Me and My Shadow (Project Yellow Three)

April 11, 2008 Mark Williams 16 comments

My first (and still only) car that I got brand new was my 1989 Dodge Shadow.

In August 1992, Shannon and I got married and drove my most prized possession from Little Rock, Arkansas to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. It carried us to Gatlinburg and many surrounding sites in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Condoms, translucent latex flags on the antenna, flapped proudly far past Memphis, and the Kraft Singles never let go.

The day we got rid of it in 1997, I admit I fit the stereotype of an American man lamenting the loss of an old friend. My Shadow and I had been through a lot together. Hours before trading it in on, of all things, a four-door seafoam green Mitsubishi Mirage, I pulled the stereo amplifier from underneath the passenger’s seat. I found bird seed from our wedding day. Yep, a lot of history inside that sunshine shell.

Since then every car we’ve had has been, well, just a car. I haven’t been sad to see any of them go.

I think it was something about the yellow.

Marriage, Pic of the Week, Project, Travel, True Story none

Comments

Written by Robert on April 11, 2008.

Fun memories. I’ve been exploring memories lately too, but not through Project Yellow. Nice how you were able to combine the two.
Written by Moksha Gren on April 11, 2008.

Yeah, that first nice car will always be your long, lost friend. I had a ‘98 Dodge Avenger I bought new. Loved that car. Moonshot only pried it out of my hands about two years ago or so. I’d had a company car for quite some time and wasn’t driving the Avenger at all, so it made sense. But it was very hard to say goodbye. Luckily, I sold it to the daughter of a local couple, so I comforted myself with the idea that I’d see her driving around occasionally. I still haven’t seen it. That girl needs to visit her parents more often ;)
Written by Mark on April 11, 2008.

Robert – An old friend suggested I pull out pictures of this car for this project, and when my wife and I found these nostalgia washed over us.

Moksha – Well, it wasn’t my first car — just my first brand new car. The story of my first car, Bessie, I told much earlier in this blog’s lifetime.

Your Avenger was more stylish than my Shadow, and definitely moreso than Bessie. The Shadow went to a stranger at a car auction, and Bessie went to my cousin.
Written by Anna on April 11, 2008.

I, I , I…..I am speechless.

Again….it is your humor. It gets me everytime! Love the story and the pic of Shannon on the hood….priceless. I can see it now….you, Shannon and the Avenger….pulling into Gatlinburg for the funnel cake and Hillbilly Golf (putt-putt that is).

Joking aside…My better half and I love Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains…

Great PY shot….the abbreviation is already catching on with me! ;)
Written by Amy on April 11, 2008.

I am glad to read this Mark. I had bough brand new a 95 GMC sonoma and it was my best friend. I never had to fix anything in that little red truck. I came to terms with selling it when Declan was about 6 months old. I was actually driving around with him in the front with me.(there was no back seat). I decided it probably wasn’t safe. So I sold it. It was very sad.
Simon had made fun of me for being sad because he didn’t understand the emotional attachment to a vehicle. I still miss Cody ( yes I named it) I think someday I will find a similar one and drive it like I stole it and relive my 20,s when I am having my mid life crisis.
Written by Simon on April 11, 2008.

Yeah it’s weird; I’ve never formed any attachment to the vehicles that have paraded through my life. I’m rather fond of Sara, the silver GMC Sierra I drive around now, who’s almost six years old. But I’d get rid of her in a heartbeat if something better came along.

Very cool to see both of you as you were just starting out in wedded bliss. And that car just somehow FITS. Like my wife (above) and her little Cody. Heck, I got more attached to her little truck than any of my own previous vehicles. It was a great truck to bang around in. And by “bang around” I mean drive. Not any other inferences that could be made. It was a small truck.
Written by Lilli on April 12, 2008.

What a neat find here, isn’t it nice to find our first anything.
Nice car too.Many happy memories i am sure.
Written by Hazel on April 12, 2008.

That car is hawt.

I know how you feel. Although my first car was used, I still keep my eyes pealed for a similar one at classic car auctions.
Written by photowannabe on April 12, 2008.

Sweet. Great memories. That’s just the way I felt about my little Nash Rambler. There’s been nothing like it since.
I like this yellow post. You have a real gift of gab.
Written by Troy Mullens on April 12, 2008.

Sorry for the loss of that old friend. You have immortalized it now, and think how many people are sharing the fun you had in your car.

Great yellow post.

Mine is up. Come visit.
Written by tommie on April 12, 2008.

I am with Anna, you are cracking me up with the nostalgic yellow car. I might have to see if I have a tad more yellow in me.
Written by Dave on April 14, 2008.

Ah… a story about a man and his car… how wonderful! *LOL*

Now do a post and tell us about your very first car!!
Written by Linda on April 14, 2008.

My very first car was an red English Ford. Cost me $150! It was used, but recently repainted – so for a 16 year old it was beautiful! I remember I had to keep cans of oil in the trunk to replenish the oil (quite often it seemed). That was how I learned to check the oil (not a very girly thing in 1964). I loved that car. My best friend and I drove all over Oklahoma and enjoyed the heck out of it.
Written by Robin (PENSIEVE) on April 14, 2008.

Mine was a 1980s Cutless Supreme, and yes…I still miss that car. AND, I have only one or two blurry photos of it, oh, how I wish I knew then that I’d want that “now”.

N i c e wedding day decorations–ours was much more boring and NO cheese or condoms! Or yellow.

Fun that you could have reason to post yours now thanks to Anna :).
Written by John on April 23, 2008.

My first car that I actually owned was a 1994 Mercury Topaz with a luggage rack on the truck lid. Mark, you may vaguely remember me driving such a car 10 years ago when I visited y’all once when y’all lived outside Little Rock before moving to NW Arkansas.

The Topaz was white on the outside and blue interior. The dash and steering wheel were blue as well. My sister had a similar car for a few years but its interior was bright red.

I got the white Topaz a few months before my Dad died. I continued to drive it during graduate school in Mississippi up until I started teaching. I gave up the car as a trade-in for my Mom to get a new 2000 Ford Taurus in 2000. I took her 1997 Ford Taurus.

The Topaz was a nice car. In fact, 1994 was the final year that the Topaz was made. The family got it in the Spring of 1995 as a closeout. The only drawback about that car were the seats. They were not that confortable. Later, I would acquire my Mom’s 2000 Ford Taurus. I drove to Texas one time to visit Mark & Shannon a couple of years ago. The last time that I visited y’all, I had recently bought a 2007 Honda Civic–the first car that I bought on my own. The day that I have to give up the Civic will be a sad day. I told my fiance that the Civic with its digital speedometer reminds me of “Knight Rider.” The view from the front seat reminds me of an airplane cockpit. The car has what I wanted at a good price. I cannot complain on the gas mileage. I am getting better highway mileage that my old car. The day that I have to give up that car may be when I get another Civic.
Written by Lisa on July 10, 2008.

I also had a yellow 1989 Dodge Shadow, thought it was used. My parents first bought it for my mom to run around in, and when they replaced it with something more “carpool worthy,” I inherited it. I loved that car. Thanks for posting pics of it. Brings back a lot of happy memories. :-)

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