Cars - Specifically, My First One

I was thinking the other day about the cars I have owned, which wasn't hard since there have only been three. The first was a hand me down from my parents - a Datsun 240k in a shade of something that I can't even describe. Bluey-purple. Actually, turns out I can describe it. This is the car we grew up with and in its hey day was considered something of a sports car. It was only two door - which is why I will always have four doors - and you could wind the windows down in the front and back without any barrier between the two which meant playing "Dukes of Hazzard" and sliding in and out without opening the doors was a piece of cake. There were hardly any accidents doing this.

It had sheepskin seat covers, a tape deck and was like driving a tank - no power steering so turning a corner meant you had to put your back into it. This is the car I learned to change a tire on and learned that showing your friends how fast you can reverse down a street does not end well when other cars are parked in your path. And are collector item Triumphs that have just been remodeled. So, you make your best friend come in to help explain to your parents, with the help of diagrams and re-enactments, just how such a mistake could happen when you merely reversed out a driveway.

The rule was, you got this car for your last year of high school so once my brother finished, we shared it. Which worked well since we went to the same University. I recall driving off for my third year, packed to the gills, playing "Born to be wild" as we headed out. I'm just now realizing how not cool this sounds.

Eventually I got tired of sharing and bought my own car which is another episode in itself. My brother resumed full responsibility for the Datsun and there it met its demise. Every time I would get in the car, something would fall off. Pull the sun visor down, pick it up off your lap and hold it yourself to shield your eyes. Attempt to wind the window down,* get the handle out of the glove box. Please put it back when you're done, I was directed. Then there was the  incident while stopped at a traffic light - out of the corner of his eye, something rolled on by. Called his hub cap. A recon mission later that night recovered it and it was put back in its rightful place. The back seat. Eventually he decided to travel so the car had to be sold, also there were no longer any windscreens made for it so seemed the right time to get out. A collector bought it and even paid money.

Long live the Datsun!