Wheels Thru Time

Something today got me thinking about the cars I use to drive, prior to the wheels I'm in now.... my lovely black stallion (Ford Taurus).

I thought it would be fun to search the internet for pix of each one.  And you know what.... I actually found one of each.

So, I present to you, Matt's Wheels Thru Time.....

Grandma Jojo's 1977 Ford Thunderbird.  What a great first car!  She drove it very rarely... primarily to make runs into town to get her hair done at Nancy's.  So, at some point when I was 15, she and I reached an agreement that she would share the car with me once I turned 16.  I remember most weekends Dad would drive it in on Friday afternoons when he was done working at the farm, meaning I'd have it available for the weekend.

I put an AWESOME tape deck into it, as well as some speakers I bought from J.C. Whitney to help supplement the factory-installed speakers.

The thing was a tank.  Somewhat hard to drive, as the bench seat was kinda squishy and it was hard to see over the hood sometimes.

I called it the "Land Yacht".  Paul P. referred to it as the "Thunder Chicken".

Me and the boys (Paul, Larry, Chad, Ryan, Rich, E.D. and others) would take it cruising around town and to Charleston or Paris on a regular basis.

Really loved this car!!  I'd love to think it was still around, but I figure it hit the heap a while ago.

When the Thunderbird was traded for Papa's new car, Jojo and I inherited Papa's old car... a 1988 (or 89??) Buick Lesabre.

For many reasons, this car was an upgrade to the "Thunder Chicken", as it had a better sound system and more comfortable seats, plus was easier to drive and didn't take near the gas.  And 4 doors!!  But, it also didn't have the same charm as the Thunderbird.

My first car that I actually owned was a 1988 Ford Thunderbird, which I got sometime during my senior year of high school.  Dad, knowing that the time was approaching for me to start commuting to E.I.U., had a talk with me to determine what kind of car I would be interested in.  He placed some calls, did some searching and found this one at a dealership down in Toledo (or Greenup??).

It was a great vehicle during college, getting me to and fro Charleston just great.  I remember having "EIUMAN" plates on the car.

It only failed me 1 time.... overheating on my way back to Charleston from Mattoon.  My lady and I had to spend 30 minutes or so at the airport, letting the car cool down.

Sometime during our junior year at E.I.U., my girlfriend (future wife) really needed a car to get her from various student teaching stuff.  So, we located a cheap, green 1995 Ford Escort at Mooney in Charleston.  Bert Gough made us a deal we couldn't refuse, so we snatched it up.

After moving to Decatur, we traded the Thunderbird for a 1998 Ford Escort.  Primary reason... we had a kiddo on the way and needed both cars to have 4 doors to be able to handle car seats/carriers/strollers, etc.

Each of these cars holds great memories for me.

Out for now....

Matt