Did all of our parents own one of these?

[wsuffa]

This was before I was born...

 

[Pilawt]

In my case it was a '52 Ford Club Coupe, pale green (except for the rust spots), California license 1V15328, changed in '56 to LLY 505. Other than that I don't remember it much.

 

[DutchessFlier]

My parents owned Plymouths. I have a 1953 Chevy 210 4 door...bottle green, original engine (the blue flame straight 6 which is indestructable) and interior (interior paint scheme is the dark green & pale green two-tone), powerglide transmission, but no radio, a manual heater-defroster, good ole vacuum wipers and a 6 volt system! Runs like a dream , and she has about 36,000 original miles.

 

[Steve Foley]

Mom sold her 1957 Chevy Convertible for $300 in 1965 because it was "burning" oil.

The worst part is that the smoke came from under the hood. Mind you I was still a toddler, so have no memory of the smoke, but if it was coming from under the hood, I figure it was the valve cover gasket.

 

[Dean]

Actually, my first car was a 55 Chevy tudor hard top, but it wasn't your grandmothers 55.

 

[wabower]

Dad bought a new 52 two-tone green. Slip-n-slide power-glide. The early ones had no "Park" gear so parking brake was required for all parking. Reverse was on the far right side of the selector, next to L.

My parents owned Plymouths. I have a 1953 Chevy 210 4 door...bottle green, original engine (the blue flame straight 6 which is indestructable) and interior (interior paint scheme is the dark green & pale green two-tone), powerglide transmission, but no radio, a manual heater-defroster, good ole vacuum wipers and a 6 volt system! Runs like a dream , and she has about 36,000 original miles.

 

[Exocetid]

This was before I was born...

That car came out about the time I was born...I'm feeling very old right now, think I'll go lie down.

 

[GMascelli]

We had a 53 ford wagon known to me in pictures only. I do remember our turd brown 61 four door Belair and two 49 willy's, one ran the other was stored for parts. I remember the two willy's because I used to climb in the parts one and pretend I was driving until I had to swat the bees for a seat. The running Willys had a PC1968 tag. Weird what we remember!

Good post....I actually called my brother and asked what year wagon and confirmed the year of the two Willy's. We both laughed then went through all the cars including newer models that our pop had, my oldest sisters cars, my brothers cars. Funny stuff!

 

[DutchessFlier]

The gear lever indeed is: P-N-D-L-R..you can imagine what that set up did to a few nervous drivers, or as I am told, folks who went from '3 on the tree' to an automatic and tried to shift into '2nd' gear and ended up in reverse going down the road! Ouch...
The 53 was born (oh man do I have to admit this...) the year I was born....I wonder who is in better shape: me or the chevy?

 

[John Baker]

I had one of those, it was the exact same color as well. It was stolen and used in a bank robbery. The police had it impounded and asked if I would let them have it for a week for an evidence search. I agreed. I went to pick it up and they charged me for the whole week they had it, plus the towing. I left it there and said I was going to talk to a lawyer friend.

Two detectives showed up where I worked the following day and asked if I intended to sue to get my car back, or just pay the bill. I told them I was going to sue, since I was barely earning above minimum wage at the time and had a wife and two kids.

They immediately arrested me on suspicion of bank robbery, put me in handcuffs in front of my customers, then asked me again if I intended to sue, or just pay the bill. I said I would pay the bill. He used my phone and called someone and said I would pay the bill. He then took his handcuffs off, thanked me and they both left.

I had to borrow the money from my boss to get my car back. This all happened in 1965

John

 

[catmandu]

'57 Chevy convertible was Dad's 'Ensign-mobile'.

'71 Triumph Spitfire was his 'retirement-mobile'.

I got the Spitfire title on my 15th birthday, drove it all through high school and most of college.

My 'Ensign-mobile' was an '87 Ford Escort Dad got me when I finally graduated and got my commission after 5 years and 3 summers. I promptly updated that to an '88 Mustang GT convertible, which I totaled two years later.

The '71 Sptifire sits in my garage as I type, awaiting this week's sunny weather.

Dad wants my dearly departed Grandpa's '67 Chevy Pickup in Kansas, I need to figure out how to go get that and bring it back east.

Boys and their toys: a reflection of life!

 

[Pilawt]

The gear lever indeed is: P-N-D-L-R

I remember that from my grandfather's 1950 Buick. He had a weird succession of cars -- from that Buick to a little British Austin, to a French Simca, to a '56 Volkswagen Beetle, to a racy, red-and-white '57 Dodge.

 

[SCCutler]

First car I recall was a 1957 De Soto - two-tone red and purple, and it had air conditioning and a push-button TorqueFlite tranny. After that came tow Chevy Impalas ('62 blue, '64 white), then a '68 Plymouth Fury.

 

[Jay Honeck]

Probably, but the first car I remember my parents having was a 1965 Pontiac Star Chief, a lot like this one:

I was 6 when my dad brought this car home. None of us had ever seen electric windows before, and I promptly rolled the window up on his thumb!

You don't forget days like that, even 45 years down the road...

 

[Ghery]

The gear lever indeed is: P-N-D-L-R..

I remember that from my grandfather's 1950 Buick. He had a weird succession of cars -- from that Buick to a little British Austin, to a French Simca, to a '56 Volkswagen Beetle, to a racy, red-and-white '57 Dodge.

My first car was my great grandfather's 1954 Buick Special. That was the quadrant for the Dynaflow (Dynaflush?) transmission in that tank, as well.

First car of my parents' that I remember was their 1954 Chevy stationwagon. 3 on the tree on that old beast. They got rid of it before I learned to drive. I was 2 when they bought that Chevy.

 

[RMCN172RG]

My first car was my great grandfather's 1954 Buick Special. That was the quadrant for the Dynaflow (Dynaflush?) transmission in that tank, as well.

First car of my parents' that I remember was their 1954 Chevy stationwagon. 3 on the tree on that old beast. They got rid of it before I learned to drive. I was 2 when they bought that Chevy.

First Car I remeber was a 54 special.

First car I owned was a 63 Comet convertible. Cost me $20 for a rebuilt starter that it needed. Sold it for $100. Now if I could have only sold all of the cars I 've owned for 5 times what I paid for them

 

[OffCenter]

When I was a kid my father had a dark green 1948 Dodge Coupe with the "Fluid Drive" transmission. He kept that car for many years. When I was around 15 he upgraded to a really nice used 1956 Chrysler, snow white. I learned to drive on that car. He also had a 1958 Plymouth station wagon that was used for the deliveries at his store. I got a lot of my early driving experience in that one. I still remember it as being a good handling, fairly quick car for the big beast that it was. I love watching the movie "Christine". Reminds me of driving that wagon.
When I was able to buy my own car, my first was a 67 Karman Ghia convertible, followed by a short lived 60 Triumph TR-3 that got demolished by a drunk driver. That was replaced by my most loved car, a 70 MGB convertible that gave me no trouble even though I drove the HELL out of it over the next 6 years or so.
(sigh) Wish I had any one of 'em now.

 

[bbchien]

My Mom's car was a 1952 two door Ford. 6 cyl, PNDLR. Drove it until 1965 when it was replaced by a Country Squire. I remember seeing ground go by underneath her heel when the car went away....

 

[DutchessFlier]

This is a great thread!

One day, I brought the 53 to work its a daily driver when the weather is good..and my secretary who was in her late 60's went out to the car, and smiled. She was a very proper person, and made me laugh like h*ll when the first words she uttered were:

" Now THAT was a back seat...there are still high-heel marks in alot of the carpets in these cars! " Boy was I 'shocked'.

Also, we forget how effective those front side window vent panes were at directing air into the cabin at speed...who needs A/C?

 

[RogerT]

This was before I was born...

My folks had a 56 Chevy almost those same colors except it was
the Belair without the window posts.

RT

 

[murphey]

This was before I was born...

1956 Chevy. The '57 had the huge tailfins.

Dad sold Chevys until '62, when we moved to Arizona and he moved to a Ford dealer.

 

[SCCutler]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1PEAjN21OU&feature=player_embedded

 

[Bob Bement]

I was working in a filling station at the time and they had the habit of hiding the gas cap in this vintage cars. This 55 model had it in the left rear tail light. same with the 56 only you had to turn a little lever to open it.

 

[wabower]

The V8's had the little emblem beneath each tail light.

I was working in a filling station at the time and they had the habit of hiding the gas cap in this vintage cars. This 55 model had it in the left rear tail light. same with the 56 only you had to turn a little lever to open it.

 

[Pilawt]

When I was growing up my dad was a California Highway Patrolman. For several years our family cars were used CHP cruisers purchased at auction.

I drove to work at my first job in a 1960 Dodge Polara like this one (but the doors were painted black). With those big tailfins and Oldsmobile moon hubcaps, I felt like I was driving the Batmobile. (The CHP '60 Polaras had Dodge Dart grilles, for some unknown reason.)

Later my dad bought a '66 Polara CHP cruiser, which he had painted yellow. My wife and I had it for a short time after we got married. With a 440 and experimental two-barrel carb, it would pass anything but a filling station. Curiously, it had power brakes but no power steering.

 

[RickH]

Geez...kids. My parents owned a '48 Studebaker and a '51 Merc. I owned a '53 Ford Vicky and a '62 Nova convertible when I was in college.

 

[wabower]

And the Studebaker starter button was located where?

Geez...kids. My parents owned a '48 Studebaker and a '51 Merc. I owned a '53 Ford Vicky and a '62 Nova convertible when I was in college.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

One of my earliest memories is of my dad selling his beautiful gold (with black interior) Chevelle convertible, to be replaced with the more family-friendly Volvo 245DL wagon. Sigh...

 

[vontresc]

Hmmm My folks had boring Cars when I was growing up.

'71 super Beetle
'78 Mk1 Golf Diesel
'91 Escort Station Wagon

Now My mom has stories of a green '49 V8 Ford coupe that my Grampa sold for a wimpy fairlane, just as my she was learning to drive.

 

[Ghery]

And the Studebaker starter button was located where?

And where was it in my 54 Buick?

 

[Mason]

Nah, my Dad had one of these, which is what I took my first driver's test in...

And later on he had one of these, which is what I tooled my high school sweetie around in.....

But if I had my druthers, we would have had one of THESE....

Great thread.

 

[RickH]

And the Studebaker starter button was located where?

Beat's me...I was only 2 years old!

 

[Ultrabuzzard]

The first car I remember was our 57 Chevy Nomad wagon, pale green and rust, always breaking down. MY first car was a 66 Plymouth Valiant. I really wanna find a 68 Plymouth Belvedere.

 

[wabower]

Under the clutch pedal. Their theory was that you should be sure the car was either out of gear or the clutch pedal was depressed prior to an anttempted start, so they cleverly located the button accordingly.

(using the starter button) [quo)te=RickH;573079]Beat's me...I was only 2 years old![/quote]

 

[tonycondon]

im sure most of my grandparents had a car of that vintage.

 

[Skip Miller]

1955 Plymouth Plaza station wagon. Two tone green (tamiami green over gulf green). The venerable MoPar 318 ci V8.

In 1958 we (family of four) drove it across the country - CT - Chicago - LA - Seattle - Milwaukee (ferry across the lake) - Sarnia - Niagra Falls - home.

Visiting relatives along the way.

Multigrade oil was new back then. Even though we changed the oil as recommended, the oil broke down and we wiped the bearings while traveling through Oregon. Al, of Al's Garage loaned us his pickup for a day and then we were picked up by relatives from Seattle which was intended to be a major stop anyway. Returned in a week or so and picked up the car with the rebuilt motor and did not have a stick of trouble for the rest of the trip.

The oil, when drained out, looked as thin as water.

-Skip

 

[fgcason]

Under the clutch pedal. Their theory was that you should be sure the car was either out of gear or the clutch pedal was depressed prior to an anttempted start, so they cleverly located the button accordingly.

So now we know when the concept of safety switches was first installed on cars that now make us crazy when some little cheap piece of metal bends too much.

Interesting.

 

[AuntPeggy]

My parents had one of these. Colors were Cherry Ice Cream and Vanilla. 1955 Nash Statesman.

 

[AuntPeggy]

They had the matching convertible, too. 1951 Nash Rambler.

 

[wabower]

Isn't that a Metropolitan?

They had the matching convertible, too. 1951 Nash Rambler.