My Sick Cars

Somehow, the topic of Automotive Family Trees came up over on Firestarter5’s blog. We got to commenting on his VW diesel maintenance and it got out of hand. He asked us to list every P.O.S. we have owned - as well as the good ones. Kimmyk is supposed to join in the fun, so check her out. Here is my list of lifetime vehicles, which is fairly short considering I am almost 50. Most people have probably owned more vehicles than I, but I take pretty good care of them, and I hate to waste all that routine maintenance so that some kid can beat the crap out of it.
As requested, I went to great lengths to find photos of the model and where possible, I got the matching color and body style as well, and I'm only missing one. With the exception of the first, they were all purchased new.

1972 Chevy Vega. My Sainted mother matched my $600 savings and we purchased this green hatchback in 1975 so that I could drive myself back and forth to my first job. It served its purpose, even though; at the end of its useful life it would use more oil than gasoline.

1976 Ford Pinto. Yes, that Pinto. The one that was supposed to blow up if it was hit in the back. This one I bought brand new for $3,600 with credit acquired by working at my first job. The only option it had was white sidewall tires ($36) and I asked if I could have them taken off and get credit for it off the price. It didn’t even have a radio, just a blank opening where my friend and I eventually installed a cassette player.
I drove it 76,000 explosion-free miles. Ford put a skid plate in the back between the gas tank and bumper that made it a little safer. I had to have the camshaft replaced because every once in a while the engine would seize up and it would come to a grinding [literally] halt. I had to sit on the side of the road until the engine cooled, after which it would run for a while longer.
It was my first manual transmission, and I learned to drive it on the dealer lot. Just like litter training a cat, all you had to do was show me once and I picked it up quickly.

1984 Ford Escort GT. This one had an FM radio. I remember that the monthly payment was $204. Having gone for 5 years without a car payment, I lost a night’s sleep over the decision to buy it, even though the Pinto had become unreliable and I really had no other choice. It was black, and I vowed to never again own a black vehicle. It was a pretty cool little car, and it ran great but I was never really happy with it. I would only keep it for 3 of the 4 years of the car loan when I found my next fixation.

1987 Pontiac Fiero. It was burgundy red, and my first car with air conditioning. The basic coupe model, it cost $8,229 brand new. The master plan was to keep it for a while and move up to the GT model later. They stopped making them in 1988, so the plan backfired on me rather quickly. I put 127,000 miles on this one before I started to have doubts about its reliability and functionality. Repairs were costly, since the engine had to be removed to replace anything major. The oil pump failed and the timing chain broke, which each cost $500 to repair.
I remember being told “You’re going to have to replace the clutch.” What I found was that the clutch was hydraulic and required attention to its fluid level. I never had to have it replaced.
Two seats is generally one too many for me, but the lack of trunk space started to wear on me, so my next car was more practical and more colorful.

1994 Ford Escort GT. It was back to the GT and another car payment. This was the first car I ever ordered from the dealer, with all the options I wanted. It was necessary, since there weren’t a lot of them around. My biggest mistake with this one was the choice of color. I remember reading an article that said magenta was going to be the next hot car color. Ford called it iris, and I chose it over hunter green. What I didn’t realize was the way people would interpret the color. It was a good car, though. I drove it for 112,000 miles on the original exhaust system. All I ever did to it was routine maintenance, brakes and tires. Eventually, it had to go as I got tired of hearing stupid comments about the color. Plus, I figured I was pressing my luck with the zero-repair deal. My next car would be more neutral.

2005 Ford Focus SE. I bought this on President’s Day in 2005. I’m still driving it, and I’m fairly happy with it. It’s a PZEV [Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle]. I wanted a hybrid but couldn’t afford one, so this will have to do. It doesn’t get the gas mileage I would like, but it has been trouble free for over 2 years, so I really can’t complain. I’ll be putting new tires on it soon, which will be the first major expense, but that’s to be expected.

There ya go. Six cars in 31 years. The auto makers would be in worse shape than they already are if they had to depend on people like me (or FS5) to earn any money. Hey, a good car should last 100,000 miles – at least. Take care of your car and it will take care of you. The thing you quickly see that they have in common is that they are all "compact" size and generally fuel efficient. I think, even if I could afford something more, I would choose small and efficient. So, in answer to FS5's question to show us the car of your dreams...

Toyota Prius. Seriously. I'm a simple guy. I don't need 0 to 60 in 3 seconds or form over substance. I just need reliable transportation and I don't like to waste things - like expensive gasoline - regardless of whether or not money is a factor. They're still a bit pricey for me. The Focus is the most expensive car I have ever bought, and even that payment is a drain right now. Maybe by the time I'm buying my next car I'll be driving one of these?