Dave, Step One: Buy cars. Step Two: Buy garage space. Step Three: Buy more cars. Step Four: Enlarge garage space. Step Five: ...... Larry Stanley 1958 Plymouth fleet owner. ---------- > From: Dave Stragand <dave.stragand@xxxxxxxxxxx> > To: L-FORWARDLOOK@xxxxxxxxxxxxx > Subject: [FWDLK] Cars-o-Plenty > Date: Monday, August 10, 1998 12:16 AM > > Geesh! > > Every neighborhood has a nice old lady who takes in all of the animals > who, for whatever reason, can no longer stay with their families. I am > the automotive equivalent of that old lady. People seem to just bring > me their cars when they no longer can keep them, but still want them to > have a good home. I guess in a way, it's an honor, but it can be really > distracting from my work on The Duchess when I have to move 3 cars to > get her out of the garage... > > In the last 12 years, I have acquired the following: > > 1) 1986: A 1979 Monte Carlo from Mom. She loved that car, and > couldn't bear to trade it in when she bought her new Mercury Grand > Marquis. I still own this car, and hope next year to get her back on > the road. > > 2) 1990: A 1974 Dodge Dart from my roommate. I told him I wanted to > buy a shed to keep my tools in. He told me he would sell me a nice shed > -with wheels- for $50. I gave him the money, and ended up with the > Dodge. Some shed, eh? I drove it off and on for 3 years, and never put > gas in it once. Gotta love that Slant-6!!! When I graduated college, I > gave it to a guy who needed the rear seat. Present whereabouts unknown. > > 3) 1991: My boss gave me a 1976 Olds Cutlass for a case of Heineken. > It needed a water pump. I ended up trading it for a motorcycle. The > cycle I traded for a beermeister. The beermeister's compressor died, so > I traded it for a case of Heineken. At least I was back where I started > from. (At least until I drank the Heineken.) > > 4) 1995: My brother-in-law gave me his dead 1981 Monte Carlo. I > stripped out parts I could use for my '79 and had the rest of the > carcass hauled away. My sister gave him her '87 Thunderbird to drive. > > 5) 1995: I bought an '86 Monte Carlo SS because the price was great -- > $1000! I wished I had kept the '81 for parts for the SS. My > brother-in-law loved the SS so I sold it to him, and he parked the > T-Bird. > > 6) 1996: I bought my 1958 Plymouth, "The Duchess". My brother-in-law > parks the SS next to the T-Bird and buys a truck. > > 7) 1998: The '79 Monte Carlo died in February... My brother-in-law > gave me his T-Bird, which had been parked for years, and was about to be > towed away as abandoned. At least I have a way to get to work. He now > wants me to buy the '86 SS back from him, as he needs the money, and > can't bear to see it go to anyone else. My mom wants a new Grand > Marquis, but can't bear to trade in her old Grand Marquis. As a favor > to her, she wants me to keep her car and maintain its good shape, as it > has been part of the family. > > Now, if you have been keeping score at home, here is what I have > presently / soon will have: > > 1) 1979 Monte Carlo > 2) 1958 Plymouth > 3) 1987 T-Bird > 4) 1986 Grand Marquis (soon) > 5) 1986 Monte Carlo SS (soon) > ... and to make matters worse, I want to trade in the T-Bird on a 1973 > Mustang Convertible I just saw today for $5500 (I know, I know... Go > ahead, start up the FORD jokes... I'm ready...). > > That'll make 5 cars total. I have 3 parking spaces. Ugh. Does anyone > else have this problem? Saying "NO" to cars that is? I see that most > of the list members have more than one Forward Look car. I'm interested > in the psycholgy behind this. What are the reasons that so many of us > have so many cars? Can anyone give their reasons? > > Or maybe we need to start up C.A. (Cars Anonymous). Anyone want to > write up a 12 step program? > > -Dave |