First car that was mine all mine: 1973 Fiat 128 3p. Got it used in 1978 for $500, I think. It was in that funky neon Fiat green. A buddy named it Schep (after George of the Jungle's elephant). It was a Euro job brought over here to the states (KPH, etc...) What a POS. I became a Fiat mechanic. Always had my tool box in the back seat. Very cool car, very funky car, it just never ran very well. If that car could talk... man.
My first NEW car: 1982 Dodge Ram50. 4 cy, 2.6l engine - thing ran and ran and ran. Killer sound system, back in the day - Concord, Zapco, Liner Dynamics, ADS, Monster... Had 1000 watts in the cab 10 years before Car Fi became the cartoon circus it is today. In 16 years, it always started the first try. Always. Sold it with 349,000 miles on it for $1000 so I could put a down payment on my wife's ring. Its still running someplace, I'm sure.
Loved reading the stories.
K