The Cars I Have Known

THE CARS I HAVE KNOWN

These are the cars that the page author regularly rode in or drove.

CAR / NICKNAME YEARS OWNED / OWNER	PHOTO	FEATURE	SPECIAL FEATURES	WINTER DRIVING	RATE 0-10	REASON SOLD
1952 Chevrolet 1952-1957 Father			3-speed synchromesh R 2 \|−N−\| 1 3	Fair RWD	5	Accident runaway stone truck
1957 Chevrolet Del Ray "The 57" 1957-1978 Father			Turboglide shifless transmission P R N D Gr Second car the page author ever drove	Good GR Pos RWD	10	Mechanical failure
1951 Plymouth Suburban wagon 1957-1958 Father			"Airplane steering wheel" (page author) Only car with a 3-speed floor stick shift R 2 \|−N−\| 1 3	Fair RWD	2	Floor fell out
1953 Studebaker Scotsman wagon "Stupidbaker"* 1958-1961 Father * My toddler brother couldn't pronounce "Studebaker" correctly.			3-speed synchromesh R 2 \|−N−\| 1 3	Fair RWD	4	Trade
1959 Rambler American wagon 1961-1963 Father			Pushbutton automatic transmission Has second-gear start (D2) N R D2 D1 L P	Better 3-Speed D2=2GS RWD	5	Accident
CAR / NICKNAME YEARS OWNED / OWNER	PHOTO	FEATURE	SPECIAL FEATURES	WINTER DRIVING	RATE 0-10	REASON SOLD
1961 Pontiac Tempest wagon 1963-1968 Father			4 cylinder engine Rear Transaxle N D L R (shifter shown) First car the page author ever drove	Good 2-speed RWD	6	Trade
1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass wagon "Batmobile"* 1968-1979 Father * My brother thought the front end looked like the TV Batmobile			P R N D L Used for moving rock bands Third car the page author ever drove	Good 2-Speed RWD	6	Trade
1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass "Slidemobile"* 1973-1982 Father * The worst of all on snow and ice			P R N D S L	Bad 3-speed "S" Is 1&2 RWD	5	Trade
1981 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme 1982-1998 Father			P R N D S L	Poor 3-speed "S" Is 1&2 RWD	4	Trade
1966 Chevy II "The Little Car"* 1982-1986 Aunt (from 1965) & Father * It was the smallest car we had ever owned			P R N D L	Good 2-Speed RWD	6	Sold to collector
CAR / NICKNAME YEARS OWNED / OWNER	PHOTO	FEATURE	SPECIAL FEATURES	WINTER DRIVING	RATE 0-10	REASON SOLD
1960 Corvair 1987-1989 Grandmother (from 1960) & Father			4-cylinder Rear engine and Transaxle N D L R (shifter shown) Front trunk	Fair 2-Speed RWD	5	Sold to collector
1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme "Betsy"* 1988-1997 me * Had the name before I got it			P R N D S L Modified to carry a power chair	Bad 3-speed "S" Is 1&2 RWD	3	Accident truck hit in driveway
1982 Ford Econoline 150 van "Tubby the Whale"* 1995-2003 me * Very big, blue on top, white on bottom			Transmission 2 position for ice P R N D 2 1 Seats 10 Used to move music bands Used as a church bus	Better 3-speed "2" Is 2 RWD	8	Accident
1995 Ford Windstar van "Columbia II"* 2003-2011 me * This car blew a head gasket the day I bought it. I returned it to the dealer. They fixed it, and I bought it again just after the shuttle Columbia crashed.			Transmission 2 position for ice P R N OD 2 1 O button on shift lever Seats 7 Used to move music bands	Better 4-speed "2" Is 2 FWD	8	Mechanical failure
2002 Pontiac Bonneville "The Skifter"* 2011-2019 me * Snow and ice ability after modification A car in my fiancée's parking lot had features I didn't want. After I had to quickly buy a car, I parked next to it. I had bought an identical car.			P R N D 3 2 1 Added second-gear start for ice Red switch and light box on top of dash Someone saw the front of it and said "Look! A Batman car." I did like the red reflector clear across the back and the oddly shaped spoiler.	Best 4-speed 2GS Pos FWD	7	Rainwater leak from unwanted sunroof
CAR / NICKNAME YEARS OWNED / OWNER	PHOTO	FEATURE	SPECIAL FEATURES	WINTER DRIVING	RATE 0-10	REASON SOLD
2009 Mazda 5 wagon "Ziggy Zagga Zoomy"* Apr-Jun 2019 me * The gearshift, the ad campaign, and what an ant in a comic book I once had said while it was making plumbing out of spaghetti			Zigzag shift Manumatic for ice (shown) R P N D −M+ Seats 6 CD changer	Best 5-speed M2 Pos FWD	10	Tree fell on it and totaled it
2010 Nissan Versa "Vice Versa"* Jun-Oct 2019 me * Nothing but trouble.			P R N D 2 1	Bad 4-speed "2" Is 1&2 FWD	1	Mechanical failure
2012 Chevrolet Cruze "Super Skifter"* 2019-... me * Snow and ice ability			Manumatic for ice (shown) P R N D +M− Seats 5	Best 6-speed M2 & M3 Pos FWD	9	(still have)

CAR / NICKNAME
YEARS OWNED / OWNER

PHOTO

FEATURE

SPECIAL FEATURES

WINTER
DRIVING

RATE
0-10

REASON
SOLD

1952 Chevrolet

1952-1957
Father

3-speed synchromesh

R 2
|−N−|
1 3

Fair

RWD

Accident
runaway
stone truck

1957 Chevrolet Del Ray
"The 57"
1957-1978
Father

Turboglide shifless transmission

P R N D Gr

Second car the page author ever drove

Good
GR Pos

RWD

Mechanical
failure

1951 Plymouth Suburban wagon

1957-1958
Father

"Airplane steering wheel" (page author)

Only car with a 3-speed floor stick shift

R 2
|−N−|
1 3

Fair

RWD

Floor fell
out

1953 Studebaker Scotsman wagon
"Stupidbaker"*
1958-1961
Father

* My toddler brother couldn't pronounce
"Studebaker" correctly.

3-speed synchromesh

R 2
|−N−|
1 3

Fair

RWD

Trade

1959 Rambler American wagon

1961-1963
Father

Pushbutton automatic transmission
Has second-gear start (D2)

N R
D2 D1 L
P

Better
3-Speed
D2=2GS

RWD

Accident

CAR / NICKNAME
YEARS OWNED / OWNER

PHOTO

FEATURE

SPECIAL FEATURES

WINTER
DRIVING

RATE
0-10

REASON
SOLD

1961 Pontiac Tempest wagon

1963-1968
Father

4 cylinder engine
Rear Transaxle

N D L R (shifter shown)

First car the page author ever drove

Good
2-speed

RWD

Trade

1967 Oldsmobile Cutlass wagon
"Batmobile"*
1968-1979
Father

* My brother thought the front end looked
like the TV Batmobile

P R N D L

Used for moving rock bands
Third car the page author ever drove

Good
2-Speed

RWD

Trade

1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass
"Slidemobile"*
1973-1982
Father

* The worst of all on snow and ice

P R N D S L

Bad
3-speed
"S" Is 1&2

RWD

Trade

1981 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

1982-1998
Father

P R N D S L

Poor
3-speed
"S" Is 1&2

RWD

Trade

1966 Chevy II
"The Little Car"*
1982-1986
Aunt (from 1965) & Father

* It was the smallest car we had ever owned

P R N D L

Good
2-Speed

RWD

Sold to
collector

CAR / NICKNAME
YEARS OWNED / OWNER

PHOTO

FEATURE

SPECIAL FEATURES

WINTER
DRIVING

RATE
0-10

REASON
SOLD

1960 Corvair

1987-1989
Grandmother (from 1960) & Father

4-cylinder Rear engine and Transaxle

N D L R (shifter shown)

Front trunk

Fair
2-Speed

RWD

Sold to
collector

1976 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme
"Betsy"*
1988-1997
me

* Had the name before I got it

P R N D S L

Modified to carry a power chair

Bad
3-speed
"S" Is 1&2

RWD

Accident
truck hit in
driveway

1982 Ford Econoline 150 van
"Tubby the Whale"*
1995-2003
me

* Very big, blue on top, white on bottom

Transmission 2 position for ice

P R N D 2 1

Seats 10
Used to move music bands
Used as a church bus

Better
3-speed
"2" Is 2

RWD

Accident

1995 Ford Windstar van
"Columbia II"*
2003-2011
me

* This car blew a head gasket the day I bought it.
I returned it to the dealer. They fixed it, and I bought
it again just after the shuttle Columbia crashed.