Re: [AMC-List] first cars

["Ross Guistino" <rossg@xxxxxxxxx>]

The first car that was actually mine, and not one of the Chevies or Mopars
that my parents drove, was a '74 very plain Jane Gremlin with the 232.  I
loved that car.  It was black with thin gold pinstripes and no frills
interior, right down to the vinyl bench seat and floors.  Bought it in '77
from Dewitt's AMC in Akron, Ohio.  I drove it out to California when I
moved out of the house at 21.  Not a lick of trouble on that whole trip. 
When I met my then soon-to-be-wife in 1980 ole Betty (the Gremlin that is)
started acting up but ONLY when my wife was in the car.  It started
innocently enough with a flat tire, then a carb issue, then something
else.  It got to the point that every single time she came near the car it
would complain.  The last straw was when I started having tranny issues. 
But here's the kicker.  My dad visited one summer and I gave him the car
to drive around in.  You guessed it, not a lick of trouble did he have.  I
got it back, my wife got in, and the tranny started having issues again. 
I reluctantly, and with a very heavy heart, sold Betty to my cousin who,
in less than 3 months, burned up the engine and left it to die in the
California hills somewhere.  That was in 1982.  Fast forward to 2000 and
my wife (yep, the same one I met back in 1980) found a '75 Gremlin X on
eBay and bought it for me as a surprise.  Trouble was, it was in Houston. 
She had bought a car off of Eddie Stakes.  I flew in and drove Greta home.
 Now despite having a loose shifter, exhaust leaks, and old hoses, I only
had one problem in that long hot trip home (it was mid-summer!).  The
oil-sending unit sprung a leak.  Luckily I was near a town that had a
mechanic on-duty who ended up putting a bolt in.  He thought for sure he
could get a unit from one of the Eagles  he had in the back but no luck. 
I drove the rest of the way home to Northern California without a problem.
 I still have Greta and a couple of years ago I brought home a '73 Gremlin
named Vivo to keep Greta company.  Vivo has a 304 in it, but again, other
than that she's very plain.  Right down to the vinyl bench seat and
floors.

Ross Guistino
Rohnert Park, CA
The NorCal AMC Car Club
'73 Gremlin 304 aka Vivo
'75 Gremlin X aka Greta
'93 Jetta III
'98 Jetta TDI
'02 Jetta TDI
'69 VW Bug
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