My mother can only remember having a Pinto as her first car. It was a gift to her. She can’t remember the year or if it was even a wagon or hatchback.
My dad’s first car was a 1955 Chevrolet 150 4 door, which I can’t find an image of because boomers hate 4 doors. 3 speed on the column with a straight six.
My mom’s second car was a 1979 Grand Prix with an anemic 301 which eventually browned itself. Was replaced with a junkyard 350(?) that was already worn out and still outlived and outworked the original 301. My uncle guaranteed the junkyard motor from to the end of the driveway, it was so worn out.
My dad in the late 80s purchased a 1983 Mercury Cougar with a 302. CFI car, unfortunately. He converted it to 5 lugs and put Cragar Quick Trick wheels on it. Looked beautiful but wouldn’t spin a tire on wet pavement.
My parents got rid of both and got an Aerostar which developed a bottom end knock for no reason. They traded it quickly for a 1990-1992 Ford Escort wagon. Absurdly reliable. They also bought a 1983 Oldsmobile Cutlass V6 around this time. It was later sold and my mother purchased an early 80s Grand Prix which was totaled in an accident.
My folks moved in the mid 90s and then had a 1985-1987 Buick Regal with a 307. That lasted a couple years until they bought a 1997 Dodge Intrepid. In typical Mopar fashion, the transmission died the month after they paid it off. However, I have vivid memories of this car. It was massive and roomy, especially as a child. When I was born, I was brought home from the hospital in this car.
Around the same time, my dad owned a base 1978 Dodge D150 with a 3 speed manual and a slant six. Simply used it as a commuter. My mom made him sell it because it was ugly… Yep.
The Intrepid barely limped itself around until 2008 when my parents purchased the first new vehicle they ever owned, a 2008 Dodge Ram, 2WD Big Horn with a 4.7 but the weird 4 speed auto that nobody asked for. Due to financial woes, we traded it for a 2012 Dodge Caliber that was surprisingly safe and reliable. It may have been horrendous in everything else, but it WAS reliable.
One major life event later, and my dad purchased a 2011 Ram 1500 SLT 4WD with a 4.7. Still has it today. Engine has only ever had a tune up after 250k miles. It doesn’t burn oil or anything. Stupidly good truck. My mother purchased a new 2018 Jeep Compass a few years later. It sucked, but it reliably sucked… or sucked reliably. It was a turd but it never needed anything after 70k miles.
My mother finally got away from Mopar and bought a 2022 or 2023 Toyota RAV4 LE, but the interior space, build quality, and somewhat anemic engine got her to trade it for a 2024 Highlander LE AWD. This is arguably the nicest car she’s ever owned, and despite it theoretically being a crossover… it is somewhat fun to drive at times.
This was my TED Talk. Have a brown day!
by throwaway_1440_420