My first car was a 1969 black Ford Torino, which looked absolutely nothing like the restored classic above. www.gatewayclassiccars.com   It was fondly referred to as “The Black Bomb” mostly because it had been hit by something much larger than itself in the back right corner, giving it a Phantom of the Opera sans mask look.  This didn’t bother me at all. The only thing I cared about was the fact that it moved when I needed it to, well most of the time anyway.  The car was purchased from Vinny’s gas station around the corner from my house for $500, which was a lot of money when I bought it back in 1979. 

Every boy loves his first car and the Black Bomb was no exception. I soon became very adept at inserting a pen in the carburetor in just the right manner so the engine would turn over.  I think I found my car  at the Black Bomb Graveyard Of course sometimes the car needed a push while the engine was doing its thing, so as an added benefit my 12 year old sister became a pretty good driver herself, well someone had to steer until I got back in. 

I think buying a car this time around is going to be a very different experience.  In the next few weeks now that hopefully the winter storms are fading away, I’ll start shopping for my road trip vehicle.  Currently there are a few serious contenders:  The Nissan Xterra, the Ford Explorer, the GMC Terrain, the Honda CRV and the Kia Sorrento (although barely holding onto last place at