I started cleaning & reorganizing the Man Cave this week, and in the process unearthed a box of my old photos. The “real kind”, like printed on photo paper from negatives! So of course, since old photos are more interesting than cleaning, I had a sit down and had a rifling-thru. In the process I found a small handful of pictures that I thought would work for a lame Thursday Doors entry (since I have been too lazy, I mean, too BUSY to go photograph new ones!)
My First Car. It sounded like a sewing machine when it ran….It had 3 doors….
My first Volkswagen. I bought it for $999.00. It even had a cassette player!!! And only 2 doors.
My First Volkswagen Van. Notice the sunroof? I installed that. Notice the peace sign/bunny fingers poking up out of the sunroof? Those belong to my youngest sister, Ann!! This had 4 doors.
This was my first NEW squad car, issued to me in late 1985. (4 doors). But there is more to point out in this picture. The red car in the driveway to the right was my landlord’s, and I eventually bought it from him (2 doors). And the beautiful Italianate house in the background was my landlord’s house (and you can even see a House Door in the front!). And if you look to the left side of the house, you will see a small outside staircase, which was my entrance to my 2nd story efficiency apartment! Only 1 door to the apt.
My First VW Pickup. I was actually able to fit in the cab and drive it!! I installed the sunroof myself… 2 doors, 3 if I can count the tail gate…
My First Real Sportscar! I loved this little firebreather!!!
The Bug was a Sunroof version, something I had always wanted… I paid $650 for it!
2 doors for each.
My current Volkswagen. I have owned at least one VW since I bought my 1970 Bug back in 1976! 4 doors!!
You can see more doors, like even REAL Buildings’ Doors, if you visit Norm at the following link, and check out everyone else’s doors in the links in the Comments!
Old Guy Walking 
These are great photos – what a fun time you must have had going through them!
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It was a real hoot sorting through them, and I lost about 3 hours of time doing so!!
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Great photos, sorry about the delay in the cleaning. I learned something. I never knew VW made a pickup.
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Well, I reallllllllly regret not cleaning for 3 hours (HA!), but it was really fun digging through all the old photos! The VW pickup was cool, but it had an inherent electrical glitch that drove me bonkers…. sold it to buy the 914….!
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I owned a Triumph Spitfire for 30 years. Electrical glitches were standard equipment on that car.
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Hi Dan! I loved the looks of the Spitfire! Now, as far as Lucas Electrics (ah, British automobile electrical systems…) I had a Jaguar XJS and an MG Midget and I fought a continuous (LOSING) battle with them!!!!
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Loved this retrospective, Kevin. Did you really have a Porsche?! You flash bastard. Was that your bike too on the back of the pick up or had you just stolen it. The Thing must be one of the ugliest cars I have seen. Excellent.
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Thanks for dropping in Charles! You are not alone in your distaste for the Thing, as it was only imported into the States in 1973 and 1974. That rarity is actually a plus for me when the day comes to sell. One of the best looking cars I owed were my Jaguar XJS and my MG Midget. I wished I had had my Midget back when Grace and I were driving on the roads (pathways???) in Wales!!! No wonder you walk everywhere there! 🙂
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These are great, you brought back lots of memories looking at these vehicles
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I’m glad you appreciated my posting, Alice! There was a lot of “personality” and visual uniqueness to be seen in previous generations of vehicles, unlike the majority of cars being produced today…. 😦
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Some really fun rides in this collection. My own car retrospective wouldn’t be nearly as varied or as cool 😉
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Hi Norm! Well, this just barely scratches the surface, as I have been a car-nut since, well, EVER! As I continue to clean up my ManCave mess, maybe I will excavate more photos of MORE vehicles!
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What a great blast form the past!! I had a ’75 bright yellow Super Beetle (two doors and even a bit of a dashboard) that I dearly loved and that went all of the country, on interstate highways and four-wheel “roads.” I figured if I ever got stuck I’d just find four strong men and they could pick it up and move it. 🙂 With the engine in the back, it could go almost anywhere.
Now I’m on my second Toyota Sienna van and I love it. Lots of room, drives like a car, and goes up and down mountains if asked (and has no problem with 80 mph speed limits out west.) But I do miss that Beetle sometimes.
janet
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Hi janet! I never owned a Super, although a roommate in college did, and he let me drive it once in while. I too drove my VWs all over, and never once got stuck in snow, or mud, or grass…. My sister-in-law is on HER second Sienna and loves it! She let me drive it once, and I was amazed at how much bigger it is than my Thing!! 🙂
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When I drive my husband’s Taurus, I feel as thought I’m sitting on the road. 🙂
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janet – my sister put over 400,000 miles on her Sienna – long ago – was so faithful
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I feel honored to be a guest in Thursday doors!
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Now folks all over the world know what your bunny ears fingers look like!!!
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Wonderful trip down memory lane, thanks for bringing us with you. We loved our VW beetle and vans when we had them. Would love another one but they are so expensive here now, being collectors items, even if they are rust buckets. The Thing looks fun.
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Hi Jean!! Cost of a vintage VW is quite pricey here too!! Problems with ones from the Midwest is lots of body and frame rusting because of the salt spread on the roads to combat winter ice. The ones from the West Coast don’t see the snow, and so in better condition, but MUCH more expensive!!
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I am glad you went through your archives because this was a nice look at what “was” – and fun to compare this with now – even though not much of a comparison – and cool that you have always owned a VW
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Great post! Your collection of cars would make a lovely little museum.
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wow, you were so busy busy while i was gone! i love seeing photos of those cars i’ve never seen; when you’d told me your first car was an “opal cadet,” i had no idea what it could have looked like – i guess i pictured something kind of round…like an opal…
and i know this is the very tip of the iceberg as far as far as your cars over the years. surely you must have photos of more of them? and maybe you’ll get the thing running next summer and we can drive around the lake in it!
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I suspect I will find more pictures of my many old beaters that we can marvel over… And, yes, I do intend to get The Thing operational so we can toodle around the lake in it, PLUS participate in the VW Fest in southern Illinois as well!
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also, i said to kevin, “who’s that guy on that thing on the lake in your new website banner?” “That’s me,” he said. “on my Hi Lu.” and i asked, “who took the picture?” he replied, “you did.” yep, memory almost completely gone…
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As long as you remember who I am, all is good!!
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Uuuu! Slick and slide! Very much in agreement with your doors this week. 🙂 That bug was born in the same year as me. But I choose the Dodge and the Porsche, please.
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The Porsche was certainly the coolest car, but the Dodge did get ALOT more respect & notice! 😀
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