Who among us wasn’t absolutely counting the days until they could actually drive to school by themselves? No more indignity of being dropped off and picked by your uncool Mom or Dad, and the total lack of control of the car stereo that that entailed. Better still, no more waiting for the bus and the horrors within that were the garbage appetizer and rancid dessert to start and finish each day of school.
What sort of car you were allowed to drive or owned yourself scarcely mattered; yes, cooler was better, but literally anything that got you to school and back (and to parties and dances and your girlfriend’s house, etc.) was some level of cool by default. Because freedom is cool.
Lucky for me, the cars I drove to school were a mix of cool then and cool now. Cool then: the family’s Jeep J10 Thriftside, an example of which is not pictured below. That’s a Gladiator, because finding a usable pic of a J10 with a Thriftside bed was pretty dang hard. Aside from a different grille and blue paint instead of that sweet seafoam color, my (family’s) Jeep was just pretty much just like the pic, right down to the steelies and manual locking hubs.
Cool now, the subject of the topshot: a Toyota Tercel SR5 4WD wagon. This was primarily my Mom’s car, but I did take it to school a few times a month. It was not appreciated at the time beyond being a set of wheels to cart myself and the gang around, but it’s one of the Cars Of My Past I’d most like to have back.
The first car that was solely mine was a 1974 Super Beetle, one of three at my high school. The other was a sweeter-looking Super on mag wheels that looked faster (less slow) than mine, but was not, as proven by our stoplight drag races on the way to and from school. The other Beetle was also a Super, but equipped with the AutoStick three-speed semi-auto trans (you still had to shift it, but there was no clutch). This Beetle was the slowest of all, and I’m pretty sure it was also the slowest car at school, period. Mind you, the Spanish teacher drove a Chevette Scooter, so that’s saying something.
What did you drive in high school?
1981 Honda Accord Hatchback – 5spd – roughly 70hp. Free from my grandpa.
1988 Cadillac Deville – smooth, comfy, with a sweet V8. Totalled by a lady running a red light.
1995 Pontiac Grand Prix – Not terrible. Engine blew during a drive across South Dakota to college. Turns out the oil pump likely failed hundreds of miles earlier, so I’m impressed it didn’t fail earlier.
1979 Dodge Omni 024 brown 2-door w/ slushbox
then. . .
1983 Honda Accord 5-speed hatchback w/ rusty speedholes
Leading up to turning 16 I really wanted a Ranger and since my commute to high school was rather long, my parents wanted it to be somewhat reliable. After scouring Truck Trader and looking at a number of late-80s Rangers, my dad decided that it made more sense to spend a little more and take advantage of the various dealer specials on a new Ranger. So I ended up with a new pickup in high school, albeit an absolutely base spec ’97 4-cylinder 4×2 Ranger XL. We’re talking no carpet, no power steering, no A/C, a vinyl bench seat, and no radio (the first three months were quiet until I saved up enough for a head unit and speakers). I drove that truck for a decade, put 130k miles on it, and loved every sweaty, sticky summer, and every one-wheel spinning snowy winter. My dad has it now, mileage is pushing 300k. There’s a valve knock, and the front end is showing definite signs of wear, but it keeps going.
98 Grand Am GT V6 sedan, white with matching white wheels. Looked cool as hell, but was a piece of junk. I helped create a Pontiac Car Club during college and made life-long friends (was in two founding members’ weddings) because of this car. Still wish I had it, failing lower intake manifold gaskets and all….
I had three different cars through high school:
-1964 Buick Skylark: It was a 2-door hardtop coupe with the Fireball (later Dauntless) 225ci V6 and a 2-speed Super Turbine 300. Paid $400 for it. It was slower than slow but looked so cool. When the gas tank sprung a leak, it got parked, because back then, I couldn’t find a new tank easily. Sold it later on in college after buying another project car.
-1987 Mercury Cougar XR7: This was cheaper to buy than a gas tank for the Buick at $250. It came from my sister’s work: a Hyundai dealer that would always have a full wholesale lot thanks to “Push it, pull it, tow it” promos for guaranteed trade-in values. For some reason, that lot was always filled with non-Mustang Fox Bodies at all times. It ran and drove and had a 5.0, what more could a high school kid ask for? It also had more dents than a golf ball and was filled with trash. Within 6 months, the heater core exploded and the transmission developed a terminal case of Neutralitis.
-1987 Mercury Cougar XR7: The same wholesale lot provided me another near-identical car! This one was in much better condition, but had a whopping 266K miles on it. It cost me the same $250 and I drove it home. I used the other one for parts, and got over a year out of it before I graduated. Also blew up the heater core in this one, but everything else was fine, and it ran like a champ. Wish I still had that one; would have been a cool car to build.
I turned 16 in 1997. Parents got me a 1991 4Runner. The previous owner had lifted it a little and installed a CB radio so it had the long antella in the back next to the spare tire. Also a brush guard. I drove that car for another 8 years.
77 Buick Regal. Encapsulates everything about GM “Colonnade” coupes.
Big on the outside, cramped on the inside. Slow, underpowered, terrible MPG.
Somewhat reliable for the period, but tired and wore out well before 100k, using oil, etc.
But it was beautiful!
65 Mustang Coupe, 302 2bbl, three speed manual, 4 wheel drum brakes
In Iowa, you could get a school driving license at 15, I was a Mid Year baby, so I pushed for the 15 license so I could drive the same time as friends. I also pushed for a cool first car on a budget, so I found a 1700 dollar 71 mach 1 that technically ran and drove, though it had been painted terribly and was set up all wrong, 3.0 open 9 bolt rear, stock torque converter int he FMX, weird resistorless dual point conversion with a failed Mallory Unilite thrown in if I wanted to try to fix that. Single plane intake with way to much double pumped fuel and a big Cam (I think he actually did call it a 3/4 race came SMH) stock dual core radiator and stock valve springs. It was a mess, but I learned a lot and wish I had known more up front. I still like that body style even though many did not. I drove tons of other cars though. 1970 455 Buick LeSabre I bough of a dude named Bobby Brown for 500 bucks. 78 K5 Blazer, 73 429 Thunderchicken that I was planning to swap the 429 into my mustang at some point. I had a XS400 Yamaha street bike at 16, moved up to the XS650 at 18, I think I recall buying a Honda Gaylude for extra cheap, threw some walmart tires on it, drove across Iowa to see my dad and ended up selling it to my step sister. Basically I was kind of doing the buy for cheap, basic repairs done in my mom’s garage and then flipping things to people. I did at one point have an 81 Camaro Berlinetta with a Claimer motor from a stock car and side pipes. I think I actually sold that back tot he guy I bought it from for a small profit. Weird times.
Ah yes, the farm/school license. Iowa even still does that! But plenty of farm kids learn to drive very early, my mom started driving trucks around their fields in Kansas at around 8 years old.
Late to this party, but junior and senior years had a white, 1970 VW Beetle. $400, boombox on the passenger seat, no working gas gauge, basic as basic gets.
My high-school car was a ’64 El Camino, which had a 230 inline-6 and a column-shifted 3-speed until that engine died and my dad and I swapped in a 350 and TH400.
I got a hand-me-down, but it was a really good hand-me-down. ’87 Ranger super cab XLT with the 2.9 V6 that grandparents “sold” to me (they made me pay a nominal payment each month to appreciate it and understand the joys of a car payment). I had that car from high school until I finished college.
Never beat it up off roading and it took me to so many places and created so many memories with it from the beaches to the mountains that I miss it to this day.
A Sundance Duster 3.0V6 which was entirely too much power for a 16 year old. Thankfully it didn’t get me into any trouble.
I almost bought one of those used as my first post-college car, but I chose a Civic instead.
It was fun and I loved it but there’s an episode of Regular Car Reviews on the Shadow where he said there were Chrysler memos which pegged the car’s entire expected life at 7 years. Based on experience I believe it.
Jokes on me, my parents were completely uninterested in providing any sort of transport by the time I was in high school.
As for the actual question; nothing after I managed to drag one of my classmates’ Topaz down the passenger side of a teachers brand new Grand Am in the parking lot during auto shop, on my 16th birthday.
A 1962 Olds F85 Cutlass. 215ci V8, automatic. For $225.00, it got me through school and into college.
2007 Seat Ibiza, the 2.0Slow engine from VW actually is not that slow when the car is half the weight from a Jetta and has really short gearing (kind of like a Miata). It actually drove very well around turns, it was fun.
Class of 2007, I drove my hand-me-down 1995 Grand Prix briefly until I crashed and totaled it out. Replaced with a ‘97 Ford Escort sedan, which I don’t miss.
The car I miss most from that era of my life, my 2nd gen Honda Fit 5-speed that I bought new at 23 years old. Absolutely more fun than it looked on the outside.
1982 Mazda GLC (brown) until hit by a drunk driver. Then a 1984 Ford Escort wagon (white). Both manual, the Escort a 4 spd.
1976 Mazda 808. 4 Speed, Even had a manual choke.
1978 Datsun 280Z 2+2. 5 Speed. Terrible car by the time I got it.
1980 Honda Accord hatchback. Slushbox. Mint green inside and out, lovely car. Made it over 200,000 miles before the engine quit.
1986 VW Jetta coupe. 5 Speed. Blaupunkt. Best A/C EVER.
My third car was an ’85 Jetta 2dr, replaced my second car, the Volvo that blew the motor after a month. With NO A/C. But I did get a popup sunroof put in it. Which was not a substitute for A/C. Every car since but my Spitfire and Saab Sonetts has had A/C. Did have the Blaupunkt though. Blaupunkt Boston plus Nakamichi amp and speakers. Then a Yamaha CD eventually. One that took the CDs in cassettes to protect them. Stylin’.
Aftermarket sunroof is the most 80’s thing I’ve heard this week.
It was 1988, so very ’80s indeed!
Corellian light freighter that we found floating around in space. Something about an aluminum Falcon.
I drove two cars during high school. First car was a 1991 Chevy Cavalier. 2 door with no options. Just heat, radio and a cracked head. Parents bought it for $500. They evidently didn’t think it was safe enough so we both went in on a 97 Chevy Monte Carlo. That was one of my favorite cars. It had the 3800 v6 in it. Green with tan leather. Sunroof. Was a tank in the snow. Great car.
As a highschooler, I drove my mom’s 2nd gen Honda Fit. It wasn’t until college that I saved up enough money to buy my own first car, a b13 Sentra SE-R.
I’m from the UK. High school ends aged 16, you can’t drive until you’re 17.
’87 Honda Accord with the pop up headlights. I had it to myself for over a year, but then I had to share with my younger brother my senior year. But that was all worth it because I got my stepfather’s ’91 regular cab Ranger at graduation! I loved that truck and was thrilled to have it, so of course someone ran a red light a couple of weeks later and totalled it. But that’s okay because my loving, wonderful parents replaced the Ranger with….an ’87 Olds Cutlass Ciera in bird crap white [sad trombone].
I drove a ’72 AMC AMX with a transplanted inline 6 donated from a wrecked Hornet. The was that ASML did thing, the Hornet exhaust fit perfectly. I later put a couple of different V8’s in it
I had a 68 Javelin with the 232 Commando 6 in it, those were surprisingly decent running motors, I mean the rest of the car seemed to be falling apart constantly, but it still got you there most of the time. I had plans to swap a Chrysler 360 into it, but found out quick, the displacement and use of a chrysler trans did not mean the swap was very straight forward.