Do you remember your first car? Of course you do! That first car is important to a new driver. A symbol of freedom. A milestone in maturity.
A couple days ago, we stumbled upon an article by Joe Cummings. The excerpt below details his first ride, how hard he worked to get it, and what it meant to him. It’s a great blog post, and we really hope everyone who reads this will leave a comment about their first car.
What was it, and what did it mean to you?
FIRST CAR
January 5, 2024 by Joe Cummings
My first car was a Cricket Colt. I bought it about a year after I got my license with money I’d earned at Zellers working in department 37/39 pets and plants. How I remember that I worked in department 37/39 mystifies me when I can’t recall someone’s name 2 minutes after I’ve met them. I don’t know. Honestly. How?
However, I loved that car. Red on the outside, white on the inside. It took about an hour to get up to 80mph. Not a single woman ever turned their head and thought, wow, look at that guy in that car.
That’s ok. It wasn’t about the type of car.
The-Prettiest-Girl-in-the-World didn’t have a love affair with her first car, a super classy brown Mustang from the era where Ford said, you know that super cool looking Mustang that sells like crazy, well we’re going to make slower, as boxy looking as a box, and as much fun to drive as a Lada.
Still, there must have been a part of her that loved her car. How could you not, even driving that abomination they called a Mustang?
See, for us, it wasn’t about how expensive the car was (not that either of us could afford an expensive car). No, it was about freedom!
Freedom.
For me, it was freedom to get to work. Freedom to pick up my girlfriend. Freedom to race the other kids in their cars through the streets and alleys of Victoria. I could go to a movie, McDonald’s, or my nerdy D&D stores any time I wanted.
Over here at Demaras Racing we are firm believers that the automobile is a symbol of freedom and that to become an adult, one must go through the trials of car ownership. Payments, repairs, insurance … but also the ability, the freedom, to go where you want, when you want!
Tell us about your first car!
I loved my first car . My dad brought me a mark 2 Ford escort and sprayed it black for me and put in a sunroof. I can even remember the number plate jev790v ! My first taste of freedom. 🖤
Yes Craftylooper! Thats what I’m talking about. You even remember the license plate!
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And sjnce that carr was made from ’74 to ’80 it must have been a while ago.
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Freedom. Yes. The car was your first personal freedom.
Absolutely. I have the best memories .
My personal first car was too boring to even admit to but the first car I drove was my mother’s 1968 dodge charger. That was a very cool car!
Susan the judges have ruled that you must admit the make of your boring first car.
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But the 68 Charger is a CHAMPION of a first drive. So you get bonus points.
Well rules is rules.
My first car was (drumroll please) a light blue 1980 Ford Fairmont. I know everyone is pretty jealous here.
1985 Mazda 626. It was 10 years old and the down payment was my graduation present. It broke down all the time, and the autoshops always had a hard time finding parts to match. Apparently there were 2 versions of this car, and I was always told it would be so much easier if I had the other version. Getting parts to fix it took time and a lot of $$$$. It was a money pit. Was glad when I finally replaced it, though the replacement was a manual, and took me some time to learn how to drive, so I had to keep them both in working order until I learned.
See, that’s the part of the story I like. Freedom of mobility is so important that the car (or at least the down payment) was a graduation gift. And that’s an important gift.
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Too bad the car was always broken down; but those are the challenges that teach you to appreciate a good dependable car. And I’m SUPER glad to hear that you got a manual transmission next.
My first car was a 1966 VW Beetle, dark blue with white interior, pretty rare combination. It was powered by 1200cc engine so, the only way to came close to 100km/h was going flatout, down hill. It was the last year the Brazilian VW equipped their cars with the dreadful 6 volts electrical system, if I missed the first attempt to start the engine, on a cold morning, forget it, it wouldn’t have enough juice for the second try.
Good times.
I was waiting for Rubens Junior to join the discussion.
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And somehow I knew it would be a VW Beetle (and hoped it would be powered by 1200 CCs of fury).
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But I don’t know anything about 6 volt systems. Why was that a ‘challenge’?
“1200 cc of fury”- I just love it!!!
The 6-volt delivers half the punch of a 12-volt system so, everything electric-powered in the car performs very poorly, and the most bothering is the starter. In my hometown, it gets cold in the peak of winter (-2 maybe -3 overnight) so, if I miss the first start in a chili morning I wouldn’t have enough juice in the battery for a second try.
It is very annoying, believe me. LOL.