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
Citroen BX Leader
My Dad was a teacher so his budget was reasonable, but he had impeccable taste in autos…Id have back his 1975 VW Bus, 1975 VW Beetle and his 1985 FJ60 Landcruisers back…
Top of the list would be the 1988 Nissan 200sx hatchback, so the S12 Silvia elsewhere in the world, with the CA20e and a 5 spd manual. It was the weakest engine that the US got, but was still a lot of fun. I inherited this car with a spent clutch as my first car, and only had about 2 months driving it legally until it was totaled (initial damage was not my fault, but subsequent damage definitely was).
The 1985 Dodge caravan (short wheelbase, manual trans, don’t remember which engine but it wasn’t the turbo) would be a runner up, but I have the spiritual successor, a 2012 Mazda 5 manual as my daily
My uncle’s Fiat 131 in Italy. He sold it maybe 40 years ago, I was like eight years old. I want to do a 131 Abarth Rally tribute car with it, if it were still around.
Most of it was 80s and 90s rubbish like our 1986 Chevrolet Celebrity or 1983 Cavalier. But… That 1995 Corvette ZR1 red on red, never got to drive it solo which was probably smart as a tennager.
GM company cars? That 1986 Buick Grand National with T tops, and I still want that one… Missed the boat on that, these were cheap 20 years ago, now clean ones going for silly money. Even a GNX 20 years ago was sortof attainable, not anymore.
…and cars that never actually existed the next gen Fiero mule with a Turbo V6, manual transmission, and 4th gen F car gauge cluster. I would guess long crushed, but man was it cool.
Would love the 88 (or 89?) Merkur Scorpio (stick shift!), the 90 Taurus SHO (also with a proper manual), the 93 Lincoln Mark VIII, and the 97 XK8 convertible. If you’re sensing a theme, a parent did work for a Big 3 automaker and frequently took home various cars. Despite a lot of Lincoln sedans clogging the driveway, we did experience a few cars that were, in hindsight, bangers that I’d love to have in the stable now, the Merkur and SHO top among them.
Oh, and way back in the day, my dad claimed to have owned an early 70s Mustang Mach 1 before I was born. I have one dubious and vague photo he says is proof and nobody else in the family remembers it. I might take that too just for the value if said vehicle was real.
My parents (both sets) had absolutely the worst choice in cars over the years. Ford Granada, Cutless Ciera, Chevy Celebrity, Volvo 2 series (probably the best choice they made), Caprice Classic, 4 door 70s Nova, diesel Cadillac Sedan de Ville. There are only 2 choice I would realistically like now, my father had a TR-7 after he divorced my mom and before he married my step-mother and my step father had a 75 Monte Carlo (although I’d prefer a 70-71.)
I can honestly say – none.
Now before I came along my dad had a 67 442 – that I would gladly own.
That’s the one with 4 wheels (bare minimum for a car if you ask me), 4….. something elses, and 2 headlights, right?
4 wheels touching the ground, 4 vents on the dashboard, and 2 wiper blades, maybe? 😉
How can you leave out tail lights like that? Don’t make me report you to Jason.
My folks had a Fairlane (before I was born) and later, a Plymouth Satellite, an Oldmobile Vista Cruiser, and a Mercury Cougar. None of which I want.
So, I’ll ‘vote’ for that lovely early Maxima in the topshot. I had an employer who had one of those and I always lusted for it. 🙂
Mom and Dad were shopping for a new car. Of course teen age me and my friend Charlie volunteered to “help”! Ran across a nice Plymouth midsize hardtop at a performance car lot. Metallic goldfish green (yeah that color), vinyl top..had ac ps pb.. Took it for a test drive, Mom and Dad in the back seat…Charlie driving…my Mom was heard to say she might have left a pot of beans cooking on the stove at home.. Charlie says, no problem, Get you home fast…floored it! About threw Mom and Dad threw the back window!!! After all it was. GTX with the 440! Hahaha…Nope not this car!!
Next day we came home with a beautiful metallic blue Coronet 500, white vinyl top..white interior, bucket seats and center console.
Mom and Dad never realized it was a Super Bee in dress clothes! 383, 4 bbl, 721 Torqueflite, dual exhaust..It was fast! Raced a 396 SS Chevelle later that nite. The Coronet won!!
Yep..would love to have that car back.
There were several, #1 1968 mercury cougar NOT an xr7, a base model and I love it, #2 1968 datsun 510 wagon, #3 1958 ford truck, #4 contemporary classics shelby cobra kit.
Peter – first thanks for the great question. Just look at all the replies and the great opportunity to reminisce. I have my own favorites from my childhood but I am having more fun tangentially reliving the memories of our collective. Love the site and the car nerds that live here. My overall pick would be the 1985 635csi red (with gold BBS 3 piece wheels.). My very generous dad would let me go out on dates in this gem. He could never figure out why the tires always seemed out of balance and the tire shop finally marked the tire and wheel. Seems somehow the wheel was turning inside the tire – because you know teenager clutch drop burnouts. I am old now and have since reached a higher level of mechanical sympathy. What a lovely car and a lovely time as the 1980s were something special.
My Dad was surprisingly prescient in his automotive pursuits and was an early SUV adopter. The best one he ever had was a 1987 Isuzu Trooper with a 5 speed. It was from before GM started stuffing their parts into them. It had smoker wing windows up front, “factory air” and an AM/FM radio for options. It was about as pure as you could get. Even the seats were upholstered in this kind of scratchy tweedy material that I kind of disliked as a kid but now I’d love to have it back.
He traded it in for a 91 with a V6 and an automatic so my Mom could drive it and it spent so much time in the shop that he eventually sold it and we ended up with a Taurus wagon.
I commented earlier about the ’69 Wildcat, but my dad has always liked cars and has had some interesting American iron that I would love to have. Before I was born he had a 55 Mercury, 57 Chevy, and 61 Fairlane 500 that I’ve heard him talk about. I vaguely remember a dark green El Camino, 2nd or 3rd generation. My clearest memory of that car is my younger sister (maybe 3-4 years old) opening the door while we were on a highway, and Dad reaching across me to hold the door shut while he pulled over. He had a red and white 2nd gen Dodge D Series truck, but I don’t remember ever riding in it. I also don’t remember him getting rid of either of those vehicles. Moving beyond the 78 LTD that replaced the Buick, I would love to have their metallic gray 86 Regal (though I want to swap the Oldsmobile 307 with an LS – maybe not an original thought, but fast and reliable). Their post-facelift white 93 Riviera was a handsome car, as was the red 2003 Monte Carlo SS.
I would say four from my family:
My father regretted not buying both 1973 and 1979 wagons from his company after their fleet duties expired: they were excellent “work horse” cars. My father kept his 450 SEL for twenty years, awaiting the day he could fix the car to be roadworthy. After he passed away, my mother gave away our 450 SEL when she was told it would cost thousands and thousands of euros to fix it up to be “roadworthy” (actually €500 since the body was free of rust). Alfa Romeo was wrecked by an idiot and written off by the clueless insurance adjuster, citing it worth less than $500.
Honorary mention would be 1972 Austin Morris Mini that my mother drove when we lived outside Freiburg.
My Mom’s old 79 Trans Am. 400/4spd t-top car. Nocturne Blue with a black interior. Sold in the late 80’s, Dad’s 69 Stingray, his TR-7 and BMW 3 series convertibles, and the 96 Mark VIII. Now, their only “fun” car is an old Wrangler that my Mom isn’t particularly fond of.
My dad owned a third generation Toyota Carina TA60 and I drove one for 17 years because of him owning one, so that’s already crossed off.
My mom’s BMW 2002 with round trail lights would still be on my bucketlist. However, those are rare and horribly expensive so probably not going to happen.
I’d love a mint example of the BMW 2000 we had in the 70s. It’s the one old family car I wish I could have driven. The Audi 4000 Quattro and the VW Rabbit Convertible would also be fun.
My dad had a Porsche 356B. It was the first car I ever rode in as it’s what brought me home from the hospital. I’d sure like to have that now.
Or my Stepdad’s 550 Maranello. Or his 308GTSQV. Any of those would do.
My mom had a manual maroon 1972 Datsun 610 wagon with a white vinyl interior. My mom got a new car and my dad gave the thing away 14 months before I turned 16. I kind of never forgave him for that.
Dad had a 1974 XJ12L for a few years, bought new. Silver with red leather. It was a service nightmare, of course, but on the rare, sun-dappled day that it ran well, it was glorious beyond words. I got my driver’s licence during those years, and he had no hesitation about letting me get behind the wheel and even take it out on my own, (starting with him tasking me to go get it from the dealership after a repair). But as much as I’d love to drive it again, a few years of living with it cured me of ever wanting to own it, even now.
In 1976, my dad moved on to a new 530i (silver again). THAT car I’d be delighted to own now. He moved up to the 7 series when those started to get made, but none of them ever moved me as much.
1968-69 Mercedes (220D?) Diesel. Purchased new in Minneapolis, Dad sold it when we (I was 18 months old) moved to International Falls, MN in mid-’69 and he realized he’d have to go to Duluth (~3 hrs.) for service.
Given that we held onto the ’72 Nova he bought three years later (after the ?? Chevy he got from his father) until the late 80s, that Mercedes would have been around a long, long time.
Dad had a 1988 535is that I learned to drive stick on (not before smoking the clutch, I am ashamed to say). Mice totally trashed the interior, but I felt 200ft tall taking it to prom my senior year. My dad (not a car guy) sold it for $1900, right before E28s started getting valuable. I will have an E28 again some day, I swear
A Renault Fuego Turbo and then later a Legacy GT with a stick. Great memories in those.
My Mom’s ’71 Pinto, White with green interior, and Dad drove a ’72 Mercury Montego. Wish I still had these today for sentimental purposes if anything!