Silly family car decisions

[wvrailroader]

My dad bought a new 1985 Chevy Astro van. Sounds like a great car for a family with three kids, except for the fact it was a cargo van with only a small bench seat in the back. That thing sucked. There was no insulation in the rear, so it was cold in the winter and hot as hades in the summer.

It ate a set of front tires every 10,000 miles, no matter how many times it was aligned. The Chevy dealer had the parts ordered for the rear axle, as it was starting to go out (at about 40,000 miles). A few days before it was supposed to go in the shop, the transmission went out on it and dad traded it off. I know all of us kids were glad to see it go. I still haven't figured out why in the world dad bought that van, except for the fact it was cheap.

 

[exranger06]

I don't really have any bad car decision stories to tell. When I was little my dad had a 1985 Chevy S10 Blazer 2 door, which worked for our family of four. It was sold and dad bought a 1994 Ford Explorer 2 door, which was equally practical. My mom still drives that Explorer today. My mom had an early 80s (84?) Chevy Camaro Berlinetta. Probably not the most practical car, but my sister and I sat in our booster seats in back no problem. That car was sold in 1995 for a 1992 Honda Accord 4 door, which is now my car. I just installed a baby seat in the back seat of it last night. My first kid should be here any week now.

 

[Virtus_Probi]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
I don't really have any bad car decision stories to tell. When I was little my dad had a 1985 Chevy S10 Blazer 2 door, which worked for our family of four. It was sold and dad bought a 1994 Ford Explorer 2 door, which was equally practical. My mom still drives that Explorer today. My mom had an early 80s (84?) Chevy Camaro Berlinetta. Probably not the most practical car, but my sister and I sat in our booster seats in back no problem. That car was sold in 1995 for a 1992 Honda Accord 4 door, which is now my car. I just installed a baby seat in the back seat of it last night. My first kid should be here any week now.


Wow, congrats!
We only had one and she is looking at colleges now. She knows she can nearly bring me to tears merely by grabbing my pinkie and walking with me...that was what she did when she was around 2 or 3. If she says "dada", I am that much closer to Niagara Falls.
Your life will never be the same, hope being a parent is wonderful for you.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

.1966 Dodge Dart with four speed, high performance 273 V8 and disc brakes. Sorry POS.

 

[Andrew1972]

My Acura MDX used with light interior. Intended for two kids + friends in pinch but ended up 3 kids across center and it drinks premium fuel!

 

[HTSS_TR]

If you guys think American cars a unreliable, you didn't have experience with French cars such as Renault or Citroen or Peugeot ... or Italian cars(Fiat) of the 80's, Fiat is not reliable even now.

 

[Rolla07]

All I will say, is it is highly personal taste over anything else.

 

[Chris142]

Around 1977 I was 8. I fell in love with a jeep honcho pickup the local jeep dealer had.I made my dad take me there every Saturday to look at it. It had a 401 a 4 speed and was brown with red,orange and yellow stripes. I knew he was car shopping and I thought I had him talked into that truck.

Then he came home with a brand new Subaru brat!

It would only fit 2 in the cab so I got to ride in the rumble seats in the back which was fine in spring. Darn miserable hot in summer and freezing cold in winter.

 

[earlyre]

I highly question ALL of my father's auto buying experiences...

when my folks were still newlyweds(ish), and shortly after my brother was born, dad bought this brand new sports car chevy had just put out, called a Camaro. first year, base model.

about 5 years later they have my sister, now, with 2 kids, time to replace the camaro with a better "Family Car" (seems sensible enough) so they trade the camaro in on a....Beetle. yes, that's much more family friendly...

by the time i came around 8 years later they had been through more vw's, a Fiat wagon, and were driving a Dodge aspen Wagon. which eventually was traded in on a 1985 omni that was SO basic, dad had to take it to get a radio installed(AM only of course)

 

[dja4260]

I'm the oldest of 4. Growing up we NEVER owned a new car. MY dad always seemed to buy beaters.

When I was young we had a Chevy 1500 with a bench seat in the back bed and a bedcap. I remember peeing out the rear hatch in downtown chicago traffic. I peed on the trailer and boat we were towing as well. Dad was [censored] and made me wash the boat. The truck had a 454 and posi rear end.

When I was older he bought a used 1989 surburban conversion. We spent ALL DAY at this guys house with my dad just thinking about it. That night at home, he slept in the truck with the rear seat folded down into a bed.

I bought a new car in 2012. I should have listened to my dad....

 

[WiskyBadger]

When my son was born we had the worst family vehicles. I had a regular cab Chevy pickup and my wife had a Monte Carlo. For the first 6 months we struggled and then wisened up. First we bought the Impala and sold the Monte. Then I sold the pickup and bought a extended cab. We struggled with selling the two vehicles because they were both our favorites we had ever owned. We are better off with 4 door/ safer vehicles now.

 

[AZjeff]

We had a young lady employee one time, she was the oldest of 8 children all at home, and the family car was a Chevette. It took them 3 shuttles to get the family anywhere together. Your dad wasn't the only one to make illogical car buying decisions.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: ChevyBadger
When my son was born we had the worst family vehicles.

Sounds like when my brother and I were kids. My dad had regular cab pickups. We move out of the house, and he starts buying extended cab and four door pickups and minivans.

 

[mobilaltima]

I havent been around as long as some of you guys, but Id rather daily drive a bare bones older vehicle be it a truck or car any day than a new one loaded to the gills. I love my 2001 Ranger, it has the reliable 3.0 V6, 5 speed stick, no cruise control and vinyl floors, even after getting in a wreck its still a solid truck.it has 140k on it right now, id like to keep it till at least 400k if possible. While I'm not a Ford guy even thoughI own the Ranger, I'd love to have a 73-79 body style F150 with the 300 straight six as a daily driver, that or a 1989-1993 12V Cummins

 

[Gasbuggy]

Can't complain. I spent the first 10 years of my life in a 77 Buick Electra coupe, a 85 Caprice Classic, and a 84 Buick Electra coupe. The Caprice was a real runner, as of a few years ago I know it was still on the road. The 77 was apparently a good car, I remember it, mint green with white leather. My dad bought the 84 around 1989-90 with ultra low miles because my mom wanted to ride in something newer.

Only semi bad decision was when the 84 died my dad bought a brand new 98 Cavalier sedan. That was ok but my brother and I were heading towards out teens and that was a big loss of space. Cavalier was a great car, my girlfriend commutes with it now. 275,000 miles, never had a valve cover off.

 

[MCompact]

Growing up my dad had a string of Mustangs('65, '67, and '70 as well as a 1970 Torino GT complete with "Laser Stripes" and the shaker hood. He next went through several Caprices(yawn) but finally ended up in a 1986 Lincoln Mark VII LSC- which was a great car.
I swore parenthood would not force me into soul-crushing appliances and I mostly succeeded; my son rode shotgun with me in my 1985 T Bird Turbo Coupe, my Club Sport, or my Wrangler TJ(all with three pedals). Away at college now, he's got the car bug as well- sending me pictures of exotic or classic cars that he encounters.
My only bad decision was selling my 1988 M6. Grrr...

 

[expat]

I was talking to our cleaning lady just last week. She drives a new F150 extended cab, 4 door, 4 WD, 'loaded to the gills' truck.
I noticed that it had some damage affecting the rear of the cab and the box, and asked her about it.

She told me it was a great concern to her. She had the accident cutting into a tight parking spot and hit a lamp post.
The problem is, the truck is leased, and she will have to get it fixed. The truck costs her $1k per month including a $39 per month mantenance agreement.
She says the truck is heavy on gas and the lease agreement had a limited millage clause (that her boyfriend had exceeded when he was working up North on the oil patch. he has since left her). She will soon have to park the verhicle because the extra milage charges will soon become excessive.
When she got the truck, from the Ford dealer (that always gives her a good deal) she wanted a small, economical car. But her credit would not allow that, but the dealer was able to sign her the lease on the truck.
The truck seemed like a good idea because it was suitable for the boyfriend to take up North, plus it had room for gear when they go camping. But the open box prooved no good without a canopy, and a standard, used, canopy would not fit the short bed of the extended cab truck.

 

[Robenstein]

My dad in 1971 sold one of his two Corvettes (a 1958) so he could buy a new Chevy Vega. Worst decision he ever made in hindsight.

 

[wander2039]

Only bad vehicles my parents bought was the 84-85 Econoline with the 460. Remember it was a great traveling van with the bucket seats though. Drank gas horribly and didn't go anywhere in the winter. They kept it the standard 3 years though.

 

[JustinH]

Family of 4, my father bought a dodge omni.

All 4 of the door handles broke off, they would freeze and we would rip them off the car.

He had one of us kids go in the hatch of the car, to release the doors.

Then he bought a subaru legacy GL. 1988 model.

Car got so rusty, and the door latch would not close. My father had no money so he "secured" the door by screwing it shut with a 2x4 and drywall screws.

Another time the exhaust fell off my father's 1979 mercury cougar. He decided to remove the factory speakers and use the copper wire from the speakers to hold the exhaust up.