Lexus GX-460

Now I've gone and done it.  I bought the new 2010 Lexus GX-460, and it arrived today.  This thing cost more than my first house.  It's definitely built better than my first house, ... and it might even be bigger inside too.

Man, is this thing ever high tech.  No 8-track player, but it's got Satellite radio, Back up cam, remote starter, Bluetooth, I-phone connection, USB port.  Sweet!

      

Note to Readers

Thank you for reading my blog. It was fun to create, and gave me many fond memories of vehicles I had forgotten about.
A couple of notes: The vehicles shown are representative photos, and in some cases are a different color or have slight differences (like a spoiler, or racing stripes).
Also, remember that as you scroll down, you are going "back in time". This blog has several pages, and you'll have to look all the way through to see my first car.

Aston Martin Vanquish Convertible

This is the car I drive IN MY DREAMS.

Yes, IN MY DREAMS, I have a nitro boosted 5.9L, V-12 solid black Aston Martin Vanquish Convertible, with black hand-stitched leather interior.

Also, IN MY DREAMS, my name is engraved in the door panel, and I have a deafening aftermarket hard drive powered sound system, with every option, including state of the art radar jamming equipment.

Lastly, IN MY DREAMS, someone else covers the annual insurance premium on this beast, which with my speeding tickets and citations would be more than a mortgage payment.

Lotus Elan M-100

This is probably the most awesome thing that has ever happened to me. I was GIVEN this car as a birthday gift for my daughter, by a mentor and long time friend.

This is the 1991 Lotus Elan M-100. The M-100 was a joint venture between Lotus and Isuzu. This car was intended to compete with Porsche, and sold in 1991 for around $40,000. This little rocketship is a 4 cyclinder, turbo-charged 16 valve DOHC front wheel drive with 170 mph on the speedometer. I put low profile Pirelli P-Zeros on it and it will accelerate through a curve like a rollercoaster.

No speeding tickets .... yet.

Jaguar XK8

This is my pride and joy. The first real convertible sports car that I ever owned. A 1997 Jaguar XK8. I still only have around 12,000 miles on it. I baby this car.

Very few XK8s were made in this Carolina Blue color, and I bought mine from a friend that liked the color so much he bought two of them. I finally talked him into selling me one of them.

This vehicle is an absolute blast to drive.

Note: This is not my house.

Lexus GX-470

The Lexus GX470 is the ultimate luxury SUV in my book. It's Toyota quality and dependability, with Lexus luxury.

I've been in all kinds of weather with it, and taken it off road in places I had no business going. I've been in a wreck in it, crashed an orange highway barrell with it, and got clipped by a flying wheel off another car once.

Basically, I've tried to destroy it, and it keeps on ticking. Great SUV.

Dodge Durango

For no good reason whatsoever, I hated this Dodge Durango.
Don't ask me why, I think it might have been the frumpy Dodge styling that I didn't like. Everyday single day I got in it, and every month I made a payment, I asked myself why in the world I bought a car I didn't like.
Otherwise, it never gave me one minutes problem, and it was better than a snowmobile in the snow.

Ford Expedition

After the Explorer, I bought the Ford Expedition. Much bigger than the Explorer, and very comfortable. Mine was the White Eddie Bauer model like this one.
A real tank in the snow.

Dodge Conversion Van

We found we really enjoyed having a travel van. So we upgraded to this Dodge van model. I'm not much for green, but I really liked this van.

I wish I still had it.

I also had this Honda PC 800 about that time. Sweet, - 800 cc's with a trunk on the back. This was one smooth bike. Scary fast acceleration too.

Chevy Conversion Van

At this point in my car life, I LOST MY MIND and traded my PORSCHE for a CONVERSION VAN. (I know, - a wife and children will make a man do crazy things.) What can I say? ... my little girls liked watching videos on trips.

A good friend made me a good deal on this van. We were traveling to the beach a lot at the time, and the kids loved it. I did too. We could take the whole gang, and both the pets.

Porsche 924

Now that I had become a "Porsche man", I decided that I needed to move up to a Porsche 924. Mine was red like this one. A real head turner.

Porsche 914

To go along with the Ford explorer, I decided that I needed a sports car too. This was my first one, a Porsche 914.

A 914 is a low profile, rear engine, poor man's Porsche built on a VW assembly line. But, it would corner like it was on rails. The removable targa top made it a great summer time car. Mine was yellow when I got it, and I had it painted red like this one.

I thought I was SO COOL in this car.

Ford Explorer

SUV's were getting popular and so I bought a Ford Explorer. It was a great truck, and very good in the snow. I think I had a white one too. Maybe I had the white one first. Can't remember.

Honda Accord Hatchback

I then traded the Audi for a Honda Hatchback like this, in graphite grey. It was a handsome color and it would scoot. This photo in red was the only version I could find. They sure made a lot of the grey ones at the time though.

We also had an International Scout, made by the same people that make the heavy trucks. This thing drank gas, but it was built like a tank and would plow through snow drifts.

Audi Fox

I soon traded the Jeep for an Audi fox like this one. Metallic burgundy with ugly cloth seats like the photo, and a very good car.

Jeep CJ-7 Hardtop

Like an IDIOT, I traded my Camaro for a Jeep CJ-7 hardtop. Mine was tan with a white top.

Back in the day, I could unbolt the fiberglass top, lift it up over my head, and jump off the back tailgate. If I did that now, I'd be hospitalized.

The CJ-7 is nimble in the snow and fun off road, but it really had a stiff ride and no air-conditioning

Not having air-conditioning got old fast.

Chevy Camaro

My next car was a Camaro. Like the one pictured, but more silver and without the air dam on the back.

This was my first "cool" car, and boy was it fast.

The Fiat 128

This is the Fiat 128 Sport. You will probably never see one of these in your life.

Sporty, two seater. 4 cylinder. Fun to drive.

The Cutlass Supreme

Don't forget, - it was a "Supreme".

Vega GT Hatchback

Yes, mine was yellow too. It had two big rust holes in it, and I called it the Bruised Banana. Oh, and it had a big CB antenna on the back.

Breaker Breaker One Nine, anybody got a copy on the "Drummer Boy"?