Chronic Car Buyers Anonymous

anonymousposts

It has come to my attention that I am not the only one who goes car shopping more often than I go clothes shopping. Anyone have any ideas why?

Maybe we can form a support group to talk each other out of continuing the madness.

badtoy

1) Because it's fun

2) because it's free

3) Because it's good to do lots of research before commiting a quarter of your monthly budget to a product you depend on for transportation.

bodble2

for car guys (& gals), it's the thrill of the hunt. The purchase itself is merely the culmination of the process, and the impetus to start the next hunt! We're serial-car shoppers. And like serial-anything, we're biologically-wired to get turned on by the lure of the hunt.

The fun is all in the hypothesization, visualization, research, viewing, auto shows, discussions, test-drives, and more research, etc, etc.

stickguy

I just love cars, and hav esince I was a little kid. I had a subscription to Car and Driver and Motor trend when I was 10, if that gives a clue.

I have had an assortment of cars over the years, but continue looking no matter how recently I bought. I don't usually buy right away, but keep looking anyway.

It's part hobby, part addiction, but I will look at anything, anywhere. I usually get fixated on one thing for a while, until the next set of wheels catches my eye.

If NJ didn't have a 6% sales tax, and rediculous DMV and insurance fees (and I had more garage space), I would probably have a revolving door of odd wheels going most of the time. My wife woldn't appreciate it, but I consider that her failing, not mine!

anonymousposts

I recently tallyed up our purchases and came to a grand total of 34 cars in 9 years. I think I am addicted to car shopping period. I get excited when coworkers are looking for cars because I get to help them look and give them advice.

I defintely need a cheaper hobby. For anyone who is interested here is my list .. in no particular order.

1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo
1990 Toyota Tercel
1982 Toyota Tercel SR5
1987 Toyota Celica GTS
1987 & 1988 Toyota Corolla FX16 GTS
1997 Toyota RAV4 2 door

1991 Nissan 300ZX TT

1989 Honda Civic wagon
1993 Honda Civic EX coupe
1996 Honda Civic EX sedan
1998 Honda Civic EX sedan
(2) 2000 Honda Civic SI's
(2) 2002 Honda Civic SI's
2003 Honda Civic SI
1991 Honda Accord EX sedan
1992 Honda Accord EX sedan
1999 Honda Accord EX sedan
2001 Honda Accord EX V6 coupe
2003 Honda Accord EX-L coupe
2004 Honda Accord EX-L sedan
2004 Honda Odyssey EX-RES

1993 Acura Vigor
1990 Acura Integra
1991 Acura Integra
1992 Acura Integra
1994 Acura Integra

1995 Lexus GS300
1994 Lexus LS400

2000 Chevrolet Silverado

1997 Dodge Dakota

2001 Mazda Protege ES

stickguy

I'm also the designated car man in the office (and neighborhood). Many people know to talk to me before they do something, or I get mad at them. I have actually gone with a few people to negotiate the deal, or at least help out (somewhere between a third base coach and voice of reason).

And man, do I love those test drive coupons. Get some pretty good stuff that way.

stickguy

About time you arrived Mathias. We've been expecting you.

anonymousposts

or does it drive other people nuts when people ask for advice about what to buy and how much to pay and then go out and finance a used Explorer Sport for 66 months @ $500 per month (true story)?

stickguy

I learned a long time ago that you can't protect people from themselves. I offer advice and/or assistance, and if they choose to ignore it, more power to them. Just don't complain to me later on about your crappy car or unaffordable payments.

anonymousposts

CCB syndrome or does this make sense?

I have a 04 EX-L Accord right now. I can buy a 97 Infiniti I30 for $4,000. Does it make sense to trade/sell the Accord for this car and save approximately $15,000 or should I keep the Accord and try to hang on to it for 10 years? The Accord is undoubtedly safer and gets better gas mileage. The insurance will probably be a wash .. the Accord is only $250 every 6 months. But is the Accord $15,000 safer and more economical than a nice, clean I30?

So is this common sense or CCB syndrome?

I should note that we will still have a 2004 Ody to use for family duty and a 03 Civic Si for commuter duty. The Accord is used for trips when one of us have the baby or short trips around town. The I30 would take the Accord's spot and be used for the same purposes.

stickguy

probably CCB, although wether you save money depends on how reliable the i30 is.

At this point, you will probably be better of fin the long run by keeping the Accord for 10 years, instead of buying another car every 1-2 years. But, that would be much less fun.

steine13

My name is Mathias and I'm a Chronic Car Buyer.
(Hi Mathias)

OTOH, compared to some of you nutcases, I'm downright reasonable. Anonymousposts, I knew you were bad, but FIVE recent Civic Si's???

Why, I haven't bought a car in 7 whole months!

Ta -m

driftracer

to my personal counseling needs than if I was an alcoholic and going to an AA meeting. Getting ready to buy again...

driftracer

I'm Jim and I'm a Chronic Car Buyer - I've been sober since March 26th - it's been 88 days since my last purchase.

Vehicles since 1977 -

Home:

Honda XR75
Yamaha YZ125
1968 Pontiac GTO
1976 Ford Granada (transplanted 428)
1982 Suzuki 550E
1977 Ford F-250 4x4

Stationed in Italy: (1 year)

1977 Ford Cortina
1969 Alfa Romeo 1750GT
1971 Alfa Romeo GTV

Stationed in Greece: (4 years)

1966 VW Beetle
1969 VW Beetle
1971 VW Beetle
1976 Jaguar XJ-6 (Chevy conversion)
1980 Toyota Corolla SR5
1984 Suzuki GS750
1984 Yamaha Seca Turbo
1984 Toyota Supra
1966 Pontiac Tempest
1968 VW Beetle

Stationed in Texas: (4 years)

1984 Mustang GT
1987 Toyota Corolla FX-16
1988 Saleen Mustang
1989 Mustang GT

Out of the Air Force:

1992 GMC Yukon 4x4
1973 International Scout
1963 International Scout
1992 Kawasaki GPz 1100
1987 Chevy K25
1993 Ford Bronco 4x4
1990 Audi 100
1992 Suzuki GSXR 1100
1993 Kawasaki ZX6
1994 Kawasaki KLX 650
1994 Harley Davidson Springer Softtail
1979 Chevy Blazer 4x4 (40" tires, 10" lift)
1984 Oldsmobile Delta 88
1980 Subaru GL Wagon

1980 Cadillac Sedan DeVille
1984 Buick Riviera
1988 Mustang GT
1982 VW Scirocco
1977 Toyota Pickup
1978 Honda Accord
1997 Ford Thunderbird
1997 Ford Expedition
1988 VW Cabriolet
1984 VW GTI
1992 Honda Accord
1987 Chevy Suburban 2500 4x4
1993 Mercury Tracer
1977 Chevy Blazer 4x4
1982 AMC Eagle (don't ask)
1987 GMC Jimmy 4x4
1994 Subaru Legacy AWD Wagon
1994 Mustang GT
2000 GMC 3500 Crew Cab Dually 4x4
1986 Mustang GT

Current:

2003 PT Cruiser GT (selling soon for Ford F-350 Crew Cab Dually)
1990 Nissan 240SX (hopped up drift car)
1991 Eagle Talon TSI AWD

Getting ready to add a Cobra to the stable, and will be looking at bikes again this winter.

anonymousposts

Well ... there is an easy explanation ...

Ummm... you see ... what had happened was ..... geez .... okay ... ummm

Seriously, the first SI was a black 2000 that I got for a steal .. only $10,000 when at the time they were being sold for $14,000-$15,000. Then my husband had a similar opportunity on a blue 2000. After he bought his it seemed to me that my black 2000 wasn't as solid. Well about that time the 02 Si's were being given away. I got $2000 more in trade than I paid for the black Si and got the 02 Si for below invoice. Couldn't pass that deal up.

Well unfortunately 3 weeks later some idiot in a Grand Am turned in front of me and ended up totalling my 02 Si. So I bought another one to replace that one. Well that Si was cursed. Within 6 months it had a new windshield, it had rolled down my driveway and into the mailbox, it rolled down a hill in a new housing development and ended up in a construction area (no serious damage in either incident) and a shopping cart got up close and personal with my rear quarter panel. SOOO ... we traded that for a 95 GS300 which my husband started driving and I took his 03 Accord coupe (by this time he had traded his blue 2000 SI for the Accord). Well .. after gas prices went up and we moved 15 miles further out my husband started missing the Si. So he traded our 97 Dakota (which we had acquired after the GS300 and the move) for a 03 Si and soon thereafter we sold the GS300 to a private party.

And that's how you end up with 5 recent model Si's in 2 1/2 years.

badtoy

I am in awe of you....you have a better list than I do, and I started in 1964!!

Rock on, good brother...rock on!!

steine13

But of course... now it all makes perfect sense about the 3 Si's.

Good Lord, sister, youze guyze got it bad.
I gots to dig up our list, which is definitely not in yours or Jim's league, but still pretty long...

I'm glad we're having this little chat.
-Mathias

driftracer

that's like saying "Wow, you smoke and drink a LOT more than I do - that's cool!"

stickguy

good thing I have a strong cheap gene too, or my list might be this long.

I was much worse buying in the old days when I drove bombers. Used to actaully turn a profit on most of them too. Now, with better taste (and other obligations), I look more than I buy.

At least I'm getting off the wagon more (bought my '01 Miata last November, and scheduled to pick up a new Scion tC next week).

The Miata is now on the market. Wife wants a new family car before OEY, so we start shopping for that soon.

Based on all this, will be toy shopping again in the spring. This time though, it will be a cheap toy (way too much invested in the current Miata for the use it gets).

stickguy

One symptom of CCB: You actaully wouldn't mind if someone blew a stop sign and totalled your car, just so you would have an excuse to go out and buy a new one (assuming no injuries of course).

OK< maybe that is a little severe..

driftracer

I've often thought "if I get hit, I hope it's a good one, so it's not just a repair..."

nippononly

I am seriously impressed with some of these lists. I buy a car about once a year and get so much flack from my family and friends that I don't try to purchase more frequently. I alternate between buying new and buying WAY used, like $1000-2000 cars. The old ones are fun as project cars and to see what they are capable of, while new car fever is just what it is. I have had three new ones in the last four years, so I should probably slow that down a bit! LOL

anonymous: I am impressed by the number of integras on your list! :-)

anonymousposts

Yeah, severe, that's what that is ... I'm not that bad to where I would actually want someone to total my car to give me an excuse to buy a new one : Although I do have gap ... and as long as my son wasn't in the car ......

nippon: Integras are awesome. Especially the 90-93's. Only thing I regret is not owning a 91-93 GS-R.

jlawrence01

since 1982:

1980 Chevrolet Chevette (1982)
1983 Plymouth Reliant K (1984)
1980 Chevrolet Malibu (1986)
1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera (1992)
1990 Mercury Topaz (1994)
1994 Mercury Topaz V6 (1998)
1990 Chevrolet Corsica (1999)
1996 Oldmobile Ciera S (2000)
2002 Ford Taurus SE (2004)- for sale

I thougt that the list would be shorter. Bought the Corsica to keep a friend out of bankruptcy - a mistake that i will never make again. People who can't afford a car, can't afford to take care of the one they have. Sold it six months later.

Would not have bought the Ford but the leasing company made me an offer I could not refuse. And we thought that my wife would be layed off and lose her company car.

The running total of the nine cars that I have ought is $45,400, which isn't too bad.

anonymousposts

I don't even wanna think about adding up our total cost.

wale_bate1

Funny. I don't buy all that often, but I'm in constant shopping mode!

seminole_kev

again, you and me are way too alike. I'm always mulling over, thinking about, and online shopping/configuring cars.....then I come to my senses and don't buy any thing. Then Company XYZ unvails the new Wizbang 5-door RWD hatch with 400 lb/ft of torque and a nice 5 speed manual and I go through the whole thing again.

Also (back to the "dissimilar car shopping" thread), I'm always mulling over in my mind "You know, a small nimble 2-seat roadster would be fun....but what if I want to pick up a TV or some odd sized object? OK what about a 5-door hatch that's fun and practical....well I've got that now, time for a change. How about something with 500HP....well what about poor gas mileage and insurance as well as not being too practical?" On and on and round and round it goes!

Yes I'm not well and have cars on the brain wayyyy to much.

wale_bate1

Actually, I recently gave up on buying. I like newness and get bored/distracted too easily to hang on to anything long.

My situation is conducive to leasing from an expense/deduction angle. That fits with my personality quite well, I've determined! The longest I ever kept a car, other than my first, is six years. The current one is a 39-mo lease, up in 20 mos. I've been shopping for the replacement now for, oh, about four months! And I love this car!

Yup, got 'em on the brain just like you!

bodble2

to be fair though, you work in car sales, so you are somewhat predisposed to CCB syndrome. Afterall, you're in the biz! Is like if I were a pimp, I would likely more frequently engage in....well, never mind that!

stickguy

You described me to a "T". I seem to be on a buying binge lately, but once my wife and I both have new wheels, I may be done for years.

Of course, it won't prevent me from stopping at a different dealer on the way home from picking up the new one, or reading all the magazines (and of course hanging out here).

Never know when something might happen and yo need a replacement quick!

andre1969

here's my list, over the years...

1980 Malibu: Mom gave it to me (1987-1990)
1969 Dart GT: saw it at a Nissan/Saab/Oldsmobile dealer of all places, fell in love with it, and bought it. (1989-1992)
1957 DeSoto Firedome: I'd been lusting after a mid-late 50's DeSoto ever since I first saw a picture of one, so when I found this one I just had to have it.(1990-today)
1968 Dart 270: bought to replace my '69 GT, which got totaled when I got run off the road and hit a traffic light pole. (1992-today)
1969 Pontiac Bonneville: bought it from my cousin for $400. I should have known better! (1992-1996)
1982 Cutlass Supreme coupe: bought it for $800 when the Dart started nickeling and diming me to death. Only had 61K miles on it, and was inspected. I figured it would be more reliable and get better gas mileage. It wasn't. And mileage wasn't that much better, not enough to offset the fun factor of the much more powerful Dart! (1993-1994)
1967 Pontiac Catalina Convertible: saw it and had to have it. (1994-today)
1988 Chrysler LeBaron turbo coupe: bought it from my uncle when I got married. Along with the '82 Cutlass, I'd say this was the biggest POS we had. I got divorced, but got the last laugh because...I LET HER HAVE IT!!! (1995-1996)
1979 Chrysler Newport: For some reason I've always liked these things. I found this one in the junkyard...just came in, started right up, and hadn't been picked on yet. Bought it for $250. Odometer said 30K miles, which I figured was about 130K miles, given the condition of the interior. Well, when I got the paperwork, the previous owner had bought it about 10 years before, with 105,000 miles. So in all probability, it was more like 230,000! A nice little side benefit of this car, in a twisted sort of way, was that my family HAD been nagging at me to buy a newer car than that 300,000+ mile Dart I was driving! I don't think this was what they had in mind though. (1996-1998)
1986 Monte Carlo: Mom gave it to me, with 179,000 miles on it. 3 months and 13,000 miles later, I got T-boned while delivering pizzas. Wasn't TOO major of a hit, but it bent the A-pillar and cracked the windshield, and buckled the floor pan just a bit. Did most of my driving with this car, because it got much better mileage and acceleated better than the Newport (1998-1998)
1989 Plymouth Gran Fury: this one was a former police interceptor from Richmond VA. It was also a sherriff's car, so in addition to the high-performance equipment, it was better equipped than most police cars, with carpeting, cloth seats, a nice stereo, power locks/windows/mirrors. I bought it because I wanted something newer than that Newport. Unfortunately though, it wasn't any more reliable. (1998-today)
1985 Buick LeSabre Limited Collector's Edition: Don't laugh, that was its name! Grandmom gave it to me when she couldn't pass the eye test for her license anymore. (1999-2002)
1967 Chrysler Newport: a 108K mile beater a buddy gave to me when his grandmother died, and they just wanted it gone so that they could clean up her house and sell it. I only had it about 6 or 7 months. Decided to get rid of it when I bought my Intrepid, and that decision was reinforced when the brakes went out. (1999-1999)
2000 Intrepid: bought it brand new. Originally I was just taking my uncle to the dealer to pick up his truck from servicing/repair, but then he wanted to go look at the new cars. I had intended that day to ride up to another dealership that had a '95 Riviera for sale that I was interested in. But we never made it... (1999-today)
1979 Chrysler New Yorker 5th Avenue: I'd been going through R-body withdrawal ever since I got rid of my '79 Newport, so when I saw this thing on Ebay, I was able to satisfy that strange fetish... (2001-today)
1985 Chevy Silverado: Granddad bought it new. A few years after he died, Grandmom gave it to my mother. She bought a new F-word 150 and then gave me the truck (2002-today).

I think that's all of them. I used to live in a condo, but now in the boonies, so lemme go cut the grass and see if I find anymore! ;-)

Oh yeah, I'm also babysitting a 1952 Mercedes Benz 4-door for a friend of mine. I want to say it's a 220? I forget now. Nothing too special though...just a rusty parts car.

nippononly

the highest number of cars anyone has owned at one time?

For me, it is five, and I am single. One was new, the other four were well used. I almost had a different car to drive for every day of the week! That was when my CCB syndrome had reached its zenith. Most of the time since the mid-80s I have not had more than three at once.

driftracer

Getting ready to be 4 again real soon, and maybe 5, depending on how fast the PT sells while I have the F-350 on order.

nippononly

at the time I had 5, I had this faint justification in the back of my head that I had the extra cars in case the new one broke down. Weak justification at best, you might think. The new one at the time was the Saturn SL2, and yup, sure enuf, it broke down twice! :-P

I also had a turbo '87 Supra, an '86 Celica GT-S, a rear-ended '82 Supra that I picked up for $500 and ran great, and an '84 Subaru GL hardtop. They were all gone within 18 months, including the Saturn! Should have kept that Celica longer. It ran perfectly and only had like 60K on the clock even though it was 9 years old.

andre1969

with 7. 6 of them are tagged and insured. 3 of them are on an antique policy that's really cheap, like $170 a year for 3 cars (Dart, DeSoto, Catalina). The Intrepid, pickup, and 5th Ave are on a regular policy that's something like $1440 a year for all three (only the Trep has full coverage). So that's one reason that I'm a bit lax about not getting rid of cars...it's not like it's costing me an arm and a leg to insure them. I think my roommate pays more insurance on his '98 Tracker than I do on BOTH of my policies!

I need to get rid of my Gran Fury. Just been too lazy to mess with it, I guess! And I really need to cut my Dart loose, as it's got 338,000 miles on it now, and not currently running. I think it just needs a fuel pump to run again, but it has other issues as well (rust, some body damage, water leaks here and there, a shorted out heater fan, etc). But on the plus side, the Dart costs a whopping $24 a year to insure...which is one reason I've probably been lazy in motivating myself to get rid of it!

stormdavy

but haven't the resources to buy. Getting tired of the rusty looks of my Celeb, and recently made an offer for an (affordable, w/ 116K mi) '89 Vette, and that was the closest I've been yet to being a Vette owner, but unless a miracle happens I won't get financing.
Now, the '01 Impala is falling into my lap. Most weekends I'm checking out car lots... and tall grass can yield some beauts, too: one nearby farm has a blue Cougar convertible that could be in an Andrew Wyeth painting.

kyfdx

In order of acquisition...

'70 Ford Galaxie coupe.. no air.

'77 Ford Mustang Cobra II.. no air.

'76 Jeep CJ-5.. no air.

'82 Honda Accord hatchback.. no air.

'67 BMW 2000CS.. no air.

'84 Porsche 911 Targa.. air, finally!!

'90 Nissan 240SX hatch

'94 Acura Vigor GS

'88 Mazda 323GTX.. intercooled turbo, AWD

'95 Nissan Pathfinder SE

'97 Honda Accord EX

'98 Honda CRV EX

'99 Honda Accord EX

'01 Honda Accord EX

'02 Honda CRV EX

'92 Acura Legend

'03 BMW 325i Sport

It seems like it should be more, but thats it.. bought my first car in 1976. But, I am also the designated "car guy" for family and friends, so I've been involved in the purchase of many, many more.

regards,
kyfdx

black_tulip

Andre: Didn't you have an Altima at some time?

Anyway, my list (started at '87)

'81 Chevy Chevette
'83 (could be wrong) Dodge Diplomat
'81 Buick Skylark
'81 Toyota Tercel
'89 Honda Civic DX
'93 Acura Integra
'95 Nissan Maxima GXE
'95 Acura Integra
'97 Acura TL
'97 Honda Civic DX
'99 Toyota Camry (current with 180K miles)
'00 Audi A4 1.8TQ
'00 Lexus RX-300 (current with 71K miles)

anonymousposts

WE have had 5 at one and are at 4 now but about to be back at 5 but we are planning to sell 1 or 2 then buy another.

Currently we have ...

2004 Honda Odyssey EX RES/1500 miles
2004 Honda Accord EX-L/18,000 miles
2003 Honda Civic Si/15,500 miles
1994 Lexus LS400/125,000 miles (plan to sell)

coming is a ...

1997 Infiniti I30/120,000 miles.

andre1969

I've never owned an Altima, but I was really impressed with the current generation when it first came out. I test drove an '02. It was just a 4-cyl, but I think it was an S-model? Pretty gutsy for a 4-cyl I thought. I probably would have bought it, if I wasn't so upside-down on my Intrepid at the time!

My Mom & stepdad have a '99 Altima. I think it's an ugly excuse for a car, and wasn't too thrilled with it when it was newer. The tranny failed at 35,000 miles. But Nissan replaced it under warranty with no attitude. I think they have about 110,000 or so miles on it now. It did leave them stranded one other time about a year or so ago, when the battery died. I guess newer cars aren't like those old Mopars I'm used to where you could actually yank the battery out while it's running, and not have a problem. Until you turn the car off, that is! Still, I have more respect for that Altima now that it's got some miles on it, and still kicking.

kyfdx

That is my complaint with Nissans.. They usually run forever, but you aren't all that happy about it... I agree... that first Altima was a poor excuse for an Accord competitor.

badtoy

in another topic, but here's my list (the first column is the year of purchase, the second column is model year)...

1963 1956 Pontiac Star Chief &#150; with all the power goodies (inherited from my folks)
1964 1958 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia &#150; repainted Coronado Red, then totalled
1965 1957 DeSoto convertible w/348 hemi &#150; fat, fast and finned
1965 1962 Alfa Romeo Giulia Spider Veloce - my first love!
1966 1964 Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint w/close-ratio 5 spd &#150; a truly sweet little coupe
1966 1959 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Normale &#150; the perfect LA car
1967 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air w/265 auto, custom paint & interior
1967 1952 Chevrolet Custom Cab pickup &#150; my Hippie Taxi (LA to Haight Ashbury)
1968 1952 Plymouth Savoy &#150; ugliest car I ever owned, but reliable as taxes
1969 1955 Volkswagen delivery van w/custom interior &#150; 55 max, with a tail wind
1969 1968 Pontiac Firebird w/350 - 4 bbl, mags & shackle bars
1970 1965 Plymouth Barracuda w/273 &#150; a $250 car for the dash to the coast
1970 1965 Ford Fairlane 289 &#150; almost as ugly and reliable as the Plymouth
1972 1969 Alfa Romeo 1750 Berlina &#150; stealth Italian sedan for hunting Bimmers
1974 1969 Plymouth Road Runner w/383, 4spd & 3:75 gears &#150; very, very quick
1976 1968 Cadillac Sedan de Ville w/472 - 375 hp & 550 lb/ft &#150; a Nova killer
1976 1962 Volkswagen Baja bug &#150; tough little nut
1978 1974 Chrysler New Yorker Brougham w/440 &#150; great engine, lousy quality
1978 1973 Plymouth Road Runner w/318cid, 340 heads, 650 Holley
1981 1969 Ford Econoline w/352 Cleveland / auto w/shift kit &#150; a real sleeper
1981 1974 Scratch-built 5-wheeler w/750 Honda engine (don&#146;t ask!)
1981 1974 Lotus Europa Twin Cam / Big Valve &#150; title came back stolen! Oh well…
1982 1970 Buick Gran Sport w/350 4bbl, 315 hp. Iron fist in a velvet glove.
1982 1974 Chevrolet V8 Vega with 327/350, headers & turbo 400
1983 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix w/330 hp, SE 400, 450 Holley. 140 mph+.
1985 1985 Mercury Cougar &#150; first new car ever. What a mistake!
1985 1970 Datsun 240Z &#150; body gone, but the heart of a lion. Made my top 3 list.
1985 1968 Volkswagen Karmann Ghia &#150; 1830cc, slammed & shaved. Very LA.
1986 1986 Toyota 4x4 pickup w/TRD cam & racing exhaust. Tough as beef jerky.
1989 1989 Firebird 350 w/auto & t-tops. Great cruiser, but engine gave out at 44k.
1990 1984 Lincoln Mark VII LSC. Wonderful car, but EVERYTHING went @ 120k.
1992 1985 Chevrolet Camaro w/HO 350 &#150; auto w/shift kit. Simple & quick.
1993 1993 Toyota Celica GT. Slow, but built like a Swiss watch.
1995 1972 Buick Skylark coupe w/350 4bbl. Gran Sport redux.
1996 1996 Toyota Tercel w/TRD suspension intake & exhaust. On-ramp terrorist.
1998 1999 Toyota Tacoma TRD PreRunner. Stiff as a board, willing as a puppy.
1999 2000 Corolla LE w/Toysport turbo & TRD suspension. Mustang eater.
2000 2001 Celica GT. Birth of the new style. Awesome suspension and steering.
2001 1985 Corolla GTS &#150; all TRD & Trueno parts. Old school drift monster.
2001 1992 Toyota Paseo. My daughter&#146;s old car gets commuter duty. 198k so far.
2002 1990 Lexus LS400. 66k and still in the wrapper (now all the way up to 78k).

nippononly

I had such a complete and thorough listing of all the cars I ever owned. I used to do some casual selling, and would sometimes have cars that only stayed in my hands a couple of weeks, while occasionally I would keep them six months or more until I got bored, and THEN sell them.

Despite the large number that have come and gone, one that really stands out in a good way was my Subie Outback Sport, which is one of the few I bought new.

I saw a green one for sale just the other day, a '98 where mine was a '97, low miles, and I had half a mind to pick it up...what goes around comes around, maybe?

badtoy

at how quickly and completely memories of your cars will come back to you once you start a list. Of course, you do have to put it down and come back to it a few times to pick up ones you forgot, but it's really fun to look back on all that machinery...

andre1969

that right off the top of my head, I'll forget about a car here and there that I've owned. Especially if it was during a time that I ended up acquiring/disposing of a lot of cars in a short period of time.

For awhile, I was averaging something like one car a year. If I missed a year, it seemed like I'd end up getting two the next!

I almost made it through 1996 without getting a single car, but took delivery of my '79 Newport on New Year's Eve! Didn't acquire one in '97, but then I got two in '98 and THREE in '99! Nothing new in '00, then I got my NYer in '01, and Mom gave me my pickup in '02. Didn't get anything in '03, and so far, nothing in '04. This might actually be one of the longest periods of time I've gone without picking up another car!

seminole_kev

Short, and not so distinguished list, but in order of purchase.

1966 Mustang coupe (super powerfull 200ci I6! ;-)
1984 Ford EXP
1984 Honda Accord
1992 Hyundai Scoupe
1996 Ford Escort LX
2000 Ford Focus ZTS (current)
1985 Cadillac Fleetwood (FWD) w/ 4.1L V8
2002 Ford Focus ZX5 (current)
1967 Jaguar MkII sedan (current)

Not a lot of expiring cars in that list. In fact the first three cars I purchased for a combined total of $1800 (each were $600)!

michaellno

Just discovered this topic.

While I don't think I suffer from CCB, I too have always been interested in cars.

My list, which spans high school, college, two marriages and a relocation from California to Colorado:

1979 Pontiac Sunbird
1977 Buick Omega
1985 Honda Accord LX 3-door
1986 Isuzu P'up
1988 Isuzu Trooper
1991 Mazda Protege LX
1991 Nissan Sentra SE
1992 Honda Accord LX
1993 Honda Accord DX
1997 Ford Escort LX
1999 Ford Expedition XLT
1999 VW New Beetle GL
2002 Ford Explorer XLT
2003 Saturn L300
2003 Ford Focus ZX5

In summary:
HS/College - 2 cars (Pontiac, Buick)
Post College - 1 car (Honda)
Marriage #1 - 5 cars (P'up, Trooper, Sentra, Protege, Accord LX)
Post Marriage #1 - 1 car (Accord DX)
Marriage #2 - 6 cars (Escort, Expedition, VW, Explorer, Saturn, Focus)

Currently have the VW (step son is driving it), the Saturn (bought for me but wife is currently driving it) and the Focus (my daily driver, but may go to daughter when she turns 16).

So, there may be another purchase (or two?) this year -- I really like the Focus, the wife might consider trading in the L300 for a VUE when the weather gets crappy again and the daughter may end up with something else - the Focus is a stick and she is having trouble mastering a clutch. Daughter would really like a Mini - perhaps with the CVT tranny. Son is to buy the VW from us outright when he has the money saved up.

So, are we here for encouragement or to get help?

anonymousposts

I think we are here to get a little of both.

I seem to have won this round of the car buying bug vs. my wallet battle. Will be keeping the Accord til 100,000 miles now. The countdown is on ... only 82,000 miles to go.

rae52

Well, I've got CCB bad also. My list, starting from high school...

1970 Barracuda-worst POS I ever drove. I guess Assembly workers decided to take the day off when my car was built-too many problems to list
1970 Ply Duster-wore it out then gave to sister
1970 Ply Duster with 318 V8-uncle gave to me when he gave up driving.
1973 Buick Regal-bought used from my 1st boss-over paid of course. Car wore out right front tire; probably due to prior accident
1978 Rabbit C-very unreliable-was stranded TWICE on highway in winter due to faulty alternator. Car was originially a dealer demo w/ 45oo miles.
1979 Chevy Caprice 305 2BBL. Car had the INFAMOUS turbo 200 trans. Didn't know it at time of purchase, butcar sat in flood up to middle of doors at dealer in Elizabeth, NJ
1979 Honda Accord- fine little car EXCEPT underbody was rusting out within 1 winter on NJ's highways
1980 Honda Civic GL 5spd-nice little car until immigrant ran red light and t-boned me at blind intersection with his '78 Ford T-Bird!
1981 Accord LX- fine little car
1983 VW GTI-bought black car w/o a/c-NEVER AGAIN!
1984 VW GTI-red car WITH ac! Handled awsome!
1984 Honda CRX- love hatches!
1986 Honda Civic SI-no ac
1988 Honda CRX SI-with ac
1988 Acura Integra LS-5spd
1989 Olds Delta 88- bought used a used car dealer-off ourse I overpaid-this before internet
1992 Hyundai Sonata GLS- very poor quality and was rear-ended twice--in 6 weeks. Car HAD to go!
1993 Pontiac Sunbird with 6 cyl. Say what you want about the 'J-cars', my ran until 145K miles then was told it needed another engine; bad crankshaft...buta blast to drive with tuned exhaust from factory

My 2 present cars...'99 Civic DX hatch with 5 spd and air. Most reliable and economical car owned to this date
Last car...don't laugh...'02 Cavalier LS coupe. Car is loaded with every bell&whistle and has'nt missed a beat.

Gotta love GM rebates and GM card earnings!!
There, you have it! Do I qualify for membership?

badtoy

I guess it all depends on how you mean "help". If you mean assistance in furtherance of your addiction, you've come to the right place. I mean, really -- is this an affliction you wish to rid yourself of? Surely not.... =D

andre1969

a J-car story that turns out to be a pleasant experience! By '93 the Sunbird had the 3.1 V-6, didn't it? I'd imagine something like that would've been decently quick for its class, for the time.