What Was Your Father's Old Car?

[Wolfbox]

Father's Day is just around the corner. So let's talk about dads' old cars.

Think back to those weekend road trips, grocery runs, and the daily rides to school. Those cars hold the sounds, the laughs, and the simple moments that made us who we are today.

What did your dad drive when you were growing up, and what's the one memory that still stands out to you?

It would be great if you could share a photo of that old ride!

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[Bill G]

To my dad cars were just transportation. The ones I remember were:
54 Ford two door
58 Ford Ranch Wagon
64 Ford wagon which I learned to drive in, and crashed once (I had to pay for the damage from my part-time job <lol>).

 

[jkernitzki]

'55 Chevy pickup. When I got old enough (like 3 or 4 years old), he'd let me try to start it using the pedal. Stiffer than the clutch. Then by 6 or 7, he had me lubing the suspension because I could sit upright in the wheel wells. Good times. He finally replaced with his first (and last) new car, a '68 Chevy pickup. We spent the first day he brought it home tightening all the cab and bed attachment bolts. Mom sold it a year later after he died to help cover costs.

 

[dwrufus53]

The first one that I remember was a ’57 Plymouth with fins that seemed to go for miles… push button transmission… green and chrome...

I remember an older dark purple Plymouth, as well, but I don’t remember it running.

In 1964 he bought a shiny new red Chevy pickup truck. I was 10 or 11 and we used that truck for many cub scout outings… including a trip from Indiana to Mammoth Cave in northern Kentucky.

 

[BBBronk]

My dad had a 64 Chevy Nova SS. He sold it when mom was pregnant with me in 66 for a more practical car. I joke him to this day he got screwed twice. He had nothing but practical, boring, forgettable cars ever since. He is a good dad. (Pic for reference, not his)

 

[Warped9]

My dad had a few cars over the years.

- 1957 Ford Ranchero. I know of this car, but never saw it myself. He bought it new, his first car, but traded it in the year I was born. Dad said he had transmission problems with it and finally got fed up with it, but also when I was born he now had two kids and a Ranchero was no longer suitable. I recall Dad saying his Ranchero was a two-tone green and white.
- 1959 Ford Custom 300 sedan. I sorta remember this car. It was blue. Dad kept it for seven years and he tried to drive the piss out of it, but it refused to die or so I was told. He traded it after my little sister fell out the back door. She had been playing with door handle when Dad was pulling away in a slow left turn. Yeah, no seat belts being worn then, but she didn’t get seriously hurt.

- 1966 Ford Galaxie 2dr. fastback. It was black with red interior and a 289 V8—beautiful car. Dad got a 2dr. so no one else could fall out the back as my sister had down. He kept it for seven years, but gave it to my older brother rather than trading it in.

- 1973 Mercury Meteor Silver Anniversary Edition 4dr. sedan with 400 V8. Salesman made a big deal out of this edition, but in retrospect it was still rather bare bones even by standards of the day. Hell, it didn’t even have air conditioning (which a lot of cars didn’t have back then). It was a nice car, but not my thing and I thought the ‘66 Galaxie was nicer. This car was big, but it was the car in which I learned to drive. Dad would drive this at speed like it was nothing, but it made me nervous given the steering was so light I wondered if it was actually connected. You didn’t so much steer this car so much as aim it in the general direction you wanted to go. And the floaty suspension didn’t inspire confidence either.
- 1984 Volkswagen Golf 4dr. Wolfsburg Edition. This was such a change from the cars he had owned before, but he had been influenced by my brother’s ‘76 and my ‘79 Volkswagen Rabbits. And Dad bought a manual transmission as we had! But still no air conditioning. Dad quite liked this car and he put a lot of mileage on it. He enjoyed the handling, comfort, room and certainly the fuel economy.
- 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis GS in Twilight Grey Metallic. Dad goes back to a big car. And finally gets air conditioning! It was okay, but I never cared for the details of the styling on the Marquis’. A bit floaty, but nothing like the ‘73 Meteor, and the steering was light years better.
- 2004 Ford Crown Victoria LX in Spruce Green Metallic. This was Dad’s last car. I liked this way better than the Marquis. He drove it for thirteen years until he passed away in 2017. Mind you in the last year I drove it ever more as Dad’s health was failing and he no longer trusted his eyesight. It had 91,000 kms. on it when he passed away and it was gifted to me. This is the car I’ve mentioned owning before getting my 2024 Bronco Sport. The car as pictured below is how it looked after I had taken possession and modified it to make it my own. It was all factory when Dad owned it.

 

[shwamo83]

1968 Ford Mustang

 

[TheX]

The one I wish I had was a '73 Gran Torino Sport. Cool red car, and I was a sophomore in high school at the time.

 

[wireman]

1946 Ford. Back in Iowa in the 50's when it snowed a lot.

Some days when he would walk to work my brother and I would start it up and drive it up and down the alley.

Didn't need a key to start it. Memories!

 

[pbnj]

1 of 9 kids, so we had a Buick Estate Wagon and several iterations of the Buick Regal

 

[ratmyr]

1961 Chevrolet Corvair Monza.

 

[bushbunnie]

This is on of my Dad's but I remember the old Model A. That took us on a lot of trips.

 

[Robins21]

Dad was not a car guy, growing up my dad worked for HJ Heinz Co as a salesman & he got company cars every few years. He mostly got station wagons because my 3 brothers & I were young & they were perfect for runs to the Jersey shore from our house in north Jersey. One of the last cars he had as a company car was IIRC was a 1969 Galaxie 500 Fastback w/a 390.

Internet pic.

 

[Smith]

My dad wasn't a car guy, he just had practical 4 door Dodges. The first car that I remember was a 1956 (I think) two tone green Dodge hardtop coupe that my mother drove when we were kids. He gave mom a 1966 Dodge Coronet that I learned to drive on when he bought a 1970 Dodge Cornet 500 2 door. I loved the look of that car and we had it for several years. When I was a junior in high school he bought a mildly customized 1966 Corvette coupe, 327/350HP, 4 speed Muncie. I was in heaven! I occasionally snuck it out for a drive and almost crashed it once or twice! He bought a 1973 Dodge Coronet for my mom for Christmas. What a piece of junk that was. He then switched over to Volvos, a 1975 244 sedan with a 4 speed stick. He was so impressed with that car he traded the Coronet for another Volvo 244 for mom. He then went on to a 1983 Volvo 245 after a drunk crashed into his 244 and totaled it. He then bought a Volvo 740 and a 760. When he passed away in 1997 i inherited the Corvette. See attached photo.

 

[BBBronk]

I am loving this thread. Keep em coming!

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