<VV> 1st car--Corvair Content

[Hank Kaczmarek]

All

If you're looking for a safe vehicle that the kid won't be driving too far,
I'd recommend my first car....

1963 Oldsmobile 88 Holiday Sedan.  Olds 450 Super Rocket engine with 2
bbl---Thing had to have 55 jets in it, and a 36 gallon gas tank. And you
needed it. If you got into it (trans in S gear, foot on floor) you could watch
the gas needle move.  4500 lbs of Steel.  It could be T-boned by a Tahoe and
never have a scratch on it <GG>

But there aren't too many left around.

My daughter was a pretty good wrench passer as a kid, better than my son. She
is now an F-16 Strike Eagle mechanic.  But like all kids, doesn't care much
about working on a car, more into "cool", up to date transportation.

Wanted a Honda, told her good luck and go buy one. Once she found out what a
new Civic costs (she was an E-2 in the Air Force at the time),  she came to me
with a
"NOW WHAT?"---I worked at NAPA at the time, so I took her to my former
employer, Local Ford Dealer.

She bought an 02 Ford Focus brand new. Now has about 40K on the dial. Got lots
of good first time buyer perks. Like all kids, did nothing other than change
the oil the first 38K.  Just had 30K service, brake job and new skins back in
Oct. She found it hard to believe it needed so much.  Tried to explain when
you don't do routine maintenance (tire rotations, lube jobs) that things will
add up quickly.

Corvair for a 1st car??  Not if you are upset by lack of attention to
maintenance, and dents/wrecks.

HANK