I had made it all the way through undergraduate college with no car of my own. when I graduated in 1976 at age 21, heading for dental school, my parents decided to buy me a car for my graduation present. They asked me what kind of vehicle I wanted.
They expressed no limitations on cost, so I told them a Porsche 914, which was popular at the time. My dad just smiled.
He didn't get me the Porsche, but another car whose name started with a P. You guessed it, a Pinto. It was a used 1973 Runabout with 2.0 liter, 4-speed, and a factory sunroof. I have only seen one other Pinto like it with a factory sunroof.
The sunroof made the car tolerable in summer without A/C. Before entering the car after having been in a hot parking lot, I would open the sunroof, and all the hot air would just exit through the top.
I parked my Pinto under shelter for all but about 4 years of its life. Out of garage space, I disassembled and stored it in 1995. I had the engine reworked, started putting the pieces back together, and soon will have it repainted and recarpeted. The car will be BETTER than new with HD Radio/CD, LED instrument lights, improved glovebox, LED maplights, gauge set from a later Pinto, and courtesy lights that open when the passenger door is opened, not just the driver's door.
How many guys have the first car they ever owned? I do, and I still love it. With the hopped-up engine, it is more fun than ever to drive.