Growing up, my family had a pole barn in the backyard that was amply filled with plenty of vehicles, and for as long as I can remember, my dad would point to our red Mustang with white racing stripes and tell me, “That’s going to be your first car.”
That was a common refrain throughout my childhood. Elizabeth, you should sit on my lap while I drive so you’ll be ready to drive the Mustang. Elizabeth, we bought you your very own electric Jeep so you’ll be ready to drive the Mustang. You need to sign up for driver’s training as soon as you can so you can drive the Mustang.
Now, it’s been a while since the last time I saw this Mustang, but I believe it was either a late-80s or early-90s Mustang, so, in a word: body and kind of ugly. But I desperately wanted it anyway. It was outfitted with a roll cage that matched the red body color. It was a stick shift. I was going to be the baddest bitch in all of my 200-person high-school-slash-middle-school-because-we-only-have-one-building.
Needless to say, that never ended up happening. My parents got divorced, and my dad moved his cars into storage for years, where they became a delicious feast for hungry Michigan mice looking for a warm spot to nest in the winter. Time came and went, and before long, I was getting my driver’s license. I still wanted the Mustang, but I knew better than to ask after my chances of driving it because I knew it just wasn’t going to happen. And a Mustang remains my dream car… but now I want an older one that actually looks, y’know. Nice.
Did any of you other fine readers have a similar experience? Were you promised a cool car as your first vehicle only to have it all fall through because time is a cruel mistress? Did you just have something you really desperately wanted — that car that adorned your walls as a kid? Were you saving up for something specific? Did you actually get what you wanted? Tell me your stories.
DISCUSSION
A black & gold Porsche 944, non turbo, burgundy leather. Sat on a street corner at a small dealer’s lot on the main drag of town for much of my middle- hichschool career, collecting all kinds of grime on from passing cars
Must’ve been ‘00-01 I was almost in tears when my parents were like “ fking NO are you batty?!” when asked for help buying it. The car was halfway in the dirt already from not being moved in years. The dash looked like a dry lake bed, as did the paint the one time we walked a few blocks form my friend’s house to sit in it. It was still cool as f*ck.
Got a hand me down ‘92 Camry that I affixed green neon wire to the dash edges and then exploded not long after because my brother and sister had neeever done any maintenance on the vehicle before me. Forreally
Had a happy ending as I found a showroom quality Tornado red 5cylinder Coupe Quattro at auction the last half of my senior year. Gorsh the sound those 5 cylinders + snake-bed manifold made when wound up. The solid “thunk” of the stainless steel doors. I miss that car every day.