Which means some people own tons (tommy, I'm looking at you), because I'm certainly not doing my share of the heavy lifting.

Heh.

Let's see - I've owned:

• Three Fords
• Three Mercurys (still have one)
• One Lincoln (still have)

There is a car dealership near me that has a car I've always wanted - a '69 or '70 Mercury Marquis convertible. Now I'm trying to decide if my big old car buying days are over....

Dodge Omni haters UNITE! *high fives Scola*

Such a terrible car. I remember having to rebuild the doors a couple of times because the latches kept giving out. And then my dad & I took apart the engine to replace the water pump, which was mounted at the very bottom of the engine. (This was back in the day when I actually worked on my car: now I just pay other people to do it all.)

I drove the Civic into the ground, though: I had it for ten years and only got rid of it when it was old enough to vote. I just can't get my brain around spending a good chunk of a year's salary on a car, which loses value the first time you put the key in the ignition.

That said, I do sometimes wonder what it's like to buy a new car...

I've owned 5 cars, two of which I still have. Pontiac Sunbird, which got donated to VoA when I couldn't afford to fix something that broke, Pontiac 6000 that got taken away when it didn't run anymore (we couldn't donate it because no one actually held the title, but a couple of guys made it disappear), Toyota Tercel eaten by Katrina, Toyota Corolla currently in the driveway, Volvo 940 currently parked on the street and in need of a smog check. That's in ~20 yrs, but I don't expect so much overlap in the future, but I still might make it to 12 if I keep driving long enough.

12 cars in a lifetime? I can see that - let's assume most people don't buy their first car until 25, and stop driving at 85 (just for round numbers). 12 cars would mean upgrading every 5 years, which doesn't sound too unusual to me. (I've never owned a car. I've driven two, both of which were owned by my parents.)

Too bad it was Wildlife Management and I couldn't ever get a job...

But you just wanted to help the little woodland creatures!

I do sometimes wonder what it's like to buy a new car...

They do smell nice.

And hopefully you'll have at least a few months where the car is unscratched and in perfect condition.

Someone's got to be making up for my zero!

I didn't have a car as a teenager. In the 23 years since, I've had four cars. I'm hoping to keep my current one ('08 Honda Fit) for 10 years or until a practical electric alternative is available.

But you just wanted to help the little woodland creatures!

Yeah, me and about 6,000 other people, most of them with advanced degrees willing to work for peanuts (almost literally!). My degree is useful in impressing/grossing out 15-year-old boys so it was totally worth it! (Really, my wildlife diseases text book has some horrid pictures, so my son grosses out his friends... so funny!)

I'm married, so how does that work out. Do I count cars owned while married as half.

1. Dodge Omni O24 - sold off. Not exactly a good car. Small piece of odd trivia, it had a Volkswagen engine which I think only happened for one year of Omni production.

2. Subaru GL Hatchback - Donated when it became impractical to fix. It was a bit of a money bit in it's later years, CV joint hell.

3. Honda Civic Si - Bought from parent's heavily used. Lasted awhile. Great car, but got it too old to have for long.

4. Ford Escort - In-laws gave it to us heavily, heavily used it broke down immediately and we donated it immediately. Nobody really wanted it.

5. Saturn GL - Wife totaled in minor accident, we had it a long time. Good car. Only car ever bought new.

6. Ford Escort Station Wagon - Liked it a lot, very practical and didn't use much gas, but it got totaled in an accident (not our fault) real shame.

7. Ford Tempo - Only car I've ever bought on a credit card (we paid off that month so it was like cash) which tells you how much it cost. It had a bad water pump at 210,000 miles and we had just bought my parent's old Honda Civic Hatch so it ended up getting donated after two attempts at giving it away failed.(Bear in mind the water pump was the only thing wrong with it. People don't like Tempos)

8. Ford Taurus - This car has been around. We owned it for awhile, in-laws owned it for awhile, loaned to my aunt for awhile, now we own it again, it may go back to my in-laws since their Honda Fit keeps breaking down. Right now it's loaned to them because of that.

9. Mercury Villager - Got this at a tremendous price. Nice little minivan, but emphasis on little, sold it to get the next one.

10. Ford Windstar - Got this for when kids were littler. Only car we've purchased an extended warranty for and it paid off. Not exactly unreliable, but some very expensive to fix computer part kept failing. Warranty covered the repair and a rental while in the shop. Sold when the Warranty ran out.

11. S-10 Pickup Truck - Inherited this from wife's grandfather. Nobody in the family wanted this rusty truck. Eventually sold in Church fundraising auction.

12. Honda Civic Hatchback - What I drive today. Now 17 years old and with 195,000 miles. Bought it from my parents with cash when they got a Prius (they now both have a Prius).

13. Nissan Sentra - Replaced the Windstar since my wife wanted a small car. Bought that with cash too.

So now we have a Sentra, a Civic, and a Taurus.