Guest Column:The view from here

In the past few months, Palouse has shared not one, but two classic car shows! The first was the annual Hot Rod Gathering in June; the second, part of the recent Palouse Days celebration. Wandering around these memory-triggering events is always time very well spent.

Owners sit near their “babies,” which are, inside and out, showroom ready. Models range from Ford Model Ts to Pontiac GTOs, and there is no shortage of “glory days” models. Correction: Almost no shortage. I always grieve a bit when I realize that, once again there is one model that is conspicuous by its absence. It’s the car that broke my young heart. That’s right-- the one, the only, Chevy Vega.

It was 1974. After completing a temp job at the post office, I was flush with the cash and ready to make a dream come true. In February, I ordered it—a brand new Vega. And not just any Vega—this one was midnight blue metallic and equipped with a 3-speed manual transmission that I had no idea how to drive.

Two factory strikes (that’s no typo) and 10+ weeks later, delivery day arrived and my dad dropped me off at the dealer. With paperwork signed and keys delivered, my adventure was about to began. Kinda. I was busy trying to operate the stick shift, clutch, and gas but swear I saw in my rearview mirror that the salesman was bent over laughing hysterically as I made my way out of the parking lot. Soon, things started to get even more interesting as I stalled out through six traffic light cycles before finally moving forward (eyes closed) and flooring it through the now-red light.

Sadly, four years and 33,000 miles later, I was buying Valvoline by the case and the soft glow of the dashboard oil light was my constant companion. Yes, it was time to cut my losses. How and when I disposed of the car is a blur but I do remember that my second car was a 1975 Ford Mustang whose exhaust system included a Campbell’s Tomato Soup can (my own nod to Andy Warhol). Come to think of it, I’ve never seen that particular model year displayed at any car show, either.