What was the first car everyone in your family had?

[hereyago]

Me:74 Pinto (far from new,lol)
I have no idea of what my parents first cars were.

RedAngie: my mom had a red Laser too, I miss t-tops. Digital dashboard.

 

[Klayfish]

Was all that intentional? I've heard all about the problems GM had with quality in the 70s and 80s. They were about ready to shut down the factory in Fremont because of a pervasive culture of taking shortcuts. The one rule from the supervisors was that the assembly line never shuts down. Of course that meant that a lot of stuff may have been put on incorrectly and needed a costly fix before the car was delivered, but that was someone else's problem. That was before the factory went through the joint project with Toyota that originally made Corollas and the subcompact Nova rebadge.

That factory is actually now where Teslas are built. Pretty cool, I'd love to take a tour someday.

 

[MomofKatie]

Me- 1978 VW Dasher hatchback.
DH- I think it was an Opal- probably mid 70s model.
DD- 2014 KIA Forte

 

[Patch'sD]

Me a 1969 Buick Riviera, Big V8 with 360 Horses under the hood
My Sister a 1974 Mustang II, One of the biggest Pieces of Crap
My eldest brother a 1965 Pontiac Bonneville Convertible, If I could buy this car today, I would
My other brother a 1968 Triumph GT6
My wife a 1969 Volkswagen Beatle
My Parents a 1949 Ford, Followed by a 56 Ford, then a 1960 Ford Galaxy

 

[tvguy]

Was all that intentional? I've heard all about the problems GM had with quality in the 70s and 80s. They were about ready to shut down the factory in Fremont because of a pervasive culture of taking shortcuts. The one rule from the supervisors was that the assembly line never shuts down. Of course that meant that a lot of stuff may have been put on incorrectly and needed a costly fix before the car was delivered, but that was someone else's problem. That was before the factory went through the joint project with Toyota that originally made Corollas and the subcompact Nova rebadge.

Could have been. But whatever PR person delivered the car to Popular Science probably should have checked for things like that.

 

[22Tink]

DH-1989 Honda CRX (new)
Me-1993 Honda Civic SI (new)
DD-1992 Ford Mustang convertible (used)
DD-1991 Honda Civic (used)
DS-2001 Toyota Celica (used)

 

[bcla]

Could have been. But whatever PR person delivered the car to Popular Science probably should have checked for things like that.

I double checked, and the factory in Fremont actually was shut down in the 80s because it was so bad. The whole NUMMI project brought it back. This was the issue I was talking about. I suppose some of it could have been the wrong badging slapped on in different parts of the car. Screwing up a car never got anyone fired because the UAW would protect the worker. They'd protect workers who were smoking pot, drunk on the job, or even having sex in the factory, but it was just this one thing that could get someone fired.

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/561/transcript

Frank Langfitt
All those mistakes added up at a GM plant, and the results were littered around the lots outside. Hundreds of misassembled cars. Cars that came off the line missing parts, cars that needed to be fixed before they could be shipped out to the dealers.

In a Toyota plant, there was nothing like this. Why did a GM plant produce so many screwed up cars? One cardinal rule that everybody in the company knew.

Billy Haggerty
The line could never stop. Never stop the line.

Someone have a heart attack, kick him out of the way, keep that line running.

Jeffrey Liker
It was a basic sin. You're violating the Ten Commandments.

Rick Madrid
You just don't see the line stop. I saw a guy fall in the pit, and they didn't stop the line.

Bruce Lee
You saw a problem, you stopped that line, you were fired.​

I do find it hilarious that the UAW rep at the plant was named Bruce Lee. And this is where they get to the wrong parts slapped on. They even benefitted from this because later on they got overtime fixing the problems.

Frank Langfitt
In his old GM job, Billy Haggerty put on hoods and fenders and saw lots of mistakes go right down the line.

Billy Haggerty
So we had Monte Carlos with Regal front ends and vice versas, and they would just stick it on, run it out to the yard, and then change.

Frank Langfitt
And what they look like, the cars?

Billy Haggerty
Half Regals and half-- [LAUGHTER]. So those things would go out the door, into the yard, and be fixed out there. I did a lot of overtime in the yard, changing things back.

Frank Langfitt
Workers told me they saw cars with engines put in backwards, cars without steering wheels or breaks. Some were so messed up they wouldn't start, and had to be towed off the line. Fixing them piled on more costs, and sometimes, taking them apart and putting them back together, workers damaged them even more.
​

 

[tvguy]

I double checked, and the factory in Fremont actually was shut down in the 80s because it was so bad. The whole NUMMI project brought it back. This was the issue I was talking about. I suppose some of it could have been the wrong badging slapped on in different parts of the car. Screwing up a car never got anyone fired because the UAW would protect the worker. They'd protect workers who were smoking pot, drunk on the job, or even having sex in the factory, but it was just this one thing that could get someone fired.

​

Following classic cars, it is interesting how loved some cars were, cars that were really junk. 1957 Chevy. My parents had one. It was worn out by 1960 when they traded it in. Lee Iaccoca in his book Iaccoca talked about how bad the 1957 Fords were. The factory salesman had a 4 door demo car that he had to tied the rear doors together to keep them from popping open while driving. Folks look at classic cars from the 1960's that are restored to the way they came from the factory, and there is a lot of paint overspray and misaligned hoods and doors because THAT is how they built cars then.​

 

[Kitty 34]

My first car was a '66 Chevy Impala. Not sure what DH's was.

 

[NFLDERS]

My grandfather had one of the first Ford Model T's; he was a Newfoundland Tallship Merchant.

 

[NFLDERS]

Husband's first was a Studebaker.

 

[NFLDERS]

Youngest son's was a Chevette.

 

[NFLDERS]

Oldest son's was a Fiero.

 

[NFLDERS]

My first was a Pontiac station wagon.

 

[RedAngie]

Me:74 Pinto (far from new,lol)
I have no idea of what my parents first cars were.

RedAngie: my mom had a red Laser too, I miss t-tops. Digital dashboard.

Mine didn't have a t-top, but I had a sunroof. And yeah, the digital dashboard was the height of hi-tech in those analog times.

 

[RedAngie]

My grandfather had one of the first Ford Model T's; he was a Newfoundland Tallship Merchant.

Husband's first was a Studebaker.

Youngest son's was a Chevette.

Oldest son's was a Fiero.

My first was a Pontiac station wagon.

Hmmmm, a blatant attempt to pad your post count to reach 5000. I'm impressed.

 

[bethbuchall]

The first car that my brother and I shared (purchased by my parents): 1971 Satellite Sebring (used)
The first car that I bought myself: 1986 Dodge Charger (new) I traded that in fairly quickly for a 1989 Volkswagen Jetta.
My husband's first: Chevy Luv truck body (I don't know the year) with an engine from a Volvo
My older son's first (that he bought himself): 2013 Subaru Impreza (new)
My daughter's first (that she bought herself): 2016 Subaru Crosstrek (new)
(In college they shared a 2011 Honda Fit that my husband now drives.)
Younger son: drives one of our cars, usually the Fit on occasion

 

[wenrob]

The first I owned (not drove) was a 1988 Ford Festiva. Best $7,800 I ever spent. That car took a beating and just kept on going. Was still running like a champ when we sold it 13 years later. Would have kept it but it was a little small for a family vehicle.

DH, Toyota Celica. Not sure of the year but old with no floor board on the passenger side, no heat and no brakes on a snowy trip to Idaho that sealed it's fate. I refused to ever get in it again.

DD-1994(?) Toyota Camry she saved for a bought herself.

My parents, not sure. Dad talks about his Mustang often, my uncle stealing it, my mother and grandmother painting it with house paint, my mom taking out a sliding gate with it and it's final demise when he hit a deer in it.

 

[georgina]

First car I drove was a Ford Grand Torino station wagon (gold!). First car I bought was a 1985 Honda Accord hatchback.

DH's car was a Datsun something or other

My kids all drove a used 2004 Subura Impreza when they lived at home. They all live now in cities with good transportation and none of them own cars.

No idea what my parents had first, it was not something we ever talked about. When my mom started working in the 70's she bought an ugly Ford Maverick.

 

[AustinTink]

Me: 1980-something Hyundai Excel
DH: 1980-something Pontiac Firebird

DS: We got him a truck for his 16th birthday. New and built like a tank.