Since there has been so much talk of cars the past week, Kyle made me promise I'd post a story on my first car - a 1986 Olds Cutlass with rally wheels, 305 V8, and 60K miles in 1996 - but it was the features it didn't have that make the story.
When I bought the car it didn't have A/C due to a bad compressor, so we got a great deal in Houston where A/C is mandatory. But here's the best part - after a month or so the transmission lost reverse. That's right, I could go forward but not backward. This lead to some techniques I collectively deemed "strategic parking":
1) Never pull into a spot with a cement block
2) Always pull thru a spot and never give someone a chance to block your front end - cause they will....
3) Always have a younger brother (Craig) or friend willing to push the car out of sticky situations
4) When parking in a driveway, make sure there is a slight grade that will allow you to coast back out in neutral.
5) Parking at Sonic is out of the question
My favorite part was getting up in the morning for school, starting the car, and then sticking my left foot out the door in order to Flintstone my way out of the driveway. Needless to say it built character...
7 comments:
Found your blog via the "next blog" button and the post about the Cutlass was brilliant! I always thought that was a cool looking car back in '86 and still think its one of the better looking GM coupes from that era.
Two weeks ago I rented a new CTS while on a business trip in TX and was VERY impressed. It was a V6 (if only National rented the CTS-V!) and really moved out, very little shift lag in the manual mode. Great fit and finish, maybe one of the best American cars I've ever driven!
That's awesome! Yeah, the CTS seems like an acceptable compromise if you have kids. 4 doors, performance, great options. But that is also how we get talked into Mini Vans...
Those were some good character building days...
The Taurus
The Buick
The Boulevard/Crown Vic
The Ram Charger
The Old F150
The Old Silverado
Classics
i agree with p. good days...
I agree that I should have sued the Mattingly's for the pin that was lodged in my leg as a result of shoddy "pin-up the car's headboard" activities....I still have a scar...on my heart...
This is hilarious! You have a new subscriber. :)
Ashley Bell
I thought we had our first anonymous subscriber....Hi Ashley!
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