusted and see the quad pipes at the rear hehe).
Very fun car indeed. Also got it 6K below KBB from a local private party seller after some haggling -- less than the price of a Honda Civic. After a year of ownership, it hasn't given me any headaches or maintenance surprises. Only mod I made so far was to upgrade the factory 18 inches to 19.

Stock:

CLK grille and flat badge mod:

19" wheel upgrade:

9. 2008 Mazda CX-9 GT AWD - Then my second child was born and we needed a 7 seater (to have room for extra passengers/visitors). Sold the Rav4 and bought this one used. Apart from the usual GT trim features, it had a Visteon DVD/Gameboy rear entertainment installed. It's nice to have both a sunroof and a rear entertainment system. So far the only issue I had with her was a leaking rear axle seal (partially reimbursed by the dealer and Mazda NA though despite being out of warranty already). Plus the infamous scuffed up silver interior door trims, which I will wrap with 3M brushed aluminum vinyl next week.

 

[SLC Punk]

1- 1978 Ford F250, my dad bought it new and he still has it
2-1988 Chevrolet Monte Carlo LS. Last year of the rear wheel drive. Dad gave it to me
3- 1994 Ford Ranger x-Cab 4x4. High school Graduation present. I lifted it 3", 32" Bridgestone Dueler M/T, super chip, intake, exhaust
4- 1997 Toyota 4-Runner. I lifted it 3" added a TRD supercharger, 285 Bridgestone Dueler A/T Revo and a ton of small mods
5- 1993 Toyota Camry V6 XLE, bought off my parents when I got married
6- 1992 Toyota Celica All Trac Turbo. Still own, tons o' mods
7- 1986 Toyota 2wd pickup, Stock, grandpa's old truck
8- 1989 Toyota 4wd Pickup, fixed up and sold
9- 2005 Toyota Tundra 4WD DoubleCab Limited. All the bells and whistles, my wife's first brand new vehicle.
10- 2008 Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring AWD, bought in 2/2010
11- 2010 Mazda3 Sport Hatchback

 

[jk240sx]

1972 Plymouth Valiant (slant 6)
1976 Dodge Duster 440
1972 Mercury Montego
1974 Mercury Montego
1984 Chevrolet Malibu
1987 Ford Mustang 5.0 LX coupe (1st new car)
1990 Jeep Cherokee (2 door 4X4) new
1986 Porsche 944t
1994 Isuzu Rodeo 4WD new
1995 Nissan 240SX new
1996 VW Jetta new
1996 Isuzu Trooper new
1990, 1993, 1992(2), 1989, Nissan 240SX (love these)
1996 Honda Civic EX 2 door(car of the year) new
1993 Porsche 911 996
1997 Nissan 240SX new (still own)
1995.5Nissan Altima SE (company car)
1997 Honda Accord EX new
1998 Porsche Boxster new
1997 Nissan Quest SE new
2000 Dodge Dakota Sport 4X4 club cab new, still own
2007 VW Passat Wolfsburg(owned 8 months VAG-COM sucks)
2012 CX-9 AWD

 

[LexustoMazda]

Mine's as follows:


5. 2007 Toyota Avanza - my family then decided to get an additional family hauler. It's smaller than a mini van and seats 6-8, depending on passenger size.

Hey, are you from south east asia? I'm very familiar with that car.. lol

 

[LexustoMazda]

1. 2008 Honda Accord EX-L

- This is my first car when i'm in college. Good gas mileage and have huge amount of leg room and cargo space for a sedan. Only using it for 2 months then i sell it for more what i paid for

2. 2006 Lexus IS 350

- After i sold the Honda, i get this car. This car is ultimately the best car i've owned, hands down. Very fast, reliable, and get good gas mileage as well. I sell it because i wanna try how an SUV feels and need the space for moving out, the IS isn't practical enough for my needs at that time.

3. 2008 Mazda CX-9 GT

- This is my current car. For me, the 9 feels okay. It handles very well, fun to drive, and have loads of cargo room than my previous cars. But the gas mileage is more worse than my previous cars. Good thing is she only needs regular on the gas. I'm planning to sell it in the summer to get more fuel efficient and sportier cars. Probably i will get an used GTI or Infiniti G37.

 

[sbmrinaldi]

1976 Triumph TR7
1978 Trans Am
1987 Trans Am GTA
1984 Corvette cross-fire injected
1985 Caviler
1994 Hyundai Excel
1996 Taurus SHO
1995 Ford TBird Supercoup
1998 Acura Integra GSR
1996 Honda Accord
1995 Lexus ES300
1993 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo
1995 Nissan 300ZX Convertible
1995 Nissan 300ZX Twin Turbo
2003 Mazda Protege
1987 Buick Grand National (24k miles)
2000 Corvette
2001 Corvette Convertible
2001 Corvette Z06
1996 BMW M3 (owned for 1 day)
2003 Honda Odyssey
2002 Audi Allroad
2007 Mazda CX9 (current)
Infiniti G35X (current)

Still about 6 or 7 I forgot in there. VW Passat GLX, VW Jetta, Isuzu Rodeo, ???

 

[55V8]

Hey, are you from south east asia? I'm very familiar with that car.. lol

Used to live there. Did you too?

 

[LexustoMazda]

Used to live there. Did you too?

Are you from the Philippines? I'm notice it from the left hand drive. I used to live in Indonesia

 

[2003.5_MSP]

first car:
1995 ford probe

currently own:
2003.5 mazdaspeed protege

 

[DizkoDan]

I didn't even get my drivers license until I was like 21, so I only have about 15 years of car history. Luckily I buy for 2 now, so I get my fix. Here's the list in order of purchase.

1999 Acura Integra *
2003 Subaru Outback
2005 Infiniti G35 *
2005 Nissan Murano
2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
2008 Nissan Pathfinder *
2008 Mazda CX-9
2004 Audi allroad
2010 Acura RDX

* Bought new

 

[sjg]

Lived in NYC happily without a car well into my 30s so it's a short list.

2005 Subaru Legacy GT Limited Wagon
2009 Mazda CX-9 Touring AWD