05-25-2003, 10:13 PM
I poured everything I had into getting my first car. Blue-booked for around $2,000, I got it at $800 of my father (who owns an automotive repair shop, and sells used Saabs; can ya guess what kinda car I drive? :)). I worked all summer, sweat and blood, to earn up enough money for it. I even had to restore it some, as it had been sitting for about 2 months or so when I picked it out (or, rather, he picked it out for me, since it was the only one in my price range, AND it was in reasonably good condition; just had alot of "sitting rot" to it, i.e. rust on the brakes, engine needed a tuning, etc.). We threw in new brakes, I test drove it lots (hell, I learned to drive on that thing), gave it a tune-up, oil change, new (used) tires (actually, they were pretty good tires; used, but a very good brand, and in great condition), I think we even replaced a rim or two. I washed it, cleaned it out, and got her all ready.
Got my license that same summer, got the car, and let it sit for about 6 months. :P Had no choice, though. I couldn't afford the insurance (at the time) until February of that year. But, that I also payed for myself. Well, most of it. I put in about half (around $1700, total, if I remember correctly; or was it $1800? I forget), at about $1000, while my folks chipped in the other $800. By then, it was my last year at High School, and so I missed out on the "big deal" of owning your own car (LOTS of kids got their cars as gifts from their parents; yes, there were quite a few new BMW's and Lexus' on the lot, among others; and yes, there was the usual run of totals within the first couple weeks / months, and the replacement to come from mommie and daddie). But I was still happy. I didn't manage to beat my best buddy's time to get a car (he had two old '74, and '75 Mustangs; he rebuilt one pretty much from scratch, using parts from the other; did everything himself with his father; he loved that car; _I_ loved that car; I told him if he was EVER going to sell it, it would be to me, or I'd kill him ;)), but that's ok. :)
She lasted me a good while. Up until last summer, actually. By then, the trannie was going (she was an automatic; my father, aside from the fact that he doesn't usually work on transmissions, deemed it inadvisable to throw $2000+ worth of work into a car that was worth, at best, just as much; I agreed :P). So, he set aside a VERY nice replacement (1 year old, and more mileage than when I got the first one, but in virtually mint condition; and a standard; talk about your crash course in learning to drive stick :)). We worked out a payment plan, I plopped down a third of the funds, and the car was mine (come to think of it, I still owe him the rest; eh, someday :P). We ripped the old AC out of my old car (actually, it wasn't that "old", considering how it was brand new the same year I got that car; birthday present from my father), took the tires (IIRC), and the stereo, and threw it all into my new car. She had a boatload of little problems that needed to be worked out, and more kept cropping up for awhile, but eventually it all got smoothed over. She's due for a checkup now, but other than that she's run great.
First car:
1987 Saab 9000 16 valve
Automatic transmission
Rose Quartz paint (think champagne color), with a deep burgundy interior (think cranberries)
4-door
Current (2nd) car:
1986 Saab 9000 16 valve
Manual transmission
Rose Quartz paint with deep Burgundy interior
3-door (also known as a "hatchback"; 2 doors on the side, like a convertible, with the trunk being the third "door", as it's much larger than your average trunk door, and shaped very differently; throw the rear seats down, and you can fit just about anything in the back of that car)
They both were my babies, in their time. I love my current car, and I don't want to change her. Unfortunately, she seems to be running down a bit. Transmission, or something, doesn't seem to be working like she used to, and acceleration seems to be dropping, as well. Nothing major, yet, but getting there. Mayhap it's just my driving, but something tells me I'm gonna have to take her in for some serious work. :P Let's hope it's something that's not too expensive to fix. If the tranny is going (which, unfortunately, is a possibility, considering how old the car is, and the fact that it's never been replaced; I don't even think the clutch has been replaced, although I don't seem to be having any problems with that; still catches where it used to, AFAIK, so it shouldn't be going), it's gonna cost a boatload to fix, no doubt. And, somehow I doubt my father, cheap as he is, will swallow that bill. I suppose, after all the years of free repairs ("free", for the most part, thought not always entirely) and discounted car sales, he's repayed his debt to me. Mayhap so, mayhap not. :P
It'll be a shame if I have to get rid of this car so early. She really has been wonderful, and I simply love her. I just hope it's not something really big that's going wrong, as the cost of repair vs. the worth of the car can be a big factor on old cars. Like mine. :(
Cherish your first car, and cherish it well. Take good care of her, and she'll (generally) take good care of you. Just so long as you're not stuck with one of those hellish cars where everything seems to go wrong, one after the other or all at once, for as long as you own it. :P My first car just ended up running down. It was old, and it was time for a replacement on the tranny (you know the tranny is going when it slips out of gear for as long as 15 seconds). Just too much money for too little gain. She server me very well, and I'll never forget my first car. I grew very attatched to her. But, that seems to be the case with most guys. :)
Good luck on the new car!
Got my license that same summer, got the car, and let it sit for about 6 months. :P Had no choice, though. I couldn't afford the insurance (at the time) until February of that year. But, that I also payed for myself. Well, most of it. I put in about half (around $1700, total, if I remember correctly; or was it $1800? I forget), at about $1000, while my folks chipped in the other $800. By then, it was my last year at High School, and so I missed out on the "big deal" of owning your own car (LOTS of kids got their cars as gifts from their parents; yes, there were quite a few new BMW's and Lexus' on the lot, among others; and yes, there was the usual run of totals within the first couple weeks / months, and the replacement to come from mommie and daddie). But I was still happy. I didn't manage to beat my best buddy's time to get a car (he had two old '74, and '75 Mustangs; he rebuilt one pretty much from scratch, using parts from the other; did everything himself with his father; he loved that car; _I_ loved that car; I told him if he was EVER going to sell it, it would be to me, or I'd kill him ;)), but that's ok. :)
She lasted me a good while. Up until last summer, actually. By then, the trannie was going (she was an automatic; my father, aside from the fact that he doesn't usually work on transmissions, deemed it inadvisable to throw $2000+ worth of work into a car that was worth, at best, just as much; I agreed :P). So, he set aside a VERY nice replacement (1 year old, and more mileage than when I got the first one, but in virtually mint condition; and a standard; talk about your crash course in learning to drive stick :)). We worked out a payment plan, I plopped down a third of the funds, and the car was mine (come to think of it, I still owe him the rest; eh, someday :P). We ripped the old AC out of my old car (actually, it wasn't that "old", considering how it was brand new the same year I got that car; birthday present from my father), took the tires (IIRC), and the stereo, and threw it all into my new car. She had a boatload of little problems that needed to be worked out, and more kept cropping up for awhile, but eventually it all got smoothed over. She's due for a checkup now, but other than that she's run great.
First car:
1987 Saab 9000 16 valve
Automatic transmission
Rose Quartz paint (think champagne color), with a deep burgundy interior (think cranberries)
4-door
Current (2nd) car:
1986 Saab 9000 16 valve
Manual transmission
Rose Quartz paint with deep Burgundy interior
3-door (also known as a "hatchback"; 2 doors on the side, like a convertible, with the trunk being the third "door", as it's much larger than your average trunk door, and shaped very differently; throw the rear seats down, and you can fit just about anything in the back of that car)
They both were my babies, in their time. I love my current car, and I don't want to change her. Unfortunately, she seems to be running down a bit. Transmission, or something, doesn't seem to be working like she used to, and acceleration seems to be dropping, as well. Nothing major, yet, but getting there. Mayhap it's just my driving, but something tells me I'm gonna have to take her in for some serious work. :P Let's hope it's something that's not too expensive to fix. If the tranny is going (which, unfortunately, is a possibility, considering how old the car is, and the fact that it's never been replaced; I don't even think the clutch has been replaced, although I don't seem to be having any problems with that; still catches where it used to, AFAIK, so it shouldn't be going), it's gonna cost a boatload to fix, no doubt. And, somehow I doubt my father, cheap as he is, will swallow that bill. I suppose, after all the years of free repairs ("free", for the most part, thought not always entirely) and discounted car sales, he's repayed his debt to me. Mayhap so, mayhap not. :P
It'll be a shame if I have to get rid of this car so early. She really has been wonderful, and I simply love her. I just hope it's not something really big that's going wrong, as the cost of repair vs. the worth of the car can be a big factor on old cars. Like mine. :(
Cherish your first car, and cherish it well. Take good care of her, and she'll (generally) take good care of you. Just so long as you're not stuck with one of those hellish cars where everything seems to go wrong, one after the other or all at once, for as long as you own it. :P My first car just ended up running down. It was old, and it was time for a replacement on the tranny (you know the tranny is going when it slips out of gear for as long as 15 seconds). Just too much money for too little gain. She server me very well, and I'll never forget my first car. I grew very attatched to her. But, that seems to be the case with most guys. :)
Good luck on the new car!
Roland *The Gunslinger*