Opel Kadett 'C' Coupe
1973, gift 1987, maroon
Gift for my 17th birthday. It used to stall if I took a left turn too quickly. Took it on a road trip to Montreal in 1990, during which it kept stalling and I could only restart it by popping the hood and bypassing the solenoid with a screwdriver. At the end of the road trip, I drove it into my parents driveway, it stalled, and it never started again.
Dodge Diplomat
1979-ish, inherited 1990, maroon
Inherited when my Great-Aunt Bernie died. Nicknamed the "Diplo-fart" for its adorable habit of frequently backfiring under the slightest strain.
Ford Taurus
1980-something, gift 1992, blue
Gift/albatross from my parents after the Diplo-fart died. Hideously bad clutch. It must have been in a bad accident, because it drove diagonally.
Plymouth Voyager
1984, gift 1992, white
The "White Whale" was my parents' family car prior to their giving it to me when the Taurus was retired. Barb W., Anginette O., Ken G. and I drove it to a CSN concert at the Mann Music Center in 1990 (when it was my parents car), and we got pulled over on the way home, but somehow I talked my way out of any trouble. (What kind of trouble?)
Buick Century
1980-something, gift 1996, tan
Gift from my brother-in-law's cousin's husband (or something like that). The ceiling liner collapsed about 10 minutes after I titled this junker, but during my third year of law school, I commuted to DC from Philadelphia, so I can't say it didn't run well.
Toyota Camry
1992, gift 2000, "Blush Champagne"
Gift from my parents when they got their Prius. We just donated this car to charity (still runs well).
Volkswagen Passat
2004, bought it new for $25,000 in July 2004, "Silverstone Gray"
Our first new car, and still the only car I've ever bought. It feels a lot more luxurious than it is (if that's not an oxymoron), but if you look at my prior cars, you'll understand why I feel that way.
Toyota Prius
2001, gift 2005, "Sea Mist", SULEV Gas/Electric Hybrid
My parents are buying a new Prius because it's bigger and will be easier to drive out to California (from Florida) to visit my brother. So I'm lucky enough to get the "old" Prius. Very nice! And good timing, too.
