Something good always happens when I drive my wagon

Went to run some errands after dinner last night. Nice crisp fall evening so I took my Fairlane out for a little cruise. I stopped at Lowe's and I park away from the crowds (I do with every vehicle I own, not just the Fairlane). I came out of the store and I see a big Chevy pickup parked conspicuously close to the Fairlane. Mom, Dad and a boy about age 8 are checking out the wagon. I can't hear them but I see the Dad point to the roof, checking out the pinstripe, then Mom looks and then I see the boy trying to jump up and see. Dad picks him up so he can get a look. About this time I'm within 50' and they notice me. I smile and say to the boy "Did you get to check out the pinstripe?" He smiles big and says "Yeah, that's cool!". Then I get a response that I've gotten several times from Chevy guys; "I'm a Chevy man but I like that Ford wagon!".

I load my stuff and start heading home. I'm driving along and a '78 Ford Bronco (full size) pulls up next to me. It's got giant huge tires on it that are just about as tall as my wagon, plus a big lift kit. It sits up so high I can't tell if anyone is in the passenger side. The Bronco pulls up alongside, then backs off a car length or two, then alongside, then slightly ahead - we do this for a couple of miles. I notice he's got antique plates. We get to a stoplight and the Bronco pulls up next to me. I roll down my window and a young guy rolls down the passenger window of the Bronco and we give each other thumbs up. I say "I like your truck"; the passenger says "I LOVE your wagon! Wanna sell it?". I say no thanks - thumbs up are exchanged again and we go our separate ways.

Something similar to this happens every time I drive that old wagon...I hope to keep it for a long time.

 

Cool!

Ours, though in need of cosmetics, draws a lot of attention as well. Mainly because it's a 77 LTD and people haven't seen one before.

 

And that's just another bonus of having an older car. Possibly that 8 year old will become a "car guy" now!

 

I love stories like this, and recall quite a few similar experiences of my own with my clamshell wagon.

 

It's hard to realize that our 1955 Chevy wagon is over 60 years old. When I drive it it's just another car to us. When pretty girls smile and wave I figure they are looking at me. When young guys wave at my wife she thinks she's hot.
In reality the old wagon might be attracting a litte attention.:2_thumbs_up_-_anima
I still get upset when people argue and tell me we have a nice Nomad.

 

Driving an old car is not for the shy and retiring, that's for sure. Even my old Chloe, the very battered up, almost dead 79 Thunderbird, used to get all sorts of comments from people, and I never did understand that! She was certainly nothing to look at, and 30 Ontario winters had taken a terrible toll on her. Still, I miss that with the 03 Cavalier. I need a real car again!

 

Hey! I'm shy and retired!

 

..........um...............ya..............


nice story JR

 

Retired I believe. Shy? You?

 

Great story, JR. That is one of the best by-products of these old cars.

My daughter put it best:

Years ago, when she was a little girl, I took her to breakfast in my '61 Chrysler Newport (sedan, sorry) and while at the Krystal someone came in and said: "Who owns that brown Chrysler with the wings?" I confessed, and within minutes just about everyone in the restaurant was talking about it.

Later my daughter said that riding around in an old car is like being with a movie star: everyone wants to come up and start talking to you!


Pete

 

The opposite happened when our daughter was not quite a dating teen. Her and her girl friends hung out at each others homes a lot. It was my turn to take our daughter across town to stay overnite with her GF's. My 1957 Chevy HT was the back car in my herd in the driveway.
"No way dad. I'm not riding in that old car." Okay then I guess you don't go. As she rode in the back seat on the floor she complained about no radio, AC, etc. I turned on the tube type radio to a country station. Well that didn't help.
As I pulled in her GF's drive several boys began to Uooo and Aw. The boys loved the old Chevy. After that our daughter and those girls begged to ride up front so they could wave at boys.

 

Great story, Cat! Never underestimate the power of the old car!
Pete

 

Our two older sons were nearly as bad. They'd ride in our old cars but weren't really thrilled. Amazingly when I got a good deal on the 1957 Chevy I also bought a 1949 Ford 4-door all stock 6-cylinder. Youngest boy had just gotten his license and wanted it. Can't remember if we gave it to him or he bought it. I believe we ALMOST gave it to him. Wouldn't have been fair to the oldest son and daughter to just give it to him.
That son loved the old Ford and enjoyed it for years.
Both boys like old cars now but wouldn't cross the street to look at a car show.
Then there's the grandson which is now our son. He is more a car guy than I am. He also knows how to work on them.
This old car thing is an illness that you have or don't. Like Opera or Rock-n-Roll. Difficult to make someone like it or those others to stop liking it.

 

The interest I'm getting from passers-by for the Way Back Machine is a nice side benefit in having an old vehicle. I was at a Best Buy a couple of days ago, and as I was coming out of the store, an older couple (well, older than me) were admiring it. Lady said they had one just like it years ago and she misses it terribly.

 

Sadly I rarely meet those people anymore.
It is a nice feeling when people look and tell us they remember those cars of years ago. And young kids who have no idea what a car with a chrome bumper looks like.