Ever wonder where your old car may have gone?

[NWFRS]

My first car popped up a few years ago.

http://www.2040-cars.com/Toyota/Celi...engine-667323/

It had about 180k miles when I bought it. I bought it for $1000 working an after-school job in a small factory making orchard loppers and picking buckets. I think I sold it for $500 in 2006 with about 220k miles. Not pretty but very solid. Also swapped the original 4spd gearbox for a 5spd because I was doing a lot of freeway driving. I swapped the original carburetor for a new Weber 32/36. Did new wheel bearings and brakes all around. Swapped a few tan interior parts for black ones off of wreaking yard cars. It already had the wild green and gold corduroy upholstery when I bought it. Great car for a broke high school senior. I bought a '71 coupe and a '74 coupe shortly after.

[Dadhawk]

I've done this twice in the past. I tried to track down m '85 MR2 but I'm pretty sure it went straight to the junk yard. It was before the Internet so I was trying to track it through DMV and couldn't find it. I may try again.

I also tracked down an airplane that had belonged to my wife's Father who she lost when she was 12. The two of them used to go flying in it almost every weekend. He was a mechanic and had restored the old plane himself, and it has her initials in the tail number. I did track it down (airplanes are pretty easy to find the current owner if you have the tail number) but he wouldn't sell. I cyberstalk it to see if there is any movement.

There are several cars I've owned that now that I have the money to fix them up I would buy back. Unfortunately I don't have their VINs and not sure how you find out a car that used to be registered to you. Is that possible?

[Xerexyz]

Just wait till the child grows up and realizes there is a front seat release at the back of the passenger seat. Then the wife and the child will be fighting non-stop for how space for the two passenger side seats is split. Then you'll want to add an extra "family" car so you can throw out the whiners and have some quality time in the 86 by yourself

Okay, we do have two cars. We also have a Mazda 3, which is an adequately fun and more traditional family car. Just have to strap the kid in tighter so they can't grab that fabric strap.

BUT! In the 86 I can reach my kid's face from the driver's seat and pull something out of his mouth, I have an irrational fear of him choking. Can't do that in my sister's land yacht Chrysler Pacifica, all the kids are many arms' length away in that vehicle.

To all the people worrying about having a rear facing seat, I was completely in that camp... that's why we got the Civic. That car wasn't bad btw... it wasn't as much fun as the fr-s, but my wife loved it.

BTW, our other cars that we had when we had the Civic were a 90 Miata and an 85 RX-7 both of which we had to sell after the accident. I'm now in complete fear of people on the road in the midwest and those cars were definitely much much less safe in an accident than the 86 platform.

[Xerexyz]

For those who are curious... this is what happened to the Civic.



I just couldn't imagine what could happen to my kid in the same accident in our old fun cars from Idaho. I completely and utterly miss the RX-7 though. It was brown with brown and so much fun to drive.

[humfrz]

Originally Posted by Xerexyz

Okay, we do have two cars. We also have a Mazda 3, which is an adequately fun and more traditional family car. Just have to strap the kid in tighter so they can't grab that fabric strap.

BUT! In the 86 I can reach my kid's face from the driver's seat and pull something out of his mouth, I have an irrational fear of him choking. Can't do that in my sister's land yacht Chrysler Pacifica, all the kids are many arms' length away in that vehicle.

To all the people worrying about having a rear facing seat, I was completely in that camp... that's why we got the Civic. That car wasn't bad btw... it wasn't as much fun as the fr-s, but my wife loved it.

BTW, our other cars that we had when we had the Civic were a 90 Miata and an 85 RX-7 both of which we had to sell after the accident. I'm now in complete fear of people on the road in the midwest and those cars were definitely much much less safe in an accident than the 86 platform.

Oh, my, so much to comment on in your post. However, I'll just give my opinion on a child choking part. Assuming you don't fill the child's lap with chokable items, and the kid is properly strapped in, I figure that a person would be more at risk because of distracted driving by reaching around and tending to the kid, than the chance of a kid choking to death.





humfrz

[Xerexyz]

Originally Posted by humfrz

Oh, my, so much to comment on in your post. However, I'll just give my opinion on a child choking part. Assuming you don't fill the child's lap with chokable items, and the kid is properly strapped in, I figure that a person would be more at risk because of distracted driving by reaching around and tending to the kid, than the chance of a kid choking to death.





humfrz

Yeah, like i said, irrational. We don't allow him to eat or drink in the cars. And i would only reach back there if completely stopped and I'm a place where i cannot cause an accident.

It's just kind of nice to have everyone close to you as a family in a car.

I remember when my wife and i just got married and we were in the back seat of my sister's Venza. Being used to an 89 Celica GTS and a 85 RX-7, we felt like we were worlds apart back there, it's a crazy wide car.

[accwai]

Originally Posted by Xerexyz

[...] In the 86 I can reach my kid's face from the driver's seat and pull something out of his mouth, I have an irrational fear of him choking.[...]

At least you still don't have to worry about the sh!t on his cell phone and the flickering light in his room 3:30 in the morning

[...] I'm now in complete fear of people on the road in the midwest and those cars were definitely much much less safe in an accident than the 86 platform.

Speaking of fear of people on the road, big posters warning of severe penalty for driving while stoned is beginning to appear here at the GTA

[joro2]

I've been tempted to look up (CarFax, etc.) the fate of my much loved 1991 MX-5 (regrettably sold a few years back) but can't bring myself to do that. So instead I just go in the garage and gape (with satisfaction) at my 2017 BRZ.