[DadFly]

Here is my near death experience in a VW bug. I got in it and drove down the road. The end. My first car was a 1960 Ford Ranchwagon. My second car was a 1960 F100. I traded the F100 for the 64 Bug. The bug was a great ski car in those days. It had a moon roof so I could stick my skiis out the top.

[Anne Elk]

My first car was a '72 Nova, bought it from my dad when he got a newer car for my mom. It got me to the wilds of Wyoming and back to WNY once, and then out to the Canadian Rockies for a few years, then here. It was a decent trail car for years but it nearly got me killed in the city. I'd just come through Seattle's Battery St. tunnel and was driving down Alaskan Way when one of the tie rods broke. Too many years in a city where they salt the roads, I guess. I managed to get it over to the side of the road without incident but if that had happened when I was in the tunnel, it could have been ugly. Not long after the repair I began looking for a replacement, and found my dream: a barely used, '85 manual Toyota SR5 with bucket seats and a canopy. I still have it, and get requests to sell it at least once a year. The Mighty T has gotten me across the country and back too, but not on the most recent trek: my mechanic assured me the truck could handle it, but I knew I'd die w/o AC (this was summer of 21). It's not 4WD but it's been an excellent trail and camping rig. It's been lightly vandalized a couple times but never stolen; I figure because so few car thieves can drive a stick. I bought a used Avalon from a friend for the 2021 XC drive, but have thought about trading up the Mighty T for a newer truck.