First Car

The only car for which I feel any nostalgia was the 1936 Chevrolet. That car was fun. I think it was maybe my second car. It had comfortable seats, and could go in ice, mud and snow when nothing else would.

But, I am a realist and would not take a 1936 Chevrolet as a free gift. They just took too much maintenance and fuss, and too often simply would not start, and I am past the stage of enjoying that. That is why my 2002 Sienna is the best car I have ever owned.

Yes, it has needed repairs, though not many considering the use it has had. But, when I leave my house in McAllen (when I am there) to drive to Virginia or Ohio or Florida, I (so far) have gotten there and back.

I enjoy nostalgia as much as the next person. But, give me a modern car with all its advantages.

And, in many cases, not all, if people had that first car back again, it would be sold for exactly the reasons it was sold the first time.

My first car was a 1957 chevy wagon that the neighbor had for sale. It didn’t look to rusted and ran pretty good. I had to save the $500 to buy it (this was 1970) and my dad would insure it.
It was a great car as a teen and plenty of room in the back for riders and beer kegs.

We did find a rusted out area that went right thru, but never knew about the hole untill a buddy fell asleap…passed out…in the back and woke to find the back of his head soaked from the rain splashing up thru the hole and onto his head.

Sold it 4 year later for what I paid for it, but never pointed out the rust hole.

My first CAR is a '55 Hudson Hornet, which is more Nash than Hudson after their merger in 1954. It has a 320 CID V-8 that Hudson bought from Packard. I have owned that car three times. I was 15 the first time I got it, and about 30 the last time. I still have it.

Before the car, I had a '31 Chevy farm truck. I was 13 the summer I got it in payment for tearing down the shed that it had been parked in 16 years before. The truck was at least partially supporting the shed. I attacked the shed with a four foot wrecking bar and a hand saw. Once the rotten lumber was stacked for burning, my dad and I towed it home. He got it running after rebuilding the fuel pump with a kit from the local harware store. I wish I still had that one.

My fourth vehicle was the MGA that I have now. I’ll probably drive it to my 45th anniversay HS class reunion in a few years. I was the only student to drive their same car to the ten year reunion. I’m sure my record will still stand.

There have been far too many others to remember or mention, but only one first CAR.

I had 3 cars that I bought from my parents in 1979, 2 years before I got my license. A gold with a white top 1965 4 door Chevy Impala with a 327 hipo and an aluminum powerglide that would fly, a 1968 Dodge polara that we sold before I even drove it, and a 1963 Ford E100 van that was an old Iowa power and light van that was a real junker but we used it like crazy