My First Driving Experiences

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1965 Dodge Deora Concept

I learned how to drive on a hunter green, Chevrolet S-10 truck when I was 16. Looking back, I give my dad kudos for putting up with me. I was a REALLY BAD driver! It took me a bit of doing before I mastered the concept of the clutch. Once I mastered it, it only went downhill from there really. Driving a manual makes one think they are a race car driver…

After the truck, I bought a 1983, gold subaru station wagon. I named her Lucy. She was a few years older than the beauty below and I can’t find the few pictures I had taken of her but this will do…

Oh my little Lucy car…I was quite accustomed to driving her the wrong way down one-way streets and going at least 30 mph above the speed limit. I acquired a few speeding tickets along the way, I also talked my way out of even more. However, I’m not the type of girl who would cry when a police officer would approach. I can barely get myself to cry at anything so when the cop would ask me, “miss, do you know how fast you were going?” I would reply, “fast?” I would usually get a warning but one time the officer was actually writing me a ticket and his pen ran out of ink and he let me go. SCORE.

I also thought that centripetal force would work WITH me not against me when I was exiting highways on a curved ramp but, nope! I was driving a little too fast once and I spun out and performed a very GRACEFUL (if I may add) figure-8 donut maneuver…about three times. I ended up part way in the grass. All was good, and I just started the car back up again and was on my merry little way. Weeeeee!

Another time, I was adjusting my seat while driving and strapped into my seat belt and my seat flew all the way back and I couldn’t reach the pedals! So I stalled my car in the middle of a main drag. That was awesome. I was laughing at myself thinking “man, i’m retarded!”

Then, her windshield wipers quit working on our way back from a snowboarding trip from Loveland, Colorado. It was blizzarding outside and I literally had to keep my hand outside of the car so I could catch her windshield wiper as it wiped left. I had to snap it to so that I could see because it kept getting stuck. My hand was purple and I couldn’t feel it for a while.

Also, I hadn’t quite figured out what 4-wheel drive was for so out of curiosity, I stuck her in 4-WD on my way up the mountain going about 70 mph. All of the sudden, my power steering went out and I was having a really hard time driving her. THEN I managed to get a flat tire! I drove her to my friend’s house all dilapidated and her dad had to fix her for me. He gave me a look of bewliderment as I explained the recent events that had been performed. Again, I got the “are you retarded” look.

I hydroplaned with her, bumped her into other cars, got rear-ended, her front lights were knocked out, her shocks were gone because I use to jump her off a really steep hill near the railroad tracks on my way to school. It was a great way to start the day. Poor car! But she loved me and I loved her. Even if her body was a complete mess when I had to let her go.

My mother sold her to our mailman for $150. She was WORTH MORE! My poor babes.

R.I.P. Lucy FOREVERRR

Love,
Angie