Cars

Since I started driving, I've driven three cars on a regular basis.  I've driven a sport-utility vehicle, a minivan, and a station wagon.

1974 Ford Bronco

The first car I drove on a regular basis was a 1974 Ford Bronco.  It was most definitely my parents' car, as my father originally bought it in 1994 to have a four-wheel-drive vehicle to use in the snow.  It saw a period of inactivity from September 1996 to May 1997, which was after my father upgraded to a 1996 Ford Ranger, and before I got my driver's license in May 1997.

The Ford Bronco, which we nicknamed "spot" due to its way of dripping oil on the pavement beneath where it was parked, was definitely an old car.  One look at the front of it confirms that.  It also had an all-metal interior, no seat belts for the rear seat, no shoulder belts on the seat belts in front, only one side mirror, and no air conditioning.  However, it did have a multi-speaker stereo system, which was totally unnecessary, but it seems that the person who owned it before us wanted to hear music while driving.  So there it was.

This car also had its fair share of problems.  It took a while to get started, and wasn't exactly the most reliable car in the world.  I remember when Dad taught me how to work the "automatic choke" on that car to warm it up.  It involved wedging a long ice scraper in between the gas pedal and the driver's seat.  But it worked.  And once it was warm, it could produce some serious heat.  It did, however, eat up gas like a madman - to the point where traveling in it required a gas station at practically every street corner.  It also had a tendency to stop running at the most inopportune times.  I remember three occasions.  Once it stopped running on a straightaway on Route 608.  Another time it stopped running on US 340, at night.  Thankfully both of those times I was somehow able to get it going without any assistance, though it was positively awful to have happen.  A third time, it died just short of the railroad tracks on Route 608 in Stuarts Draft.  That time, another motorist stopped and towed me out of the middle of the road, and somehow managed to help me get started again.

I drove that car for a total of seven months.  In December 1997, everyone took a step to the left.  Mom got a new 1998 Toyota Sienna, I got Mom's old 1991 Toyota Previa, and the Bronco was officially unemployed.  We sold it soon thereafter.

1991 Toyota Previa LE

My parents bought our 1991 Toyota Previa LE new in July 1990.  I inherited it in December 1997 after the aforementioned car change, and drove it until February 2006, when it was officially retired.  The final mileage was 275,275.

The Previa was the car where I first learned how to drive.  When I took over the Previa in December 1997, it was the perfect car for me.  I could carry all sorts of stuff, it was reliable, and it was in great shape with very few problems.  It also had a number of amenities - seven speaker sound, cassette player, power locks, two sunroofs, power windows, a rear spoiler, etc. etc. etc.

Some people may find the Previa's distinctive egg-shaped profile to be a bit "out there".  Some may find it looks obsolete, as a dated view of the future, like the Xanadu House in Florida.  However, this profile did have a specific use, at least for me.  I could find it in three seconds flat in a parking lot, regardless of the size of the lot or the amount of cars parked around me.

I actually owned the car outright beginning in April of 2004, and it served me well for another two years.  Then in February 2006, with a failed inspection and with the costs of bringing it back up to code being prohibitive, I had to bid the Previa goodbye and get a new car.

Before I retired it, though, I did do a large tribute to the Previa in my Journal, where I also introduced my next car.  I also described the Previa's last hurrah, and the Previa's final voyage.

2004 Mercury Sable LS

On February 9, 2006, I got a 2004 Mercury Sable LS.  This replaced the Previa, and is a big step up as far as cars go.  The Sable is a station wagon, and as such, I still have lots of room to carry people and things.  It has power everything, including power seats, an all-leather interior, an electronic climate control system, a remote, "smart" keys, a third fold-up seat in the back, and so much more.

Being so much shorter than the Previa, and lacking the Previa's distinctive profile, however, it is more of a challenge to find in a crowded parking lot, especially when an SUV is parked right next to you.  However, the remote that came with the car worked to my advantage in this case.  I just walked in the general direction where I remembered parking, and hit the "panic" button on the remote.  The panic button causes the parking lights to flash, and the horn to sound intermittently.  Looking for the lights and listening for the horn, I found where I was parked in no time flat.

All I have to say is, this is the car for taking around.  It rides like a dream, and everything is so nice.

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