beef

There have been many moments, objects, sightings that have found their way into my life. One of the more interesting rides in my existence was the classic tercel during the end of the iowa era and entering iowa state part 2.

This classic car was initially in the hands of an iowa friend, Dippy. The car was treated with love and respect. Babied at every turn. The summer before Dippy graduated. Dippy and I took this car for a little journey around the southeast portions of the us. We hit graceland, mississipi, alabama (my first brush with dry counties - the horror), georgia, myrtle beach, dc, pennsylvania, and the pro football hall of fame. It was quite the adventure. Just me, Dippy, and the tercel. Maybe that is where the initial bonding took place. Soon after that (time is such a relative term in those days), Dippy was moving on to bigger and better things, graduation and a new car were in his future. The tercel was no longer going to be his first love. How I received this beautiful car is lost to me, all I know is that the car cost me two dead tickets to the soldier field shows that year (what year, your guess is good as mine, but probably either 93 or 94).

It was a simple car. White, two door, hatchback. Part of the ease of the separation with DIppy was the back hatch didn’t really close all that well due to some unforeseen circumstances involving another automobile. We solved the hatch problem with a sledgehammer and a crowbar. It wasn’t quite the looker at the point either. That just gave it some charm.

To my recollection, this was the first car that was officially mine. Bought and paid in full with almighty beef dollars. I slowly began to add those special touches that would be necessary to hone my image as that special kind of character.

The caution:wierd load was a favorite of mine. The hood had a sticker that read - “save the planet, kill yourself”. Bama was responsible for the “built to last” decal in the front window. Good use of company resources in mt pleasant. Who knows what possesed me to paint the steal your face logo on the roof. It sounded like a good idea at the time. The paint job occurred soon after I had moved to ames. I was making the ames to iowa city trip every other weekend, in this car no less. I still don’t understand the thought process behind those days but I was never pulled over in this car the two years I drove it.

The pictures above show its final days. The engine was shot and I was goig to sell it to the recycling guys. I dug my stuff out and took a few pitures to remember the good times. I hauled it across the street; the junkman gave me $90 or so for it; and off it went.

A little end note - about six months later, one of bama’s step brother half uncle cousins either gives him a call or sees him somewhere and tells him about this cool car that he would love in a junkyard somewhere in central iowa. Ah, I still like to think that the beast is still lying in a pasture somewhere in the rolling hills of iowa.