Learning to drive, I was put behind the wheel of my Dad's Jeep CJ7, and he took me out on country roads to learn to shift gears. It was boxy, drafty, noisy unit that went about 50 at top speed. I got to take it to the movies, ball games, and concerts with a friend, and I was tickled to have something to drive. I also learned to tow the boat and to back it up into the garage. (That little task had a long learning curve...forward, back, forward, back, grrrrr, sigh, deep breath, forward, back...) Eventually, I got to drive the family station wagon, which was an automatic, and that was a nice ride. I also learned to drive the red Ford truck. No power steering...how did I do it?
When I graduated from college, my grandma gave me her car, a little 2-door Chevy, which she had run into a power pole and would no longer be driving! It was an older model, not too spiffy, and I'm not sure the suspension was ever right again, but as long as I had "wheels," I was absolutely thrilled and very grateful.That got me back and forth to work for a couple of years.
After getting a steady job and a little money saved up, I finally bought my first car: a Honda Civic. I laugh at the price now, but at the time $4200.00 was a big investment for me. (The extra $200 was for the radio!) It was dark blue, shiny, had plenty of room, standard shift, and handled well on the road. It was my first experience with front wheel drive, and on slick/bad roads, it was just the ticket! It took me a lot a miles and was very reliable.
In a story-telling workshop I took many moons ago, the instructor told us that this kind of info is part of "our story" and we should share these stories with our families. We were asked if we knew about our parents' first cars; and if not, why not? Interesting, eh? I suspect there are lots of great stories about "first cars."
I remember your Honda.
ReplyDeleteThe first car I purchased on my own was in Japan - a Honda sedan with the steering wheel on the right.
My first car was a 1968 Mustang w/a stick shift. It was a horrible color called Seafoam Green. It was a pale, pale green just this side of the ugly side of white.
ReplyDeleteI ran it off the road, over a curb, between two trees and hit a brick wall on the first day I got my license. I slid on ice.
After that Dad got me a bigger, heavier car -- a 1963 Ford Galaxy.
My favorite car ever was my Honda CR-V. It was a true and faithful companion for 12 years. Someday, my new car (a Subaru Forester) will hopefully have good memories and become a favorite.
Your Honda was a nice spiffy color.
Forgot to mention --- the car was about an inch wider that the distance between the two trees. It made quite a good whack on the driver's side.
ReplyDeleteFunny now in hindsight. Not so funny then.
Fun post, Nancy Kay! My first car was a white Mercury Comet named the White Knight. It saw me through my first teaching job in Colorado and our big drive from Wisconsin to California via Colorado, packed to the gills with wedding gifts. We traded it in a few years later for our first family car, a light green Ford station wagon, that served us well for over 20 years and became a family legend. Fun memories, thanks!
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