Today is Valentine’s Day and we’re feeling a bit nostalgic. And while the memories of falling in love are easily seared into our brains, for gearheads like us, we often have a separate subfolder in our memory banks just for our vehicles.
So alongside things like the first dance, the first dinner, and the first movie, we often fondly recall things like a slight cylinder misfire, a wonky starter motor, or torn seatcovers.
That’s why our pals over at Summit Racing posed the following question on their Instagram and Facebook pages:
What Vehicle Were You Driving When You Met Your Significant Other?
…And over 1,000 (!!) Reader Contributions poured in. Some were sarcastic, some were saccharine—and they all were memorable. Here are some of our favorites below, and if you’ve got one you’d like to share, hit us up in the comments section at the bottom of this article.
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- “1970 C-10. She wanted to go for a cruise so I couldn’t resist. One of my favorite memories with my truck.” – J.A.
- “1967 Camaro. We met in 1985. She asked (in horror) ‘does it always sound like that?’ We celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary this year.” – K.F.
- “1969 Corvette Stingray. She wasn’t as impressed with it as I was hoping she would be!” – J.D.
- “2002 Trans Am. Taught her how to drive a manual transmission with it. Both are still here.” – K.H.
- “My hubby was driving his 1967 Dodge Dart. We just recently got her back up and on the road…nearly 20 years later!” – C.G.
- “I proposed to my wife while sitting on the running board of my 1936 Pontiac. I still have both of them nearly 27 years later.” – E.B.
- “1973 Ranchero Squire. Still have it and married for 36 years too.” – T.F.
- “A 1992 Cavalier. My first car. This is what I was driving when we started talking but she never saw this car. I sold it and bought something else before our 1st date.” – G.W.
- “1962 Ford Van. I needed some parts, so asked her to drive me to the salvage yard. We have been married 47 years.” – D.C.
- “1988 Monte Carlo LS, lowered, loud, and dark We loved that car, but sold it when we had kids. We have been married 21 years.” – J.G.
- “1995 Z28 Camaro. I still have both of them.” – J.M.
- “2007 Jeep Wrangler. She became the only woman that rides shotgun in it…and I love that.” – C.P.
- “She still likes my Mustangs.” – D.M.
- “1995 Z28 with full bolt-ons and exhaust. She liked it when she saw it. We went for a ride and did some burnouts!” – J.H.
- “1996 Caprice 9C1. Her parents didn’t like it.” – T.S.
- “Still have my Camaro SS, she wouldn’t let me sell it.” – F.S.
- “2001 Firebird. High school prom, wedding, and now.” – S.B.
- “2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara, when dating we would ride up into the mountains and take every dirt road we could with the hard top off, it was always a fun adventure in that Jeep.” – A.K.
- “1988 Bronco 2. I loved it, she could not have cared less about it LOL.” – T.K.
- “1992 Chevy Cavalier Z24. My wife loved that car.” – C.H.
- “I didn’t have a vehicle. Didn’t even have my license yet, and just had the permit.” – J.R.
- “Chevy Caprice. 24 years later and I still have it. Wife was unimpressed then and is still unimpressed now.” – M.S.
- “Two wheeled ATV…otherwise known as a bicycle! Fourth grade!” – C.N.
- “What if you car is your significant other?” – I.L.
- “2002 Ford F-150 Lariat. Met her in 2005, married in 2012.” – W.C.
- “1958 Impala…at a Mel’s Drive-in, just like American Graffiti!” – J.F.
- “I had two: a red primer 1972 Dodge 3/4 ton, and a faded red 1991 Pontiac Grand AM. Chick magnets for sure!” – K.B.
- “A bicycle. I was 10.” – K.R.
- “5.0L Mustang. She had no chance.” – J.W.
And Finally, Our Clearly Biased Favorite:
So when I went on the first date with my wife we took a trip to Summit Racing to buy a transmission and a few other parts for my 1979 C10. Been married to her for about 18 years now. Any woman who will go on a date to Summit Racing is a keeper.
D.M.
When my other half & I met I was driving a new 1968 Chevelle SS 396/375 411 posi with Headman hustler headers, NMW Ladder bars, Hurst comp.Plus shifter w/reverse lockout, bucket seats, Sun tach, and a AM/FM Stereo Multiplex unit. My SS was white with a black vinal top & black accent stripes. It was a special order and took 6 of the longest weeks of my life to make it to Southern Chevrolet in Decatur, Ga, oh yea, right across the street was the Platt brothers garage with 2 beautiful 427 FORD THUNDERBOLTS! Cindy hated that car because it was loud and my driving scared the hell out of her! Kept that car for 10 years & we just celebrated our 51st wedding Anniversary! Wish I still had that same car!
A little late but here’s mine. Went on my first date with my now wife Valentine’s Day 1984. I had a 66 L-78 (396-375) Chevelle but it wasn’t my daily driver. Sadly the daily was an 80 Chevette, but at least it was a 4 speed! The Chevelle was my first and high school car. Happily I can say that after almost 37 years of marriage I still have my wife and the Chevelle!