Do you know what car you FIRST rode in, or what car your parents

[page2171]

My first ride would have been in a 1971 Pontiac LeMans. That was a car that I miss. It was a two door hardtop, Tropical Lime exterior, dark green interior. I loved that car so much that for my first car I found a 1971 LeMans two door hardtop. Mine, however, was Canyon Copper with a vinyl top and brown interior.

[Jim65Riv]

My first ride was home from the hospital in October, 1944 was in a 1941 Hudson sedan. Dad traded it in on a 1948 Packard, and traded that car on a 1951 Packard. He traded the 51 on a 1954 Buick Super 4-door (hence my love for Buicks).

[Harold]

I came home from the hospital in my father's black 1952 Plymouth Cambridge 4-door sedan. The car made such an impression on me (we had it until 1965) that I have a twin to it sitting in my garage today.

[jazzer3]

In 1954 I came home in a 50 or 51 Dodge. In 1980 we brought our daughter home in a 40 Plymouth 4 dr. with no seatbelts or babyseat !

[John_Maine]

My parents had a dark blue '47 Ford 2 door fastback when I was born in 1950. I very definitely remember riding in it. In 1953 or 1954, they traded it for a '51 Ford Crestline 2 door hardtop, light blue with a white roof. I remember seeing the '47 and '51 in the driveway with my parents talking to the salesman from the local Ford garage. They had a lot of trouble with the '51 and my mother didn't like the way it shifted as I recall. So, in 1955, they traded for a dark green/white roof '54 Ford Crestline hardtop, their first car with an automatic. They kept that car until 1962 - when I was 12 - when they purchased a '59 Impala sport sedan, cameo coral and satin beige. In late '66, they traded the '59 for a '66 mist blue Impala sport sedan, the only brand new car my father ever had. Unfortunately, he passed away in 1973. My mother traded the '66 for a new '74 Dodge Dart and later had a '76 Maverick when she gave the Dart to my brother, then had a '78 Cutlass, '84 Cutlass, '93 Mercury Sable and '00 Toyota Camry which she owned until this spring when she gave up driving at age 91.

The earliest car I remember riding in was my uncle's '37 Plymouth coupe. He bought it new and it stayed in the family through WW2. When he won a '48 Pontiac through some American Legion contest, he passed the Plymouth on to his brother - my other uncle - who kept it until 1954. As much as I like cars, I hated riding in that old Plymouth.

From the time I was born, my fraternal grandparents had a black '49 Pontiac coupe, a '54 Pontiac Star Chief sedan, a '56 Chevy 210 4 door hardtop, '63 Impala 4 door hardtop which had 66K on it in 1976 when my grandfather passed away. My maternal grandparents had a pea green '47 Pontiac sedan, a '49 Pontiac coupe, '53 Pontiac sedan and a '58 Pontiac Star Chief which my grandfather still owned when he stopped driving in 1970.

I haven't counted, but ironically, I have probably had more cars in my lifetime (so far) than the combined total of the cars my parents and grandparents had in their lifetimes.

[TG57Roadmaster]

Mine was this '56 Mercury Custom in Berkshire Green & Classic White, late-August, 1957. It was my folks' first new car (a cousin is standing next to it), and I want one real bad!

Don't want a Montclair (too much chrome), but one of these Customs. Okay, a Monterey would be suffice, too...

TG

[Guest 70 Electra]

I'll probably get booed off the stage, but...

A new, red 1958 Borgward Isabella TS coupe. Apparently, the "TS" was the sporty model with a (wow!) 75hp engine, and a 4speed (on column). Not a bad looking car, its coupe styling is reminiscent of the Karmann Ghia and other Italian styling projects of the mid-to-late fifties. In any case, Borgward soon (~1961?) became an orphan when the company folded-up.

By way of explanation, let me point out that my Dad was an Air Force pilot stationed in Germany when I was born. It was pretty typical for Servicemen to buy European cars while stationed overseas.

Promptly after returning home from Germany, he bought a new 1960 LeSabre coupe (white w/ red int) which was no doubt responsible for my obsessive fascination with 1960 Buicks! A picture of his new Buick can be found on my website, www.The1960Buick.com

[Guest 572dsw]

Had to respond to this one... First ride was a one year old 57 Chevy BelAir 2d sedan V8 stick. Well that dates me. Mom kept it until 68 when she traded it for a new 4d Nova. I loved that 57 so much that when I turned 14, I convinced Mom I needed one just like it to "keep me off the streets". Two summer jobs later I got a 210 2d sedan that got me through high school. I still have the steering wheel from that one. Fast forword to my kids, I have a great picture from the 80s of our 3 year old son in the back seat of our 63 Nova ss convertible in his shades and in the wind. I recently purchased another 57, a 2d 150 wagon and hope to make more great memories with it. Thanks to all for these looks into their pasts!

[Guest Mr Bill]

I was brought home from the hospital in a 1961 Ford Fairlane 500 four door sedan. It belonged to my godmother and she brought mom and I home as dad was at work. This was in September 1961. The car was white with blue interior. It was a dealer demonstrator and was equipped with factory air conditioning, I remember the system hanging from under the dashboard. My godparents kept it until about 1971 and one day they showed up driving a 69 Chrysler Newport. I really think they liked the Ford better than the Chrysler.

Bill Sapp

[Guest pfloro]

This is a fun & memory jogging post...!

My first memory is riding in my parent's 1955 Plymouth Savoy. It was a 4 dr. sedan & I believe turquoise. This was in the late '50s when I was about 4 years old. I remember the dash mounted shift lever & tube radio. I'm sure this car had the venerable flathead 6 and Powerflite automatic. The Savoy was purchased used. My Dad's first new car was a beige 1962 Ford Falcon, also a 4 dr. sedan with 144 cu in. (?) six & 2 speed automatic. My mom commented it felt lighter & didn't ride as well as the Savoy. My Dad traded the Falcon for a 1966 Ford Fairlane with 289 V8, Cruise-o-Matic & A/C! We were now really living... After his first heart attack in 1970, he traded the Fairlane for a 1970 Pontiac Lemans since Dad needed a car with power steering. This is the car on which both my mom & I learned to drive. My mom kept the Pontiac after he died in 1979 until 1982.

I only have pictures of the Pontiac (taken in 1971)...

Thanks for the flood of memories...

Paul

Edited November 7, 2009 by pfloro (see edit history)

[Guest 1950SuperBlueBuick]

The story goes that my dad's 1930 Dodge would not start so he hitched a ride into town. A friend with a brand new 1949 Hudson drove dad, mom and me all back home so that was the 1st car I rode in. It was during a January ice storm and the new Hudson slid down some very steep hills but arrived safely. My dad, holding me, upon getting out, slipped on the ice and we both ended up under the car!

The Dodge was replaced by a 1940 Oldsmobile. 6 years later, traded in on a 1950 Buick Super...the same make and model I own today.

[Glassesguy]

I was born in Oct. of 1952 and adopted by my parents in Jan 1953. My fraternal twin brother and I were brought home in a 1948 Pontiac coupe. Not much later Dad bought his first new car, a 1953 2 tone green Chieftan 4 dr sedan. A couple of years later I must have wanted to learn bodywork ( Dad was a bodyman and painter) as he caught me swinging a hammer against the instrument panel. Later, my parents bought a 55 Pontiac wagon which eventually they traded due to rust issues in the rear area. That's the first car I remember as we would go to the drive in movie and my brother and I would be dressed in our pajamas and blankets and expected to fall asleep in the cargo area. Fast forward, after some other cars, to 1966 for our first Buick, a beautiful blue Wildcat 4 dr sedan in which I eventually learned to drive. That was followed by a 69 Electra 4 sedan with AIR!! Pretty classy wheels for a high school senior to be seen in. In 1970 my folks got me a 67 Skylark conv. for commuting to college and for my brother to use in the summer while I drove a 1953 Ford Mainline V8 3 speed 2dr acquired from an 80 yr old uncle. I'm still driving Buicks old and new.

[mp65riv]

My first ride home, in December of 1959, was in a 57 Roadmaster 75 4 door hardtop. It was two-tone reddish brown and white. My parents bought the car in the summer of 1959 just before they migrated from Alabama to California. The Roadmaster was fully loaded, including factory A/C. A few years later, in 1962, it was traded on a 61 Electra 225 4 door hardtop, jet black with grey cloth interior. Going to the dealership (John A Wise Oldsmobile in Oakland, CA) is one of my first memories. They had an indoor showroom for used cars, and I remember being fascinated by the power window switches and other accessories. The 225 was replaced by a 65 Sportwagon in 1968. Fond memories of the 225 led me to seek one out for restoration...hope to have it on the road by the summer of 2010.

[lancemb]

The first car I remember riding in was a 63 Wildcat convertible. Decades later, just a couple years go, I unearthed the car from a garage and discovered that, judging by the license plate, I had to be 2 years old the summer of that memory and the car had sat ever since the end of that summer.

I currently have in my garage a 57 Roadmaster that my parents took the Disney world over 30 years ago - I now know, judging by the receipts in the glovebox, that my mother must have been pregnant with me at the time!

[lancemb]

mp67riv - if you'd like to restore a 57 Roadmaster 75 - I have available a 4 door hardtop in the exact original colors as the one you describe. The only difference is it doesn't have A/C! (this is not the one in my garage, but in another garage). It's complete and very restorable!

[OldsDoug]

Came home from the hospital in a '48 Plymouth. First car I ever _drove_ was a '63 Dodge Dart GT that belonged to a friend of the family... that was in 1964 or 1965, I was 14 or 15. I never thought about it before now, but both were Chrysler products, and I've never owned one... given my heritage, I guess maybe I should add one to the collection!

[mp65riv]

Lancemb,

I probably have my hands full getting my 61 Electra 225 completed, but you've spiked my curiousity. Do you have pictures, and where in Illinois are you located? By the way, I looked at my original posting again and I believe I was wrong on the name of the dealership where my parents bought the 61. It was "Lloyd A Wise" not "John A Wise."

[Guest Dans 77 Limited]

When I was born in June of 64, my Dad had a white 1962 Chevy Biscayne station wagon. My mother never drove. He sold that and bought a 69 Chevy Impala custom 2 dr in 1970. My brother totaled that in December of 74. He then bought a 73 Malibu 4 dr the first car he ever owned with A/C . It rotted away and I put it in a demolition derby in 1981. He then bought a 76 Cutlass 442 which eventually ended up with me until I blew it up. He then bought his only Buick a 1981 Skylark Limited. That also ended up with me and I blew it up too ! While owning the Buick he bought a 78 Bronco and gave that to me to use for a trade in at a later date. In 1989 he bought his first brand new car an 89 Olds Ciera. He also bought a 78 Ford F 100 pickup. The Ciera eventually went to my brother in 2001 who kept it until the end of last month when it was just too rusty to be road worthy anymore. In 95 he got rid of the F 100 and bought my 93 Silverado pickup which he kept until 2 years ago and then gifted it back to me. In 2001 He bought a brand new Bonneville which he still has and has a grand total of 14,000 miles on it . There were cars that he owned before I was born

a 55 Chevy sedan

a 37 Hudson

a Desoto

I dont know much about these cars as they were all before my time.

Dan