Stories About My Old Cars.....

My wife's car is in the shop - again. Like a lot of the cars I've had, when it was new, I loved it and it ran great. Now, not so much. It's a Mazda CX-7, an SUV. When we first got it, it didn't run like an SUV. It's a fuel injected - premium gas burning number with plenty of pep. But when it breaks down, bring your credit cards. All of them. That got me thinking about some of the cars I've used through the years. Some were fun. Some were not. But there's always a story.

Buick Wildcat: the blanket was optional.

The first car I drove was a 1965 Buick Wildcat. Midnight blue. I sort of inherited this car from my parents after they were basically done with it. Kids, this car had seat belts, but no shoulder harness. Electronics in cars also had not been invented yet, so it usually ran rough. But one interesting thing about it was that the heater didn't work. But I did keep a scratchy old army blanket handy. I would tell the girls, "Snuggle up under the blanket honey. We'll stay warm."

The first car that was actually titled in my name was a 1972 Mercury Montego. Gold with a stylish black vinyl top. When I was shopping for the car, I was blown away with this. Very upscale. I thought there was no way I could afford it. Especially when I saw it had only 16,000 miles on it. But the sales guy came running

The Mercury Montego wound up a very hot car.

out, "I'm sorry folks. That car actually has 116,000 miles on it!" So I could afford it. The thing I liked best about it was the stereo with cassette tape player. That tape player would eventually have every classic rock song from the 70's running through it at one time. Plenty of singalongs from "Take it Easy", to "Bohemian Rhapsody". It also had a memorable ending. On Thanksgiving Day it stalled at the Bagley Road exit of Interstate 71. I went to get help. When I returned, I was wondering what those fire trucks were doing there. My car was ablaze. They chopped the windows out to see if there was anyone to rescue. It was totaled of course. It was the end of "Paradise by the Dashboard Lights".

Datsun 200SX: This car spoke to me.

It was now the early days of married life, that meant some boring sedans, like a Chrysler LeBaron. But I still yearned for sporty cars. I wound up with a very cool Datsun (Nissan) 200SX. This was sort of a luxury sports car. Two toned butterscotch and brown. It had uncomfortable seats,but it had absolutely power everything. Even a power radio antenna that automatically went up and down when ever you turned on the radio. However, without doubt, the most memorable thing about it was the voice warnings. It actually played recordings of a young woman that spoke in a calming voice to tell you," Fuel Is Low", or "Door is Ajar". It almost made it worthwhile to run out of gas. I would've had this car longer except for one thing. There was no way to get a baby seat in there.

Having a family meant I also drove a series of mini-vans. Functional, and versatile. But not stylish. I didn't hate mini-vans, but they certainly have a way of announcing who you were. You were a Dad. (Or a Mom).

My convertible wound up in the hands of high school kids.

The years were flying by. With middle age brought a longing for something sporty again. I got a Chevrolet Cavalier Z-24. Nothing fancy there, right? BUT IT WAS A CONVERTIBLE! Black on black. How cool was that? I loved it. There's nothing like cruising down the road, top down, on a sunny summer day. As the old saying goes, guys want to be you, and girls want to be with you! Until I had this car, I never realized you had to pick up every scrap of paper before you put the top down. Otherwise it would fly out of the car in under a minute. I wound up giving this car to my kids when they were in high school. Now if I would've had a cool car like that in high school instead of that broken down Buick? Smh.

Now I drive an Audi A4. I guess you would call it a luxury sports sedan. I like it. Very nice and runs great. Leather, heated seats, navigation, all the bells and whistles. My only complaint? I don't really have any stories about it. Yet.

It's funny how cars, like songs, can trigger memories about where you were in your life when you had them. They all break down. But with some cars,like people, you tend to remember the good times.

What do you remember about your cars? Let me know.