I've driven a lot of junk heaps in my time.
First, there was the 1983 baby-blue reliant. The same car that featured in the 'drive-by shooting' scene of some teen flick that was popular at the time (Save The Last Dance, maybe?). Oh, how I wish I had access to my old photo collection so that I could show you how absurd this vehicle was for a 16 year old girl... for a girl... for anyone, really. It was a massive box of an old man car (and was, in retrospect, a safe car to drive, even if it did take 10 minutes to warm up in winter and shuddered dubiously every time it was started up. When it obliged to start up at all).
While it may sound as if this car couldn't have gotten much more glorious, it could. I had to tape black garbage bags over the right side windows after they got shot out by some rich kid's bb gun. They would flap loudly in the breeze at any speed- I got pointed to and laughed at when I pulled up to lights (why it didn't occur to me to cling wrap them so I could actually see around right-hand curves is beyond me).
That car saw me drive myself into my first accident- well, me and half of my best friend's family, when I drove us all (slowly, mind you) over the small icy bridgeway and down into a dry, rocky creek (I'd estimate it was maybe a six-foot plunge). The car flipped in excruciatingly slow motion onto its back like a fallen turtle, leaving us all hanging awkwardly upside-down from our seat belts. The absurdity was exacerbated by the fact that all of my paraphernalia- bras, shin guards, old bags of chips- were hanging like ornaments from every open door and window. It because the Charlton's "favorite Christmas ornament" and sat there for weeks like a giant blue matchstick.
I could go on about the cars that I had after that- my favorite (oh yes, that was meant to be sarcastic) being the gold Volvo with the crank sun-roof- but you get the idea. They were all pretty awful, but they all (more or less) worked. And it is because of those cars that I am so excited about THIS one:
This 2008 Swift is my first new car. My first self-funded car. My first flashy conveyor to freedom. And I think that's worthy of a blog post.
YAY!!!!! So proud of you! :) You forgot to mention the White Ford Taurus which coincidentally happened to be the same car my 80yr old Grampa drove, hahaha
ReplyDeleteHahaha yayyy!! It's so cute & shiny & just perfect for you! And you post sassy pictures of yourself with your new four-wheeled baby, as requested! Thanks! :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd no, no you will probably never live down the Reliant-into-the-creek incident. It still comes up annually at our family vacations, considering Mary Beth likes to remind Danny that he crawled UNDER her to escape and left her hanging by her seatbelt! hahaha....ahh, memories.
haha you crack me up! I love your new wheels, just don't send this one into someones creek. Enjoy it, you deserve it!
ReplyDeleteI adore you. I will laugh about these stories forever -- not because i was there, but because i can imagine in perfect detail how you'd have acted in them. Amazing. CONGRATS!
ReplyDelete1.) The car is beautiful.
ReplyDelete2.) How had you never told me that car-into-creek story before?!
Katers! Congrats, that looks like a fun car to drive. You definitely deserve it! Now don't forget to stick your head out the window and feel the breeze, sticking out your tongue when the urge strikes! Miss you!
ReplyDeleteI JUST noticed that you have a blog tag callled "this made me pee my pants a little".....
ReplyDeleteI love u so much.