My First Car!

My first car was a Mk 3 Ford Fiesta, and at the time, i loved it! But looking back at it now, i kinda think that it was the biggest load of horse manure that has ever been created by man. My mum "loaned" me the £600 to buy it, and it stood on the drive for over a week, until the insurance was sorted. I longed for my first drive as much as a 16 year old longs to lose his virginity.

The day of my first drive finally came. Excited was an understatement. It felt like all my birthdays and Christmas' had been rolled into one. I got in, put my belt on, and turned the key for the first time. Listening to 1.1 engine splutter itself into life was like listening to angels playing harps. Engaging reverse, in a very clunky manner, i backed out the drive, and went for a spin.

When you have driving lessons, your instructor says to keep your hands at the 10 and 2 o'clock positions, but this went out the window straight away, and hasn't changed since. I was in love with a tonne of slightly rusty metal and very dodgy wiring. The window was open, the radio was on full, i was probably making an absolute fool of myself, but i didn't care. This was my car, and i felt the whole world should see, and hear, it.

Then on the 23rd of December, as i was driving to work, BANG! A huge plume of black smoke bailed out the back. I thought to myself that that can't be good! I limped it to my local mechanic who happily informed me that i had blown the cylinder head, as, in the 7 months that i had had the car, i had not once put any oil in it. I just figured that the oil light hadn't come on, so it didn't need any. After closer inspection, it turned out the little bulb for the oil light, had blown.

So there i was, 2 days before Christmas, with no car. I was panicking, my car was now my life, a part of my body, my left leg! Without it, was stuck. The world was coming to an end. But then some good news. My mechanic informed me that he can fit me a "new" engine, on Christmas Eve, and it would be a more powerful one. So i had my car upgraded from a 1.1 to a whopping 1.3, which i kept secret from the DVLA! All this power came at a price of just £250.

Looking back now, i remember quite a few funny, and not so funny memories about my first car. Like the time i got pulled over by the police for the very first time, for having little red lights on the windscreen washers, or the time i locked the keys in the ignition, and i spent over 2 hours with a bend coat hanger, trying to unlock the door. In the end i had to pick the boot lock with a pen knife, and make a very undignified entrance. Yes my first car was a rust bucket, it was never fast, never sporty despite my best efforts, but it was my first car, and no matter what your first car was, your will always have fond feelings for it, even if it didn't work.

This post is part of the Car Craft competition  http://www.carcraft.co.uk/info/first-car