Back In Our Day…

My eldest son, Jesse, will be 16 in August and soon he'll be taking his driver's license test. I thought about how cars have changed over the years, particularly in size, and I have a new appreciation for how things have gotten easier for our children.

I took my DL test on March 25th, 1991. I can remember the specific date because I turned 16 on a Saturday and waiting until Monday was torturous.

Walking out with me to this beast must have been a little disconcerting for the State Trooper who'd been unfortunate enough to draw my number.

I'm petite and my parent's car was not:

That's a 1986 Lincoln Towncar and I three-point turned that bad boy like a BOSS which impressed the female law enforcement officer riding with me. 'Anyone who can maneuver a car this size into a three-point turn deserves their license. Just watch your speed driving through neighborhoods, ' she said with appreciation.

I asked Scott Shepherd what type of car he drove and was pleasantly surprised to learn it was a baby blue Ford Country Squire which is the perfect vehicle for someone who rode in school bus converted from an old bread truck.

I told Monk I bet he looked like a clown climbing out of a Volkswagen when he showed me the picture of his 'mamaw's car' which was a 1988 Nissan Sentra:

Thank goodness Tracy doesn't still drive the 1981 Caprice Classic she had into work or there would be no parking left for anyone else.

What about you? What did you drive?