Ostomy Memories of Car Love

GROWING UP IN THE FIFTIES, I naturally loved cars.  It was almost genetic.  My first car was a 1954 4-door Ford.  The back seat itself was bigger than our back yard.  As a high school senior, I proudly drove it to school and often chauffeured friends.  It bore only a faint resemblance to the cars hitting the market today.  It had crank windows.  It had a carburetor.  It had no seat belts.  It had tube tires with white walls.  In my seventeen-year-old eyes, it was a luxury model.  Driving has always been a pleasure, a way for a powerless kid to be in control of something large.  It didn’t have cruise control, of course, but even today, when my car does have cruise control, I refuse to use it.  I want to maintain control at all times.  Most people probably feel that they are a good driver but, statistically speaking, that may be arguable.  As far as driving ability goes, the great George Carlin pointed something out.  He said:  “Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac?”  If I thought back over the years, I couldn’t name all the cars that I’ve owned.  Even though I liked them all, my favorite car was always the next one.  You don’t have to be a mechanic to love cars, even though you may not have any idea about their innards.  I don’t understand cyberspace, but I travel there every day.  

My goodness I love American carsI have hadall maner of classic jeepswillys jeeps AMC era jeeps Kaiser jeep era jeepsdodge pickupschevy pickups Blazers even suburban

I currently own a 1984 CUCV M1009 it's an ex airforce military Chevrolet Blazer that served at RAF Upper Hayford here in Englandit's my third hand it's so useful

I also have a 1948 Willys Jeepthat is very slowly being restoredwith the emphasis on slowly

I was a mechanic up until recentlyfleet plant trucks agriculturalall sortsI don't own a caralmost never have I don't like modern vehicles they are unnecessarily complicated and not built to last like everything modern

I envy your ability to do restorations.  And I couldn't agree more re all the complicated newfangled gizmos they're sticking on today's autos.  Drives me nuts.  

If car makers today could make cars that look like old cars but still have all the required legal requirements of today, they'd makes fortune.

I have done many restorationsI worked for two separate restoration companiesin my time the first specialist in Roles Royce Bentley and Jaguar the second being an all round classic restorers and dealersworking on all sorts Packard Jensen Buick Hudson lots of British cars tooI like classic bikes to but never had the opportunity work on them I think modern cars are soul destroying bland blobs I hope I die before I am forced to get something modern

Hey, Alex.  I thought we'd lost you.  

In my youth, I had a Triumph Spitfire, an MGB, and a Triumph Daytona 500cc cycle.  Wish I still had at least one of them.

No, just had to go into stealth mode for a bit. Then, I couldn't get notifications. All is good now.

Henry, you or your family ever have a car with a rumble seat?

Alex! I thought that was you stealth posting. Hope all is well with you.

Cars...been a big focus for most of my life. Completely stupid for a single person to own 4 cars, but that was me. The favorite was the 1987 BMW 535is. The hours spent modifying and maintaining that thing, not to mention driving, are some of my best memories. That old Spitfire was cool too.

Got sick, rent due, they went away one by one. Sad, but that kept me pumping blood, and no (few?) regrets.

Now it's a 95 Accord with zero personality and 240,000 miles. Hoping there's an E type in my future.