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What family car do remember the most while growing up?

We always talk about the towns, or the houses, or the schools we grew up in.

What about the cars?

My father had an Auto Body Shop.
Now . . .srangely enough . . . you'd think we'd grow up with the nicest car in the neighborhood. . .right?. . .no. 

We went thru a myriad of crashy cars that where always on the brink of being turned into classics, you just had to "wait and see". So we rode in them, hoping nobody from school saw us, until the next work of art prospect appeared on the yard.

Then one day my mom had it,  and made it known loud enough for the.whole neighborhood to hear, that she was done riding in garbagee cars.

I remember when my my Dad drove up in the Gran Torino Station Wagon. It was awesome! The back door was super long and super heavy, and the space inside, gigantic.
My brother, sister, and I would go in there and I swear we could run around, without even bumping into each other.

The seats, the back seats, they folded forward! I thought that's how space crafts must be.

It was red.

Posted - January 25, 2017

Responses


  • Ha. Really??
    I agree Not Flo, I agree.
    I put on my glasses, 
    Let the top down, and nobody can tell me nothing!!!!  ))
      January 25, 2017 1:43 PM MST
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  • 6988
    Was it insured by Progressive?
      January 25, 2017 2:21 PM MST
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  • Could be bh, could be. LOLOLOLOL
      January 25, 2017 2:31 PM MST
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  • 3934
    This is a pretty good example of what "Flo"  (1972 MBZ 280SE used to look like).



      January 25, 2017 11:33 AM MST
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  • Thank you Mr School, that's.another sweet ride there.
    I still see.those around every now and.then. 
    What do you remember the.most about it?
      January 25, 2017 11:40 AM MST
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  • 3934
    Mostly the sound. To this day, when I hear a Mercedes with an M130 engine (late-60s/early-70s straight six), my brain perks up.
      January 26, 2017 6:29 AM MST
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  • My dad got his first truck in 1985 before I was born. It was a brand new blue 1985 Chevrolet Silverado. He gave it a slight lift and placed an American Flag decal on the tailgate. He loved that truck. He had throughout my childhood. After he died, mom gave it to me and now I drive it around and baby it like he did. I love that truck!
      January 25, 2017 11:46 AM MST
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  • That's such an awesome story!!!
    You are.so lucky. I would be.afraid to drive.it around. 
    You know? Just this morning, as I do regularly, I was looking for a Gran Torino Station Wagon in good shape to buy.
    You're story made me emotional thinking about my dad.
    Great story.
    Thank you.
      January 25, 2017 11:52 AM MST
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  • I understand that. My dad was a "drive it around and let the engine roar" kind of man. If he were still here he would probably shoot me if I didn't use it, lol. That made me a bit emotional about it as well.
      January 25, 2017 12:10 PM MST
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  • Thank you for sharing. Things.like this make me.want to.call.my mother. She's always surprised when I.call.her out the.blue and start talking about weird things.like this. TodAy I will.as me her .
    "Hey mom, remember the red Gran Torino?"
    Then she will.talk and I.Will listen. For a.long.while.
    Thanks again. 
    Great answer. You get a.point!!
      January 25, 2017 12:24 PM MST
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  • Now that you mention it, I haven't talked to my mom in a while either. Perhaps I'll call her as well. :) This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at January 25, 2017 12:37 PM MST
      January 25, 2017 12:29 PM MST
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  • You should. )
      January 25, 2017 1:14 PM MST
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  • 3375
    Dad always had a Chevy sedan of some sort.  The one I remember was a Chevy Impala.  How exciting it was when he would come home and take us all for a ride so we could all take in that "new car" smell.  
      January 25, 2017 11:48 AM MST
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  • An Impala??!
    Was it one.of.the.Bbiiiggg ones????
      January 25, 2017 12:10 PM MST
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  • 3375
    It sure was.  I remember traveling with my family in the early 1970s and my dad had my little sister's old crib mattress in the back seat so we could play board games while he drove.  Yeh...no seat belts for us.  Those old cars were tanks!
      January 25, 2017 12:20 PM MST
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  • That's great!
    I really liked those big Impalas.
    I loved the.lines. straight and with a flat low ceiling body. 
    And wide!!!! Boy, were they wide!!  ))
    Although I never pictured a crib mattress being able to fit back there!
    That's just great! 
    Thanks Peapod!!!)))
      January 25, 2017 12:29 PM MST
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  • 46117
    We saw the USA in our Chevrolets for about a decade and I begged my dad to buy a 1965 GTO convertible Pontiac when I was 15.  He didn't buy it for me, it was the family car.  It was black and silver and it was a honey.

    We were Pontiac people for a while after that.

    Image and video hosting by TinyPic This post was edited by WM BARR . =ABSOLUTE TRASH at January 25, 2017 6:19 PM MST
      January 25, 2017 11:52 AM MST
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  • Oh wow, lucky you!
    Another beautiful car!!
    I did own a Pontiac when younger. It was fast and sounded very muscle like and manly. I loved.that car. But I didn't know enough to drive a car with that kind of power. I ended up driving it into a creek!
    Thwnk you Sharonna. Did he ever let you drive it?
    By yourself?
      January 25, 2017 12:15 PM MST
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  • 7775
    1971 Ford Torino GT

      January 25, 2017 12:13 PM MST
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  • Oh. WOW!!
    Now that's just beautiful!!!
    I can imagine the feeling of that engine when pressing the.gas pedal down.
    Thank you Z, Nice car.
    Whatever happen to those? 
    How do you possibly acquire that level of cool driving a.flipping Prius??
    )
      January 25, 2017 12:19 PM MST
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  • 7775
    I barely remember it since I was only 5 years old.
      January 25, 2017 12:25 PM MST
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  • 2500
    1973 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser station wagon. It was a real Yom Kippur Clipper. Had its own weather system. On a really clear day you could stand at one bumper and almost make out a person standing at the other bumper. Had a 455 (cid) "Rocket" V8 with a 4-barrel carb. It could pass anything but a gas station. Really cool car though. They don't build them like that anymore (well, maybe at Peterbilt . . . ) This post was edited by Salt and Red Pepper at January 25, 2017 1:27 PM MST
      January 25, 2017 12:57 PM MST
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  • Pass anything but a gas.station,. . .that's.funny Salt ).
    And yes, those were big!
    If.im right those used to have.the round wrap around back rear Windows. 
    I always compared other stations wagons to.ours. 
    I'd love to.have one of those again. I'd drive it everywhere, or at least as much as I could afford the gas to run it, no?
    Thanks Salt, I appreciate your response.
      January 25, 2017 1:54 PM MST
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  • 2500
    Yep. That buggy was VERY large in color. The rear glass actually curved sharply upward to the roofline. This is a copy of that very station wagon.

    https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.blog.hemmings.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F%2F2011%2F06%2F1973OldsmobileCustomCruiser_01_700.jpg&imgrefurl=https%3A%2F%2Fblog.hemmings.com%2Findex.php%2F2011%2F06%2F27%2Fhemmings-find-of-the-day-1973-oldsmobile-custom-cruiser%2F&docid=C05-6Jo6myN1vM&tbnid=wdZuyBK6xPh4XM%3A&vet=1&w=700&h=525&client=opera&bih=970&biw=1920&q=1973%20custom%20cruiser%20station%20wagon&ved=0ahUKEwj2nMX5rN7RAhVC0oMKHcxgDqYQMwgaKAAwAA&iact=mrc&uact=8

    Just look at all that hood in front of that windshield. In fact, they had to make yellow lights longer to give that car enough time to make it through the light.

    Here's a better view of that rear curving glass . . . 

    https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stationwagonforums.com%2Fforums%2Fproxy.php%3Fimage%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fcimages.carsforsale.com%252F279685%252F75924BFD-68C8-44CC-B6C9-99FC90F47ACF_4.jpg%26hash%3Df654faf58bb068d82cd186c43e8fcc71&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.stationwagonforums.com%2Fforums%2Fthreads%2Fsharp-looking-1973-olds-custom-cruiser.17734%2F&docid=u0O3rOHtkpx-nM&tbnid=HhRO-4Onm0JJCM%3A&vet=1&w=640&h=480&client=opera&bih=970&biw=1920&q=1973%20custom%20cruiser%20station%20wagon&ved=0ahUKEwj2nMX5rN7RAhVC0oMKHcxgDqYQMwgbKAEwAQ&iact=mrc&uact=8 

    Had an electric "clamshell" tailgate situation. You could retract only the upper glass or both that glass and the lower gate. Could do that with the key or with buttons on the dashboard. 9-passenger seating, almost had to license it as a bus and have a "chauffeur's" license to drive it (in the days before the current CDL system

    That "Rocket" system had meaning too. There were springs at the top of each valve that the rocker arms pressed against each time a valve was actuated. The alleged function was to slightly rotate the valve each time it was opened to insure that the valve faces and seats wore evenly and didn't burn or carbon up. I have no clue as to whether that worked.  

    The Custom Cruiser was based on the Olds 98 chassis, if I remember correctly. Their smaller wagon, the Vista Cruiser, was on the 88 chassis.
      January 25, 2017 3:41 PM MST
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  • 104
    A 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass. It was a gold color and golden for years
      January 25, 2017 12:57 PM MST
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