28 September 2014

1986 240DL Volvo Wagon

This happened.  Let me explain.
Rachel has been driving since she was 14.  In Arkansas, at 14 a child can get a permit to drive.  This permit has to renewed every 6 months until the child is 16, then the child takes the driving portion of the test and gets a real license to drive.  Crazy.  Notice how I refer to the driver as a child?  What do you call a 14 year old girl?  Ugh.

Anyway, my viewpoints aside, Rachel was so excited to drive.  She got her permit and she got her license.  She was ready.  She wondered where the car was.

We do not have the monetary ability to buy her a car to drive.  We don't even have the ability to pay for her insurance.  Have you ever priced insurance on a 16 year old girl?  Ha!  So James and I told her what any responsible parent tells a child with expensive taste - get a job.  Rachel got a job.

Now what?  Yup.  A car.  She searched Craigslist, Ebay, the local paper and she scoured the roadways for cars with For Sale signs.  She had in mind just what she wanted, but, her caviar taste on a hot dog budget was getting frustrating.

Finally, she did it.  With a payment arrangement from her friend, Garrett, she bought a car - a 240 DL Turbo Volvo Wagon, light blue.

Now, for any of you readers who have known me my whole life, you may be thinking - a 240 DL Turbo Volvo Wagon?  Tina drove one of those!  Yes, it's true.  And I loved that car.  I loved that car so much that I haven't loved another car as much since then.  Sigh.

My Volvo had 350,000 miles on it when we finally sold it.  It's the car I was driving when I met James.  It's the car WE were driving when Rachel was born.  It's the car that had two ignitions because the original one was stuck in gear and instead of fixing it, I just added a second ignition.  I loved that car.  It's the car that had the back glass smashed in while I was in a movie theater because I had a stash of Christmas presents in the back, covered unconvincingly by a blanket, and the presents were all stolen.

And now Rachel is driving the same car - kind of.  Mine was a 1982.  Hers is a 1986.
Here's my '82 Volvo - all dressed up on our wedding day in 1997.

2 screams from the fans...:

MaryAnn said...

That is awesome. My parents had a green maverick when I was little and if I could find one for me I would definitely buy it. Kimberlee's first car would have to be a 1995 Honda Civic. Not nearly as fun. :(

Uncle Dave said...

It's KIRK!!!!!! Holy crap!

You need to tell Rachel that 1) she has to name it, it's Brumbley child tradition (she has the blood, if not the name, don't you dare let these things die) and 2) the only acceptable names are A) Kirk Jr., B) Jean-Luc (Picard is also acceptable, but not as awesome by way of a car name), C) Janeway, D) Spock (because he was always second fiddle to Kirk anyway). Inform her of this. It is your solemn responsibility as a parent. Congratulations, Niece!!!