When did you know you were a "car guy"?

[Outlaw525]

7 years old with my Grandma, saw a new In Violet '71 Road Runner with white stripes and the little bird head in the grill. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. I told my Grandma that I would have one someday. Now many Road Runners later, I have had the same '71 Road Runner for 15 years.

Other epic moments:
1972- saw Two Lane Blacktop
1973- saw American Graffiti
Bought my fist vehicle, a 1949 Studebaker pickup, with lawn mowing money when I was 12.

Also my Dad raced a B Gas Willys coupe in the early 60's.

 

[Bart K]

I knew when I was 6 years old. I was with a friend a few years older and we were laying in a field behind his house watching traffic go by on a main street in Oregon City, OR. My friend Paul Witkowski was telling me what makes and models were going by. This one car went by that really caught my attention and I asked Paul "what is that car!" He told me this it was a Corvette. It looked like a rocket on wheels and I thought it was the coolest car I had ever seen (probably a new 1963 split window coupe). Since that day, I had an interest in cars. I know this is a Mopar forum, but that Corvette experience got me in to cars, and from that point on, I came to appreciate certain models/years from Dodge, Plymouth, Chevy, Pontiac, Ford etc.....

 

[TxDon]

What really hooked me was when my Dad overhauled the engine in our 55 Ford. It was 1964, right before I got my license, and that was the car I learned to drive in. He did a full ring and valve job on the 272 Y-block V-8 with the engine in the car, outside in the gravel driveway. He was not a great mechanic but he grew up in the depression when everyone worked on their own cars because they had to. He had a factory shop manual and dived right in, pulling the heads and pistons. I was the light holder and tool passer and learned the value of creative profanity in accomplishing auto repair. He got it all done and the car ran great afterward, I drove it for 3 years after I got my license and I took over all the repairs.

 

[Charger72]

For me I was 7 and I used to watch the Mod Squad with my dad, I always remember the cool Mopars in the show. Julie's GTX, Linc taking his driving test in a Dart, the '71/72 Challenger convertible. But it was the Chargers that stuck out in my mind, plus Petty's 73 Charger going around and around on the track, the colors of the car stuck in my mind. Plus I had a very nice Hot Wheels collection and also enjoyed riding around in my dad's '67 Polara.

 

[GinoX]

My parents had a Fiat 650 (btw it was equipped with two downdraft 32/32 Weber and ). I was 4? at the time and for my 5th birthday I was honored to be allowed to shift first to second!!!!

So, I was hooked. During elementary school years I got rides in alternatively Morris Mini, 60s Opel Kadett, Chevy Vega, Plymouth Valiant, Duster & Belvedere and the "piece du resistance": a two-door 1967 Impala with a warmed 396 with 454 pistons (effectively a 454) and get this, a Corvette tri power carbs and intake AAAANNNNNDDD an adapted 23 spline A833 Chrysler 4-speed!!

Yep, ^that^ got me hooked on car mods.

 

[GinoX]

My parents had a Fiat 650 (btw it was equipped with two downdraft 32/32 Weber and ). I was 4? at the time and for my 5th birthday I was honored to be allowed to shift first to second!!!!

So, I was hooked. During elementary school years I got rides in alternatively Morris Mini, 60s Opel Kadett, Chevy Vega, Plymouth Valiant, Duster & Belvedere and the "piece du resistance": a two-door 1967 Impala with a warmed 396 with 454 pistons (effectively a 454) and get this, a Corvette tri power carbs and intake AAAANNNNNDDD an adapted 23 spline A833 Chrysler 4-speed!!

Yep, and ^that^ got me hooked.

 

[Auggie56]

I was thirteen, and sitting with two friends on a porch, when the talk turned to cars. I had no idea of what they were talking about. They explained to me about the difference between a six and an eight. Plus other mechanical systems, well as much as they knew. Frankly I was embarrassed, but since no one in my family had a mechanical or even much of a home repair bone in their body, I learned what I could from library books. Sophomore year of high school I enrolled in the auto shop program, however the two teaches were wholly inadequate in teaching techniques. Three years wasted. The only good thing is, I got hands on experience three quarters of the way of the first year. I got a couple of jobs in gas stations and graduated to dealerships from there. I liked the work, but when the computer took over, knew I wouldn't enjoy the job any longer. Partly because the dealer I worked for paid no diagnostic time. Their loss. Went to work for the city, and this time not as a mechanic. I get my hands dirty every so often. The one good thing about being a mechanic, I never was without a job, and I paid my bills.

 

[1967coronet440]

Always liked cars as a kid, but it was made official at about 14 when my father was backing our first project car into the garage. 75 duster with a 440

 

[Riverdawg]

Hooked on cars very young. My dad and uncle's always had muscle cars and motorcycles. Some of my dad's: 64 Pontiac Catalina 2+2, 68 (maybe69) GTX (my favorite), couple early 70 Nova's one SS, one hatchback. Chevy Malibu 'Laguna' with sweet swivel seats. 75 Monte Carlo. Conversion Van. After mom and dad split up, the cool cars weren't affordable anymore, bummer. My brother also has the car bug. But he's pursued that path and has always worked on cars, engines, every aspect, and pretty much every thing with a motor.

 

[kiwigtx]

Julie's GTX

 

[rumblefish360]

gm pulled their operations out of Australia as its not cost effective as the dumb *** government over here allows all the Asian and European cars to come in at a lowered tariff making local manufacturers unable to compete .even my 11 year old daughter said the other day why don't just raise the tariffs dad

Answer
The daughter with this;

"Because the Goverment thinks Americans should be pay more money. Until they cry uncle. But the left instead."