How Much did you pay for your First Car?
Senior Member
Joined: 02-15-2008
Posts: 339
From: Stockwell, Indiana (Lafayette Area)
The Cars In My Life
My first car was a 1977 Mercury Marquis - we called it the Titanic. It was a 4-door Monster with a 400 cu.in. engine - I paid $650.00 for it back during my Junior year in High School in 1986. Received $800.00 trade in towards a 1989 Ford Escort LX (my first New car). Engine had a melt down when I pulled onto dealership lot. Dealer mechanic only wanted body and frame - had a recently rebuild 460 cu.in. engine and new transmission waiting for it. Kept Escort for around 4-1/2 years till it was paid off. Since then I have owned a 1990 Mercury Cougar, a 1985 Toyota 4-Runner, a 1989 Ford F-150 4x4, a 1999 Honda CR-V, a 1990 Toyota 4-Runner, a 2002 Ford Escort ZX-2 (which I traded for my HHR), a 2002 Ford Taurus Sport, a 2007 Honda Civic (traded for 1st Equinox), a 2008 Chevy Equinox (wife totaled). Currently own a 2007 Chevy HHR, a 2009 Chevy Equinox, a 2004 Mitsubishi Gallant (son's car), and my old 1993 Toyota 2ws Pickup.
Senior Member
Joined: 09-10-2010
Posts: 904
From: Cleveland, Ohio
1988 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham. Bought from an old man, who was dying. It had 14,000miles on it.
Paid $200 for it.
Drove it to 140,000 miles. Reliable $200-$300 dollar cars is NOT an oxymoron...
Paid $200 for it.
Drove it to 140,000 miles. Reliable $200-$300 dollar cars is NOT an oxymoron...
Senior Member
Joined: 06-26-2006
Posts: 1,876
From: San Bernardino, California
My post from September 2006 in a similar theread:
I have bought several vehicles in my life time in the $200-$300 range that I would refer to as reliable. Even recently. We paid $250 for a 1985 Toyota Camry about a year ago for my grandson and he's been driving it ever since. They're just a little harder to find now days.......
Originally Posted by db/sb
1958 Rambler American. Paid $50 for it in 1968. It actually ran! Drove it for about two years until it developed a cracked block.
Senior Member
Joined: 01-13-2008
Posts: 4,708
From: Washington State, where it rains
Free....92 mitsibishi eclipse 5 spd....replace 2 tires one flex pipe and a water pump entire 3 years I owned it...free, and fun to drive(that is I got it for free)Very reliable
Platinum Member
Joined: 05-09-2006
Posts: 6,805
From: "Upland" Mesa, Arizona
In 1960 I bought a 1955 Ford 2-dr. for $400. Drove the Pi$$ out of it, rolled it on the way back from Toledo (3.2 beer). 6 of us, all unhurt (bumps and bruises), rolled it back up and drove home at about 25 MPH.
Fixed it up, painted it gunmetal gray (what else), dropped a 53 Cadillac V-8 into it. After a while, reupholstered the interior and added something before it's time......an AM radio mounted to the dash and in a home made console over the tunnel hump and onto the front bench seat, to give the appearance of bucket seats.
Fun car.....ahhhh those were the carefree days.
Fixed it up, painted it gunmetal gray (what else), dropped a 53 Cadillac V-8 into it. After a while, reupholstered the interior and added something before it's time......an AM radio mounted to the dash and in a home made console over the tunnel hump and onto the front bench seat, to give the appearance of bucket seats.
Fun car.....ahhhh those were the carefree days.
Thread Starter
Senior Member
Joined: 02-15-2010
Posts: 1,706
From: Minneapolis, MN
From an older thread on the same topic What did you pay for your first car?:
Platinum Member
Joined: 01-09-2007
Posts: 16,081
From: SE USA
In 1960 I bought a 1955 Ford 2-dr. for $400. Drove the Pi$$ out of it, rolled it on the way back from Toledo (3.2 beer). 6 of us, all unhurt (bumps and bruises), rolled it back up and drove home at about 25 MPH.
Fixed it up, painted it gunmetal gray (what else), dropped a 53 Cadillac V-8 into it. After a while, reupholstered the interior and added something before it's time......an AM radio mounted to the dash and in a home made console over the tunnel hump and onto the front bench seat, to give the appearance of bucket seats.
Fun car.....ahhhh those were the carefree days.
Fixed it up, painted it gunmetal gray (what else), dropped a 53 Cadillac V-8 into it. After a while, reupholstered the interior and added something before it's time......an AM radio mounted to the dash and in a home made console over the tunnel hump and onto the front bench seat, to give the appearance of bucket seats.
Fun car.....ahhhh those were the carefree days.
Senior Member
Joined: 03-22-2010
Posts: 2,108
From: Russia Ekaterinburg
I do not know if this was true or a myth, but as they say.
They say in America send to the dump an old but serviceable car. Because this car can not sell expensive. And because the old car is subject to high taxes.
They say that any American can come to the dustbin and withdraw any part or parts. He can take the whole car completely. If he pay 300 dollars the owner of the landfill.
Is this true?
They say in America send to the dump an old but serviceable car. Because this car can not sell expensive. And because the old car is subject to high taxes.
They say that any American can come to the dustbin and withdraw any part or parts. He can take the whole car completely. If he pay 300 dollars the owner of the landfill.
Is this true?
