In 1979 I was working weekends at the family business (auto parts store) in a strip mall. There was a chain chicken place out front called Farm Basket, and a girl who worked there started driving up in a white '71 Challenger that looked so darn nice from 40 feet. Sounded good too (glasspaks). I ate there most days.
After a while the car disappeared. A while later I asked the girl about it and she said it had lost transmission function (wouldnt shift out of first), her Dad was getting her a new car, the the Challenger was for sale. $300 firm.
I made arrangements to visit her place, test drove the car (in first gear). Interior was already suffering badly from Las Vegas vinyl rot (the sun kills all plastics) but overall it looked and drove fine. Bought it, my uncle towed it to the family shop, and I started working on it on Sundays.
I wish I knew then what I know know; the trans might have been relatively easy to fix; instead I took it to a tranny shop and had them replace it ($300, doubling the cost of the car).
Over the next few months I saw a $1500 T/A and a $1800 Superbird (unknown engine, all grey primer). But I had my car already, so that was that.
Still have the car in my garage!
