Asklemmy

First car's like the first girl. You always get new sweethearts but shit just ain't feel like the first time you fall in love.

The first song I rode it to: https://yewtu.be/watch?v=83mhHOytg4U

I just got my first car last summer, I was 36 and bought myself a 2021 Seat Leon FR PHEV Hatchback, almost new.

Currently my favourite thing is the electric mode, I love being able to slienty sneak around in residential areas with a smooth ride snd disturbing noone.

Also, the heated steering wheel is just bloody fantastic, especially to have it as a real button on the steering wheel.

Still driving it, 2008 1.6 gol power, got it 3 years ago.

Very much a south American version of a golf but since it wasn't designed that much for security it weighs 1000 kilos and has 97 hp.

But it's one of the most reliable cars in the country and while the car has multi fuel injection the accelerator is mechanical, the steering is hidraulic, no ABS or Traction control, it has a markedly notchy 5 speed manual and the suspension is both stiff but with some significant body roll, mostly thanks to it's light weight.

Thing drives like a FWD kart and I love it, you feel like you're going super fast or doing dangerous stuff even in completely safe situations under the speed limit. Can't wait to get it to a track day (they're very uncommon in my country).

On top of all they're worth 4k usd at most and the parts for it are dirt cheap. And the engine design is actually a Mercedes design from the 80s so it's pretty solid people get 150 HP out of it very easily (which leaves you with the power to weight ratio of a golf GTI) with a few mods and if you get forged Pistons and a proper turbo you can go past 300 hp

It’s non-existent wheel base. The turning radius was practically within the same lane. God I miss my 91 Honda CRX Si.

It was my grandmother's, and I was the 5th owner after she passed away. Manual windows, manual locks, and a fully-metal body. By the time I got it, it was so quirky, I loved everything about it.

• The horn was dying, so if you held it for longer than 2-3 seconds, it sounded like the doppler effect,
• Since the hood was metal, the horn would make it vibrate a little and the car sounded like it was begging to be put out of its misery,
• The brakes screamed when you came to a stop, but only at speeds under 10 mph, so I basically scared the shit out of every drive-thru worker I encountered,
• Our family dog knocked the rear view mirror off with her head, and after 5 months, we finally glued it back on, only for her to do it again a week later, so I learned to drive with only my sideview mirrors,
• The parking brake basically couldn't be relied on because the previous owner, my sister, drove it for about 6 months with the parking brake fully engaged, complaining to my dad constantly that it had no acceleration.

Was a beautiful, green, Kia Sephia, and I miss that car more than some family members. My second car had another favorite quirk: the driver's window motor died, so the window wouldn't roll up or down. So, being the high school chucklefuck that I was, I'd go through drive-thrus in reverse if I had a friend in the passenger seat (also without a rearview mirror, thanks to the aforementioned dog).

All the staff used to come to the window laughing, and one manager gave us real shit for it despite their being no signs or anything indicating we couldn't.

Sigh my younger days, cars today are just too boring 😂

It never broke down. Didn't change oil, didn't check water, just gassed it up and drove.

AMC in-line 6-cylinder. They don't make them like that anymore.

It had a working car phone. In the 2000s. It was rad.

I drove it across country (US) from east coast to west coast and back without my parents knowing. It was a fun week.

It had a Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra bumper sticker on it. Pre-installed.

Sunroof.

It had wheels and an engine, I was finally able to get out of my hometown on my own power.

That I could fill up the whole tank for like $8. Gas was 89 cents a gallon back in my day.

Bench front seat and when I floored it, it would burn rubber up to about 50mph. I bought it when I was 14.

That it was mine 😂

I could start it with a coin, then lock the doors, do something else while it warmed up, and unlock the doors with the actual key. It was like my own ghetto remote starting system.

Didn't drive at all until I was 25; got a Toyota Prius C, brand new in 2016 as my first car after working a few years and saving money. Best thing about it is that I'm still driving it; I haven't done anything but routine maintenance on it and get ~53MPG.

1993 Buick Regal, it had the 3800 engine which is arguably the best engine that GM has ever made. They (the engines) are still sought after today. I drove it to 297,000 miles and got rid of it as the transmission was going out.

It was an old '87 Pontiac Bonneville. It had a 350 and had some oomph. The thing was built like a tank. I loved it!

My favorite thing of all was the fact that it would automatically turn on the headlights when it was dark and this feature was called the ''Twilight Sentinel''.

I always thought it sounded like some epic fantasy novel or game.

A sense of independence.

The wheels didn't fall off when I drove it

An Alpine radio and phone dock meant I was streaming podcasts way before it was cool.

It weighed more than my first girlfriend.

Citroen Saxo, everything was SO cheap. I remember I had to replace a side mirror and a new one was like ... 30€? And I was able to do it myself.

Replacing a side mirror on my Octavia was almost 500€!

The price.

Bought a used '96 Mazda Protégé off a coworker for $700. Ran it into the ground. Scrapped it for $300 when I could finally afford a better car. Definitely got my money's worth.

I got to learn what driving without power steering felt like after the compressor locked up and the drive belt shredded. Ended up replacing it with a smaller belt just for the power steering since I couldn't afford to replace the A/C. Drove with the windows down for a few months. Good times.

My uncle was a mechanic. He spent a lot of time getting that car into good condition. It was the last car we worked on before he died of cancer.

The fact that it lasted 20 years.

I had 10" subs in my 08 Hyundai Tiburon

1980 Firebird bought in 1991ish, for 1,200, sold in 1996 for 1,500

Tail lights lit up to say FIRE. BIRD.

Custom hand carved Judas * Priest in the center console.

Hole in the drivers side acceleration/brake that would freeze your toes in the winter

Water would accumulate in the non existant footspace of the driver side back seat passenger that would create a block of ice in the winter (generally filled with trash: cigarette boxes, phone books, water bottles)

Ran for 2 years without changing the oil drivers side door would randomly open on right hand turns

Exhaust rusted through the catalytic converter somewhere in Iowa driving to NY for school, got it wired up at a garage & then a straight pipe put in in Missouri.

Heater stopped working for the wonderful NY winters

Took me across the US twice, up and down the East Coast of the US a couple times.

Basically, everything. Best. Car. Ever.

62 Ford unibody shortbed. Cost me $100. Straight six and three on the tree. Ran like a champ. If you loaded the bed with a lot of weight you could no longer open the doors to get in or out.

The fact that it would run with no oil and all four engine mounts broken

It cost $500. Buying a half-decent car today would take 10 times that. 1994 Honda Civic

(Without putting too much detail out) It was a coupe with a relatively chonky engine and all around relatively comfortable ride. Bought it because I had no need for "sensible" features or fuel economy as I was single and driving relatively little.

It was a cheap old heap of course and upkeep of any car costs a small fortune. And even with no known weak points, it's still old and could break down at any time. But there was no getting away from that at my budget, so why not be comfortable and happy while it runs.

Single favourite thing? That's hard. I'll just have to go with "it's all mine". I almost miss it. At least the non rusty bits that still worked.

My first car was a 1995 Hyundai Accent my dad bought from a friend for $800. The best thing about it was it was purple. People at work and school knew it was me because I was the only person with a little purple car.

The most annoying thing about owning that car was that the door handles would freeze during the Chicagoland winter. I’d go out to warm it up before school and ever so gently try to open the door. If I tugged too hard on it, the thin piece of plastic connecting the handle to the metal bar and latch mechanism would break. I changed driver and passenger side handles maybe 7 times while having that car. For a short time I was waiting on replacement door handles for both sides to arrive and I had to crawl in through the hatchback to get into the car. Good times

79 Ford Bronco. Massive vehicle. Didn't go fast, sucked gas so it didn't go far either. But it had a 3in thick steel grate on the front so when a deer ran out one day all that happened was it's head got ripped off. Truck was fine after, had to spray out the remains. But for a new driver I felt safe since deer were all over my area.

1989 Acura Integra hatchback. Cost me $3k in 1999. It was the most expensive thing I'd ever bought at the time. It had a sunroof and flip-up lights that I thought were so cool. I loved that car. Taught my younger brother how to drive in that car. I sold it for like $300 in 2002 when I had to get rid of it because I was moving away and taking it with wasn't feasible. Buy then I'd driven it into the ground and it was leaking oil constantly. Still was an awesome car, though.

2003 (?) Volvo V40 Diesel: TBH, the car radio. Having a place of my own to play as loud I want was really nice. Second to that, the seats.

Funny, that with Volvo being known for safety and all, I had to sell this car, because from one day to another the brakes stopped working without me almost not noticing until I was on a major road (rural area and engine breaking to the rescue). Someone said, the brakes breaking was a economic crash for the car.

Honda accord sedan with flip up headlights.

I've never owned it.

2001 Audi A6

It looked half decent especially after all the customization I did to it but what I liked about it the most was definitely how comfortable and silent it was to drive.

Tiny

Not sure if this counts (as a car), but it was a three wheeler (Reliant Robin), gutless and rattly, all the fun of going 50 mph without breaking the speed limit. All the engine weight was directly on the front wheel, so the back end (no weight at all) would slide out wonderfully around corners.