first set of wheels

My brother's first car was a 1980 something Dodge 600, passed down from my dad. It was a talking car. It would tell us when 'a door was ajar,' 'fasten our seatbelts,' or 'your headlights are on.' In its older days it began to get its wires cross and the little man inside the car who used to say 'thank you,' when you fastened your seat belt would sometimes say 'thank you,' randomly as you were driving down the road. He hit a deer one year which smashed the door in so much, he couldn't use the passenger side door. Rust had eaten a hole in the floor of his car and if he lifted his floormat he could see the road below him. Prior to that we owned a Mercury Zephyr and apparently mice could get inside somehow. I remember riding to school one day in the back seat and glancing over to see a cute little mousie sitting on the seat next to me. "Uhhhh... dad there's a mouse on the seat."

Although the buick was my first car, I started out driving a 1989 Dodge Caravan that belonged to my dad. Although vans are 'totally uncool,' as a teen.... I didn't really care what it was as long as it had four wheels and it ran. In fact I remember clipping out the used car ads.... (even if the car was barely hanging on by a thread and was selling for $75) and leaving them at dad's place at the table. Mom always threw them away and said 'dad will buy you a car when he's ready,' she'd tell me. "But I'm ready now," I thought!

When shopping Dad almost bought me a 1980's who knows what with a CB radio in it.

What were some of your memories you experienced while driving your first car? Email me at jnelson@stormlakepilottribune.com