Showing posts with label Fiat 600. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiat 600. Show all posts

16 Oct 2014

MY VERY FIRST VEHICLE

Letter "V"

For educational purposes, my father had decided that I have to buy my first car myself with my self earned money. Of course he would take care of all the rest what this vehicle would cost. Anyway with or without permission I had decided that I must have a car. I was 21 and wanted to be free and drive around depending on nobody, which was quite unusual in the 60th. My girlfriends were rather looking for the love of their life and marriage.

Learning driving was an easy thing in the 60th in Belgium, no driver licence was requested.  In order not to damage his precious car, my father hired a guy who taught me driving in his car which had two steering wheels and breaks. I learned very quick, as it was something which I wanted absolutely and as soon as possible.

When I was ready, I looked in the papers for used cars. And I found one ! A Fiat 600, in white ! I bought it right away. Now I was the proud owner of my very first own vehicle !



It was a special car ! When it rained I had water on the floor until my ankle. So I always had boots in my car, until a friend had the very good idea to bore a hole in the floor and then closed it with a cork. This was a perfect solution. When water started to get into the car, I just took off the cork, let the water run out and then closed it again. We called my car "Model Bathtub".

I had no other problems with my little car, until the day when I drove behind a truck which spat drops all over my vehicle. Of course I thought it was water, but unfortunately it wasn't. It was acid ! When I came home I saw little holes all over the car body. On the roof, in the front and in the back. What to do now ? I found an easy solution. I bought a can of white color and a brush and painted my car myself all over. It didn't look very nice, I had bought an opaque color, and the car didn't shine anymore, but at least the holes were gone.

My father was very upset about the look of the car and what people would think of him to let his daughter driving around in such an old and awful looking vehicle. He took the opportunity to propose me a deal. I should split with my boyfriend, whom he didn't like and whom he thought was not good enough for me and as consolation he would buy me a new Volkswagen. That was a deal !

What did I do hating blackmailing ? I accepted, got my new Volkswagen, kept my boyfriend of course, but a little more discretely. Everybody knew that, except dear father. I felt very good ! A few month later I anyway split with my boyfriend, but at least I had my car !

The new Volkswagen was very beautiful, but it was not the same, it looked too normal, not at all like  my little old self painted vehicle. 


Jenny Matlock
more participants at Jenny Matlock's Alphabet Thursday



11 Jan 2010

FUN MONDAY



Our host this week Sayre asks :

I want to know your car history. What was your first car? Which was your favorite car? And what are you driving now - and why?

For a European girl I had my first car very early. As soon as I started to work in 1965 I also wanted to have a car and as I earned quite well and lived with my parents it wasn't difficult to save money and buy a used car. I found a Fiat 600 , in white just like the model below



It was a nice little car, although a little rusty underneath and when it rained I had my feet in water. That's why a boyfriend made a hole in the floor, closed it with a wine bottle cork and each time when it rained I took off the cork and the water went off through the hole. That was very practical. This little car drove me everywhere and I enjoyed my freedom. I was 22 and had already a car !

But I also had a boyfriend whom my father didn't like at all. He was an artist and of course not good enough. Therefore he propsed me a deal. I should give up my boyfriend and he would buy me a brand new Volkswagen instead.



I found the deal disgusting and didn't like blackmailing at all.Therefore I agreed to the car but kept my boyfriend unofficially. Father was very happy that I had split up, bought the new car and I was happy to drive around in it with my boyfriend. One year later we separated anyway, so everything was in order, the boyfriend had disappeared but fortunately I had the new car !

I kept my Volkswagen for 4 years and it was also the only car when I married Mr. G. But soon after we bought a bigger one and as we were working in the same street although not in the same company we didn't need two cars and we sold the Volkswagen.

Two years later we moved to Waterloo and there I really needed a car. There are no shops around where we live and also I needed it to drive our son to school and I to work.

I was looking for a used one, not expensive, because all our money had gone into the house building, and



I found the 2 CV ! This was the nicest car I ever had, it was so funny to drive. The clutch was completely different as in "normal" cars, the wheels high and thin which was very good when it snowed. The roof was out of fabric and when it was warm I opened it and the kids got up and waved to everybody. It was real fun. My car was grass green and I had put yellow duck stickers on it ! After the green one I bought this blue one, before they stopped producing it, otherwise I still would have a 2 CV !

After that I had boring traditional cars, for sometime a Nissan Micra and then I started with Opel Corsa.

The first one was black, I had no choice and I always thought I would ride in a funeral car. The second one was a terrible yellow and I was the only yellow Opel in whole Waterloo, so that everybody knew where I was.

Now I have a very boring color, but again I had no choice I bought the car brandnew but out of stock and I had to take what was there.



This is my car today, I am very satisfied with it, but there is nothing special to tell about it either.