** This article is based on nonfiction by actual events that I have experienced firsthand; used with permission.
In the late 1980s, my ex-husband and I parted ways. We had an old beater Chevy pickup that I had to jump-start to get going and a 1975 Dodge Dart Sedan with a slant-six engine. We had paid $200 for the Dodge Dart. I received the Dodge Dart in the divorce settlement.
I hated that car. It drove like a tank; in fact, my close girlfriend called it a “Panzer Tank”. It was the color of dull putty and ugly. But it drove, and her new car was in the shop for the third time in a month, so I was driving the carpool.
It was a hot summer, and although my car didn’t have air conditioning, it did have little doors down underneath the dash by the sides that could open and give us ventilation. So with 4 (windows) down, those little doors open underneath of the dash by the wheel wells, and 55 mph air conditioning, we were at least comfortable while driving.
In time, I grew to love my Dodge Dart. Everywhere I went, someone would ask me what year it was, and I’d tell them. I was also able to answer a lot of other questions about the car. I could work on it easily with the slant-six because I have small hands and had spent many an hour underneath the hood of my daddy’s Chevy pickup, and I even managed to take auto repair in school as one of my electives.
I knew how to change the spark plugs and the oil, and I could maintain this car very well. I drove that car for the next ten years while saving money for a new one. One afternoon I was driving, and everything froze up in my car. At 400,000+ miles, my car was suddenly not going anywhere.
She led a long life. She was a wonderful car. I learned to love her, and all of the neighbors in my neighborhood loved my old classic car. So, after calling a friend to help me get my baby home, I sold it to a kid that wanted to learn about cars.
I had paid $200 for it in the 1980s. I drove it for over 325,000 miles. I drove it to a different country twice. I sold it for $100, and drove it for ten years, so for $10 a year; I think it was a great value. What do you think?
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