car poll: what's your car history?

[penmanila]

i noticed that it was a relatively slow weekend on the forums--must be the post-election lethargy i was hoping to see some of you guys at the pahiyas festival in lucban last saturday.

let's get some action going, folks. this week, cars--what's your car history? here's mine:

1963 Datsun Bluebird--a sweet yellow machine with a sad but cinematic ending--got stolen by my mechanic, used in a robbery, last seen in the QC police parking lot shot full of bullet holes!
1977 Ford Cortina--as large and as noisy as a boat!
1979 VW Beetle--fully restored and still with me, faithful companion, year 2000 "millennium bug" show winner
1993 Honda Civic--ah, great two-door machine, zippy and sporty, am sorry i sold it
1996 Daihatsu Charade--the only new thing i could afford at the time, nothing to crow about, most popular taxi in china, but heck, it gets from point A to point B; still with me, due for a makeover
1997 Suzuki Vitara--my "new" baby, very nice drive, can't wait to take it up to baguio

lookee:

[jsaure]

Originally posted by penmanila
last seen in the QC police parking lot shot full of bullet holes!

The Datsun or the mechanic/car thief/robber?!

[bagwis]

High School Days (c/o my very generous parents):

• Ford Cortina - The Square One, remember the Bukas-Sara TVC?
• 1990 Toyota Corolla 16 Valve - Love that twin cam monster
• 1992 Toyota Corolla GLi - The Quiet One, but very slow.
• 1992 Honda Civic ESi - I loved this car. Very fast and highly reliable.

I could only afford to buy my own in 1996:

• Kia Pregio 1996 - Traded in my the GLi for this troublesome van. I got rid of it fast.
• 1999 Honda Civic VTi- Matic - Still with us but the wifey really uses it more for shuttling the kids to and from school. Again, this car is a keeper.
• 2002 Honda CR-V - The AUV that I replaced the KIA Pregio with. So far, so good. Have been to Baguio, Zambales ( a lot of rough roads leading to my Dad's farm) I love this vehicle.

I've been looking at the new Honda City. I've heard great stories about it's fuel consumption, and it's generous space.

Would like to have a Ford Explorer Pick-up but have heard horrible gas guzzling experiences from friends who have them.

[penmanila]

ha-ha--the car, fortunately (or otherwise)

Originally posted by jsaure

Originally posted by penmanila
last seen in the QC police parking lot shot full of bullet holes!

The Datsun or the mechanic/car thief/robber?!

[hungryalien]

- mitsubishi galant 1.6GL - used to sneak out from school with this. family car.
- ford telstar tx5 - my real "first car". complete with enkei mags, body kits and lowered. two 12incher subs and in-dash cd player.
- nissan power pick-up - office car for a year.
- nissan vanette - fully tinted, drives like a car, used like a motel hahaha
- mitsubishi galant 2.0 ss - my current car. recently, "dress-up" with 17in wheels, japanese look, and dual amp sound system.

[El CaMOTe]

c/o my dear parents.... Austin Mini pickup you couldn't flip this sucker so I ended in a ditch,

then Austin 1100 with the pneumatic suspension, the softest suspension I ever tried...

and I grew up and bought ...

A Honda CB 750 4cyl. screamer !! This is where I learned the value of your tyre's footprint road holding and a cool head !! ...don't ask

then a klunker of a '76 Toyota Corona station wagon, most horrible brakes, no hydrovac, this is where I learned to be a good slow driver I got attached to this car though

Got married and had to get rid of the klunker, got the NEW (yellow!) KIA Pride people's car for the wifey named it "AnnieBannanie" and when we got more dough..
I inherited the KIAnnie (no contest!) got a Nissan LEC for the wifey again, hohum, horrible gas consumption, 1300cc engine underpowered!

then sold AnnieBannanie to my bro. and got me a silver SUBARU FORESTER AllWheelDrive beauty. What a car!!!, safe, solid, a real road hugger/clinger IN ALL TERRAIN, ANY WEATHER. Parts are pricey though, eg., 8.5K for a set of front disc brake pads !! So I got an extra pair from eBay for $6.99 !!

Would recommend that all cars in future be All Wheel Drive (AWD) !!

Needless to say :dry: I'm using the Sentra now and guess who got the Subaru ...:P

[gonz]

1977 Toyota Corolla (chocolate brown) -- a (very much appreciated) hand-me-down from my aunt when she upgraded to a 1990 Nissan Sentra. I learned to drive on this car. Like Butch's Datsun Bluebird, my Corolla met an equally cinematic, and very nearly tragic end -- in 1991, returning home from a club, I slammed it into a truck that was blocking the fast lane of EDSA at 1:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning. The truck was there because it, too, had been involved in an accident a few hours earlier. Although police and media were already well-entrenched on the scene, it apparently hadn't yet entered the minds of anyone on-site to erect barricades, put up warning lights/reflectors, or divert traffic around this monstrous 18-wheeler that was sitting in the middle of the nation's busiest highway, awaiting the arrival of a tow truck. Fortunately, I and my three passengers were able to walk away from the crash with bruises and sprains, but my Corolla was totalled.

1981 Toyota Corolla Liftback (navy blue) -- I put up half the cash, and my dear aunt (yes, the same one who gave me my previous ride) put up the other half, to buy this car second-hand. Used it for a couple of years, then sold it at half the price for which I'd bought it. One funny thing about this car was that the horn would honk of its own accord every time I signalled a right turn.

1984 Toyota Corona DX (navy blue) -- another hand-me-down, this time from my very gracious in-laws. This car was stolen from the front of our home in New Manila in broad daylight, at around 3:00 p.m. Hey -- if the carjacker was desperate enough to steal a rusting, 14-year-old clunker that handled like a beached whale in molasses (pawis steering), I figure he needed it more than I did.

1993 Honda Civic Sedan (silver grey) -- yet another gift from my in-laws. Can you sense the pattern here? I could never afford to buy my own car. This was the best car I had ever driven, to that point, although its Achilles Heel was chronic (and expensive) airconditioner problems. This car passed on to my brother-in-law when my family and I migrated to the US in 2001.

1991 Hyundai Scoupe (teal) -- a hand-me-down from my wife's sister, who had moved to Manhattan since buying it and thus, didn't need a car anymore. My wife's sister had christened the car "Han Solo," for reasons that are now obscured in the mists of time. This car died in the line of duty one fine day, when its entire electrical system suffered a sudden, catastrophic meltdown that would have cost more to fix than the car's resale value. We gave it to our mechanic to do with as he wished.


2002 Dodge Grand Caravan (Patriot Blue) -- the first car we actually bought on our own, on credit, of course. Quite simply, a beautiful and well-appointed van, very comfortable, with a car-like ride. It took us to Florida for my family's 2003 Disneyworld vacation. It broke our hearts to have to sell it.

2002 Mitsubishi Lancer (Thunder Grey) -- I. Love. This. Car. This was my car, for a year. When we sold our Grand Caravan, I had to give this car to my wife so I could drive the...

1989 Ford Aerostar (navy blue with khaki trim -- Eddie Bauer Signature series) -- bought this second-hand from my brother-in-law to replace the Grand Caravan. It's in great shape; it has only 50,000 miles on it. This is what I drive every day.

[Edited on 5-17-2004 by gonz]

[activeingredient]

Hey Gonz, does your wife have a younger sister who is not married yet? Hehehe :lol: jk

[gonz]

Originally posted by activeingredient
Hey Gonz, does your wife have a younger sister who is not married yet? Hehehe :lol: jk

Yes! Two, as a matter of fact. But you'll have to come to New York if you hope to have a shot at either of them.

[Edited on 5-17-2004 by gonz]

[ruger]

hand-me-downs from my parents:

+ mitsubishi L200 - i learned to drive with this. ginamit ng dad ko one night pagbalik ala na trunk pati hood.. got sandwiched by a truck and a jeep.. :beer:

+ mitsubishi galant ss - my service when i was in high school..

+ mitsubishi lancer glxi 95 - my rumble mobile.. :evil:

+ mitsubishi lancer glxi 97 - my other rumble mobile..

i don't know what's up with mitsubishi and my mom.. as far as i can remember, the last car that my parents bought thats not a mitsu was a ford telstar way back when i was in preschool..