Jamey Karr Wants to Know about YOUR First Car

I was going through some pictures this weekend and came across my first car. What you don't see in the photo, is the case of oil, I had to carry around. Was your first car a diamond or a lemon?

My first car was a 1972 Chevrolet Vega. Everyone had good intentions as the lines at the gas station were getting real. The idea of a subcompact with an aluminum block and a 4 cylinder engine, made sense. Motor Trend named it "Car Of The Year" for 1971. What could go wrong?

For all I saved in gas, I spent on oil and not just any oil but Blue Velvet Oil. Teenagers like to cruise, and I was no exception. I was probably the only person on the drag, who had to stop and pour a quart of oil, in the engine. Between Friday afternoon and Sunday night, I could go through 4 to 7 quarts!

I got the Vega in August and it spent Christmas, in the shop, as I had fried the engine. It wasn't a hotrod (impossible in a Vega) but I did pick up a speeding ticket or two. I plead insanity. It was insane that the speed limit was 55 mph. If you include, one local law enforcement officer, who would issue tickets at 56 mph, but I digress.

As first cars go, it wasn't all bad. It gave me the freedom every 16-year-old wants. I could go to a friends house or a date. I also went to work in it as my hometown of Tornillo, Texas, is some 35 miles from where I worked in El Paso. The Vega was impressive when it came to gas mileage. I could  average a tank and a half at a cost of around $10, in 1973 money.

It didn't have power windows, air conditioning, or an FM radio, but I put a groovy AM/FM/8 track unit with some far out speakers, and that little car would rock. I could also, stuff 3/4 of the starting Tornillo Coyotes football team in it. In fairness, we played 6 man football then.

Finally, we decided that a car payment would be cheaper, than the multiple cases oil and the Vega was traded away. It turns out, my wife drove a Vega. I have a friend, who, just a few months ago, told me, she had a 72 Vega. It was orange, like mine, and like mine, she drove around with a case of oil.

What was your first car? Tell us about it in the comments below!