Cars You've Owned, Age You Were

[lavagal]

I wonder if I can even remember all the cars I've owned, the color they were, how old I was and where I lived, but I'm willing to give it a shot. How about you?

1. Olive green MGB at 17 in New Jersey.
2. Brown Spitfire at 19 in California.
3. Silver Mazda RX7 at 20 in California.
4. Red Vega wagon at 21 in Kapahulu.
5. Yellow Mazda compact at 22 in Moiliili.
6. Yellow Nissan Sentra at 28 in Makiki.
7. Black MGB at 30 in Makiki.
8. White VW Van at 32 in Makiki.
9. Silver Acura Integra at 36, Downtown Honolulu (husband's car!).
10. Gun-Metal Gray Toyota Sienna at 45 in Hawaii Kai (present vehicle).

[tutusue]

A 1950something VW bug at 16 in SoCal. My BF took it one day and returned it that night painted bright orange with flare tip pipes installed! I guess that was "pimped" for 1960!

A 1956 Chevy wagon at 17 or 18 in SoCal. Ended up painting it a coral color!

<interim brain fart!>

During the 60s an array of cars: another VW bug, a VW bus, an Alfa Romeo, a Ford Falcon Futura station wagon. Marriage brought on 2 cars and kids 86'd the sports car for the station wagon!

Early 70s, a Datsun wagon and a Chevy Vega. Once single I went for a 260Z, then a Porsche 924! That gave way to a Porsche 911S which I kept for at least 16 years. While the kids were in high school we had a Mazda station wagon.

At some point, 1998 I think, I bought a 1988 BMW. Last spring I bought a 1995 big, ol', honkin' sedan!!! I'd go back to a Porsche in a heart beat!

[blueyecicle]

Oh and I only listed the cars/trucks that were mine and only mine...Did not include ex husband's or current husband's cars.

age 16 Bought it myself
Red 1983 Hyundai Excel Hatchback even
Totalled that one head on into a truck.

Age 18...
Tan/brown Ford Taurus 1988 I think...4 door and electric seats!

age 19-22
1990 VW Cabriolet convertible soft top. 5 Speed. lowered with MOMO's

age 20-22
1990 Nissan Pickup King Cab SE V-6 5 Speed...grey with 4 inch lift and chrome roll bar with headlights on the roof.

22-24
1995 White Nissan King Cab Pickup 4 inch body and susp. lift V-6 5 Speed Chrome roll bar and Chrome Brush guard and lights again on top.

24-28
1996 BLACK Pathfinder Automatic SLE V-6 4 inch Susp. Lift and 4 inch body lift 35" tires All leather and heated seats. Her name was STOMPR...I loved her until her tranny went out. Favorite vehicle I have ever had.
Black bra, Chrome brush guard. Lifted and 4 bying baby. Ahhhh....

29-30
1986 Chevy Astro minivan....I had kids when I got this....! Gold and maroon striped! Automatic.

31-NOw?
2001 Dodge Caravan Green....that's my car now. Automatic and smooth riding...great kid van!

[pzarquon]

First car (16-18): 1977 Chevy Nova Concours (http://www.lightfantastic.org/imr/things/chevynova.html). Bought for $300. Dad helped fix it up, sold for $2,000. Heavy, rumbly, gas guzzler. To this day, Jen says it was her favorite car of 'em all.

Second car (19-23): 1979 Hurst-Olds W-30 (http://www.lightfantastic.org/imr/things/hurstolds.html) (limited edition). Impeccably restored, down to stock alloy wheels, a top-notch Nitta paint job, and a re-upholstered interior. Drove it here and on the Big Island -- I loved, loved cruising from Hilo to Hapuna up the Hamakua Coast in this thing. Didn't take the best care of it, sadly. I was too young and stupid to know how special this one was.

Third car (23): 1991 Ford Escort hatchback. An "interim" car, but one I'll never forget, because (1.) I had to learn stick to drive it, and (2.) I drove my daughter home in it. Struggling up H-2 in a 4-cylinder (or was it 3?) matchbox with your precious newborn baby in it while much bigger cars whip past fast enough to make the whole car shake is an experience I'll never forget.

Fourth car (23-27): 1984 Nissan Maxima (http://www.lightfantastic.org/imr/things/nissan.html). The dealer thought I was nuts (http://www.lightfantastic.org/imr/entries/98/04/980411.html) trading in a much newer car for this old silver box, but I just wanted something sturdier than that Escort (and four doors!). Turned out to be a really interesting car -- it talked! Had all kinds of features, most of which still worked. We named it 3Jane. It was worth about $1,000. I spent over $4,000 keeping it running. I still don't know why I was so attached to this one.

Fifth car (27 to present!): 1995 Dodge Caravan (http://www.lightfantastic.org/imr/things/caravan.html). Honda Windward made me a fan for life. Yes, a minivan... I'm a dad, it was inevitable. But now I think I'll always want a van in the family. And this one has been quite the trusty steed. The hood and roof is rusting, but the rest of it still looks great. The AC now squeals like a banshee, but it still works!

Honorable mentions are the 1991 Ford Taurus (http://www.lightfantastic.org/imr/things/taurus.html) (a.k.a. "Maggie") and the 2000 Pontiac Montana (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hawaii/11901158/) (yes, a second van) for my wife. The Montana made me a lifelong hater of the Tony Autoplex... but I love the car.

I don't think I'll ever own a new car.

[adrian]

I'll probably have the shortest one...

age: 20 - 1994 Ford Taurus
age: 21 - 2004 Mazda 3

[blueyecicle]

I'll probably have the shortest one...

age: 20 - 1994 Ford Taurus
age: 21 - 2004 Mazda 3

You are young! It will grow.:D

[808shooter]

Age 16: Red Toyota Corona beater. Not even sure what year. Maybe 1974? Mums paid $300 bucks for it.

Age 18: Yellow Toyota Tercel. Even more of a beater. No ignition, no door locks, no a/c, the list goes on and on. Surfmobile.

Age 20: 12 Speed bicycle of some sort, Honda Spree moped. Those were the days of scabbing ride alla time.

Age 24: Honda CRX (the second version - 1991?)

Age 28: Volkswagon Corrado. Funny I still see this car on the road on the Pali.

Age 32: BMW 528. Best car I've ever had. Not the current version, the last one.

Age 33: Porsche Boxter. Kind of fun but a pain in the ass in traffic.

Age 37: Toyota Sienna / Ford Explorer. Family guy now...

I still have the last four cars I've bought since age 32. Anyone in the market for a '97 5 series? :-) It'll be on Craigslist soon.

Cool thread, made me think a lot on this. Nice memories.

[zff]

1. Pontiac LeMans, 15-16
2. Datsun 210, 16-18
3. Toyota Celica GT, 18-23
4. Kawasaki EX500, 22-25
5. Datsun 280Z, 24-26
6. Kawasaki Ninja 750, 25-30
7. Toyota Corolla, 27-28
8. Nissan 300ZX, 28-35
9. Ford Mustang Cobra, 32-37
10. Kawasaki EX500, 34-35
11. Ferrari 308GTSqv, 35-now
12. Toyota Pickup SR5, 36-38
13. Acura NSX, 37-now
14. Mazda B3000, 38-now

Yikes! I had no idea I had that many cars. Yes, good thread topic! Good memories.

[oceanpacific]

This thread will reveal our ages, for sure.

01) '55 Chevy 210 4-dr sdn, 230 cid 6, 3-MT, beach car, age 16-18;
02) '61 Ford Falcon 4-dr sdn, gutless 144 cid 6; 3-MT, 8-track, age 19-21;
03) '67 Ford Galaxie 500 4-dr sdn, 289 V-8, 3-AT, AC, power, age 22;
04) '68 Plymouth Satellite SS 2-dr HT, 318 V-8, 3-AT, 8-track, age 23-24;
05) '72 VW-Porsche 914 2-seat roadster, 1.7L flat four, 5-MT, age 24-26;
06) '72 Dodge Swinger 2-dr HT, 318 V-8, 3-AT, age 26-30;
07) '78 BMW 320i 4-dr sdn, 2.0L I-4, 4-MT, AC, cassette, age 30-38;
08) '79 Ford Mustang 2-dr sdn, 302 V-8, 3-AT, AC, power, age 30-37;
09) '86 Acura Legend 4-dr sdn, 2.5L V-6, 5-MT, AC, power, age 38-39;
10) '87 Acura Integra 4-dr HB, 1.8L I-4, 4-AT, AC, power, age 39-43;

11) '87 Acura Legend 2-dr cpe, 2.7L V-6, 4-AT, AC, power, age 39-40;
12) '89 Mazda MPV van, 3.0L V-6, 4-AT, AC, power, age 40-45;
13) '91 Acura Legend 4-dr sdn, 3.2L V-6, 4-AT, AC, power, age 43-46;
14) '93 Nissan Quest van, 3.0L V-6, 4-AT, dual AC, power, age 45-53;
15) '95 Mazda Millenia, 4-sr sdn, 3.0L V-6, 4-AT, AC, power, age 46-48;
16) '88 Nissan Maxima, 4-dr sdn, 3.0L V-6 4-AT, AC, power, age 48;
17) '87 Acura Legend 2-dr cpe, 2.7L V-6, 4-AT, AC, power, age 49-53;
18) '96 Acura RL 4-dr sdn, 3.5L V-6, 4-AT, AC, power, DVD, age 52-present;
19) '01 Honda Odyssey van, 3.5L V-6, 4-AT, dual AC, DVD, age 53-present;
20) '98 Nissan Altima 4-dr sdn, 2.4L I-4, 4-AT, AC, DVD, age 56-58;

21) '96 Honda Accord 4-dr sdn, 2.2L I-4, 4-AT, AC, DVD, age 59-present.

The second '87 Legend coupe (#17) and the '98 Nissan Altima (#20) were "totaled" by two of my daughters. The rest were sold or traded-in. The most notable transactions were the '72 VW-Porsche sold and the money used for a diamond solataire and other wedding expenses the following year and the first '87 Legend coupe which was swapped for the '89 MPV and the dealer paying off the $600 loan balance on the Acura (no cash out of my pocket).

The '96 RL (#18), '01 Odyssey (#19), and the '96 Accord (#21) are the ones in the current stable. I have my eyes out for a "crew cab" (4-dr) truck as the next acquisition, preferrably "pre-owned."

Nos. 5, 7-15, and 19 were all "new car" purchases.

My sister also jointly owned a 1968 Porsche 911-T. That car was fast, but a pain to maintain. I was 27 and she was 21. We eventually sold it and she bought a Honda Accord HB, while I put my portion toward the BMW.

[Da Rolling Eye]

Never mind my age. Can't even remember the year of most of my cars. :o

I'll try:
62 Ford Falcon
68 Toyota Corona, 4 dr., 4 spd, seasick green
68 VW fastback
70 something Honda Civic CVCC, orange. Sure do miss that one.
72 Toyota Corolla stationwagon set up for street/strip
67 VW bug
62 VW bug
70 something Volvo
60 something MGB GT, green hardtop.
Another Corolla
Another Honda Civic hatchback w/ sunroof
Porsche 911 Turbo
Ferrari, sheesh can't even remember the model. Didn't have this or the Porsche for very long anyway. :rolleyes:
Nissan Sentra stationwagon
89 Nissan p/u
Got to drive a Rolls Corniche for a week. ;)
Mazda GLC
Another Toyota
96 Saturn SL
05 Dodge Caravan

[craigwatanabe]

17 - 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7 - Fully restored, replaced the Windsor with a Cleavland
19 - 1964 Plymouth Signet - Hurst factory shifter
22 - 1962 Ford Falcon - Painted with baby blue house paint
24 - 1968 Mercury Cougar - Fully restored sold due to family size increasing
24 - 1984 VW Scirocco - Totalled it in 1988
28 - 1988 VW Scirocco 16V - Sold due to family size same time as 68 Cougar
32 - 1992 VW Jetta III - Piece of crap sold due to family size increasing AGAIN
33 - 1989 VW Vanagon Synchro Van - Blown motor but such a great van
36 - 1988 VW Vanagon GL - Blown motor but loved the table
36 - 1986 Buick Century Wagon - Bought it for $250 after selling CD's at Jelly's
40 - 1986 BMW 535i - First BMW owned loved that car wished I never got rid of it
40 - 1986 BMW 735i - Second BMW lotsa room to relax in
41 - 1997 Chevy Astrovan AWD - Current Kid hauler (2007)
41 - 1987 BMW 635Csi - Second childhood splurge
42 - 1993 BMW 525i - Mistake, got rid of it ASAP
42 - 1986 Honda Accord LS - Dependable, still drive it today
42 - 1988 BMW 735i - Suuper comfortable at 140 MPH.
43 - 1989 BMW 635Csi - My second childhood revisited and it's red still got it
43 - 1996 Geo Prism - College car for my 20-year old very dependable car still got it



Many of these cars I've owned together. Right now I own the Honda, the 89Bmw 635Csi, Geo Prism and the Chevy Astrovan.

As you can tell I tend not to own cars for very long.

[craigwatanabe]

Oh yeah I forgot about the bug I owned while up in Idaho. I flew Speedtek all the way up to fix it just to have the makeshift rubberband throttle spring melt from one hour drive back to Mtn. Home from Boise after dropping him off at the airport to go back to Hawaii.

Melting throttle rubber bands cause the throttle to open the carb all the way and basically full-throttle the engine. Blew that motor the day he fixed it.

[oceanpacific]

Porsche, BMW, and even a Ferrari - what a great stable of cars by our HTers!

I got together with a bunch of my high school classmates several weeks ago. My classmate's adult son has a current stable of cars that boggles the mind. Among the wheels he owns now are a LEXUS LS 400, HONDA S-2000, two ACURA NSXs, TOYOTA TUNDRA, plus three or four other "regular" cars. How many cars does one guy need? :eek:

My classmate's car? She drives a TOYOTA MATRIX .............

[Hellbent]

age 16-18 yellow 1984 plymouth station wagon (i fit 13 cheerleaders into this one)
age 18-23 grey 1987 honda civic
age 23-35 black 1994 pontiac firebird (paid this car off with blood sweat and tears)
age 35 black saturn vue

anyone wanna buy a 1994 firebrid =p

[Pomai]

These are vehicles I've either owned or LUSTED for at the given age:

age 15) 1950's model Split Window Chop Top Pearl White VW Bug with duel Weber Carbs, button-tuck upholstery and Recarro Seats.

age 17) 1968 Chevy Camaro, Pearl Red, with one huge blower, dual-quad carbs and a massive 3-intake scoop sticking out the hood, plus loud-as-hell gear-driven cams. lol

age 19) "Slammed" extended cab mini-truck with mega-watt subwoofers occupying the backseat.

Age 21) Customized Honda Civic Hatchback with mega-watt subwoofers occupying the rear trunk hatch area and a hot asian import model (the term non-existent at the time) sitting in the passenger seat.

Age 28) Bayliner deckboat (the cheap, wannabe yacht)

Current) A luxury sedan that's more suited to retired folks than people my age.

ALL AGES) McDonald-Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 EAGLE tactical fighter jet aircraft

;)

[Hellbent]

These are vehicles I've either owned or LUSTED for at the given age:

ALL AGES) McDonald-Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 EAGLE tactical fighter jet aircraft

;)


hey, when you get your f-15, pack me! :p

[lavagal]

Porsche, BMW, and even a Ferrari - what a great stable of cars by our HTers!

I got together with a bunch of my high school classmates several weeks ago. My classmate's adult son has a current stable of cars that boggles the mind. Among the wheels he owns now are a LEXUS LS 400, HONDA S-2000, two ACURA NSXs, TOYOTA TUNDRA, plus three or four other "regular" cars. How many cars does one guy need? :eek:

My classmate's car? She drives a TOYOTA MATRIX .............

I was gonna say, is this guy a fighter pilot?

[Jake's Ohana]

Toyota Celica GT (High school/College)

Pre-marriage (Fiancee) Honda Accord

Marriage: Honda Accord, Honda Odyssey Van (Wife drove both) later sold the Accord.

Now: own 1 car between my wife and I, I've been driving company vehicles for 13 years. Would love to own a second car for back up purposes something a little more sporty for the wife and I. The family van offers only so much in terms of satifying the luxurious feelings. :confused:

[lavagal]

Jake, I hear ya.
We are a one-vehicle family. We have a van. It's so nice to have it after being in a 2-door Acura Integra hatchback for 12 years and then no air conditioning for a while, with a baby, too! We'd like another, smaller, sportier, but still safe for the keiki. I do like being in all that metal.

[Palama Kid]

25 - 46
1972 Datsun 510, 4-door sedan; bought in Honolulu - shipped it to Bay Area in '74 & kept it 20 years with no rust - about 120,000 miles when I donated it to charity

34 - 50
1978 Lancia Beta Coupe; I gave up on that Italian car when it got too costly to maintain - drove about 100,000 miles - donated it to charity

46 - 57
1992 Toyota Pickup truck; carpeted the bed and put a shell on it - driven 92,000 miles before giving it to my daughter; it's still being driven in Reno

52 - now
1997 Toyota RAV-4; driven 120,000 miles so far

[oceanpacific]

DATSUN 510 - referred to as a "poor man's BMW;" my brother had a 1969 S/W and raced it; he persuaded my parents to trade-in my '61 Falcon towards it; I got "used" cars during those early years, while my siblings got new cars (my mom said that I was a "victim" of the "hard years;"

minivans - "soccer mom" stage of life; we've had them for over 18 years; also great for scouting, COSTCO runs, and other similar activities; when it was time to replace the '93 Quest (8+ years, 164K miles), I offered the "boss" any car she wanted; after she indicated the Odyssey, I asked her if she wouldn't rather have a "regular car," to which she replied that after 12 years, a minivan was a "regular car;"

LANCIA BETA - I remember giving that car a brief look before buying the BMW 320i, which also turned out to be a maintenance nightmare; wasn't LANCIA part of the SERVCO stable?

[zff]

My classmate's adult son has a current stable of cars that boggles the mind. Among the wheels he owns now are a LEXUS LS 400, HONDA S-2000, two ACURA NSXs, TOYOTA TUNDRA, plus three or four other "regular" cars. How many cars does one guy need?TWO Acura NSXs? Wow! I've met several other NSX owners, but I don't recall anyone who owns two. Maybe you can direct him to this site (http://www.postjunky.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=15), for local NSX owners. He may want to come out to one of the cruises that we occasionally have. (I have pics from one of our cruises here (http://drone.regexit.com/zff/pics/NSXcruise-Sep05).)

As far as mind-boggling stables of cars, I saw one that has to be one of the most impressive in Hawaii. Here are a few pictures (click on a pic to see a larger image):

http://drone.regexit.com/zff/pics/Exotics-Nov06/thumbnails/nov06-038.jpg (http://drone.regexit.com/zff/pics/Exotics-Nov06/nov06-038.jpg) http://drone.regexit.com/zff/pics/Exotics-Nov06/thumbnails/nov06-040.jpg (http://drone.regexit.com/zff/pics/Exotics-Nov06/nov06-040.jpg) http://drone.regexit.com/zff/pics/Exotics-Nov06/thumbnails/nov06-043.jpg (http://drone.regexit.com/zff/pics/Exotics-Nov06/nov06-043.jpg)

In addition to the cars in these pictures, he also has a Rolls, a BMW 850i, two Corvettes (one of them is a Z06), and IIRC, a Mercedes.

I was totally floored. I've met people with some expensive cars, but I had never seen a private collection like this before.

[oceanpacific]

Yup, TWO NSXs. Seems a bit evident of WANTON EXCESS. One red, one gold. Personalized license plates, too: NSXE and NSXE-2. He's on the Big Island.

He also has a BMW 850 ...........

My brother, an auto mechanic, has owned his 1966 Lotus Elan since 1978.

[Keith H.]

Well, my car list is as short as doc1456's and I'm not as young as him. I don't believe in changing cars every 4-5 years; I intend to keep mine until they die.

1987 - 1999 (ages 15 - 27): 1987 silver Nissan long bed pickup with camper top. Technically my dad bought it as a company car; I "inherited" it when he died and it became mine. Had my first driving lesson in that car; had my first fender bender in that car, both on the same day. I won't go further into it. It served me well until it suffered catastrophic engine failure on the Likelike.

1999 - present (ages 27 - present): 2000 model dark blue Suzuki Esteem station wagon that's now starting to show its age. I drained my savings for it, but I had the satisfaction of it being all mine from day one.

[Linkmeister]

I wrote all that up (http://www.linkmeister.com/blog/archives/000181.html) back in 2002. Must have been a slow news day.:)

I still drive my 1997 Geo Metro. I bought it off the Budget lot in 1998 with 13K on it. It now has 46K.

[oceanpacific]

I wrote all that up (http://www.linkmeister.com/blog/archives/000181.html) back in 2002. Must have been a slow news day.:)

I still drive my 1997 Geo Metro. I bought it off the Budget lot in 1998 with 13K on it. It now has 46K.

That's a good piece of writing: I enjoyed it and reminisced about the parallels with my own experiences. Especially about the Ford Falcon.

My parents bought a new '62 Falcon: they traded our '56 Chevy station wagon (265 cid small block V-8). The Falcon had the 144 cid I-6 (blue valve cover), not the 170 cid (red cover).

I got my '61 Falcon in 1967 for $844, with the 144 engine, three-on-the-tree manual transmission. I dolled it with new naugahyde (spell "vinyl") upholstery, carpet with 1" foam underlay, furry rear deck mat, 4/8-track tape player, Goodyear Boots wide (78-series) tires (triple white stripes), and ............ matching GT racing stripes! Talk about delusions of grandeur! With that 144, it was "all-show, no-go."

This Falcon was traded for my brother's new '69 Datsun 510 wagon, which he modified and raced with out in the Puna district.

My '96 Acura RL was purchased in October 2000 with 36,000 miles on the clock. Today, after nearly 6-1/3 years of effortless driving, I have 131,000 miles on the odometer. I expect to make it to 250,000, even if I get a new vehicle sometime in the future.

[Fat Jeff]

'69 Buick Electra 225 Dad's car...The old "Deuce and a Quarter". That car was frickin' HUGE. In high school, after a basketball game I transported 11 friends to the burger joint in that beast (all stacked cord wood style). Age 15 (learner's permit days)-16

'78 Pontiac Lemans Mom's car...Now we're talkin' Smaller, lighter, and even with a choked off small block Chevy V-8, faster than the ol' Deuce. Had lot's of good times in this car until we moved to Florida, necessitating the purchase of the Mustang. Age 16-17

'79 Ford Mustang Moving to South Florida the land of ZERO public transportation required me to get a car of my own. This was as bare bones a car as you would dare get in Florida. 4 cylinder, 4 speed, A/C and nothing else. Only had the A/C cause this was Florida. This I drove up until the day I got on the plane to Hawaii. It drove me to my senior year of high school, and to college too. I drove it to my first jobs, and also on yearly road trips to as far away as Chicago (my home town). It endured what is now called the "tuner treatment" 20 years before it became a movement. I tricked out the suspension, motor, and finally got a radio into that sucker. Also had the darkest tinted windows known to man. I drove that thing hard and put 113k miles on it before I let it go. Age 17-22

The Bus, aka Fasi's taxi My first couple years here were spent on the big limo or Foot Express. Age 23-24

'79 Honda Prelude Ah yes, silver with the burnt orange interior. Crazy dashboard radio with the nested knobs on the side, and the pretty big sunroof that was my saving grace as the car had no A/C. Rust and business needs dictated a new ride after a year. Age 25

'89 Astro Van The business was growing quickly and I needed a van to get stuff around. Another stripped down car. Two seats, rubber mats, no A/C and a AM radio. I drove this a long time until I sold it to the White Rasta from the Big Island who bought it to use at his nursery. Age 26-36

'98 Chevy Blazer That was waaaaaay too long without A/C. Now I had it, along with more power stuff than all my previous rides combined. Great car until it's final year when it became a garage queen. Age 37-43

'07 Honda Pilot EX-L WOW! Now this is some kinda wonderful! Rides great, quiet, powerful, plenty of room for my rapidly growing family (3rd row even!). It's been a dream...right up until that !@#$% tow truck driver hit it while it was parked at a gas pump at Costco. The loaner I've been driving while the body shop fixes it, has served as proof that the Pilot was a great choice. Present ride.

One funny thing, Mom's LeMans, the Mustang, the Astro, and the Blazer were all WHITE. When it came time to get the Pilot I was saying "any color but white". I chose the "Dark Cherry Metallic" :)

[oceanpacific]

DARK CHERRY METALLIC! Sounds similar to the MERLOT on my '95 Mazda Millenia, a bit brighter than BURGUNDY. First time I ever picked a red color on a new car.

In my earlier years, I chose metallic colors (silver, gold, blue), but they can fade due to UV exposure and can flake off. I've pretty much covered the entire color spectrum, but have lately picked white cars. My RL is PEARL WHITE. The '96 Accord is in the shop being painted FROST WHITE - the former TEAL GREEN metallic was "burned-off." I avoid BLACK and other dark colors - shows the dirt and requires constant cleaning.

Hope your Pilot comes back restored back to original condition.

[Fat Jeff]

DARK CHERRY METALLIC!

Hope your Pilot comes back restored back to original condition.

Well I got it back yesterday...ummm, I guess it's OK. The whole experience was soured by having to point out some overspray and scratches to some un-affected areas. Thankfully they were able to polish out the minor surface scratch and got the overspray off. I was just surprised that my untrained eye found this stuff so easy (or maybe being the guy that makes the payments gives me super vision!). The complimentary wash & wax that finishes the job left much to be desired, so I'll spend some quality time this weekend making things right (lot's of wax to remove from creases, door jams, etc.).

[Palama Kid]

LANCIA BETA - I remember giving that car a brief look before buying the BMW 320i, which also turned out to be a maintenance nightmare; wasn't LANCIA part of the SERVCO stable?

Sorry, I missed this question. Actually, I dunno the answer 'cause I bought my Lancia at a Santa Cruz auto dealership ... cost $7,000 for a one-year old Lancia with around 200 miles on the odometer. The reason I kept mine so long is that I found a reliable & reasonable repair guy. Soon after he quit to become a photographer in Napa, I had to get rid of that car.

There were so few on the road, I used to wave at another driver who also drove a white Lancia Beta coupe in Santa Clara.

On TV, I think I saw a Lancia in the original Herbie movie as a competing race car. I think.