Just a loaner...

[OahuEli]

Loved your article and boy does that bring back memories! I got a summer job in '71 at the local Atkins Kroll GM dealership in Tamuning, Guam. Just 16, I'd had my license for about a month. They assigned me to the new car prep area that also cleaned, tuned and prepped trade ins. One of the mechanics taught me how to drive a stick in the shop truck, a Holden 3 on the tree. He also taught me how to speed shift a four speed.
We had to go down to the port to pick up a shipment of new cars and I wanted to drive that special order '71 SS El Camino, black on black 454 4 speed. Got stuck in a Vega instead. Over the summer I perfected my four speed speed shifting in a few of the Vega's, wonder if any of them ever had to come back for trans problems.

[dullchrome]

Classic !

[RDP]

That is a great story!

[Mike]

My dad wasn't a car guy. He spent his high school days in the mid to late '50s living in Waterville, ME. There was a big religous retreat in town with high walls all around it. Folks would come on Friday evening and spend the entire weekend at the retreat, then leave on Sunday afternoon. They would leave their cars parked outside the wall, usually with the keys in the ignition.

My dad and his buddies did not have cars, so when they had dates on Friday or Saturday night, they would "borrow" a car from outside the retreat and return it after the date, adding just enough gas so the owners would not notice. They did this just about every weekend and never got caught.

My dad and his best freind did however get caught stealing signs. During their court appearance, while waiting outside the courtroom, they of course had to steal the "No Smoking In Court" sign. Damn hoods!

[eugene vik]

was new car service amnager and did have comand of mechanics runners and bodyshop. was in 1968 at a chev dealer, would not drive the camaros, a little tin box, vetes were tire smokers, and I did rip out a 4 speed on a SS396 convertable
we also had a large line up of corvairs with smoked glass, they had burned up inside with the gas heaters
was a fun time money was little but living was cheep and had a lot of benifits like a wrecker and driver to bring cars to the farm with and junk them
did some wild and unsafe driving the just back from Nam took a few yearsw to settle down

[jjordan]

My dad was the district rep working for Chevrolet Div in Kansas City during that time frame. Drove an endless string of new Chevys as company cars (he swapped every 6 weeks or so.) The company car was strickly "off limits" to me. When the Blazer came out (67 or 68?) he left it at home while he and mom were away for the weekend and the temptation was too much. Me and my buddies almost drove it into a farm pond out off State Line road (about where the old Leawood Drive In theater was built). I spent the whole day washing and cleaning that Blazer before the 'rents got home. The first time he drove it mud came slinging out from behind the hubcaps, he popped one off and it was packed solid with mud......busted again!

[Payne]

Awesome story, thanks for sharing it!

[2many projects]

We should move this thread into "DEALER STORIES"
Lots o' good chuckles.

[sololobo]

Great tale from your Dad's young and restless days. I drove a used car home from a dealership I worked at and got caught and about lost my job over that . I can relate to him sweatin it. ~sololobo~

[leon renaud]

Not a dealer car but when my wife and I were dating her fathers rule was she be in the house when he got home from work( that was 1:30 AM)She was 22 but that was his rule and we honored it but let me tell ya we barely honored it! The day of our wedding 7-1-72 he was talking to a bunch of family members and said how we always did as he asked but then lowered the boom with "I don't know how many nights I'd drive in in heavy snow and there would be steam rising off the clear hood of her car!Dad was a great guy just wanted to let us know "he knew"

[pug man]

Great story, thanks for sharing it with us......

[Lobucrod]

Cool story, Reminds me of the time I got stopped for speeding and weaving in and out of I-40 traffic while test driving a Vette that I had just changed the tranny in while working at AAMCO Transmissions in Amarillo.

[Cubby]

Great story! As my I get older stories like this slowly creep outta my grandpa...not sure if he tells them cause he's guilty or proud, but either way I love hearing them.

[raymay]

Your dad sounds like an awesome guy. The story brought back some great memories. I guess most of us all did the disconnected speedometer, but probably never remembered how we learned to do it. Ironically in one of my cabinets I still have the old ignition switch that I simply plugged into my buddies parents car on nights they were out with another couple. John would tell me what time, and always had a girl waiting for me. I would disconnect the speedometer, plug in my switch and bring the car to the dance. To this day John still thinks I was one of the smartest guys on the block. Kind of makes you wonder how many times your own kid might have pulled a stunt like this. If he did, be proud because he probably learned it from you dad.

[autobilly]

I've taken the odd "loaner" when the need has arisen, always off the used car lot though.

[davidh73750]

Originally Posted by Hotrod1959

Kind of reminds me of when my brother and i use to take my parents car on Sunday mornings to do our paper routes. My brother borrowed my moms keys and made a copy. We would load up our papers and push the car down the street. Finally got busted one morning when my sister went to use the car and noticed that it was already warmed up on a very cold winter morning.

Having worked at a Ford and Chevrolet dealerships in my youth I can relate to the story. Thanks for posting.

wow! I did the same thing in the 80's with a olds cutlass wagon. sunday morning papers were often cold in jan-feb.

I wonder if troost was a rough area back then?? I know off 63rd and troost it was in the 90's. Often stripped cars were abandoned after being stolen off the sides streets

[flamingokid]

Jay,thanks for posting this thread.I brought back a lot of memories from my misspent youth.I think the underlying thought with most dealers was that as long as the customers didn't know,it was sort of OK.

[Kraz]

46th and Troost! That is by me! I am sure it is a little different today =)

Go Chicken Go! (For the KC people)

[SkimmerBob]

Hey Chigger i like your Avatar!!!!!!!

[Ed "Axle" II]

Good read made me grin