Cars...no, not the movie...the story of my life with dh

My online buddy Cheri had the idea on her blog to write about her cars, after she had given thanks in her Thanksgiving post for reliable transportation. Of course when I saw that I had to run with it. See, I belong (through marriage) to the car of the month club. At least, that's what it feels like sometimes. And these are not nice, new cars...rather, they are whatever can be purchased for the least amount of money. It all began when we were newlyweds and I had just gotten my license. Yes, I got my license at age 22...
( I have put the year of acquisition in parentheses in order to reflect the timeline)
1978 Ford Fairmont--borrowed from my fil (1986), it died in the middle of a MAJOR city intersection, the day after I got my license and the first time I was out driving alone
1985 Chevy Nova--purchased from Avis Rent-a-Car (1986, the newest car I have ever owned)----my father was so proud that I bought an American-made car, no matter that the thing said Toyota on every single part. It was a good car that served me well for several years, until dh spotted the...
1985 Buick station wagon for sale ($600) by the side of the road (1994). Seeing as how we had our second child at that point he thought it would be a great family car. The fact that the battery kept dying wasn't a problem--heck just throw in a kill switch to turn the battery on & off...and put it in the wheel well to save $$ on the cost of wire! I'm sure people were always wondering why my right coat sleeve was filthy throughout the long, slushy, salty NH winters and muddy springs. When we could no longer afford both the cost of kindergarten tuition (public kindergarten not mandatory in NH) and gas to get the kid there, why not trade vehicles with the next-doo neighbor?
1986 Ford Escort wagon (1995)---sure, it could have fit in the backseat of the Buick wagon, but at least we could afford the gas. That is, until a woman in a volvo pulled out in front of me. Those Escort front ends sure crinkle up like aluminum foil...scary! While waiting 5 weeks for the insurance claim to settle I had a rental car...
1996 Cutlas ---that was one beautiful, brand-new car! Luckily, dh found one "exactly like it, just a little older"...
1986 Cutlas--yeah, just like the brand new 96. This one only lasted a few months before dh got tired of coming to rescue us from the car that won't start unless HE turned the key.
1993 Dodge Intrepid---beautiful car! (1998) Wonderful! Drove great, reliable..it was even manufactured in the same decade that we were living in! I drove this car the longest of any, until we moved further north and it couldn't handle our driveway in the winter.
1996 Chevy Tahoe--almost my dream car (which would have been a Suburban). Purchased in 2001 after I returned to full-time work, this was my baby. Metallic plum color, handled great, it was a girl's truck. It hauled on many camping trips, scout troops, and the dog. It plowed up and down our driveway no matter what the weather brought. I loved this truck. Then gas prices skyrocketed. I was suddenly doing a lot of driving. We decided it would be worthwhile to buy something smaller. Dh began to drive my baby to work (a mile from home) and I got a...
1998 Subaru--sporty, fun, and AWD. It was great on gas. I drove it for several months, all the while listening to dh complain about driving a pink truck with a girl's name on the license plate. After a while, gas prices dropped again, so I volunteered to give up the "new" car and swap vehicles with the man even though I drive many miles more than he does. After all, he should have the black sporty car and I should have the pink truck, right? Right! It felt like coming home. So comfortable, so pretty, so safe, so ME! I love my truck. I don't care if she's 12 years old, I plan on driving her for as long as she'll run.
Of course--these are only my cars. I haven't even touched up on all the cars dh has had over the years. Each one was his "dream car"...all 12 of them. Well he's stuck with the Subaru for quite a while now!