Here is a basic breakdown (lol) of every road vehicle that I have ever owned, as well as a bonus list of vehicles that deserve a note of recognition in my personal vehicular history.
1970 Ford F-100
My dad bought this two-tone blue ranch truck for $500 and gave it to me on my 16th birthday. It had pieces of railroad track bolted to the bed to give it traction for chasing calves. To date this is the only truck I have ever owned. I hated it. But it was also my first vehicle and Rachel Thompson would sit next to me on the bench seat (as was the style at the time) and we would listen to Prince’s Purple Rain cassette, so I loved it, or at least tried to love it. But it wasn’t a car, so I sold it to a friend. This is the only known photo of this truck. I’ll keep looking.
1975 Chevrolet Camaro
I bought my first car from my friends Jim and Shari, who worked with me at OSF. I put a Coors Racing Team sticker in the window and raced Charles up and down 2222 after work every night, unironically perpetuating the Mustang vs. Camaro battles that have raged since before we were born. My car had a 350 cu. in. V8 engine, which sounds impressive, but because the car was a 1975, it was clogged-up with emission controls and only made between 145-155 hp. The Camaro looked fast, but was incredibly slow and that probably saved my life.
1985 Volkswagen GTI
1987 Volkswagen GTI 16V
1980 Kawasaki KZ550
1984 Honda VF500F Interceptor
1986 Honda VFR700F Interceptor
1988 Honda NT650 Hawk
1981 Honda Civic Wagon
No picture available.
1985 Ford Mustang GT
No picture available.
1966 Ford Mustang
No picture available.
1988 Honda Prelude Si
1993 Audi S4
1990 Audi Coupe Quattro
2000 Audi A6 2.7t Quattro
1993 Audi Quattro
1997 Mazda Miata
1999 Acura Integra GS
1994 Audi S4
2012 Ford Boss 302
My current track car.
2001 Audi A4 1.8t
2017 Ford Focus ST
This is my current daily driver and only my third brand new car. It’s not perfect, but this slightly faster (but WAY cheaper) GTI is a fantastic little car. It’s so good out-of-the-box that other than a mod to change the height of the gas pedal for better heel-toe shifting and adding a trailer hitch, I have not done a single thing to this car other than keep it full of fluids, tires, and batteries.
It has done at least two cross-country road trips, has about 60,000 miles on the clock, and has NEVER broken or let me down in any way. That said, it is starting to show a little age and I’m considering a minor refresh soon.
Note: This page will be appended when I remember interesting details, find pictures, and of course, when I acquire new vehicles.
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