Wondering; what was your favorite vehicle?

Think back over the years and the many vehicles that you have owned. Now think about which one you enjoyed the most, and if you could have just one of your vehicles back, which one would it be and why?

That is an easy question for me, although I have had many vehicles that I loved and enjoyed. Of course you never forget your fist car. Mine was a 1955 DeSoto, two tone green and beige. It had been my Dad’s and I took it over when he bought another car. I didn’t turn 16 until early in 1959, so by the time I took it over it was about five years old and had over 150,000 miles on it. My dad was a salesman for H. J. Heinz Company. When I quit driving that car, it had over 200,000 miles on it. I parked it up in my Dad’s back yard and left it there for a couple of years. Even though it had been sitting that long, Dad hooked up a new battery to it and it started and ran long enough to get it out of the yard and down to the driveway where the junk man’s wrecker could get it.

Another of my favorites would be a 1965 Olds 88 convertible. It was white with a blue top and a 425 cubic inch engine. And of course the motorcycle that I had.

But by far, the most favorite was my 1957 Chevy Convertible. I acquired it a year or so before I got married. Paid $400.00 for it. Found out soon enough that the motor was shot. Found a fellow whose car was hit from behind and demolished. He had a souped up 283 Chevy engine in it that had a full race cam, solid lifters, domed pistons, shaved heads, and a huge carburetor. Sounded like a thrashing machine when it was just sitting there idling. Of course I bought it and put it in my “new” car. Now, not only did I have a flashy ’57 Chevy convertible, but a really fast one to boot. That engine would turn 8000 rpms at the drop of a hat. I usually shifted at 6800 rpms. Oh yeah, did I tell you it had a Hurst shifter on the floor?
OK, now I suppose you don’t believe me. It all sounds too good to be true, right? Well, I only found two pictures of it last night and I will gladly show them to you. This first picture is of me, before I was married, getting ready to go for a ride:


Didn’t I look cool? Dang, those where the good old days. I never felt better driving any other car than that one.

The summer before I got married, I took my Mother and she and I drove in my ’57 with the top down from Butler, Pennsylvania to Salem, Virginia to visit her brother and their family. She enjoyed it but got a little dehydrated in all that sun and wind. Had to stop at a restaurant and get her a couple glasses of ice tea and a light lunch. She enjoyed the rest of the trip much more.

Here is a picture of my Mother and my Aunt standing next to my Chevy:


I kept it until just before our first son was born. I had already purchases the 1965 Olds, so decided to sell the Chevy. I originally paid $400.00 for it, put over $2500.00 into it fixing it up, and finally sold it for $400.00. I sure wish that I had kept it. But back then, it was just another old car, yeah, right????!!!! I am still cussing my self out for selling it.

Now, what was your favorite vehicle and why?