Coolest car you ever owned?

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sbwertz

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May 11, 2010
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Phoenix, AZ
Years ago I had a Citroen DS21 Palas. It had hydro pneumatic suspension. When you turned it off, it settled down to about two inches off the ground. Then when you started it up, it got up sort of like a camel, rear end first LOL. Normal driving height was about six inches off the ground, but you could raise it up to about 12 inches if needed...like wading through flooded streets in Phoenix. It would also drive on three wheels, had swiveling driving lights, rear shoulder harnesses when American cars just had seat belts in back, etc. Probably the most fun car I've ever owned. Also the most funny looking! Here is an interesting video about it. (Mine was left side drive, however, but the same turquoise and white color as this one)


 
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magpens

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It's too bad there is no right-rear fender and wheel .... that could have made a difference to its general appeal . !!! . LOL !
 
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Wolf Creek Montana
My coolest cars were actually two (one not a car). A 1967 Ford Mustang and a 1967 Ford F100 (which I totally rebuilt). I left the Mustang in it's original shape but chopped the F100, added way too big Chrome wheels and tires. The wheels were so big I could barely steer it unless it was moving. I loved them both and sold them both which I wish I never had. Find one now and you're doing great, have a big enough check book to afford them and your doing better. They sure were easy to work on compared to today's computer operated cars and trucks.
 

MRDucks2

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Bristow, IN
My favorite would have to be the 1956 International Harvester Heavy Half Ton pickup I bought to restore when I was in the Marine Corps in Central California. Unfortunately restoring and old truck is not easily within an E-3's budget with cost of beer and all. It was originally sold in the San Joaquin Valley and stayed there its whole life until I sold it to a sailor called Hermie who towed it back to his Dad's place in Arkansas. No idea what happened from there but I would buy it back today.
 

tomtedesco

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Centennial, CO
1966 Ford Mustang, worked at gas station for over a year to save the 2,000 dollars to order one. 289 cu in engine, three on the floor, vintage burgundy with rally pack on steering column.
 

tomas

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Jul 12, 2010
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Rio Rancho, NM
My first, and favorite, car was my BMW. The coveted Isetta 300 model. It got 90 mpg, but the tank only held a gallon. It had a 4 speed stick shift that was located in the left side wall and was a backward H. It looks like 3 wheels but has 4. The entire front of the car opens to get in and out. It had a sun roof and a 300cc BMW motor cycle engine. The photo isn't my car but it was just like it.

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Tomas
 

Humongous

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Feb 20, 2019
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Canandaigua, NY
1968 Pontiac LeMans inherited from my Grandfather, I got it in 1979. It was his daily driver, the only car that I wish I still had. Stock 350 4 barrel, got about 8 miles to the gallon but wow was it fun to drive. He bought it as a family car brand new, amazing what they put in cars back then. Good old american muscle.
 

Bob in SF

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San Francisco
1) 1953 black and red Buick Super - easy to self-service.
2) 1966 red Chevy Camaro convertible - also easy to self-service.

Miss them terribly - (still in grief counseling - considering electroshock).
 
Joined
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Tellico Plains, Tennessee, USA.
My first, and favorite, car was my BMW. The coveted Isetta 300 model. It got 90 mpg, but the tank only held a gallon. It had a 4 speed stick shift that was located in the left side wall and was a backward H. It looks like 3 wheels but has 4. The entire front of the car opens to get in and out. It had a sun roof and a 300cc BMW motor cycle engine. The photo isn't my car but it was just like it.

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Tomas
One of my high school teachers had one of these... it was his first year teaching... he drove it to the movies one night with his date... while inside, a group of high seniors picked it up and sat it facing the wall under the marquee of the movie house... when he and his date came out, they couldn't get back in the car.... think he sold it shortly afterwards.
 
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Like Bob in SF, I had two cars that I would count in this thread..
1. 1959 Chevy Impala -- my first car -- ran a 348 engine with a Hersch three speed conversion sitting on the floor...the shift lever was short so to reach 2nd gear, had to actually lean forward some and catch the knob with two fingers to pull it into high.... I got off a bus in Chandler AZ to visit my mom and she pointed it out on a car lot... bought it and drove on to Treasure Island in SF... I don't think they changed the rear end with the conversion, but on the streets and hills in SF I could roll back 20 or 30 feet before I learned to catch the rear end with the engine. It had a slight rake on the back end so that at about 85 or so the rear end would lift.
2. 1964 Corvette Sting ray, silver with a removable hard top... 327 engine with a Holley AFB carb and I think a race cam that just loped at idle... generated (or was advertised) as 365 HP...
 
Joined
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Childress, Texas
1967 VW Bus. It made my freak flag fly! Bought it from one of my high school teacher after he put 250,000 miles on it. I completely rebuilt it back to original and put another 125,000 on it. Then sold it back to the teacher!
 

Snowbeast

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Killeen, Texas
1941 Plymouth 2dr sedan. Was looking for a project and came across this old beast sitting alongside a backcountry road looking quite the worse for wear. Seven years and more $$$$ than I care to remember refurbishing it from the ground up and this is what I ended up with.
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Kenny Durrant

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My family were Ford nuts back in the day. My favorite was the Mustang. The first car I bought in my own was a 1967 Mustang 289. I bought it in the late 70s. I drove it every where. Then I found a deal on a 1967 Mustang Fastback GT. It had a HP 289 with the fog lights in the grill and the tail pipes that had the chrome louvers just under the rear bumper. The next was a 1968 Mustang Fastback with a 302. All 3 were solid cars and easy to do the maintenance on. The GT drivers seat had a bolt to shorten or lengthen to adjust the back for reclining. The bolt broke so I laid a claw hammer in place of the bolt and it work perfectly. It didn't fall out or rattle and the adjustment was dead on. That was the ONLY thing wrong but my wife hated it. To end the arguing my son was born and we need something more for a family.
 

Jonkou

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May 1, 2020
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Alton Bay, NH
Two cars stand out as enjoying the most, both were set up for SCCA racing yet we're street legal. Take junk from trunk, change out tires, adjust suspension and let her rip. A built 1968 Triumph GT6 in the mid 1980s, and a 2001 SVT Cobra 2000s, sold it when I moved to the mainland in 08. Wish I had the GT6 today, the Cobra had only 22k miles when sold but it was beat, estimate near half the miles were on the track, it was just a toy, yeah the back tire is off the ground.

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Dehn0045

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US
My first car was 1988 Oldsmobile 98, passed down to me from my parents. Looking back I now realize that it was actually pretty gangster 🤣. When I sold it for $400 it had like 280k miles on it, a month later the front wheel fell off (like the whole assembly - wheel, brakes, springs, all of it). The guy who bought it was in a bind and called my dad, pops gave him his $400 back and actually helped arrange the tow truck and paid to get it hauled off. My folks never told me, they thought I would feel too bad about it because I was really excited that I had arranged the sale. It wasn't until like 5 years later that my dad slipped up and let the story out. That car taught me a lot about working on cars, something was always breaking but never that serious. Also taught me that I have a pretty amazing dad.
 

sbwertz

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Phoenix, AZ
My first, and favorite, car was my BMW. The coveted Isetta 300 model. It got 90 mpg, but the tank only held a gallon. It had a 4 speed stick shift that was located in the left side wall and was a backward H. It looks like 3 wheels but has 4. The entire front of the car opens to get in and out. It had a sun roof and a 300cc BMW motor cycle engine. The photo isn't my car but it was just like it.

View attachment 241808
Tomas
That reminds me of the Citroen 2CV "deux chevaux" (Two horses...but it actually had 9 horsepower)

 
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sbwertz

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That reminds me of the Citroen 2CV "deux chevaux" (Two horses...but it actually had 9 horsepower)


My first car was a 1955 Nash Metropolitan. Looked like a little old lady with a bun...wore the spare on the back of the trunk.

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For years there was a garage in Phoenix that had one just like it on top of a tall pole as a business sign. Don't think it is still there, haven't been in that area in a long time.
 

MyDadsPens

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Corning, New York
I had 2 cool cars. The first car I bought with my own money was a 1988 Mercury cougar, automatic seat belts and the only car I knew at the time with digital speedometer. I had been wanting a cougar for several years and finally got one. It was in fabulous shape when I bought it and on the 3rd day I owned it a drunk driver that was being chased by the police sideswiped me and pushed me into a guardrail (police said he was going over 115mph). Insurance estimate came in $100 less than total loss so it was repaired - a year later a city snowplow sideswiped the other side. If that beautiful car hadn't ended up half bondo I would still own and consider it a great car today
88 cougar.jpg
 

MyDadsPens

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Corning, New York
My current cool car is also a vehicle that I have considered one of the greatest looking and coolest cars on the planet - every since I saw the Equalizer drive one in the 1980s TV show. This is My 1998 Jaguar XJ8 (or X308 if you are in Europe) 2 days out of the barn find stage. They are surprising low cost now because so many people think they are trouble cars -- but in reality they are actually pretty reliable (other than 1985-1995 cars). But having said that mine has very low miles because of some chronic issues --but I got mine off a guy that let it sit in a barn for 10 years. I was hoping women would consider this a chick magnet car - although that part of the car also seems to not be working at the moment ;) in fairness to the jag it might work better if the guy standing next to it had more hair and less belly.
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NOT the coolest - but the best vehicle I owned was a Chrysler town and country minivan - girlfriend hated it because we didn't have kids and she said she felt like a soccer mom BUT for 4 years I packed the crap out of that van doing art festivals with photography, my huge Chevy suv cannot carry half what that van could. The cougar and jag ride smooth as silk but the van was pretty close behind
 
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MyDadsPens

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Corning, New York
Wow - 1972 Buick Skylark

My older brother had a red version - I didn't realize it at the time But they were great looking cars - very underated. My brother had an issue though =within 10 minutes of owning a car he was adding all kinds of stereo equipment, but with no understanding of electronics or ground--and within days of his stereo upgrades the vehicles usually had no lights or such - so you could be doing 60mph at night and without warning every light could go out - kind of like space mountain. But a good test of a dates personality - did she scream in terror or giggle in fun ?
 
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