Hi all - I'm from Melbourne, Australia. I first joined this site in 2009, but didn't start contributing photos until late 2013. Since then, I've added over 400 titles.

I am on the autism spectrum. A bit about some of the cars I've owned, and currently own:

PAST CARS

2000 Honda CR-V (base), 2.0L 4AT, owned: March 9, 2000 - June 14, 2003 (age 18-21)



2003 Honda CR-V Sport, 2.4L 4AT, owned: August 18, 2003 - July 27, 2010 (age 22-29)



2010 Hyundai i45 Premium, 2.4L 6AT, owned: June 16, 2010 - August 11, 2021 (age 28-40)



CURRENT CARS

2017 Ford Mustang GT, 5.0L 6AT, owned: December 29, 2016 - present (age 35+)

*** Where are my old cars now? ***

2000 CR-V (QCE336): Registration cancelled in March 2014. Unusual after only 14 years. Possibly written off, or transferred to another state.
2003 CR-V (SKJ867): Still registered as of 2024.

PAST FAMILY CARS

Mother:

1975 Chrysler Galant, followed by:

1983-1988: 1983 Mazda 626 hatchback (2.0L 3-speed auto). Green (light metallic). Photos below.
1988-1991: 1986 Honda Legend sedan (2.5L 4-speed auto). Blue. Owned: March 26, 1988 to December 1, 1991.
1992-1996: 1992 Acura Legend sedan (3.2L 4-speed auto). Blue. (Notes: owned while living in USA).
1996-2004: 1996 Mercedes E230/W210 Classic (2.3L 4-speed auto). Blue.



*Photos above taken in 1984 of mother and grandmother's identical 1983 Mazda 626s. These were both base model "Deluxes" with 3-speed automatics, 14" steel rims (without covers!), wind-up manual windows, and 2.0L carbureted engines. Just about the only "luxury" they had was air conditioning. My mother kept hers for 5 years, replacing it in 1988 with a vastly superior Honda Legend sedan (sadly I have no photos of this car). My grandmother kept hers another 3 years, finally selling it in 1991 for a Honda Civic sedan (which she kept until 2005, shortly before she passed away). Despite being somewhat ordinary cars, I have a fondness for these 626s as they had very distinctive styling for the time (especially the rear tail lights which were unusually large), compared to other Japanese cars of the era.

**NO PHOTO**

The 1986 Honda Legend sedan was bought in March 1988, second hand (obviously - about 18 months old), as our new "family" car. Despite being only 3 years newer than the Mazda 626 it replaced, it was *vastly* superior. The 2.5L V6 had fuel injection and was mated to a much more modern 4-speed auto, compared to the old 2.0L carb/3-speed auto combo of the 626. It had larger 15" wheels (rare in 1986, as even Commodore & Falcon had 14s at the time), and they were alloys with ABS brakes! ABS was almost unheard of on any car other than a Mercedes at the time. It had power windows and an electric sunroof as well, but the interior was cloth and the climate control was manual rather than automatic. Later Legends would gain leather trim and automatic climate control. This Legend was sold in December 1991, only because we moved overseas at the time. Otherwise, I'm sure it would have lasted many more years.



*Photo above taken in 2002. This 1996 E230 Classic was bought by my mother in September 1996, brand-new, and cost $90,000. Despite the high cost, equipment levels were very sparse. It had a cloth interior and manual seats. In mid-2004, my mother sold the car for $35,000. I drove this car occasionally in mid-2003 while awaiting delivery on my new CR-V. Note: grandfather owned 1998 E430 from 1998-2003.

Father:

MG-A, MG-B, Jaguar XJ6 series I, BMW 733i (E23), followed by:

1983-1990: 1983 Honda Prelude (1.8L 4-speed auto). Blue/purple (light metallic).
1990-2007: 1989 Honda Legend coupe (2.7L 4-speed auto). White. (Notes: 1989 Acura Legend coupe also owned by maternal grandparents in USA from 1989-1993).
1992-1996: 1991 Acura Legend coupe (3.2L 4-speed auto). Purple/grey metallic. (Notes: owned while living in USA).



*Photo above taken in 1988, of my father's 1983 Honda Prelude. Bought new in 1983, and sold in 1990.



*Photos above are of father's 1989 Honda Legend (photo taken in 2000), and grandfather's Acura Legend (photo taken in New York, year unknown - 1989/90?). The 1989 Honda Legend was bought in 1990 by my father from a repossession auction for $45,000 (the brand-new cost at the time was $62,000). He kept this car for an incredible 17 years, finally getting rid of it in early 2007 due to mechanical problems. On my father's birthday in 1991, it was stolen from outside of our house, but was later recovered by police (with extensive damage). While living in the USA, the car sat mostly unused for nearly 5 years. I drove this car in early 2000 before I had my CR-V.



*Photo above taken of father's Legend in May 1992, in Florida (USA). This photo was taken very shortly after he bought the car, however, it wasn't quite "brand new" at the time. It was a dealer demo - a 1991 model. It had a cloth interior, and only a driver's airbag (a passenger airbag wasn't offered until the 1992 model year). It had a sunroof, though, but no CD player. It was bought for around $25,000 USD and sold in June 1996 for about $15,000. The paint job on this car was very unique - a very dark silver with grey and purple hues - this colour was not offered on the equivalent Honda Legend coupe in Australia.