Inspired by Zoidberg I decided to post my own auto timeline. Enjoy. Also yes, I’ve heard every joke in the book about the first one so nothing you say is going to bring anything new to the table. What can I say, there is a recurring theme of me not having money and taking what I can get.
Ok so first up. 2011 and I have scraped up enough money to to buy a car, maybe. I hunt and hunt and hunt on craigslist, looking for something interesting in my price range of $700 dollars lol yeah right. I found a Volvo S70 Turbo for $900 but my dad told me the insurance was too much for him to pay along with loaning me the extra money and that I didn’t need a turbo. One day my dad comes home and tells me he found a car that will work for me. At this point I had a week till classes started and had little choice. Enter.....
1st car: 1996 Ford Aerostar Cargo (2011-2012?)
This car had belonged to a power company and a painting company. It was a horrendous mess on the interior. Took a lot of cleaning but surprisingly it clean up well after I stripped everything down to the metal in the cargo hold. I removed all the caging and shelving units and cleaned it up best I could inspect of the poorly repaired roof rack holes. I loved and hated this car at the same time. It was imminently practical, the most purely utilitarian vehicle I’ve ever owned and pretty amazing at hauling things. I also enjoy the simplistic styling. What I didn’t like the stigma. I was so embarrassed of this thing that I would park in the farthest parking lot on campus and walk all the way to class in any weather to avoid parking near anyone who might recognize me. The teasing was relentless once people did find out and the car was subject to at least one horrible prank. All in all I look back fondly on “Fred the Tank” as it came to be called (among other things which I can’t repeat here). This car started my love of white cars and an appreciation for the V6 engine. I ended up killing this by blowing the head gasket and ruining the engine. It lead a hard life but died harder stubborn to the end it was full on dead but actually started to drive it off the trailer into the scrap yard.
2nd car: 1997 Nissan Maxima GLE (2012-2016)
After the Ford died I needed a car ASAP but only had about $1000 dollars to spend on a vehicle. Again I scour the area for a good car, hoping for something with more power and better fuel economy. I also didn’t want a minivan ever again. Again a friend of my Dad comes through and says he’ll sell me his wife old maxima for $700 dollars. I wasn’t too keen on it because my dad relayed the message as it being an Altima. Having eagerly looked up what the Altima was, I disappointedly resigned myself to another boring plain Jane car. I still held out hope that once I got there I could find a reason not to buy it. We drove over to the friends house, its raining and dark and we walk in to the old garage. He turn on the lights and I immediately realized that this was not at all what I expected. The exterior design instantly struck me as refined with a certain distinctive air. Then I opened the door and sat in the drivers seat. I was awestruck. Black leather was everywhere along with dark wood accents. I thought that this must be a luxury car, and compared to any other of the family vehicles up to this point, it was. Anyways without winding on a long time I fell in love and bought it one the spot.
3rd car: 2006 Mazda 6 V6 Sedan (2016-2016, 11 days!)
The Maxima was getting old, with over 325,000 miles on the clock it was getting to be a hassle to repair. I decided that since I had a good job and I had the luxury of time I would start looking for a replacement for the Maxima before it broke and this time I would buy something that I really wanted. What I really wanted was a low miles, no rust Maxima but you have better chance of winning the lottery. Instead I found this lovely baby. I drove 2 hours to test drive it and fell in love. Go kart handling, rocket like acceleration, stellar good looks and the most comfortable seats I’ve sat in ever. This was going to be the new me. I bought it, brought it home and loved every second of it. The car was perfect for carving back roads lacking only a manual transmission to achieve my dream of automotive perfection. I enjoyed that car for 11 days. For 11 days that car really lived, for the first time in its existence freed from the chains of the big city and the interstate, the car apexed corners, redlined shifting through the gears, squealing the tires in heart thumping exhilaration. Then one day on lunch break, in town, driving the speed limit I was hit by a city government truck. Narrowly avoiding a head-on collision my vehicle was knocked sidelong into a second vehicle for the impact. It was totaled and I was devastated.
4th car: 2004 Toyota Solara (2016-Present)
So there I was no car. I borrowed my Maxima while I hunted for a new car. I already new the market was scarce for what I wanted, it had taken me long enough to find the Mazda. I even resorted to searching stealership listings (I loath car dealers, sorry but not sorry). I ran down a few dead ends with deals that went nowhere. Luckily I had made a large profit form the Mazda so I actually had even more money to spend on a car. Things weren’t working so I decided I was just going to give up and buy an impala *shudders* of which there were many for very little money. Then my dad noticed a listing for this car at the work bulletin board. Apparently the cars owner was retiring and wanted something to haul the grand kids in. The Stealership had offered and insultingly low price so he was willing to sell it for super cheap as long as he made more than trade in. I met with the owner and was happy to get a decently reliable car in my price range. While its nothing special to right about I do appreciate the ride quality and comfort. While its Camry DNA is prevalent it serves its purpose and for that im grateful. Also it is kinda quick in a straight line, while excellent vehicle stability control and roll management makes it easy to hustle its bulk though corners as well. Not that there is much enjoyment in that as the whole process is rather detached.
5th vehicle: 1970 Honda CB100 SuperSport
Not much to say here. Its a dirt cheap non-running project. Looks pretty though.