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Let me tell you about "The Green Machine." It was a '66 Volkswagen Beetle, and I paid $130 for it. The Green Machine was an eyesore. It had four bashed-in fenders and was painted a bilious shade of pea green. The paint was regular flat paint, not car paint. The edges of the body were bordered in bright green sparkly spray paint.
The olive green shag carpet didn't match the turquoise green vinyl seatcovers, and the front bumper was missing. In its place was a teardrop-shaped piece of lumber that was wide on one side and came to a point on the other. The heater vent wouldn't close so you couldn't turn it off. On a hot summer day I kicked off my shoes. When I got home, the gum sole of one shoe had melted.
The car usually wouldn't start unless you pushed it or compression-started it in 2nd gear going down a steep hill. (Living in San Francisco, that was no problem). The headlights were so dim they were like driving by candlelight. They only brightened when you pushed down the accelerator. The antenna fell off and was replaced by a coat hanger bent into a diamond shape. Then the turn signal snapped off from metal fatigue. To use it, I had to reach behind the steering wheel and feel for the nub.
People used to point at the Green Machine and laugh when I was stopped at a red light. But it was my first car, I loved it, I was proud of it, and I still miss it.
if you dont count my 64 falcon that was given to me, it would be my 64 malibu ss that i bought for $125. sold it for the same amount a couple of months later.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
34,732 posts, read 58,079,686 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HandsUpThumbsDown
...fleet of ...80's volkswagens ....
Quote:
Originally Posted by GnomadAK
$50 Ford Torino GT purchased at an impound auction, ...
Yes, not counting the freebies...
$35 ea @ impound auction for a fleet of 80's and 90's VW diesels. (including my daily driver for last 10 yrs)
50 mpg since 1976, no OPEC or dinosaurs required.
Let me tell you about "The Green Machine." It was a '66 Volkswagen Beetle, and I paid $130 for it. The Green Machine was an eyesore. It had four bashed-in fenders and was painted a bilious shade of pea green. The paint was regular flat paint, not car paint. The edges of the body were bordered in bright green sparkly spray paint.
The olive green shag carpet didn't match the turquoise green vinyl seatcovers, and the front bumper was missing. In its place was a teardrop-shaped piece of lumber that was wide on one side and came to a point on the other. The heater vent wouldn't close so you couldn't turn it off. On a hot summer day I kicked off my shoes. When I got home, the gum sole of one shoe had melted.
The car usually wouldn't start unless you pushed it or compression-started it in 2nd gear going down a steep hill. (Living in San Francisco, that was no problem). The headlights were so dim they were like driving by candlelight. They only brightened when you pushed down the accelerator. The antenna fell off and was replaced by a coat hanger bent into a diamond shape. Then the turn signal snapped off from metal fatigue. To use it, I had to reach behind the steering wheel and feel for the nub.
People used to point at the Green Machine and laugh when I was stopped at a red light. But it was my first car, I loved it, I was proud of it, and I still miss it.
Oh man you brought back memories of my first car the "Bondo Bug". 71 Super Beetle (not sure why it was super except for starting in any kind of weather). Bought it off my brother with smashed fenders and rust. With the help of my brother and dad bought replacement body parts from local salvage yards and learned how to use filler and bondo. Twice just before being ready to paint it had 2 more mishaps. Finally after 2 1/2 years of first car experiences, I sold it and bought a used Corrolla. Ah, finally a car with heat and cold resistant gerbils to run the defroster in cold weather!
The car was well known around school and my close friends would pencil in artwork and message for me to find. Many concerts, dates and adventures with that car. Learned the importance of tightening all lug nuts when one day I found one of my wheels beating me through the intersection. I could learn my engine tinkering and it would still run. I found out one night it was running on 2 cylinders. A correctly placed light tap on the carb could temporarily solve a sticky carb float.
74 Montego been in family since new-Free
74 Impala Grandma's car-free
Cheapest running one I've bought was my 78 Pinto wagon with cruising Wagon package for $50! Rough looking, but I drove it home. Best deal I have made was my 79 lincoln for $600 that had receipts in the glove box tottaling $4200 plus for work done to the car in the prior 5 years before I bought it.
I bought a 1993 GMC Sierra pickup in 1999 for $2185.00
I just sold it yesterday for $2100.00
Maintenance is key.....
Not quite.
Cash For Clunkers was key.........
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