First Gear

I didn't know what to expect from my first car. I hadn't put a lot of thought into it at the time. I just wanted something that would go from point A to point B in a reasonable amount of time. I wasn't really worried about the important things that go with owning a car. I was young, and uninformed. I just wanted to have a car and enjoy that first taste of adulthood. It's funny how hind sight works.

My first car was a nightmare. It was a 1985 Buick Electra T-Type, not a bad car for its time, but I didn't own it during its "time". I was the second owner of this classic, $400 beast and it took a lot of TLC to get it back on the road. It had sat in a driveway for about eight years, rotting away. The only time it moved was to go into the garage for winter, and back out in the driveway for summer. I think it clocked a total of just over half a mile in those years. The car was a mess that only got worse. I loved and hated that car, every time I fixed something, without fail, something else would break or need replacing. My wife would joke with me to just let it die, that it needed to be put out to the pasture. I wouldn't have any of it, I refused to let that car die. I loved that car, worked hard on it, swore at it, kicked it, busted my knuckles on it, cried because of it and swore I would never let it go. But alas, its time has come. It had a good run, I put countless parts on it, spent hours troubleshooting different problems but the time had come, enough was enough. I told my wife that when I returned from Iraq I didn't want to see that car in the driveway.  I held to my end of the deal just as she did, I came home and the car was gone. It was bitter sweet but a blessing in its own way. It started a path that I would continue down for the rest of my life.

I cannot explain why, but I feel like if you own something you should take care of it and do your best to keep that item serviceable. I tried like hell to keep that first car together, it was a money pit and an eye sore to boot but it was mine. Of course it is not like I could just go out and get another car whenever I wanted, I was not a "fortunate son".

So what do you do? You take care of what you have. You fill it up, clean it out, dust it off and every now and then throw a bucket of water on it. The easiest way to do that is to start with something new or new to you. Not all of us have a nice, show room floor ride as our first. But I think if all of us treated it as such we would be a little different, hold our heads a little higher. It may sound silly and to some, a waste of time but I assure you, this is one of those things that the more you put in, the more you will get back. That first car was indeed a nightmare, but I gained great knowledge from that experience. My confidence rose, my situational awareness became sharper and I learned quite quickly how easy it is to be taken advantage of, just by not knowing my own vehicle.