[DeTomaso] NPC (mostly): Cars you have owned

Fri Feb 8 09:46:26 EST 2013

 1967 Ford Galaxy four door, 390, automatic.  Was given mom's old car to drive in high school (so I could give my younger brother and sister a ride to school).  I would fantasize how I would hop the car up by jacking up the rear end, putting on crager wheels, putting on a fake hood scoop, and putting those big billboard decals on the rear quarter panels that said FORD.  All I ever got done was putting on a set of K-Mart hood pins, a Thrush muffler and a steering wheel cover.

1964 Ford Galaxy 500XL convertible, 352, automatic.  This was another mom hand-me-down the second year of college.  My parents moved from Nebraska to Chicago, so I needed a way to get back and forth from the University of Nebr.  I was hot stuff amongst my dormies having a convertible with bucket seats and a console.   Got a ticket the first week after getting back to school because both mufflers were rusted out.   Loved that car.  The truck was big enough to carry everything I owned (which wasn't much) back and forth from NE to CHI for the two years I drove the car.

1973 Ford Galaxy four door.  This car was a tank.   My dad got it from a friend that used it as a company car, so it had low miles and was a like new car.   This car got me through the rest of my college days.  

1978 Datsun 280Z.  Right after I got the job offer letter from a company I applied to during career week my senior year I went out and bought a brand new Z car.   This was 6 weeks before I even graduated.  A friend that went to school with me but quit to join the railroad bought a 1976 Z which he would drive when he came back for parties and he planted the seed.  Drove that car for four years.

1980 Mazda RX-7.  Traded the Z in for this brand new car.  After two days, I went back to the dealer to get my old car back but received the hard lesson on how much a car depreciates once it leaves the lot.  Ended up keeping the car and came to love it.  Joined the SCCA and autocrossed the car for four years.   Even bought an aftermarket back seat (which replaced the storage bins) so I could take my sons to daycare.  Put a fiberglass air dam with driving lights on the car which made it look cool.  BTW it was during a street autocross where Ed Poss and Bob Woodward brought their Panteras that I decided to start looking to find a Pantera.

1980 Honda CB750K (still own it).  Bought this motorcycle new from the dealer in 82.  Shortly after getting the bike I started having kids and the opportunities to ride were far and few between.  Bike just sat in the garage for years and years.  After 17 years, the kids were in high school, and I decided to start riding it again (it only had 8,000 miles on it).  Had the carbs cleaned and it ran perfect.  Other than new tires and batteries, the bike is original and it only has 15,000 miles on it.

1973 Euro Pantera GTS (still own it).  Bought the car from a guy that was trailing the car to sell but got into an accident.  The car wasn't tied down in the trailer and slid around and bent some sheet metal.  Had the car restored and still enjoying it today.  Sold the RX-7 after getting this car.

1980's Olds Cutlass.  Bought this as a beater car to get back and forth to work.  Looked like sh*t but was very dependable.  Don't think I ever washed it in the two years I drove it.

1986 Porsche 944 Turbo (still own it).  Sold the Olds and bought this Porsche used after getting a promotion at work (notice I never bought a new vehicle after I learned my depreciation lesson after buying the Mazda).  Fell in love with this car.  Great gas mileage, good power, great handling, comfortable on long trips, even used the back seat to transport the boys.  I ended up getting the car repainted in the early 2000s and had the motor rebuilt in 2003.  Car looks new and drives perfect.

1996 Ford Ranger pickup (still own it).  Inherited this from my stepdad when he died.  Never had a pickup before and now I can't imagine how I'd get along without one.   Truck was beat up enough that you don't care what you throw in the back or if it gets scratched.  Truck has 187K miles and shows no signs of dying.  Always thought I'd look for a econobox when it conks out but not sure that day will ever come.

1971 Mach 1 Mustang (still own it).  This was my last vehicle purchase.  Bought it 5 years ago because I always wanted a Mustang.  Wanted a 1970, but the prices were too high so I settled on a 1971.  These cars came out when I was in high school and I always liked the body style.  I've had fun fixing it up and taking it to car shows.  This is the only car I own with an automatic transmission, which is a nice change of pace from clutching all the time.  The mustang shows up in one of the photos I have on the registry.

Tom
#5186 

-----Original Message-----
From: Sean Korb <spkorb at gmail.com>
To: detomaso <detomaso at poca.com>
Sent: Thu, Feb 7, 2013 8:52 pm
Subject: [DeTomaso] NPC (mostly): Cars you have owned

What are your past tense cars?  I made a list at http://spkorb.org/cars.html

Chronological to first drive or possession

1969 850 Fiat Spider 900cc
Towed away by the city after having its wheels stolen.
1973 Plymouth Scamp 3.7L
Drove it to the junkyard after failing to fix upper control arm bushing
1973 Plymouth Satellite 5.3L
Drove it until the oil cooked. Lost oil pressure and timing chain
1974 Dodge Dart 3.7L
Drove it until the oil cooked. Stripped distributor gear.
1970 Ford LTD 5.8L
Extracted the motor for the Mustang
1967 Ford Mustang Coupe 5.8L
Lost oil pressure and threw a rod spectacularly. Towed away by the city.
1969 Ford Mustang GT Sports Roof 5.0L
Best car of the lot. Frame got too tired and broke after I ran into a curb
1969 Ford Mustang Coupe 3.1L
Parts car for the GT
1979 Ford Fairmount 4cylinder 2.3L
Tree jumped in front of me
1985 Honda CB650 Nighthawk 650cc
Sold it and was hooned by next owner
1970 VW Microbus 1.3L
Sold for college money
1970 VW Microbus 1.6L
Sold for college money
1984 Honda V45 Magna 750cc
Sold for college money
1975 Chevrolet Monza Towne Coupe 5.7L
Chimney fell on it. Sold for 2 4 packs of Guiness.
1988 Chevrolet Sprint 1.0L
Gave it back to previous owner
1980 CB750
Sold to a couple of kids
CB1000
Sold to an adult
1991 Toyota MR2
Had a bad experience. Sold to Autocrosser
1998 Linclon Mk VIII LSC
Had a good experience. Sold to CarMax

-- 
Sean Korb spkorb at spkorb.org http://www.spkorb.org
'65,'68 Mustangs,'68 Cougar,'78 R100/7,'60 Metro,'59 A35,'71 Pantera #1382
"The more you drive, the less intelligent you get" --Miller
"Computers are useless.  They can only give you answers." -P. Picasso
_______________________________________________

Detomaso Forum Managed by POCA

DeTomaso mailing list
DeTomaso at poca.com
http://poca.com/mailman/listinfo/detomaso