1969 Oldsmobile Cutlass Convertible

All original. 90,000 miles. Driven every day.

My mother bought it new, and it had been in storage with minimal use when I took it over. A trusted mechanic and I have been working on it since, starting with the important stuff. Engine, brakes, transmission, front end: things like that. It runs fine these days, but that big V8 engine sucks gas. The front seats need work, and the top leaks in Florida's monsoon season.

When it rains, the well below the top fills up with water. I used to feel bad that I couldn't afford a new top when I'd turn a corner and the water would slosh around. So I bought a yellow rubber ducky and put it back there. Now every time I hear the slosh I think of the ducky swimming around and smile. It was cheaper than therapy, or a new top for that matter.

This was my first car, a 51 Olds 98. Nosed and decked, painted metallic green. If I close my eyes, I can almost hear Buddy Holly on the radio.

1964 Corvair convertible (maroon, black interior). My first new car. I put a lot of miles on this one.

Some of the other cars I've owned include a full-bore 68 Camero convertible (gold, bought new), a Bug-Eye Sprite, several VW vans, a 63 Pontiac Tempest convertible (slant 4, red), a VW Thing (orange), several pickup trucks and for a while I traveled and lived in a converted school bus. I once sold a Ford van I'd converted into a camper to Roger Zelazny.

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