Cars

Speaking of cars, It always tickles me when I mention cars I've owned to younger people.

For example, the first car I bought (for $50.00) was a 1953 Ford. Being a little new to auto purchasing (I was 15 at the time) I didn't realize the brake lines were bad and just covered with electricians tape. That resulted in me crashing into the garage at home one day (it was cement block and indestructible. The car was not) before I even had my license.

Then my dad found a 1953 Hudson Super Jet for me (I needed a car to drive myself and my sister Anne to school). That worked fine until the bad roads (we lived on dirt roads in the country) broke the rusted frame. My brother Peter (God rest his soul) fixed it temporarily, but it eventually stopped working.

Next was a 1957 Dodge, with a push button transmission. Cool!

Later on, after my first marriage, I bought a 1964 Falcon Sprint from my brother Joe when he went into the Army. It had a '45 record player in it!

But, what today's people don't get is that this was all around 1965. So, the vehicles I had would be like buying (now) a 1993 Ford or Toyoto or something. At the time, they weren't collector cars. They were nothing special, just old used cars. Now, I know, they would be worth a fortune!

What brought this up? At the VW dealer, they had an old picture of their dealership that had a 1974 Volkswagen "Thing" on the lot. I owned one of those! It was the coolest vehicle in the summer and the worst in the winter. Rear engine, air cooled, and the only heat/defrost was from a gasoline powered heater. I used to wrap myself in blankets in the winter to go to work. Eventually traded it in on something else. Last time I looked they were selling for about $20,000. US. I bought my for around $3,000.

Good times, man... good times...