Everyone remembers their first car. Mine was a used and abused vintage red Volkswagen Beetle…a cute car in a beat-up sort of way. And not like the ones you see around today with the little vase and flower. It had a lot of duck tape and bonding…and my flower was a sticker: Flower Power.
I was in college and found it in the classified section of the newspaper. It was just the right price listed at 450 dollars. My mother went with me to oversee the transaction. I got there and surprisingly found out it was a stick shift. (Oh, so that’s what they mean by manual transmission.)
My new dilemma was how to get the car home. The man I bought it from gave me a dry run with a trip around the block. Then it was my turn. I drove that bucking bronco home with my mom riding shot gun...I can still see the panicked look on St. Alice’s face.
The car had a few charming idiosyncrasies. Like the little fuses kept blowing…so I had to constantly replace them...that is, if I wanted to listen to the radio, have headlights or windshield wipers. Then there was the little problem of keeping the passenger door shut. But after tying a rope around the door handle and then to me…problem was solved. As long as I didn’t fly out the door with it.
When I graduated from college I sold the car for 200 dollars…(I had to take off a few bucks for wear and tear.)…and bought a brand spanking new blue Datsun B210 complete with 48 car payments. 3 weeks later…I bought the exact same car again, after the original was totaled. Notice I didn’t say: I totaled it. It was parked outside a house during a party and someone else had the honors.
I remember PaulA’s first car…a tan Horizon company car. Cute little shit box. He had it for a year or so before he totaled it. Notice I said: He totaled it. At least my car was parked when it was totaled, the honors were all his.
Your first car, no matter how bad it looked, is something you fondly remember…it put you on the road to freedom.
5 comments:
1. I never knew you had a red vw beetle!
2. I want to hear the story of how someone totaled that car.
3. It must be a Healy thing to total your first car? Or atleast for me and dad???
I loved riding in that red Beetle with my big sister. Was it a Beetle or a Bug??? Yeah it was vintage alright.
I remember when Kat’s B210 got totaled outside the White House. I believe the story went that she ripped that guy a new one!
Mine was a 1970 VW beetle- pale yellow. It was my Dad's station car and her name was Flo... I had her until I got married in 1985. Then the insurance cost was waaay more than what the car was worth (because I married someone who was a car crasher)
The floor rusted out on the passenger side.. you could see the road if you lifted up the mat.. it was like the Flintstones!
I loved that car!!!!
Pattyo
In case anybody is worried about how old PaulA did in his car crash - I'm doing fine - but we did not have airbags in those days that helped out Big C - still rember coming into work on monday to tell my boss Roger that the company car I was issued had been totaled! then a co-worker promptly sold me a $200 baby blue VW bug with a hole in the floor like PattyO's.
PaulA
oh yea - one other thing - i was dancing with Kat dog at the white house when the b 210 #1 got run over by college student who had "borrowed" his roommates car - now i have a better appreciation of the call that dad got! and yes sista sldge - kat did rip the guy a new one - after we finished dancing!
PaulA
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