Old cars for us Baby Boomers

[RicinYakima]

Not the forum subject, but now that us Baby Boomers are not the biggest generation, and enjoying peoples remembrances of old cars, I thought I would start a thread on cars of our youth. Your favorites or ones you wish you had?

 

[Joshua]

Your friendly neighborhood Generation X whipper snapper here.

In the late eighties and early nineties you could still pick up less desirable early 60’s cars for $1000 to $3000 dollars. We would put surf racks on them and drive up and down the coast looking for waves. They were funky dented up wrecks and we loved them.

I have two regrets regarding these old cars.

1. I didn’t hold onto my Grandma’s 1963 T-bird, that was given to me when she died. When I let it go I was twenty-three, broke, and so was it. It needed a new transmission. I had no where to park it, and my old landlord wanted it off of his property.

2. A year later I had a buddy sell me his 1962 four door Impala. I sold it a few years later because I thought I needed a truck for work.

I wish I had had an old barn to stash these old girls in. But in all honesty it would have been years before I’d have had the means to restore them. It’s probably better that the went down the road.

Josh

 

[Winelover]

Only owned one car in entire my life time. Bought it new, in 1972, still have it. Been driving full sized vans, since 1977.





More current picture, when I worked at the GM Tech Center. GM photographers took this picture when they had one of their annual car shows. One year, we had 750+ classic car entries.

The only other car I would consider owning:

 

[Bret4207]

I had a few I should have kept. Topping the list was my '70 Chevelle SS. The little Sunbeam Alpine I should have kept too. Same for the '72 F250 4WD. The ones I wanted but didn't get? A Dodge Power Wagon, preferably one of the early styled models with power steering, post '60 IIRC. Any of the various Willys CJ's I passed on and any of the Willys Pickups I refused to look at. A Wagoneer too. A Plymouth Super Bird, the '70 Charger I passed on and that '64 Impala SS I also passed on would make the list. Oh, and my Duster, think it was a '76 with the slant 6. Loved that car!

 

[JonB]

When "generations" are mentioned in articles and such, half the time I am considered a Boomer (born in '65) ...and all the other times, I'm included as a Gen Xer. I claim Gen X, as the stereotype fits my personality.

I inherited my Dad's "horse trading" gene, so that means I've owned a lot of cars/trucks/bikes over the years, probably close to fifty. The one I almost bought, but slipped out from my fingers, was my dream car, a 1978 Corvette Indy Pace car ...and I'm not even a fan of racing. Seems all my boomer friends prefer the older body styles and don't think much of the L82 body style with all the flairs, but I love it.

click for larger image.

 

[obssd1958]

Cars I've owned, and wish I still had:
'65 GTO, '66 GTO convertible, '68 GTO, '69 Torino GT, 1974 Gremlin X.
The GTOs and the Torino are kinda self explanatory, but the Gremlin - it had a 304 V8 and 3 speed manual, on the floor. I put a 500 cfm carb on it, Hooker headers, a Hurst sping loaded shifter, and L60-15 meats on Cragar 5-spokes on the back. Once I broke the housing on the original rear end, I replaced it with a 3.73 posi out of an AMX. Got into a lot of trouble with that little car!!

 

[Cadillac Jeff]

probly around 1977 or so , I bought off the back row of a used car lot, a 1966 dodge charger/383 4b. auto---had like 50,000 mi on it!
Man I wish I still had that car---I gave 650 cash for it sold it for the same .
also had a 1964 or 5 barracuda lol gave 175 bucks for it!
My first car was a 1957 chevy<<< 4 dore lol yea did't keep a 4 dore very long Dad bought it for me for 500 buck's --sold for same 500 & bought the 66 dodge charger

Man the car's were so cheep & cool back then..... I could go on & on about the hot rod for where I grew up-----same as you guy's !

wow it was just a difernt time & place weren't it------ we could buy 113 octane right at the pump don;t remember ser sure but for like 45 or 50 cent a gal.

 

[oscarflytyer]

Occasionally these days, I remind my wife how lucky she is that I buy/collect guns, and NOT cars!

I was VERY lucky to grow up in HS years in Charlotte, NC, and had at least 3 buddies who's dad's collected cars. I got to walk through a warehouse of them! And they were all Ford guys!

Some I lusted after were the Sunbeam Tiger (rode in one of those!), the Cobras and GT 40s! Also agree on the old Power Wagons and the like.

If I could only have 2, it would be a 1936 Lincoln Zephyr with a flatthead V-12 and a late '60s Ford Bronco stick and 302. A suitable substitute, and one we owned/I was heartbroken when Dad sold it - a 1962 IHC Scout! Wish I still had my '78 Scout, but it got left in Germany.

 

[oscarflytyer]

Oh yeah - and a Superbird!!!!

 

[Cadillac Jeff]

I remember seeing the wing car's on the street

 

[fiver]

I also claim Gen-X instead of Boomer.
I really don't want to be in the same generation as my parents who are both WW-2 children.

 

[RBHarter]

My first car was a 66 C30 . A former road service truck , not in bad shape a few mismatched parts , 4V 327 , 5.12 rear end , if I drove it really nice 13.5 mpg . Just a work horse .

My highschool car was a 59 Ranchero 352 Tbird 3 on tree no OD . It got 18-23 mpg . I kept it but I just haven't had the time/money/wife conjunction to get it rolling again ........ I have the 56' F100 I came home the first time in too .

I missed boomer by about the same time frame as my Mom and Dad . So I'm an X'r and my folks were the Greatest I guess .....Dad wasn't even a War Baby if you count the invasion of Poland . Their parents were all pre depression ......

My Dad had all the cool rods he had a 35 5 window deluxe , a 40 Packard , a 49 Ford coupe and a several more . The only new car they had was a 64-1/2 Falcon Sprint . When I was little we had a 49 Hudson maybe that's where the low and wide lust comes from . I don't care for the windshield line naked but with the visor it's a whole different look .

Later I had a 69' New Port coupe , 65 F250 4×4 , then I had a string of responsibility cars and nothing even interesting since .....

Wish book ? 72-74 Challenger , and 70-72 Corvette Stingray . Vintage , what road car a 48-51 Hudson would be , visor , skirts , a little more roll control , 327 , 318/360 or 352/390/428 auto OD and A/C added . Black and white limo tint around the back . Mmmmmmm

 

[462]

In order: '56 Plymouth (forgot the model), '61 Oldsmobile 88, '68 MG Midget, '70 1/2 Camaro, '70 GMC 1500 (kept it for 18-years) '71 Datsun 240Z, '71 MG Midget, '74 Datsun 260Z, '95 F-150 (have had it for 25-years), '95 Nissan 200SX (that eventually became our oldest granddaughter's 18th birthday present) and currently my wife's '10 Ford Escape.

The Plymouth and Oldsmobile were high school and pre-Vietnam, so very short-lived. As can be seen, I much prefer foreign sports cars and really miss the ones I've owned. Two cars I'd like to own, but never will, are a Ferrari 250 GTO (the original reason for, and meaning of, the term) ((the last one sold fetched $70-million)), and an original 427 AC Cobra. Though the inclination to do a restoration is mostly lacking, it would be a Bugeye Sprite though a restored one would be acceptable.

Oh, wait, there's the Lamborghini Miura, Ferrari Testa Rosa (the original version), Ferrari 240 Dino, Morgan 3-wheeler, MGA, Lotus 7/Super 7, Datsun 510 station wagon . . .

If my arm were to be twisted till I cried uncle for an American car, I wouldn't be able to think of one and my arm would snap.

 

[JWFilips]

Buick Invicta 1961

My son bought and played with this one for awhile! I swear you could carry a spare Horse in it's trunk!

 

[CZ93X62]

<----Total Boomer, born dead-center in that era (1955).

My first car was a 1953 Ford F-100, all-original and decent shape--flathead V-8 and 3 on the tree. $300 to an old drunk that was circling the drain at a board & care home in San Bernardino. Bought in Aug. 1971, I drove it for four years and sold it for $800 to a guy in Highland who still has it. He finished the restoration I had about 3/4 complete, and still runs it in car shows to this day. I do wish I could have kept it, but back then there was still too much month left at the end of the money.

My best-ever vehicle was my bought-new 1992 Bronco. GREAT! Marie loves Jeeps, and this 2018 Wrangler Unlimited runs a pretty close 2nd place to the Bronco.

 

[JWFilips]

My Son had a 1992 Bronco also but got it in the early 2000's
Come to think of it.......... my son has had more cars then Me my Wife and my Father combined!
That guy goes through cars like he goes through women!

 

[Rockydoc]

I can't member all the cars I have had over the years, but I remember the first new car I had, a 1957 Chevy Bel Aire Convertible. 283 cu in V-8 4 barrel carb, dual exhausts and 3 on the column. It cost $3,100.00 brand new.
Sorry, no pictures.

Here is one I do have a photo of:

 

[popper]

First car I owned, would still like to have it, ~65K$ now, I paid 600$. Left in Ca and sold for 900$. Next one was 1965 Falcon 4dr w/AC. Paid 400$ and traded just before getting married. Mom's 49 ford 4 door or what ever dad had in HS.

 

[462]

Austin-Healy 100-4 -- 100 mph from its 4-cylinder. Its successor, the six-cylinder 3000 is another roadster I'd like to own.

 

[smokeywolf]

First car was a motorcycle; a '70 Honda CB-350. Had motorcycles before that, but all dirt bikes.
First actual car was a '63 Corvair Monza; was a hand-me-down from sister. First car bought on my own was a '70 El Camino, bronze color. Bought it from my boss in '74. Was a better car than my '72 El Camino SS 350.
First new car was a '79 Camaro RS. Rolled off the Van Nuys, CA assembly line as a 1 of 200 Z28 CHP package.