My cars

Recent automobile events have made me wonder - just how many vehicles have I owned?

Honda Prelude 1982. My dad gave me this car when I was 16 in exchange for my mom not suing him for back child support. I have fond memories of driving with my ceramic torso buckled in the front seat while blasting the Moody Blues on the tape deck. I maintained the engine just as I was told by my father, but neglected the brakes. The bolts ground through the rotors and snapped the brake lines just as I was getting on the highway at 1 am in the middle of nowhere. I drove for an hour on the highway with absolutely no way to stop, as my emergency break didn't work either. It ended well, and really it was a blessing that I didn't have a car to take to college.

Ford Escort. 1984 I think. Little tiny thing. I bought it in FL for $400 to get me back to KC. Loaded everything I could fit in it and Jesse and I started the trip north. Turns out the engine block was cracked. We were towed back to Panama City FL, from Dothan AL for free. Thank you AAA.

Toyota Corolla, 1980something. My mom gave me her, which at the the time was by far the most unselfish thing she had ever done for me. We transferred the title and everything I owned to the Toyota and started the trip again. By that time I was out of money and anxious to get back to KC. We tried to drive straight through by taking truck driver speed. We made it all the way to KC, and just as I was figuring out I should have turned left instead of right off the highway I T-boned a car in an intersection. That was the end of the Toyota. The accident is another story.

Chevy Celebrity 1987. One of my moms friends had her car shipped up to me to have. I still don't think I have adequately expressed my gratitude for that. I let it sit for almost a year before I could get up the nerve to drive again. That accident fucked me up, plus everything was within walking distance in KC. The car was stolen by some teenagers and after a high speed car chase with the police it was rolled and there goes the Celebrity. The red dingle balls glued around the interior helped convict the kid who stole it.

Honda Prelude 1980. My roommates boyfriend sold it to me for $1. I was a rusty piece of shit but I loved that car. It got me back to MI, from RI and back to MA a couple years later. That car would wait till I was in a convenient location before it would break down and it always found the best parking spots. I cried when I have to give up on it. It was rusty beyond salvation. I took the gold Cadillac emblem I had attached to the hood and still have it. Maybe I should install it in my car now and see if it brings me luck.

My roommates stepmother pressed me to buy her ginormous boat of a car for $800. I really have no idea what it was, but it was horrible and huge. The only good thing about it was it rode smooth. I hated it and bought something else. I left it sitting in front of the house, and a neighbor had it towed. I didn't even notice for some time and left it in the impound yard.

I replace that piece of crap with a Honda Accord for $1000. Something expensive went wrong with it and I sold it cheap to a friend.

My next purchase was a NEW car. Well, almost new. It had 4000 miles on it... it was a "managers special". A 1997 Saturn sedan. White. $14000. The engine blew at 32, 000 miles and Saturn said oh well, too fucking bad. I replaced the engine and paid all but around $4000 off. I sold it for what I owed and when we went to her mechanic to check it out he said that it had been in an accident previous to me owning it. I was SO PISSED. That was why the engine shit the bed. Saturn can fuck itself. I will never buy another one and I will make sure everyone I know will know what they did to me.

Bronco II. I bought it for $800 for the trip to move back to MI from MA. It lasted a while after and I sold it to buy my next car.

Nissan Pulsar... 89? Tiiiny car and cute and just right for me. More engine trouble eventually. I sold it to a kid from up north for $250.

Ford Taurus. 1997? I didn't like it, but I needed something and Rob was getting tired of helping me look at cars. It was trouble from beginning to end. The trans went out in it and I sold it for... $500? or something like that.

Honda Accord 1992? Good car. I stopped for a yellow/red light and the guy behind me thought I was going to blow through the light. Smash! The rear was all jacked up and I sold it to my cousin Terry. He is still driving it, making me regret getting rid of it.
Mercury Villager 1993. John, our sales guy from work, offered to let me drive his minivan till I found something else or he needed it back. I didn't like borrowing a car... what if something happened? We transferred the title and I paid him $1500 for it in February with my tax money. In March another engine bit the dust.

Honda Civic 1998. Borrowed $2500 for this one and am still unsure of how to pay it off. I'm crossing my fingers that this will be another dependable Honda and I will have it for many years to come. It's been a long time since I had a stick... my 2nd prelude I think, but I am already feeling comfortable with it. I'll be forever grateful if I never have another reason to blog about cars again.

13? In 20 years? Yikes.