Been down this road before? Other unusual cars owned

[dennyrex]

unusual is relative ;-) for me the most unusual cars were 1969 GTO "judge" when I was 15 (long story) & a $75 1960 Cadillac circa 1972-3. but they're the most normal cars for most folks. my normal cars were:

1970 Subaru 360 (seems there are a few of us here!) bought nearly new in 1971 with very low mileage from a GI returning home. was traded for:
1949 Crosley Hotshot (4 wheel disc brakes, SOHC 750 cc cobra engine)
1960 Sunbeam Alpine (not so unusual but very fun)
1976 Renault R5 bought nearly new in 1977 with very low mileage
1984 Renault R11 bought new
and now, 20 years later:
2008 smart pure

always wanted, never got:

original mini (we called them Morris Mini Minor)
Isetta 300
Lotus Europa

nearly had:

59 DKW

hope to have in the future:

MDI OneCAT or miniCAT

[stevenvillatoro]

Originally Posted by dennyrex

1970 Subaru 360 (seems there are a few of us here!)

The Subaru 360 was alwasy high on my wish list... what was it like to own/drive one?

[jwight]

My Other Car Is A ....

Anyway, I'll take up some more bandwidth:

1960 Corvair 4 door
1966 Corvair Corsa (140 hp)
Very brief ownership of early VW Beetle w/Porsche engine
Early Austin 7 (Mini)*
Early Morris 1000 Traveler*
1973 BMW 2002*
1975 Mini 1000*
1972 BMW 2002 Tii
1971 VW Beetle*
1981 Corvette*
1983 Toyota Tercel 4WD wagon
1999 Corvette coupe
1993 Saturn SW2
2002 Subaru WRX wagon
1992 Rover Mini 1.3
2001 Corvette Z06
2003 Corvette Z06

Still have the 03 Vette, smart coupe and the 92 Mini. * cars were bought/driven in the UK during two assignments with the USAF.

[dennyrex]

Originally Posted by stevenvillatoro

The Subaru 360 was alwasy high on my wish list... what was it like to own/drive one?

it was pretty great. the entire top (and rear window) came off leaving the windshield & side window frames intact. the size, while great for me, confounded others in the same way the smart does today. jokes about cracker jack boxes et al. no car tipping, but occasional the car was picked up and moved (eg. onto the lawn in H.S. the high clearance meant I simply drove it off the curb, none the worse off)
I lived in a valley where to go anywhere other than following the river meant going up very long very steep hills, and depending on the state of tune, and the # of passengers, it would make it more or less without endangering or enraging the other cars on the road.
2-stroke meant using oil but it wasn't as bothersome as I imagined it would be.
it did teach me to be patient about having to shift in the middle of an intersection. 900 lb & 25 hp were fine by me. as is 1800 lb & 71 hp.

[kurt013]

1973 Gremlin
1981 Escort (first year) traded for
1982 Sentra (one of the first)
1989 240Z (first year)
1990 300Z (first year for that model)
2001 PT Cruiser (ordered first day, i got one of the first ones) traded PT for a used
2000 Insight (great car) traded for
2005 Scion Xb (most misunderstood car)
just sold my BMW Z3 (really fun classy car)
2008 Smart Cabrio (somewhere in Baltimore right now looking for a truck ride to Indy)
and my wife drives a BMW 335 coupe, the first one in our town

[Amethyste]

I owned a VW corrado. Man that car was so nice!

[Sherbie]

My first car was an old rusty 1964 Corvair with a rag top. I have also owned a 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger.

None of my other cars were that unusual. I had a Mustang GT that I traded in for my Beetle. Sure, the Mustang was fun. But between traffic tickets and 17mpg, I could not afford it anymore.