According To You: What Vehicles Are You Thankful For?

We are getting closer to Thanksgiving weekend here in these United States, and everyone here at Hagerty Media is thankful for you answering our community questions both now and on a regular basis. Your responses to our question of “thanks” were very honorable indeed, as we tend to appreciate the same types of vehicles.

And by the “same types,” I actually mean a wide variety of vehicles. So let’s see just how big of a tent we are gonna need to hold all of them!

Farm Tractors

DUB6: This is – in the words of Harry Doyle – “Ju-u-u-s-st a bit outside” of the traditional definition of vehicle, but it has four tires, an engine, steering wheel and seat, so I’m gonna present it. I grew up in mostly rural Idaho, and much of my youth was spent hauling my paraplegic father around farm fields, trying to set him up to shoot at ducks or pheasants. More than once, I’d get us stuck and have to go plead with the farmer to come pull us out with his tractor.

I learned at a young age what a versatile and indispensable vehicle those things can be. Later I witnessed how they made it possible to prepare the land, plant, and eventually harvest huge amounts of food and other crops. When I bought land to create our small ranch, I initially had to hire much of my tractor work done, as I was still working.

Eventually, I decided it was time to own my own – albeit a smaller one, as ranch land is largely range land, and I’m not tilling or mowing more than a few acres of it. I finally found a deal on a 1954 Ford 8N with a 3-point and all sorts of attachments. That baby has scraped, tilled, spread, drilled post holes, and given grandkids some wonderful times (truth be told, Grandpa too) on the place for about 20 years. It – along with countless tractors throughout my entire life – has done a LOT for us and for that I’m truly thankful. It’s due for a rebuild, and as soon as I clear project space in the shop, I’m going to express my gratitude: it’s going to get all spiffed up with mechanical overhaul, new tires, and fresh paint.

Ken_L: Unless you need a front-end loader and power steering, a N series Ford is hard to beat for a utility tractor.

Those That Crossed My Path

TG: My Corvette came to me in need of a lot of work, but I got it all done and it has been a very fun and surprisingly reliable car. I bought an Allanté on a lark because it was cheap and have had no significant issues with it. My 1 Series Beemer bought as a daily driver has been problem-free and is a blast to drive.

My most recent acquisition, a ’72 Ford F-350 was literally drug out of a farm field and was surprisingly intact and operational. Although there was a lot of time, sweat, and parts hunting invested into getting it road-worthy, the actual out-of-pocket costs including purchase price has been astonishingly low.

DALE Z: I am thankful for my two ex-U-Haul Ford F-350’s. Retired U-Haul trucks can be an excellent value.

Emergency Vehicles

AG1962: Fire trucks. I was a paid on-call firefighter for a few years — the village we were living in expected anyone who could physically manage the job and who did not travel for work to sign up. I learned to drive the beasts, run the pumps at -40, and back them into the garage properly after a call. I have huge respect for those trucks.

A close second would be ambulances. The ambulance arriving as we were cutting people out of a car wreck was always a moment of relief.

Luvs A. Goodstory: I agree with thankfulness and need for a vehicle that saves the day or moment. I am most thankful for something that brings a bit of joy to this grey reality. So I offer tasteful customs and hotrods.

Beaters

Rusty Fenders: Becoming a driver in the early ’70s, I’m thankful for all the cars you could still buy for under $100 as your first vehicle. You never went anywhere without extra oil, water, duct tape, a flashlight, and wire hangers in the trunk, as well as a set of worn and rusty, but functional, tools. You learned to work on cars out of sheer necessity and had about as cheap access to freedom as was possible.

Big Trucks

Tim: All trucks and their drivers who got food and everything else to us during the pandemic and every day. Thanks to the Men and Women drivers and your machines!

Gary B: Trucks, trains, anything that help our goods to cross this nation.

Paul I: The ambulance my son drives and the 777 my other son flies. They have both found their niche. Not much more a dad could wish for. And even more thankful for the woman who brought them and another good man, into this world. The best things about this time of year are the moments spent reflecting on the good things.

Bubba: I too have sons driving an ambulance and flying triple 7s, another is an electrical engineer. I’m truly thankful for three good men and their wives giving me 4 grandsons thus far. As for vehicles, I’m going with the Willys Jeep and Ford Mustang, especially the ones modified by Carroll Shelby.

A Friend That Brings A Trailer

norm1200: Next in line behind emergency response & service vehicles, I’ll look to a friend, his rides, his car trailer, and my personal vehicles. I can mostly blame my friend for the herd of vehicles I now own, having towed most of them home for me. Most were a fair distance, some were actually out of state.

He’s towed with a ’97 Silverado Z71 1/2 ton 4WD, a ’97 Suburban 1500 4WD, and currently a ’02 GMC Yukon 4WD. The last vehicle I bought was not used for 10 years: changed fluids & tires, then we bought a new car trailer and towed this ’91 Corvette ZR-1 with 23k mi from Vista, CA to the Nashville area. My 34-year-old Nissan truck of 13 years ownership has been very reliable and has been a great tool by helping out with getting many jobs & projects completed. I can’t imagine a lifestyle without a truck.

Catering / Food Trucks

LD: Coffee trucks! That’s where you can get bad coffee and sometimes beer, too!

My First Car

02 original owner: I’ll bet you think I’ll say my BMW 2002. Its a great car, but wasn’t what got me started on my 61-year hobby of messing with cars. You’re gonna laugh, but I’m thankful for my first car, a 1959 Renault 4CV. Bought for $300, it taught me that I needed to learn car repairs–quickly, if I wanted to get to my summer job and take my date out.

The lesson stuck; that car was my daily driver for 14 years, and the girl I dated in it actually married me. We’re still married, I still mess with cars and the 4CV is still in my garage.

All Of Them

Steve: I am thankful for vehicles, period – the working, farming, emergency, transport, and service vehicles that allow civilization. But it’s the motorsport and classic/collectible stuff that provides the enthusiasm for that civilization, no?