[Shotimes] David's car

[Ron Nottingham]

You're old Jim :-)  Back in '84 when I got my license, also....  Crap, guess
that means I'm old too!  DOH!  My first car was a '79 Mercury Capri RS
Turbo.  My first two choices were a Pontiac GTO "Judge" with 455SD, and a 70
Mach 1 with a 351C and C6.  My Dad nixed the first two, by saying he
couldn't afford the insurance on them (so I wasn't that bright about cars at
16), later I found out that he got liability on my car and the cost to
insure the Capri, Mach 1, or the GTO would have all been the same.  I
thought that was a good deal, for him to pay my insurance (while I was in
school), even though I had my own money to buy my own car.  I probably could
have acted like a spoiled brat, and said it's my money, I'll buy what I want
to, buy what I want to :-)

I'm glad that my Dad was smart enough to know that a 4-cylinder turbo was
nothing like either of those other two muscle cars, as surely I would not
have lived to see 17!

That Capri was a fun car, though, even though it was wrecked twice by me...
DOH!  First time, came over a blind hill, doing a little less than the speed
limit (45 posted, I was actually doing 35, HONEST!)  and hit a car parked in
the road, no reason why he was parked there.  The last time I wrecked the
car, I fell asleep at the wheel, and ran it into a ditch when I was 18,
coming back from college, after a hectec 3 days of exams and all-nighters.
My Dad declared it totaled, and we sold it back to the person we bought it
from, for 1/3 what I paid originally.  Works out to about 67 a month for
payments! LOL  Paid $3k, had it for 2.5 years.  Still miss that big "hood
scoop" and deep front air dam.  That car taught me allot about driving, as I
was 15 when I purchased it, and couldn't drive a manual, so my Dad had to
drive the car home, even though I could have tried with him in the car.  Two
weeks later, I got my license in that car, and made a perfect score on my
test :-)

Thanks for the fond memories!

Oh, yeah, I wouldn't have went for a 4-door either, at that age!

Ron N. - Dalton, GA
90 SHO



----- Original Message -----
From: "Jim Ryan" <av8r567@optonline.net>


> Having his own car at 12 y/o may seem really cool now.  But, 4-5 years
from
> now, when he's finally able to drive it, it may not seem so cool to have a
> 15 year old 4-door car when his friends will probably be driving something
> newer and sportier.
>
> When I got my license in 1984, believe me I was NOT having wet dreams
about
> owning my neighbors 1969 Ford LTD Country Squire station wagon with the
fake
> wood paneling.  What I really wanted was a 1984 Corvette (still do).  I
> narrowed my realistic choices down to late 70s F-body and G-body cars.
The
> insurance for the Trans-Am was too much so I bought the Grand Prix.
>
>
> James F. Ryan III
> '91 Plus - white/mocha
> temporarily living in Chicago, IL
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: shotimes-admin@autox.team.net
> > [mailto:shotimes-admin@autox.team.net]On Behalf Of van Oss
> > Sent: Thursday, December 19, 2002 9:00 PM
> > To: shotimes@autox.team.net
> > Subject: [Shotimes] David's car
> >
> >
> > I have three sons, aged 12, 13, and 15.  For Christmas, the elder
> > two are getting computers.  The youngest one, David, whom some of
> > you have met at SHO conventions, is getting a car.  That's right,
> > at 12, David is getting a car.
> >
> > It's a 1992 Taurus LX with 3.8L.  Crucial thing is, two airbags.
> > Snagged it for $260.  It's in NE Philly, will need to get it home
> > to La Crosse WI.  It's got a bad tranny.  I assume the head
> > gaskets will need to be done.  Otherwise it seems intact.  Check out
> > eBay #1874921331.
> >
> > David and I had a long talk the other day.  We agreed that, as
> > the gearhead among the three boys, he was the one most likely to be
> > willing and wanting to fix up his own car.  We agreed we'd work
> > on it so that it would be ready when he can drive it.  This Taurus
> > is a car that he and I can prep together.  I look forward to
> > wrenching with him on his car.  Wait til he goes to school (6th grade)
> > and tells the other kids what he got for Christmas!
> >
> > Joseph van Oss
> > _______________________________________________
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> > Shotimes@autox.team.net
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