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Topic starter
30/01/2021 5:12 pm
We all remember our first car, mine was a '59 Chevrolet Impala 2-door hardtop. It was 9 years old when I bought it. I was on top of the world. Then came my 1963 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88 in 1970, and finally my 1962 Oldsmobile Starfire in 1972.
Making plans to get married during the summer of 1973, my bride-to-be and I decided that another car would also be nice and we ventured to Bahls Chrysler-Plymouth in Hastings, Minnesota to look at the BRAND NEW 1973 Plymouth Gold Duster. It was a car that she was attracted to, and having went through our marriage classes with Father O'Sullivan, I learned the lesson well that "If she likes, I like it". 
But truth be told, I did like that Duster with it's fold down rear seat, use your imagination with that...and of course the dependable "slant-six" engine. With both of us needing a car once we were married, this was a logical move. And naturally, she would be driving the Duster, as I wanted her to always have the reliable car. My Starfire was fine for me, even with all the little things that would go wrong with, after all, it was a used car and 11 years old.
While taking delivery of our Duster, the final part of that process was my writing out the check for the car. We were paying cash, as we didn't want to start off in marriage with any debt. I wrote the check for "Payment if Full" in the amount of $3,191.00...and being that to that point in my life that was the largest check I'd ever written, I messed up the dollar amount on a first check, had to void it, and rewrite it. We still smile about that as we celebrated wedding anniversary number 47 just a couple weeks ago on January 12th.
On that fateful day in 1974, it was a clear blue sky and a frigid TWENTY BELOW ZERO temperature. We both agreed that after enduring the weather that day, that we were sticking together. We've kept that promise!
Oh and our DUSTER, well after 161,000 miles we traded it in 1978 for a NEW Chevy Malibu. The Duster's memory will always be with us, as it was included in our wedding plans.
Here is the brochure from the dealership that remains with us. Our Duster looked just like the one on the cover.
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
30/01/2021 6:19 pm
A 59 Impala for a first car?? Not bad at all. Mine was a 53 Ford Customline, 16 years old with 66,000 miles, in beautiful condition. Of course I drove the hell out of it....typical stupid kid. It finally got totalled; sideswiped by a hit and run driver when parked. I've had 3 cars badly damaged this way, plus all the parking lot stuff.
Topic starter
30/01/2021 7:24 pm
A 59 Impala for a first car?? Not bad at all. Mine was a 53 Ford Customline, 16 years old with 66,000 miles, in beautiful condition. Of course I drove the hell out of it....typical stupid kid. It finally got totalled; sideswiped by a hit and run driver when parked. I've had 3 cars badly damaged this way, plus all the parking lot stuff.
Yup, a '59 Chevy Impala 2-door Hardtop that was white with red interior. I got it for $500 in 1968. It was an interesting car to say the least. A beauty to look at, but many issues with it. One of the major flukes about it, was that it started in every gear! And if the car was left in "Drive" or "Reverse" when the engine was shut off, it would then bolt forward or backward when the car was started again. My high school buddies thought that was a really cool.
You may recall that General Motors cars of that era had the "no key" option if the car's ignition was in the "unlock" position, well I never had a keys for the car. The seller didn't have any. So I always left the ignition in the "unlock" position. The down side of this was that I couldn't lock the car either. Luckily, I was in a smaller town and didn't have to worry about it being stolen.
I loved the "Bat Wings" in the rear and when I'd go to the back roads I could speed up to 70 or 80 miles an hour and that rear-end was almost taking flight. You could feel it rising!
It was a fun car!
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
30/01/2021 7:39 pm
I always bought used cars throughout my life. My first actual new car was a 2002 Ford Crown Victoria LX Sport (essentially the Ford counterpart to the Mercury Marauder). Since that purchase, I’ve bought nothing but new cars - sort of a “once you get the “bug”, it never goes away” kind of thing...
Zeeky Banutski
The People’s Republic of Maryland
30/01/2021 8:10 pm
My first car was a 1963 Valiant convertible bought in 1971. Two used cars later I moved to Manhattan for 35 years. So my first new car was my retirement present, and I love my 2015 Honda Fit with all my heart.
Retired in Dunedin, Florida.
30/01/2021 10:12 pm
My first new car was an 18th birthday present from my parents if that counts. Its a 1958 Vauxhall Cresta which I picked up in England, used all over Britain and then had shipped to Canada three months later. Here it is in 1959 or 1960.
30/01/2021 10:34 pm
@david-green My friend's mother had a Cresta like that; it was all pink. It was actually a pretty good car with a fair bit of power considering it was a six.
David Green and David Green reacted
Topic starter
30/01/2021 10:54 pm
Since I started driving in 1968, my first 5 cars were USED and every car since, 14 of them, have been NEW cars.
I prefer new cars as It's not my idea of fun buying someone else's troubles. It's always been my feeling that people get rid of their cars for reasons, and I have no desire to learn what those reasons were.
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
31/01/2021 1:48 am
Mine was a Mazda 1500 bought in 1970. Still think it was the most beautiful car I've owned, Designed by Ghia.
31/01/2021 4:47 pm
...after adding factory mudflaps, tinted windows & "Marauder" exhaust tips...
Zeeky Banutski
The People’s Republic of Maryland
Ed Glorius and Ed Glorius reacted
31/01/2021 6:10 pm
@jkuvakas...I believe so & that's because the Marauder was a 4.6 DOHC with 60 horses more & 40 more torque than the 4.6 SOHC in the LX Sport...
Zeeky Banutski
The People’s Republic of Maryland
John Kuvakas and John Kuvakas reacted
31/01/2021 6:21 pm
Yes, I remember now. There was a big lead-up to the Maurader and it had the goods. But Mercury saddled it with the Police Interceptor limited-slip rear end which was 3:55. At the time, we all thought it would get the limited-slip 4:10 from the Mustang, which could be special ordered on the Vic and would have made the Mercury a barnstormer. That 3:55 didn't kill it but it didn't help.
I was running a F-L-M dealership at the time. I jumped in the first Maurader we got and thought, "This is really no quicker than the Crown Vic with the tall rear end. What's the big deal." We sold a ton of the Crown Vic Sports because we knew how to order them and didn't have the option on the Marauder.
Either way, I thought both cars looked quite fine.
John Kuvakas
Warrenton, VA
31/01/2021 6:50 pm
@jkuvakas I love these old Crown Vics and have a 1998 as my second car. I put about 1500 miles a year on it; it has 98000 miles on the clock. I don't really need it but I can't bear to part with it. It never breaks down.
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