The first cars I drove were:
Grandfather George’s 1948 Ford F3 pickup, 3 on floor, started driving in Nebraska at 13.
Uncle Con’s 1975 Chevy pickup with 350 V8. I started experimenting with driving sideways on gravel roads.
I convinced Claude Jr. to buy a 1973 Mercedes 220. It was a good car but sadly I got drunk and rolled it in 1977.
Claude Jr bought Steve a new 1977 Chevy Impala coupe with 140hp 305 V8, very nice of him. I had it until 1987, putting in 3 turbo 200 transmissions (about $300 each rebuilt). I got a paint job from silver to battleship grey at MAACO for $275 in Okla City. A very good car, about 17 mpg.
1968 Chevy 3/4 ton pickup bought in Cape Girardeau for $400 and paid $200 too much. Burned oil and left huge smoke clouds. Sold to a friend’s brother in Illinois, and the steering column broke and he had a bad accident with another car.
1979 Dodge Omni – 4 speed with Volkswagen 1.7L engine. Ran great but the water pump ran dry on a trip to Cape from Okla City and it was never the same.
1984 Ford Tempo – bought new white 4 door. Looked great 7 years later. Would vapor lock the carburetor in hot weather. Not much power. Sold to a college student who trashed it in a year.
1981 Toyota Corolla – bought at Mt. Sterling auction for $900, didn’t see all the rust, drove for a year, and sold for $550. A commuter car.
1981 Ford Escort – bought at Frankfort auto auction. Another forgettable commuter car.
1983 Olds Cutlass cruiser Diesel station wagon – bought at Mt Sterling auto auction for $1,400. Injection pump died after I foolishly put kerosene in the gas tank. Put 1971 Olds 350 gas motor in and did burnouts in the neighborhood with kids in the back. The Turbo 200 transmission gave out on a trip to Marni’s in Seguin, TX from Lexington. Replaced with a nice Turbo 350 which held up fine.
1988 Ford Escort Pony 2 door – bought new, was going to be Pam’s car but I ended up driving it.
1990 Cutlass Ciera sedan 3.3L V6. A gift from Claude. An ugly car but good power and 30mpg highway.
1992 Eagle Talon – bought used in 1993, was fun to drive with 2L 135hp and 5 speed. It had low profile tires and cornered great. Was given to Eric, then sold to Robbie when the transmission was going. He drove it back from NC in 3rd gear and was hit hard from behind, thankfully he was uninjured.
1999 Mazda Miata – bought used in 2003, sold in 2010. Extremely fun to drive sideways. Taught friend Chuck to drive fast in the rain on Kentucky country roads. Sold in Virginia.
1999 Volkswagen Passat – 1.8L turbo 5 speed. Very comfortable. dependable and 35mpg on the highway. Had until 2010.
The same cars at 1030 Elk Drive Christiansburg, VA after 26″ blizzard in December 2009
2010 Ford Mustang 4.0L V6 – was fun to drive but ponderous compared to the Miata. The prettiest car I’ve owned. Sold after 5 years in near perfect condition to CarMax.
2005 Ford Escape – bought used in 2010 for $7,000. Sold to North Broadway Auto Sales 8/2021 for $600, as it had a broken ABS tone ring and the suspension mount to the body was rotting away in the right rear.
2016 Mazda 3 – bought new, 6 speed manual
2021 Nissan Rogue – bought new, vehicles were in very short supply due to semiconductor shortages.
