This should really be listed as a FILOAL for Father In Law Of A Lifetime.
I’ve talked about my father in law Paul a few times, but he’s now in an assisted living facility and not doing well. So I wanted to talk a bit about him and his love for cars.
Paul has owned/leased some 70 cars over his lifetime! He liked to tell me about his first new car, a 1961 Dodge Pioneer. At the time, he lived in Brooklyn and explained that they didn’t have traditional car lots. Rather, they had a display of each model and then you ordered it the way you wanted it.
My wife Cindy, the eldest of the two girls, recalls driving with her mom and sister to pick him up from the train station. They still lived in Brooklyn and his rubber stamp company was in Manhattan. They rode a 1970 Crestwood wagon and the song Sunny would play over and over in their 8-track.
In 1972 they made the decision to move to Sunrise, Florida. He felt the 1971 Cadillac he was driving would be cramped for the trip and decided to buy a 1972 Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. Then he went to the dealer and they showed him a unit with all the options. After trade in, he bought the Vista Cruiser and got money back!
Photo from the web.
In the mix, he’s told me about the Cadillacs, Lincolns, Pontiacs, Fords, and even a Lancia Zagato! But my very favorite story he tells is one of seeing a brand new 1977 Lincoln Mark V Givenchy on a car carrier. Then he made a U-turn and followed the truck to the Lincoln Mercury dealer at Fort Lauderdale.
As soon as he got inside, he picked the first salesman who wasn’t busy, and he explained that he wanted to buy the Mark V. The salesman said “Sir we haven’t even unloaded that car or received it yet!” Paul said, “That’s OK, I’ll be back in an hour!” And he did. He traded in a very lightly used Mercedes that he never cared for.
The last car he owned actually belongs to my wife and me. When he could no longer drive, he became very depressed. He enjoyed going and buying cars, he enjoyed the game of getting the best price, etc. I told him that I would be his chauffeur going forward, but that I would let him choose the car that we bought. It came down to the choice of a 97 Town Car with a bad clock spring or a 2004 Grand Marquis LS Ultimate Edition. The Marquis is silver with grey leather and only showed 130,000 miles. A clean car overall that he really likes to this day.
The Ford store was higher on the price, but they had gone through the car, changing all the fluids, detailing it and making sure all recalls were done.
We had to drive two hours from our home in Tennessee to North Carolina, and he wanted to go. It would be his last road trip. We got to the dealer, and true to form, he did the dance. They thought $7400 was a good deal, and he disagreed!
So he got the car for $6400 out the door with a full tank of gas! He truly enjoyed that day! He couldn’t see well enough to drive, but he enjoyed being a passenger. He said the car reminded him of a Lincoln.
I’m sure that everyone on here has lost a loved one, and that is such a tough emotional thing to go through. We’ve had him and my mother in law living with us for the last 4 years, and I must say that watching him go downhill, well that hurts my heart. We lost my mother in law last July within 9 days of her receiving a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. His room at the nursing home is right next to the one where she passed away.
However, something really cool happened with my father in law this past week. My son Jacob, who lives nearby, bought his first new car, a Mustang Mach E. He wanted so badly to show it to Paul, that he drove to our home first thing in the morning.
For the first time since he moved into our home, Jacob convinced him to go outside. So Jacob got a wheelchair and rolled him out to check out the Mach E. The smile on Paul’s face was priceless, as he looked the car over and as Jacob told him how he made the deal!
I read Paul the articles I’ve posted at CC, and he really enjoys hearing them. Thank you for allowing me to share.
I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your MIL and to hear of your FIL’s admittance to assisted living. Life is hard for us at times but with your articles, you keep the memories alive and well. What a nice tribute to your FIL! He sounds like a real character who loved the game and catch of buying cars. All the best, Chris
Your father is a very fortunate man to have had such a full life and spending his last years basking in the love of family. Unfortunately too many seniors are neglected by family or don’t even have family. As a Vintage Rolls Canardly, Roll down one hill and Can ardly get up the next, I’m pretty much on my own, but still piloting my 2007 Town Car. Wishing you and your father many more miles and smiles
Great read! Sounds like a life well lived! So hard to pin down a favorite song but Bobby Hebb’s Sunny is certainly in my top 10, such emotion!
What a wonderful story .
Thank you .
-Nate
Thanks for this great story, that’s a man who knows what he wants, chasing down a car carrier to buy a Lincoln!!
I enjoyed reading your story. My Grandpa Fred had fast cars as a young man, always “outracing ol’ Murphy from the Massachusetts Registry Police” as he would tell me as his young grandson. Sometimes he’d “get pinched” though. Through a series of Hudson’s, Lincolns and a Mercury Monterey, his last car was a plain brown four door 1963 Ford Custom with a measly 6 cylinder which he parked on Tremont Street in Boston’s South End. It had paint scratches from every taxi company making the U-turn on Tremont to head back up town. He did drive the Ford to SC to winter with us in 1968 and sold it as he could no longer drive in 1971, especially in Boston traffic.
That’s a terrific story. Thanks for sharing it and for allowing us to meet (in a way) your father in law. He sounds like a great guy who among other accomplishments has owned some cool cars. By the way, I love that Dodge in your 2nd picture. It’s a great color and that side profile is probably the best view of that car.
And also, “Rubber stamp company.” I just love thinking about that – along with other once common, but now largely lost professions…like Typewriter Repairman or Milkman.
It’s so uplifting to hear about your positive relationship with your in laws. Oh wow, that green Lincoln Mark V! Yum, yum, the ultimate automotive eye candy! Thanks for sharing.
Very nice, I’m glad your father-in-law has a loving, caring family!! Also, that he has a rich history of owning cars that he cared about; he has me beat…..I’ve only had 69 (with 72 motorcycles). I hope he can yet “own” a few more!!! :):):) DFO
Loved the story about the Mk V. Now that’s love at first sight.
What a great story – or rather series of stories. Reading about his reaction to your son’s Mach E was the best part of my day. And haggling down the dealer on the Grand Marquis another $1,000! I guess after many decades of haggling and bargaining, it just comes naturally to him.
The Mark V story is classic – and so very 1970s. I can’t see anyone doing that today.
Thanks for the stories!
You made my day with this family story. God bless your Father-in-Law. Ma his life continue well!
You are all so kind. This brought many smiles to him!!
He recalled his wife begging him for a 280ZX in the early 1980’s. But it had to be an automatic!! Talk about needle in a haystack! After looking for days, he landed a deal on a very nice looking wine colored unit.
She was so excited! So much so that she drove it five days, came home after work on a Friday, tossed him the keys and said “I can’t drive or ride in that. It’s killing my back!!!”
He was just south of happy about this and told her to drive their other car which was a Lincoln.
I don’t rightly know where the 280ZX went…
Paul sounds like one of those old guys I have always loved having conversations with – especially someone who enjoys telling many old car stories. The end of a life can be a sad time, but it sounds like both of you have been a blessing to the other through this hard process.
This story reminds me of Howard, my friend’s father who figured so largely in my life when I was learning about car ownership. Near the end of his life he was living in a nursing home. Dan got a new car and took it over for his father to see. Howard had maintained his drivers license and wanted to drive it. Dan told me that his father could barely make it out to the car, but once in the drivers seat he seemed 20 years younger as he put that car through its paces.
I wanted to share that today Paul was very coherent and wanted my to read this.
I’ve not seen him smile, and chuckle for a long time!
He talked about chasing the car carrier! He recounted how upset that salesman was because they weren’t receiving all the cars on that load, and didn’t even know if that was part of that dealer’s manifest!!
All Paul did was smile, and say I’ll be back in an hour. Make to put it through make ready!!
Anyway, a great big thanks to all. Your comments really lifted his spirits