Someone on a gun forum, of which I am a member, started a thread asking which cars you have owned. This was my reply:
The years for the first four are estimates:
1971 Plymouth Belvedere Wagon (Bought it used from guy in the Air Force in NV probably in 1977 - my first car. It was formerly an Air Force vehicle. Had 3 on the column, a 318 engine and posi-traction rear. Excellent car except it had a problematic carburetor. First car I drove cross country solo. Abandoned after my first accident. I should have gotten it fixed, probably would still be running today but alas no cash to fix the crash back then. I have a lot of good memories about a lot of good adventures in that one.)
1976 Plymouth Duster (Bought in 1980 in CA when I started my career in the Border Patrol. For the life of me I cannot recall what happened to it; must have sold it or totaled it. Fast car on the straightaway but almost worthless on curvy roads.)
1981 Mazda 323 (Bought new - wound up in Mexico ablaze after being stolen.)
1982 Toyota Corolla Wagon (Bought new in CA, drove it to NY when I relocated back to home. It was stolen in NYC, twice. The last time, a guy walking by it pulled an envelope with my name on it out of car then walked miles to my apartment to let me know where it was located. When me and a friend got there, it was being stripped, almost shot the guy as he came at us with lug wrench, but we took off and called police. By the time they got around to it, it had been stripped to the point of being totaled. Damned good car while it lasted.)
1986 Mazda 323 (Bought new. Damned good car, lasted many years. Donated it to charity, got a ticket after I took off registration sticker while in my driveway and waiting for tow truck to come and get it; ticketed by a fucking building inspector who was snooping on my property. Then got yet another ticket, from NYC Sanitation, after someone bought it a auction and then abandoned it on street. That happened even though by then it was off of my registration! Judge told me there was a very good chance, regardless of it no longer being my car, that I would have to pay the fine; then relented an dismissed. Guess I had been shown as last owner when it was ticketed. What a pain in the arse were those tickets.)
1998 Ford Taurus (Bought new. Great running car, too bad the door panels kept falling off and pulling electrical wires with them. Lots of other problems with fit and finish, piece of shit in that regard but listed several years and ran great. Then sold it to a guy buying it for his nephew. The guy said his nephew crashed his last few cars and needed another. I guess he meant needed another to crash because my son saw it a few weeks later, was pretty smashed up.)
2005 Toyota Corolla (Bought new. Ass ended last Labor Day weekend and totaled. Was a great car. About 30 seconds or so before guy plowed into it; I had been thinking that car would last another 5 to 10 years; guess I was wrong.)
2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring (Bought new. My son drove it for years, still does. When he relocated to AR, I transferred registration to him. Pretty excellent car.)
2012 Volvo (My wife owns it, some kind of a Volvo sports like car, I do not know model. She saved her pennies and bought it herself, I have never driven it and only been in it literally less than 10 times.)
2016 Toyota Corolla (Bought new. Since the other Corollas I had were excellent cars, I decided to get another. This one has had some problems with rear brakes and a couple of hopefully other minor glitches but runs like a charm. Been to upstate with it several times, also to FL and then to AR on a nice road trip to visit relatives.)
Nothing fancy, I am more into the utility of driving here to there and doing it reliably. Feel free to comment on ones you have owned.
All the best,
Glenn B
The years for the first four are estimates:
1971 Plymouth Belvedere Wagon (Bought it used from guy in the Air Force in NV probably in 1977 - my first car. It was formerly an Air Force vehicle. Had 3 on the column, a 318 engine and posi-traction rear. Excellent car except it had a problematic carburetor. First car I drove cross country solo. Abandoned after my first accident. I should have gotten it fixed, probably would still be running today but alas no cash to fix the crash back then. I have a lot of good memories about a lot of good adventures in that one.)
1976 Plymouth Duster (Bought in 1980 in CA when I started my career in the Border Patrol. For the life of me I cannot recall what happened to it; must have sold it or totaled it. Fast car on the straightaway but almost worthless on curvy roads.)
1981 Mazda 323 (Bought new - wound up in Mexico ablaze after being stolen.)
1982 Toyota Corolla Wagon (Bought new in CA, drove it to NY when I relocated back to home. It was stolen in NYC, twice. The last time, a guy walking by it pulled an envelope with my name on it out of car then walked miles to my apartment to let me know where it was located. When me and a friend got there, it was being stripped, almost shot the guy as he came at us with lug wrench, but we took off and called police. By the time they got around to it, it had been stripped to the point of being totaled. Damned good car while it lasted.)
1986 Mazda 323 (Bought new. Damned good car, lasted many years. Donated it to charity, got a ticket after I took off registration sticker while in my driveway and waiting for tow truck to come and get it; ticketed by a fucking building inspector who was snooping on my property. Then got yet another ticket, from NYC Sanitation, after someone bought it a auction and then abandoned it on street. That happened even though by then it was off of my registration! Judge told me there was a very good chance, regardless of it no longer being my car, that I would have to pay the fine; then relented an dismissed. Guess I had been shown as last owner when it was ticketed. What a pain in the arse were those tickets.)
1998 Ford Taurus (Bought new. Great running car, too bad the door panels kept falling off and pulling electrical wires with them. Lots of other problems with fit and finish, piece of shit in that regard but listed several years and ran great. Then sold it to a guy buying it for his nephew. The guy said his nephew crashed his last few cars and needed another. I guess he meant needed another to crash because my son saw it a few weeks later, was pretty smashed up.)
2005 Toyota Corolla (Bought new. Ass ended last Labor Day weekend and totaled. Was a great car. About 30 seconds or so before guy plowed into it; I had been thinking that car would last another 5 to 10 years; guess I was wrong.)
2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring (Bought new. My son drove it for years, still does. When he relocated to AR, I transferred registration to him. Pretty excellent car.)
2012 Volvo (My wife owns it, some kind of a Volvo sports like car, I do not know model. She saved her pennies and bought it herself, I have never driven it and only been in it literally less than 10 times.)
2016 Toyota Corolla (Bought new. Since the other Corollas I had were excellent cars, I decided to get another. This one has had some problems with rear brakes and a couple of hopefully other minor glitches but runs like a charm. Been to upstate with it several times, also to FL and then to AR on a nice road trip to visit relatives.)
Nothing fancy, I am more into the utility of driving here to there and doing it reliably. Feel free to comment on ones you have owned.
All the best,
Glenn B
