How did you decide on the marque you now own.

I don't know if this has been covered previously. Thought I'd give it a shot. How did you decide the brand/marque you own now. I'm talking about our old cars. The car I was interested in was a 57 Chev 210 in black primer and black rims and whitewalls. But a 5 year old car was out of my high school budget,, by far! One Sunday my dad and I were cruising in his 56 Holiday when he said to me "Why don't you get an old Ford !" He was a GM guy. Well, the rest is history. Ford and Mercs ever since with some Mopars thrown in. What say you? Ned

 

The 1st car I drove was an Oldsmobile. One night, I killed the trans, and dad junked the car.
The 1st car I bought was a Buick. I owned it a year, I had to install 3 motors, 2 transmissions, and 3 sets of rear wheel bearings. I also went through 6 brand new tires. I couldn't wait to get rid of that one.
The next car I bought was a Plymouth. I beat the living crap out of that one too, but in 7 years and the 80,000 miles I put on it, the only major repair was a rebuilt trans when the car had over 100K on it. The old trans still worked, it was just starting to slip. I think the trans rebuild was around $100, installed. It was cheaper then a junk yard trans at the time.
Its been Mopar ever since for me, and they have served me very well over the years.
Current crop, 39 Dodge pickup, 48 Plymouth coupe, 49 Dodge pickup 4x4 project, 95 Dakota, 96 Dakota 4x4 (parts donor for the 49) and the wife's 04 PT Cruiser. Gene

 

When I was young, all those old Dodges, Plymouth's and Ford were ugly. Only good looking automobile was a Chevrolet.

Later on, damn, they look nice. And bought and horse traded too many of them.

Now, if it's a pre-plastic vehicle, I will most likely see the beauty in it.

 

Got into Mopars by default. My '47 Plymouth had a slant six in it. I rebuilt the engine and kept on getting cars with slant sixes that would take that engine after I swapped in a SBC. Had a bunch of those slant six cars.

 

It was about 1961 when I saw Bob Snyders’ ‘34 3 window running a Hilborn injected 392. Being 12 I knew this was a “real” hot rod, I had been reading car mags for about two years at the time. Even though that was my first live encounter with a hot rod my mind was made up from seeing cars in magazines, it had to be a Deuce for me.
Bought a ‘32 Cabriolet at 18; too young, no tools or money. Next came a 5 window in 1970 and the Fordor in 1990.
Snyders died in a drag racing accident in the ‘60’s. His coupe is still around, not far from where it all began as a rod.

 

My dad emigrated from England in 1956 , came over on the Queen Mary. First car he bought was a used 1950 Pontiac , he really liked it. First new car he bought was a 1960 full size Ford 4 door with a V8...He HATED that car, overheated on a cold day. In 1968 he bought a brand new Chevy Impala wagon with a 396. I remember going to the dealership and picking it up,Had that car for many years ...lots of family vacations , all the boys learned how to drive in it. So I guess thats the reason I'm a Chevy Guy

 

I haven't decided on any particular marque. If it compresses an air/fuel mixture, then ignites it, I'm in. They all do that, so it's all good.

 

I chose the '57 because of the headlights bugged out with the eyebrows, canted fins on the back, a potload of stainless, and the fact that at car shows where there are '57 Chibbys all over the place, I am usually the only '57 Ford there. Its also fun when folks younger than thirty ask: What is this?

 

Most of my cars are just a phase I'm going through. There are some that I would not have given a second glance years ago that I can now see the beauty of. I do have a soft spot for the cars of my youth, maybe because of the associated memories more than anything. It seems that the older I get, it is not as important to own any particular car but it is enjoyable just seeing them. I was told a long time ago that we never really own anything, we just maintain it. while were here.
All that aside, yeah the early 50's Ford & Mercs are always at the top of the list. I've had several.

 

I came from a Ford family. My first cars were all Fords. I did go with a few GM and Mopar's through the years but have stuck with Fords since 74. All my HAMB cars are pre 48 Fords.

 

My dad bought my mother and older brother a 1951 Ford fordor in 1957. When my brother went into the Navy a couple of years later, I inherited it when my mother got a 1958 Nomad. I have had a soft spot for 1951 Fords since then, and when I ran across a real nice original '51 club coupe, I bought it. That was in 1987 and I still have it.

Getting around to later cars, my first wife and I were both working and had pretty decent jobs. After we had been married a couple of years in 1967, we had accumulated a decent amount in savings, and decided to buy a new car. I had decided it would be an L79 Nova with a 4 speed. We went to the dealership, and wouldn't you know it, right in the featured spot on the showroom floor was a well optioned yellow Malibu 2 door hardtop (with Powerglide). It was love at first sight for my wife, and we battled for the next month over what to buy. We compromised on a Yellow Corvette coupe with an L79 and a 4 speed. Back in those days, the difference in price between the Chevelle and the Corvette was only about $1000. After a few years, that car was sold to exercise a stock option at the place I worked. (don't ask how that turned out). In 1987 I had the chance to buy a fairly nice 1967 L79 Corvette coupe. This one was Goodwood Green, which works much better on a mid year coupe than yellow. The price was only about 3 times what I paid for the first one new, but I stepped up and pulled the trigger anyway. I'm glad I did. I still have that one too.

There is a similar story about a '36 3 window, but that one's gone and I don't like to talk about it.

 

Simple for me mopars had hemis and were faster. Everything should be this simple in life.

 

I've owned over 126 cars/trucks of all kinds since I began driving in 1964. When I was a kid we were a Pontiac family with one 55 Olds and a new 64 falcon ranchero [260/4 speed] thrown in. I've owned 11, 55-57 Pontiacs through the years and always liked how they ran.
Right now I own an old Ford with a 57 Pontiac engine. Ever since I saw a 33-34 ford coupe I've wanted one. Mine is a 34 with 33 grille and hood. Whenever I fire up that 370 Pontiac engine [a 347 bored .120"] to 370 cubes I go back in time to when I had my first 57 Pontiac. I put a 4 barrel, dual exhaust and a Muncie 4 speed in that car and loved it.

 

I am a sheep and my paternal great grandad was the
judas goat.....He bought a 1918 Dodge brand new from the dealer and we have all followed in his footsteps.

 

Watched American Graffiti when I was 14.
Had to have a 5 window deuce coupe.
Didn’t realise that there were only 26 , yes only 26, in the whole country.
4 years later at age 18, I bought the worst one in New Zealand.
Here it is today......

 

I grew up in a Ford family. Old man always had Fords, a 59 Galaxie, 67 Custom 500, 67 Falcon that I remember, but he also had one Chevy,a 71 C10 lwb pickup. When I got to my teens, after reading all the magazines and believing the hype that Chevy was the best, I went into a rebellious stage like most teens do, and started looking at Chevys. After two Mustangs, I bought a 68 Caprice from my Uncle, it was a total POS that drank oil. Still hadn't learned my lesson, traded it for a 74 Chevy Cheyenne Super pickup with a 454---gas hog that got about 7 mpg on a good day. Wife and I both owned GM vehicles for the nest several years, all with the same results---they wouldn't stand up to our driving. Two S10's and a Pontiac Grand Am sealed the deal for me, I went back to try a Ford. Traded into an 84 4x4 pickup, kept it the next 17 years.

We had a smattering of a few imports, a Honda, some VW's, a couple of Toyota's, and a few Chrysler products thrown in through the years, but our best luck has been with Fords. I'm on my 3rd F150 in 35 years, wife is on her 4th Ford in the same time.

My old man and I didn't see eye to eye very often, but looking back, I think he had the right idea on vehicles. Ford has served my family well through the years.

 

Never been locked into a particular brand. I find myself more drawn to the "oddballs". Like having something different than all the other cars at the shows... that said, I am now working on my T roadster. Not odd at all!

 

When I was a kid living on the east coast my Dad was a Ford man. The first car he bought new was a '51 Ford woodie that he still talks about today and he'll be 100 in May. He traded it in for a Merc wagon in '55 and then to my dismay bought a '60 Ford 4 door with a 6. With 4 kids and a Sears tent trailer it was a little light on power. Finally realized the era of his ways and bought a 63 Galaxie with a small block. We moved to SoCal when I was 15 and I bought a '31 Model A coupe for $95.00 that didn't run and the front end was in pieces. After that I was hooked. Had a '65 Falcon wagon in HS that ended up with a hopped up 289 and 4 speed. Unfortunately my love for newer Fords ended with a '04 Ford Super Duty with a 6.0 diesel but that is a different story. Still drive my avatar almost daily and my newest addition, a '54 Ford Ranch Wagon is my current old Ford project. Still a Ford man, just not new ones.

 

My dad was a "cut me and I will bleed blue" Ford guy. He bought and sold many cars over the years but he always hung onto his one favorite - his custom 1936 Ford Cabriolet that I now own. Going to the drag races in the late 60s and early 70s, I fell in love with Anglias. I tried to find one to buy in the mid 70s but could not find one that I could afford. I did find an Austin A40 Dorset 2-door sedan so I bought that as I figured it was similar to and the next best thing to an Anglia. Now I am glad I bought the Austin Dorset as it is a much rarer car than the Anglia and you don't see too many of them around. And the Austin will get a Ford engine of course. Thanks Dad!

 

My Father was a Ford man. Growing up I thought everyone thought model A Ford's were cool. It was just how it was. I love all old cars but I don't ever consider building any antique car that isn't a Ford. And its gonna have a Ford engine too.

 

I was/am a GM person. I grew up in a GM family and my first car was a '57 Chevy BelAir 2 door hardtop. I bought it in 1964 and sold it when I got drafted in 1966. Other than playing with British cars and motorcycles off and on, I've pretty well stuck with GM. I now have a '55 and a '37 Chevrolet.

So why did I buy a '54 Dodge pickup? Well, I was attracted to it by its bright school bus yellow push broom applied paint. The very definition of ugly. As I got to looking at it I noticed there was no rust showing. I borrowed a refrigerator magnet from the old guy and crawled all over, under, inside and out but no rust! The flathead 6 was not stuck but had no compression in one cylinder but made up for it by being low in the other 5.

So now the old truck is in 100s of pieces but is going back together slowly. The engine has been rebuilt and is attached to an off topic transmission with more than 4 speeds. All the fenders, panels, hood, and bed are in epoxy primer and I'm working on the cab. Still no rust.

So I guess I accidentally became a MOPAR guy.

 

I grew up in a GM and Mopar family with a couple of Studebaker’s and Ford’s thrown in for good measure . Minus the Studebaker’s it has been similar . Funny how that works out. But , I buy based on what I like or can afford . Getting older , I see where patience is a virtue . When I am searching and cannot find what I am wanting, one day it ends up finding me

 

Kind of like picking women.

What's available.
vs
What I can afford.

Who'll take the lady with the skinny legs? Somebody's GOT to take the lady with the skinny legs.
I don't want no lady with no skinny legs...

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I like almost all old cars. I have had so many different cars in my lifetime I couldn't really say that I like one brand over another. But Fords always seemed to look a little better to me until the mid 50s and 60s then I didn't really cull anything. If it looked good, I would buy it.
My dad was a Ford guy so my first car was bought with his help and it was a 56 Ford. I kinda stuck with them for a while before I got a tri five Chevy.

 

With me, I knew there would be a hot rod in my life, my mom encouraged me to read and introduced me to Henry Gregor Felsen's books about hot rods and the day I knew I would someday in the future own a Ford was the Hot Rod magazine my mom bought me in 1962 at the corner drug store.

That red Ford roadster pickup on the cover, that truck made a profound impression on that 12 year old kid and who could have predicted that I would end up knowing the man on the cover through the hamb after 40 years , Dean Lowe.

Just a few short months later I bought a 1932 Ford coupe from our next door neighbor, it was short lived but from that time I was going to be a Ford guy, over the years I have owned many cars, 10 of those have be '32 Fords. HRP

 

My Grandad was a Ford Man, his first car was a brand new 1950 Ford V8 two door. My Dad is a Chevy and Ford guy. Probably had more Chevies than Ford’s, but it’s close. I started out as a Ford man, but had quite a few new Chevy pickups, but recently realized that deep down inside I’m a Ford guy. My favorite all time engine will always be the Small Block Chevrolet.


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At the street races during my pre-drivers license high school years I somehow got to get to ride shotgun in a Plymouth Duster running a Camaro. That Duster ran down and away from that Camaro. Such a thrill and excitement!

I knew then I had to have a Plymouth Duster.

What I wish I’d known the was when buying my first one was to get a V8... that little slant six was no hot rod.

I still managed to put it into a telephone pole ten days after I got my license though. My dad said fix it or walk and my friends is how I learned to work on cars.

My dad had always been into cars and was quite knowledgeable so I was lucky to have such a great wisdom handy.

It sparked a lifetime of enjoying cars, which was initially Mopar Musclecars with the occasional Chevy El Camino that turned into hot rods as soon as I realized they were obtainable financially in my early 20s.

I currently enjoy early Ford roadsters with small block Chevys or the big block Chrysler...

 

1986 money was tight. I couldn't afford to buy a new car every few years. So I thought that I needed a car that I could rebuild over and over. Sitting in a chair one day I saw an advertisement for a Avanti. There was a picture of Andy Granatelli dual Centro I thought what a cool car. Fiberglass body will not rust, engine pointing in the right direction, and seats 4. It goes like hell . I have been driving the same car now 32 years.

 

My Dad worked for Chrysler Corporation for 37 years. I was bound to get caught up in MoPars and did. My first car that I still have is a 1931 Dodge Brothers business coupe that my Dad gave me. Never looked back at any other makes.