It's what we drove to school!

[seyman]

I propose that the cars we are interested in are what we saw on our high shcool parking lot. I graduated from high school in 1966. Students were driving mostly 1949 and up cars, mostly fifties, so I own a 1953 Chrysler, a 1955 Dodge and a 1955 Ford. Yeah, I liked the 55 - 57 Chevies a lot, but won't pay the premium.

[1937hd45]

Well, I graduated high school in 1968, and wouldn't want anything that was a daily driver in the parking lot. The '32 Ford three window that one kid had is the only exception.

[Dynaflash8]

I graduated high school in 1956. Arlington, VA, the garden spot of the world Kidding guys. Anyway, in the 11th grade I drove a '39 Buick, because my happiest years of childhood were in my parent's '39 Buick, and I got mine for $100 from an old friend of theirs. But, since the "girls" weren't impressed with my "classic" I traded for a 1952 Plymouth Belvedere hardtop. The girls were more fun then, but the car wasn't.

[Guest De Soto Frank]

Dynaflash,<P>Shoulda sprung for a Nash! wink wink, nudge nudge! <P>Well, youngster that I am, when I graduated high-school in 1985, most of the kiddos were driving their parents' "second cars", and if it was an early '80's Cougar or T-bird, then they thought they were cool. <P>Oddball that I was, I spent the first half of my senior year driving my Grandad's 1954 Chevrolet 3/4 ton pick-up, which I had brush-painted w/ Rustoleum (boy did they tease me for that!), then "moved up" to a "new" 1962 Ford Falcon "deluxe", with a mere 189,000 miles on it, purchased from a merit-badge counselor for the regal sum of $100.00. <P>One of the other "geeks", who happened to be a good friend was driving his mother's pristine 1961 Olds F-85, with the aluminum V-8, and another kid frequently drove his father's 1940 Chevy; we were the "exceptions".<P>What the heck; ANYONE can drive a new car...

[Guest Dave Mills]

I graduated from High School in 1967. I drove a 1951 Plymouth Club Coupe my Grandfather gave me. I still have the car.

[Guest]

My friends were all into 'muscle' cars, but since none of us had rich parents to buy us new stuff, they were mostly 10 year old Camaros and Monte Carlos (this was the early 1980s).<BR>I always wanted a sports car, and drove a 1970 Fiat spider that I paid $300 for. I think I paid about $299 too much, but I loved it anyway.<BR>Now I have a restored 1970 Fiat spider that I can drive whenever I want, and people no longer tease me about bent bumpers, latex house paint and rust spots (and no, it's not the same car).<BR>I actually like cars of all ages, and hope to experience ownership of something from each era such as pre-war, post-war, 50s fins, 60s performance and anything else I can find a spot to put it in!<P>Dwight V.<BR>Elizabethtown, PA

[Guest Hal Davis (MODEL A HAL)]

I guess I don't quite fit the stereotype. I graduated in 1981. I drove a '62 Galaxie 500. Not exactly the babe magnet I can assure you. I admit I was quite envious of my friends with their early Mustangs, Camaros, and Firebirds. My girlfriend at the time had a '76 El Camino that I thought was cool. Anything, but that 4000 lb. grocery getter that I had to take a lot of $#i! for driving!<P>I am now interested mostly in pre-WW II vehicles. With some noteable exceptions (Mustangs, Corvettes, 'Cudas, etc...) my interest decreases the newer they get.

[rocketraider]

Graduated 1974. Had a 66 442 post coupe that I couldn't let well enough alone, as we were all into street racing. In our little Southside Virginia town, there were both an Olds and a Buick-Pontiac dealer who were into selling and supporting performance. Also a full-line Ford dealer who campaigned a car at the local dragstrips every year, and a Chrysler-Plymouth store who sold hot stuff too. A good time to be 17 years old, until the first wave of gas crunch hit- and there we all were with cars that got between 7 and 10 mpg downhill with a tailwind.<P>My best friend came from a Buick family, dad was a life and casualty agent and always had Electras. Time for Tommy to get his car, it was a given that it would be a Buick. A 1971 GS Stage 1 to be precise. When they went to the Buick store to order it, Tommy checked off "Stage 1" and his dad says what's that. T being a quick thinker and bs artist, says "it's the Electra engine, daddy. I want something that's gonna last a long time" and his old man bought that line. About six months later his dad found out what he was doing with the Buick and made him trade it in on a 350-2 barrel Skylark.<P>I don't remember many pre-60s cars in that high school parking lot, except one of the guidance counselors, Mrs. Lantor, had a 55 Roadmaster sedan that she drove forever. A boy named Charles Green had a 1960 Ford 2-door post with a built 390. Most of us with our own cars had 64-70 midsizes, and lot of the girls were driving Mama's Caprice or LTD. Except for "Big Red"- the girl whose brother built her a 72 Nova that she used to lay waste to all of us. We were all afraid to beat her, scared she'd come beat the dogs**t out of us.<P>So yes, I think the cars that were in our high school parking lot are the ones we want now tha we can afford them again.

[Guest De Soto Frank]

Model A Hal:<P>Well, at least you had a Galaxie 500! That was surely more of a "babe-mobile" than the '62 Galaxie fordor-post, with a wheezy, knocking, 223 six, and a 2-speed Ford-O-Matic that slipped during upshift, with 140,000 miles, which was my my father's daily driver while I was in high school; it was that "khaki-beige" color... <BR>Occaisionally, I had the "distinction" of driving that "sled" to school ; every time I pulled up to a stop sign or light when the engine was warm, a big cloud of crankase vapor would issue forth from under the hood!<BR>A good family hauler in it's day, but the poor thing was just tired out!<BR>Some of the kids took to calling me Barney Phyfe, 'cause they thought it looked like the patrol car from "Andy Griffith"!<P>These days, "older is better", where my collector tastes are concerned; I finally broke the "pre-war barrier" with my De Soto; now I'm shooting for pre-Depression.<P>Cheers!

[Guest]

Unfortunately I went to a military school, graduated in 1951, and cars were not something we had at school. When some big event occurred and we were allowed to have access to a car, I got to use my parents #2 car, a '46 Dodge 4dr. How was that for a beginning for someone who grew up to be an antique car guy. If I had that car today, I wouldn't want it. <P>I did have 2 classmates who had old cars at home. A '33 Plymouth coupe and a '24 Buick 4 cyl coupe. ~ hvs

[Guest]

i gradutated in '71. Was lucky to have a forty dollar 1964 corvair.

[Guest De Soto Frank]

Now, here's what my FATHER drove to school...<P>Actually, living near Baltimore in the '40s, and attending Calvert Hall School, '48-'50, most of the time, Dad took the streetcar (!), but occaisionally did drive, mostly when there were sporting events.<P>Most days when Dad drove himself, it was in the family hand-me-down 1930 Chevrolet standard coupe; I think he inveigled his father to let him have the '41 Chevy Special De Luxe for the Prom.<P>Mom didn't learn to drive until they'd been married for about 5 years- she was 25! I think she learned on the '48 Dodge Club Coupe they had at the time (1957).

[Bill Stoneberg]

Maybe thats why I like the Station Wagons.<P>I too went to Military school and had no car during high school and the first 2 years of college. Brothers had British Leyland products, but you couldn't pay me now to drive one. No offense Peter, but I am too big to fit in one. Mom & Dad always came to get me in a Station Wagon though, sometimes with my girlfriend and we would always sit in the rear facing seat. So I have fond memories of those.

[Guest]

Graduated in 1980.<P>My first car was a 1948 Chrysler and i bought it in 1977. Loved the Mustangs and Chevelles in my H.S. parking lot-- but -- couldnt fit a keg in the trunk with those, but could with the Chrysler--gotta have priorities!

[Guest]

I graduated 1969 and for years I found that the cars I wanted were cars of my youth, but recently I have found that the old (pre 15) cars really grab me.

[Guest c.johnson]

I graduated in 1980 and drove a '68 Cougar. Pulled out the 302, and dropped in a 390 engine with glass packs, and got in a lot of trouble with it. <P>Got married in August of '85, wife totaled the car in November. First question out of my mouth was "How is the CAR??" <P>Luckily I grew out of "faster is better", and even more lucky my wife forgave me. Now there is something about the cars of the '20s thats really interesting to me.<P>cj

[Guest SalG (Sal Grenci)]

Graduated in 1982. Had dads 1974 Chevy Impala station wagon, a creme color. I could fit a bunch of guys in it.

[The Old Guy]

I graduated in 51 and my first car was a 1931 Buick 4dr ,which I got in sophomore year. You could ge you license at 14 back then. . I bought it with all the engine parts in the back seat and put it together and ran it for a year.I then got a 37 Century 4 dr with sidemounts and drove it until Senior year, I had the misfortune to not recognize my fathers car when I was testing the 41 dual carb set up I installed and blew by him about 105. He picked my next car which was a 39 Pontiac with a 6 cylinder which wouldn't run 80 over a cliff. Iam not sure .but he probably saved my life . <P>Joe Taubitz<P>37 Buick Special Coupe<BR>40 Buick Super Convert<BR>57 Buick Special 2 dr hd top<BR>63 Buick Electra 225 2 dr hd top<BR>67 Chev Corvair 500 2 dr<BR>68 Chev pickup<BR>72 Buick GS 455 convert<p>[ 04-04-2002: Message edited by: The Old Guy ]

[Peter J.Heizmann]

Bill, hope all is well. No offense on the Leyland cars. You have to be short in stature (I'm 5'6") not to mention a little crazy for driving one.<P>Sal G: Like you, I was stuck with station wagons. I'm the 2nd oldest of 8, so a sedan was non-existent in our household. Based on this, wagons always grab my attention at shows. My Dad's best was a rather rare-today 1956 Pontiac 2-door Safari wagon.<P>Relative to what Bill said, I was envious of the people that had a "Daddy-bought" sportscar. I could afford a '60 VW Beetle. Made up my mind when the TR-6 came out in '69 that I was going to own one someday. I graduated H.S. in 1966, one year of college, found myself in Vietnam from 6/67 until 12/70, finished college in 1973.<P>On a 3 day pass in Saigon, a bunch of us were walking down Tu-Do Street (main drag of sin). I was shocked to see a Leyland Office.<BR>Went in for info. In short, ordered a 1970 TR6, of which, the deal was so much was taken out of my pay until E.T.S. (estimated time of separation). They shipped the car to the Port of Baltimore in 5/70. I extended for 5 1/2 months and, in turn the car sat there for roughly 7 months. My brother and I went to get it from Reading, PA. Car was a total mess (filthy, took 2 hours to get it started, overheated twice on the way back.)<P>Sold it immediately. Bought the current 1972 TR-6 "new" and kept it ever since.<P>Regards, Peter J.

[Guest leadfoot]

Graduated almost B.C.! There were only a few student cars in the parking lots and a surprising number of them were hot rods because the high school had a heavy tech orientation. My first car was a 1950 Chevy Sport Club Coupe, a nice looking car but certainly no hot rod. Almost all of my antique cars have been from much earlier eras.

[Guest]

Graduating from a small mill town here in Maine in 1979, we were mostly into low budget muscle cars(chevelles and novas) and we used em for what they were designed for. We had no idea what they would be worth today and that's a good thing, we wouldn't have had nearly as much fun trying to preserve them. We loved the sound of a 350 hp V-8 as opposed to the 1000 watt thumper stereos that you hear today!

[Dave@Moon]

Peter,<P>If your first TR6 was dark blue and had an overdrive, I think it's sitting in my garage! <P>----------------<P>I graduated in 1976, 3 years before my first car arrived. In fact I had to send my license in to the state so that I wouldn't have to pay car insurance and tuition at the same time. <P>The cars that were in my high school lot (a semi-upscale/commercial suburb of Pittsburgh) present an interesting dichotomy. The wealthy kids in my school were blessed with Pintos, Vegas, and Comets of their own. The poor kids had some of the very last road-going hot rods in the city. Unfortunately these were usually beat beyond recognition by this time, and mainly were used to sit in and look cool. If you could afford 77.9 premium, you probably were driving one of the good cars, like a new Pacer! I remember very few truly interesting or collectible cars from that time. <P>Both of my antiques, the TR6 and a 1960 LeSabre, would've been very un-cool with the crowd at that school. The LeSabre was just old-fashioned at that point (<B>fins?</B>--<I>PLEASE!</I>). The TR6 was an aging, out-of-date "foriegn car" of questionable utility. I followed those kinds of cars back then, and would've had similar toys to play with had I been financially more fortunate, but I was considered "quirky" for it.<P>Quite honestly, I think seyman's proposition, that we chase the cars of our youth throughout our lives, may be true for some. However, I'll bet most of those are older than I am (43). The cars of my youth weren't worth chasing then, let alone now.<p>[ 04-04-2002: Message edited by: Dave@Moon ]

[29 Chandler]

Class of 1986. Still drive the car I bought in high school a 1968 Mustang. Most of the kids I went to school had VW's or "rice rockets" I was happy to have a car i could work on and enjoy, still am.

[Guest]

I graduated in 1958,drove my parents 1957 olds 4 dood ht with the J-2 engine.Painted a pastel pink,boy would that baby haul a**.Used to wear out a set of rear tires in 5000 miles.Took it to the old Vargos drag strip in Quakertown Pa.and won many trophys, that I could not take home.Great "chick-mobile" When I met my wife she in 1959 ,she owned a 1958 Chevy Impala Convert,great "guy mobile".Being I "moterhead I feel that car was what first caught my interest,other attractions soon followed.

[Peter J.Heizmann]

Dave: The 1st TR6 was red as is the current '72. (See if they repainted it blue. I know what you are getting at.) The '72 is like night and day. Never let me down.<P>Regards, Peter.

[Al Smeraldo]

I graduated in 1956. I had a very beat up 47 Ford convertible that I bought for $50. I learned a lot about fixing transmissions from that car. Later I had a 49 Merc. nice car that I ruined. Traded that in on a 51 Dodge sport roadster at a used car lot. It had been used a lot. I took my dads 47 Packard to my senior prom. I got my white tux jacket dirty putting oil in it. Al

[Ccar]

Graduated in 1955. Drove a 1936 Chevrolet Master Deluxe 4door, saved my money ($100) from my paper route to buy it. Great car!! Not too many others were fortunate to own their own, so they rode the bus, walked or used the family sedan. Prewar Fords and Chevrolets most common, some newer rides like a '51 Ford Hardtop, '54 Plymouth HT and some forgetable newer 4 doors. One good friend would use his dad's tractor on occasion, mostly when it snowed. My '36 was almost unstopable with chains in the snow <P>Wouldn't mind having the '36 back or the '48 Ford coupe a teacher had!<P>Chuck

[Guest Skyking]

I graduated in 1965 and drove a 64 Chevelle 2-dr post that I bought new. This car was a stick-six (what the hell was I thinking back then). After I graduated I pulled that six out and dropped in a 327...boy now I could give those guys a run for there money with the Mustangs and GTO's..They thought I still had the six in it.. Well, here I am in my mid 50's collecting Buicks. My father always bought Buicks. Sometimes I sit in my garage now and look at my Skylark and wonder why I didn't trade that Chevelle in for a new 66 G/S back then. Maybe because $60 or $70 more a month was unafordable....

[Guest HOOIE]

Graduated 76. Drove a 66 Mustang. The down side is that the guy before me had sanded off much of the paint and spot primered it. Then he turned it over in the snow but didn`t hurt it much. Having a body shop, Dad had bought it for $100 in 73, a real bargain. His theory was that a new driver needed a Cadillac with a Pinto engine in it, so sadly my Mustang has a 200 six.By the speedo it would go 115 on a LONG downhill straight. Speedo was probably optomistic! Ran the crap out of it for years and it held up really well. Allmost had it ready to paint once and a Pontiac ran a red light and I knocked him out of the road. After a couple years I put the car on the frame machine and pulled it out and went to driving it again. Never did get it ready to paint again. It`s known far and wide as "Old Spot". I still have it allthough it`s getting really rusted out. Way over 200,000 miles and many of them hard ones. Got a bin full of resto parts and I swear I`m gonna restore it one of these days. Right after the 29 Studebaker and the 76 Vette. Old Spot`s still my favorite after many cars.

[Guest]

Henry Ford once said thar it was cheaper to build a fast speadometer than a fast car.

[Guest]

1924 Ford Coupe GOOD Car !

[ex98thdrill]

I graduated in 1986. Back then everyone was driving Fairmonts, Impalas, Chevettes and Chevelles (70-72). Back then I drove a '76 Mustang II with a 302 in it but I had my eye out for a '78 or '79 Ford Bronco, and had to settle with my Mustang. Years later I still have the Mustang, I still want an old Bronco, and a lot of my time has been spent restoring the old iron that my father has held onto for the last 30+ years. I like the muscle cars, but I like the old iron of the 30's, 40's and 50's too. Together my father and I have about 15 of 'em and they range from a '29 Whippet to my '87 Mustang GT (with 12,000 miles on it) without figuring our tow vehicles into the mix. For the most part I appreciate the oddball vehicles because they are more of a challenge to do, and you have a slimmer chance of going to a meet with 20 other cars just like your own that were all restored out of the same catalog. As much as I like the modal T's, A's, '57 Chevys, '65 Mustangs, '70 Chevelles, etc., they aren't as unique because there are a lot more of them than some of the other vehicles (AMX, '58 Chevy, '70 Plymouth Superbird, our Plymouth pickup, etc.)

[John N. Packard]

Graduated high school in 1953. Didn't have my own car until I started work in 1957 at Martin Baltimore. It was a '55 Ford Mainliner with a 6-cylinder engine. In high school I drove my Dad's Packards, a '46 Clipper and a '54 Clipper (both sedans). My high school transportation was a 1946 Roadmaster balloon tired bomber bike.<P>jnp