Thread: What was your first cars?

Okay, I've had primarily Rangie and Discos and the odd 2WD car here and there so here goes-

1983 JB Camira- Biggest POS on earth and used more oil than fuel Got me from A to be but only just. Rusted out so it added to the landfill in the end

1976 Rangie- Good first Rangie, bit too rusty for any long term commitment.

1984 Rangie auto- Slug-flite auto but comfy at the time and with a rear maxi-drive (still have that today) it was superb off-road even with 205 Michelins on.

1993 Disco 3.5 V8i- Okay, had LPG and it was a total nightmare. Blew 3 AFM and hoses, mixer kept playing up and the list goes on. Dodgy instilatuion by the previous owner didn't help hence why I ****ed it off. Plus I'm not struck on the Disco styling plus the seats in that model are crap

1993 Rangie 'Aquarangie'- Best Rangie I've owned. Never broke down, give it a flogging and it kept going even if it did die ungracefully (rolled it 4WDing).

1979 Rangie- Was a project Rangie, but money got real tight so it never eventuated and I sold it off. Still made a few $$$ out of it.

1983 Rangie "Thomas'- Started off well but as the repairs started to mount for **** all gain it was becoming a dead set PIA with the 4.4 fitted it had chronic overhating issues off-road as well. So it got the **** instread of pouring more money into it.

1987 Rangie- Current rig, bar the 'prince of darkness' moment a few weeks ago it's been a good Rangie to date.

1976 Rangie 'Project Sahara'- Picked it up off e-bay for $1000 late last year. Will be a run-around/tow vehicle/ general club trip type vehicle (not extreme stuff, got the 87 Rangie for that).

I have also had 11 other Rangies as wrecks over the years

Licence at 17 but no car until 21. Back then in the 1960s, the only kids who had cars were the ones who had a paddock to drive around.
If I can list the 4wds separately, I only need five to cover all the cars I've owned in 40 years.

Cars
1. 1948 Austin A40 (probably unique in that it didn't use oil and didn't jump out of third gear). Leather font seats. Great vehicle.
2. FC Holden. I believe it was officially called a "Stationette". It was a panel van with all the chrome fittings from the Specials and had been fitted with sliding rear windows and a fold down seat by Canopy Conversions of Annandale.
3. 1969 Toyota Crown. Three speed column shift with electric overdive available on 2nd and 3rd. Brilliant idea. Did almost 300,000 miles or half a million kilometres.
4. 1980 Toyota Corolla.
5. 1988 Toyota Camry.

Four Wheel Drives
1. 1973 LWB Haflinger. 1800mm wheelbase Fantastic vehicle. 643 cc horizontally opposed 2 cyl air cooled engine. 5 gears. Governed to do 7km/h in first (66:1 reduction) 13 in second, 27 in third, 45 in fourth and 70 in top. Difflocks front and back. Easily go places where even Landrovers struggled.
2. 1973 Series III LWB. Served me faithfully for 23 years.
3. 1998 Defender cab/chassis

Motorbikes
1. Honda S90
2. Hodaka 100
3. Honda CL175
4. Maico 125
5. Honda 50
6. Honda SL125

Not a long list for 40 years, but I could never see the point of getting rid of a vehicle that was doing the job OK.

1916-1919 4 cyl. Buicks made into a hybrid from two dragged out of the scrap heap at the back of our Winton depot. Various 1920's junk including a1926 Chev. Capitol ute with only one rear (contracting) brake operational. A 1936 supercharged Auburn boat tail roadster. I paid $90 for this when aged 16 and underage for a licence. Wore out all the six cheap retreads on it, couldn't afford to re-register it, and found even wreckers wouldn't take it. Took off the plate and left it at the side of the road. The bloody thing is worth $200,000+ today. A 1940 Plymouth, good car; a couple of 1946-48 Plymouth/Dodges, again good cars; a type 40 Bugatti, a pia; several A40's, pieces of s**t; couple of Ford Zephyrs, rust buckets, bad front ends, bad gearboxes; 48/215 Holden, good reliable cheap motoring, a ruster; EH Holdens, good, reliable, economical, fast motoring, Bris.-Syd. 10 1/2 to 12hours repeatedly and 28-30mpg; numbers of Valiants AP5 to CM, VC Slant Six best family car ever sold in Oz, the most nearly maintenance free motor cars I ever ran as a fleet manager; Sigmas are the worst car I ever ran in a fleet; then a string of company cars where I drove what I was given. A 1972 Torana LJ bought new and written off by my son in 2004 at genuine 130,000 miles, I hate RACQ Insurance; currently an XH Falcon ute and a 1986 County-Isuzu. Along the way, lots of old motor bikes, four White road Bosses & some Commers etc. Nearly forgot the 1964 MG-B bought new, the jury is still out on whether this was a good, bad, or indifferent car. Got lots of naughties with it, though. And also nearly forgot the pure play cars; 1952-3 Ferrari 212 Export, maintenance intensive, unreliable, but a real hoot when going right; 1969 HT Monaro GTS350 much modified, very quick, reliable, used lotsa fuel; 1970 Dodge Challenger convertible with 426 Hemi and 4 speed, a genuinely super fast car, reliable, used mega-fuel.

I had an ancient Fordson van with a sidevalve engine and 2 transverse leaf springs; one at each end. It used to lean over going around corners. Bought it for one old UK shilling (about 10c). Rebuilt it and drove it to school from age 14 until I passed my driving test at 17. Sold it for GBP10 (about $25) The big ends went the next day.

Oh happy days!

Early eighties Corolla wagon, owned for less than a week before it was stolen, never came back.

Cheers
Simon

First: Daihatsu Feroza - lots a fun, but wanted an swb land crusier
2nd: Land cruiser BJ42 SWB- 5sp 3.4 diesel, go anywhere truck tuff as nails, loved it but not to good on the highway all the time
3rd: hona prelude 88 - hated it to low to the ground
4th: Rangie 84 4dr - tuf truckand loved being in a rangie, cheap!!!!
5th: Rangie 89 - the best i've had and still going strong, but retired to moreton island, still starts first pop and goes hard, loves to get airbourne.
6th: Subaru Outback - fast reliable and great car all round
7th: Disco 02 Update - dramas since day one, but love owning a landie again, just whish it was a rangie

Next: TD6 rangie - when they are about $45k, not to far away

FE Holden 1958
XT falcon 1968
toyota light stout 1966
wolsley 24/80 1966
datsun 1500 ute 1970
mazda capella 1974
holden premier 1968
holden hq wagon ?
ford xc panel van ?
volvo 245l van (owned for 16 years)1978
volvo 164 sedan 1974
volvo 244 sedan1983
toyota stout 1972
toyota landcruiser ute 1993
toyota landcruiser ute 2001
holden ss ute (brand new)2003
land rover disco (almost new)2003

Plus a few more i forgot and add about 27 motor bikes as well and a couple of aeroplanes and boats and 1 sailplane.

No wonder I dont own 3 rentals like most my mates


MIKE

Land Rover IIA 1960, brought for $60, neraly rote it off when I fell asleep,
Jowett Bradford, 1950 model (Still have it)
HQ van,
HG Prem,
Audi 80, it was one of the frist in the 80 series,
VW golf GTI
Holden Astra....BIGGEST PIECE OF CRUD I HAVE EVER OWNED!!!
Fiat Panda 4wd fantastic little thing.
Audi 80, 1989 model.
Ford Fiesta
Land Rover Defender 2003 build (current)