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Islanders attached to favourite cars

Vancouver Islanders talk cars
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You folks sure love you some cars. A short time back, I told the tale of my beloved old 1979 Honda Accord – the best car I ever owned.

I asked you to share your own memories, and you came through in style, with hundreds of responses.

A sampling are listed below. Over to you car, lovers…

Terri Granell

Best car I ever had was a 1964 Chevy Impala SS… White with blue interior, 327 small block, 2 speed power glide…. was a sweet ride! Bought it in 1974 for $500 in almost mint condition but had 200K miles, drove it for about 10 years and sold it for $500! That car was a “tank” and being young and adventurous…I took it many places that cars shouldn’t go lol…AHH the memories!

Jody Latiff

1973 Chevy Impala…this was a beast! Golden paint job, phat white walls, and floral interior! This beauty could float and fit 10 of my friends in it. $10 in gas would get me to the mall and back which was about 15 minutes away, lol.

Darin Forman

68 Chevy Nova… I miss the real cars.

Sherri Braun

First car,1972 Toyota Corolla yellow 5-speed. Bought off local doctor for $800… huge car loan…Best little car ever… went on to many more people!

Jerry Filipski

My first car, a 1954 Ford Consul. Bought for $50 at a used car auction. My father and I repaired the rusty quarter-panels and economically used house paint to create a lovely two-tone colour scheme. The only mechanical issue was it kept jumping out of second gear which proved troublesome on hills. It was my first love.

Bill McKinney

1964 Plymouth Belvedere 4-door, push button automatic, salmon colour (that ain’t pink, Buddy!!) with an awesome 8-track sound system listening to Leonard Cohen’s Suzanne!! This was 1968 Quesnel.

Laura Webster

My first car was a 1980 Chrysler Cordoba, it was older than I was! I used that land yacht to get to and from the beach for surfing ;)

Lynda Hill

’64 Chevy Biscayne

Melissa Black

I had a Volkswagen Rabbit, baby blue, 1985.

Kari Latka

It was a 1988 Honda CRX. Not much bigger than a smart car today, really, but so much fun. I bought it while I was doing my year overseas in New Zealand, for $1,100 (about $800 Canadian at the time). It was imported from Japan so there were a few buttons marked that I couldn’t understand, it had a speed governor that beeped annoyingly if you exceeded 100 km/h (and I was 19 with my first car so I did so… a bit), and the back seat really couldn’t fit one adult, but somehow I fit three in the back once (poor guys). I have so many fond memories of that car, and would have shipped her home with me if the cost wasn’t astronomically higher than she was ever worth.

But hey, if you know anyone who has a 1988 Honda CRX SI for sale, I’m in the market!

Lorie Nielsen

I too had a ’79 Honda Civic, red with black interior. I totalled her on a corner by Lantzville, but ICBC was on strike at the time and I somehow managed to get her put back together and they paid, $1,400 in parts alone lol!

She never drove the same , but we had some great times. What a great little car.

Claire Toynbee

Mine was Miranda, a 1959 Vauxhall. Manual transmission, of course. My father taught me to drive in her, and I learned to keep a steady pressure on the accelerator while we bunny-hopped along Marine Drive toward UBC, the first of our many trips along that route. She came in black and gray, but my parents had her repainted red and white. Miranda was a trusty ride, and after I moved into an on-campus dorm, she went on to be my aunt’s family car.

Melanie Kirk

A 1979 Subaru front-wheel drive.

That little car went everywhere.

We lived out of her for three months. Through Alberta clay mud and snow to B.C. logging roads. I remember driving down a typical northern Alberta mud road. They had a big D8 cat sitting there to pull people through when they got stuck. Some guy in a big Caddy land yacht was ahead of us and he was starting to spin out. We just down shifted our little car and burned right past, much to the amusement of the Cat operator.

Carina Vause

Favourite car I ever drove was a Dodge Charger rental car in Maui. Favourite car owned — my current Dodge minivan — but that’s because of practicality not style.

Leila Tremblay

1952 Studebaker Commander Chief!

Celia Kulrich

My first car was a Lada. Never had to plug in because it had a manual choke. It was good at bulldozing through the Saskatchewan snow.

Susan J James

I had a Dodge Colt, very reliable and good on gas. I had roof racks to carry my canoe.

Susan Harrison

My first car was also my favourite. It was a little 1973 Mazda 808 two-door… blue with a white roof.. I named him Odie. He also had a manual choke, which I have had a hard time explaining to the ‘young ’uns’ what that means… I learned to drive in him and he took me over hill and dale and every where in between. RIP Odie… Died when he threw a piston rod. :(

Tammy Sanne

A 1971 Cutlass Supreme. Loved that car, boy did it go!

Ken Bennett

1978 Pontiac Parisienne (two-door)

Melissa Louise

A 1998 Suzuki Esteem. I bought it in 2011 and got T-boned nine months later so didn’t have it for long but it was a good car

Diane Brinton

1966 Plymouth Barracuda

Jackie Thipthorpe

My first car was a 1974 Super Beetle Sun Bug. I LOVED that car. My boyfriend trashed it. I had a sunroof and a dash with a great heater, unlike some of the older models. It would go anywhere!

Leigha Rota

Oh man, all these are before my time! But my fave was probably my first vehicle my parents bought for me; nothing special, just an ’86 toyota pickup, two-door, two-wheel drive. But it was a 4-speed. As much as I want six speeds now, that 4-speed was awesome!

Karen Blow

1973 red orange VW with fun fur behind the back seat, and little toy VW’s lounging in the fur. It’s name “Rorange” emblazoned on the back window in prism tape. Unh hunh.

Trisha Petropoulos

Oh I miss her. My 1969 Mustang with the 302 in it. Only 75,000 miles on her, too. Needed more than I could do but doesn’t mean I still didn’t love her.

Bill Shaw

A 1973 Gremlin “X”, purple and white with a Levi interior and an AM radio with an 8-track! Man, I was cool! I miss the ’70s.

Bev Walsh

My best car that I loved the most was my first car and it was a 1972 orange Toyota coupe 4-speed. I still wish that I had this car. Had so much fun in this speedster.

Polly Burk

That’s my family car you posted! My three sons, the Labrador and I drove this all over Langford, paid $200 for it. Drove it for years, hauling groceries and kids and going camping. Thanks for the memories!

Amy Gallant

The best car ever for me was my 1979 Volvo 4-door GL. She has faults, so many wiring faults… but she got me and the kids home eventually… LOL.

Hayley Reed

My mum had an emerald green Pacer X with white interior. I loved it as a kid… felt like we were cruising around in a fish bowl !

Claire Duncan Lofgren

RebelYellNC 1974 AMC Matador. She was a beast. And you could fit a few extra in the trunk for the drive-in movie.

Susan Harding

I used to have a 1979 Ford Mustang Cobra. I miss driving a stick. Awesome little car.

Shelly Lorimer

My favourite was my ’94 Mustang convertible . Absolutely loved her till I T-boned some airhead doing a u-turn on a corner . Top down, hair flying and music cranked .

Darlene Woolls

My fave was my 1973 Blue Camaro. Rockin’ stereo too. LOL.

Andrew Crane

Best car I ever had was a 760 GLE Turbo Volvo with 5-speed manual - that car could almost fly.

Dave Wright

1964 Chrysler imperial … beautiful luxury cars for their day.

Virginia Greig Blatchford

My 1962 Cadillac Sedan de Ville. It had a silver mauve mist body and claret top - white leather seats. I drove it from 1996 to 2008. I could park on a dime. LOVED that ca!! Car’s name was Lady V.

Rob D. Kernachan

’69 Nova, 396, 4 -peed Red with black vinyl roof …ahhroooo!

Dee Kinnee

’62 Ford Falcon, two-tone: red & white, nickname: The Red Jet!

Patti Hamaluk

My 2007 Hyundai Tucson which I had to sell for financial reasons. Drive an older beater now, it ain’t pretty but it runs!

Audrey Herbert

1958 VW Beetle.

Mary Harrison

I had an ’88 fastback mustang. Loved that car.

Anne Brunet

1985 Honda CRX. So sweet, sporty, and fun to drive!

Mary Lou Woodfield Friesen

’66 green 2-door Ford Fairlane

Mamabearz Wilson

My favorite car was 1975 Chevy Nova.

Kim Colman

My ’64 Black Corvair!

Jeff Ellis

’56 Chevrolet Belair 2-door hard top

Patrick Tank Chase

Loved my ’60 ’Vette but it went when kids showed up.

Pauline Jackson

My favourite car back years ago was a Pinto.

Denise Bossons Reich

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Lynda Rae LLewellyn

My fave car that I owned was an ’84 Grand Am… also the first car I owned on my own.

Melissa Thomas

My 1996 Chevy Cavalier :)

Tammy Sanne

My fave car I owned was a 1971 Cutlass Supreme, boy could that car move.

Hannah Vail

I had a ’91 Pontiac Safari station wagon as my first car. My grandpa had bought her brand new off the lot and when he was no longer able to drive, I took her on. I named her Belinda.

Helen Ash

Our favourite car that we had was a 1957 Turnpike Cruzer it was red and white they did not make too many off them.

Rachel Aube

1975 Ford Thunderbird. I had the middle seat in the back, where there was no seat belt. Party time.

Chris Hillsden

’77 AMC Pacer. Was ugly as hell. But was cool.

Colleen Jordan

I love my Honda minivan.

Darren Campbell

OMG I learned to drive in a Pinto station wagon like this Geez, I’m old.

Anne Barbara

My first car, a 1975 Honda Civic.I called her Mad Mouse after my favourite ride at the PNE :)

Launie Elves

I had a ’76 Civic:) I even had the pink dice hanging from the rear view mirror.

» Vancouver Island Free Daily managing editor Philip Wolf welcomes your feedback at philip.wolf@blackpress.ca. Follow him on Twitter @philipwolf13 and visit

www.vifreedaily.com to download our app and view more digital features.



Philip Wolf

About the Author: Philip Wolf

I’ve been involved with journalism on Vancouver Island for more than 30 years, beginning as a teenage holiday fill-in at the old Cowichan News Leader.
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