Most folks have fond memories of the first vehicle that they called their own. It matters not if it was grand or an old, decrepit jalopy (new school-ers call them hoopties).
I remember my first car fondly. It was a brand new 1983 Chevy Chevette, much like the one pictured below, except in Candy Apple Red. I called it The Little Red Chevette. My first major purchase that I had made, completely alone. Got it out at the LONG GONE Seidel Chevrolet on Central Avenue. It had 4 doors, no radio speakers in the back, and manual roll up windows. It took me EVERYWHERE I needed to go, and then some. Gas was somewhere around a dollar a gallon. We lived right off of DC’s famed Georgia Avenue, near Kennedy Street and I cruised Georgia Avenue like it was the Las Vegas Strip. Umph. You really couldn’t tell me a thing about my vehicle. PERIOD. Fond memories..
Step back in time with me, as the cast and creators of Cars 2 reminisce about their first cars..
I have always loved cars. I grew up in Southern California and my father was a parts manager at a Chevrolet dealership. I spent a lot of my youth at that dealership. My first car was a 1969 Toyota Corona. It wasn’t a Corolla; it was a Corona. I loved that car. It was great. It kept me going for ages and it was so easy to work on. If it broke down, you could just fix it. It was the perfect first car for me.–John Lasseter, Director of Cars 2
My first car was a blue Chevrolet Blazer. My parents bought it for me when I was 16 or 17 years old and I was so thrilled to finally have a car. I grew up in Texas where everything is spread out, so you needed a car to get around. Plus, you feel a huge sense of independence when you finally have your own vehicle. I took the Blazer to USC [the University of Southern California] with me, but it didn’t last too long. In fact, I wrecked it driving back to Dallas after my first year. My parents didn’t want me to drive straight through from Los Angeles to Dallas, but I kept saying, ‘No, I’ll be fine.’ I drove straight through and because I was so tired I had an accident and my car went off the road. Nobody was hurt, but the car was totaled. I learned my lesson well.–Owen Wilson, voice of Lightning McQueen
The first car I ever drove was a 1969 Formula Firebird. It had a double hood scoop and glass packs and it was the last of the big 400 [horsepower] engines. I think I was 19 years old at the time and I loved that car. It was awesome. It was metallic blue and I thought it was the best thing in the world. I haven’t always been successful with cars. I’ve had a couple of lemons in my time, too. I had a 1995 hunter green truck that had to have the transmission fixed about every six months. It was a complete pain in the rear!–Larry the Cable Guy, voice of Mater
What was your first car? What memories do you have about it? Please share it with me!
Disclosure: Disney/Pixar film, Cars 2, was released yesterday on Blu-ray 3D & Blu-ray Hi-Def Combo Pack. I was provided a copy to facilitate this post. In addition, I took part in a Disney/Dreamworks Blogger Junket, back in June, where I participated in the premiere of the film, met the cast and crew, and actually walked the Red Carpet! WOOT!
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Everyone knows I started driving late, because I always thought I would have a chaffuer, so my first car was a 1989 Acclaim. Loved it, wrecked it and have reached car number 7.
Ah, I LOVE this, Jewel! This is part of the reason why (today) I have 100 octane blood: my first ride was a 1976 Pontiac Firebird Formula. Larry the Cable Guy has excellent taste in first cars.
I was 16 and was KNOWN for that vehicle. One night my folks borrowed it to go out to dinner, and came home thinking they lived in the friendliest town in Michigan, as several people were waving at them
I can tell I am middle-aged, because if I came across that car again I would buy it in a heartbeat.