Unhappy with BMW birthday gift, 22-year-old pushes car into river

[CalGalTraveler]

While we're sharing... My first car was a gold 1972 Gran Torino Sport, and I was very appreciative that my parents bought it for me. This was the only picture I found with the right color. Mine was in better shape, but being up in MN and the liberal use of salt on the roads, it did have some rust spots coming through. Fun car that I drove in HS and first couple years of college.

Kurt

Did you perform any stunt jumps in that car? Reminds me of a 70s TV show...

 

[Patri]

I wanted a four door stick shift in 1977, when I graduated from college. I ended up with a 1973 two door automatic Chevy Vega. Paid $1,000 cash for my very first car (caught rides when I came home for a weekend, or drove my parents' car before that). Probably overpaid but in our small town we didn't have much selection.

It worked out fine. Just a hassle if anyone sat in the back, which wasn't very often.

 

[RX8]

Ford seems to have reverse the Ranger's death .... they are reviving the RANGER ... but I bet it will just not be as small as mine.

Ford has already revived the Ranger and they are on dealer lots. You are correct, they are definitely larger and more upscale than the old Ranger. It also comes in a crew cab (4 doors), something the old Ranger didn’t offer.

 

[PigsDad]

Did you perform any stunt jumps in that car? Reminds me of a 70s TV show...

Ha! The Starsky and Hutch car was a later model ('75 or '76) Gran Torino. The biggest difference was the addition of the 5mph bumper that was a federal mandate. If you look at mine, that big, bad chrome bumper was directly bolted to the frame!

Kurt

 

[dayooper]

When I met my wife I’m 1995, she was driving a 1984 Chevette. I actually liked the car. I could work on it without the need of a mechanic. She bought the car for $350 and sold it 3 years later for $450. The guy that bought was an engineer and he drove it back and forth from Detroit to Toronto. It finally died when the frame bent and almost broke. He tied the seat belt around the frame and drove it home.

 

[rickandcindy23]

My cool ride 1971-1973. Looked exactly like this picture.

 

[bbodb1]

I sense a what was your first car thread brewing. A red 59 chevy impala ragtop with cherry bomb mufflers, all show no go 283. It was rearended so one side was hammered out and the other was primered sheet metal. Dad paid $125 in 1971.

At one time it would have looked like this.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

That is one fine automobile!

 

[bbodb1]

View attachment 13421

My gremlin would have looked something like this, including the fabulous purple color, but less the cool wheels and stripe. Those doors were the worst and wouldn’t open most of the time. I don’t know how many times I had to crawl through the back hatch to get into the car.

That hurts to look at!

 

[Blues]

1963 baby blue Plymouth Belvedere, purchased in 1970. Only had 39k miles on it. "Three on the tree." But the shift linkage was loose, so the first time I drove it on my own, it got stuck in 1st gear and couldn't shift out of it. Drove it 5 miles home in 1st. Dad took a look, tightened a couple of nuts, and it was good to go. I swear that slant-6 engine would run forever.

 

[Iggyearl]

I congratulate RX8 for a more interesting thread than the "welding soap bars together." When my second wife and I met she was driving a 1973 Vega. She warped the block when she took out the radiator on a "hidden" curb. She graduated to a 1976 red Chevette, which she thought was cool. Then, she thought a Yugo might be a good choice for only $3995. When we married in 1980 - I said, "Let me pick out the cars." It has worked so far.....

 

[RX8]

I congratulate RX8 for a more interesting thread than the "welding soap bars together."

Were you expecting a thread on kitchen sponges?

 

[easyrider]

While we're sharing... My first car was a gold 1972 Gran Torino Sport, and I was very appreciative that my parents bought it for me. This was the only picture I found with the right color. Mine was in better shape, but being up in MN and the liberal use of salt on the roads, it did have some rust spots coming through. Fun car that I drove in HS and first couple years of college.

Kurt

Kind of looks like the Starsky and Hutch car in yellow. My friends dad bought him one of these Torino's. It was pretty fast.

Bill

 

[PigsDad]

Then, she thought a Yugo might be a good choice for only $3995.

Reminds me of an old joke:

A guy walks into an auto part store, and asks the guy behind the parts counter, "Can I get a gas cap for a Yugo?" The parts guy thinks for a bit, scratches his head and replies, "Yep. I reckon that's a pretty fair trade."

Kurt

 

[RX8]

Reminds me of an old joke:

A guy walks into an auto part store, and asks the guy behind the parts counter, "Can I get a gas cap for a Yugo?" The parts guy thinks for a bit, scratches his head and replies, "Yep. I reckon that's a pretty fair trade."

Kurt

And your joke reminds me of another joke:

Why do Yugos have rear window defrosters?
To keep your hands warm while pushing it.

 

[CanuckTravlr]

And your joke reminds me of another joke:

Why do Yugos have rear window defrosters?
To keep your hands warm while pushing it.

Did Yugos actually have rear window defrosters? And if so of course, the bigger question is: "Did they ever work?"

 

[RX8]

My last Yugo joke

Q. What do you call a Yugo with a flat tire?

A. Totaled.

 

[jehb2]

In 6th grade my dad taught me to drive our humongous green amc station wagon. My senior year in high school he let me drive our family’s second car, a Chevy Chevette. In college my sister lent me her Chevy Vega. None of the cars had a/c or working a/c. Yes we laughed about our junk cars, but it was SO much nicer than taking the bus—something I did for years.

 

[chellej]

My first..1964 Buick Skylark Convertable....of course it didn't look like this...my 2 older brothers had it before me. I dropped a friend off at his house one time and his dad ran out and wanted to know if anyone was hurt in that accident.