remember your first car? well if you grew up outside most major cities in the u.s., chances are you had one. here the list of the metalglasswireandrubber combinations that i've driven, wreaked, traded away and all to often taken for granted.

dad bought a 72 chevelle for me during high school. no cassette player, no working a/c. but i loved it the most. it survived my first accident after i ran into a plymouth horizon, no one was hurt but the horizon was totaled. i pried out the front panel, away from the tire, and drove away after the police report. a year of driving it around with all the dents before my dad and brother helped me restore it back to health and slap on a metallic aztec gold paint job. it should have been called a phoenix..

63 ford falcon van - you just gotta have one ugly car in your life. for $400 i thought it was a steal but it had its share of engine fix-up work that needed to be done, including all the rust in the floor. the only car i've owned that was older than me. comes with refrigerator, bed, and shag carpet. "if this van a rocking....ahh, you've probably got a fuel line problem"

1979 mazda rx7- after the van, and borrowing my dad's oldsmobile for a year or so (thanks dad), i bought this guy. I would have enjoyed it more, but I alway seemed to be fighting a nasty oil leak problem. but it was definitely fun to drive. winter driving had me flying over snow drifts more than through them. i remember it had one pop-up headlight that would wink at other cars when i went to fast over railroad tracks.

chevy beretta - not worthy of a pic
owning the beretta, i knew what it was like to drive in slow motion. passing other cars required visual distances equivalent to the salt flats. it was the last 4 cylinder engine i'll ever owned. or at least until i retire and buy a "mobility" scooter to go play bingo

1992 jeep cherokee laredo - i spent most of my life with this one (12 years) and through thick and thin, it survived my rampant need to drive cross country not once but three times. definitely, one of my favorites over the years. it's final days were in washington, dc. shortly before leaving for africa i sold it to a redskins fan that just needed a car for weekend stadium trips. a happy retirement ending to a great companion.
. . . and to the one i depend on now

2006 toyota fj cruiser- after the jeep, i couldn't go back to driving a car again. vladivostok is the perfect place to own an suv. but not for just the trails, also for the pot hole'd streets, extra high driving visibility and icy winters conditions. suicide doors, funky retro design, and 239hp v-6 make this a fun ride in a hill covered city.