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How many cars have you driven?

Started by bugo, February 27, 2013, 06:51:03 PM

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bugo

I've driven at LEAST 100 cars, probably a lot more.  I always end up driving, and I've driven friends' cars, relatives' cars, etc.  I also used to go to dealerships and test drive cars for fun.  I've forgotten about more cars that I've driven than I remember by far. 


corco

#1
Oh geez- two years of valeting means I've driven a lot of cars. Figure 3 a day, twice a week for 104 weeks plus probably fifteen or so 30 car days and I'm at around 1000 once you knock off duplicates (I know I valeted the exact same rental car multiple times on multiple occasions), being conservative. I'm pretty sure I drove every Corolla and Impala in the Tucson car rental fleet from January 2011 to December 2012

Duke87

Hmm, let's see....

2009 Ford Focus (currently own)
2009 Chevy Cobalt (test drove)
2009 Nissan Versa (test drove)
2008 Toyota Prius (test drove)
2012 Nissan Sentra (Father's car)
2009 Nissan Sentra (Father's car)
2005 Nissan Sentra (Father's car)
2004 Nissan Quest (Mother's car)
2007 Nissan Murano (Mother's car)
2010 Nissan Murano (Mother's car)
2004 Dodge Stratus (city car, from previous job)
200? Chevy Impala (city car, from previous job)
1996 Ford Explorer (city car, from previous job)
1994 Chevy Blazer (city car, from previous job)
200? Ford Windstar (city car, from previous job)
???? Chevy Tracker (city car, from previous job)
200? Chevy Impala (city car, from previous job)
200? Ford Escape (city car, from previous job)
199? VW Jetta (for drivers' ed)


That's... 19, although I may have missed a couple somewhere.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

roadman

#3
Vehicles I've driven:

1999 Ford Contour (currently own)
1988 Honda Prelude (owned 1993 to 2000)
1984 Ford Tempo (owned 1987 to 1993)
1980 Chevy Monza (brother's car 1980 to 1988)
1984 Honda Civic hatchback (sister's car 1984 to 1996)
1984 Buick Skylark (sister's car 1987 to 1990)
1988 Toyota Celica (sister-in-law's car)
1990 Saab 900 (friend's car)
1977 Chevy Impala (parent's car 1977 to 1990)
1975 Buick Century wagon (parent's car 1979 to 1987 - I traded it in towards the 1984 Tempo)
1977 Pontiac LeMans wagon (parent's car 1978 to 1979 - was totalled in wreck)
1971 Pontiac Catalina wagon (parent's car 1971 to 1979 - brother traded it in towards 1980 Monza)
Multiple 1994-1998 Ford Taurus sedans (test drove two, others were employer's motor pool cars)
Multiple 1981 Chevrolet Cavailer sedans (employer's motor pool cars)
Multiple 1980 Chrysler K-Car sedans (employer's motor pool cars)
Multiple 2006 Honda Civic sedans - both hybrid and CNG versions (employer's motor pool cars)
1987 Toyota Corolla - one time rental (was in LA on vacation)
1992 Oldsmobile mid-sized (I don't recall the model) - one time rental (water pump on 1988 Prelude failed)
1974 Dodge Dart (driver's ed car)
1977 Nissan Datsun Honeybee (driver's ed car)

And last, but not least, 1991 Ford F250 with bucket truck attachment (employer's truck used for a special work assignment -and yes, we did need the bucket truck to do the work)
"And ninety-five is the route you were on.  It was not the speed limit sign."  - Jim Croce (from Speedball Tucker)

"My life has been a tapestry
Of years of roads and highway signs" (with apologies to Carole King and Tom Rush)

nexus73

Around 2000.  Being in the transportation business in various capacities led to that number being so high.

Rick
US 101 is THE backbone of the Pacific coast from Bandon OR to Willits CA.  Industry, tourism and local traffic would be gone or severely crippled without it being in functioning condition in BOTH states.

corco

#5
Gosh, let me try to quantify non-valet cars/cars I drove too briefly to matter- only vehicles I've gotten to, lets say 40 MPH or have driven at least 30 minutes in

Let's clump-
Cars I've had title to
1. 2002 Jeep Liberty
2. 1997 Ford Escort
3. 1990 Dodge Colt
4. 1976 Subaru Wagon (don't ask)

Rented cars
1. 2010 Ford Fusion
2. 2009 Nissan Cube
3. 2009 Chevy Malibu
4. 2010 Hyundai Elantra
5. 2010 Chevy Cobalt
6. 2011 Hyundai Accent
7. 2011 Hyundai Accent #2
8. 2012 Chrysler 200
9. 2012 Kia Soul
10. 2012 Ford Fusion
11. 2010 Ford Fusion #2
12. 2007? Chrysler PT Cruiser
13. 2012 Ford E-350 Uhaul
14. 2003 Ford Windstar
15. 2003 Ford Windstar #2
16. 2005 Ford Escape

Family cars
1. 1972 Ford F-150
2. 1969 VW
3. 1973 VW
4. 1997 Jeep Wrangler
5. 2003 Volvo XC90
6. 2002 Jeep Liberty #2
7. 2008 Lincoln MKX
8. 2001 Honda Accord
9. 1985 Chevy S-10
10. 1990 Range Rover

Work cars
1. 1978 Chevy C/K
2. 1987 GMC Suburban
3. 1995 Chevy Suburban
4. 2001 Chevy Suburban
5. 1993 Jeep Cherokee
6. 1999 Chevy Express
7. 1999 Chevy Express #2
8. 1999 Chevy Express #3
9. 1999 GMC Savana
10. 1994 Mercury Sable
11. 1993 Ford F-350
12. 2010 Dodge Avenger
13. 2012 Ford E-350
14. 2000 Chevy C/K

Friends cars:
1. 1990 Toyota Truck
2. 1993 Toyota 4Runner
3. 1989 Toyota Camry
4. 1994 Geo Prizm
5. 2006 Mazda3
6. 1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager
7. 2001 Ford F-350
8. 2001 Honda Civic
9. 2005 Ford Ranger
10. 1999 Chevy Suburban
11. 1986 Pontiac 6000
12. 1993? Subaru Legacy

...I know I'm missing several, and that doesn't count moving cars around parking lots or very short runs or things like that




formulanone

#6
Quote from: corco on February 27, 2013, 06:55:46 PM
Oh geez- two years of valeting means I've driven a lot of cars.

Being a valet/lot attendant, service advisor, and service manager at a few car dealerships meant driving lots of cars from one lot to another, delivering them, test-driving, re-fueling, et cetera.

I've made a partial list of interesting and odd cars (not much of a truck/SUV person):

2008 Audi R8
2007 Audi RS4
2004 Audi RS6
2001 Audi S4
2006 Audi S4
2006-08 Audi A3
1996-2008 Audi A4
1996-2008 Audi A6
2006 Audi A8
2007 Audi Q7
2000 Audi TT
1996 Dodge Viper GT-S (okay, basically took this for a slow trip around the parking lot)
2002 Mercedes-Benz E55
1996 Mercedes-Benz E300
1996 Mercedes-Benz S420
1992 Porsche 911 Carrera 4
2001 Porsche 911 Cabriolet
1998 Porsche Boxster
1986 VW Scirocco
1973 VW Beetle (I suppose the most rusted-out vehicle I'd ever driven)
2003 VW GTI
1997 Chevrolet Impala SS
1967 Ford Mustang GT-A (I guess the oldest car I've ever driven)
2010 Ford Mustang GT
2001 Ford Excursion (only because it's the largest vehicle I ever drove that didn't come from U-Haul)
1990-2007 Lexuses of all types...about 30 different body types and/or engines
[ES 250, ES 300 (3 types), ES 330, RX 300, RX 400h, LX 450, LX 470, GS 300 (3 types), GS 400, GS 430, GS 400h, IS 300, IS 350, LS 400 (3 types), LS 430 (2 types), LS 460, SC 300, SC 400, SC 430]
1986 Toyota Supra
1997 Toyota Supra 15th Anniversary Edition
1984 Toyota Corolla (Hatchback, and 4-door)
1986 Toyota Camry
2002 Toyota Camry
2007 Toyota Camry
2012 Toyota Prius
2004 Scion xB
2006 Scion xA
2007 Scion tC
2008 Mazda RX-8
1990 Honda CR-X
2005 Honda S2000
2004 Honda Insight
2007 Honda Civic Si
2005 Nissan 350Z
1988 Nissan Maxima
1995 Infiniti Q45
2004 Infiniti Q45
2007 Infiniti QX45
2005 Bentley Continental (with a low/flat tire!)
2007 BMW 650i
2007 BMW 328i
2001 BMW 325i
2006 Subaru WRX
2010 Hyundai Genesis (both the coupe and sedan)
1996 Saab 900 turbo
2007 Mitsubishi Evolution
1987 Mitsubishi Starion
1990 Chrysler TC (probably the most unusual joint-venture car I'd ever driven)
1989 Yugo GL (yes, I drove one...girlfriend had one)

- all in the family -

1996 Mazda Miata (borrowed for a week)
1995 Saturn SL
1991 Geo Metro (wife had one of those)
1986 Acura Integra
1990 Acura Integra GS
1993 Ford Probe V6
2002 VW Passat V6 (wagon, automatic)
2003 VW Passat V6 (sedan, manual)
2012 VW GTI
1987 Dodge Sundance
1995 Ford Contour
1985 Ford Escort
1992 Ford Escort
1988 Ford Mustang GT
1996 Mercury Grand Marquis
1993 Mercury Villager
1996 Honda Civic
1985 Pontiac Grand Am
2004 Toyota RAV4
2009 Toyota RAV4
1998 Toyota Corolla

- own, or owned -

1988 Honda Accord LX
1990 Eagle Talon TSi
1995 Dodge Neon
1993 Toyota Corolla
1994 Lexus GS 300
2000 Honda CR-V
2009 Scion xD
2012 Mazda 5 GT

- rentals/loaner cars -

2006 Lexus RX 330
2006 Lexus GX 470
2007 Lexus GS 350
2007 Lexus ES 350
2007 VW Jetta SE
2009 Lexus IS 250
2011 Hyundai Elantra
2011 Hyundai Sonata
2012 Mitsubishi Galant
2011 Nissan Versa
2011 Nissan Altima
2013 Nissan Altima
2012 Nissan Maxima
2012 VW Jetta
2012 VW Tiguan
2010 Chevy Impala (worst car still made)
2010 Chevy Aveo (would rather drive this, seriously)
2012-13 Chevy Cruze
2013 Chevy Camaro SS (free upgrade!)
2010 Chrysler Sebring
2011 Chevy Malibu (a sports car by comparison, compared to the Impala)
2011 Toyota Matrix
2011 Toyota Corolla
2010 Ford Focus
2012 Ford Focus
2012 Ford Mustang (V6)
2011 Ford Escape
2012 Ford Escape
2011 Ford Crown Victoria
2011 Ford Taurus
2012 Ford Fusion
2013 Ford Fusion
2011-12 Dodge Charger
2011 Jeep Patriot
2011 Jeep Liberty
2012 Fiat 500
2012 Dodge Avenger
2012 Kia Optima
2012 Mazda 2
2012 Mazda 3
2012 Mazda 6
2012 Mazda CX-9

...and lots of trucks (a couple of Mitsubishi FUSOs), vans, minivans, SUVs, rental cars, average customer stuff, cars in which I had absolutely no idea what the model year was, and other basic transportation stuff I've owned and/or forgotten about. Looking back, I've never really driven any old Detroit iron nor true muscle cars. And I haven't driven anything on a race track.

andrewkbrown

#7
My own cars:

1984 Oldsmobile Omega
1989 Honda Civic
1999 Toyota Camry

Parents and Siblings cars:

1989 Econoline van
1988 Toyota Camry wagon
1995 Toyota Avalon
1998 Toyota Corolla
1998 Toyota Avalon
1999 Volkswagen Passat
2000 Toyota Tundra
2002 Ford Focus
2004 Toyota 4Runner

Other cars:

1993 Chevrolet Blazer
1995 Ford F-150
1998 Oldsmobile Delta 88
1998 Mercury Sable
2010 Toyota Camry

While not cars, I have driven various emergency vehicles on the fire department, including various 2006-2010 Ford E-350/Horton ambulances, a 2002 Seagrave fire engine and a 2011 Pierce fire engine.
Firefighter/Paramedic
Washington DC Fire & EMS

Takumi

#8
My unimpressive list:

Cars I've owned:
1997 Honda Prelude Type-SH (MT, project car)
1993 Honda Prelude (MT, current DD)
1995 Honda Prelude (AT, deceased)
1991 Honda Prelude (AT, black, first car owned, now my dad's)

Family's cars:
1991 Honda Prelude (AT, red, dad's)
1991 Honda Prelude (MT, dad's)
2000 Mercury Villager (AT, dad's)
2000 Honda Civic (AT, brother's)
1992 Honda Accord (AT, brother's)
1995 Ford Ranger (MT, dad's)
1994 Ford F150 (AT, dad owned, I drove before I bought 1991 Prelude)
20xx Infiniti G37X (tiptronic, mom's. Stepdad also has a G37S but I haven't driven it)
200x Nissan Altima (AT, mom's)

Other:
2010 Honda Civic Si (test driven)
2003 Honda S2000 (MT, friend's)
200x Honda Accord Euro-R Acura TSX (AT, test driven, would have bought if they didn't want 26k for it)
2007 Mitsubishi Lancer (AT, test driven)
2004 Toyota Solara (AT, test driven)

That currently puts me at 18, but I may have forgotten one or two.
Quote from: Rothman on July 15, 2021, 07:52:59 AM
Olive Garden must be stopped.  I must stop them.

Don't @ me. Seriously.

1995hoo

#9
Hard to answer that because of rentals. But I can think of the following off the top of my head.

Cars I've owned (all manual shifts):
1977 Ford Granada
1982 Honda Accord (previously my father's; learned stick on this car)
1986 Acura Legend
1997 Honda Accord coupe
2004 Acura TL (current car)
1988 Mazda RX-7 convertible (current car; previously Ms1995hoo's, sold to me before we got married when we got her the RSX noted below)

Family members' cars:
2003 Acura RSX Type-S (Ms1995hoo's current car)
1988 Volvo 740 GLE (Mom's car when I was in high school/college)
1991 Honda Accord (Dad's, bought when he sold me the '82 Accord)
1974 VW Beetle (younger brother's, bought from a HS teacher; he still owns it; I managed to hit 90 mph in it once)
1996 Volvo 850 (Mom's, replaced the 740 after the engine blew up on I-66)
1996 Honda Civic coupe (my brother's; he no longer has it)
2004 Acura TSX (Dad's current car, replaced the '91 Accord)
2010 Volvo S80 (Mom's current car, replaced the 850 after the engine blew up on–seriously–I-66....Mom needs to stay off that damn road)
I have not driven my brother's current 2005 Civic nor my father's 1998 Acura RL (the latter not that I can recall, anyway, and the Civic is such a pigsty inside I'd rather not drive it)

Friends' cars–don't know model years:
A late-1980s Toyota Camry
An old dinosaur of an Oldsmobile belonging to a parent in our Boy Scout troop
A late-1980s Jeep Cherokee
An early-1990s Honda Civic wagon
Some sort of tiny white hatchback, no idea what it was but it belonged to my boss one summer and I almost crashed it when a truck ahead of me dropped part of its load on the 14th Street Bridge

Car dealer service loaners:
Several Acura Integras back in the 1990s
A 2003 Acura TL
A 2012 Acura TSX
Maybe some other Acuras

Office car:
Late-1980s Jeep Cherokee with US government plates and sirens (didn't get to use the sirens and flashing blue lights, though)

Rentals (no idea what model years):
Piece of crap Ford Escort (paid for by insurance of other driver who rear-ended me)
Various Chevy Malibus
Various air-cooled VW Beetles in Cozumel
Strange thing called a "Beach Boy" in Cozumel (I'll try to find a picture tomorrow–it looked neat but was very difficult to drive)
Various Geo Trackers in Cozumel
A Nissan Tsuru sedan in Playa del Carmen
Ford Mustang convertible on Kauai in 2003
VW Passat turbodiesel (right-hand drive 5-speed manual) in Scotland in 2006
Vauxhall Vectra turbodiesel in England in 2007
Dodge Charger on a football trip to Wyoming in 2007
Toyota Prius on a trip to the 2008 Gator Bowl
Two Penske rental trucks in 2001 when I moved into my house
Various cargo vans when hauling furniture at various times

I also recall moving a Volvo 740 wagon for a guy at Duke once–the Volvo was blocking my car and it had a manual shift and he couldn't figure out how to put it in reverse. I took a look and figured it out (lift the collar below the shift knob), so I moved the car and then showed him what to do.

I'm positive there have been other rentals on business trips that I simply do not remember.


Also drove a Mini Cooper back in 2005 on a test-drive the day we got Ms1995hoo the RSX. She was interested in a Mini, so we drove one, but I insisted she check out some other cars first and we found the RSX at a nearby CarMax. The Mini was fun but the interior was lacking in several respects, most notably the moonroof shade not being opaque (such that even though it was only May, the AC was struggling to keep the car cool enough).
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

bugo

Quote from: 1995hoo on February 27, 2013, 11:22:36 PM
1974 VW Beetle (younger brother's, bought from a HS teacher; he still owns it; I managed to hit 90 mph in it once)

I believe you.  My mom had a '71 (I think it was a '71) Super Beetle and I got it up to 85 on the interstate and I still had pedal left.  I didn't want to blow up my mom's car so I didn't push it any harder than that but I'm sure it would have easily done 90 if not faster.

TheHighwayMan3561

Family cars:
1998 Chevy Silverado
2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette
2002 Honda CR-V
1993 Chevy Suburban
1993 Pontiac Bonneville
~2003 GMC Envoy

Rental cars, used through college:
2012 Hyundai Sonata
a couple of recent model Dodge and Chrysler minivans

Friends' cars:
~2010 Toyota Corolla
~2010 Chevy Impala
I make Poiponen look smart

1995hoo

Quote from: Stalin on February 27, 2013, 11:45:12 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on February 27, 2013, 11:22:36 PM
1974 VW Beetle (younger brother's, bought from a HS teacher; he still owns it; I managed to hit 90 mph in it once)

I believe you.  My mom had a '71 (I think it was a '71) Super Beetle and I got it up to 85 on the interstate and I still had pedal left.  I didn't want to blow up my mom's car so I didn't push it any harder than that but I'm sure it would have easily done 90 if not faster.

My brother claims he's pushed it to 100 mph (which is where the speedometer tops out), but I felt like it was struggling at 90 and, as you say, it wasn't my car so I didn't want to cause any damage. It felt too fast as it was and I backed off fairly quickly after I hit 90.


BTW, this is the promised picture of the "Beach Boy" I mentioned before (parked at Mezcalito's on the east side of Cozumel in October 2002 with me in the driver's seat). It'd be illegal in the US due to the lack of seatbelts (among other things). Not an easy vehicle to drive, either; it had a rear-mounted air-cooled VW boxer engine just like the Beetle, but this thing was a whole lot heavier than a Beetle and handled poorly. In the Beetle you don't much miss power steering. In this thing you did. It was neat to drive one time as a curiosity, though.





Also.....I never drove it, but I'll stick this picture here anyway. A guy who lives down the street owned this, though he sold it a year or two ago.

"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

agentsteel53

given my quantity of rentals... at least 200.
live from sunny San Diego.

http://shields.aaroads.com

jake@aaroads.com

bugo

I've never rented a car, and I've never driven a company car.  All the cars I've driven were either friends' cars, friends' parents' cars, relatives' cars, or my own cars.  The vast majority were just friends saying "Wanna drive?"

roadman65

1979 Dodge Aspen- My first car in 83.
1984 Ford Mustang- 1985 to 1990
1990 Chevy Berreta- 1990 to 2000
2000 Chevy Blazer 2000 to present.

The last two decades I was lucky to have these vehicles last longer as they were brand new cars when I bought them, and kept up mostly on them.
Every day is a winding road, you just got to get used to it.

Sheryl Crowe

Dr Frankenstein

2001 VW Jetta TDI (dad's)
2000 Chrysler Neon (mom's... yes, Chrysler, not Dodge)
???? Ford Taurus
2007 Nissan Maxima (grandfather's)
1992 Honda Civic DX (first own car)
2006 VW Jetta TDI (dad's)
200? Chevrolet Cavalier (girlfriend's)
2005 Honda Civic (friend's)
2009 GMC Sierra (friend's)
200? Toyota Camry (Steve's)

May have missed one or two...

Brandon

I've driven quite a few - worked at an auto auction one summer as one of a handful who could drive a manual transmission.  I could never remember all of those. (M = manual; A = automatic)

Parents':
1981 Dodge Aries (M) - family then dad's
1993 Dodge Spirit (A) - mom's
1996 Dodge Grand Caravan (A) - dad's
2002 Chrysler 300M (A) - mom's (K.I.A.)
2003 Chrysler 300M (A) - mom's (current)
2009 Dodge Caliber (A) - dad's (current)
(Believe it or not, they've only had two other vehicles - two different 1973 Plymouth Dusters, one K.I.A.  We tend to be "keepers" - buy new and keep for a while.)

Mine:
2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser (A)
2011 Dodge Caliber (M)

Work (in no particular order):
1996 Mercury Villager (A)
1995 Chevrolet S10 (M)
199? Mitsubishi Truck (M)
1996 Dodge Dakota (A)
199? Nissan Truck (M)
1993 Ford Escort wagon (A) aka "The Mudpuppy"
2002 Ford Ranger (A)
2006 Ford E250 (A)
2002 Chevrolet Silverado (A)
2003 Chevrolet 2500 (A)
1998 Chevrolet S10 (A)
199? Chevrolet 3500 HD daulie (A)
199? Chevrolet Astro (A) aka "The Rastro"
199? Ford F350 Club Wagon 4x4 (A)
199? Ford Escape (A)

I don't remember all the rentals, but here's a few:
Hawai'i:
Dodge Neon (A)
Chrysler PT Cruiser (A)
Chevrolet Malibu (A)
Chevrolet Cobalt (A)
Cozumel:
VW Beetle Convertible (M)
Other notable:
Chevrolet Cruze (A)
Ford Escape (A)
Nissan Maxima (A)

Others:
2007 Nissan Versa (A)
2011 Nissan Versa (A)
2003 Chevrolet Tracker (A)

There are several others I just don't remember well enough.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton, "Game of Thrones"

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg, "Monty Python's Life of Brian"

DaBigE

Family:
1990 Chevy Lumina
1997 Ford Mustang GT
1998 Mercury Villager
2000 Ford Focus (used for my driver's test)
1995 Ford Freestyle
1998 Mercury Mariner
1998 Ford Escape

Driving School (still young enough to remember):
199x Chevy Camaro
199x GMC Jimmy (biggest POS I ever had the displeasure of being behind the wheel)

Friends':
199x Chevy Cavalier convertible
2007 Chevy Cobalt

Rentals (for work...we don't own company cars)/Loaners:
2009 Chevy HHR (work)
2010 Chevy HHR (work)
2010 Chevy Malibu (work)
2010 Dodge Charger (work--had a fun time driving home at night with my construction lights on the roof (yellow LED mini-bar in a clear housing). Had a nice space cushion the whole ride back on the Interstate :biggrin:)
2010 Ford Focus (loaner)
200x Chevy Impala (loaner)
2011 Ford Fusion (loaner)
2011 Ford Escape (loaner)
2011 Ford Mustang convertible (2x) (loaner...helps to be friends with the service manager)

Mine:
2002 Ford Focus (first car I took over 100K)
2010 Ford Fusion

Didn't get to drive it, but worth noting I got to ride in it: 2005 Ford GT when it came to our University Engineering Expo that year
"We gotta find this road, it's like Bob's road!" - Rabbit, Twister

kphoger

For those of you who have driven valet service:
Have you ever had a customer drive up with a three in the tree?

He Is Already Here! Let's Go, Flamingo!
Dost thou understand the graveness of the circumstances?
Deut 23:13
Male pronouns, please.

Quote from: PKDIf you can control the meaning of words, you can control the people who must use them.

formulanone

#20
Column shifters suck, anyhow. Drove a few old Dodge-Chrysler-Plymouths with that old legacy 3-speed autos. Neons were cursed with them, so one's driving experiences with them are based largely on whether the owner/driver had a manual or automatic one.

Although, being a valet at a luxury car dealer might mean an extra five or ten in your pocket. I typically insistedon bringing up my customers cars after a repair for that reason (although quality control is also important).

corco

#21
QuoteHave you ever had a customer drive up with a three in the tree?

Yes- in a '57 Chevy that was in decent but not show condition. I drove it around and put it on our front circle. The guy was super chill- he didn't seem concerned at all that we were going to valet his car and didn't even ask to have it put it on the front circle as people with nice/rare cars often do (I offered to put it there because it was going to be a busy night and that was one of the coolest looking cars we'd get- I think we also got an NSX and a DB9 that night and also because we had some new guys working whose driving skills I didn't know totally well yet and I didn't want them getting down to the lot and not knowing what to do)- I just confirmed the shift pattern with him and all was good. I wasn't around when the car came out of valet, so I don't know whether we pulled it up or just gave him his keys.

Oftentimes when people have cars they think are nice they'll try to park the car themselves in the front circle, which I'd usually let them do for $50 minimum depending on the situation, or they'll ask us to leave it or park it ourselves in the circle but give us the keys, which I'd usually let happen for $20, since the risk is less on our end (if there's a fire we need to get the cars out of the circle)/we can move it a couple feet forward to get more cars in if we have the keys. This guy was chill though- just tossed us his keys and went in.

Being near Mexico, at a hotel that rich Mexicans often came up to stay at on the weekend to go shopping, I also got a Peugeot 307 once, which has to make me one of the only US citizens to ever drive a Peugeot 307 on US soil. I think every other Mexican car I drove had a US counterpart- like I said they were wealthy Mexicans, so lots of Ford Lobos (F-150) and Suburbans.  We had a couple A-Classes, a SEAT, several VW Classicos (revised 4th gen Jetta), and even a few Tsurus while I was working, but I never drove any of them.

If valet business were more consistent...damn, I miss doing that job. The problem is you'd make $200 one night and then $10 a night for the next two weeks.

ctsignguy

Oh my....cars I have owned...

1972 Ford LTD Country Squire
1969 Caddy Eldorado (Called it Galloping Dominoes....if i didnt have mechanical issues in 7 drive hours, i would within 11)
1986 Ford Taurus
1988 Ford Taurus
1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass
1997 Chrysler Cirrus
2004 Ford Focus
2007 Ford Taurus (current car)

Family cars i drove
1974 Volvo
1981 Volvo (Mom HATED that car)
2004 Mercedes  (NICE car...sold it after Mom passed because i didnt need to extra insurance payments, the worry of expensive repairs, and the hood ornament constantly being snapped off by punk kids)

Rental
1989 Chrysler.

Not an impressive list given my age.....
http://s166.photobucket.com/albums/u102/ctsignguy/<br /><br />Maintaining an interest in Fine Highway Signs since 1958....

signalman

Cars I've owned...
1990 Toyota Camry 5 speed
1986 Chevy Celebrity (my dad sold me this car for $1 when he bought a new car, got a year out of it)
2000 Nissan Maxima 5 speed
2006 Nissan Sentra SE-R Spec V ( current car)

Friends/Relatives cars...
1979 Chevy Malibu Classic (grandma's car)
1986 Chevy pickup (dad's truck)
1986 Audi Quattro (best friend's old car)
1984 Chevy Camaro (friend's old car)
1998 Pontiac Grand Am (best friend's old car)
2003 Ford E250 (best friend's work van)
2012 Cadillac CTS-V sedan (best friend's play car...it's a blast to drive!)
2002 Honda Civic (girlfriend's old car)
2012 Hundai Sonata (girlfriend's current car)
2010 Toyota Camry Hybrid (step mom's car)
2005 Nissan Altima (dad's car)

Rentals...
1999ish Ford Escort
2000 Ford Taurus
2003 Nissan Altima
2006 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD
2007 Mitsubishi Lancer
2008 Chrysler Minivan
2011 Honda Accord
2012 Chrysler Town & Country Minivan

SP Cook

I'm old.  Over the years I have had jobs where either I had to get a car out of the motor pool, or fly somewhere and then rent.  Combined with multiple vacations with rentals, test drives, U-Hauls, and a sad proclivity to trade cars too often, I'm sure its in the hundreds.




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