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© 1997-1999 Brian F. Schreurs
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Not all vehicles which have touched our lives have been resounding
success stories. Sometimes it's best to just forgive and forget, or at least forget.
Garfield is a 1985 Chevrolet Suburban which my parents bought new. Back in those days, they needed a truck this big. Nowadays it makes the rounds, going from one child to the next. I used it a lot whenever my Charger wasn't running right (that's why I used it a lot); now my brother has it because he doesn't have a car at all. Someday it may make it back this way as a parts chaser. You never know.
The Shelby was a 1988 Dodge Daytona Shelby Z, the first car I tried to buy myself. It has a 2.2L Turbo engine with 15 psi boost (yes, I am serious) and a 5-speed. It was front-wheel-drive, expensive to repair, earned me lots of tickets, and embarrassingly easy to spin.
Ol' Shel was also startlingly fast, extememly comfortable, very responsive, good looking, and blessed with T-tops. If it weren't for college, I would'a never sold this car. I miss it. I'd buy another one except I'm fed up with FWD.
Ah, the beleaguered Caddy. It didn't even stick around long enough to get a proper nickname; most people never even saw it. Probably just as well. It was a 1980 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz with a throttle body problem which I bought for $400. I could'a fixed the throttle body. But it also needed a lot of suspension work (I got a mechanic friend to do it for $200) and some trans work (which I did myself). Then a fuel line leaked (I fixed it). Its death blow was when the electrical system fritzed. It went to the American Cancer Society.
The Bonnie, a 1993 Pontiac Bonneville, moved in at about the same time as the Caddy moved out. I got it when I was in college, with help from my parents, because it seemed like a reasonable compromise car. Roomy, safe, but still sportier than a Saturn.
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