Car, Car and more Car.. How many is Enuff? How many in your life time?

[StevenA]

I bought my first car during my senior year in college and have owned a total of 5 cars.

1972 Plymouth Valiant (bought used in 1977)
1981 Dodge Colt (bought used in 1984)
1989 Chevy Beretta (bought slightly used in 1989 from a Hertz car sales lot)
1997 Honda CRV (bought new)
2008 Toyota Rav4 (bought new and is my current car)

The Dodge Colt was made by Mitsubishi. My parents were mortified when I bought it because 1) my father was in the Navy in WWII and still considered Japan to be the enemy, and 2) my parents couldn't understand why anybody would own a car with less than 6 cylinders, and then only if you were trying to get better fuel economy than a V8. When the Colt broke down in 1989 and was going to cost more to fix than it was worth, they helped out with money to buy another car on condition that I buy an American made car and that it have at least a 6-cylinder engine.

 

[Speed Racer]

Started driving in 2011.

1997 Ford Taurus - Grew up with this and hated to see it go.
1989 Chrysler LeBaron - Began driving in 2016 after the Taurus' transmission said goodbye at 230,000 miles. Fun car.
2015 Chevrolet Impala - First car I actually bought in 2019. Love this car, but I'm a car guy at heart and have the itch to get something else. I could see myself keeping it and getting something older, but want to get a clearer picture of our finances in the coming year as we finish paying off our wedding. The new Charger is interesting, it would have to be the gas version, though. Not quite ready for an EV. Or maybe something newer with a V8. It's all just a fun thought exercise at this point as I always used to do in high school.

Speaking of the wife:
2000 Honda Accord
2006 Pontiac G6
2017 Ford Escape
2020 Ford Fusion

She loved the Escape, but it had some weird transmission issues that I could tell were going to be a problem in the future, among some other minor things. The Fusion turned out to be a great deal between the pandemic and the model having ended production earlier in the year. Got it for over $10k off MSRP. She sort of has the new car itch too, but I tell her I'm first because mine's already paid off!

 

[Car-Guy]

Driving my Corvette in the snow, back in the day, was an "art." Many a time, I'd start out in 2nd gear to lower the torque to the drive wheels. It took a while to get used to - but was also sorta fun - until it wasn't.

Even driving a Corvette (C7's and earlier) in the rain can be challenging (terrifying). They will hydroplane in a heartbeat. The car is really light (especially in the rear) and has super wide tires with shallow thread (even when new). That all means it's easy to hydroplane even with moderate water on the road. I'd never drive mine over ~50mph in the rain, even then I could sometimes feel the back end want to break fee. Maybe the C8's are not as bad with their better weight distribution.

 

[pletal]

Check-out the C7 Vettes instead. (2014 thru 2019) Totally different look. Not as quick as the C8 mid engine (but close) and the best looking Vetts ever built, IMO. You can still get a lower mileage, well equipped used one for ~50 to 60k.

Have to agree on the C7

 

[sengsational]

I'll let the AI build up it's model of me:

Me:
1980 Toyota Celica (new)
1979 Toyota Celica
1990 Mazda 626 Turbo
2006 Honda Accord

Wife:
1979 Toyota Celica (new)
1990 Mazda 626 Turbo (new)
1995 Toyota Previa
2007 Toyota Sienna
2019 Toyota Sienna

Anyone notice a trend there? I've been getting the hand-me-downs. Every car I've walked away from needed a repair that was above blue book cost. The Mazda was clean and perfect, but had an oil leak. I sold it to a kid that was studying to be a mechanic and was going to take out the engine himself.

Most were used. The vans came from CarMax. I bought my current car from Craigslist guy. I almost never drive it...we use the van for road trips.

My next vehicle might be a Kawasaki Mule

 

[rembrandt]

With Gen Z's dislike of driving, the car ownership trend is going south, and I don't mean to Florida.

 

[sdtech]

1965 Ford Fairmont (ugly but reliable and fast - well the battery was fastened with a coat hanger, you added oil a LOT and the shifter was disconnected so you had to push it in to use it and then slip it under your leg)

1971 Mustang (beautiful but slow and unreliable)
1978 Fiat Spider (cool but everything broke at some time)

1982 Mazda 626 - NEW from now on
1988 Mazda pickup
1989 Mazda 626
1992 Ford Windstar
1997 Ford Windstar
1998 Ford Sport Explorer (Buffalo snow belt years)
2002 Chevy Monte Carlo SS
2009 Ford Escape
2010 Ford Focus
2012 Ford Escape
*2018 Mazda 3
*2018 Chevy Colorado
2019 Acura RDX
*2024 Tesla Model S - favorite car since the Mustang

* - still have

 

[Koolau]

Even driving a Corvette (C7's and earlier) in the rain can be challenging (terrifying). They will hydroplane in a heartbeat. The car is really light (especially in the rear) and has super wide tires with shallow thread (even when new). That all means it's easy to hydroplane even with moderate water on the road. I'd never drive mine over ~50mph in the rain, even then I could sometimes feel the back end want to break fee. Maybe the C8's are not as bad with their better weight distribution.

IIRC the new C8's come standard with "all season" tires (whatever that means) though you can special order more performance oriented or track oriented tires. The C8 has about a 50/50 front to rear weight distribution so I'm guessing it does better in any slippery type situation. Of course, I've only ridden in one on dry pavement so can't comment on the challenges of weather. (Awesome ride!)

 

[jimbee]

IIRC the new C8's come standard with "all season" tires (whatever that means) though you can special order more performance oriented or track oriented tires. The C8 has about a 50/50 front to rear weight distribution so I'm guessing it does better in any slippery type situation. Of course, I've only ridden in one on dry pavement so can't comment on the challenges of weather. (Awesome ride!)

The C8 Corvette has a weight distribution of approximately 40% front/60% rear. The C7 has a 50/50 distribution (slight bias to the rear).

 

[Koolau]

The C8 Corvette has a weight distribution of approximately 40% front/60% rear. The C7 has a 50/50 distribution (slight bias to the rear).

Ah, yes. You are so right! Thanks for the correction.

 

[surprising]

College car - 1980? Buick Estate? diesel station wagon with sweet wood paneling. Not too sure exactly what the car was. It was my grandfathers that sat in my parent's driveway for years that I nursed back to health and drove to college. Spewed black smoke and occasionally the brake pedal would go to the floor and you had to pump it repeatedly to get brakes.

1987 Nissan Stanza - used - drove across country after college to my new job. Needed a quart of oil every fillup.
1995 BMW 325i - used
2005 Mustang GT - used
2006 Acura TL - used
2013 Chevy Volt - new
2016 Tesla Model S - new
2012 Audi A6 - used
2016 Mini Cooper - used
2015 Ram 1500 - used

Kid haulers:
2005 Nissan Quest - new
2013 Ford Flex - new
2021 VW ID.4 - new

 

[TheWizard]

1972 Chevy Vega
1975 Saab 99
1977 Saab 99
1985 Saab 900
1988 Dodge Caravan
1993 Chrysler LeBaron convertible
2004 Ford Ranger
2008 Ford Mustang convertible
2016 Ford F-150
2024 Ford Mustang convertible

All vehicles from 1975 onward purchased new.
From 1988 on, the most recent two vehicles were in my driveway, with a few short gaps...

 

[rembrandt]

My cars last for about 15 years. That means optimistically, I have maybe 2 more to go.

 

[Saintor]

Let's see if I have a good memory

Rabbit L 1980
Mazda 323DX 1987 (first new car at 19)
Mazda 626LX Turbo 1987
Mazda MX3 GS 1992 (a V6 1.8!)
Audi 5000CD Quattro 1986
Accord LX 1996
Accord EX-L 1999
BMW 3-series 2005
BMW 3-series 2007
Acura TLX V6 SH-AWD 2016
Audi S5 Sportback 2019
Audi S5 Sportback 2022 - current car.

I wished that I learnt about Dave Ramsey and his saying about never financing a car!

 

[ClarkeK]

I hate, hate, hate, buying vehicles so I wasn't sure how long this list was going to be when I started putting thought to it. This covers 44 years of driving. All 3 of the Toyota's hit 200k miles before we let them go.

1968 Plymouth Valiant (used)
1974 Chevy Vega. (used)
1976 Chevy Monte Carlo (My fav, used)
1980 Dodge Aspen. (used)
1986 Buick Regal. (first new car)
1987 Buick Century (new)
1987 GMC Jimmy. (used)
1992 Geo Storm (new)
1995 Ford Ranger. (used)
1995 Saturn SL. (new)
2000 Toyota Camry. (new)
2004 Toyota Tacoma (2nd fav, new)
2006 Toyota Camry. (new)
2015 Subaru Legacy. (new and current)
2019 Subaru Forester. (new and wife's current)

 

[nphx]

is there a prize for being a hoarder?

1969 Buick Wildcat Convertable
1971 Camaro
1973 Monte Carlo
1975 Eldorado Convertible [still have]
1984 Mark VII LSC
1973 Olds Cutlass
1994 Cadillac Fleetwood
1973 Lincoln MK IV [still have]
1999 F250 [still have]
1974 Corvette Convertible [still have]
1984 Corvette [still have]
1969 Firebird [still have]
1974 El Camino [still have]
2018 Tesla Model x [still have]

Above by order of acquisition.... ordered by year:

1969 Buick Wildcat Convertible
1969 Firebird [still have]
1971 Camaro
1973 Lincoln MK IV [still have]
1973 Monte Carlo
1973 Olds Cutlass
1974 Corvette Convertible [still have]
1974 E lCamino [still have]
1975 Eldorado Convertible [still have]
1984 Corvette [still have]
1984 Mark VII LSC
1994 Cadillac Fleetwood
1999 F250 [still have]
2018 Tesla Model x [still have]

 

[TheWizard]

is there a prize for being a hoarder?

1969 Buick Wildcat Convertable
1971 Camaro
1973 Monte Carlo
1975 Eldorado Convertable [still have]
1984 Mark VII LSC
1973 Olds Cutlas
1994 Cadillac Fleetwood
1973 Lincoln MK IV [still have]
1999 F250 [still have]
1974 Corvette Convertable [still have]
1984 Corvette [still have]
1969 Firebird [still have]
1974 El Camino [still have]
2018 Tesla Model x [still have]

Please reorder these in chronological order.
Thx...

 

[equakesfan]

Started driving in 1987
1987-1989 1976 Chevy Malibu (bought from my father's friend, taught me to not depend on anything)
1989-1994 1989 Nissan Sentra (shared with my sister and father)
1994-2000 1994 Honda Civic (great car,Rear-ended by a guy talking on a cell phone)
2000-2000 1996 Toyota Camry (Rear-ended a guy stopped on the freeway)
2001-2013 2000 Honda Accord Coupe (great car)
2013-2016 1999 Infiniti G20 (wife's hand-me down)
2016-present 2016 Kia Soul EV (great car except limited range)

 

[Diogenes]

How many car have you own and bought for your family in your life time? Your next purchase? Your last car dream ??

Dream car doesn't exist, but some day, I'd love to buy an approximation.

What's the dream?

Single seater (or at most, 2-seater), RWD, manual transmission, V8 with mechanical-secondary 4-barrel carb, open wheels, tube chassis with double wishbone suspension on both ends. No electronics, other than ignition, alternator and mandatory lights. And yes, this would be a daily driver. In Los Angeles traffic.

In a world of SUVs, we're mostly reduced to dreaming!

 

[atmsmshr]

My list is not as cool as some, but list is a bit eclectic. All of mine purchased used except Toyota. Learned and enjoyed a lot of garage wrenching. Sweet spot became a 3 year old lease return.

72 Opel GT
2 more wrecked GTs to restore the first one. (Lotsa fun)
74 Super Beetle (First wife's car)
82 Toyota pickup (4 year lease)
85 Nissan 200SX (DW's first new car when I was just her main squeeze)
74 MB 240D
86 Cadillac Cimmaron (what the heck was I thinking?)
90 Lincoln Towncar
92 MB 400E
96 Nissan Quest (DW - only new car purchase of my life)
96 MB E420 (which would become 17 yo DS's first car)
97 MB ML350 (17 yo DD's first car - a tank)
2000 Lincoln Navigator (DW)
2003 MB S430 (which became DS's second car in grad school - lucky duck)
2004 Lexus RX330 (DW)
2014 MB S550 - my favorite daily driver
2015 MB GLK350 (DW's car which saved her life in a head-on crash)
2017 MB GLE350 (DW - a heavier car and now our daily beater)
2008 F350 diesel dually to pull the condo on wheels
2021 MB GLS450 (Road trip car with all the bells and whistles)

Only have the last 3 at the moment. DS and DD are on their own for car purchases and maintenance.

Life is too short to drive bad cars.

 

[sengsational]

We should have tagged how long it took to get all those old carbureted cars started in the morning, heheh! A few were of the age of having a choke on the control panel. You actually had to know something to start a car back then. Even with "automatic choke", there was a gas pedal procedure that, if not followed, would require more cranking. Since EFI, my cars have always just started and ran... nothing to think/worry about.

 

[rembrandt]

In the 80's, my next door neighbor had a diesel Mercedes. Every morning it sounded like a garbage truck when he started it up.

 

[FlatSix]

1997 Honda Accord
2003 Audi A4
2004 Nissan 350Z
2002 Subaru WRX
2018 VW Golf R
2001 BMW M5
1996 Porsche 911 C4S
2022 Civic Si
2018 Porsche 911 GT3 Touring - current
2023 Civic Type R (replaced the Si and sold the C4S) - current
2023 Volvo XC60 plug in hybrid (wife)

I'm a bit of a manual transmission snob and have sought it out in every car starting with the Audi, my first car after college.

Having a blast with my two current cars, hoping to keep these two together for a handful of more years as they are both a joy to drive. Civic does daily duty well between family and errands. The GT3 for decent weather around town, handful of track days a year and occasional kid duty. May eventually swap the CTR for an EV (Rivian?) in a few years.

 

[freedomatlast]

With my last purchase in April of this year, my total stands at 45. I still have 9 of them. I do have a list with make, model, color, engine displacement and purchase price but I don't have time to type out the entire list on here right now.

 

[kcowan]

Keith's Cars
53 Ford
62 Borgward
62 Consel
65 Mailbu
67 Volvo
69 Riviera
73 Cutlass
75 Estate Wagon
81 Mazda RX7
84 New Yorker
85 Merkur XR4Ti
86 Magic Wagon
89 Town & Country
92 Toyota Celica
93 Explorer
95 Bonneville
98 BMW 3 Cabriolet
08 Escape
12 Xtrail
16 GLK250
17 Soul
Don’t drive much in either Vancouver or Puerto Vallarta. Had a three car garage so lots of overlap. Also two teenage boys at home.