Terrible First Cars

What's up OT? I hope you're all doing well. I'm just wondering if any of you have gotten some shaky and terrible cars as your "cherry poppers".

I don't personally drive, so I guess I have the worst car of all (myself), but I'd love to hear your stories :D

my first car i got in january. a 99 subaru legacy. 156,000 miles. $3900. i just got new tires, and it still needs $1100 in repairs :( . Other than that I haven't had problems, but i most likely will not have it by the end of next year.

my first car was a 69 bug.paid 200 for it.my 2nd was a 80 datsun 280z,then an 86 300z.2 camaros afterwards.after highschool i was mainly into muscle cars.after the military i became interested in 1930s-50s mostly although i still dabble into late model.

I got a '99 Ford Taurus as my first car. The brakes failed on me about a week later at my college campus, and I somehow made the 20 minute drive home in one piece. Also, my A/C didn't work, the belt was perma-loose, and eventually the engine smoked itself to death in a Burger King parking lot.

I recently upgraded to a 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer

I got a '99 Ford Taurus as my first car. The brakes failed on me about a week later at my college campus, and I somehow made the 20 minute drive home in one piece. Also, my A/C didn't work, the belt was perma-loose, and eventually the engine smoked itself to death in a Burger King parking lot.

I recently upgraded to a 2010 Mitsubishi Lancer

ethanpaige

My first car was an 88 Thunderbird. Was a good car for awhile even though it made me feel old since it was my grandfathers old car. I ended up totaling it in a car crash.testfactor888

92 Accord with 100k (~110,000 to be more exact) miles original engine. Needs a new paintjob badly though and tune up, but it runs.

I got a used 01 Mustang...in 01 (slightly used). I'd say I was pretty lucky.

My first car was a Ford Ka, it was by no means terrible... and it never let me down.

I got my 1st car (68 mustang coupe) 2 years ago and me and my dad have been fixing it up ever since. It fails on me every once and a while, but once we get it running again it's just one less thing we have to replace :).

I had a 1993 (I think) Mustang, that I called the Rustang. Obviously it was falling apart, the paint was mostly gone, if you hit a bump the bottom of the car would scrape on the pavement, it would overhead, it steered bad (which was worse in winter with rear wheel steering) and it just sucked. I think my dad later sold it for $100 and the guy used it for spare parts.

1962 VW karmann ghia

It had issues, but the ladies liked it

My first car was a black '98 Grand Prix GT. It's wasn't bad at all, but the electric window motors burned out every 3 months and it made me rage like no other. raven_squad

Sure, she's 90 years old, but she still runs faster than my wheelchair-bound grandmother!

I'm working on trying to get a Mustang. Not sure whether to go new or used though.

2000 Honda Accord coupe V6. 200HP and ran great. It also had features in it that you can only get with expensive cars at the time.

Driver's Ed Car: Geo Metro: What a piece of.... :o

My first and current car. A 2001 Jeep Wrangler 60th Anniversary Edition.

The first car I owned was a 1993 Saturn. I got it for free from a family friend. It very deceptively appeared in good enough condition. Some of its problems were self inflicted, but it came with major issues and others that would pop up randomly. The odometer when I first got the thing was stuck at 175,xxx miles. A/C didn't work. From what I gathered, there was a leak. Didn't bother to deal with it.

Needed a clutch replacement when I first got it. First semi-major mechanical project I ever undertook. I replaced it. In the process of removing an extremely stuck trans fluid drain bolt cap, I popped a piece of the bottom of the transmission casing. It was a pain to fix. In the process of learning how to drive stick, I burned it out in under a thousand miles. Replaced clutch again. The car drove well enough, but I had to replace a motor mount since the car vibrated like no other. Easy fix, had to adjust the lower mount as well. The car a month later started to misfire like no other, but I had just put on new plugs, wires and coils a two months before. All of the wire were securely connected to the proper plugs. I replaced those. Then the transmission began to leak along with the radiator. The differential pin in the transmission had become disconnected and started grinding a hole in the transmission. Also caused a click for every rotation of the driver's side drive axle, which was minorly obnoxious. I removed the transmission for the third freaking time in six months. The leak was located in the flywheel housing. I drilled holes where the ends of the cracks were, and J.B. welded the holes. For a month I put in coolant as needed as the leak wasn't too bad.

I had random electrical issues with it. I had to find a broken wire so the low coolant would go off just to pass inspection. (it wouldn't go off when full due to a broken circuit) I also had to monkey with the reverse light sensor to get the reverse lights to go on when I put it in reverse, also to pass inspection. Then the car would start to electrically shut off while driving. The two times I noticed this, I thought the radio was just acting up. Then I started how the gauges would drop. Didn't matter while the car was moving since it would immediately power back on. Then it stopped at an intersection, and wouldn't start. Pushed it to a parking lot. Started fine, managed to get it home. Replaced the battery, problem solved. (the threads in the battery were stripped as were the connectors themselves, which I also replaced) The location of the leak meant that I'd have to purchase a new radiator. Was going to put a new one in, but the car started misfiring again and then the tranny started leaking again. It needed to be replaced.

By this point, I was more than P.O.d with the vehicle. That I got $250 for it makes me feel guilty, and I haven't described even close to all of the problems with it. For the absolute piece of **** that it was, I do kinda miss it. Sorry for the rant.

Saturns are good cars. The original mills used timing chains. They just have fickle problems with air flow meters and throttle position sensors. Most usually have intake gasket leaks that develop over time, too.

My first car was/ is a 1968 Dodge Charger.

The reason it was a terrible first car was that by the time I had enough money to buy it with my worthless job, I was on my last year of high school.

And that's not even the real reason why it was terrible. The real reason it was a terrible first car, is because I didn't have my driver's license and worked on cars all of the time. My mother wouldn't take me. She drove my car while I was fixing hers and got into an accident in it. I drove it around the block in our neighborhood once. I don't know if I put an entire mile on it, myself.

I've taken the damaged parts and replaced them. It now sits dormant in the garage, awaiting restoration. So the second I can move away from restoring cars for a living and do my own, I'll have a nice car.

[QUOTE="raven_squad"]My first car was a black '98 Grand Prix GT. It's wasn't bad at all, but the electric window motors burned out every 3 months and it made me rage like no other. rawsavon

Saturns are good cars. The original mills used timing chains. They just have fickle problems with air flow meters and throttle position sensors. Most usually have intake gasket leaks that develop over time, too.

Dave_Bonds

I agree. This one just happened to be old enough to have developed about every little problem in the book. Had an intake gasket leak as well. Replaced other sensors in the car as well. (the ECTS is a notable one in this car)

The '94 vehicle of the same model which my family owns is one of the most bulletproof reliable vehicles we've owned, and why I initially wanted the car.

I had a '93 Plymouth Duster which really was a nice package deal since it came with a wooden pole to prop the trunk open. It never had that new car smell, since exhaust fumes always seemed to be leaking into the cab. At least I'd be nice and giddy by the time I got to school :P

Saturns are an inconsistant bunch.

A friend that left town, left hers with us while she's out with her boyfriend on a euro trip. It has an intake gasket leak, which is causing a misfire on one cylinder at high vacuum (idle). Other than that, it's been great, I guess.

My friend's dad bought two. The first one did fine, the second one had more transmission problems than he cared to fix, more than twice and the third one seems to be holding up fine.

I'll never buy one, but that's because I restore old cars for a living and I would much rather put the money into a classic driver. $10k in a new car isn't nearly as cool as $10k in a budget built classic, if you're keen on mechanical work and cosmetic upkeep.

If I ever buy a "new" car, it will be a Nissan or Toyota.

I'm working on a '72 Datsun 240Z for my driver, right now and I'm driving an '86 Toyota pickup 2wd to work every day.

Saturns are an inconsistant bunch.

A friend that left town, left hers with us while she's out with her boyfriend on a euro trip. It has an intake gasket leak, which is causing a misfire on one cylinder at high vacuum (idle). Other than that, it's been great, I guess.

My friend's dad bought two. The first one did fine, the second one had more transmission problems than he cared to fix, more than twice and the third one seems to be holding up fine.

I'll never buy one, but that's because I restore old cars for a living and I would much rather put the money into a classic driver. $10k in a new car isn't nearly as cool as $10k in a budget built classic, if you're keen on mechanical work and cosmetic upkeep.

If I ever buy a "new" car, it will be a Nissan or Toyota.

I'm working on a '72 Datsun 240Z for my driver, right now and I'm driving an '86 Toyota pickup 2wd to work every day.

Dave_Bonds

I'm actually considering buying another Saturn of the same series from the early 00s with 75k or so miles when I have the spare pennies. Under the hood, they're the same cars. By and large, they're fairly good. I just happen to get really, really unlucky with that one. (along with a few newbie DIYer self inflicted problems) Also looking at V6 Ford Rangers and various other vehicles though.

I would love to do what you do for a living. Is it as enjoyable as it sounds?

If I get a new car, it'll be a very fast one. The Corvette C6 ZR1 is one that I would pick up in a heartbeat were I a hundred grand richer. (and a bit more careless with money)

I started with a volvo c30 t5 2009 , don't mention Edward or twilight please. :lol:

I'll change next year for a camaro 2ss rs and customize it or an used x6, or a 2008 m3 if I'm lucky enough to find one, I'm still deciding.

I got my first car this year a nissan sentra its nice.

I don't have a driving licence yet but when I will I'm going to try to buy a volkswagen golf 4.kweeni