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Cars
by Doom

Where to start? Ska said to write something about driving, so I will talk about cars, stupid drivers and maybe, just
maybe, add a story or three of my exploits behind the wheel. Just a little bit of background first. I have been
driving since 1975. So that makes me older than nearly everyone else who will probably end up reading this. A car is
a necessity down here in Houston, Texas (unless you can use mass transit, I cannot). Currently, I am driving a real
beater of a car. It is a 1978 Pontiac Grand Am. It has a 301 V8 engine with over 140K miles on it. It's main function
is to get me back and forth from work and haul my tools around to various jobsites. This car is by no strecth of the
imagination a chick magnet. I may be old and senile but I do understand what a chick magnet is. This car ain't it,
trust me (unless you own a pink GBA and are not a female).

"I'm a Highway Star"

Ever drive from Cleveland, Ohio to Pensacola, Florida in less than a day? I did, but I was stupid. Imagine driving
all that way in a 1970 Pontiac Tempest. That was a friggin' ugly car that I got for some stereo equipment when I got
out of the service back in 1981. My ex and I went to Florida because some friends said that there was plenty of jobs
down there. There weren't, so needless to say, after 2 miserable months down there, we headed back. The car was fine
till I let her drive it after we had gotten back to Ohio. It was a good car that lasted me about 4 years. I had to
throw some money into the front end. That was the only downside to it. I would buy one again, but the body would have
to be in real good shape. Cause it was like a GTO, but not quite as classy of a car. In decent shape, it could be
considered a chick magnet (unless you own a pink GBA and are not a female).

"Damn This Traffic Jam"

Down here in Texas, we have all kinds of yahoos behind the wheel. One of the best examples of people unclear on the
concept of how not to get into a traffic accident and make my life a miserable hell by creating a traffic jam are
these examples. Take for instance the trucker going to fast around a overpass and flips his truck, loses his load
and makes it impossible to go anywhere for several hours. I bet that has happened to everyone in a large city, unless
they have a great mass transit system. Or another one that really gets to me is when I see a woman putting on makeup
and driving on the interstate at the same time. That really speaks of safety to me. Or even better the guy who is
reading something and talking on the cellphone at the same time. Now what kind of jackasses are allowed to do that?
Maybe we need to expand the driving test to include something called common sense.

"I'm in love with my car"

One of the shorter lived vehicles that I have owned was a 1974 Oldsmobile Delta 88. It ran like a dream. It was
one of the last of landcruisers. I put in a great soundsystem and had alot of great times going to concerts and
places. It was huge, the trunk was huge. Six adults could sit in comfort in that car without a problem. It had
all the frills. Air Conditioning and Power Windows, Power Seats. It was not a chick magnet, but chicks did not
mind riding in comfort. It was a real shame how the car met it's end thou. Louise (not my wife) and I were at
a concert at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. On the way out, the check oil light came on. I got
the car out of the exit line and onto the grass, but alas it was too late. I opened up the hood and smoke
started to pour out of the engine compartment. 10 minutes later the front end of the car was on fire. The
one thing I would have liked to know about the car was that the engine was a Pontiac and not a Olds. GM came
under alot of fire during the late 70's and early 80's over swapping engines from group to group. What I figured
out about the car was that 2 sensors were swapped, oil and engine temperature. Still I have to admit that it was
my favorite car. It must have been the level of comfort I had while driving it and the good times that I can still
remember as if they happened yesterday.

I'm Doom and I don't have a GBA, but I do have a Sega Genesis.
 
Doom