What was your first new car?

1976 Fiat 128 (Stock Photo)

 

Well. new "vehicle". The year is 1991
I had struggled for several years with various used vehicles and mostly stories of disappointment.
Slowly saved up a modest amount, and was driving by the Nissan dealership which had a line of new stripped down small pick-ups out in front, all with signs in the windows that said, $6.999.
I could afford that.
I went in, cornered a salesman and made him swear I could actually buy the vehicle for the advertised price. I didn't have much more saved up.
Hey there was nothing fancy about that pick-up.It had no extra's. No ABS, no airbags, no radio. But I could haul things, and everything was new. It seemed like a gift from heaven. No worries about breakdowns.
I saved up again and added a nice aftermarket stereo, and eventually even a cutting edge for its time, behind the seat multi-disc CD player. I even eventually added a sunroof.
I still miss that truck, from a crash test, and safety standpoint it was horrible. But as my first real NEW vehicle, and one that accompanied me on numerous long drives and camping trips, I will always have positive memories about that first truck.

Amazing that I lived in a time, when for less than $7000 you could actually drive something new-and really reliable, off a dealership lot. Those times aren't coming back.

 

1970 Porsche 914 for $3.6k. Young and single. Motorcycle and boat too.

 

I never have bought a new car. We did lease a Ford Escort 5-door back in 1987.
But I did buy two new motorcycles.
First was a Kawasaki KZ750 Twin.
Later a 1980 Suzuki GS850 that was probably the best vehicle I ever had until I got my Prime.

 

Mine was a 1979 Mercury Bobcat wagon! Yes, the Mecury Version of the Ford Pinto wagon! Like "The Electric Me", I thirsted for new car to start from scratch. I eventually put in a really cool craig stereo, with an amp and jensen speakers. The car drove on and on.............till I lost my two jobs and it got reposesed. Oh to be young again!

 

That'd be around $13,400 today.

Get you a new Chevy Spark or nearly all of a Mitsubishi Mirage.

But it can't get you a pickup. Not any kind of a pickup. Used to be a utilitarian choice that could haul things. Now it's a lifestyle accessory.

You'd be closest to maybe a Nissan Frontier if it's still made, but still several thousand dollars short.

Of course, all of the above choices are going to come with ABS and airbags, unlike your '91. Probably radios too.

Edit: yup, the base Chevy Spark will even have a touchscreen, CarPlay and Android Auto. A 2019 Frontier is still under $20k and has ABS, EBD, air conditioning, no CarPlay or Android but a 7" touch screen, AM/FM/Bluetooth/USB and aux in and four speakers.

 

Forgot to mention mine cost around 6k. (I got the custom Bobcat rims) with it.

 

1978 Mercury Bobcat. I had the one in orange.

 

First used car I drove
1985 Yugo GV hand me down, lasted 3 months then a brake caliper froze

First car I bought myself
1981 Comutacar, was my daily driver many years

First new car
2010 Cobalt XFE 2 door - 50mpg capable

 

First new vehicle: Yamaha RD 400


First New Car: Toyota Corolla All-Trac wagon


Technically, the Toyota had twice the horsepower.

 

The

GEN II Prius -- of course!

Paid $20 - plus some $7K in taxes.

I won it in a raffle. Then -- two weeks later -- while on a business trip, some close relative ran it into a tree == $900 in damages.

This despite my telling him NOT TO DRIVE IT,
kris

 

2010 Toyota Prius II.

Barcelona Red was a nice color for the gen3.

Have since bought new a Lexus RX450h and 2019 Prius Prime. We are a Toyota family.

 

It was far from new when I got my '98 4-DR, 4WD, diesel in 2007 in Honduras. It had 212000 KM on it. But it was a tank. This was loading up stuff in preparation for a hurricane that had us in its crosshairs, but missed us. Not long after this I put in a little toolbox and a small crane to help with the barrels of diesel generator fuel I often hauled in it. My worst abuse was using it to take a load of sand up to our construction site 600' above the town. It was piled two feet above the cab and spilled onto the cab. Front tires barely touched the ground. That's was the slowest trip up the hill ever!! I wish I could have brought that truck back to the States.

 

New cars:

• 1981 Chevette - gift because white elephants were in short supply.
• 1991 Camry, manual transmission - bought and served until 2005 when lost in a Katrina, wet road accident.
• 2001 Echo - served until 2010 when sold to co-worker. It was still in service last summer with one bumper cover dent.
• 2010 Prius (Gen-3) - served until 2016.
• 2017 Prius Prime - served until 2019 when traded in on Tesla Model 3.
• 2019 Tesla Model 3 - in service.

Bob Wilson

 

My first new was a baby blue 1952 Ford. It was hardly broken in when Uncle Sam got me and sent me to Korea and gave me an M47. That was a real gas hog (gallons to the mile). But it was bullet proof!

 

'95 Vette, that I won in a raffle.

 

Grandfather got me a 1996 Taurus.
2000 Ranger was the first new car we actually bought. Still had the Taurus.

 

Two new-car raffle winners in one thread‽

 

I use the name of my first firearm in all my security questions -- Gatling