Vanessa's Datsun B210

Here's a story from Vanessa... Got a favorite car story? Email to me and I'll post it!

Clipart by Lee Hansen, www.leehansen.com

"My first car was a 1975 Datsun B210. This is the car that later evolved into the Nissan Sentra.

When I graduated high school in 1982 my grandfather wanted to buy me a new '82 Sentra for my graduation present. But my dad and grandmother vetoed the idea.

So, I worked and saved what I could. (I was supporting my mother and sister at this time.) When I told my grandfather that I was planning to buy a '71 toyota we made an agreement.

No, it wasn't about toyota versus datsun; it was about the fact that the car I had in my sights was just short of the scrap heap. He told me to "do a little better" and that he'd help out only if I "never let dad and grandma know".

Meanwhile as I continued to save, my uncle found this cute little datsun and negotiated a great price. (Grandpa only ended up kicking in my first year's insurance costs.)

The funny part was that when my uncle took me to get the car, it turned out to be a stick shift. And I had only driven (tried to drive) a manual transmission once.

My uncle and the seller made a deal: if I could get it home, I'd keep it. If not, he would refund my money and take it back.

That day, what should have been a 10 minute trip took me almost an hour but I got "Bay Bay" home.

I kept that car for 5 years and over 100,000 miles - including halfway across the country and back - twice!

To this day she's still my favorite of all the cars I've had since.

My uncle bought her from me, when she was closing in on 300,000 miles and I finally gave in and bought a new car.

A 1983 Nissan Sentra."

Vanessa
http://www.vanessasdesk.com

My Car

I'm looking for stories about your favorite car.

We are such an automobile-centric society and rely so heavily on this mass of steel on four wheels. But for many car owners, it's more than just a hunk of junk... it's their baby, their alter-ego, their time-travel vehicle, their Batmobile, their L-O-V-E machine.

There are untold stories and memories locked away in countless of cars across the country. So now is your chance to tell your story.

Photo credit: Arthur Martins Franco Bisneto

For me, a car is just a means to get from point A to point B.

But I do have fond memories of my very first car, a 1977 Plymouth Fury III, that was handed down to me from my dad during my senior year in high school. I thought I was just SO cool driving this big ol' yellow four door tank; yes, it was somewhat uncool in the fact that it used to belong to my father... but the coolness factor was that I could fit in about 12 kids across the big black vinyl bench seats if we all squeezed in and sat on each other's lap. Yeah, Eva was cool ; )

Lots more stories to tell, but in the meantime, what's the story behind your fav car?

Add your story in Comments or you can Contact Me so I can interview you, and I'll post your story here and include it in my upcoming book too.

In the meantime, happy travelin'!

Helping you Sort Things Out, one step at a time!

Regards,
Eva

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the stereo console

We had a great discussion on Sunday, Feb. 17th at The Ranconteur in Metuchen NJ, sharing "Our Stories, Our Stuff". One of the topics that we spoke about was the process of releasing and how it made it a little bit easier when we could find a "home" for the items that we were ready to release.

Even though we were talking about inanimate objects, somehow, we realized that we have connected with things on another level that defies logic; things which have been part of our lives at some point and have a special meaning for us. And which others around us have absolutely no clue and cannot understand why we have this sort of attachment to our "stuff".



I shared the story about how I found a listing for a stereo console on Freecycle about 2 years ago, which I was very interested in. Some background info: I grew up playing albums and listening to the radio on a stereo console, made in Germany, which was built like a beautiful piece of furniture, with a lid that lifted up on the top to display the turntable and radio dials. It had the old style tube amp, which gives that rich bass sound that you just can't match anymore. I have great memories of it. In fact, I think that's how I developed the interest in becoming a disc jockey when I was in college. To my dismay, my dad ended up throwing away our beloved stereo several years ago. I wanted an old fashioned stereo console of my own to enjoy and have my kids enjoy too, like I did when I was growing up.

When I saw the Freecycle listing, I sent an email to the person offering and they replied back saying that it was mine if I wanted it. It belonged to a couple who was retiring to Florida and didn't have the space or the desire to move it. They purchased it in the 1970's and their kids grew up listening to and playing the stereo too. For the couple, they were thrilled that their stereo was going to a new home, to a new family who would enjoy it and take care of it. I could tell that the husband was genuinely happy that another generation would grow up enjoying the music played on their stereo. When we got it home and in place and plugged in, the sound that came from that stereo was even better than what I imagined it would sound like.

I've since received some older LP albums from another Freecycle member, and my children and I have enjoyed listening to those old records, complete with all the pops and clicks, and that big "bomp" sound that you hear (and feel) when the needle of the turntable arm is first lowered and lands on the album.

What's your story? What do you own in your life that has a story or special meaning behind it? Email your original story and pics to stories@sort-things-out.com and I'll post it here (keeping it family-friendly please) and will consider it for inclusion in my upcoming book, Our Stories, Our Stuff.

Thanks for joining us and sharing.

Eva, www.Sort-Things-Out.com