Silly Thing

[tunahead72 2,543]

Fifty years ago today, my mom bought her first new car, a light blue 1964 Dodge Dart with the base 101 HP 170 cu.in. slant 6 engine and a 3-speed manual shifter on the column.  Dodge was celebrating their 50th anniversary at the time (I think there might have been a special emblem on the steering wheel maybe  ), and I remember thinking with my little kid brain that 50 years was a REALLY long time.  Now that I'm older and very slightly wiser, I realize that it certainly is.

 

I learned how to drive in that car, and I also learned a few things about how NOT to drive.  I learned, for example, that it was really easy to lay about a 200-foot patch of rubber in front of my high school, but very difficult to pull it out of a ditch without some help.

 

My mom had a hard time adjusting to the new car at first, as she was used to our big 1951 Mercury, but she got used to it in time, and the Dart served us well for about 13 years.  I'll see one on the road every once in a while, and I always have to take a closer look.  For that matter, I'll stare at every old Mercury too (I believe someone told me once that a '51 Mercury was the inspiration for Van Halen's "Panama").

 

That's all.

[varosd 1,185]

my first car was a hand me down 1965 4 door Dart.  good old slant 6

[squonk 43,713]

Speaking of oldish Chrysler Products, I worked in an auto shop about 25 yrs. ago. I was entrusted to work on one customers old cars which had been his parents cars. a 64 Dart with the good old push button auto trans and a 65 Coronet Wagon. All I remember was all that chrome in the interior and that wagon you could park that thing using 1 finger. The wagon's radiator was bigger than today's car's engines! 

 

 

[stevasaurus 23,274]

My first car was a 1960 Chevy Bisquane (sp)...2 speed slush box trans with a 235 straight 6...but this what I used to learned how to drive...wore out a few pair of shoes trying to stop this in time. 

 

Edited June 4, 2014 by stevasaurus

[squonk 43,713]

My first car was a 1960 Chevy Bisquane (sp)...2 speed slush box trans with a 235 straight 6...but this what I used to learned how to drive...wore out a few pair of shoes trying to stop this in time. 

 

Yes the good old stove bolt motor and the 2 spd "Glide with the whine" My family all had Chevy's with the whine when I was little. I thought all cars were supposed to sound like that. I had a 67 Corvair about 25 yrs. ago and brought the whine back!   

[tunahead72 2,543]

My wife and I had a '65 Corvair back in the early '80's, loved it!  It had the 2-speed automatic, I don't remember any whine, just that it was REALLY smooth.  We did, however, lose a wheel/tire assembly on the way to our mechanic one day, that was exciting!  That car was the best 2-wheel-drive vehicle I've ever owned for getting through the snow -- nothing special about the tires or anything else, it just plowed right through like it was enjoying itself.

[varosd 1,185]

My wife and I had a '65 Corvair back in the early '80's, loved it!  It had the 2-speed automatic, I don't remember any whine, just that it was REALLY smooth.  We did, however, lose a wheel/tire assembly on the way to our mechanic one day, that was exciting!  That car was the best 2-wheel-drive vehicle I've ever owned for getting through the snow -- nothing special about the tires or anything else, it just plowed right through like it was enjoying itself.

"Unsafe at any speed!"      my Dad's corvair was a dog!  now his 52 MG TD II was sweet. he sold it in 63 when I was born! Dang it!

[squonk 43,713]

What year was your dad's Corvair? The 65 's and up used to really haul the mail.