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| ~ THE ANCIENT RIDE ~ |
| YEAR: 1968 MAKE: Buick MODEL: La Sabre PHOTOS: 1985 I wish there were photographs available other than the small, distant shot (above left) and a picture taken from the passenger side o'the front seat... But it really doesn't matter. It became obsolete in 1990 once I'd obtained The Camaro. But from 1983-'88, it was our only means of transportation. "The Tank" was equipped with a 350 engine in such dire need of rebuilding or replacing that it knocked incessantly every time you stepped on the accelerator after it had warmed up. I do not know how good the transmission was; but the 4-barrel carburetor ensured us this old crate would chug plenty of gas. "Le Behemoth" also had serious overheating problems. It started to run hot barely out of the parking lot. Mom & I were always pouring gallons of water into its old radiator (which was not equipped with an overflow tank)...ever careful to have the engine running during such times so as to not crack the block. This turned into a tricky duel with spattering, boiling water we had to be prepared for whenever taking the cap off. Note my hint at sarcasm when saying "Those were fun days." "The Green Monster" was not without personality, most of which could be found via the worn out, run down, ailing interior. The driver's side wind-wing was stripped; the driver's side window slid into the door soon as ya rolled it halfway down; and the lock ceased to operate. In fact, that whole driver's side door needed serious work--if not outright replacement. "The Rust Bucket" had some ceiling lining which was basically a ripped and tattered mess. The back seat was missing a spring--so there was a hole o'sorts to fall into whenever someone sat in that certain tear. The main rearview mirror mounted near the top o'the windshield never could stay put. And finally, after some poor drunken fools failed in attempting to break into our car and steal it late one night (nearly destroying its ignition in the process), we had a friend rewire the ignition so that it came up through the cigarette lighter...which was great, because then you could lay your keys in the accompanying ash tray, push in the drawer and have both your keys and the ignition literally disappear from sight. No joke. "The Dinosaur" was a used car which Mom could barely afford to buy for $500 bucks in Spring 1983 from a car lot (formerly on the corner of Sherman Way & Hayvenhurst) littered with signs that said things like "Stupid Buyer On Duty." We were fortunate to get that car, problematic as it was, and have it as a means of (questionable) transportation for seven years. Our reliance upon the kindness & help from others who were mechanically inclined was heavy during those years, since we had little money to finance serious repairs. And with the help of kindhearted friends, The Buick stayed on the road (although barely) the entire time we had it. As a teenager approaching legal driving age, I was never anxious to get my license. Knowing all too well that The Buick was our sole means of transportation, and therefore the only car I would get to drive, it kind of spoiled the whole "rite o'passage" most 16-year-old kids experience when learning how to drive a car. Nothing good was waiting for me to drive; so I had to seriously ask: "What's the point?!?" I would have much preferred to ride a motorcycle if given the chance. But after graduating from high school, the need for driving myself to & from work every day surfaced; so getting my driver's license at Age 18 was one of the last significant things I did my senior year. Two years later, I bought The Camaro; two months after that, we caught wind of a UniCal 76 "retirement program," where they would buy any operational vehicle Year 1970 & older from ya for $700. I had my Camaro, and Mom had obtained her 1977 Chrysler La Baron (same year as my car) in the Fall of 1988. We no longer needed The Buick, but we did need the money. And in this way, that old clunker car helped us out one last time. ______________________ |
