I suspect most people who remember their parents’ cars don’t think of them with any particular fondness beyond nostalgia for happy times spent in them (or vivid memories of the time the dog threw up halfway through the four-hour trip to Nana’s, that sort of thing), and may not even recall what the cars were, even if the memories of sitting in the wagon’s way-back are otherwise indelible. And while encountering a car from childhood might earn a wistful “My Mom had one of those,” an ordinary person probably isn’t hot to acquire the blast from the past.
However, we are not ordinary people, and I suspect many of you would love to own cars that were once your parents’ daily drivers. I know I sure would, and I’m not even talking about Dad’s Volkswagens squareback and Beetle, MG Midget, or Datsun 280Z – or Mom’s Jeep J10 Thriftside, for that matter, though I loved all those cars.
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No, the one car I would most like to have from my days as a passenger would be my Dad’s 1986 Nissan Maxima, which was exactly like the one Doug dives into here:
I have fond memories of this car seeming like the peak of luxury and technology for 1986, but nostalgia aside, I just plain love it. I really miss the crisply-folded era of 1980s styling, and this generation’s straight lines and slab sides really do it for me, not to mention those wheels.
In a very close second, there’s Dad’s 1982 Celica notchback, seen here in a brochure pic:
I actually prefer the look of the “regular” Celica as above over the puffed-up GT, and I like the notchback better than the hatch bodystyle. You may disagree!
Mark Tucker piped in with his own reply to today’s Ask, replying, “Oh, I have a great answer for that AA: my dad’s Fiat 128 sedan. I’ve written about it on Opposite Lock.”
Yeah, that’s hot.
Your turn:
What Car Did A Parent Have When You Were A Kid That You’d Love To Have Now?
Top graphic image: Nissan
Tough choice. I had the advantage (?) of growing up in a car-friendly climate with parents who had eclectic tastes in vehicles, to put it gently. A toss up between the ’59 Jag 3.4 Mark 1 sedan, and my Mom’s ’64 Morgan Plus 4 4-seater. I still have a distinct memory (I was 10-ish) of when she got pulled over on the 101 for speeding and the look of befuddlement on the CHP officer’s face when he saw who was driving. “Just a warning, ‘mam. Slow down a little bit”. But in a practical sense, probably the ’61 Scout 80 Travel Top. That one at least would probably still be running and useful.
The answer is always… a 91 NA Miata in Blue. spent a lot of time pretending to drive it in the garage complete with E-brake turns and hazard light activation (which was were the only things that would work without the key.
Already have the ’76 Norton Commando in the garage.
SAAB 96. Weird most of the time, but a wintertime wizard.
Mom’s 1972 Mercury Monterey Custom pillared hardtop sedan.
And the sand beige over brown 1983 Volvo (240) DL which followed.
But not the blue/blue 1990 Volvo 240 which followed that – despite the better colors and equipment (sunroof, power windows and rear seat headrests), it felt like the front subframe was loose when I drove it after returning from Japan in 1992.
2 door
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opel_Rekord_Series_A
Was a grandparents for ~1 year before death, then a parents. It was the first motorvehicle I operated at ~11 years old.
I have only driven two car models with a columnshifter, the other a HiAce.
Kia Pride / Mazda 121 / Ford Festiva
Perfect winter car for the city.
Went with my dad the night he bought new off the lot a leftover 1991 model year Ford Festiva LX 5-speed in Aqua in early January 1992 so that I could drive home the Plymouth Voyager he had at the time. That Festiva will always hold a very special place in my heart as it was the car I learned to drive stick on. Always delivered incredible fuel economy, and I remember how easy it was to drive over 400 miles before filling back up (10 gallon tank). A car meant to be driven, even if only basic transportation. There’s a reason so many you find for sale today are so wasted and almost always have over 200k miles. Not too shabby for an econobox.
My mom had one of those Celica notchbacks. Thats definitely one I’d like to have.
A couple others:
Dad’s 88 Camry 4cyl 5spd- blue on blue. Replaced said Celica after it got totaled
Dad’s 83 Jaguar XJ-S V12
Mom’s 01 Acura CL Type S
1985 Toyota Celica GTS. I totaled it when I was in high school.
My dad’s’63 VW Bus. Slower than Chinese water torture, noisier than a pandemonium of parrots, not quite as structurally safe as an empty Coors Light can, but that ol’ bus was my favorite. As a kid, there was no bigger thrill than to sit up front with my dad ahead of the peasants behind the bulkhead, resting my toes on the back of the headlight housing and watching the road disappear right below my nose. I’m sure dad was sweating every hill and freeway ramp, not to mention head and crosswinds: to me, every ride was an adventure.
People pay a real premium for that experience nowadays!
I grew up riding in a ’71 Bus, I distinctly remember my dad shifting from Second to Third and back down to Second at least 217 times going up the Grapevine coming into LA, trying to eke another MPH or so out of the poor underpowered thing. He was always a bit smug though in the summer, all the overheating cars would be pulled over in the turnouts, steam rising over the unhappy occupants and we’d be rattling up the grade without a pause.
He moonlighted building air-cooled VW motors and added a better oil cooler setup and a big-bore kit once the warranty was up, so it was a tad faster than stock and wouldn’t burn #3 exhaust valve.
Love this.
Driving a van through the Columbia river gorge with may dad – hit by a big gust and ended up two lanes over on the shoulder. Safe!
Very well writ.
It was 6 years before my appearance on this rock, but it would have to be my Dad’s 1969 Dodge Coronet 440 in period dark green.
Otherwise I’d be looking at a 1972 Electra 225, an 1982 Lesabre, or an ’85 Deville….
My Dad had a 69 in the silver green, though it was long gone before I showed up in the 80s.
Mine had a ‘68 in the lighter green with the old leaning tower of power under the hood.
None, honestly. I’m pretty old and my parents were relatively old when I was born, so their tastes leaned towards big American barges that hold no appeal to me today.
Not to say they didn’t have some interesting barges. Pop had a death-stage 1964 Thunderbird coupe that was pretty neat in its prime, and mother had a boat-tail Riv for a while. Still nothing I would want to own now.
Oooh – I’ll take the Riviera!
Me too. My Aunt Mabel, the one with the platinum beehive, bicep snake bracelet, and peek-a-boo blouse at 70 wanted to give her 1971 Riviera to me. I was too poor, I lived in NYC, and the rockers were showing rust. I sure wish I had the leopard skin seat covers for my car now though.
Easy. Mk. II VW Golf. Dad had one for many years. Wasn’t even a GTi, just the regular one with a stick. I remember that little silver hatchback fondly. He got rid of it after his work equipped him with a string of full size Chevy pickups.
The rest of my childhood was mostly Chrysler minivans of some description, many of which had transmission issues at one time or another. Drove one of them as a teen, crashed it coming home from high school graduation. Never want one again.
Cars my parents had before I was born, that I’d want include a ’72 Beetle and a green Ford Maverick sedan.
’66 Coupe DeVille, ’70 Challenger T/A, ’76 K5 Blazer…
I wasn’t exactly a kid, but after I went to college my Dad bought a (used) red Jaguar XJS V12 coupe.
I wouldn’t mind having my parent’s 1977 Peugeot 604, it was insanely comfortable and a very capable freeway cruiser. I know now how to fix – permanently – the electrical issues it had, and the engine is the PRV V-6, which you can still get parts for. It’s still – nearly 50 years later, a very nice-looking vehicle.
Ironically, my first “nice newish car” as a young adult was my wife’s 1986 Maxima that was the spitting image of the one in your topshot, with a brown velour interior that rivaled anything Detroit made at the time, for better or worse. I never liked that car, the 3.0 SOHC V6 didn’t have much low-end power and didn’t really pull worth a damn on the top end either, and got mediocre-at-best fuel mileage. I think it would have been a far more satisfying vehicle with a stick shift.
I still have one of them [1984 Toyota Van bought new when I was a little dude]
Beyond that, I think the coolest car we’ve ever had was a 1990 Eclipse GSX so while I should most likely say that, there was a few years where my dad picked up a 1980 Celica GT liftback as a winter beater from a friend’s neighbor. Not nearly as cool or fast or modern as the Eclipse but I feel like it would be easier to live with & fix at this point.
Dad had a MGB
I now have a MGB (again)
British cars are like a toe fungus that once you catch it you can’t seem to find a cure.
My dad had an El Camino when I was a tot for a second, and my mom rocked an Olds Cutlass Calais. Both were big time cool!
My dad’s 1985(?) Plymouth Conquest turbo.
My mom’s 1987 Acura Legend.
My father never really lived with me, but my Stepfather did, but was depression era, Yankee cheap. The one car he had that I would l have loved was the red 1964 Thunderbird, with the fender skirts. Man was that a Beautiful car from my maybe 7 year old memory.
Oh yeah, those are pretty. My best friend’s mom dailied one of those in the 80’s for a bit.
I wanted my Dad’s, prior Grandparents 81 Cordoba LS with the faux convertible top. Basically the last of the 300’s, but lacked that name. it was a wheezy Lean Burn 318, but I was not allowed to buy it and it was given to my dumbass cousin who then immediately wrecked it, so I have an unhealthy desire for the pile.
I would however like to have My mom’s 1985 Nissan Pickup (4×4 5 speed manual). It is likely rusted back into the earth at this point, but if I could have it at it’s best, I would take that.
My mom had a 1990 red Supra with a targa top. That car was amazing to be driven around in. I remember many times being on the highway targa top off sitting in the backseat wind in my hair. I miss that car.
My dad’s first truck. An electric blue ’79 Chevy K10, with a 350 and a 4-speed trans. It had a blue and white plaid bench seat, a CB radio on the roof, and white wagon wheels with chonky raised white letter tires. To my childhood eyes, it was the coolest vehicle … in the world.
I will have one someday.
A 1965 International Harvester Travelall. Kind of embarrassing at the time, but now aged into coolness.
My family had two of these with an overlap for a year or so. Yeah, I’d totally rock one of these now.
Nothing. Frankly, my parents have boring taste haha
Agreed. There is nothing my parents had that I would want.