saturday evening route 66 classic diner in canyon country...a great venue for car shows...very kewl old school vibe....couldn't get the trophy for best foreign car....a VW THING got that one...go figure...had to settle for "best paint"...a 1st for me...but a 'W" is a "W" ...AND a selfie squeeze from the trophy girl....life is good 
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Way to represent and congratulations, especially for the squeeze from the trophy girl!
Who’s squeezin who? 👹
@Troy Sloan thanx troy....the car show thing was not in my mind when i got this car....it was just something i've always wanted since a kid...i have surfed.. had harleys... raced dirt bikes and the "look at me" factor was not in my nature....i just liked to ride...i get more enjoyment watching other people enjoy my shiny toy than standing there talking about it.....people seem to like these specific bathtub cars...just a pleasing shape to the human eye....and people aren't much different than trout in that respect...very difficult for some to resist a shiny object 
Somebody on here quotes....."We've come this far, lets not ruin it by thinking !"...Bruce
@aircooled posted:Somebody on here quotes....."We've come this far, lets not ruin it by thinking !"...Bruce
The world's greatest TV weatherman.
the next day...on little sleep...attended the simi valley cops & cruisers show on a patriotic 9-11...as shown by a great RED WHITE & BLUE family...and another favorite... car guy buddy's early 60's VOLVO...a car worthy of being in a museum in sweden...a true time capsule....one of the best you will ever see....he's beaten my car twice for best foreign car...and well deserved...
not sure since i'm not a VOLVO guy... perhaps the boys can I.D. the name or model
That's a P1800, a very cool car and one of only a handful of sports cars I know of with fins.
For any P1800 fans out there, this has got to be the most famous one.
My P1800 story: In my first job out of school, my co-workers and I had to drive out to various areas of the state and organize planning meetings. I was assigned to a partner named Dave.
Dave owned a bright orange P1800ES (wagon) that we took on most of our trips since he wanted the mileage reimbursement (research associates don't get paid squat).
It was a Very Cool Car and unlike any Volvo I had encountered to that point. 
Dave was a loud, smart, unkempt guy with no attention to detail. I guess we balanced each other out. He was also a paper horder. I picked him up at his place once and truly had to walk through chest high stacks of books and papers to get through the house. Definitely not normal on the paper scale.
As our travels in the 4 country region progressed, Dave's car got more and more filled up with brochures that he'd picked up from the places we visited and with copies of the documents we were handing out in preparation for the planning meeting. By the 3 week mark, I was having to toss things behind me just to get into the P1800 passenger seat.
One day, I had to head in a different direction at the end of the day, so I took my Vega GT Kammback (with the equal length headers, loud muffler and re-jetted 2 stage Carter 2 barrel).
Mid-afternoon we headed back up US-501 towards Chapel Hill. There was a full stop where 501 met the 55 mph US-1 four lane. I was ahead, stopped and crossed to the spot between the lanes and was waiting to turn left.
As I was waiting, I watched in my rear view mirror as Dave in his P1800ES blew through the stop sign and got t-boned by an old Ford Galaxy barreling down US-1.
The impression I got was that there had been a paper explosion. Swirls of paper obscured the view for a second and then Dave's car emerged and ran into the ditch between the 4 lanes.
I ran back and found Dave tightly wedged in, covered in paper and totally incoherent. He wasn't hurt much at all because, Volvo.
A few days later I dropped by the gas station that had towed the P1800 and the owner walked out with me to see it. He had one of those chewed off cigars in the corner of his mouth. I commented that it seemed amazing that Dave lived and the gas station guy said "Yup, I think that boy used that fancy car all up."
So, I really liked the P1800s, but never had a craving for one for some reason.
P1800 were nice cars for looks a bit of a soft kind of car IMO or a near sports car for others.
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For any P1800 fans out there, this has got to be the most expensive one:
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Local NJ Porsche dealer had a used '71 1800ES. It was a dark turquois blue with beige interior - but the paint was strangely mottled (like acid rain damage). Instead, I bought a new '72 914. The Volvo seemed too old for a young guy like me!
The rear was interesting -
@Sacto Mitch posted:.
For any P1800 fans out there, this has got to be the most expensive one:
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Thanks, Mitch. I could get excited about that P1800. Talk about having a plan and attention to detail!
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@Michael Pickett posted:....I could get excited about that P1800. Talk about having a plan and attention to detail!
It's amazing what you can accomplish with an unlimited budget. I looked it up. Emory money.
These guys are pros. I think it looks better than the original. The CF panels are all new shapes — just 'inspired' by the original. I guess parking lot dings could be pricey to fix, though.
2000 pounds and 400 hp. Sounds sufficient.
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@Sacto Mitch posted:.It's amazing what you can accomplish with an unlimited budget. I looked it up. Emory money.
These guys are pros. I think it looks better than the original. The CF panels are all new shapes — just 'inspired' by the original. I guess parking lot dings could be pricey to fix, though.
2000 pounds and 400 hp. Sounds sufficient.
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I agree 100%, Mitch. It would never happen on my budget, but I'm glad someone decided to do it.
Owned a '70 145 wagon for several years. Got a little in to the Volvo thing during that time. Two liter? 2.5? can't remember. had a slush bucket trans and had a lot of trouble getting out of its own way. Good family transport though, and just the right car for oldest when he turned 16. Got his lic in the AM of that day, had his first accident in it by 4:00 pm. A wet spot on a curve after a thunderstorm. Anyway, nobody hurt, he slid sideways into a curb and blew both tires. He is over 50 now, and has never had another accident since. Cause-effect?? maybe. I know he really hated to make that call to me about what happened.
That B20B engine ate a cam lobe, and I did rebuild it. Oh, this is a P1800 thread? I know there was a lot of whoo-ha about that car back in the day, but I never warmed up to it. Many toyed with it for SCCA racing and had a lot fun, I 'spose.
My automotive progression went Austin-VW-Volvo-BMW-Porsche. I owned three Volvos, 2 ‘74 145’s and a pristine ‘72 164 w/OD. I loved my Volvos, they were surprisingly capable off road, like old VWs I camped all over Southern Utah in mine
B20 was a 2.0L four and B30 in the 164 was a 3.0L 6. (The middle number in Volvo parlance of the time was number of cylinders, the last number, doors.)
My 1800es story: In Denver, I worked a lot with a lighting guy that worked for the lighting company that did a lot of shows sound companies I worked for, later as the LD of The Colorado Ballet that performed in one of the theaters where I worked.
He drove a well- worn 142 for a long time, until his wife who worked for AT&T got a promotion to a National VP. She gave him a beautiful, fully restored Maroon/maroon 1800es for his 40th birthday, they same color scheme as my favorite 145.
Now there is thread post worthy of one all by itself. "What's your car progression?" Let's see if I can recall:
Porsche-Ford-Honda-Chysler-Ford-Volvo-Audi-Audi-Mitsubishi-Mazda-Honda-Speedster
'56 356A 1600 Normal, '67 289 Mustang, '70 (?) Accord hatchback (Gen 1) , '66 totally whipped station wagon, bought and sold for $100, '84 F150, '70 145, '80-something A4 (?) x 2, , '?? Galant, '00 6, '18 Accord Sport (Gen 10), and of course plus the '06 JPS 2332. Probably not accurately remembered all.
If @Alan Merklin sees this, he can skip all his flips and just go with ones he actually owned and drove for a while. There is not enough room for all the others . . .
@El Frazoo posted:If @Alan Merklin sees this, he can skip all his flips and just go with ones he actually owned and drove for a while. There is not enough room for all the others . . .
Decades ago, my friend and I sat having a few beers counting up the cars I drove since i was 16 and somewhere into my early 40's that total was well over 56 cars back then :~)
Here's 30 from 1967 until around 1982.
1957 Chevy w/ '63 SS interior $235. 1959 Ford Fairlane ( free) 1953 Chevy $22.00 and a pack of Wrigley's Gum from a School Crossing Guard. 1962 Falcon aka " The Foul Coon" ( Free) 1957 Chevy rag top w/ 1/4 panel stoved in, traded to the Foul Coon even up. 1958 Olds 88 ( Free from neighbor). 1959 Ford $100. 1961 Pontic Catalina $200). 1962 Pontiac Catalina $ 175. 1963 Chevy SS Impala $800 (first car loan) 1964 Pontiac Catalina rag top $450 ( couldn't afford the SS's Car Loan) 1965 Pontiac $ 1200 / 2nd try at paying a loan - had a real job) 389 w/ Catalina factory Hurst shifter) 1959 TR-3 Triumph $250 and the Lucas Gods were ever present) 1962 Ford van ( "lodging" was expensive) '62' '63 '70 & 71 VW's. 1965 Ford sedan $500 (a genuine pos) 1968 Impala $200 needed a trans) 1970 Corolla $350 (pos # 2) 1971 Chevy pick up $ 200 the rotted camper shell blew off sliding to a halt in the right lane of RT 80 on the way home) 1962 Rambler Rebel ( 3rd certified pos) 1963 Rambler wagon 327 C.I. a sleeper !) 1976 Chevy C10 $1,200. 1972 Vega GT $1,200, 1973 Vega wagon $459 ( 1st "2nd car for family" :~) 1971 Chevy Vega ( for punishment) Large memory gap here ....Then '1981 Plymouth Champ $700. 1982 Dodge Colt $100 stuffed a motor in it. (First resale car :~) and the list goes on and on .......
Projects:
Replica Speedsters 59 ( 1 is waiting in storage)
Spyder 2
Jag SS 100 1
Custom pick up's 5
Bradley's 4
Azetc 1
Kelmark 2
Gazelle's 4
MGTD's 7
Marlene 1
Model A O' Shay 1
T' Bucket's 3
Tri-Muter ( Electric) 1
B Model Mack pick up 1
Ok I will never get to your number Alan but I am at 54 vehicles including 2 motorcycles 
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42, I think.
@IaM-Ray posted:Ok I will never get to your number Alan but I am at 54 vehicles including 2 motorcycles
Oh hell I left all my bikes off the list :~)
I went the 'American car route first....having numerous Chevy's. The went for a firebird. After the firebird, I came across a 944 s2. I always loved the 944's in the 80s. What I never factored was that they may have been the affordable Porsche, but still were a Porsche. A new clutch was a significant job. Which was followed by a new transmission. Both of these repairs carried significant costs. I sold the Porsche and bought a new 6-speed manual Mercedes. Then jumped back into a new chevy, which was the worst decision ever. I never had a vehicle with so many issues, and it was brand new. The prompted me back into the European cars, a number of BMW's, and a number of Mercedes....including a '69 mercedes.
87 mercury cougar XR7, 88 Chevy S-10, 88 Chevy Celebrity, 92 Cavalier Z24, 97 Pontiac Firebird conv., 91 Porsche 944S2, 2006 Mercedes C230 Sport, (a number of Vespas in between here), Smart 4two (I debated including this), 2010 Chevy Equinox LTZ, 1969 Mercedes 280SE, 2006 BMW Z4, 2010 Mercedes E350, 2008 BMW 128i conv., 2013 VS Speedster, 2013 Mercedes E350 4matic
I'm an amateur compared to you guys, but here goes:
As you can see, starting in '88 I have tended to keep my cars a while.
@Lane Anderson how do you like the128i.
@Alan Merklin posted:Decades ago, my friend and I sat having a few beers counting up the cars I drove since i was 16 and somewhere into my early 40's that total was well over 56 cars back then :~)
Here's 30 from 1967 until around 1982.
1959 TR-3 Triumph $250
I'm 82, so I've obviously owned a few cars over the years, but nothing like the number that Alan has owned. Thus, I have no intention of even attempting to make any comparison. However... I believe I do have something that favorably competes with his $250 TR-3 purchase. I don't remember when I bought my 1960 TR-3 but it was sometime back in the late 60's. I bought it with a partner because we couldn't afford the cost on our own. After we put a motor in (Yeah, it didn't happen to come with one!) and we drove it for awhile I decided I didn't want a partner any more. (That wasn't as greedy and unappreciative as it sounds because he was in total agreement and already had his own TR-2 anyway.) So, I managed to come up with 100 bucks and bought him out. That's how I came to tell my wife I owned the car for a total of $200, which in fact I did, conveniently omitting how much I put into it thereafter. But we all do that, don't we?
@calmotion posted:@Lane Anderson how do you like the128i.
My favorite car of them all, to be honest. It’s a great commuter car and a lot of fun on the track. Only one significant issue (albeit an expensive one) in 11 years. Relatively easy to work on and despite how small the trunk looks I can fit a bicycle in it.
Believe it or not I would have a hard time listing all the toy vehicles I have owned over the last 47 years. The first being a 69 428 Mach 1 in 1975, and I have had an average of 4 cars per year since I would guess making the number 188 or so give or take a few. It has been a whole lot of fun. What do I have currently? 1984 Magnum 246 Dino'ish replica waiting to have Special Edition convert it to Suby power, 2005 Lotus Elise, 2005 Crossfire SRT6 and a GT40 replica that is shipping to the new owner next week. I have always been attracted to what I call "Bastard" cars or unique cars if you will. Never wanting the norm, I would guess. I had a VW love throughout, Corvair affair for about 10 years, Porsche and other interesting cars with other than original engines powering them. I remember a very nice 1984 Datsun 260Z with a Scarab Chevy 350 V8 conversion. I thought about this a while back and really might not be able to remember all of the cars easily. Am I fickle, no, do I like variety, yes! would I have kept them all if I could most, but the upkeep if you ever owned a car collection is immense. Cars seem to fall apart if left sitting even in the best conditions. The one my dad always says he wishes I never sold, a 71 VW Super beetle/C4 Corvette combo. The car was one a three built by a talented builder on the west coast that drove like it was factory built. There are a few online articles about the car that appeared after I sold it. Here is one Check Out This C4 Corvette Masked as a VW Beetle - CorvetteForum
I am humbled by the amount of cars you guys have had ! Jeez.....If I had as many, I probably would have had as many divorces as well ! Either way I've had a lot. Probably, if I would have had less divorces I would have had more money for more cars ! Somehow it seems to go away some way for something. No regrets though, it's bee a wonderful "ride", so far ! ..............Bruce
I only listed what I call " toy Cars" in the post above. I have 3 other vehicles currently that I don't consider Toy Cars, 2010 Mercedes 300C, 2009 King Ranch Pickup, 2009 Lexus 450H and a 24' enclosed car hauler. The insurance companies love me LOL.. An interesting fact, at 61 years old I have never bought or owned a new vehicle, I grew up with a dad that was a service manager for a Chevy dealership, and he told me not to buy new, to buy a couple years old if I wanted a newer vehicle and save the drive off the lot loss of value that most new cars experience.
Me thinks you are a dealer Jimmy
My car list so far:
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Is there a prize for shortest list?
Alright then, how about most boring?
Eleven cars in 54 years. All were bought new (except the 2002 and Miata, which were under two years old at purchase). Does this mean that buying new is cheaper in the long run or just that I have a limited imagination? Have never owned a car with an automatic, more than four cylinders, or more than 150 hp.
- 1968 BMW 1600
- 1971 BMW 1600
- 1976 BMW 2002 (23 years)
- 1988 Honda Accord (17 years)
- 1993 Miata (15 years)
- 1998 Acura Integra (10 years)
- 2007 Toyota Matrix
- 2009 Scion xD (10 years)
- 2009 MINI Cooper (current)
- 2013 Vintage Speedster (current)
- 2020 Subaru Impreza (current)
I probably get this from my dad, who owned exactly two cars during his entire lifetime. He was born in 1904 and spent his entire life in the same city - Philadelphia. He was severely impacted by the Depression and remained, well, frugal for the rest of his life.
Despite becoming a dentist in 1932, he rode the bus to his office for 20 years, until (at the age of 48) he finally took the risk of buying his first car - a 1952 Buick. When most middle-class families were trading cars every three or four years, he kept that Buick for ten, and eventually traded it for a new Corvair in 1962. Not the expensive 'Monza' model, mind you, but the supremely more practical 700, with four doors, Powerglide, and cloth bench seats fore and aft.
Maybe it's not too surprising that 427 Stingrays, Carerra GT's, and Boss 302's would not play a significant role in my life.
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Save your money I have a family member who has driven many cars ten years plus and 500K KM.
Depression thought people to spend less than they made, he learned that the most important thing was drilling, filling and mostly billing. just kidding
I'm on truck number 17 in 25 years of business. 18 and 19 are on order. 5 of them have been totaled. All but 3 of them have been vans of one size or another - 2 of the 3 have been Ford Ranger 2wd 5-speeds. The outlier is my present weaponized 2018 F150, which I set up as closely to a 250 as I could make it (load range E tires, airbags in the rear, etc.). If trucks weren't just stupid right now, I'd be rolling a Ram 3500 4wd Cummins - the ultimate tow rig, IMHO.
Vehicles serve a purpose, and the toughest thing is figuring out what you really need. If one vehicle can do two things, then it's an extreme winner - but lots and lots of people haul around 2x as much as they need for the 2 times/year when they actually use the capability. Most of us would be better off with 2 (or 5 or 7) vehicles we held onto, rather than one attempt at a swiss army knife we expect to trade like a fashion statement. No one car can do it all - a modern minivan comes close, but it'll never be a sportscar or a pickup truck.
Buy what works. Fashion is for high-school girls.
Well Mitch, if we’re playing a game of High-Low split, then I too will declare low. I can out bore you as well.
1967 Chevy Nova SS, L6/Powerglide. Bought in 1982 for $750. It had 112,000 on the clock. Sold in late 2003 for $3,000. Had a 350/Muncie then.
1976 Impala Wagon. Bought 1985 for $500. Drove it a year. Pulled the engine for the Nova & scrapped for $100.
1978 Honda Civic 1200. 1986, $50. Sold $1989 for $150.
1980 Accord, bought 1989 for $1200. Drove through 1995; scrapped with about 180k miles.
1984 Plymouth Reliant. 1995; $1000. Sold in 1998 for $800.
1991 Pontiac Sunbird convertible. 3.1 V6/auto. First car with air. Paid $5500 in 1998, borrowed money to do it. Sold it in 2006 for $3000 with 160,000 miles.
2002 Nissan Frontier, 2.4l 4/auto. Paid $8,000? it had ~50k miles. Drove it until it stopped, 2021, with 230,000 miles. Donated.
1980/1969/1952 British Coachworks/VW/MG TD. Paid $3500 for it in 2009. Still have.
Thunder Ranch Spyder Replica bought in pieces 2017. Still have.
2010 Toyota Corolla. Inherited from my wife when we bought her a 2016 Corolla. Currently 196k miles.
