What do you remember about your first car? Did it make funny noises? Or slip and slide in the snow? Did you give it a name or dress it up?
We want to hear all about your pride and joy — or your badge of embarrassment. Tell us about your first car!
What we're hearing
Carolyn King in Grand Rapids bought her first car, a 1966 Dodge Dart convertible, in June 1974.
"It had 92,000 miles on it. I'm still driving it every summer day in Grand Rapids and it now has 315,800 miles on its slant 6 engine. Love my Dart!!!"
Vincent in Indiana's first car was a 1964 MGB, bought in 1985 — but it hadn't run since 1973.
"I brought it back to life and painted it with 13, 99-cent cans of red paint. The paint faded to orange by 1986. So I painted it yellow. It had those center lock wire wheels and two carburetors. I thought it was slightly less exotic than a Ferrari.
"The convertible top was rotten so it rarely was up. I got my first and only speeding ticket. I've owned a Miata and RX7, but that MGB was the best. We parted ways in 1992 after I married and matured driving a Volvo I bought for $400 as my first second car as a newlywed."
Maren and Peder in Grand Rapids wrote, "Our first car was pretty unique — a 1976 wedding gift from my dad who had a hobby doing auto repairs. A 1967 Camaro that had a scrunched front end, so he installed a Firebird front and painted it bright yellow! Looked pretty snazzy with our hunting sport boat on top!"
Our staff had some pretty great stories, too.
Development Director Chris Walker had a cream-colored 1989 Honda Civic.
"If it was ever raining when I had to drive to school, I needed to find an alternative mode of transportation because that car would never start in the rain," he said.
"One time at soccer practice my teammates lifted up the whole back end of it because it was such a light car. When they let go and the car landed on its rear tires, a big rusted piece of metal fell from the bottom of the car. To this day, I still have no idea what that piece was, but the car still ran afterward, so I never worried about it!"
CEO/General Manager Sarah Bignall said, "My first car was a 1980 Grand Prix. It was a giant land boat and was this awful shade of brown. I assure you there was nothing sporty about the car. It was rear-wheel drive and handled terribly in the winter. The doors were so big that the front seat really didn't fold forward for people to get in the back."
Development Associate Peggy Stevens had a 1964 powder blue Chevy Impala.
"It ran like a charm. A couple times in the heat of the summer, it would overheat so I always carried water with me," she said. "One time in the cold of the winter the passenger door froze up and wouldn't shut. I tied it shut and drove from Bemidji to Staples."
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