Friday, March 30, 2012

My First Car...

...honest...a 1959 Renault Dauphine, named by Fox News as 17th among the 20 Dumbest Cars of All Time. Mine was pink...no, really. Here's a quote from the review:

Why it's so dumb: Crappy, dangerous, rust-prone, slower than pulled pork. 

Can you spell "chick magnet?"

20 comments:

shawn w said...

forgot "BUTT UGLY" lol.

can not believe you drove a pink version.
do you wear black socks with your shorts and sandals too.

Anonymous said...

My mother had a 1961 model, new, until we went bankrupt.

_DonWorsham_

"gunner" said...

i bought one for my wife, big mistake, all the faults micheal mentioned, plus a shifter that just sort of stirred around while you tried to find a gear, an engine that sometimes ran when it felt like it, or not. my cars at the time were a morris minor 1000 and later a '57 tr-3. a whole world of difference, particularly after i "hot rodded" the morris with a sprite daul carb set up.

Anonymous said...

Come on now, can't be worse than the 67 Valiant I bought off of gypsies in Brooklyn.

Anonymous said...

My first was a 1960 model, not pink. a real crapper. I remember the night myself and 3 other Airmen spent the night in that car in New Orleans. Life was always upward and onward after THAT.

Rick K. said...

Hey, Gunner, my first was a '63 TR3 in 1968. $600. Supposedly several steps up from the Dauphine (there were a few of those in the neighborhood in the 50's, that lovely green), it required a major tune almost daily just to get me to high school. Sure was fun, though!

Kansas Scout said...

I had two "horrible" cars. The corvair and the pinto and I enjoyed them both but both were mechanically unsound and did not last long. I miss the Corvair most of all! LOL!

Pathfinder said...

My Mom had a '61 Renault Caravelle - all the fault of the Dauphin with now with styling by Pininfarina, as if that made everything OK.

Gunner, +1 on the shifter. People still don't believe me when I tell them you could waggle the stick knob in a 8" diameter circle and never leave gear!!!

All that and the massive power from an 1100cc FRENCH engine!

Anonymous said...

But did the door handles fall off?

Anonymous said...

Michael, when are you going to either dump the twitter block on your blog or pick up tweeting again. Nothing worse these days than a stale blog...

Michael Bane said...

Strangely enough, one summer afternoon I took a Sawz-All to the Renault, turning it into the French equivalent of a "dune buggy"...although Memphis was notoriously short on dunes. Good grief it was UGLY!!!! Padded the "roll bar" with foam rubber wrapped with duct tape. Girls would no longer ride in it, but my nerd boy friends thought it was seriously cool...

mb

Michael Bane said...

Of course, these same friends used to hold races on the then new "scientific calculators" to figure the number of inches to the moon...

mb

Anonymous said...

I had one in high school. Back then they were "Ree nalt" not "Ray know" LOL

Will said...

My first car also. Wasn't running when I bought it ($25), but it cranked over. When I towed it home a couple days later, it was seized up. Most comfortable bucket seats I ever ran across!

Anonymous said...

I remember driving one with my father in 1960 when were looking for a replacement for my mother's Austin A-40, but I don't remember it being THAT ugly. I do remember the vague shifter and a cheap feeling interior. We ended up choosing a Morris Minor convertible (leather seats!), which gave close to a decade of fairly reliable service in around-town driving.

Liam Falbo said...

D’aww, it couldn’t have been that bad, could it? If it got you safely to the places you needed to go, then it did what it was meant to do! Take good care of your car, and your car will take good care of you, no matter what make or model it is.

Delsie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Delsie said...

It is not bad at all Mr. Michael. It’s a perfect and charming ride. The important thing is that you continue to take care of it so that you could have smooth travels, no matter what car you’re in.

Delsie Maidens

Tyra Shortino said...

I agree with Delsie. I think that the 1959 Renault Dauphine auto is one fine vehicle. Back then, this vehicle was considered one of the best, along with the Volks. And it was reproduced in different countries and continents, proving the popularity of this vehicle. Although the makers stopped the production of this vehicle in the late 60’s, many still find this auto remarkable on its own right.

Unknown said...

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Each car was made and designed to be uniquely different from each other. I think this car looks cute in pink, though.

-Nettie Christensen