First car memories

[Tammy]

I remember the joy of buying my first car. I was 15, had a learners permit in my purse and $200 babysitting money saved up. I bought the first car I found for $200 that actually ran. It was a red 1972 Pontiac Catalina. Red is my favorite color and the rust spots almost matched the paint. My friends called it "The Beast" but they enjoyed my 16th birthday almost as much as I did. We had wheels! I really put that car to the test. I can't even count all the things that I banged into. My first winter of driving, we had an ice storm and I decided it couldn't be any worse than the snow I was used to driving in. I guess some of us have to learn the hard way. I was only going 15 mph when the small car in front of me started to slide. I hit my brakes and went into a spin. I spun around 3 times and slammed into the side of the other car every time I circled. When we finally managed to stop our cars we discovered that her driver's side was completely smashed in and she had to climb out the passenger side. Neither of us were hurt thank goodness, but her car was in desperate need of repair. Other than a few paint smudges, you couldn't even tell that my Catalina had been in an accident. That car was built like a tank. I drove my '72 Pontiac for at least two years until lack of maintenance sent it to the boneyard. I hope that when my kids get their licenses I can find a good solid car like that for them to learn in.

[Tammy]

I was hoping to hear more first car memories from others. It's amazing to look at how our views of cars change as we get older.

[Siva]

First car is always sweet experience.