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Monday, August 6, 2012

the eye of the beholder

I remember her well.  She was a good friend.  We hung out a lot, enjoyed music, friends at the lake, at the drive-in... This was back in my carefree high school days.

I worked at a restaurant, and the money I earned was pretty exposable.  I think it was my senior year that I bought my first vehicle.  Wasn't she a beaut?


I remember the day I took this picture.  My brother was selling a car and taking a photo of it for the ad.  My truck was sitting there in front of the house having a particularly good hair day as I had just washed it, so I took a few photos too.

Okay, I realize she really wasn't that "pretty", but I think it was the rough edges that gave her her personality.  

The truck had its limitations, but it served my purposes well.  It got me to and from the job that allowed me to purchase the truck in the first place.  It was a hangout for my friends and me with whole bunches of us piled into the bed at the drive-in movies.  It hauled inner tubes up to the mouth of the river that we would float down in the summer.  It was with me for other activities that I won't expand upon.

She met her demise shortly after I traded her.  I think she was depressed and decided to end it all.  

Wolfgang has asked me if he could get a car.  He made a lot of money at that EduKit job over the summer as it was a 40-hour-per-week job, but only for the summer months.  Now he feels rich.   True, he's got more money than what he's used to, but that's not saying much.  

I'm glad he's got something to work towards - incentive to keep having paid employment.  At the same time, I explained to him that a car requires a steady income.  Gas, insurance, maintenance, registration...  

"The short answer", I had to say, "is 'no'".

And he was fine with that, after learning that there's more to having a car than the sale price.  He assured me that he's got other things to waste his cash on that he wants to purchase.  

But it reminded me of MY first.  You never forget your first.  What was yours?
.

17 comments:

agg79 said...

1966 Mustang Coupe. Nightmist Blue, 6 cylinder, 4 speed, AM radio, no a/c, no power steering, drum brakes. Had a cassette deck under the driver's seat, installed a set of bucket seats from a 1967 Cougar. Crumpled right front fender. Nice car, but woefully under powered. Was an attempt at a muscle car.

Anonymous said...

Plymouth Duster...Brown...like to color of poo.

terri said...

Mine was a lemon yellow Oldsmobile - Cutlass Supreme. I actually thought it was pretty cool. Probably because prior to owning it, I had to drive the family station wagon with wood panels. NOT cool.

Abby said...

Migosh, that has "chick magnet" written all over it!

Abby said...

Everyone knows those were drug runner cars.

Abby said...

I've always thought it bad luck to have a car the color of a lemon. But I remember those wood paneled station wagons. Funny how a car that probably did great in a crash test could be social suicide.

ShadowRun300 said...

oohhh... I haven't thought about my first in a long time!
The first car I purchased was a little red 2-door Chevy Chevette. I loved it because it was MY car - rattles and all!

Larz said...

Mine was Holmes. I hit a herd of cows (long story, perhaps I'll expand on my blog). But that didn't end Holmes. It just allowed me to get a new paint job. So I had an orange Pathfinder almost as old as me until just last year. Now I have a black one. Named Martin. (Kudos if you can deduce the correlation.)

Guano said...

My first? Very similar to yours ;-)
And I still prefer old trucks to new.
And btw, is Ol' Red wetting itself -- or just marking territory?

LL Cool Joe said...

My first car was an orange coloured Mini . As Madonna said "I'm feeling super duper in my Mini Cooper" :D

Abby said...

Oooh, everybody sing! "Little Red Chevette...."

Abby said...

I've learned that cows don't usually move for motorized vehicles.

Hmmm... black pathfinder named Martin. I've NO idea.

Abby said...

Complete with Darth Vadar steering wheel knob!
"Ol' Red" was drooling at the hot little Studebaker down the street.

Abby said...

Did you sing that while you drove your super cooper?

agg79 said...

I wish

Anita said...

First?

Ohhh... first car.

I got distacted when you mentioned other activities in the truck.

Anyway, my first car was a 1978 Toyota Corolla that I begged for during my senior year of college. I had the choice to go to college locally and live at home, or to stay in a dorm at another college, away, without a car. I left.

That car stayed with me 10 years. I'm still one to ride a car almost to death.

Your first was a beaut. Not your typical girlie transportation, but it served you well.

Anita said...

I'm watching the Olympics while blogging, so I left out the fact that if I stayed home for college, I would have gotten a car right away. You probably figured out what I meant.