I got Marge in September of 1986 when my dad
and I flew to Chicago to take a look at her. She belonged to a "friend of
a friend" who had owned her since driving her off the showroom floor at
Schumacher Ford in Evanston, Illinois. I got one glance at her and knew
she needed a good home in Maryland!!Dad and I drove her back to our
house near Washington, D.C. in one day with not a single problem. Just
lots of stops to fill the gas tank!
A few items of "tweaking" had to be done the first month I had her to
make her more reliable for everyday driving, but once they were done I had
one of the most distinctive cars at my high school. (And the only
convertible!!)
Marge has the 390 FE Series V8, C6 transmission, and SelectAire
Conditioner. She came with an AM radio which I swapped-out for the AM/FM
stereo unit in 1987. I always liked the location of the radio. None of my
friends could fiddle with it when we were headed to or from school, so
they had to listen to MY music! Definitely a plus in those days of horrid
"mall rat" music!
I kept Marge at home while I was away at college...instead driving a
new car I bought after graduating in 1988. Whenever I was home I'd take
her out for a spin or two to keep her going and also to reconnect with my
favorite gal. Of course times change and that's exactly what happened in
the 90s. My mom had passed away in 1989 and my dad sold our house and
moved to Florida in 1996. I drove Marge up to Allentown where my future
in-laws said I could keep her under their carport. Unfortunately, the
following year I had to park her after a few mechanical problems cropped
up and I had neither the time nor the money to fix them. She's been
sitting ever since, although she's now being kept in a dry garage nearby.
I hope to get the mechanical items fixed within the next year so that I'll
be able to remember what it's like to have the luxury of driving a
convertible on a starry summer night.
