Health & Fitness

What Was Your First Car?

No matter how bad your first car was, everyone remembers the make, model and memories.

Recently, my colleagues and I got into a conversation about our first car.

My first car was a beige 1993 Ford Tempo. The starter malfunctioned on a regular basis and it leaked oil like nobody's business. I think we bought it for around $700 from my boyfriend's stepdad.  

To me, it was the best thing I ever owned in my life. I was almost 18 and had been driving my dad's beat up Oldsmobile that left a trail of smoke floating above the road for at least a mile. We lived in the country and you could hear the car driving down the road from miles away. We always knew dad was almost home at least five minutes before he got there. 

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This makes me sound like I'm 55. I'm not, we just had old cars. Preacher's salary. Then again, my own family's second car is an '88 Chrysler. Reporter's salary. Ha. (PS, it's for sale...)

What was your first car? Try to dig out an old photo and share it with us!

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So, back to the Tempo. It took me to Huntsville and Nashville, taking breaks along the way to chug some oil and just hang out until somebody fixed whatever broke. Eventually I learned to fix the starter myself. I guess it was safer to stop along lonely roads and bang on a starter than ask complete strangers for help. Finally the Tempo died (woohoo) and I got a slightly less dangerous vehicle. 

OK, if my dad were to read this he would add a comment explaining how the Tempo died. It blew up a little bit because somebody was attempting to add oil when, in fact, the problem was a flat tire. To this day the men in my life don't let me attempt to repair a vehicle. 

It's funny, no matter how decrepit our first cars are, they sure do leave a lasting impression. I wouldn't trade the memories provided by that thing, or the sense of independence and accomplishment I got from fixing the car myself. Or, you know, attempting to. 

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