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Topic starter
14/03/2022 9:40 am
BOARD GAME: Spring Ahead, Fall Back
As I was adjusting to Daylight Savings Time this morning, brewing my first cup of coffee, I was thinking how this time change thing is like a Board Game. You know, "move some spaces ahead, move some spaces back", that's the way most games are played. The way my Dad bought cars seemed to go like a game. Move ahead newer, then move back older, then ahead, well you get the idea.
When I was four years old, he had a green '53 Ford 4-door sedan. I remember that car because I was standing up in the middle of the front seat while he was driving (no seat belts or restraints in those days) and he hit the car in front him, lunging me in to the dashboard. I was lucky only to have a bloody lip, but I remember it hurt! The Ford didn't fare as well, I recall hearing the word "totaled", which at the time I didn't know what it meant, except our car was gone.
Dad came home with a '53 Pontiac Catalina 2-door hardtop. I didn't like the green interior, but the gold exterior was nice and I was intrigued by the chrome "stripes" on the hood and trunk. For some reason, that Pontiac was short-lived, and it was replaced by a two-tone blue '55 Oldsmobile Super 88 2-door sedan. He got it in 1956, and it was repossessed (a new word I learned) in 1957. His next card went back a few spaces (years), five to be exact. He got a '50 Buick, that in comparison to that beautiful Olds, did absolutely nothing for my little eyes. I thought it was ugly. It wasn't long until he moved some spaces ahead, this time four, getting a '54 Super 88 2-door sedan. It had the same icky green interior that the Pontiac did. Well the game was moving along good because he went four more spaces ahead when he landed a '58 Oldsmobile Super 88 4-door hardtop, and it was one beautiful automobile to my young eyes. But I heard that word repossession again, and it was gone.
Dad went back a lot of spaces this time, picking up a '50 Hudson Hornet 2-door coupe, which now had that green color on the outside. Are you picking up that I'm not a fan of green? Good catch! That Hudson was so old looking in comparison the '58 Olds.
Only about 6 months passed and something happened to the motor of the Hudson and a guy at my Dad's work sold him a '53 Pontiac Star Chief 2-door sedan, and you guessed it, it was green. Yuck!
About a year later while getting gas at a local Texaco station, there was a red and white '56 Mercury wagon parked in the lot and it was For Sale. I didn't know anything about the car, but I loved the colors. Dad test ended up buying it. I loved the colors and for some reason I loved the "rumbling sound of the muffler", it had "Dual Exhaust". The other thing that worked for me was that he'd moved up a few spaces this time, and that made sense to me.
By this time it was 1962 and in the fall on one of our annual dealer visits to look at the NEW cars, we saw '59 Buick LeSabre 4-door sedan on the dealer lot in the most unique color I can remember seeing to that point in my life. It was called Ledo Lavender. It was so modern looking with its big fins in the back and almost fin like front fenders with slanted headlights. He bought it! WOW, he went ahead spaces this time and was now only 3 model years (spaces) behind the current year '62's.
About 6 months later, for the life of me, I don't know why (but I guessed he didn't make the payments again), that Buick was gone, and he went backwards AGAIN! This time it was four spaces. getting a red '55 Plymouth Savoy 4-door sedan. Good news, it wasn't green, but it looked so old compared to that finned Buick. Not sure of the exact turn-around time, but that Plymouth was a (pardon the pun) cup of coffee, as it was gone within a month or two. I'd just gotten used to it. The good news (I guess) was that Dad didn't replace it by going back a space, as his next car was a '56 DeSoto Fireflight 4-door sedan. I bet you can guess what color it was. Yuck!
Almost one year to the date he got that DeSoto, I heard him say that the "main bearing" went out. I had no idea what that meant, except I was certain that another car was on the horizon, and my only concern was that he wouldn't go back spaces again. Wishful thinking, but he did go back. He bought a '53 DeSoto. I'm sure it was only coincident that he had two DeSoto's in a row, but it being green again wasn't...I finally figured out, he liked green.
As I'd done with all of his cars, I found something to like about it, and this time it was the Grille. Those "teeth" looked fearsome to me. This DeSoto nearly met its waterloo when Dad hit a deer with it, making quite a mess of the left front fender and headlight. The deer however was more of a mess. Shortly after this mishap, the DeSoto blew a rod. Sorry, I didn't know that that meant either, but for sure it meant another car. I'd only hoped he would move a few spaces ahead, but that hope was not to be. He did however, go up the car ladder this time, buying a '53 Lincoln Cosmopolitan 4-door sedan. I'm not going to mention the color on this one, but if you guessed Green, BINGO! You win the prize!
A few short months again passed and I never learned why that Lincoln was gone, but I do know that to my excitement, there was a move ahead this time. A '59 Chevrolet Station Wagon replaced it, and I loved it only because it was (6 spaces) newer and it wasn't green. I'm not sure how either of those miracles happened. There was however a problem. It rusted out rather quickly, and so badly, that the floorboards in the front were rusted all the way through. Yup, you could see the road.
So here we go again, a different car. And oh yea, back a couple of spaces, this one was a '57 Chrysler Windsor 2-door hardtop, but it wasn't green. Low and behold, when thinking about this car, I smile because it was one of my favorites. I loved the fins, I loved the gold color, I loved the interior and dash. On second thought, I think of all Dad's cars, this Chrysler was my favorite and by the time it came along, we were in 1965. So Dad was only 8 spaces behind.
He picked me up from school one afternoon and my jaw dropped (I'm sure to the sidewalk) when I noticed the front end was smashed in. While waiting at a stop sign, coincidently on the same corner that Texaco station was I mentioned earlier, a car came around the corner making a left turn and slid right in to Dad's car. In the repair shop it went.
While the Chrysler was being fixed, something really strange happened, my Dad bought a BRAND NEW 1965 Ford Custom 4-door sedan. It wasn't top of the line, but hey, he had a car that was the current year and it wasn't green. I took that as game over, he won!
My coffee is cold, guess I should have drank it before I started this story.
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
14/03/2022 10:25 am
Quite an array of cars. Good for you to recall them all.
John Bono
North Jersey
14/03/2022 10:39 am
Conquest'
s '59 Buick in Ledo Lavender
John Kuvakas
Warrenton, VA
14/03/2022 11:27 am
George,
Interesting story. You do a lot of stories about cars and family in your posts. Have you ever thought about writing a book or getting into journalism? I think you would be good.
Ed Davis
Inverness, Illinois, USA
George Schire and George Schire reacted
14/03/2022 11:43 am
George that's quite an interesting lineup of cars. My dad had a lot of cars too but I don't remember half of them. I know you don't collect 1/43 scale models but Goldvarg is coming out with a 59 Buick station wagon in Ledo Lavender.
14/03/2022 11:45 am
Wow, that is quite the car history George; you do well to remember it in order. But of course you are a true blue "car guy"........lol. The last car you mention is the '65 Ford. I remember when it was introduced people seemed to really like the new styling or really not. Personally I loved the stacked headlights and more squarish lines of this car. I loved the '64 Galaxie but the '65 made it look suddenly old IMO. The LTD was very impressive too. I still love this car and hope that Goldvarg make it in 1:43; Galaxie 2drht. and country Squire wagon versions.
Topic starter
14/03/2022 2:09 pm
Wow, that is quite the car history George; you do well to remember it in order. But of course you are a true blue "car guy"........lol. The last car you mention is the '65 Ford. I remember when it was introduced people seemed to really like the new styling or really not. Personally I loved the stacked headlights and more squarish lines of this car. I loved the '64 Galaxie but the '65 made it look suddenly old IMO. The LTD was very impressive too. I still love this car and hope that Goldvarg make it in 1:43; Galaxie 2drht. and country Squire wagon versions.
We have different thoughts on the '65 Ford. Unlike you Jack, I wasn't a fan of the squared fenders and stacked headlights. It was to boxy looking to me. I really like the '64. About that '65 Custom my Dad bought, as I mentioned in my story, it wasn't the top of the line, as the LTD wore that title. And that LTD caused friction between my Dad and his brother Len, as Len had purchased an LTD. My Dad thought he was trying to "one up him". Of coarse that wasn't true, my Dad was envious that he wasn't able to (in his mind) afford the more expensive LTD. Truth is, Len was a little better off financially than my Dad was.
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
Jack Dodds and Jack Dodds reacted
14/03/2022 8:06 pm
Wow, that's a lot of cars! Between my dad and mom, they've only owned 11 cars since 1951.
Topic starter
14/03/2022 10:40 pm
Wow, that's a lot of cars! Between my dad and mom, they've only owned 11 cars since 1951.
A lot of cars indeed. And you'll notice I stopped at the '65 Ford my Dad got, but up until he passed away in 1981, he had close to a dozen more.
George Schire
Oakdale, Minnesota
Pete Rovero and Pete Rovero reacted