I was only 15, but anxious about getting to drive and especially having my own car! So, my dad began taking me out on the car search. I don’t know why I chose to look at Volkswagens, but probably just because I saw one for sale in a price range that I could afford.

I found a 1960’s VW Notchback. I remember it having the Coco woven floor mats, that were unusual for sure. But in the end, I found this 1963 Bug was just for me.

It was a pretty blue with white interior. It wasn’t pristine for sure. But for $500, what could I expect? It had some seams in the seats that were open and the paint was a little weather worn. But for me, that was all fixable and I got to bring it home.

I got my handy sewing needles and some tough thread out and had mended the seams. Then, I got out my JC Whitney catalogue out and started looking for upgrades. I put racing strips across the bottom of the side panels, and added some wood grain contact paper to the glove compartment door and around the gauges. Then I got this huge speaker and built a box around it and put it behind the seats for a booming sound! I drove that car with pride and pleasure.

One day I had seen someone had reversed the wheels making it have a wider stance, so I got my wrench and jack out and did that to my car. It looked super cool. But this proved to become a problem one day. I went through a car wash, not realizing that turning the wheels around would expose a hole in the brake drums allowing the brakes to get wet. So, I tried to stop when approaching a big truck in front of me. I ran right into his huge, metal bumper. I had a big dent right across the hood of the car.

When I got home, my dad showed me how I could take the hood off and “bang” out that big dent. It had some wrinkles, but didn’t look too bad.

I got some of that richer blood in my veins and decided to trade “up.” I traded it in for a nearly brand new 1970 Beetle. It was only 6 months old and had been imported from Germany by a serviceman. I really felt cool now! I was only a junior in High School and had an almost brand new car!