Nerd Pride Radio

All the car talk in another thread got me thinking about my own vehicles. I currently own four cars for four drivers. I used to have six and it has been such a relief to get out from under those two junkers. A spare car is nice to have around up to the point that you can no longer be reasonably sure it will actually run when you need a spare.

Less cars has been such a relief. I fact, the two older boys will both be getting to the point soon where I can sign their cars over to them... Just in time for Eli to get a car of his own.

Pesonally, I'll drive a car til the wheels fall off, but the way the timing has worked out, it's been so nice having two newer reliable vehicles at the same time. [Knock on wood]

This is not what Mike was talking about, but the title got me thinking so I decided to hijack the thread to list all the car I have owned and list their fates if known.

68 Camaro - sold it like a fool
79 Chevette - talk about a step down. sold.
81 Buick Regal wrecked then traded
81 Chevy Citation- sold
81 Mustang - sold
83 Caprice Classic - sold
92 Ford Ranger - wrecked/totalled
00 Ford Ranger - wrecked/totalled
89 Astro van - sold
97 Crown Vic sold for scrap after cannibalizing parts
02 Windstar -Donated
00 Focus sold
03 Civic, kid wrecked, then I sold it



Current vehicles
96 Crown Vic
00 Accord
01 Corolla
04 Avalanche

2009 Chevy Express 1500 passenger van
2013 Chevy Sonic
2017 Chevy Sonic

Current cars:
2015 Toyota Highlander Hybrid, bought new
2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, bought new
2010 Toyota Prius, bought used for my daughter to drive

Previous cars me and my wife owned:
2000 Ford Windstar, had it from late 1999 until we bought the Toyota Highlander in 2015.
A red 1993 Ford Escort, bought in 1993 and drove it until we bought the Lincoln in late 2010, donated it to charity.
1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee, bought in early 1997 after our oldest was born, traded it in when we bought the Ford Windstar after the 2nd child was born and we wanted to be able to move between the front and middle rows easier than in an SUV.
Another 1993 Ford Escort, this one was black, bought in late 1993, traded in for the Jeep Grand Cherokee after our oldest was born and we decided trying to put a baby in the back seat of a 2-door hatchback was a pain in the butt.
1992 Jeep Wrangler Sahara hardtop, bought in 1992 shortly after we moved to the Seattle area, traded it in for the black Ford Escort above because the payments were a bit too steep. Man, I loved this Jeep, and I hope I can buy another at some point down the road to just play around in.
A tan 1985 Ford Escort that my wife's parents bought for her used when she was in college in 1989-1990 or so. Drive it until it died, sold it for scrap to whoever would come pick it up, and replaced it with the red Ford Escort above. This is the car that moved us from Indiana to Seattle.

And cars that my parents owned but I drove:
A light blue 1984 Ford Escort, drove it until my wife and I moved to Seattle.
A Ford Pinto hatchback (don't know the year). It started out as white, I think, but after I wrecked it a week or so after getting my license, we ended up painting it brown. Drove it for a year or two during high school before moving up to the parents' old Ford Escort.

The first car I owned was passed down to me from a family member while I was in university.
I drove it to death - amazing little buzz-box, tough as hell.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzuki_Cultus
One of the very early suziki swift/hatchbacks (called the cultus in Japan)
it was the last car I have owned, borrowed some for periods, but just never had the desire or need to buy one.

It was a 3 door, 600 cc (0.6 litre) 3 cylinder engine. Had a love hate relationship with it, and the fact it was a 4 spd stick-shift allowed me to keep driving it for about 18 months while the brakes died.