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Quick Links
I've
always been captivated by the latest advances in cars and
within my budget have had some interesting and enjoyable
vehicles to drive. On this page I've tried to include
photos of many of the cars I've owned but in a few cases
could only find a picture of a similar model. One car I've
always admired is the 1956 Corvette convertible but sadly
that is not one of the cars you will find here.
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1957
Chevrolet Bel Air Hardtop
 My first car and my all time favorite. If I still
had the car today it would easily be worth 10 times
what I paid for it. Mine was green with a white
hardtop. Under the hood was a 283 V8 and the 2 speed
automatic Powerglide transmission. I added dual
exhausts which gave it a throaty sound and released
a little more power or so it seemed.
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1962
Pontiac Laurentian
 This
was the Canadian version of the Pontiac. Oh for the
Bonneville which was not available in Canada at that
time. The Laurentian was essentially a Chevrolet
with some trim differences. It has a straight six
engine and an automatic transmission. My only black
car.
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1965
Corvair Corsa
A
sleeper if there ever was one. My car had the 180
hp. turbocharged air-cooled 6 cylinder engine with 4
on the floor. It had a growl to it very much
like the Porsche at less than half the price.
After Ralph Nader got through
with GM the '65 had four wheel independent
suspension which made it a favorite with stock car
racers at Mosport and other tracks. My suspension
was modified for racing but I never drove it on the
track, just the drag strip where it could embarrass
390 cu. in. Fords which were a hot car at the time.
Mine was a British racing green with tan vinyl
interior shown here on the beach in Naples, Florida.
My brother Bob had a matching one in bright yellow.
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1968
Pontiac Firebird 400
This
was the most powerful car I have owned. It had the
400 cu. in. (6.2 L) V8 with 330 horsepower. Even
with the 3 speed automatic very few cars could keep
pace with this one. It took a certain amount of
willpower to get on the accelerator slowly so the
drive wheels would not lose their grip at launch. 0
to 60 in the 5 second range and an actual top speed
of 130 mph but no telling when or where this was
verified. No boasting about the gas mileage though.
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1970
Volvo S
After the Firebird I decided to get more economical
and in with the college professor image. Well the
Volvo might have helped the image but it was without
question the worst car I have ever owned. Its
reliability was terrible and I have never owned
another one. Enough said.
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1971
Olds Cutlass
The
Cutlass was a welcome relief from the Volvo. Nothing
ever went wrong with this car. It had the 350 engine
with a three speed automatic. It was also used as a
trailer towing vehicle and did a fine job of hauling
this Rambler and even the heavy Airstream Argosy.
One trip took us to California on Route 66,
northeast to Salt Lake City, then northwest to
British Columbia and back across the prairies to
Ontario. 11,000 miles in all. Here is the car
and trailer in the Sequoia Forest in California.
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1974
Pontiac Grand Prix
Like
the Firebird, this Pontiac also had the 400 engine,
but during the years when early attempts were made
by auto manufacturers to reduce air pollution, the
Grand Prix had nowhere near the performance of the
1968 Firebird. But it also made a fairly good tow
vehicle to replace the Cutlass. Blue with a white
vinyl landau top and white vinyl interior nothing
matched it at the time for a real looker.
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1977
Honda Civic
 The
Civic was a second car for many years and I used it
for commuting and even for weekends at the trailer.
We packed two adults, two children, a collie (there
she is at the front of the car) and our luggage and
food for the weekend. Did I mention bikes? No
it didn't tow the 26' Argosy seen here, that was the
Grand Prix's job. If I recall correctly the Civic
was the first 5 speed and was great fun to drive.
We've had other Hondas in the family as second cars
since then: a 1986 Civic which replaced this one, a
1987 Accord, a 1990 Accord coupe and currently a 2000 Civic SE.
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1978
Pontiac Grand Prix
My
version of this car was a deep maroon with matching
velour seats. Whoa! It had the 4.9 litre V8, not a
great performer but reliable. This car was great on
gas with up to 25 miles per gallon on a trip.
Canadian gallons of course. Not much by today's
standards.
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1980
Pontiac Grand Prix LJ
A
third Grand Prix but not all at the same time. This
is mine in the shade at Fort Desoto Park in Florida.
All of the GPs were good highway cars but this one I
almost burnt up when the power antenna shorted and
started creating smoke under the dash. I quickly
pulled the fuse before anything worse happened.
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1983
Buick Riviera
 The
Riv was my first luxury car I suppose but that
depends on your definition of luxury. It was the
last of the full-sized Riviera's soon to be replaced
by the downsized version which in my opinion had
very little appeal. With the 5.0 litre V8 it was a real
cruiser with an extremely comfortable cockpit and
not a bad back seat for a coupe. This picture was
taken at Fort Desoto Park where I should have taken
all of the cars for photo ops. It was expensive to
repair and often required unscheduled maintenance.
Regardless it was a beautifully designed car which I
think still has great appeal today.
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1986
Oldsmobile Delta 88
After
the Riviera I was on the outlook again for reliable
transportation. So on to the Olds. My version
was a four door in a dark navy blue inside and out.
This year had the 3.8 V6 engine which was the
forerunner of today's popular GM powerplant. The
Olds hardly gave any problem, it always ran well,
gave decent gas mileage but was soooo boring.
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1988
Buick Park Avenue
The Park was anything but boring. It had a lot of
firsts. My first car with ABS brakes, first with
real leather upholstery, and first to cost me more
than the price of my first house. Oh well, the price
of toys. I ordered it in gray inside and out with
the gran- touring suspension which came with special
aluminum wheels. The dealer liked the result so much
that he ordered another one for the showroom. I
clocked 130,000 on it in 3 years. I still like the
look of this car, it has seemed to hold up well over
time, and many are still on the road today looking
almost like new.
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1991
Buick Park Avenue Ultra
When I first saw the Ultra it was one of those cars
that turned on all the right switches. Cadillac was
a real possibility this year but after reading the
test reports and driving the car for myself it
was no contest. The Ultra was Buick's
top-of-the-line car with everything included. ABS
brakes, leather, dual climate control, maintenance
reminder system and much more. The car had a
fabulous ride and was very quiet even at
unmentionable speeds. For all of its good qualities
it was often in for repairs, fortunately under
warranty so when the warranty ran out it was time
again for a trade.
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1994
Chrysler LHS
Not
that I have anything against Chrysler, but this was
the first one in my garage or in this case on the
road. Other than the 60s Road Runners and such I
never really cared much for Chrysler's engineering
or styling. But the LHS really caught my attention
and of course it helps that it is built only about a
kilometer from my home. I took this picture in
Ontario near the Forks of the Credit. I suppose the
LHS is Chrysler's answer to the Buick's Ultra.
Although it performed better than the Buick it did
not have either the ride or the quiet cabin. Like
the Buick it was in the shop frequently under
warranty for repairs. The lack of reliability was
disappointing given that "American" cars
were supposed to have improved so much in recent
years.
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1998
Nissan Maxima
 From the initial Maxima
released in the 80s I've always liked the car but it
was too small for my use with a family, trailer
towing and other traveling. Now that the family has
grown I looked once again at the Maxima and liked
what I saw. Mine is a Special Edition (only in
Canada you say) which has leather interior, ABS
brakes, sun roof, climate control, and lots of other
goodies. The 3.0 litre is a beautiful engine that
lives up to its promise of smooth operating and
exhilarating performance. It's a joy to drive
especially out in the wide open spaces (which there
are too few of anymore) where you can really let the
Maxima come into its own. Surprisingly it rode as
good as the LHS and was much quieter. The best thing
about the Maxima is that after three years ownership
the only item to fail was the battery.
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2001
Acura 3.2 TL
 It was
so hard to let the Maxima go but the Acura did
its best to help me forget. The 3.2 TL is really a
very good car as all of the automotive magazine test
reports led me to believe where it took top honours
over the Infiniti I30, Lexus ES300, Chrysler 300M and other cars in its class. It is a
very comfortable car that handles very well, has a
sporty ride, is quiet, and has excellent performance
with the 5-speed automatic. During five years of
ownership it has been absolutely trouble free.
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2006
Acura TL
I liked the 2001 TL so much that my
next car had to be the third generation TL. It was released
as a 2004 model so by now any bugs have been corrected and
I'm looking forward to another great ride. When
Consumers Reports tested this car they said it was the
highest rated car they had ever tested. High praise indeed.
For me this is one
of the most powerful and best handling cars I have owned.
And yet it gets great gas mileage. Highway driving it
consistently gets 7L/100Km (38-40 MPG Cdn) and that's at 120
or better KPH. Around town my trip computer shows 11L/100Km
or 25 MPG. Those numbers are 33 and 21 U.S. for my American
friends. |
Click for update on gas mileage |
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