Thread: What was the cheapest car you had the most fun with?

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In 1985, when I was 17, I bought a 1969 Nova with a straight 6 for $200. I also bought a 1973 Chevy Caprice for $200 with a 400 cubic inch engine. I swapped the 400 into the Nova, along with open headers and a Quadrajet. I jacked up the rear end and added L60 rear tires. I had great fun doing plenty of smoky burnouts in that thing. The floor had a few holes rusted through, the inside of the car would fill up with smoke during a proper burnout.

1970 Buick Lesabre. Puke green, drivers side quarter caved in, paid $100 for it in high school. It had a 455 and besides being a burnout machine it would destroy the brand new Camaro Berlinettas that the rich kids owned.

In the Navy, NAS Corpus Christi around '69 I bought a MGB from a couple of WAVES for $200. They were moving, the car hadn't run for 6 months or more, and their landlord told them that they'd have to pay to have it hauled off if they left it behind. A buddy, who drove a MGB as his only car, and I had it running in an hour, and I drove it like it was stolen. Had a terrible death wobble at 45 to 55, but if you could get past 55 it was smooth! Trips to Padre, running around town top down, stoplight racing with the engine screaming like a sewing machine! The death wobble popped the hood loose one day and the hood wrapped over the windshield and bonked my forehead! It was mostly hoodless after that.... Sold it to the buddy who had helped me get it running a year or so later, for $200 when he was mustering out and heading back to Lubbock. Free fun!

1960 we were on vacation in Alabama my aunt sold me her 1950 Plymouth 6 cylinder 3 on the tree for $1. I had to get it running but I didn't mind. I spent all my vacation money on that car 2 recap tires a set of plugs and wires took the carb apart and put it back together. I ran out of money before I could get a new starter. So every time I parked the car I'd put the Right front tire on the curb. When I wanted to go some where I just let it roll off the curb and pop the clutch. When It came time to head back home my dad said I couldn't drive it home on recaps. I sold he car back to my aunt for $1, But for a month I was having a ball.

MMMMM, the two cheapest were $50 each && yes we had lots fun in them, hell they were cheap. First was my 66 Lincoln 4dr hardtop. Bought if for the $50 mentioned & put $50 into it to make it drive able. Drove it for 3yrs & traded it for a 65 Ford van w/a SBC & $500. The 2nd was a 1973 Mazda RX3 Wagon. Gave them $50 for the car, put a boneyard battery & muffle on it & we drove it for about 5yrs & a friends offered us $1200 for it & down the road it went... Drove them both going to KC, Indy, Chicago area, Southern Missouri & all over the midwest in them both.

Had a 66 Mustang Fastback, 6 cylinder auto, Pony interior too. paid 200 for it and shortly after getting it I got a motor & tranny from my aunts wagon that was being scrapped. So I "upgraded" the Mustang to a V-8 but never bothered with the suspension.. who knew??? LOL.

On the north side of town we have a set of railroad tracks that are elevated from the roadway, so we used to "jump" our cars over them... this was long before dukes of hazard. It never blew out a ball joint but I lost the exhaust system and the toe out worsened each time.. I was working for a neighborhood gas station and a customer said he wanted to buy it. I said give me 600 and it's yours! He did so I did! Was fun while it lasted.

the first car i bought with my own money was a 1963 fairlane sports coupe .. 75 $ ..in a about 1974 .. i had a car or 2 before but they were hand me downs from older brothers .. like a 406 6 pac 64 galixe i drove thru high school .. but anyway i took a 289 and a 4 speed from a friends " skeeter " ( without his permission i mite add ) and put in the fairlane .. drove it about 3 months and sold it for a whopping 150 $ .. HA !! doubled my money ... only car i ever made a profit on ..i was still learning how to handle a bit of horse power back then and cleaned out a few ditches in that car trying to show out ..same reason as i got rid of my stang last year .. finding myself nearly in to many ditches when i tried to show out ..

In 1962 I bought a 40 Ford 2dr standard sedan from a guy in Culver City, Ca. for $125. It had a charge/discharge problem which turned out to be a bad ignition switch. Stone stock except for tuck and roll seats with 5/50-15 Pirelli's in front with 820-15's in the rear. I drove that car all over So. Calif. and home,Dayton, Ohio, on leave in Dec of 62. Sure wish I still had it.

1959 Studebaker Lark Hardtop, V8, 4-bbl, duals, three speed, traction masters, cheater slicks. Ken Thomas and I had many fun nights in that car.
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Originally Posted by techinspector1

1959 Studebaker Lark Hardtop, V8, 4-bbl, duals, three speed, traction masters, cheater slicks. Ken Thomas and I had many fun nights in that car.
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Liike the night you tore the gearshft off the column? That little car was a sleeper for sure.