My Dad purchased this car in 1979 and it was his "BABY" that he treated like solid gold..he paid $5000 for it back then, and that was GOLD IN THEM THAR DAZE.My poor father passed on in November 1988 only getting to enjoy his luxury vehicle for nine short years....then Mom inherited it.
My little 5foot 2inch mother propped up pillows so she could see over the steering wheel and plodded along on her vast travels to the corner grocery and back (racking up tremendous mileage of 140 miles a YEAR) until 2001 when the osteoporosis crippled her over so badly she could no longer SEE over the steering wheel with any amount of pillows so she put the "boat" in dry dock and it sat. I entered the scene July 1, 2002...
Mom signed the title over to me and the behemoth became mine while I have been here caring for Mom...the old boat took some mechanical work to bring out of dry dock (the garage) but it got driven far more than ever before. Why I bet I put a whole 140 miles a WEEK on her! And we even got her a personal mechanic who made house calls and repaired her right inside our own garage...and he visited very often the last couple years.Then on Tuesday, September 14, 2009 when I backed her out to go get a prescription she started making this horrible noise...well, the rest is history...terminal condition in the differential and it would cost $$$$
sooooo...after thirty years of faithful service and not even 86,000 original miles, the old girl had to be put out to pasture and a newer, younger replacement found.
We will miss the Mark V Cartier Edition from Ford Motor Company but we sure won't miss the gasoline bills or the nasty stares from tree huggers whenever we drove by. <<>>
RIP
Well, I'm a tree-hugger, but that beauty would only get admiring gazes from me! I love those old boats...they just don't make them with such nice lines anymore. RIP!!
ReplyDeleteHey I remember this car. Nice post!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's a beautiful old girl, for sure, and with only 86,000 miles on it, this tree-hugger wouldn't have any trouble. Though the idea of 140 miles a year -- wish we all could sustain that! I put over 250 a WEEK on mine (thankfully mostly highway), and despite driving first a Subaru and now a gas sippin' Corolla (if I drove more in town miles I would have thought about a Prius, but I just dont. have. the. money), I have No Call to be glaring at any other driver, no matter what they drive. Okay, I glare at Hummers and SUVs that have never been driven off-road in their lives, but I know I am being a tad hypocritical when I do.
ReplyDeleteHere's a toast to your baby ... long and faithful service.
Your relationship with the dinosaur reminds me of a similar experience with a 1968 Plymouth Valient. Purchased by my grandmother, passed on to my mother, and I drove her for several years as well. Could'nt kill that Slant 6 engine, but the body was rotting away! They don't make cars like THAT anymore!
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