Was your first car a family hand me down?

Nope nothing from a family member but my old man facilitated my first car. He wasn't into cars but he could see I was. The local welder just up the road from my old man's store raced NASCAR coupes, he had a '37 Chevy, at Agawam, MA. He had a '47 Ford tudor set up for a small block that he would put new motors in and push his welding truck up Route 9 with the tudor to break in the motors. Hadn't used it in a while and it was sitting in the weeds. I use to hang around there as a teen, where else in a small town in NY (Rhinebeck) could you see hilborns, blowers, etc. Normally he ran a carburetor at Agawam but once a year there were "run what you brung" races at Langhorn, PA and Syracuse NY where he used the injection or a 4:71 blower. Had a seperate room at the welding shop just for the race car and it was there on stands in a totally clean room with shelves of parts all around it. Anyway Ross took a liking to me because I was interested in cars. He sold me the tudor which just had angle iron tabs welded on front crossmember to take the old style SBC front mounts and an aluminum adaptor, early Ford to Chevy, in the back seat for $50. Man I was in heaven. Went to Volce Bros salvage in Poughkeepsie and bought a '57 283 motor. This was 1961 as I remember. I rebuilt the motor in a lean to out behind the family grocery store with lots of bicycle rides up to the welding shop to ask innumerable questions about how do I do this. Ross even gave me a 3/4 cam he had laying around. Motor turned out great, used to run with no hood, corvette valve covers and at some point a Corvette 2x4 setup I got from a buddy who got it cheap from some college kid who needed cash. Ah the great memories of my first car and my first hot rod.

 

I inherited a 1968 Plymouth Fury 4 door back in '79.

 

Worked for an old man all summer. He was a Chevy mechanic before a wound from WWII put him in a wheelchair. I got a few bucks a day for bus money and spending money and the rest we kept track of on a calendar. When I reached $2000 he had a new patio, fence, tons of yard work and I drove home a 1971 Nova SS that he bought new and only his wife had driven.
Ended up primer black (before it was the in-thing) with a 383 and Turbo 400. All the cops from towns in the surrounding areas knew me on sight. Finally sold it a few years later when I was one ticket away from losing my license.
Stupid kid, wish I still had it. I miss that car.

 

Step father Sold me his 72' Mercury Monterey/4dr/400-2bbl in 1985 for $500,
(I had the choice of that, or a 73' Buick Skylark 2dr/350 rocket-2bbl for the same price).

Second car was given by an awesome uncle;
73 Chevelle Laguna/4dr/350-2bbl.

then...
73 Pontiac Grand-Am 2dr/400-2bbl
73 Ford Econoline 302-2bbl
74 AMC Javelin/AMX 304-2bbl
72 AMC Javelin/AMX 343-2bbl/4spd (orig 401/4spd car)
74 AMC Javelin L6
72 AMC Javelin SST 304-2bbl/3spd
71 AMC Javelin/AMX 360-4bbl/4spd
72 Jeep J4000 360-4bbl/4spd...

so zero HAMB-friendly daily drivers,
and all Jeep drivers from that point on.

 

My late older brother (on right) graduated high school in '59. In '60 I was a junior in high school. By then he had bought the '55 Ford in the second photo and gave me the '47. About a year later when this photo was taken I had bought the loaded flathead (bottom photo) from a classmate that had won the Rose AMBR winning roadster in a raffle and decided it needed a sbc.

Sorry about the photo quality they were enlarged form 8mm movie film.

 

Wow thats gorgeous, i would be ruined for life if that was my first car, I would never want another car.

 

My hand me down was a Nash Metropolitan. Great car to take your driver's test in! Had that parallel parking thing done in a flash. The shift linkage sucked as the car was always getting stuck in certain gears and I would have to get out and separate the linkage with a big screwdriver, but it was fun to drive. Wouldn't mind having one now.

 

Nope, first was a 1953 Chieftain at 14, followed by a 1962 Leman's at 15, which i had to sell when it was time to pay for my own insurance when i turned 16 and i got a 1956 Chevy 4 door 1ith a V-8 for $75 1ith the left over money.
At 14 i had a 1 car garage next door as my shop and did snow shoveling and other of jobs in exchange for the rent.

 

yeah, a real hand-me-down when I was 15
a '50 Dodge UGLY!, GRAY! 6-cyl, 4 door ........but it ran and got me to school & work on time for 3 years. Tough ol' buzzard. IIRC, dad paid $50 for it back in '59. Brother had it before me. For whatever reason, the original 6-cyl took a dump. Dad located a 49 Plymouth "fastback" for $75 just for the engine....rest of the car was scrapped.

Later on, I got a 57 Coronet 2-dr hdtp with a 325. $300 in '65. Gold and White. Wish I still had it...of course at the time, it was just another car.

 

I've had more than one hand me down vehicle. My first was a totally bitchin 4 door escort that came from my great aunt who could no longer drive.

Close to on topic I had my grandmother's 1967 Honda C100 while in college, would still have it if it hadn't been stolen.
My TR6 also came from her. It'd been sitting so long I had lots to do to make it drivable again.
The other sort of topic car would be the Jag. I only got to drive it when I was younger. It went to me when grandma passed. It had been my father's when he was in high school. 1957 Jaguar XK140 C, Chevrolet 327 mated to the stock OD transmission. The few times I got to drive that car alone are happy memories. Sold it to help fund a business venture.

Somewhere I have pictures I'll hve to scan and post of him wrenching on that car. Random pretty girls and stock cars in the background. A nice hot rider tableau.

 

My Dad wouldn't let my brothers or I buy a car, we didn't have room for more than two cars at the house so we got his leftover car when he got a new one. Luckily for me my oldest brother was in the service, next oldest was in college and my sister was married so the second car was all mine to drive. It was a '64 Dodge station wagon with a 318 and three on the tree. Special order interior that my Dad had put seat covers and huge rubber mats over the carpet so that when I got it and took off the seat covers and mats I had a brand new interior. It wasn't any faster than the other guys cars at high school, but I had a stick so I could at least burn some rubber. It got nick named The Hemi Wagon at school. I'd still like to find one and build it, but I haven't sen a '64 wagon around here for many years.

 

55 ford 2 door, bought it and then had to wait for another pay check to service it and insurance before I could drive it. My dad was big on oil changes .

 

It's funny but back then nobody( in my crowd) liked these cars I really wanted a 58 Bel air HT. It turns out that it was a rare car. This is identical but I've never seen another one since. Lots of Fury's and Belvedeers but I've never seen another Savoy 2 dr HT.

 

my Mom told me "I don't know why you are taking drivers ed, you are not driving my car" ... and I never did.

got a job at 16 and only spent $5.00 a week and saved all summer to buy my 49 Chevrolet coupe for $650.00. the thought of someone giving me a car never entered my mind.

 

Yes, got a 1963 Oldsmobile with a 394 and roto hydramatic,(slim jim, I think they called them. It had 136,000 miles on it, put 200 miles on it and then spun a rod bearing. I got blamed for wrecking the engine. Second car was a 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado. Dad used to pull grain wagons to town with it. Did great burnouts with 250 bushels of corn behind you. And that was my dad driving.

 

Went with my dad when he was looking to trade in his '67 Lemans and was looking for a car at that time also. Ended up buying my dad's car for what the dealers were offering. Eventually took out the 326 with the power glide and swapped in a complete '67 GTO drivetrain with a 400 with a four speed and changed the gold interior to black using the interior from another GTO that was wrecked. Eventually sold it to buy a '56 Chevy.

 

Yes, a 56 Ford my dad bought new then my sister got around 1961. She bent some fenders and generally misused the car,then got a new car. The car was passed to me in 1963 when I was 16. It was a 292 3 speed..I managed to somehow install a Wolverine cam , 57 distributor and a 3 carb set up and then blew a tranny a week beating the shit out of thing. In between breaking parts my shitty fuel line job caught fire and my car looked like Haley's fucking Comet with flames coming through holes in the firewall and my girlfriend screaming she'll be burned ugly and no one will want her. Then the battery fell into the fan . I only had money for a radiator so I had to park on hills for two months...I sold it to a friend some cash now and the rest next week. He seized the engine and I never got the rest of my money.

 

So you were ALWAYS a fuck up? Yours was the best post I've read all day! Thank you!

 

My first car was a shoe box more door(49) I paid $20 and drug it 30 miles home with no engine and trans. It took 3 mos to find an engine and trans. It was black with the tan mohair interior. Wish I still had it. I bought it in 1966 in Helena Montana.

Lee

 

My first car was a 1929 Model A Roadster that had sat in a field from 1941-1990. Dad bought it for me when I was 14 and we rebuilt the engine as a father son project. We got it running - but it was really rough. I was too young to drive it except in the side yard next to the house. I learned how to take off in first really well!

First official car was a 53 International R110. A friend of the family was getting ready to sell his dad's truck. Joe was in his 60's and got it from his dad in the 1960's and used it as a tow vehicle. It was in fairly good shape - no body damage and mechanically sound. I saved my pennies for a LONG time so we could get it. I then saved a lot more and got the interior re-done (stock style) and had it repainted in the original colors.

That was a great truck! I drove it for a couple of years and traded it to my uncle for his old 49 Ford F3. I drove that for about 6 months and then missed my R110 and traded the F3 back to my uncle.

Then my senior year I traded the R110 for a 1943 Ford Jeep. I had the jeep about a week and got VERY sick. While sick my dad found his dream car - 29 Highboy and needed cash quick. He sold the Ford Jeep and gave me the family Suburban instead. Eventually I got my 58 Edsel and grandpa's 64 Chevrolet....but I still miss that R110! I saw it on the streets of Tucson back in 2004 with the same paint and upholstery - looked GREAT!

 

yep, my first was my moms 68 firebird she bought new and my dad ran into the ground didnt last long after i got it

 

Had 3 of them... All o/t.
The first was my dad's '72 Maverick Grabber.. Bright yellow with lime green stripes.. (Never seen another one like it... It died from cancer..
Then my mom's '80 Pinto wagon What a lemon!.. Sold it to a buddy of mine... Last was my dad's '78 Ford LTD bro-ham.. Last of the Galaxie based Fords.. My wife got hit in that one by some asshole who blew a red light in a newer Monti that had something like "you can't touch this" painted on the deck lid.. That Monti got waisted...

 

Got my Grampa's '55 Dodge, tudor sedan, two tone green, 6 cyl 3 speed. He loved that car. That flathead six was a great running engine. He would always ask me about it years after I got it. I miss both of them.

 

In 77 I got my uncles 65 galaxie 2 door hard top he bought new and trashed it,I was getting it back in shape when someone turned in front of me and mangled the front sheetmetal so I let it got and took the money from the insurance company. I could have bought another 50 dollar parts car to get it back on the road but it was the middle of winter and no place to work on it inside,still would like to find another in the same color to start over with and not destroy it.

 

@ 1977 I got sort of hand me down but I had to buy it. my folks 65 4 door pillarless hard top impala with a 2 bbl 283. paid the parents $500.00 and put a Macco paint job and used alum slot mags and air shocks on it. less than a grand in it and I was "stylin"

 

Nope. I've always made my own way.

 

Tried to buy my own car, but at 16 my Dad said no to all my picks. He was probably right...
Gave me the old wood truck, 1950 f1 that looked like a golfball due to the repeated impacts during its woodhaulin days.

A few years back you shoulda seen the ear to ear smile when I told him I bought a 50 f1.

 

Dad gave us a the space to work on it and encouragement. The rest was up to my brother and I. The hand me downs in our house were clothes.

 

Bought my first car, 1967 Tempest 2dr post with a 326-2. Still have it. Back then it was fast enough to get into trouble but not enough to kill me.

I did get my first winter car from my dad. 1989 grand marquis. It had just been totaled for the second time. First time they put an 87 front clip on and painted it. Second time we had another correct front clip bought for it and it was over at a body guy’s place to get it put on. He’s always been slower than shit. As winter got closer and I needed to put the Pontiac away, I took it out of there. The fiberglass header panel was an inch over the top of the hood on one side so I took a crowbar to it so I could open the hood. Then drove it as is 30 miles to the pick and pull. Spent $12 on front lights and drove it from then on. Only lasted 1 ½ winters until all the lines started to go at once.

 

Sell it to me Matt