ME AND MY CARS

ME & MY CARS

            Eighty years adds up to a lot of automobiles. The other night, I was trying to remember the various makes and models of all the cars I have owned. 

            I remember my first car. It was a 1934 Dodge, given to me by my former baby-sitter and downstairs neighbors, Louise and Ned Stevens. I never did get to drive it, but don't recall whether my Dad had it hauled away to the junk yard because of the way it didn't run, or as a disciplinary action for something I did or did not do. At any rate, I was only 15 at the time and don't remember being that sad over losing it.

            That was the same year my Dad brought our first family car. It was a 1947 Plymouth sedan, purchased from Spartico "Spot" Neri at his garage on East Main Street. A few months later, I turned 16 and Dad taught me to drive. Subsequently, another few months passed before I was driving down Route 30 in Vernon one late night and ran off the road, managing to stop before striking a very large tree, but buckling the undercarriage in the process. It was several months more before I was again allowed to drive that car.

Our 47 Plymouth

             The next family car was a newer Plymouth and then a nice DeSoto and we had moved to Westport by then. I started dating my bride of many years and her cousin had this cool 1937 Ford, 2 door sedan. Tim and Joy sold me the car for $150. It sported Cadillac fender skirts, had a 65 hp engine and mechanical brakes, perfect for a high school kid. The brakes had to be adjusted every few days and I was able to rig it with a loud muffler, a suicide knob and chopped off the gearshift which was on the floor so I could shift faster. I kept that car all through high school but unfortunately don't recall taking any photos.

My 48 Chevy- Vacum shift 3 speed on steering wheel

          I always worked part time and after graduating from Staples High School, entered the working world full time. It was time for another car and cousin-to-be, Tim who was a mechanic at Blue Ribbon Motors, quickly found me another gem.

         My 1948 Chevy was spotless, had low mileage, a vacum shift on the steering wheel and was fun to drive. It was also a sedan, but more of an adult car.

         By this time, I had quit my job at the grocery store in hopes of learning a trade and Frank Decker got me a job as an apprentice carpenter, working for Zarelli Brothers Construction. At the time, development in Westport was at full charge, and houses were going up everywhere. Louis and Tony Zarelli were leading the way with developments in several sections of town.

         Carpentry work was great fun and paid pretty well, but it didn't take me long to realize that I didn't want to make it a career. Once again, fate intervened. I received my official draft notice from the government and was told to report for a physical. In the process, I talked with a recruiter and found out that if I enlisted, I could have my choice of Army schools. It would only cost me an extra year, and at age 18, a year didn't seem like any time at all. I reported to New Haven on the 27th of Decmber, was sworn in and joined a bunch of other draftee's and enlisted men, heading for Ford Dix, NJ. I turned the Chevy over to the love of my life to use while I was gone. At the completion of basic training at Fort Dix, I was transferred to Fort Monmouth, NJ and was able to bring my car onto the base. 

        It turned out that my school choice was a good one for my immediate future, as the school lasted 33 weeks. I was able to get weekend passes and commute between Monmouth and home for almost my first full year in the Army. The Chevy served me well. I had to replace the generator brushes a couple of times and did one valve job, but in those days, all of us did most of our own repairs and I was able to give the car back to Mary  Anne when I was transferred across Country to New Mexico where I spent the remainder of my enlistment time. I also gave my best girl a ring and we were officially engaged.

WE honeymooned in Cape Cod in our classy little 53 Studebaker

         Over the next 2 years, most of my driving was of jeeps, pickups, 3/4 ton vehicles all painted olive drab.. Mary Anne took good care of the Chevy. I received my honorable discharge on December 13, 1957 along with Bill Dowler and a couple of others from back east and we drove cross-country, stopping only for food and gas.
          I took a job in a factory, tired of that, tried direct sales, then back to clerking in a grocery store before a high school friend, Officer George Call, pulled me over one night and suggested I take the test to become a cop. I bought a 1953 Studebaker. Loved the lines but it ran like a---Studebaker.
         Once I decided on a career in law enforcement, there were lots of cars. I recall a 63 Chevy, a 55 Chevy, an Audi, an Opel station wagon,  another Opel sedan. a fun little Volkswagen Karman Ghia,  a couple of Volkswagen Beetles, a Ford sedan, another Ford sedan, three different motorcycles, a Mazda pickup, a Nissan pickup, An International pickup, a Ford station wagon, a 96 Olds Ciera which Mary Anne still drives and my current car, a 2013 Mazda 6. Almost forgot my 65 Plymouth which preceded both Opels. Every car had a story.
         My son Todd wrecked the Opel Station Wagon. The Opel sedan was demolished while parked next to the house when adolescent 5 year-old Billy Mills released the brake on Daddy's Garbage truck. The 65 Plymouth blew the transmission while exiting I-95 to pick up the new Opel station wagon. One of the Ford's. I purchased in Florida after my Dad died. I rented a trailer, bought the car loaded all my parents possessions in the trailer and headed for CT. Someplace in Va. I blew a radiator hose. That fixed, I made it to D.C. where I blew a head gasket. I limped to a small town garage in Maryland, left it there for repairs and rented a car for the rest of the drive home. A week later, I returned, picked up the car with a new set of heads and drove it for another year or so before I sold it.
           I bought my first motorcycle, a tiny little 50cc bike for fun, soon upgraded to a 125 cc dirt bike. A car made a left turn in front of me and I ended up with a busted leg,. Once cured, I bought a 500 cc Honda and rode that one until I needed my first computer and sold it to buy the machine. Bikes are great fun, dangerous but worth the risk.
         The Audi was  one of the nicest cars I owned and my bride's favorite. Only problem was having to hire a mechanic to ride along on the hood to make all the repairs.My 55 Chevy that I bought from George Call for $150. bucks burned oil almost faster than gas, but never failed to start and was my second car for many months. My Karman Ghia, I bought from Bill Stefan and it was almost as much fun to drive as my motorcycles.
          Cars offer freedom. I can go anywhere and any time I'm unhappy or frustrated, there's nothing like a nice ride to sort things out.

                                                                      endit