Cars

Our car was due for an oil change, so I brought it into the dealership on Saturday. Say what you want about bringing your car to the dealership for maintenance. I know some people really frown on that. But the oil change is super cheap there and they wash the car. As long as you fight off all the extras they try to throw your way, it’s fine.

But on Saturday they threw an extra my way that I knew was going to happen soon: We needed new front brakes. They’d mentioned over a year ago that they were wearing thin, so this was no surprise. Since the procedure was going to take a while, they gave me a loaner and I went home.

Driving around in this new car (a brand new Subaru Outback- loved it), I began to think about all the cars I’ve had since I could drive. I think it would be fun to create a series of post taking a look down memory lane on the cars that have been a part of my life.

My First Car

My first car was a 1986 Pontiac 6000.

(Not my actual car. Picture it in white with a lot more rust)

I got it in 1995, so it was no spring chicken. My dad bought it from a co-worker. Before he found this one, he had his eyes on a Pontiac Thunderbird. I told him that’s a boy car and I didn’t want to drive some muscle car around town. I was an idiot. That would have ruled.

I had this car for just a few months before I got into my first accident. And it was a bad one. I was following my best friend out to her house in the country. I had never driven out there before. She drove like a maniac down these gravel roads. I glanced at my speedometer and I was going 75 mph. The dust from her car was completely obstructing my view. I was 16 and wasn’t concerned. Why would I be? One of my favorite songs from my childhood had just come on the radio and I hadn’t heard it in years. The song was Carly Simon’s “Coming Around Again”. I turned up the radio and sang along in a state of pure bliss. I was 16. I had my own car. I was driving by myself living the moment I had dreamed of. Driving by myself with the radio cranked and singing at the top of my lungs on a beautiful spring day. I was taken out of the moment when I realized I could actually see in front of me again. Jael, my friend, had disappeared. Her car was nowhere. Then I saw a turn and saw her car out of the corner of my eye going up the road. So, I slammed on my brakes. I did not remember the part from Driver’s Ed about not slamming on your brakes while going 75 mph on a loose surface. My car began to spin and I found myself tumbling down into the ditch. I remember my eyes being open the whole time and just watching the world flip around. I finally stopped rolling when the car landed up against a telephone pole. Luckily, the roof over the backseat is what made the impact. One foot off and I wouldn’t be typing this today.

I assessed my situation and was relieved to see my window down. I crawled out of my window, cursing myself for wearing a dress that day as it was now riding up over my hips, and got a good view of the damage. The back window was gone. The roof over the backseat was completed dented in. There was some smoke seeping out from under the hood. But, still playing, was “Coming Around Again”. My hands were shaking. I started to cry.

My friend found me sitting in the ditch and shaking. She started to laugh. In her defense, I’m sure it all looked pretty ridiculous and she could see I was okay. She went to get her brother, who tipped the car back over and drove it to their place. I made the awful phone call to my dad to tell him what happened. He was not pleased. I made Jael drive my car home as I was certain it was going to blow up. I drove hers. She knew I was being an idiot.

I spent a big part of the spring with no rear window until we could get it replaced. The car was never quite the same after that. Eventually, the radio started to go out. I would have to smack the dashboard really really hard to get it to come back on.

It broke down about a year later while I was driving home. Oddly, it happened about half a mile from a creepy little used car lot. It was the closest place with a phone. It is not ideal to walk into a creepy little used car lot and have to tell them that your car just broke down and you need to use their phone. It’s like their dream come true. I did end up buying a car from them. But, I’ll get to that in my next post.