Back in the beginning of July I got a new car. I'll eventually get around to talking about that but before I do, I figured it'd be fun to recap my automotive history. Like all things, it's best to start at the beginning....

My very first car was a 1998 2 Door Chevrolet Cavalier. I think. It was the "swoopy" looking Cavalier, and not the boxy looking ones that people who came of age in the 80s probably remember with some laughter.

To start with, check out the instrument panel. Or lack thereof. You basically got a speedometer and a fuel gauge. And some lights. The speedometer went up to 85, and to be honest, that was fair. Any speeds over 65 usually required you to book a week in advance. Passing required the skill of a chess player.

All that said, it actually wasn't a bad car. It didn't ever die on me. It started every single time I turned the key. Towards the end of it's life, it rusted quite a bit. Any late 80's cavalier you see on the road has the signature cavalier rust spot. Mine was no exception. My dad, drunk on the illusion that he could repair this, somehow managed to scrape the rust away and put some sort of painted bondo layer over the rust spot. That lasted 3 weeks. Good try tho, dad.

The car's trunk was huge and could double as a swimming pool. In the late 80's, GM's quality control wasn't as good as it is today, and some things just didn't get put together well. Those little rubber strips that keep water out of the car were no exception. After a major rainstorm you could expect to find a few inches of water in the trunk, and the passenger seat would be soaked. The trunk was easily fixed with a few holes thru the floor of the trunk (thanks again dad), but that led to more signature Cavalier rust through the entire floor of the trunk. The passenger seat just stunk of mold and mildew during rainy stretches. You got used to it. Apologies to anyone reading this now who sat in that for any length of time.

The only other issue was the fact that the car seemingly had an appetite for windshield wiper motors. I'm not sure how to explain it, but it just ate them up. The first time it happened, I was driving home from a class, and I was stopped in traffic. I noticed this smell and thin wisps of curly white smoke pouring into the car from the windshield wiper control/turn signal stalk. That lasted about 30 seconds, and when it was done the entire control assembly had fused into one huge hunk of plastic. Odd, but not the end of the world. Unless it was raining. The entire motor consumption thing happened 3 times. But since it was a Cavalier, and there were like 8 billion of them on the roads, the motor was like 30 bucks and installation was 50. Tons o' cash for a student tho.

At the end of it's life the car was a sorry thing. It still ran, but it was rusted out and wouldn't turn left. I managed to get 700 on a trade in for it, which was generous beyond words. That led to my second car, which will follow later this week...