A few months back, the better half’s car bit the dust and had to be replaced. She really wanted an electric, but electric then (as now) is a bit out of our price range. What we got instead was a small, Korean-made Chevrolet Spark. I call it the “Roller Skate.” Now that we’ve had it a few months, I’m starting to like our Roller Skate. It’s zippy, eats very little gasoline, and darn it, the Roller Skate is fun to drive!

I had forgotten how fun driving a diminutive car can be. Two of my favorite cars were Roller Skates, too!

The first car I ever owned was a 1969 Austin America. I paid something like $350 for a slightly larger version of the Mini. It needed work, and as I worked for the MG/Austin dealership at the time, I ended up getting an education about how cars work – or how British cars of the era worked. British cars had a terrible reputation, especially for the electrical parts made by Lucas… nicknamed “The Prince of Darkness.” The only electrical problem I had during my time with what my father called “The Little Yellow Monster” was with the starter. It ate up starter drives. I finally broke down, bought a second starter, keeping it reserve so when one starter failed a replacement was readily available.

I could change starters in five minutes flat.

When the Austin ran, it ran quite well and was perfectly suited for the driving I was doing at the time. And she could corner. I scared the snot out of a college roommate by taking a 25 MPH curve at 50. Looking back, I was damn lucky neither one of us was killed during that maneuver.

The Austin eventually died, a cracked head which I almost fixed was the culprit. I sold it for $50 as a parts car to a mechanic I knew. Both of us were happy with the deal.

My second Roller Skate was a Renault 5, with little letters on the side declaring it to be a LeCar. The car was manufactured and sold before Renault and AMC hooked up in the mid-seventies. The dealer was glad to be rid of the car as it was sitting in his back lot for over a year. I traded a troublesome Mustang II and was happier than the proverbial Pig in Mud with my purchase.

On my way home from the dealer, I was side-tracked by a collection of Corvettes in a mall parking lot. They had set up a track, of sorts, with cones, and for $20 (Donated to Big Brothers/Big Sisters), you could run through the course with the best time of the day being awarded with a trophy. I had $20 and took my turn. Second-Best-Time-of-the-Day. There were more than several Corvette drivers with their jaws on the ground. My performance probably generated another $200 – $300 from drivers attempting to best the time of my Roller Skate.

“Froggy LeCar” as I called her was usually reliable and stayed with me for the better part of three years. I managed to load the car up with most of my belongings and drove it down to Houston where I had a job waiting for me in the Oil Patch. I was waylaid in Memphis when I had a problem with the car running. A tune-up was all it needed. Did another overnight in LaFayette Louisiana where I got a phone call in my hotel room from a strange woman wanting to invite herself over to see me. It was my first time being solicited by a prostitute, but I didn’t realize it until sometime the next day while crossing the Sabine River.

I eventually let “Froggy” go, as it had no Air Conditioning. If you’ve ever lived in Houston, you’d know that AC is mandatory. I almost regret letting the car go. It was zippy and easy on gas.

Just like the better half’s Spark.

My little Jeep is larger and can carry more. Willy (Willy the Jeep – for somewhat obvious reasons) has been my favorite for most of seven years, but the Spark… well… there’s a part of me that wants to commandeer the Spark and call it my own.

For old time’s sake.

Be Seeing You!