The movie American Graffiti made stars of many of its actors, and of its
producer, George Lucas. But as famous as they are/were, to me it was always
about the cars, and the times we enjoyed them in. And how that certain vehicle
will be remembered long after the dates that occupied the seat next to you in
it. As I was pondering cars I’ve owned, I can trace my ownership back for seven
decades, from the forties to the new millenium. A lot has changed in those 7
decades, I wonder how much I changed along the way with them. Se how you
relate, and if you changed too.
These are not in order of ownership, but by year. Or remembered. Seems as
the price went up, many times the age of the vehicle went down. We owned a 1949
Ford F-3, a heavy duty 3/4 ton pickup. It was really rated as a 1 ton, except
for the fact it only had single rear wheels. It hauled wood for a few years in
Colorado, and we sold it when moving into a house with a heater. $900 when
purchased, $900 when sold. A cool old truck, wish I had never sold it. I once
owned a 1950 Buick Special 4 door sedan, a true barn find, before barn finds
were the thing. I found it on the back row of a Mazda lot, and for $600 was
mine. The brothers who had found it in their grandmother’s garage had it
cleaned up, new wide whites, and the interior looked like new. Cool car for
cruising in, it was sold to continue an education I never finished. I’m still a
sucker for those toothy 1950 Buicks today.
A 1969 BMW 1600 was my first car, bought used from my dad. Back when BMW
meant “British what” it was cool among sports car guys, and those who read Road
& Track. But it went the way of a new Rabbit in 1975, which was sold for a
1973 Chevy van, customized by Garry for an engineering project, which was later
sold when I moved west. My other car from the sixties was a 1963 Chevy
Greenbrier van, based on the Corvair. $300 I never did pay off, it sat in the
back row of Lou’s Garage with others waiting for parts or the owners to come up
with money. Clyde bought it back for the $200 I owed him, if only I had had the
money, it was cool even then, sadly vans aren’t any more. But my favorite car
of the sixties was the 1967 Cadillac Sedan DeVille, the $1000 dream of a young
man. It was fast, would outdrag Trans Ams of the time, 1977-78, got 6 miles per
gallon no matter how I drove it, so I drove it fast. The proverbial little old
lady car, it wasn’t in my hands. Sold when Theresa and I got married, traded
for a 1978 Rabbit. She kept running over curbs in the Cadi-land yacht, oh the
good old days.
The eighties brought many cars, a 1981 Chevy Citation X-11, the hi-po
version. Traded straight across for a 1983 Escort, we had a family then, only
to find out a drunk driver had run into it totaling it. A great repair job, but
the engine blew in Texas. Where we bought a used 1984 Thunderbird, our first T
Bird. The new aero Bird, it was later traded, and the list goes on. Today the
list ends at 2003 with the Ranger, but the memories and the “glad I bought it,
wished I had never sold it, want it back again “ saga continues. We put more
miles on our bikes than our cars, so we keep them. Cars have become a novelty
for us, we travel by motorcycle, and a 13 year old truck and 15 year old car
don’t seem so old. Today when we see 1991 cars considered classic by the 25
year old rule, our used cars will be classics someday. Who would have thought
it when we bought them?
But as sure as faces and dates fade over time, we remember the car we had.
The 1972 MG I went to UNM in. The 1973 El Camino I hauled my first dirt bike
in. Our first Mustang, a 1986 GT convertible, the top went down in May, back up
in November. When it rained, we took the other car. The trip to Novato one
Christmas in it. Not sure of the year, but traded it for a used 1995 T Bird.
The cars we dated in, loved on, kept running despite lack of funds, we can
remember them, the good times in them, just not the dates. Which is OK, no one
will hold you to them, the true test is the times remembered. Of barely making
payments, of the repairs and tune ups, and of course the road trips, the
memories that each one provided. Suddenly when the memories are included, the
purchase price and upkeep becomes less expensive, almost a bargain. If only we
knew then what we do now, would it really have made a difference?
Many will criticize the Bible as being inaccurate when it comes to dates.
Yet will compare it to a non-God inspired record for comparison. Josephus, a
Greek historian, has given the Bible a great deal of credibility due to his
writings. But shouldn’t it be the other way around, God proving man right or
wrong? Yet the more men have tried to find errors in scripture, the more
accurate it has become to them. The dates mentioned if not exact years,
coincide with history, and when read contemporarily, would have been dismissed
as false. But weren’t, truth winning out. So some read the Bible for historic
reasons, some for edification. Both true, but we need to remember all
scripture, the Bible is inspired by God. And the same spirit that inspired it
is needed to make it become real today. How many when lost would espouse the
Bible made no sense, yet after Jesus comes into their lives see it come alive?
How can we read for hours, when once a few minutes seemed like an eternity? How
can old words thousands of years old still be relevant today? Does God get old
like our cars do?
Like cars, many times I can remember the things God has done in my life,
but not the dates. The dates may fade, but Jesus never does. He is as real
today as when I first met him 41 years ago. Driving the 1973 Chevy van, my R90S
at home in the garage. If life can be remembered by the cars or motorcycles,
how much more important is it to remember where you were in Christ at the time?
The testimonies we didn’t know we were making, how we missed God in our midst
until afterwards, and how what he did then influenced our next days. American
Graffiti may have been a life changing experience for its stars, but the true
life changing experience is when Jesus Christ comes into our lives. I can
remember my BC days, but my AD days far out number them, and yet I can see how
Jesus took me through those times while I was yet a sinner, in rebellion. Maybe
it is the memories rather than the sheet metal they are surrounded in that make
the old cars so valuable, to make us want to go back to those times with what we
know now. Only in Christ do we have a future to look forward too. Decades of
memories behind, an eternity ahead.
But what of today? Where are you in Christ? Where is Jesus in your life?
Today is not only the day of salvation, but a great day to be saved. God does
not promise us tomorrow, but does eternity. Which are you basing your future
on? Are you still making payments on a life style hoping to earn your way to
heaven, or are you accepting the free gift of salvation? Is your life all about
you, or all about Jesus? We talk of the good old days, they are still here,
today. Influencing tomorrow. What are your memories of Jesus? Do you remember
him more than the cars of your past? Is lurking in your 1960’s body a new
spirit or just an old motor in need of repairs? Time passes, don’t let time
with Jesus in your life pass. We may not recall the dates, but we should never
forget Jesus. A true barn find if there ever was one, and one who makes an
eternal impact on your life. Only in Christ will you truly say “glad I found
him, glad he saved me, and I never want to go back again.” Cars like the grass
and memories may whither, aren’t you glad Jesus never does?
Seven decades of cars, five decades of being saved. What a long, strange
trip it has been. Just make sure you have a today to look back on
tomorrow.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com