Beautiful Little Car...But Would I Really Like It?

Why do we always remember just the good times?

Why, when we think back on past experiences, do we recall the positives? Sure, we remember bad things, but in general--at least it seems that way for me--I think about the fun I had when participating in a certain activity or function.

Case in point, a week ago Sunday, as we drove down I-15 to attend church at another meetinghouse, I spotted the red VW Beetle convertible in my rearview mirror. Whenever I see an old bug, the memories come flooding back. I can't believe I don't have more pictures of my first car, a green 1965 Volkswagen beetle, converted to 12-volt and with high-back driver and passenger seats. It did have the original 1200 cc (roughly 36 horsepower...) engine.

I loved that car.

On Sunday the amazing mid-1960s bug passed us. Truth-be-told, I allowed it to pass so I could get a better look at it and it was more beautiful than I thought it would be. A true work of art. And as it passed, I wondered what it would be like to own a mid-1960s VS beetle convertible.

I thought it would be the greatest thing.

Then, I began to remember.

I remembered my green bug. I remembered it not being able to go over 55 m.p.h. I remember it stranding me on the side of the road almost as many times as it didn't strand me on the side of the road. I remember it being literally freezing inside whenever I drove it in the winter, and almost unsurvivable in the summer with no a/c. It was an automobile in the academic sense...it had four wheels, and I had to legally license it to drive it on the road. I had a love/hate relationship with that car. Back then, you could buy a functioning VW bug for around $500. Now, that same car, in much worse condition, costs $2k and up.

As much as I loved seeing that red convertible, if the driver were to pull over and give me the keys to the beautiful car, would I like it? I'd have to deal with freezing winters, no a/c in the summer, and I'd have to park it in a garage. We only have a one-car garage and that's where our van lives.

Owning such a car requires sacrifice. So, would I really like having it if I had the option?

You bet I would!

In a heartbeat!

My Son's Selling His First Car...

Remember the first car you ever owned? I do. It's become part of Taylor family lore. It was a 1965 VW Beetle and we named it Greenie. I had the opportunity of owing it twice, once when I bought it as a sophomore in high school, and a second time when I bought it from a junkyard after the guy I sold it to drove it around illegally for a couple of years and left it at a parking spot downtown Salt Lake City. I ended up giving it away to a father and son team who wanted to fix it up. I hope they did revive it, but it could be rotting somewhere in another junkyard. I think about that car all the time.

The car was special, even though it stranded me more times than I can count. It almost got me killed by stalling while crossing busy streets. I never got it above 55 m.p.h. Still, it was my first car. It meant more to me than four tires, an engine, and seats.

My son is selling his 1999 Toyota Camry for $600. It's got high miles, a cracked windshield, and chipped paint. But it's also got tires with good tread (including a full-size spare...), a clean interior, and a cool compartment for your sunglasses. All in all, it's got more pluses than minuses. It's one color and the heater and A/C work.

My son, like me, has reservations about selling. The car has meant employment opportunities for him. He's been able to go to college, go on dates, and have the type of freedom available to a young man with his whole life ahead of him. It means more than four tires, an engine, and seats.

He's going to ask around to see if anyone's interested in it. Then he'll put it on the Facebook Marketplace and KSL cars (a local digital classified website...). If you're interested, let me know. He'll get another one, as did I. I wonder if the cars and vehicles that follow will ever take the place of his first car. I don't think mine ever did.

The Car...The Town...The Memories

Right now, I'm sitting in my car in a LDS church parking lot as I write this blog post. The church is across the street from Sky View High School in Smithfield, Utah, and I'm at the church parking lot because I can't get wi-fi at the school. At that school, several hundred ballroom dancers and their friends and family are getting ready for tonight's dances.

What does that have to do with an old Volkswagen Beetle?

Good question.

It was about this time of year, 1987, thirty years ago, I found myself in Smithfield Utah. My brother said he had seen an old VW Bug for sale in Smithfield. He was living in Logan Utah, at the time, and going to school. Smithfield is a few miles north of Logan. I had just returned form my LDS church mission and I needed a car. I thought I'd drive up and give it a look.

I saw it, an orange 1972 VW Bug, and I bought it. I think it cost me $500. Imagine buying a working, drivable VW classic beetle for $500. Back then, those cars were all over the place for that price, and cheaper. Now, they're several thousand, even if they're junk.

I had my cousin paint it a beautiful red. If Facebook (or, the internet, for that matter...) existed back then, I'd have posted many a picture of that car. It really looked good. I drove it for several years. It was definitely more reliable than the 1965 VW Bug I had in high school.

I posted a picture of an old bug a few days ago. It's parked at a garage that's next to the dance studio where my daughter trains. It's a beat-up car, but I think it's beautiful. As my daughter and I entered Smithfield this morning, I almost expected an orange bug to be parked by the side of the road waiting for someone to swoop in an buy it. Of course, there was no orange bug.

But if there were, I would have probably done the same thing I did thirty years ago this month.

Son's First Ride...

Think back, back when you picked up the first car that was officially yours. I realize many have not experienced such a feeling. I understand we live in an area where most people have cars. They're needed for us to get to work as well as do all the other things required of us.

I remember when I got my first car. I was sixteen-years old. It was green and made in Germany the year I was born.

And it was a beautiful 1965 green Volkswagen Beetle.

Sure, it broke down a lot, it almost killed me and my friends several times as we crossed I-84 going to high school in the morning. It meant freedom and excitement (I reference the almost dying in the German das tod auto point previously mentioned...). And I loved that car.

Today my son decided to buy his first car. It was manufactured a few years after he was born and the Toyota he got was in so much better shape than the one I bought. If he takes care of this thing, it's not unreasonable to expect he could be driving the thing for years.

His car is black and clean inside. The engine is powerful, the breaks work, and so far, it's started every time we've tried to start it. He's already so far ahead of the game.

When It Snows Inside The Car...

My first car was a 1965 VW beetle. Anyone familiar with  rear-engine, air-cooled Volkswagens knows the vehicles had no heaters. Technically, there were heaters, but they barely worked.

We've come a long way since 1965. The old bugs are disappearing from our roads and heaters in cars work much better. One thing I don't think I ever ran into with the old bug was having condensation build up inside the car. This happens every now and again in the car I drive.

The other day I had to scrape the inside of the car which left snow on the dashboard. Another time I cleared the ice from the outside of the windshield and there was still ice on the window. After realizing I wasn't doing any good with more scraping, I finally noticed the ice was inside the car.

This is a temporary issue--it's really not big deal. In a few weeks the weather will warm up and I won't need to use the ice scraper, at least, until next year. In the mean time, I can teach my kids about how clouds are formed...