From the beginning, it was obvious that there was going to be a problem. Not a mechanical problem, as the above COAL title might imply, but a philosophical one. Following is the tale of two opposing forces. In this corner: My father. In that corner: My mother’s 1980 Honda Accord.
The Backstory
In the late ‘70s, my mother finally got her New York driver’s license. She had let her Pennsylvania license expire after she moved to Binghamton, NY in the mid-1950s for work. Reluctant to commit to the expense of car ownership, she carpooled to work at Ansco, which was a not-uncommon practice at the time.
Surely, 1950s carpooling was just like this. The adults are going to work, the kids are going to school, and the dog . . . I’m not sure what he does.
After she and my father got married in 1959, she alternated between carpooling and being chauffeured by my father throughout most of the ‘60s and part of the ‘70s. The Triple Cities area (Binghamton, Endicott and Johnson City) is compact and very drivable; it’s easy to get from one side to the other in 15 minutes or so.
Map shows the close proximity of towns in the area. Apologies for the 8-bit video game quality image.
After she got her license in 1979, she was not remotely interested in driving the Riviera. So, in 1980 we went car shopping. At age 13 there was nothing better to me than car shopping, even when I participated as a largely silent spectator.
The Problem
We returned to our local Pontiac dealer in summer 1980 for a look at used cars. As I scanned the lot, I noticed plenty of potential options to grace our driveway: late ‘70s Firebirds, a couple of Nova-based Phoenixes, even a low-trim level LeMans. “This should be easy,” I thought. Famous last words.
Here all week, folks. Try the veal. You CCers really are a beautiful audience.
The problem: My mother was 4’11” tall. (Note: I’d just gotten used to telling people she’s 4’10” when she recently told me she’s now 4’9”!) We were sunk when she couldn’t reach the pedals in the Firebird. No $4,999 lightly-used Firebird for us. None of the other used cars on the lot were any better — she usually couldn’t reach the pedals, but occasionally it was the 1-2 punch of couldn’t reach the pedals and couldn’t see out of it.
Universal pedal extenders were patented in 1971, but we had no internet on which to find them anyway.
No average American car (that I can think of) at that time had the kind of seat adjustability a 4’11” individual needs as standard equipment. And I knew we weren’t going for a loaded model of any car to score the elusive six-way power driver’s seat.
The Solution
Conveniently, our Pontiac dealer was also a Honda dealer. Honda sales were already on fire; the addition of the Accord sedan for model year ‘79 only expanded the Accord’s appeal. Everybody wanted an Accord…except my father. I think he was still surprised that we’d struck out on the lot’s domestic used cars. But, my father was a man of action! Once he decided my mother was getting a car, they were going to try cars on that lot until they found the right one! Honestly, he should have paused and considered his options.
Not sure why we started with the base Accord. Seems like we should have gone for the Accord LX. 1981 base model shown here.
But no! As a man of action, when the salesman (the same one who’d sold him his Bonneville Brougham) mentioned considering a Honda, he was game. He immediately rejected both the Civic (too small) and the Prelude (too small and too expensive). That left the Accord. My mother test-drove a Livorno Beige base model Accord hatchback and had no problem with visibility or pedal distance.
The Bottom Line
I don’t have the exact numbers, but I recall that in 1978 his Bonneville Brougham stickered for around $9,000. In 1980, her base Accord, with crank windows, no air conditioning, no power steering, but with an automatic transmission (my father never learned to drive a manual), 8-track player, dealer-applied hockey stick-ish looking tri-color vinyl striping, and aftermarket sunroof (his chosen alternative to air conditioning, God help us all) was close to $8,000 in 1980. There may have been a “market adjustment” in there, I’m not sure. I do not think he thought the Accord was “good value for money,” as the Brits say. But this car worked for my mother, so they bought it.
On the Road (one time)
Sometime later that summer, someone (the same someone who boycotted the NYS Thruway for years because of a speeding ticket), thought it would be a great idea to drive our new Accord to Unadilla for a family visit.
It was certainly not a great idea. It was not even a good idea. I’m reluctant to say it was an OK idea. But, we did it anyway.
Problem 1: The route
Remember, we’re still taking the unenjoyable route discussed in my last COAL. Only now, we’re doing it in the Accord, which doesn’t make the route any better. Its three-speed automatic did not pair with the engine as well as the 5-speed. It was smaller (much smaller) than the Bonneville inside. It did not have air conditioning, and as my father quickly discovered, the sunroof was an inadequate substitute on a humid, sunny summer day in NY. Crammed in the back seat, the sun’s rays baked me through the hatch’s window glass. We were all sweaty and sad way before we reached Ithaca, and we still had a long ways to go.
Coach accommodations at Sweat Zone Central. One advantage of my father driving the Accord was my mother in the front passenger seat; she’d move the seat enough that I could sit like a regular passenger.
Problem 2: My father
My mother totally “got” the Accord the moment she drove it. My father, on the other hand, was not ready for the Accord; it was too much of a departure from his automotive reference point. Predictably, he never really warmed up to its virtues. Its build quality, attention to detail, and fit and finish were lost on him. His Bonneville was well-built and not falling to pieces around him, so he had no comparison point. He was not concerned about gas mileage because the Bonneville was a company car and gas was reimbursed.
Front office at Sweat Zone Central. My father wrestled with the unassisted steering, which oddly reduced the turning effort needed for my mother and me.
To him, the Accord must have seemed too small, too expensive, too slow, too uncomfortable and too under-equipped. Speaking of which, he fought the Accord’s unassisted rack and pinion steering, never grasping that it turned more easily if the car was moving even a little bit. Rather, he yanked the steering wheel to the left or right, hand over hand, as hard as he could while we sat stationary at a stoplight, waiting to turn.
The shape of things to come: More instrumentation, monitors and status indicators. About as un-Bonneville as one can get.
We made enough “memories” on that trip to never take the Accord again for any long-distance travel. But, it’s fun to share travel misadventures after enough time has passed.
Problem 3: The car
In retrospect, they probably should have given the Civic a closer look. It was smaller, so there would have been no temptation to use it for long-distance travel. It would have cost less to purchase, which may have encouraged more reasonable expectations of the car.
This may have been the better all-around pick: Lower price, lower expectations.
We also could have gone for a Tercel hatchback. The neighborhood moms would take turns carting us kids to school on days when it was too cold, snowy or rainy to walk. Our next door neighbors got a white 5-speed SR5 hatchback shortly after we got the Accord.
This is exactly how our neighbors with the SR5 drove us kids to school in inclement weather.
I thought their Tercel was quite nice. Also, I thought that its engine sounded slightly rorty and somewhat reminiscent of George Jetson’s personal spacecraft as he zipped to Spacely Sprockets. That was not a bad thing.
If I could ask my father now, he’d probably categorize the Accord as “overrated.” As we closed in on 1982 and the end of “The Good Life” period, the splurge on the Accord seemed like a bad idea that never got any better.
Everything has a price
We had the Accord until summer of 1983, when the bank “reclaimed” it, shall we say. Like all Hondas, the Accord at that point was worth much more than the balance owed on it. Our landlord bought it from the bank for his wife, for about half of its book value. I believe we received some goodwill on the rent in return.
Why we didn’t sell it ourselves and cash out the equity, I have no idea. I’m sure my father thought it was wise to try to hold on to a three-year old, thrifty Honda when the alternative was the 13 year-old, not-so-thrifty Riviera.
Not missed, really
I was glad that it was gone. By then, it wasn’t my mother’s car anymore: My father had used it semi-regularly by then out of necessity. My mother’s car was neat and clean and smelled like “new car.” With his more frequent use, burn holes appeared in the carpet, ashes and tissues scattered around the interior, and it smelled of stale cigarette smoke.
Note: Many years later, she got her own car again — a 2000 Maxima GLE with 18,000 miles that we found in 2003; she still has it, with a blistering 74,000 miles on it. It has an eight-way power driver’s seat, reasonably thin pillars, and a lot of glass area, so that made it a “keeper.” There are no tissues and ashes all over the interior. Its interior burn hole free and smells like leather upholstery.
Now what?
Anyway, back in 1983 we were saddled with the Riviera as our only car. Who drives a 1970 Riviera as their only car in 1983? We did, at least some of the time. We’ll talk more about that in our next COAL.
I drive the 2010 version, and must say, other than vastly increased size, Accord has been a product of steady evolution, more than revolutionary.
The 1981 and 2010 interiors, in particular, have a sense of similarity, in layout, function, and probably, build quality.
Size-wise, the 1980-81 Accords would be dwarfed, not just by a current Accord, but both by the current Civic and Corolla! But that evolution, particularly in the Civic’s case, has made, for example, a 2020 Civic and 2020 Accord almost indistinguishable when seen on the roads – unless they are seen side by side.
The current(2023, 24) mainline Honda offerings? I call them ‘Accorvic’ and ‘Civiccord’!
And this design homogenization is hardly unique to Honda.
You’re not that far off. Nowadays, the Civic and the Accord (and the CR-V for that matter) share the same platform.
And it’s been that way for a little while now. My 2016 Civic is on the same platform as a 2018 Accord.
Your dad really wasn’t a car guy it seems. That’s ok, neither was mine. Although that never seems to have stopped him from believing that he knew something about cars. Which may have only inspired my interest in cars. Family dynamics are funny that way.
I feel bad for your family trying to get around in that Accord with an automatic transmission, particularly when accustomed to much larger engines in domestic cars of the time. Likewise, the bit about his not knowing how to manage a non-power-steering car is spot on for someone who has never driven a car with un-assisted steering. I remember that it was quite the revelation for my son – who obviously learned how to drive with power steering – to grasp how to steer the manual steering Volvo we have. Once he understood that you actually need to be moving to steer, he stopped straining and swearing and appreciated the incredibly tight turning radius. It’s a shame your dad never figured that out.
Jeff—You know, he really was a “car guy” — we went to a ton of car shows and test drove a load of cars over the years. With that said, he was not a car guy like I am, wanting to know how things worked and appreciating elegant engineering. He just had a more traditional perspective.
He grew up in a time when LaSalles and Packards were aspirational vehicles, and was used to larger cars with more presence and more power equipment. I think the Honda was profoundly “sensible” in a way that was hard for him to absorb. Where some people see “sensible car of good value” others see “expensive little car sparsely equipped.” I would put him in the latter group. It was too radical of a change for him.
In retrospect, the simple answer would have been to move up to an Accord LX with auto trans, which would have included power steering and A/C. I don’t know if price was an issue, although it was not like him to go the nickel-dime route.
For the person that doesn’t “get” the excitement that others get from an item or experience, it can make one feel like they’re overlooking something. In my experience, that can put a person in a state of annoyance.
I like these old Hondas, I find them snug and close fitting the way a good pair of gloves is .
Bummer about pops and his lack of understanding, same with my father and he never learned an better .
I’ve never understood those who crank the steering wheel with the car stationary then they wonder why they need front end works in 40,000 miles . even just creeping the car as you turn the steering wheel reduces the friction seriously .
-Nate
Nate—Re: front end work at 40k: That’s what I thought the Honda was headed for. It was really something how much he loosened up the front end by fighting with the steering wheel. Both my mother and l said, “Wow! Now we have low-grade power steering!” after he’d been regularly using it.
He may have eventually figured it out and I just don’t remember it — it was far more memorable watching him fight with it.
One of my favorite features from this car and this era was the radio antenna that manually retracted into the A-pillar. This was super convenient if you forgot to extend the antenna before driving, as you could just roll down the window and extend it while driving.
But that only works in LHD countries like the US – not so useful in RHD countries like Japan, where the car was designed. Hm.
Agreed, Evan. I remember that as one of the “those Honda people are really smart” examples, right up there with using a single key.
It’s interesting to read a review of this car that’s not enthusiastic, since in hindsight early Accords are viewed as superb cars, and quite visionary as well.
I do recall a friend’s family who had a similar experience with a (4-dr.) Accord of this vintage. They bought it to save gas, but were frustrated then being stuck with a slow, cramped car. The car obviously had made good qualities, but like your folks, my friend’s family didn’t warm up to its virtues. I recall they bought a Taurus as their next car.
This was a not uncommon issue when folks drastically downsized during the two energy crises, and not just into imported small cars. The Pinto was the best selling nameplate in 1974; how many folks that had traded a big Ford on one in 1974 was still driving it three years later?
In LA in the late ’70s early ’80s during the great Mercedes mania I used to warn folks that were switching to 240Ds from a nice big American sedan that they were likely to have a number of regrets except for the prestige value. They did.
Agreed, Paul. That kind of change is not easily experienced on a test drive; you need to live with the car every day to identify its advantages and shortcomings.
I honestly don’t know why we just didn’t find a lightly-used, domestically produced car with a power seat. For what the Honda cost new, we should have been able to find something. But then again, I don’t know why we couldn’t go to more than one car dealer, either, lol.
Eric703–I often use the phrase, “your mileage may vary” to address differing perspectives on items that are generally viewed in one way, such as early Accords being superb. Not everyone feels the same way sometimes. The other night, I was telling my wife that personally, I thought the Accord was “OK” at the time we had it. I certainly wasn’t telling everyone at school that my mom got a new Accord and it was so wicked hawwwt. I wasn’t embarrassed of it — I just didn’t really think one way or the other about it.
Our neighbor’s Tercel SR5 hatch, that was a different story. But theirs was a 5-speed and to me, the feel of an automatic-equipped car is totally different than a 5-speed. That’s why my wife and I both drive sticks.
I did think that was well made; everything had a nice little “snick” to it when operated: inside door handles, exterior door handles, turn signal and headlight stalks, the sound the doors made when latching. From that perspective, it reminded me at that time of a ‘70s Mercedes sedan we rode in while a real estate agent drove us through different neighborhoods.
Reminds me a bit of my parents. My mom bought a new Civic sedan in about 1988 or so on my recommendation and she absolutely loved it. My father, who only drove domestics (except for the ’65 Opel Kadett) was not a fan. But he mostly stayed out of it.
But then sometime around 2005 or so, he drove off with the Civic and returned with a Saturn Ion. My mom was livid! The Civic was still in excellent condition and she did not like the Ion. It was the worst thing that happened in their long marriage since many decades. She did not forgive him for a long time, and rightly so. He could be a real controlling SOB.
By this time they were both in their 80s and not going to break up over it, but whenever he would rub her the wrong way she would bring up her hurt over that issue. It was a bit surprising to me, that she would stand up to him like that, even if it was after the fact. But then she had done it once before back in the late ’60s when they had a big fight and she drove off in her Coronet wagon, with him on the back bumper, hanging on to it thanks to the rear deflector/handles. he finally jumped off at the end of the block at the stop sign.
Paul N:
Wow! What a personal recount. Amazing, what us kids were born from!
It sounds like both our sets of parents loved us kids more than they cared for each other.
Your Dad sounds(sounded) like a proper patriotic American: We were supposed to all drive domestic cars, support the home front, and so forth.
My dad? He just went with whatever worked.
A proper patriotic American? Well, I suppose in a way, but not the typical one. We were from Austria and he had to fight on the other side in WW2. He was eccentric, and had very strong opinions, and he just felt that imports, even from Germany, somehow weren’t as suitable in the US. He did have 1965 Opel Kadett for three years, and it needed a valve job and a couple of other things, but that might have been in part because my older brother drove the shit out of it. It rather soured him on imports.
I thought of R. L. Plaut’s story of his then wife dumping a pot of hot rice over his head and then trying to run him down with a car. My father’s first marriage was stormy, but at least he and my mother merely yelled.
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
—Anna Karenina by Tolstoy
I saw a reference to “the wretched Saturn Ion” once online. A friend of mine has owned Saturn LW300’s since 2003. At one point he test-drove an Ion, and it took him 5 minutes to decide he strongly disliked it.
Easy to see why your mom was incensed. An ‘88 Civic for a Saturn Ion is not a good swap. A rusty Radio Flyer for a Saturn Ion is not a good swap. What a coarse, unfortunately-styled vehicle.
If we had not been involuntarily separated from the Accord, my mother would have driven it until it died or (more likely) rusted away.
My younger sister doesn’t reach five feet and fitting into a car is a constant problem especially when someone else chooses it. My Dad, as a diehard GM man, decided that an M-body Buick Somerset would be her car. It was cute looking and GM. She really didn’t fit but he was paying and since she keeps her cars a long time, it wasn’t until 1998, when everything was falling apart or off, that she went shopping. Her choice would be based on what she could fit in without added seatback cushions. It came down to Chrysler. The LH sedans fit her when driving but the door was too long a reach to close. The Chrysler Cirrus was a good fit. It lasted nearly 20 years and 180,000 miles. She now drives a Prius, not for the fuel economy but again, because it fits her.
A question – didn’t the 1st generation Accords have the semi-automatic Hondamatic transmissions when not equipped with the stick?
The other note – no mention of Dad not experiencing the ‘additional dealer markup’ (ADM) which was very common on Accords being sold in the era.
My bad. Just noticed the mention of “market adjustment” possibility that wasn’t verified.
The transmission changed from a Hondamatic to 3 speed auto in 1980,
A 1980 Accord hatchback 5 spd. was a great car. Note not an automatic. I had a 1980 Civic wagon 5 spd. so I know them well. The Civic cost less and I had no issues getting used to the smaller size along with the great gas mileage. Drove it the 500+ miles from the Bay Area to San Diego, several times, with no complaints by me. In fact I would take that 1980 Accord over a 2024 Accord without thinking too much about it. Simplicity is a big virtue to a home mechanic like me. In short I don’t care for extensive electronics. Now if I really had my druthers I’d choose one from their peak years like a 92 5 spd.
Oh, and Mom worked at Ansco the photographic company. Know them well.
tbm3fan—Yes, the older I get, and the further away Honda’s “golden age” recedes, the more I appreciate their lineup between 1984 and 2000 or so. If I did a CC article titled “I Shoulda Bought This But Instead Bought That” there would be several Honda’s under the “I shoulda bought” column.
I’d say the $8k paid by your parents was a good price at that time of high inflation. I bought a new 1979 MGB in February of that for $7900 at 18.5% interest. We then got shocked by another Arab oil squeeze that fueled further inflation. So the price paid on the Accord wasn’t bad for a fuel-sipping car at the time.
Excellent point. When my folks sold our house in 1982, my father said people were lined up not necessarily to buy the house per se, but to buy the house with our mortgage (FHA assumable at 10%) because the rates were sky high.
My mom never drove. She tried it two times. The first, she backed the family 58 Buick Wagon into a telephone pole. The second, she backed the family 1960 Mercury Wagon into a little boy on his bike. It broke his arm, and my mom’s will to ever drive again.
Dad was a semi car guy. He had a nice 62 Buick Invicta convertible that he bought at my sister’s insistence (and because in his words it was fast!)
The rest of my time living with them, there were a few Cadillacs, couple of Lincolns, but mostly Buick’s.
His last American car was a 1978 Buick Electra.
When that one went back (in his bankruptcy) he bought a used 1977 Corolla SR5 hatchback. That one went the distance with just about 300,000 on it when he sold it.
The next was an 83 Corolla sedan, followed by his last car, a new 1985 Camry. I distinctly remember him telling me his thoughts on buying those Toyotas:
“I fought these people in WW2, but they make a better car. What am I supposed to do?”
It frustrated him for sure. But the second Corolla was traded with 168,000 and at the time of his death, the Camry had just turned 150,000. ( BTW that Camry went to my neighbor who drove it to 301,000 miles when the transmission went out!)
A great write up as always.
“I fought these people in WW2, but they make a better car. What am I supposed to do?”
That caught my attention. My father was in the Pacific, for 34 months, and spent 10 of those months with the Occupation Forces. Was security for Gen. Eichelberger, before he got points to go home. How he got his last points was a real eye opener for me when I learned why he got promoted to Staff Sergeant but that is another story from him.
In 1976, the company he was V.P., at was undergoing a crisis and it pitted the President (accountant) against my father (Sales). The Board was composed of the growers that made up the Co-op. They were a mix of Caucasian and Japanese from the Central Valley. The Japanese were not quite the majority but my father got all their votes. The company was absorbed in the early 80’s like my father predicted.
“Sweaty and sad” is no way to travel, even for shorter distances than to Ithaca. Great piece, Chris! No doubt, your dad didn’t have a great frame of reference, with his Bonneville, to fully appreciate the Accord. I might have been the same way, depending on what I was used to. And from what I remember reading, inflation was crazy around that time.
Joseph Dennis! Glad you enjoyed it, as I have certainly enjoyed your numerous articles.
Yeah, inflation was bad in that whole period. I look back and think that my father was just pushing too hard to get my mom a car when she didn’t absolutely need one. And, he wanted to get her something she liked and was comfortable with, which led us to the Accord. Like I said in the article, I think getting a Civic would have put a lot of these issues to bed.
In the end, he adapted to the change in vehicle design. He wasn’t interested in the last-gen Crown Victoria or whale-body Caprice. For most of the ‘90s he was on a Pontiac 6000 kick. But, his 6000s had A/C and power steering, haha.
I once owned a ’79 Accord LX, and an ’81 Accord (base). The higher content of the LX made it feel like an entirely different class of car.
The LX was lively, comfortable and fun. The lesser Accord was just so BLAH, I have no good memories if it. Huge difference with trim level.
Just as I suspected. I wish I had the exact pricing for the based Accord we bought so I could compare it to the price of an Accord LX with automatic.
I can’t deal with driving big cars. Trying to drive a buddy’s Bonneville, Caprice, or Silverado… feels like I’m swimming in empty space with no support whatsoever. A Jeep XJ or Chevy Celebrity is the biggest thing I will own, and those look tiny parked next to anything modern. My Cavalier was an even better fit. The smaller the better, but I do want some mass for stability. I have a Geo Tracker, which oddly enough has more front seat space than the Jeep. But driving across the Big Mac in that Tracker, in a stiff breeze… talk about white knuckle. I just went slow to avoid being the next Yugo.
Memory unlocked, I was the smallest kid in my class. Back in the 80s when cars were being downsized, my 5th grade teacher named me and the smallest girl, and said “they may be small, but these two will be able to fit into any car they want”.
I guess frame of reference is important. We had a 77 Accord 5 speed and liked it until it rusted and was replaced with a used 84 Accord in 1986 or 87. It helped that Mom was 5’4″ and drove manuals because the Accord replaced a BMW 2000, and our other car was a Volvo 164. My parents knew what they were getting. Coincidentally our car came from a Pontiac dealer and they were also doing “market value adjustments”. On the bright side I got Fiero brochures.
I can relate to height, my wife is 5’1″ with short legs. This resulted in us going through every small pickup at the 93 Auto Show to see if she could depress the clutch without a cushion behind her, She couldn’t so our 93 Ranger was an automatic. Ironically she can drive my F150 more easily than our Mazda CX-5 because of the low beltline and thin pillars.
Remember a lot of those era “Honda’s” still roaming the roads into the “1990’s”!
Cars of this class were like gold on dealer lots in 1980, so no wonder the price was so high.
Too bad about that automatic, those 3 speed units could really suck the fun out of these.
Yes, JP — that’s why I don’t know why we were even looking that that kind of car with an automatic. Every other parent that had a similar car bought a stick. My mother knew how to drive stick, but my dad did not.
As you said, they were like gold. And I think my father expected to have an out-of-body experience at that golden price every time he drove or rode in it.
This was a funny read, sir. I guffawed out loud at the image of your dad absently turning the wheel at a stop light – growing up entirely in non-PS cars, I’ve never thought that a non-car person would develop odd habits like that just because PS allowed it.
I picture my poor old 5 foot mum absolutely heaving away at the awful steering in our Holden in carparks, where you sometimes must turn when stationary. It was a big deal when their replacement (used) Holden had the holy trinity – PS, A/C, and auto! Such indulgence.
(By way of a quick digression, dad was 6ft, and hadn’t thought enough when he bought a very used ’38 Oldsmobile when newly wed in 1960-61. Being, of course, originally US LHD, the starter button had not migrated fully across the floor, so if she stalled it, she literally had to slide her short self across the seat to re-start, and in any case had to drive sort-of half slid under the huge wheel to reach the pedals when she returned from the journey to the starter!)
Much looking forward to your next instalment.
Right on, Justy! Glad you got some laughs—that’s a big reason for writing these.
My dad’s first car was a 1950 Buick Super fastback. I assume it had power steering, and I’d be willing to bet every subsequent car had it, too, until the Honda.
And yes, power steering, A/C and and automatic are indeed the holy trinity, haha!
My folks ended up with a lot of cars that did not have a split bench seat. With my mom at 4’11” and my dad at a hair under 6’, they didn’t split driving time until my dad got his ‘78 Bonneville, which thankfully did have a split front bench.
The starter button on the floor — forgot about those. That must have must have been great incentive for your mom to not stall.
i moved to Binghamton in late summer 1982. a fresh May college graduate landing in the depths of the Reagan Recession. HS friend in the dawn of his retail management career had been relocated to Binghamton. I helped him find an apartment. it had extra room & i moved in. broke. no car, no prospects. I found work as a “Kelly Girl” long term temp work at electronics assembly facility Universal Instruments. A rough intro to the world of full time employment. I did find the triple cities to be very easy to get around – on a bicycle. The arterial highways took much of the traffic off neighborhood streets. allowing those for good Bike commute routes. After Broome county’s glory days as “the Valley of Opportunity” from boom years of IBM (Born there), GE, Savin, Singer-Link, Universal, etc, it was already showing signs of Industrial base decline. I would be interested in the actual names of the Dealerships you referenced in the story. Wondering why your father would have not opted for A/C in a new car purchased in 83. granted, that additional load onto an auto. trans. car would not have provided any performance enhancements to that Accord.
Lars—Re: Triple Cities decline—The hard thing for me to process wasn’t the decline itself, but that so many things declined at roughly the same time. In addition to the companies you listed above, I’d add Ansco/GAF, Endicott-Johnson Shoes and Kroehler Furniture Co. Universal Instruments is still around, though.
Re: dealership names—You mean the ones in Rochester where my dad’s company car came from? That was what used to be Dick Ide Pontiac/Honda; now it’s Ide Honda. The Olds dealer was Bob Hastings; they switched to Buick after Olds phased out. The lame Buick dealer was Vincent. Interestingly, IDE also sells VWs, which they bought from Vincent. I’m pretty sure Bob Hastings got their Buick franchise from Vincent, also.
Re: A/C—I don’t know why we bought a car without A/C, either. We had central air added to our house the previous year, which should have told all of us we couldn’t go without A/C. It seems to me it was a pricey dealer-installed option for the base car, but would have been money well spent.
Did no one ever tell your father that the car would steer more easily if it weren’t at a standstill?
I can’t find it at the moment, but a commenter here once wrote that his father, an immigrant from Germany, had learned to fly a plane before he learned to drive a car. At least on surface streets he’d ride the brakes all the time–that’s what you do when you’re taxiing.
Staxman—Oh, he was told . . . nearly every time he drove the car. It just never became second nature to him. Like I told Justy Baum above, I’m not sure my dad ever owned a car that didn’t have power steering.