Most us us had an old "first car". Oh, there were a few kids that somehow managed to have a brand new shiny one first. But if your Dad was like mine, that wasn't gonna happen at our house.

And that was OK. Because it doesn't matter what your first car was, you loved it, probably more than any vehicle you've had since. I've had new cars in my life, I've had better cars than that first one. In fact, almost every car I've had since that first one was probably better. But that first one is special.

For me it was a 1963 Chevy Impala, not quite as nice as the one pictured above. Now, I didn't get it until the summer of 1972 of course. I had worked through Junior High and High School, doing just about anything and everything: Trapping gophers, baling hay, washing cars, selling sweet corn, anything to scrap a few bucks together. And when the time came, I was ready! Well, almost ready.

The car cost $500.00 and I had $300.00. But, Dad to the rescue! He pitched in the extra $200 (I'm SURE I paid him back....well, kind of sure). And there it was.

'63 Chevy, 2 door hard-top (OK, if you're young and don't know what a 'hard-top' is, ask one of your elders), white with a red interior. Almost immediately I got a used 8-track player (again, ask an elder), which went under-dash and wired up those ever popular Kraco speakers in the back window. Every week rub on that Turtle Wax, shine it up, fill it up ($3.00 would go a looooong way back in those days!) and off I went.

Never mind the puffs of blue smoke that poured out the tail pipe and the oil that was endlessly put in the engine. It was mine. All mine.

When you get a chance, listen to Dan Seals great country classic "My Old Yellow Car". We all had that car. Oh, it might not have been yellow. Heck, it might not even have been a car. But whatever it was, it was the first one. The first one you bought and paid for (mostly, anyway).

So what was yours? Depending on your age, it might have been a '34 Ford, a '56 Plymouth, a '75 Plymouth, a '92 Toyota or a 2002 Honda.

It doesn't matter. It was the first. I hope your memories are as warm as mine. That '63 Chevy. It reality, it was pretty well shot. It memory, it's the best car I've ever owned.


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