OK. I grew up with a car-nut dad who was not wealthy but managed to have some neat rides, all of which I remember enjoying being a passenger in. $3000 is the number I remember him associating with all of these.
The earliest cool car I remember him having was a 1957 Ford T-Bird. Cream colored, removable hard top with portholes. He rigged up a pully system in the garage that would allow him to raise the hard top to the ceiling when he wanted to engage in open motoring. It looked exactly like this (feel free to embed these links if anyone has the time or gives a shit)
http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/phot...oto.aspx#photo
He sold that for, as I recall, around $3000 and bought a 1962 MB 190 SL. Again, 2 hard tops and the pulley system designed for the T-bird came in handy. It looked like this except, again, cream in color.
http://www.conceptcarz.com/view/phot...-SL_photo.aspx
Then he got this little jewel. It was a mechanical nightmare, but an incredibly cool car. I remember him driving me to the airport once in the rain, and my sole purpose in life was to hand-operate the wipers by reaching out my window and moving them with my hand. 1964 Ferrari ASA.
http://www.fantasyjunction.com/cars/...line%204%20cyl
Then there was one of these, 1965 VW square back. This color...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kasho3/.../pool-type3vw/
Simultaneously and upon remarrying, he handed my stepmom the VW and got himself one of these, a 1962 MB 220 SE Coupe. I had never and still haven't ever seen another one that was a 4-on-the-floor. First gear was geared to climb vertical surfaces and thus was rarely used, probably extending the life of the tranny. I was in college when he sold it (for a Honda goddamit) and begged him to sell it to me (my slightly older car-nut cousin wanted it too, but no dice!), which he wouldn't on the premise that I'd never be able to maintain it. He might have been right, but I wish to god he'd have let me have it. It looked just like this. RIP dad. Love ya.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kasho3/.../pool-type3vw/