May 10 : Zoom Zoom - A First Car story

I tell a lie my first car did not go zoom zoom. It grind'ed my gears in all the worse ways.

In fact,  like Claire I was a penniless student , so I shared this beast beauty with my brother - this is not the actual car but the closest I could google.

Very like this colour too !

He called the car 'Mucous' - it was kind of blue but maybe it was green first - our Uncle spray painted it. I think we paid $400 including the paint job. No frills.

 The name stuck except I refused to call it that. I was nurse - eeeewwww !

The beast ; a beat up Hillman Hunter 1971 (I think)...my brother would know more than me ? Royal or Minx ?
Who cares ?

Nothing at all like this *sob*


 

When new ...

The year was 1988 ... I couldn't overtake if I tried, at 60km/hr it rattled and 70km it shook and at 80km my foot was flat to the floor and my teeth were clattering.

Complete with a troubling oil leak and thirsty radiator ; if it was warmer than 15° or colder than 10 ° I had to put the automatic gearbox in Park or Neutral - every time I stopped the car for more than a few seconds so ...at traffic lights, stop signs or else it would stall. It sucked up more water and oil than a footy team beer !

There was no power steering so it was a bugger to park , don't even ask about hill starts. I avoided them because - handbrake #fail.

Randomly the beast would engage the headlights or maybe parking lights - putting a draw on the battery, even when the car was turned off or no key in the ignition. I'd come out from evening shift or in the morning to find the battery was dead.

I got a jump in that car ...plenty of times. Whenever I drove around corners, I and my passengers would slide hopelessly across the bench seat.

The driver's door wouldn't open with the key (after an attempted theft - the would be thief needed glasses and a brain) , so I entered through the passenger door for a while.

The demister and heater didn't work that well so in winter I drove that car with the windows down;  every time the clouds rolled in too - the windscreen also leaked. You'll notice no passenger mirror - tricky for lane changed without the crunch of metal on metal ...thankfully my hearing was so bad then and I could hear the honking.

I didn't need fluffly wobbly dice the rear vision mirror wobbled.

Squeaky seat springs pressed into my bum and back in a familiar way and I few times I got a sharp little poke !

I had a few flat tyres in my time too and mostly as a helpless female a night in shining armour (not an idiot in tin foil) would help me change it.

It served me a good year or so - getting me without a fine from home to the Hospital and back again ...then I got a loan and bought a pre-owned White Ford Laser Hatchback ! Thankfully, I had it when I met my husband and for a few years into our marriage.

In the end, my relationship with the Laser was much happier but not nearly so funny.

What was your first car ?

 ♥

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