How did you meet your car/what is your cars story?

[Griff]

I'm curious of how you guys came across your cars, their story, and how long you have had them.

Here is how I found my Accord:
I bought my 1989 LX 5 speed off an old gentleman on craigslist after needing a car to work on while going through the worst times of my life. At the time, Thanksgiving break was coming up so I looked for anything that I could just work on. I emailed a bunch of people but around here $300 usually gets you something either wrecked, something without a title, or something beyond repair. After being turned down numerous times I came across an '89 Accord for $900.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a208/Griff555/Screen%20Shot%202015-11-18%20at%205.20.37%20PM_zpszfdk2dcp.png (http://s12.photobucket.com/user/Griff555/media/Screen%20Shot%202015-11-18%20at%205.20.37%20PM_zpszfdk2dcp.png.html)
The owner, who is great guy, mentioned all of the cars known issues in the ad and in emails. After making sure that I understood the car needed work, the owner accepted my $300 offer. I was thrilled to finally have something to work on. After all, working on cars, though frustrating and expensive at times, is heaven. The issue now was figuring out a way to pick up a car that can't drive. I was able to pick the car up by setting the e-brake on the Accord and backing the tow vehicle up, pushing the Accords tires onto the tow dolly.
(This was early 11/15)
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a208/Griff555/IMG_4772_zpsbqlxevwr.jpg (http://s12.photobucket.com/user/Griff555/media/IMG_4772_zpsbqlxevwr.jpg.html)
The car needed an axle and a head gasket (caused by what turned out to be a stuck thermostat). I am currently still working on getting everything working correctly and doing other maintenance things along the way. I can't wait to actually drive this car around for the first time. I originally planned to sell this car once I got it to a point where it wouldn't need any more immediate work, but it seems wrong to say goodbye to something that has been so wonderful for me.
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a208/Griff555/IMG_0410_zpsrpktpjzd.jpg (http://s12.photobucket.com/user/Griff555/media/IMG_0410_zpsrpktpjzd.jpg.html)
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a208/Griff555/IMG_0412_zpsmjwdborg.jpg (http://s12.photobucket.com/user/Griff555/media/IMG_0412_zpsmjwdborg.jpg.html)

I'm looking forward to hearing about your cars.

[2oodoor]

Bought my first 3gee from a guy At the job, it is the same oneI still have 10 yrs later now. Ive bought 4 others that I either traded or sold.
It looked just about lke yours but probably better condition cosmeticly. Boy it looks nothing like it did and just about everything on it is custom one of or modified. It gets neglected alot simce I have several other rides in the household to keep up. It sits as with obvious unfinished areas needing attention but it still drives well. My daily now is a 2002 E46 bmw coupe which I enjoy a lot and it kinda inspires me to get the Accord sortd better bcause in reality Ive been trying to make my honda into what I now actually have now, a supurb handlng cruiser thats quick and fuel efficient at the same time. I will soon enough have to park the bmw for intense conditioning and I want the 3 gen to be right when it returns being my dd.
http://www.3geez.com/forum/project-central/60975-roodoo2-1986-lx-metamorphosis-project.html

[Rendon LX-i]

Bought mine year 1999 from a friend that said that was going to junk it. So another buddy fought with me (money bid) to take it. At the end of the day we just Drew straws an i won. paid a big price tag of 100 bucks lol. Needed a trans but got one in fairly quick. Low it a money pit an love it. Pretty much done what i wanted to do to it since i was young. Wouldn't sell it for the world. Going to my son.

[Fixedit]

My 3g is probably the only car I've bought off craigslist without taking a screenshot of the listing beforehand, but I found it listed for $850 in September '14. Wouldn't start, starter made grinding noise. This was before I made myself a rule of never paying more than $300 for a non-running vehicle, so when I went to look at it I told the girl, "I can give you six hundred bucks for it." She was moving and needed the money, so she took it. Next day I towed it away with my (now ex) girlfriend's dad and dropped it off at the shop I worked at.

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab169/cheesenugget_bucket/image_zps5ybi1ejk.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/cheesenugget_bucket/media/image_zps5ybi1ejk.jpg.html)

Found the starter broken in two pieces, the case cracked somehow. Replaced it and the battery; started up rough but ran okay. Ended up replacing the torque converter 'cause the teeth were chewed up. Then found out the distributor was full of rust-dust, tried rebuilding but had to get a reman. De-studded the extra set of snow tires and sold the 17's, and it became my daily.

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab169/cheesenugget_bucket/image_zpsenstowt1.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/cheesenugget_bucket/media/image_zpsenstowt1.jpg.html)

Put almost 10K miles on it before my head gasket/possibly cracked head gave out. Ordered a sketchy reman head, but sent it back after finding welded cracks in the exhaust ports. "Luckily," I had just bought a wrecked '89 Coupe to do a 5 speed swap, and had the head off of that A20 fully rebuilt.

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab169/cheesenugget_bucket/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20150517_183330102_zps73r6ntoy.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/cheesenugget_bucket/media/Mobile%20Uploads/IMG_20150517_183330102_zps73r6ntoy.jpg.html)

Since then, I had broken up with the first girl. Immediately after that, I went through another fling. Feeling stupid and worthless one Friday night, I called my work buddy and pulled off the 5 speed swap, finishing up around 3am. The new synchros still feel great.

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab169/cheesenugget_bucket/IMG_20150912_024902545_zpspayzreiw.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/cheesenugget_bucket/media/IMG_20150912_024902545_zpspayzreiw.jpg.html)

Most recently I've fitted it with 14" steelies on 195/70's, 22" magnaflow glasspack in place of cat & resonator to a magnaflow 10444 muffler.

http://i860.photobucket.com/albums/ab169/cheesenugget_bucket/sergsgh_zpspjulsto3.jpg (http://s860.photobucket.com/user/cheesenugget_bucket/media/sergsgh_zpspjulsto3.jpg.html)

I am determined to keep this car

[Griff]

I bet the e46 is great 2oodoor; I was looking to get an e30 for a while (really looking into the 318is). Those cars are incredible! Do you have any pics of the car on hand Rendon? I'm sure you have cleaned that $100 car up quite a bit. That car looks like it is in great shape for $850 Fixedit. Mine seems to have rust/rust bubble all over. Maybe it's time to learn how to weld?

[Fixedit]

I have a bit of that too, but I kinda like it. As long as it's not structurally threatening I don't mind rust haha. Welding is a great skill to have man, I recommend it!

[87accordlxi]

My dad bought the Accord to drive to work since he had a long commute. I was in high school and had a beater car, but he taught me how to drive the Accord (first time I drove stick) although I was pretty terrible at it. My beater finally died, and I needed to get to work somehow - and the Accord was in the driveway. Running late and with nobody in the passenger seat to put pressure on me, I mastered stick real quick.

Dad started driving the new Camry to work, and the Accord became my daily driver all the way through college.

http://i.imgur.com/6mqxf4n.jpg

[Fixedit]

Wow, that's a clean car

[Dr_Snooz]

My dream car in high school was a red '89 Accord Coupe. I dreamt of someday being rich and famous enough to be able to afford one. Yeah, it's a modest econobox, but I grew up poor, so for me it represented unattainable wealth and luxury. All I could afford in high school was a beater '76 Accord with >200k miles on it. I continued driving it through most of my college years. When it died, I rode my bike until I got my degree. My sister, however, promptly went out and bought a used '86 Accord when she graduated high school after me. A few years later, she bought my Mom a used '89 Accord Coupe, which we dubbed "the Red Car." Mom drove that car for nearly 10 years and then loaned it to my brother-in-law, who immediately beat it to death and left it in his shed to rot. When I graduated college, I bought an '82 Accord, which I loved, but it was small and old and in my job, I needed something nicer. I upgraded to a '93 Accord SE and again to a '95 BMW 540i. The Bimmer proved to be wildly unreliable and kept dying in the driveway, barfing out trans fluid, coolant or whatever on a near monthly basis for the first year I owned it. In desperation, I turned to the "Red Car." It had been rotting in my brother-in-law's shed for nearly a year, but with a new battery, it started right up like nothing had ever happened. I instantly fell in love, again, realizing that after some 20 years, I had attained my high school dream car. I carefully restored the car, and every time it breaks, I find a way to fix it. These are one-in-a-million cars.