Susan's Place Transgender Resources

As the title, what was your first car?

I bet there are some shockers out there among you!

Mine was shockingly bad. A 1.0 litre Austin Metro City, the thing only had a radio (no cassette), wind down windows and still had a choke. But it was mine and it spelled Freedom! I owned a motorbike before that but this was the first time I could take other people along.

Mine was a wrecked 1971 Ranchero.

The engine was blown, and the front end was damaged, but it was all I could afford at the time. My stepdad was a mechanic and replaced the front end. After about seven months, I had saved up enough money to buy a new engine. We bought a 351 Cleveland kit and spent a weekend building the engine and dropping it in.

That thing could scoot!

Datsun B210

My Grandmother had a 1960 Austin A40 when I was little... it was a very rare car here in the US... She shuttled me all over Los Angeles in that thing but it was often at the mechanic waiting for parts from England as well 😅

My first car was a 1967 Chevy Camaro RS when I got my license in 1977.... They have a lot of car shows around here and I always find it funny when they have classic cars on display, it looks like the parking lot at my high school 🤔

Onward!

A💕

2023 Rav 4

Ok folks my first car was a 1956 Chevy bel air. 4 door and a v8 engine
I loved that car. The rumors of the activities you could do in the back seat are very true

A 1971 Vauxhall Victor 1600. It rusted faster than I could weld it and used more oil than petrol. The tiny clapped out engine in a big car wouldn't  pull the skin off a rice pudding. I didn't drive til 21 as I preferred motorcycles and couldn't afford both til then

Quote from: Lori Dee on March 07, 2026, 04:06:44 PMMine was a wrecked 1971 Ranchero.

The engine was blown, and the front end was damaged, but it was all I could afford at the time. My stepdad was a mechanic and replaced the front end. After about seven months, I had saved up enough money to buy a new engine. We bought a 351 Cleveland kit and spent a weekend building the engine and dropping it in.

That thing could scoot!

Had to google it but holy crap that's a cool first car, wrecked or not!

Quote from: Rochelle on March 07, 2026, 04:09:41 PMDatsun B210

I took my driving test in a Datsun Cherry!

Quote from: tgirlamg on March 07, 2026, 04:20:06 PMMy Grandmother had a 1960 Austin A40 when I was little... it was a very rare car here in the US... She shuttled me all over Los Angeles in that thing but it was often at the mechanic waiting for parts from England as well 😅

My first car was a 1967 Chevy Camaro RS when I got my license in 1977.... They have a lot of car shows around here and I always find it funny when they have classic cars on display, it looks like the parking lot at my high school 🤔

Onward!

A💕

What the hell, these are all cool cars I was expecting a hall of shame!

VW Scirocco. Rusty and unreliable. I loved it. Learned how to work on it. Bought many more over the years.

My favorite car is the Porsche 911. I owned one, a 1977 Targa.

Quote from: Athena on March 07, 2026, 04:31:01 PM2023 Rav 4

My dad had one of those so got to drive it about. I liked it a lot but his was 1st generation, yes I'm that old!

Well, now I am utterley ashamed of my little rust bucket! Muscle cars, 4x4's, Scirocco's, V8 engines. You girls were spoilt rottern!

I had to pay for it. I worked several summers for my dad's business. Probably more work than the car cost

1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass with a 350 v8. It didn't last long.

The car that got me through college was a 1970 Ford Maverick with a 200 inline 6. AM radio, no air conditioner, black vinyl seats. In Louisiana, it was a sauna on wheels during the summer.

Love always -- Jessica Rose

Here it is!... I was about 18 in this pic...

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55134964001_010c7405d5_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/gp/156388176@N05/83PM975f93)Untitled (https://www.flickr.com/gp/156388176@N05/83PM975f93) by Ashley (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156388176@N05/), on Flickr

Onward!

A💕

You know that it's only in the UK we had awful first cars. Namely because of insurance costs for me. My first car was a Citroen AX 1.0 though I could make it do 97 at a push lol. Still cost me £750 to insure in 1999!

Quote from: tgirlamg on March 07, 2026, 10:10:09 PMHere it is!... I was about 18 in this pic...

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55134964001_010c7405d5_b.jpg) (https://www.flickr.com/gp/156388176@N05/83PM975f93)Untitled (https://www.flickr.com/gp/156388176@N05/83PM975f93) by Ashley (https://www.flickr.com/photos/156388176@N05/), on Flickr

Onward!

A💕

That pic is so cool! What a legend!

Quote from: Charlotte Kitty on March 08, 2026, 12:31:10 AMYou know that it's only in the UK we had awful first cars. Namely because of insurance costs for me. My first car was a Citroen AX 1.0 though I could make it do 97 at a push lol. Still cost me £750 to insure in 1999!

It seems so!

My third car was a citroen AX 1.0, my car history was crap for decades! I swear that AX had a hairdryer for an engine! The fuel gauge didn't work on mine which led to quite a few strandings!

My first semi decent car was an Alpha Romeo 147 2.0 litre Twinspark, I loved that thing. It was beautiful inside and out. Broke down all the time of course but hey, it looked good on the back of a tow truck!

Totally get the hair dryer thing lol. Unsurprisingly I blew the head gasket on the AX at one point!

My first nice car was a Honda Civic 2.2 diesel that I had mapped! It was so comfy and nice to drive.

Now got a 2.0 petrol Volvo V40 mapped to 230hp. Being a small car it shifts now but looks very unassuming and cheap to insure!

It took me a few cars before I got something decent. My favourite was my 1970 Vauxhall Cresta once I mastered the manual column shifter. Close second was my 68 Ford Zephyr 6.
Worst ever was a1975 Sunbeam Rapier fastback automatic. In 3 years I rebuilt the engine when a rod let go,replaced the automatic gearbox,radiator,starter motor and the rubber diaphragm in the 2 carburettors. Like the Vauxhall Victor I fought a losing battle with the rust monster and it went to the scrap yard at only 8 years old. It was also slow and thirsty

Quote from: Charlotte Kitty on March 08, 2026, 05:27:39 AMTotally get the hair dryer thing lol. Unsurprisingly I blew the head gasket on the AX at one point!

My first nice car was a Honda Civic 2.2 diesel that I had mapped! It was so comfy and nice to drive.

Now got a 2.0 petrol Volvo V40 mapped to 230hp. Being a small car it shifts now but looks very unassuming and cheap to insure!

Love Volvos, Scandi cool with reliability. I'm not changing brands now I think.

Quote from: big kim on March 08, 2026, 08:26:52 AMIt took me a few cars before I got something decent. My favourite was my 1970 Vauxhall Cresta once I mastered the manual column shifter. Close second was my 68 Ford Zephyr 6.
Worst ever was a1975 Sunbeam Rapier fastback automatic. In 3 years I rebuilt the engine when a rod let go,replaced the automatic gearbox,radiator,starter motor and the rubber diaphragm in the 2 carburettors. Like the Vauxhall Victor I fought a losing battle with the rust monster and it went to the scrap yard at only 8 years old. It was also slow and thirsty

You see that's more like it Kim, slow rust buckets that breakdown all the time. Not these beautiful supercool muscle cars that the rest seemed to own. We're doing it properly!

My current vehicle is a 2015 GMC 3500Hd 6.6 liter diesel.
I know typical American. We gave animals to feed

My first car was a red Alpha Romeo Giulietta. It don't remember the model but it was an older car with high mileage at the time. It gave lots of mechanical problems but I loved the look of it.

Quote from: Jillian-TG on March 08, 2026, 10:19:18 AMMy first car was a red Alpha Romeo Giulietta. It don't remember the model but it was an older car with high mileage at the time. It gave lots of mechanical problems but I loved the look of it.

Ooooh, now you're talking, a fellow Alfa Owner. The Italians really know how to style cars, shame they can't make them reliable!

I was in love with the Alfa Brera. really wanted that car. Apparently it wan't even that good but lordy, that thing was beautiful.

I really do like the little Fiat 500 remake too, I would really fancy one but they're too small to be practical. lovely little things though, so cute.

The Alfa Gtv shares blood with the Scirocco (Italdesign) and I think the Sport Sedan (US name?) was a lovely machine.

But I think "beautiful and unreliable" describes every 1970s Alfa!

I'm not a car person at all, but my father was, so he hooked me up with my first car - a 1974 Buick Century Gran Sport with a 455 (7.5L) engine.

It was... not fuel-efficient.

Believe it or not, it was a 1938 Packard Super-Eight 7-passenger sedan.  The one in the photo isn't mine, but mine was almost the same as this one.  Mine didn't have the low-mounted fog lights or the fender-mounted spare tires, but otherwise, this was it.  It had a big straight-8 engine, and got 8 miles per gallon on the highway.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55137226515_6f98168b12_b.jpg)

My first sensible car was a 1977 VW Rabbit.

Quote from: KathyLauren on March 08, 2026, 07:29:56 PMBelieve it or not, it was a 1938 Packard Super-Eight 7-passenger sedan.  The one in the photo isn't mine, but mine was almost the same as this one.  Mine didn't have the low-mounted fog lights or the fender-mounted spare tires, but otherwise, this was it.  It had a big straight-8 engine, and got 8 miles per gallon on the highway.

(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/55137226515_6f98168b12_b.jpg)

My first sensible car was a 1977 VW Rabbit.

I love the old Packard styling with the Suicide Doors in the back.

That looks so much like my dad's first car, the Armstrong Siddeley Whitley (pic not his actual car). He called it Nelly and had to sell it after the police pulled him over and discoverd a 6"hole in the footwell due to rust! The garage told him £50 or you can have that tandem bicycle. He chose the tandem much to my mothers horror! Always eccentric my dad!

(https://i.ibb.co/jkDz0W65/Armstrong-Siddeley-Whitley.jpg)

1967 Chevy C10. I put slot mags on it and stack pipes. Covered the door panels and dash pad in red crushed velvet and got my mom to sew covers for the visors as well. Miss that pickup.