What I know and can remember:
My grandfather on my mom's side was quite the car guy. I never met him, but a lot of people say I'm just like him with my taste in cars and interest and jeckyl/hyde disposition. He was an avid Chevrolet man and owned a variety of now classic Chevy models. One of his last cars was a red and black '59 Impala. He also raced on the Grand National circuit against the likes of Buck Baker, Ralph Earnhardt and Junior Johnson. I believe his race car was a 40 Ford. My grandmother on that side usually rocked a VW Beetle and as a result my mom's first car was a vintage Beetle. After my grandfather passed, my grandmother traded her beetle on an AWD Subaru (Probably why I hate the sound of Subarus) then an original Plymouth Voyager (so a bunch of us could road trip on weekends) She presently has a Ford Ranger.
My grandfather on the other side was a Mopar man for a little while, then he started buying Ford trucks. His most recent two trucks were Ford Rangers. His wife (He and my dad's mom divorced after their kids left home) always bought Buicks. Her last car was a '93 Buick Regal. My grandmother on that side married a farmer that bought strictly Ford trucks and as a result she also owned Fords until she passed away. (First: 2 Escorts and then a Tempo)
By the time my parents married my mom had a vintage Beetle and my dad had a '66 Mustang fastback (after owning and trading various muscle cars). He promptly traded title for title on a 60's era Oldsmobile "Mafia Mobile"... "So that he and his friends could go to lunch in comfort". He still kicks himself for letting the Mustang go (and the many other cars that, at the time, no one thought would be worth anything) Eventually, mom and dad started buying and building Jeep CJs. When I came into the picture, they were afraid that I'd fall out of the CJs so they sold their current one and bought a Toyota Starlet (which started my resentment for Toyota) My dad would eventually pick up and older model Ford truck that was a mechanical nightmare. (This started my conditioning to be anti-Ford) Each morning he'd be so pissed at that truck, LOL. Finally he'd had enough and he traded the Ford on a 1976 Chevrolet long wheelbase 4X4. It was two-tone red and white and was affectionately dubbed 'Betsy'. That was one of the best trucks we've ever had. We put that thing through hell (four wheeling into rugged terrain to chop firewood, towing things, etc.) and it came out like a champ everytime. I remember coming up our road and a friend of ours would run up behind us and tage us on the bumper with his truck. I loved it; seemed like a scene from my favorite show at the time (The Dukes of Hazzard) Eventually we bought a boat for weekends at the lake and we needed something a little more trustworthy, so we found an 87 Chevy 4X4 with all the chrome trim, mag wheels, a chrome brush guard and all that fun 70s-80s stuff. It was a beautiful truck (for the time) and was dad's first V6 truck. I had Discovered Winston Cup at this time (circa 88-89) and had become a huge Dale Sr. fan. (Thus further cementing my love of Chevrolet and hatred for Ford) This is also about the time our automotive family started growing to about the size it is today. We had the Starlet (still going strong) and the '87 Chevy 4X4. Then dads job provided him with an '89 Ford 4X4 (This truck is still going strong, pulling duty on a christmas tree farm) and dad found and bought an old primered up (but straight) '67 Chevelle Super Sport. This car began my love with the raw nature of vintage hot rods and muscle cars. 1994 rolls around and we decide that it's time to replace our family car (The Starlet) with something bigger and nicer. After much debate and a lot of talking (unfortunately A LOT of talking to my grandmother's new neighbor: a Toyota salesman) and a few too many Corolla test drives, mom (who has a sweet spot or Toyota in her heart after our excellent experience with the Starlet) and dad decide that a Chevrolet Corsica, though bland, is the way to go. By this time my dad's Ford work truck has been replaced by a much cooler Jeep Cherokee and we had decided to pick up a new hobby: horses. We sold the boat and bought a small camper. Mom and Dad were never really satisfied with the Corsica, so they decided to consolidate our 2 personal vehicles into one and traded the aging '87 Chevy 4X4 and Corsica on a specially ordered 1996 Chevrolet K1500 with all the bells and whistles.
Our vehicle stable now included the camper, horse trailer, the K1500, the Starlet (which was originally to be sold, but due to my mom's attachment to it, was just kind of chillin') the '67 Chevelle SS and dad's Cherokee. 1998 rolls around and I pick up my '73 Camaro one day before I officially get my license. It's bright, sounds mean, looks angry and fits me just perfectly. The neighbors call it a death trap and condemn my parents for allowing me to get it. By 1999 mom and dad have decided that they want a bigger camper and they trade up to a 30 foot fifth wheel. Dad gets a cool new Dodge Durango as his work vehicle but also sells (against my will) the '67 Chevelle SS saying he's just not that motivated to deal with it anymore. The 1996 Silverado has been a quality DISASTER with GM even giving us money back on repairs and mom and dad swearing that they'll NEVER buy another Chevy again. They're looking hard at these 'new fangled' Ford Super Dutys and all they have to offer. While I'm not horribly opposed to the idea, I don't like it. Mom proposes a Toyota Tundra given the Starlets good quality and I get super pissed and shoot that down. Mom and dad eventually trade the '96 on a 1999 Silverado Z71 with all the bells and whistles. 2000 rolls around and I find my '68 Camaro and purchase it (I'm 18). 2001 brings the loss of my dad's job and suddenly the family is in need of a second daily driver. The Starlet is pulled out of mothball to become that vehicle.
2002 brings major restoration to my '73 and while it and the '68 are still semi-daily driven I am in need of a cheap daily driver to lessen road wear. I buy a 1990 Lumina at auction for $1000. 235,000 miles and it runs like a top but the overall cheapness of the car really makes me hate this era GM. Contrast that to the overall durability of the mechanical bits which makes me really hate the media for talking $h! about GM reliability. 2003 brings the death of the Lumina due to a cracked block (at almost 300.000 miles) I knew this would be the case as I had noticed block sealing chemicals in the A/F long before. 2003 also brings a new $800 beater; the 86(?) Jeep Commanche to the family. It looks like $h!, but runs like hell. (Except for a brace on the front axle that would make the front of the truck vibrate, jump and skip wildly and randomly at 60-70 MPH. The first time this happened, I almost had to clean my pants. But after a while I got used to it and actually became kind of reckless with it. I always had fun 'surprising' un suspecting passengers with it because I had mastered a way to actually make it happen on my own, LOL. At one point, this had been a fleet truck and it was illegal 15 ways from sunday (then again, most of my cars are illegal in one form or another ) but I really miss having a 4X4. 2004 meant that the GF would be going to Charlotte for college. I knew the Jeep wouldn't be a sure bet on making it there, so I started looking for "a car payment". I found the first 2001 Focus; a bare bones LX model and took out a loan. 6 months later it got totaled. The next month (02/2005) I found my beloved Focus ZX3 that I would keep until last year when it was totaled. Why Ford? Simply because they were the ONLY domestic automaker that offered a compact (of the era I wanted to pay for) that was competitive, not a snooze to drive and not a snooze to look at. And by this time I had adopted my domestic verses import philosophy instead of the GM verses Ford philosophy. The GF had a Cavalier and I hated every inch of that car. When that Focus left, I found my current daily driver, the 2001 Mustang GT convertible.
During this time my parents would rotate in, then rotate out the aforesaid '93 Buick Regal from my dads side of the family. (Though reliable and smooth, this car further cemented my/our hatred for 90's era GM cars) Dad would be provided an F150 work truck and now a Ram work truck. And they decided to buy a new small SUV to 'downsize' for fuel costs, LOL.
Our current family fleet includes: my Camaros ('68 & '73) which usually sit in the garage (which sucks) my 'stang (the daily driver) The Silverado Z71 which is used to tow and haul things, the Ram which is dad's daily driver. The Jeep Liberty which is mom's daily driver and the Starlet, which unfortunately, is sitting in the elements again.
Other than my parents, my only other 2 influences were my uncles on my moms side. One was a mechanic that owned a multiple shop business. He was an avid Dale Sr. fan like me and breathed everything Chevrolet. He had quite a few cool projects and usually had some of the latest and greatest bow-tie products sitting in his driveway. The other was an avid Ford truck man that always had really cool Fords and rigs to work on or restore.
(EDIT: It's kind of one big pile of crap... But I don't feel like editing my ramblings, LOL)