MY FIRST CAR
My first car was a tiny green Toyota station wagon. My neighbors (the Wallace's) won it as a Grub Mobile at the Fourth of July and offered to sell it to me. I had dream of Grease Lightening as I worked on the paint job and cleaned the interior.
The car was a standard. I didn't know how to drive a standard, but I was determined to learn. in the meanwhile, I was content with coasting short distances in one gear.
No matter how hard I worked on the exterior, the car had a serious engine problem. After two weeks, I learned the gasket was shot. the car was worthless, so, I made arrangements to have the car towed to auction. The Wallaces felt bad for me, so they gave my money back to me (something they didn't have to do). Their action seems alien in today's world, but was just how people did things in Andover.
My first car lasted only two weeks!
My second car was a silver 1980 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme. Linda and I were heading off to college together and needed a car, so, we went in together and bought it. It was a car we couldn't afford separately, but we could swing it together.
I learned my winter driving skills by driving that heavy rear-wheeled-drive car around the snow belts of Batavia. It was hot in the summer and cold in the winter, but it had a strong V8.
During my second year of college, someone ran a red light and T-Boned the passenger side. Linda's brother (a mechanic) was able to fix it. We drove that car through the 90's until we needed a mini van. At that pint, my brother-in-law transplanted the V8 into his truck.
I often tell people that the silver Cutlass Supreme was my first car. Few people know the truth though. My real first car was a piece of junk grub mobile!
