Welcome to July's Secret Subject Swap.
Again 7 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts.
Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts.
Baking In A Tornado
Wandering Web Designer
Spatulas on Parade
The Bergham Chronicles
Part-Time Working Hockey Mom
Our Prime Years
Climaxed
My subject is
As a teen did you have a dream car?
What and why?
Have you gotten or has your dream changed or have you driven one and changed your mind?
What and why?
Have you gotten or has your dream changed or have you driven one and changed your mind?
It was submitted by: Spatulas on Parade - thank you, Dawn!
Let me start by saying that in Switzerland the earliest age that kids are allowed to drive is 18. So by the time we may start to think about owning a car, we're probably not even teenagers anymore.
I'm sure my fellow elementary and high school boys had lots of glorious dreams about driving a Ferrari, Lamborghini and the like.
Not me, though.
I wasn't overly interested in cars, in fact I was hesitant to even learn to drive, mainly because traffic scared me, plus I didn't have any money, because as soon as I graduated and got my first job, I moved out from home and spent my salary on clothes, dinners out and household items - in that order.
My friends borrowed their parents' cars when we wanted to go places, plus my boyfriend was in the lucky position to have his own car.
What's more, on most days, we have an amazing public transportation system.
So when I finally got my driver's license, I was 22.
The process of achieving the right to drive has changed over the years.
For my generation it required passing a vision test, attending a first aid class, passing the theoretical test with lots of questions about safety, traffic rules, speed limits and prohibition signs. And then you had to take a minimal amount of driving school lessons. I don't remember how many because I probably used the quintuple amount! They weren't cheap back then, and I don't wanna know how pricey they are these days! (Seven more years till Colin may start...)
The practical driving test takes you to the closest city where they make you stop and start at a hill, parallel park, use side roads with no right of way, enter and exit a freeway, pass a school zone, make a turn backing up, etc.
When everything was done, my Dad sold me his Audi sedan, and that's what I was driving until I had a fender bender. It was my fault, and even though the damage didn't look too bad, the repair would have cost more than the current value of the vehicle.
But that wasn't your question. I just wanted to give you my back story. I didn't have any teenage car dreams. In hindsight the reason may actually be that European cars are safe, reasonable, reliable but a bit boring.
In 1997, as I may have mentioned here once or ten times, I went to California for the first time, and that's where I discovered that in fact I quite liked fun cars - and motorbikes - I encountered in San Diego, Palm Springs and Las Vegas!
Ford Mustang and Thunderbird, Chevy Camaro and Corvette, Chrysler Sebring, I was in paradise!
I thought they were super sexy and cool, especially the convertibles, and while I didn't realistically think I would ever drive one back home (gas prices are much higher and parking spaces are much narrower in Switzerland, plus the rarer the car, the harder it is to source spare parts), a few years later, my ex-boyfriend and I actually rented a Camaro for our road trip - the one we almost ran out of gas at Death Valley.
I can't believe the Panamint Springs Resort where we had booked accomodation and hoped to fill up, still tells on their webiste that there's an on-site gas station!
While they don't technically lie - there is in fact a rusty pump - it has been out of service for years and years, and the next actual filling station is in Stovepipe Wells, 30 miles away. For careless tourists who already used up most of their back-up gas, it's a bit of an uncomfortable situation.
I'm not saying it's the cars' fault, but the next time we rented a Chrysler Sebring we got into trouble again....
Enough now, though.
We all know I ended up ordering off the first batch of Mustangs that were produced for the European market a few years ago. It took a lot of research, saving money and exercising patience until I finally got behind my new wheel.
So happy to finally welcome my baby after nine months of waiting, pun not even intended!
Of course when it was delivered it was winter, and I had to be patient to take advantage of the convertible feature. Poor Colin had to dress his part.
This is us, having dinner after practice.
This was my lengthy answer to Dawn's question.
How about you? Any (teenage) car dreams or dream cars?
Whatever it was, drive safely! Happy weekend!
I'm sure my fellow elementary and high school boys had lots of glorious dreams about driving a Ferrari, Lamborghini and the like.
Not me, though.
I wasn't overly interested in cars, in fact I was hesitant to even learn to drive, mainly because traffic scared me, plus I didn't have any money, because as soon as I graduated and got my first job, I moved out from home and spent my salary on clothes, dinners out and household items - in that order.
My friends borrowed their parents' cars when we wanted to go places, plus my boyfriend was in the lucky position to have his own car.
What's more, on most days, we have an amazing public transportation system.
So when I finally got my driver's license, I was 22.
The process of achieving the right to drive has changed over the years.
For my generation it required passing a vision test, attending a first aid class, passing the theoretical test with lots of questions about safety, traffic rules, speed limits and prohibition signs. And then you had to take a minimal amount of driving school lessons. I don't remember how many because I probably used the quintuple amount! They weren't cheap back then, and I don't wanna know how pricey they are these days! (Seven more years till Colin may start...)
The practical driving test takes you to the closest city where they make you stop and start at a hill, parallel park, use side roads with no right of way, enter and exit a freeway, pass a school zone, make a turn backing up, etc.
When everything was done, my Dad sold me his Audi sedan, and that's what I was driving until I had a fender bender. It was my fault, and even though the damage didn't look too bad, the repair would have cost more than the current value of the vehicle.
But that wasn't your question. I just wanted to give you my back story. I didn't have any teenage car dreams. In hindsight the reason may actually be that European cars are safe, reasonable, reliable but a bit boring.
In 1997, as I may have mentioned here once or ten times, I went to California for the first time, and that's where I discovered that in fact I quite liked fun cars - and motorbikes - I encountered in San Diego, Palm Springs and Las Vegas!
Ford Mustang and Thunderbird, Chevy Camaro and Corvette, Chrysler Sebring, I was in paradise!
I thought they were super sexy and cool, especially the convertibles, and while I didn't realistically think I would ever drive one back home (gas prices are much higher and parking spaces are much narrower in Switzerland, plus the rarer the car, the harder it is to source spare parts), a few years later, my ex-boyfriend and I actually rented a Camaro for our road trip - the one we almost ran out of gas at Death Valley.
I can't believe the Panamint Springs Resort where we had booked accomodation and hoped to fill up, still tells on their webiste that there's an on-site gas station!
While they don't technically lie - there is in fact a rusty pump - it has been out of service for years and years, and the next actual filling station is in Stovepipe Wells, 30 miles away. For careless tourists who already used up most of their back-up gas, it's a bit of an uncomfortable situation.
I'm not saying it's the cars' fault, but the next time we rented a Chrysler Sebring we got into trouble again....
Enough now, though.
We all know I ended up ordering off the first batch of Mustangs that were produced for the European market a few years ago. It took a lot of research, saving money and exercising patience until I finally got behind my new wheel.
So happy to finally welcome my baby after nine months of waiting, pun not even intended!
Of course when it was delivered it was winter, and I had to be patient to take advantage of the convertible feature. Poor Colin had to dress his part.
This is us, having dinner after practice.
Speaking of practice...
On occasion, I like to borrow hubby's spacious station wagon. For example on days my own car is locked in our garage. Or when I have to transport two hockey guys. Not becasue of the guys, but because of their hockey gear in winter. Two large hockey bags and sticks? Too much for one Mustang ;-)
Additional downsides of driving this beauty:
Everybody knows it's you. People in the village are like "were you at (insert restaurant, event, random location)?" I guess there's no point in denying it.
The other day a lady introduced me to her husband "This is Tamara." Blank stare.
"Colin's Mom?" Blank stare.
"The one who drives the Mustang!!!" Ohhh, hiiii! Nice to meet you!
"The one who drives the Mustang!!!" Ohhh, hiiii! Nice to meet you!
Right.
Fun facts (although fun lies in the eyes of the beholder):
Fun facts (although fun lies in the eyes of the beholder):
The few prople who don't know it's me think it's hubby and almost fall over when he tells them it's his wive's car.
My coworkers were having a field trip on the day I got a hefty speeding fine and learned I'm on probation.
And while I'm otherwise super happy with my ride, I still like to look at other cars. At the annual U.S. Car Meeting in Sulgen, for example. I mean, Studebaker Golden Hawk, Baby!
This was my lengthy answer to Dawn's question.
How about you? Any (teenage) car dreams or dream cars?
Whatever it was, drive safely! Happy weekend!
The day I got my driver's license at age 16, my father bought me a car and had it waiting for me in the driveway (a convertible, btw). At the time I thought he was so generous (he was) but I now realize he probably just didn't want me driving his.
ReplyDeleteLOVE your beautiful car (although I love our Audis too).
Like you, as a teen I had no dream car (unlike hubby who was a gear-head). But looking back, there is one car I wish I could have kept and restored. It'd be worth thousands now. In and around 1970, I bought a used 1959 Austin-Healey 3000-6 for $500. Sporty convertible with way too much power in its 6 cylinder engine, it was the perfect car for a part-time student/full-time mom in her early 20s. Who cared if you had to roll up your pant legs and cover your lap with a towel when it rained? There was nothing better than a full moon, top down, radio blasting drive along the Florida coastline. Ahhhh....
ReplyDeleteI love your Mustang! We bought a Hyundai Santa Fe recently but we're already dreaming of something bigger like a Chevy Suburban or something close to that size. We like to travel and sometimes when you're traveling & camping you might have to sleep in your vehicle and ours is okay but the Suburban is so much bigger! (Rena)
ReplyDeleteGrowing up I wanted a 1965 Ford Mustang. Later I wanted a Corvette, Camaro or Convertible. I've had 2 of the 4 but driven them all. For a while I worked at a dealership and drove just about every car around. I love the Studebaker. Gorgeous classic.
ReplyDeleteNo dream car. In fact, while I got my car licence first, the first vehicle I owned was a motorbike. A GPX250. Loved that bike. It was practical and suited my situation at the time.
ReplyDeleteI think maybe a Mustang would have been my dream car but I never got one. I have had a Gremlin which I thought was pretty cool and a TR-7 which was even cooler but unfortunately I was single and not much into taking care of cars. Nice post. Love your car!
ReplyDeleteJanet’s Smiles
haha. Love your story about everyone thinking your car is your hubby's. Does Colin feel like a cool kid when you take him anywhere or is he embarrassed? Then again, y'all don't drive as much in Switzerland, do you? My first car, given to me by my parents, was actually the Chrysler Sebring, but not the convertible. I loved that car (for over 10 years!) but it is known for being a problematic car. Now I'm in a Mazda which I love almost as much.
ReplyDelete