Well, I got my Learner's Permit on a Radioactive Orange 1975 Pinto-Automatic on the floor, Inline 4 engine, smooth and dependable driving. Just what a 15 year old needed for daytime trips to the library and the grocery store. Sadly, the poor beast did not make it to my 16th birthday-Dad borrowed it to get to a fire (he was a Volunteer Fireman until he turned 75, and stayed involved with the Fundraisers and such until his death) and a snapped brake cable on a hill turned the poor Pinto into the filling of a Firetruck Sandwich.
Contrary to the myth however, the gas tank did not explode....
Since Dad
technically wrecked my ride, he offered to pay for the next one...but I wisely refused to take advantage of him and kept my sights low, searching for Used, Runs Well and Decent MPG. Turns out that my paternal Grandfather was getting rid of his 1970 VW Fastback for something with more luxurious seating options, his longstanding chronic back problems demanding it...money changed hands, Dad gave my a twenty minute tutorial on operating a 4-speed stick with clutch, and turned me loose. I had that Fastback for over 16 years with only a replacement fuel pump and regular oil and tire changes, right up until a Dealership expressed an interest in my ride on behalf of a collector...after some haggling, they offered my a 1987 Nissan Sentra with only 26,000 miles on it plus some folding cash, and I bid farewell to the VW with over 450,000 on that Suitcase Four. For all I know, that Fastback might be running to this very day and showing up at the San Francisco Classic car shows...
The Pictures aren't from the original cars-but the Make, Model and Colors are a perfect match: