Cars Over the Years

The other day while I was rocking on the front porch of The Compound, I began reflecting on the cars I’ve owned over the years. This Baby Boomer has been behind the wheel for 55 years and even I was surprised at the number of vehicles La Bear and I have owned plus those driven prior to our marriage. Certainly, some were fun, some were practical, and some were just mistakes.

My folks preferred Oldsmobile “back in the day” as we lived in Colonial Village which, coincidentally, has recently been named by “Niche” as the best neighborhood in America to live in. It just so happened directly across Wilson Boulevard from Colonial Village was Olmstead Oldsmobile where my father purchased a number of 98’s over the years and one Toronado. The Oldsmobile 98 was a large sedan and the vehicle I cut my driving teeth on. I had my first accident in a 98 which was only a month old–ouch! I was coming down Courthouse Road one afternoon taking a friend home when I rear-ended a car while attempting to yield onto Arlington Boulevard (Route 50). Dad took it pretty well when he arrived on the scene more concerned if everyone was okay. No doubt I was sick to my stomach over the incident thinking I’d never ever be able to drive again, but Dad was really cool with it. Fortunately, he also knew the police officer at the scene who decided not to issue me a ticket for failing to yield which I deserved, but so thankful he didn’t for all the obvious reasons.

My first car was a bright yellow 1970 Datsun 240Z. It certainly wasn’t an American “muscle” car, by any means, as it was a small 2-door coupe with a longish front and a manual “4 on the floor”, cozy yet comfortable, but surprisingly quick and a lot of fun to drive.

Having this desire to own a true British sports car, I fell in love with a fire engine red 1972 MGB GT and traded in the 240Z. Built by British Leyland, this was MG’s largest model sporting a hatchback. Its classic style was head-turning “back in the day” and although a very sporty manual shift and fun to drive, it wasn’t built for speed and was in the shop a lot for mostly electrical issues.

So in 1975, Datsun introduced a 280Z 2+2 and I traded the MG in for a light gold metallic beauty. Of course, the back seat was only comfortable if you were very small (much like MGB GT), but the seats would fold giving you added room for luggage which was a bonus. The Baby Boomer enjoyed this car very much, not only for its good looks, but it gratified the need for speed with a manual “5 on the floor”.

I then traded the 1975 in for a 1978 sharp looking green with a leather tan interior 280Z 2-door coupe which continued to check all the necessary boxes at the time. La Bear and I were married in 1979 and she owned a 1978 2-door yellow with a white vinyl top and white leather interior Oldsmobile Delta 88 which was a really classy looking vehicle and a very smooth ride.

With The King being born in 1982 and Baby Bear “baking in the oven”, we traded La Bear’s Delta 88 in for a 1983 burgundy 4-door Delta Royale 88 which became our family car. It was big, very cushy, and safe. We found out how safe it was as La Bear was T-boned with both of our children on board leaving the Seven Corners Shopping Center where luckily no one was injured.

Finally, I grew up a bit and let go of the 1978 “Z” car for a 1985 light green Cutlass Supreme. All of a sudden, we had become an Oldsmobile family just like my folks–hmm! It was a nice-looking automobile and comfortable fitting the needs of our family at the time.

In 1988, we traded the Delta for a 1988 burgundy Jeep Cherokee which was also manual shift. This was our first 4-wheel drive vehicle and not only was it a fun ride, it proved to be very practical.

We moved to Greenville, SC in 1988 as I had left Giant Food accepting a position with the Bi-Lo supermarket chain. We decided to trade the Cutlass Supreme for a larger rose-colored 1989 Cadillac Sedan de Ville. This was a large car and very handsome. Certainly, it was probably the smoothest ride of any vehicle we have owned. In 1992, we traded the Cadillac for a tan 1992 Buick Park Avenue which also was a very nice ride and extremely practical although a big step down from the Caddy.

We moved back to NOVA in 1993 and finally let go of the ’88 Cherokee which had been a truly excellent vehicle, but it was just worn out. We got really too practical and made a mistake purchasing a 1992 Cutlass Ciera tan station wagon. This proved not to be a wise purchase, but it was roomy enough for the four of us. My Uncle Jack was getting up in age and didn’t drive very much deciding to sell us, at a very modest price, his 1992 metallic gray Lincoln Mark VII which was a rather sporty vehicle at the time and a very nice ride looking brand new.

We traded both the Ciera and Mark VII in 1996 for a gold metallic Jeep Cherokee Limited and a burgundy GMC Yukon. We now owned two SUV’s, one mid-sized and one very large and we very much enjoyed both vehicles. Unfortunately, the Jeep was involved in an accident which was damaged beyond repair and we purchased a 2001 cobalt blue Oldsmobile Aurora which turned out to be another mistake. It was an attractive sporty vehicle, but the interior was not very spacious. The Aurora proved not to be very dependable spending a good amount of time in the shop which caused us to unload it in 2004.

While working in the transportation industry I was fortunate enough to be provided with a company vehicle for a number of years. We sold the Yukon and in 2009 purchased the “ultimate driving machine” which was a light jasmine green BMW 328i 2-door sports coupe with “6 on the floor”. This was truly a wonderful vehicle. Not only was it very attractive and sporty, but it was also comfortable and extremely quick–a true pleasure to drive.

In 2009, we also purchased what I call a SUV for two. The Mercedes Benz GLK 350 was very well built, cute, comfortable, and very smooth. The 2009 was black and in 2012 we traded for a beautiful light gold metallic GLK which was certainly a pleasure to drive. These vehicles, in my humble opinion, were “head turners” and both were extremely dependable.

Desiring and needing a large SUV, we unfortunately traded that dream of a BMW in for a 2015 light brown Chevrolet Tahoe. Yes, it was big, it was comfortable, it was functional, and it was very dependable, but it certainly was not the “ultimate driving machine”.

So, to “scratch the itch” and satisfy yet another “mid-life crisis”, we purchased another 2-door sports coupe which I believe turned out to be a mistake. This was truly a beautiful vehicle and very sporty with plenty of speed. The interior was so roomy and as attractive as the exterior. The issue was It really didn’t provide a smooth ride especially when you hit a bump or a rough patch of road due to it having “run flat” tires which are very hard creating what I describe as a rough ride. For me, the other downside is that it was an automatic–sports cars need to be manual! The vehicle was a 2019 metallic gray Mercedes Benz E400 coupe with an off-white interior and it really just sat in the garage as we were entering the coronavirus pandemic which just wasn’t practical. My friends say this Baby Boomer is “frugal” while his enemies say he’s “cheap”–my enemies are correct! WTBS, I was disappointed in the E400 and dumped it in 2020 as we really didn’t need another car just sitting in the garage.

Our current vehicle is a metallic gray 2022 Jeep Wagoneer. We traded the Tahoe in for this large, attractive, comfortable, dependable, and practical SUV. This V-8 behemoth is very smooth and we’re very pleased with its performance thus far. I would classify the Wagoneer as a luxury SUV and it has not disappointed.

Well, that’s the long and short of my whimsical reflection on cars which I’ve owned. Please take a moment to share some of your favorite rides.