My First Car

My very first car was a 1961 Buick Invicta. My father and I drove up north of Minneapolis somewhere and bought it from some old geezer (summer of 1971) for $125.


It was long and wide. Two full bench seats front and rear, easily sat 6. It was like a living room on wheels, very loose steering, it didn't really drive as much as it floated down the road.

I drove it 2 miles to work and back every day. Mom made me promise I wouldn't drive it anywhere else, since it was a real rust bucket. Body was in PERFECT condition however, it was totally rusty underneath and it wasn't in good shape.

So, of course, Schultz, PugEye, Walleye, Airebabes, and Rich and I went out in my Buick one day. We had a case of bud long necks in the back and were driving and drinking when, suddenly, and for no apparent reason, the universal joint gave way...the transmission literally fell out of the car...the rear drive shaft got stuck in the road, lifting the back of the car about 3 feet in the air. The boys in back weren't too pleased as they compressed their vertebrae when their heads banged the roof and then again when the their butts smashed back down on the seats.

WallEye crept out of the car, and, bent over like an 95 year old arthritis patient he started swearing at me. What the fuck, how was it my fault? I had told these guys I wasn't supposed to drive in the first place.

Anyway, we stood outside the car, and drank the beers as fast as we could, since we figured cops would come by and we were all underage. Got the thing towed back to my place, and it was parked the wrong direction for about 2 weeks.

About that time, my dad had really bad kidney stones, so my having taken the car out on a road trip wasn't a problem...for a while. Then the cops put a ticket on my car since it was facing the wrong way.

Mom called the police and they took away the ticket after she used Dad's kidneys as an excuse.

She made me sell the car, it was an emotional thing. I had only owned it about 6 weeks. Anyway, a junk car dealer came by the house and gave me 25 bucks for it...