My old cars

Allow me a trip down memory lane if you will. My first car, purchased in 1977, was a 1962 Buick Special with an aluminum block “Fireball V8” engine, purchased from my Aunt Catherine for $50 in 1977. I pulled out the front bench seat and installed bucket seats from a Ford Mustang. I built a center console out of plywood and put in gauges for everything I could. I had toggle switches for every light—for instance—I could turn off either headlight. It had my one and only 8-track player. It was a fun car to learn about mechanical things. 

Then one day I was with my friend Sid Camp who was auto shopping when I saw my first MGB and fell in love. The car belonged to a salesman at the dealership. He said it wasn’t for sale, and I told him everything is for sale. I bought that 1967 MGB for $1500 (1980 dollars) and drove it my last two years at Tech and through law school. You old-timers remember Earl Schieb’s low-cost paint job. I took my car to Earl on Broadway in Macon for the infamous $99 paint job. I drove the car for another five years until I traded it for an 8N Ford tractor that I needed more than the MGB. I wish I had kept it because that car just pulled on my heartstrings. 

I have owned a BMW 2002 (fun), a BMW 325e (crazy fast), a Nissan Sentra, a Nissan Kingcab (great little pickup), an Oldsmobile Cutlass (blah!), a Buick Park Avenue (luxurious), a Dodge Caravan (practical), a Ford 15-passenger van (excessive), a Chevy Silverado (monster truck), a Ford Expedition, a BMW 745 (smoothest riding car ever), a BMW 535 (horrible), a Jeep Wrangler, a Jaguar XK (fun), several more MGBs, a Honda Crosstour (great car), and a Toyota Rav4 (Mary Ann’s daily driver).

My current daily ride is a Nissan Quest minivan that I have adapted to lift my wheelchair. I bought a pickup truck crane for $150 and positioned it behind the driver’s seat so it can lift my chair. It’s a funky-looking operation, but it works, and I get many compliments from folks for its utility. And I am a Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech, after all, and making things work is what we do!

In 2009 I succumbed to a midlife crisis and bought a 1970 MGB in Montana. I drove it across the country to get it home—well, I tried anyway. It lost the #3 piston in Nebraska, but it’s so flat I kept driving. Then it lost its #4 piston in St. Joe, Missouri, and though it was drivable, it could only muster about 40 mph. I trailered it home and have since rebuilt the engine (Dave Dwyer actually did it), redone the interior, painted the car (the late, great John Pickett), installed an overdrive transmission (thanks to Ronnie Babbitt and Russ Pierce) and it’s a great car. But my left leg doesn’t have the strength to push the clutch, so I can’t drive it, yet. As always, I have unrealistic optimism that everything will turn out fine. 

I think that’s every car I’ve ever owned but I may be missing one, as my memory isn’t as sharp as it used to be. What memorable cars have you owned? I’d like to hear your stories. As a column bonus, on my website I list what happened to my various cars.