Cars Part 5

My Love/Hate Relationship with Cars

Part 5

I loved my next car, a two year old 1966 red VW bug. I “putt-putted” all over town in that car, in and out of traffic and small spaces. I called it the oil can because of its small size. That VW never gave me any trouble, except perhaps the time I got a flat tire. I had a hard time figuring out how to jack the car up for a tire change. I tried to wedge the jack under the back bumper only to have the car slide off and land on the pavement again. Then I tried the middle of the bumper and the same thing happened. A passing motorist stopped to show me how it lifted from the side onto two wheels.

I next bought a Ford Pinto. Big mistake! It had a propensity to suddenly stall in the middle of traffic and refuse to restart. I realized that FORD stood for "Found On Road Dead" I couldn’t wait to get rid of it. I traded it in on my first new car, a 1977 Datsun Hatchback, and from that day on, I never bought another used car. I now drive a full size automobile and although reliability is still my first priority, comfort is a close second to my aging bones.