A GTO Part

In 1978 I was looking for a car just to get me around. Although my dream car was a 1967 Camaro SS and I would have happily settled for my #2 dream car (a '69 Camaro), I couldn't afford either one. I was just a 17-year-old punk at the time. I probably couldn't afford either one now either. I looked in the classified ads, and saw a 1966 Pontiac GTO for sale for only $600 which was more than I had, but not by much. I called and talked to the owner and it sounded good so I went to look at it. When I got there and saw the car in the driveway, I instantly fell in love with it. But there was another kid and his dad talking to the owner, and as I walked up I overheard that they were already negotiating the price! The kid was offering in the range of $500 or $525, I don't remember. My brother was with me and I said to him, "Oh no, he's gunna buy my car!" Ken said, "Well, go tell him you'll give him the six hundred." (He's such a genius, my brother.)

So I went and interrupted their negotiations with my offer of $600 and the kid looked at his dad all desperate, like what are we going to do? His dad said, "Naw, you don't wanna pay that kinda money" and they walked away. I bet that kid still isn't talking to his dad to this day. Bad day for him, good day for me. You can tell because that was 27 years ago and I can still see the kid's face as they walked away. I felt bad for him and everything, but I had my car! I hadn't even taken it for a test-drive yet. So I did, then I bought it. I almost got my first ticket in it on the way home, too. Got a little sideways coming around a corner and the cop who was coming towards me just pulled out into the middle of the road like, "Pull it on over there, boy". I lied and told him I wasn't used to the high-performance clutch that was in my new car. Although I don't think he believed me, he let me go with just a warning. I never have gotten a ticket in that car. I don't drive it that way very often anymore though.

My closest races (I've never lost one "yet") a '69 Roadrunner and a '70 GTO. Both so close I could have mouthed, "You lose" to the driver of each and they would have heard me.