MY View

BY JOHN McLOONE

Any takers?

As I drove through what was supposed to be a blizzard Monday night, I tuned into a radio program, and they were talking about the effect inflation is having on all of our lives. Perhaps, one gentleman said, perhaps the hardest hit are high school kids.

The price of used cars has gone up by as much as 33 percent. So, those sweet rides kids’ parents were picking up for under $5,000 just aren’t around anymore. In fact, it was reported that the “junker” vehicles really no longer exist. Many were taken out of service years back when we bailed out the auto industry and cash was offered for clunkers. I do know from my own research that a newspaper delivery truck I looked at a year ago would cost $15,000 more today.

But I can’t feel sorry for myself. It’s those high school kids apparently taking the brunt of what the world is throwing at us. Even if they could afford a car today, the price of gas would keep them close to home.

In a way, I do feel for them, if just a little bit. Getting your first set of wheels is the first real taste of freedom you get in life.

When I got my license, we had a Ford Pinto that was taking up space in our driveway. I was allowed to drive it to school and home and to work and back to start with. There were no set rules on passengers, but they came along pretty quickly. The first week I had my license, I picked up four buddies on my way to school – a tight squeeze in a Pinto – so my younger sister who I was in charge of chauffeuring at the time was wedged into the back hatch. You don’t get away with much in small towns, and I knew my time as a shuttle driver was over when my dad pulled out of the bakery and stared me down. After that, the rest of the gang was walking to school again, myself included for a few weeks.

I am absolutely amazed at some of the vehicles kids show up to school in these days. I remember having to wedge open the carburetor with a pencil and giving it a shot of ether to get that Pinto going on cold days. And from the Pinto, I graduated into my mom’s old Impala station wagon. There was no cool factor, unless you count the holes in the rusted out floorboards. If I hit puddles right, I could douse unwitting passengers.

Thinking back, then, maybe we should do something to help these kids. Let’s bring back clunkers! Their memories of getting their first ride shouldn’t be of having a car that doesn’t even have remote start or – heaven forbid – satellite radio. They don’t really know what they’re missing.

In fact, I’ve got a couple standby vehicles right now, my two former delivery vans. They still are put into use fairly often, but if someone wants something in the $5,000 range still, apparently maybe they’re worth that. It would be a great experience for a kid. Every kid’s first car should have a story behind it. When their friends are talking about their heated seats not working, they counter with a tale of their van jerking forward at every stop sign. This trusty vehicle actually had its transmission repaired 50,000 miles ago, and I was told it might make it another 1,000 miles. Now that’s what I call a sweet ride! Any takers?