Have you ever loved a car?
Have you ever loved a car?
Until this latest car, I have loved them all - Dodge Caravan, Colt Vista, Crown Vic, Ford Econoline, Cutlass Supreme, Volvo GTL Wagon, Hyundai Sonata, and currently, a Ford Focus that I don’t care about but do appreciate for being sturdy and reliable.
It’s impossible to pick a favorite, but this is a Cutlass appreciation post. A ‘77 Oldsmobile Supreme, it was older than me by 2 years, painted ‘primer black’ with a white vinyl interior. We used to call it “rat black”. It got 5 - 8 miles a gallon in traffic. It blew heat year round but had working power windows and never once didn’t start on me through 5 Chicago winters. I kept 3 50lb bags of salt in the trunk for traction and a nice snow shovel. Me and my little dog put a lot of miles on that car but it’s impossible to know how many as the odometer was a bit shifty, having been reset at some point. The high beams were a button on the floor and the gas cap was behind the license plate which I kept obscured with dirt or snow, depending on the season. It was the only way to get out of the fucking endless stream of red light tickets. The car had chronic braking issues and I ran all manner of stop signs, red and yellow lights while honking the horn and never caused an accident as far as I know. It was a heavy car, as you can imagine, and didn’t like to stop once it got going. I kept brake fluid, and oil in the trunk along with a can of black primer. And I kept the windshield wiper fluid in an old water bottle on the floor so I could stick my hand out the window and splash into the windshield, which was usually cracked. Even though I replaced it once or twice. She had a steel braided fuel line, 4 barrel carb and dual exhaust. After 3 or 4 years a friend helped me put a radio in. Before that, I listened to my ipod with headphones.
I got her from a guy I knew in High School. He had it in his wife’s name which was also Melissa. I bought it for literally my last $800.00, drove it for five years and sold it for $1250.00. Everyone told me not to buy it but, I knew she was made for me. Cops pulled me over all the time in this car. Usually approaching with their hand on their weapon, “WHOSE CAR IS THIS?!” They always wanna know. “It’s mine,” I’d say. Weed pipe hiding under my leg and my lil girl dog wagging her tail in the back seat. “ARE YOU ALONE?”
“Uh, just the dog, officer.”
It’s impossible to pick a favorite, but this is a Cutlass appreciation post. A ‘77 Oldsmobile Supreme, it was older than me by 2 years, painted ‘primer black’ with a white vinyl interior. We used to call it “rat black”. It got 5 - 8 miles a gallon in traffic. It blew heat year round but had working power windows and never once didn’t start on me through 5 Chicago winters. I kept 3 50lb bags of salt in the trunk for traction and a nice snow shovel. Me and my little dog put a lot of miles on that car but it’s impossible to know how many as the odometer was a bit shifty, having been reset at some point. The high beams were a button on the floor and the gas cap was behind the license plate which I kept obscured with dirt or snow, depending on the season. It was the only way to get out of the fucking endless stream of red light tickets. The car had chronic braking issues and I ran all manner of stop signs, red and yellow lights while honking the horn and never caused an accident as far as I know. It was a heavy car, as you can imagine, and didn’t like to stop once it got going. I kept brake fluid, and oil in the trunk along with a can of black primer. And I kept the windshield wiper fluid in an old water bottle on the floor so I could stick my hand out the window and splash into the windshield, which was usually cracked. Even though I replaced it once or twice. She had a steel braided fuel line, 4 barrel carb and dual exhaust. After 3 or 4 years a friend helped me put a radio in. Before that, I listened to my ipod with headphones.
I got her from a guy I knew in High School. He had it in his wife’s name which was also Melissa. I bought it for literally my last $800.00, drove it for five years and sold it for $1250.00. Everyone told me not to buy it but, I knew she was made for me. Cops pulled me over all the time in this car. Usually approaching with their hand on their weapon, “WHOSE CAR IS THIS?!” They always wanna know. “It’s mine,” I’d say. Weed pipe hiding under my leg and my lil girl dog wagging her tail in the back seat. “ARE YOU ALONE?”
“Uh, just the dog, officer.”
Me and my bad attitude, 2004
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