I was asked what vehicle did I consider the best I ever drove, and that really put my mind to the test. I’ve had several to choose from: a 1969 Buick Riveira,(great heat, great radio, wouldn’t turn left), 1990 Toyota Corolla (rode good until that day I didn’t think the oil light on the dash was important), 1983 Datsun 1200 (another victim of the dreaded dashboard light), to name a few. All placed well ahead of the FIAT Mirafiori I drove sometimes. How was I to know that car had TWO fuel pumps!! Stalled on me until I sold it.
If I had to narrow the best vehicle, I got it down to two rides: a 1977 Ford Pinto Wagon and a 1995 Ford Ranger. First, we have to discuss the sentimental favorite, the Pinto. My brother was a mail carrier, and used this car to deliver mail. It had broken down in his driveway, and there it sat. By pure coincidence, the Datsun had just died of heart failure, well the autopsy said oil deprivation, but I’m sticking to MY story. I had went to my brother to ask him to co-sign for a car I wanted to buy. His response was,”If you can get this Pinto to run, you can drive it away from here.” Needless to say, that’s what I did. WHAT A CAR!! I drove it for 6 years, and it finally quit running, I had driven it back from a construction job in Ohio, but it maxed out at 383,000 miles. The last 150 thousand with a gaping hole in the floorboard!!!
Fond memories they are, but the true winner was my Ford Ranger. I bought it in 2001 for $4500. It was a manual transmission, and I rode it like a chariot forever. WE had a healthy relationship for nine years, taking me everywhere I desired. Sometimes it left me there, because it had issues that developed over the years. If there was something going on somewhere, we went. Concert, party, job, ball game, you name it , we went! In 2010, I found myself in dire need of an upgrade, so I bought a Nissan Altima. The time came to say good bye, so I sold the Ranger for $1000. The day it left, I had the flags at half mast. Truly a sad day in my driving world. The loss of a true friend indeed. The Lone Ranger had Silver, I had my Ranger.