The first car I drove was our family car, a 1992 Ford Tempo. I remember the day we bought the “red car” and I also remember the day my dad finally let me drive it around the parking lot of Merced College. We’ll get back to the Red Car later.
My senior year of High School I drove a 1987 Pontiac Bonneville. It was beige on beige, the back seat was the size of a couch, and the trunk could’ve fit 4 adults. My brother and I called the “The Clunker” and my friends in High School called it a “Tuna Boat”. It had super glue running down the side where my mom tried to glue back the strip that fell off the side. It also had purplish brown dots in a straight line on the ceiling where my little brother, from his car seat, hit my dad in the head with a grape squeeze-it and sprayed up on the ceiling and my dad was so mad at him. I have so many memories of the clunker. Like the day the battery died and my brother and I couldn’t go see Austin Powers 2 in the theatre while my mom and dad were gone. I laugh at how funny I must’ve looked at 16 driving around blasting the Eminem Slim Shady LP on cassette. Ohhh, if my mother only knew I had that cassette. Haha…yup! I still love that album cause it reminds me of The Clunker. I also still know every word by heart. Toward the end of its life, you couldn’t turn the car off in park anymore cause it rattle and shake, so you would turn off the ignition in drive and then put it park. Haha. Yup, The Clunker.
The next car I remember was a 1990 Toyota Cressida. I don’t remember if we had a name for this car but I actually liked driving it. Unlike The Clunker, it fit into most compact parking spots and I could haul around my color guard equipment in the back. Sadly, I rarely got to drive it. Probably cause my dad thought I was “safer” in The Clunker. My favorite memory of The Cressida was driving it to the mall with Christen and how we thought we were so sick, but we were in a station wagon! Haha.
My next car was my first real car. It was the first car I picked out and bought, and at 18, it was my first car of freedom. My 1987 four door Honda Accord was my favorite. It was tan with brown interior. I saw it for sale in the parking lot of Merced College and when I saw the sign I said, “This car is meant to be mine.” $1,700 bucks later, I bought a car I couldn’t drive because it was a 5 speed. I learned how to drive it and after a few weeks I knew I never wanted to drive an automatic again. I took that car everywhere. Becka and I drove it to Bass Lake the first time we hung out blasting the song Lady Marmalade and that is where I learned to down shift when going through the mountains. The bad girl mobile. I drove that car into the ground and rumor has it, it is currently parked in someone’s backyard in Merced awaiting another repair.
My Honda always needed repairs. Whether it was the clutch plate that went out on my way home from Sonora, or the time some dumb woman bashed in hood and busted the radiator, it seemed my dad was always helping me fix my Honda. It was during this time that my dad let me borrow one of his 4 cars.
The Chrysler Cordova was the classic. I think it was a 79’ or something, and it still had an 8 track! I drove it for a few months and everyone was jealous of the “Dobe” as my brother and I called it. Sadly, it was the middle of summer when I drove it, and with no AC and leather seats it was brutal! It was so hard to park at my apartment. It never fit in normal parking spots. I remember the doors weighted a ton each, and I bet Becka and I looked so awesome rockin it around town.
I also drove another big classic, my Oma’s 1985 Cadillac Coupe De Ville, also a two door, with white exterior and royal blue interior. When I was little I thought the “Caddy” was rich and when I was 19, I thought it was poor. Luckily, it had AC and a kick butt cassette tape and radio with a pretty rockin sound system. I remember driving it to baseball games at the College and parking reeeally far away cause I couldn’t find a parking spot that I could fit into. Haha.
Then, there was the four door Cadillac, another white on blue that I only drove a couple times. My favorite road trip was when Becka and I borrowed it and drove it to Reno while we were off work on disability. I had a broken toe, and she was recovering from a broken back and we decided to follow our boys to a baseball tournament in Reno. With maybe $100 bucks between the two of us, we went with no hotel reservations, just a tank of gas from my dad and an overnight bag with all of our cute outfits; we hit the road in the Field’s old Caddy.
The last, and newer of my borrowed cars, was my dad’s light brown 1999 Ford 150. I loved this truck. Not only did it drive really sweet cause it was a 5 speed, but it had the most unique smell. It was used by its previous owner to deliver vitamins to cattle on a ranch and the vitamin smell had fermented into every fiber in the interior. Strangely enough, my brother and I still remember that smell and always liked it. I am sad my dad doesn’t have that truck anymore.
After the truck, I was back to driving the Red Car. I wasn’t happy about it but at least I could park it in normal or compact parking spots. It had a “minor” oil leak so I had to continuously pour oil into it. One oil fill I forgot to replace the oil cap and drove around for weeks with a smoking, oil smelling engine. I was hoping it would just die, but instead it just burnt out some fan and it was a quick fix.
The final straw came in June 2003. My mom and I were in the Sonic drive thru in The Red Car and I lost it. I was like, “There is no AC in this damn car, I am sweating my nuts off, and I am going to buy a new car! RIGHT NOW!” At the used Honda dealership, I spotted it, my dream car. An all black 2001 Honda Civic EX Coupe, I knew it was going to be mine. I was going off to college 30 miles away in two months and I needed this car to get to school safely. My mom gave me half of her first bonus at Malibu for a down payment and both of us sacrificed so much for that car and to make the payments. I was safe in my reliable car, got my degree, and eventually refinanced the car in my name. My days of classics behind me, my Civic will always be my baby. It was the perfect ending to a long list of very unique cars.
I just sent in the final payment my Honda is finally officially my car! But, I wouldn’t change anything. Who else can say they drove at least 10 cars before the age of 21? Haha. It made me appreciate a lot and was a humbling experience to my hyped up teenage ego.
As for my next car, I am already daydreaming about a 2009 Infiniti G37 hardtop convertible which is said to be released next month. Hey, a girl can dream can’t she!? ;-)
1 comment:
I'd stick with the Cressi wagon. :D
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