Love this thread.

First Bike, I was 10yrs old maybe? (not mine in pic)

Paid $240 and it was pretty clapped out in hindsight, bald tyres and sprockets gone and engine dodgy. My dad stuck washers in the muffler to restrict the outflow pipe to quieten it after neighbor's farms complaining about me riding it all day. One day I did speed runs flat out up n down the dirt road at the back and when I was turning round, all this molten metal poured out. She was back to herself after that.

First car @ 17 (not mine but close). $1400. 2 litre, twin webber carbies, lovely sound when the 2nd carbie opened up under foot flat.

One day the gearstick fell off and I drove home 50ks in 2nd gear, waving traffic past with gear knob.
Another day the starter stuck on and the battery plates were all bent towards each other by time I got one terminal undone.
Gearbox was rooted, and everything else.
Finally found out the kiwi that sold it to me never transferred it into my name (despite getting me to sign forms, promising to do it monday, right next to my work, etc) or out of the wreckers name that he bought it off. He got it running, got dodgy RWC, flogged it off, and used the cash to run home. I got a lot smarter about buying cars after that.
End of the day, still have a sweet spot for a 2ltr Escort - there's a reason they're highly prized as a rally car.

Mine was the blue version of the green, make that grey

no pics , but...... 1967 HR Holden wagon , 161 motor , manual . they were a fantastic vehicle .

decrepit said..

Here's another of my old slides. In 1968 it was Leonara's hearse.
If you were a surfer in those days, an old "woody" was the vehicle of choice.
This would have been perfect, but they didn't want to sell.

you'll be pleased to know the town put in the effort to restore it and it is still the town hearse!!!!

Ian K said..



Mine was the blue version of the green, make that grey

Hi Ian,my parents had the 58 model in green,they owned it for over 30 years and the car I learnt to drive in.In the end it was given to their mechanic to ensure it had a good home but I took the very rare bonnet emblem off as a momento .It goes about one third up the centre chrome strip.I have only ever seen one other in my life.My first car was a 72 VW kombi camper non poptop .

Warwicki an FX or FJ was my preferred option, (to be like the rest of my mates). But the old man vetoed it, said he didn't want an old bomb sitting in his yard, insisted I get something a bit newer. After my Triumph experience he relented and I got an FC panel van. After that, he only ever bought Holdens.

Good times in the Corolla

KA360 said...
but I took the very rare bonnet emblem off as a momento .It goes about one third up the centre chrome strip.I have only ever seen one other in my life.My first car was a 72 VW kombi camper non poptop .

A beetle Akim! I'd always associated you with an F250 and Robby Naish. Total rethink. I recall there were quite a few of those bonnet emblems around, but I'm older than you. My mate had a 58 model, bigger windows the power went up from 36 to 40hp. Early days of the power race.

Ian K said..


A beetle Akim! I'd always associated you with an F250 and Robby Naish. Total rethink. I recall there were quite a few of those bonnet emblems around, but I'm older than you. My mate had a 58 model, bigger windows the power went up from 36 to 40hp. Early days of the power race.

The emblem was only on Beetles delivered to Sydney and some in Canada.Some German Beetles had a similar one but made of aluminium and had wings.
The F truck is now gone after 20 years and I now have a better windsurfing van than Robby Naish. Seats 6 people with the kids 2m back behind the driver(much more peaceful for the parents and spread far enough apart they can't kick each other) and behind them room for 15 boards and all the rigs.

then i realised i couldn't get to the water quickly enough so i bought a fordsubishi expressovan

Poida said..

DATSUN 1600 was my first
I got a year of total abuse out of mine, particularly that lefthanders track, really took a few years off the car

then a XL Falcon - got a year out of that
then a VW Fastback, got a year out of that one too.
then a landscruiser trayback - totally indestructible, but sold it in Alice Springs, to a lady who hooked $5k out of her cleavage.

hers a pic of someone elses from the intramanet

I was expecting a picture of her cleavage.

Soon as I had my licence I asked my dad if I could have a car, he said :" how much have you got ?" I had 350 $, he sold me his rusty subaru ute, with an empty tank and took my 350$... couldn't drive it until I found a job to pay for the petrol....



lasted years, using as much oil as petrol.... sold it when it went over 300 000kms

still miss it !

not this one, but one like it. this ones probably in better condition.





1984 toyota corona
bush bashed it
took it over jumps
rolled it (slow motion onto its side trying to round a corner in rally mode)

it was a car, but it was more than a car it was a wagon

a 2wd 4wd, people used to be dumbstuck at how we ended up in some of the places we got to

a home, lived in it for two months straight on the south coast till my dad refused to hand in my dole form for me anymore

a lifestyle, nothing said derro surf bum more than a 1984 toyota corona packed with boards dogs and leaking bong smoke

a dutch oven, probably spent more time as a dutch oven than it did as a car

a pizza delivery vehicle, best job i ever had (sorry if your pizzas were cold and squashed)

a get away car, no further details for fear of incriminating myself

died a lonely death wrapped around a pole in sydney after being abandoned by a mate who borrowed it to drive his mum to the shops but who ended up picking up a load of the boys and heading a few hours north to the casino, it started raining, the corona had no wipers, lights or brakes

they crashed it and walked away from it..



the corona didn't deserve to go out that way