I know this has NOTHING to do with photography

I’ve always wanted to do a small blog on what I drove the past 47 years, it hasn’t been a lot. Each vehicle I post will have a little story behind it. All cars shown are of the same exact model, year and color that I owned. The last 3 vehicles on this list are the EXACT vehicle.

1973 AMC Gremlin

This was my very first car I ever purchased when I started working full time after high school. My uncle owned a car dealership in Oconomowoc, WI and one day he took me to one of the dealer auctions south of Milwaukee.

He said “Find a couple of cars you like, you can even test drive them if you want. Pick one you want, tell me about it and I’ll bid on it when it comes through the line.”

**1973 AMC Gremlin**

1st car every bought. Not the exact car, but same year, model and color.

And this is what I ended up with. It was pretty much a basic car, so basic it didn’t even have carpeting on the floor. I ended up paying about $900 for it and drove it for maybe 16 months or 2 years at most. I DID buy some nice chrome rims, 60 wide tires and jacked it up in the back. Pretty ridiculous now that I think about it but it was cool back then.

This had the 232.0 cu in in-line 6 in it. Made in Kenosha, WI it was nicknamed the “Kenosha Vibrator”.

1976 AMC Hornet Hatchback

**1976 AMC Hornet**

Silver hatchback with a V8 and stick shift.

My 2nd car, and even though my uncle was an AMC dealer, I did NOT buy this from him. I got it from some AMC dealer in Waukesha in 1978, I think. I remember I was sitting at the desk of the salesman and it was a very high pressure sale. There was him, me and I think 2 other salesman hovering over me just turning the screws on me trying to get me to cave in buy the damn car…and I finally did. I was young and naive.

Was it a good purchase? Well, I think I still owed money on the first car. Wasn’t bad car, it was more sporty. Hatchback, 8 cylinder and 4 speed manual transmission. Engine was a 304 cu in (5.0 L) V8. I took the tires and rims off the first car and put it on this one, which looked way cooler.

What was also cool is that one of my high school friends had the same exact car, same color. I don’t know who bought theirs first. This one was short lived as well.

1979 Honda Accord LX Hatchback

This was my very first BRAND NEW vehicle I purchased. I was little bit older, working a steady full time job and wanted something more practical.

I purchased this one from Wilde Honda in Waukesha, WI in April 1979 (it’s weird how I remember time frames). Still being a bit naive, I don’t think I learned how to wheel and deal with a sales person. I do remember paying FULL sticker price at $7500. Impulse buy? Probably. I do remember back then my car payments being about $250/month and at one point I struggled with the payments, refinanced it and seriously thought about selling to get from under the loan. I stuck with it and paid it off eventually. That was a lot for a young guy just at 20 years old, but I probably rolled my first 2 cars loans into that loan.

A lot of my friends remember me having this car, and I drove it for over 8 years. It was the LX model (Luxury). 5 speed manual, hatchback, 4 cylinder, soft velour seats. It was a nice car and great on gas. I drove this vehicle out to Philadelphia for a wedding, down to Florida and back at least once. I put a lot of miles on this one.

I do remember at around 140,000 miles that it was time for the engine to be rebuilt and it was a basic ring and valve job.

I put another 45,000 miles or so on it and since it was starting to rust and other things began to nickle and dime me, so I sold to a high school friend for $300.

1985 Pontiac Grand Am

Car #4. Wasn’t too crazy about this car, another 2 door that was hard to get in and out of.

I had this car at the time my daughter was born, so the 2 door thing wasn’t working. Not sure how long I had it but I’m guessing 7 years. I think it had a 2.5 4 cylinder banger in it. But…I needed something “family” oriented.

1994 Chevy Lumina APV Van

Bought this somewhere around the fall of 1996 because I had a new baby girl. I remember paying a whopping $13,500 for this thing…used. To this day, it was the most I every spent on a vehicle.

**1994 Chevrolet Lumina APV**

My first “family” vehicle.

This was a great mini van. It was large enough to cart my music gear in it, it had a large hitch that I towed a camping trailer with. Best of all, it had GM’s 3.8L engine. But, on the way home from playing a gig one night in late 2003, I deer took out the front end and that was the end of that.

I really had no major issues with it in the 7 years I’ve owned. APV, I believe, stood for All Purpose Vehicle, but really it’s All Plastic Vehicle. All of the exterior body panels never rusted due to being all plastic.

2000 Saturn Wagon LW1

Another nice vehicle, somewhat plasticy with no rust.

I found this one online at a dealership in Waukesha in 2003. I forgot what the asking price was, I think something in the low $7000 range.

Went back to the dealer and have them give me a price on it, and they did…which was reasonable. I told the sales person to write that figure on the back of his business card, which he did.

I ended going back a few days later and made the deal but they wanted a lot more than what they quoted me. I reminded them of the “figure” I got that was on the back of the business card. After going back and forth with them on it I ended up with exactly what they wrote down on that card. I think it ended up around $6,200 out the door, minus tax, title, blah blah blah.

I did like this car, not really a “looker” being a station wagon, but I needed practicality.

What eventually crapped out on it? Let see…fuel pump (of course with a tank full of gas), rear shocks, ignition coil packs, heater core (never did get that replaced), and the biggest repair…the timing chain tensioner failed. This allowed the timing chain to slip out of time and eventually the timing chain stopped spinning, causing major damage to the engine. You know, valves through the top of the pistons sort of thing.

Now what? My nephew found a used engine somewhere in Chicago for $650 and I think it had 50,000 miles on it. Him and a buddy of his had the old one out and the new one in and i had it back the following week. I don’t recall how many miles I had on it when this all happened but it was, I believe, less than 200,000 miles.

I drove this car until more issues started to nickle and dime me and decided to have it hauled away for scrap. It had 324,000 miles on it and had it for 12 years. Longest surviving vehicle so far.

2000 Pontiac Grand Prix GT

Purchased this from a friend that “flipped” vehicles off of Craiglist. It was an ok vehicle. Purchased this in the fall of 2015, but I don’t recall how much I paid for it. This also had the bulletproof GM 3.8L V6 in it, just like the mini van.

Things I replaced on it…

Fuel pump (days after I bought it), Starter, Coil Packs, Rear Trailing Arms, Fuel lines, brake lines.

Not a lot of repairs. My daughter ended driving this one more than me, she even drove to Ohio and back with it.

Had this for 3 years and ended up junking this one too. I think the scrap yard gave me $325 for it.

2003 Buick Rendezvous CXL

Another Craigslist “flip” I bought from my buddy. This was a nice vehicle and I enjoyed driving it. It has a lot of great options, leather seats, DVD player in the back, rear air conditioner. I remember paying $2,200 for it.

But…I ended up running into the back of another car during heavy traffic and everyone in front of me slammed their brakes on. Smashed a headlight, pushed the grille in (didn’t break it) destroyed the radiator. It was all fixable and I had it back on the road in no time.

**2003 Buick Rendezvous CXL**

My very first SUV. Liked it so much I ended up buying another SUV

Gave this to my daughter to drive and…she ended up rear ending someone on the freeway. Car in front of her slammed the brakes on and she slide into the back and caused a bit more damage. I wasn’t going to fix it anymore and she kept driving it.

One day my daughter called me and said she had NO brakes. Found out she blew out a brake line because it was so rusted. I crawled under the vehicle, cut the brake line in half and crimped one end tight so it wouldn’t leak anymore. Found a few more brake lines rusted and ready to blow out.

I ended up junking this one also after 3 years of driving it. Was paid only $150 for it but was glad to get rid of it…too much was going wrong with it and it was getting pretty rusty underneath.

2007 Hyundai Santa Fe

Currently driving this SUV at the time of writing this. Paid about $7000 for it from a dealership in Racine in August of 2018. I just really despise dealing with ANY dealerships at this point. During negotiations and in the finance office, they really push and sneak crap in on that contract. I really read it over from top to bottom and pointed out the stuff I DID NOT want from the beginning. I think I had them rewrite the contract twice.

This is an OK vehicle…nothing fancy on it. I had to replace the serpentine belt on it because it snapped at 11:30 at night coming home from work. I had the valve cover gasket AND alternator replaced under a recall because of oil leak…and it DID indeed leak oil. I had that replaced at no charge to me.

**2007 Hyundai Santa Fe**

An “OK” vehicle at best.

About 8 months after I purchased it I put on a trailer hitch so I could pull stuff with it. I mean, “I” physically put on…myself.

So far after almost 6 years of owning this vehicle I’ve had no major issues with it. So far, so good.

What will be my next vehicle? Thinking a Toyota or Honda SUV…probably Toyota though. I follow a handful of shop mechanics on YouTube and they say Toyota or Honda is a great choice.

If I was given the choice of bringing back ANY vehicle I owned in the past, it would have to be the 1979 Honda Accord…but maybe about 7-10 years newer, with fuel injection.

My Past and Present Vehicles

1973 AMC Gremlin

1976 AMC Hornet Hatchback

1979 Honda Accord LX Hatchback

1985 Pontiac Grand Am

My “Flying Pervert Spy Camera”