How I Roll

Day 98 (Written Monday March 19) ~ They say we Americans have a love affair with our cars, and I pretty much agree. We often own multiple cars, live out of them, name them and like to show them off. Next to our homes, they are usually our second largest investment. Most of us remember with great fondness and nostalgia, our first car.
For me it was a 1986 Chevy Blazer and it was awesome! It was black with silver down the side and the word “Blazer” written down the sides. I bought it when I was 15 and spent all of my money on the sound system (two 15 inch Kicker Contenders in a Stillwater Box, pushed by a 500 watt Lanzar amp). It would go boom, which in the early 90’s was a very important status symbol. I kept that car until I was 17 and, like a complete idiot, sold it to a co-worker at Johnson’s Foodtown because I wanted to quit my job. I still wish I had that car today. Man I wish I had that car back.
My next car was a hand me down. My grandfather had bought a 1984 Blue Ford Ranger with a homemade sunroof (no joke). It was my first stick shift and I got it because I needed a ride and my grandfather had sold it to my dad as a vehicle to haul things around in. It wasn’t anything special, but my friends all loved it. Especially the homemade sunroof that had been sealed shut with glue to keep it from leaking. Jade and I actually drove away from our wedding in the “Rescue Ranger.”
A little while later my dad bought a new car, so I got his old one, a white 1990 Pontiac Grand Prix. This was the car I would drive to college and bring Reese home from the hospital in when he was born. During this time Jade and I got married and I became the owner of a Pontiac Le Mans hatchback that belonged to Jade when we were dating. This car went with me to Memphis, but didn’t return with me. It died on the side of Interstate 40 just outside of Memphis, and was laid to rest in a field behind Bill Hannah’s house, where it still resides today.
While in preaching school, an expanding family and increased travel (along with a water pump going out and leading to an overheated motor), necessitated the purchase of my first minivan. It was a blue Plymouth Voyager that we drove who knows how many thousand miles all over the country and then back to Pulaski when we finished preaching school.
Our beloved van was traded in for a tan 1992 Mercury Grand Marquis from Steve Williams Ford in Lawrenceburg. This purchase was made in 2001, but this car was nice. It probably is still the nicest car I’ve ever owned. Despite being almost a decade old, with the exception of the new car smell, it was essentially a new car. It was a one owner, little old lady who kept it in a garage and only drove it to church, the grocery store and to pick up her granddaughter at school. It had less than 10,000 miles and was in perfect condition. It was loaded with every extra you could imagine. It was a “grandpa” car but it drove so smooth. I sold it a few months ago for a whopping $200.00, mainly because none of us believed it could be driven safely to Valdosta, Georgia. Needless to say, it was not in the pristine condition we received it in anymore. The paint was peeling, it had multiple leaks that filled the floorboards with water, the roof lining was falling off, only one window rolled down, the auto door on the gas cap wouldn’t close, the keypad lock didn’t work, and the air conditioner would only work for about ten minutes at a time, it had four mismatched, different sized tires and I had to keep a gallon of oil in the truck to add every couple of weeks. Jade refused to even ride in it, much less drive it. Oh, yeah, did I mention that there was a super tricky way you had to start it that only I could perform. I literally had to teach the guy who bought it how to perform the trick. And just in case you are wondering, yes I did fully disclose all of this to him before selling it to him. He just needed a car to get him around town and to work (which is all I used it for), and it fulfilled this faithfully. Here are the positives: it got me around town with no problems, it had a great stereo and the cruise control worked great.
Somewhere during this time, my parents got another vehicle and once again I found myself enjoying their hand me down, a mid 90’s tan Pontiac Bonneville. This is probably my favorite car (aside from my first), that I have ever owned. I loved the look of the car, how it “sat” on the road and handled. I loved this car (my mom says it was her favorite too). I got in a pinch for money a few years later and sold it on Swap and Shop.
Our next ride was a 1997 Green Pontiac Trans Port minivan that we bought from friends. We were traveling a lot again and felt we needed a second vehicle and one that could make traveling more comfortable. We also loved that it had two side doors in the back as well. We took it to Michigan, Indiana, south Florida, all over. Then tragically, one night while driving to Fayetteville to preach a gospel meeting at the Wells Hill congregation, having just passed through Frankewing, everything went crazy. Lights and bells started going off, the van lost speed and limped to the side of the road. The oil pump had gone out and the engine locked up. It was D.O.A.
We then bought our most recent vehicle, a green 2001 Chrysler Town and Country minivan. It was fancy, having remote doors and trunk opening/closing, driver/passenger and rear control heating and air. We have put a lot of miles on this van and have driven it everywhere. This van lives for the interstate. Best of all, it’s paid for.
These are the vehicles I have owned in my life. Reese has a white Ford Ranger that he bought when he was 14 and is driving now, but that is his. He paid cash for it. The funny thing about it, with all of these cars I’ve owned, I have never owned a new car, and I probably never will. I’m just not a car guy. What was your first car, or which one was your favorite?