My brother moved about a year ago, a different town but still around two hours away from my house. Since our Father had not visited yet I took him last Sunday.
For this road trip we took Mrs DougD’s 2015 Scion tC. I haven’t done a full COAL on this car yet but we bought it as a winter beater in November and we love it. The one thing I will say about the tC today is that it has a close ratio 6 speed manual, and I wish the ratios were wider because it revs quite a bit at freeway speeds. With all those gears you’d think 6th would be a whopping big OD ratio, but no.
I was at Dad’s house before 8am, we needed to get an early start to reach our destination by 10.
Ten o’clock because we were going to Church. My brother is a pastor, and also a Pontiac Vibe enthusiast. We actually arrived before him, and although I was highly tempted to park the tC in his “Pastor Parking” spot I did not.
After Church & coffee we went back to his house for lunch. Here we see my brother’s other Pontiac Vibe, and my teenage nephew’s first car. Yes, it’s a 1992 Geo Metro convertible! Note the sign on the back – Learning Stick, Sorry.
Behold the awesomeness of the 1.0 litre 3 cylinder! While not a top tier classic, there’s actually a lot to like about this little car. It’s rust free, and passed the safety check and is on the road. That’s a lot more than you can say for the 1962 Triumph TR4 I bought when I was his age (COAL on that here if you’ve not read it) so full marks for a fun and usable vehicle. I had a ride in it, it’s not fast and handles like a half full bathtub on roller skates but who cares? Geo Metro for the win!
This will surely be a learning experience for my nephew, I already sent him a Haynes service manual for the Metro and his other grandfather is going to help him put a new top on it.
After lunch we went to visit a church member who I was told “Had a couple of old cars.” Adults went in the Scion, and a couple of nephews went in the Metro. Turns out we were going to see a one family car show:
First up there were a pair of nicely restored late 60’s Javelins. They were very clean, the blue one has a 390/auto and the red one a 360/auto. These cars brought up a lot of memories for Dad and I, since there’s a lot of shared parts with the 72 Matador we had and I used those AMC slotted rims on it as well. I was surprised to hear Dad say “When I bought the Ramber what I REALLY wanted was one of these, but my wife said that is NOT a family car!”.
Then we went to the garage where we encountered this 1934 Dodge Brothers sedan. My photo was very backlit, and doesn’t show what nice shape this one was also in. Very nice paint and interior. I don’t think it was plated, the lady said that it was actually her car but she could not learn to drive standard so they didn’t use it much. It’s interesting how narrow the passenger compartment is in 1930’s cars, and how much leg room was in the back of this Dodge.
In the detached workshop we encountered the star of the show, a 1959 Mercury. This is a California car with original (albeit thin in spots) paint and 383 MEL engine. Just look at the compound curve on that rear window!
It was fun to watch the boys lose their minds over the sheer size of this automobile, and the amount of chrome and rocket-era details. In this photo they are admiring the switchgear on the very low dash. We opened the hood and it was rather tightly packed in there, the MEL is a big motor.
Also in the shop was their latest project, looks to be a 1940’s Dodge pickup recently painted a non-factory colour. The black painted frame and flathead 6 shows up in the 1st photo of the Mercury. We were very appreciative that this family allowed to to see (and crawl all over) their treasures. Thank You!!!
On the way home we took the scenic route and encountered another treasure. This 1938 DeSoto is being used as lawn art, I’d spotted it on a previous trip and made sure to bring Dad by to see and touch it. The 1938 DeSoto is pretty significant in D family history. After emigrating from Holland in 1951, my grandfather bought one making this the first D family car, ever.
After Dad graduated from teachers college at 19 years old, he drove the Desoto making it his first car also.
I delivered Dad home about 5pm, we were both pretty tired after a day of great weather, family, and interesting old cars.
That sounds like a very good day! That Desoto is the real icing on the cake – how many could be left in Ontario? Not many.
Enjoy these trips with your dad.
Funny you should say that Jason, I know of at least one more. At this moment there is a solid looking older restoration about 3 hours away for $8,500.
I’m practically biting my arm to not inquire about it. I have 5 vehicles on the road right now plus the VW project. And yet…..
Five cars? Looks like we need a COAL update. I only recall two!
2015 Grand Caravan
2013 Focus (with Son in Sudbury)
2015 Scion tC
2007 Mustang Convertible
2009 Kawasaki VerSys 650
And 1963 VW, but that’s not on the road currently.
Too many vehicles!
Best line: “handles like a half full bathtub on roller skates”. Very evocative description, Uncle Tom McCahill worthy! Geo Metros were kind of the running joke of the automotive world in the 90’s, but they worked and are still occasionally seen on the road. Unless it’s meant facetiously, that learning stick warning strikes me as super-Canadian. So polite.
I absolutely love 59 Mercurys! One of my favorite 50s/early 60s cars. It would be great if you could talk the owner into taking you for a drive sometime so you could do a full write up.
Sounds like a great family outing that everyone will remember for a long time!
Sounds like a great family trip. I have no idea why most Japanese 6 speed manuals are like that. My MX5 and TSX were both like that. Six around town gears and nothing for relaxed cruising. Surely one could have five in town close ratio gears plus a 6th relaxed highway gear.
I dig the Metro convertible. Very cool first car.
Too bad their ’34 Dodge does not get much use. That would be a fun family cruiser.
What a wonderful day (and write-up). Thanks for taking us along.
Love the nephew’s choice of first car. I’ve always had a thing for Metro ragtops.
That ’38 DeSoto has a pretty distinctive front end design. Must have been a sweet moment for your dad.
Given the unusually large back seat of the Javelin, it could have been the family car; the only one of the pony cars then capable of that.
What a great day!
I’m also a Pontiac Vibe enthusiast – my wife’s uncle owned one, and he’s notoriously tough on cars, yet it kept running at pretty high mileage for him. I drove his Vibe once, and found it very enjoyable. I probably should have bought a Vibe at some point.
I love the “Learning Stick, Sorry” sticker. Though these days sticks are so rare, I wonder how many other drivers actually the occasional struggles in learning to drive one. Just last month I gave Daughter #2 her first driving lesson, in her grandparents’ manual Jeep Wrangler (she’s 13 – we drove on rural unpaved roads where no one mind if your underage). She did great – oddly she’s the less mechanically-include of our two daughters, but she picked it up very quickly. In fact, I don’t think anyone’s ever had as much fun in their first stick-shift driving lesson.
Re your dad’s comment about the Javelin that “…but my wife said that is NOT a family car!” – I think I’ve heard my dad related a variation on that story several times. I guess that wasn’t an uncommon family debate in the early 1970s. Though Dad somehow managed sneak a Scirocco into the family stable in the mid 1970s; I’m still not sure how he managed that.
Great picture of your dad with the DeSoto by the way!
One of my friends who I know from the indoor pool we both frequent bought a used Pontiac Vibe. He summed up the car’s appeal as a used car in four words: “Toyota quality; Pontiac depreciation”…
Built in Richmond, CA in a plant that Ford used during WWII to produce Jeeps. The plant is now owned by Tesla. If you ever notice the Blue Javelin for sale let me know. I looked at one before I bought my ’73 Charger (my first car) but they were asking more then I had.
Such a super read of great memories made. I also like your dad had wanted a Javelin… They had more legroom in back than the competition, so maybe a Jav might have worked? 🙂
I once went along the 401 in a Geo Metro convertible. Moved like a shoe box without a lid. Scary.
That sure looks like a typical West Mountain home south of Mohawk in the first photo. But with a VW bug in the driveway?
Busted! I forgot to take a picture of Dad with the tC that day so I took one the following week when he was at our place. We borrow our neighbour’s driveway for parking sometimes, and my VW snuck into the picture.
Good guess on the location, it’s Dundas.
I grew up on Mercer Ct.
I really enjoy your articles!! It feels like reading about my own childhood sometimes.
What about a local article on Alex Van Halen marrying into the Carter Chev-Olds family by marrying Mo Carter’s daughter Kelly? I always thought I would run into Alex driving a Carter branded Corvette down James Street 🙂
https://www.automotivehalloffame.org/honoree/maurice-c-carter/
I taught both of my sisters to drive a stick shift. Both caught on very quickly. Any woman who wanted to drive in my parent’s youth usually had to learn and of course this continued on in Europe. It’s not a sex specific skill.
So shape up lady.
Meanwhile, interesting bunch of cars. Ever since I first saw a 1937 DeSoto for sale one day in Berkeley I’ve been a fan because of the way the upper grille bars continue down the sides of the front end Deco style, continued on the 1938. Not sure which version is better. And the original Javelin is definitely peak AMC.
What an excellent day! It’s only Canadian to say Sorry on the back of a car! Give him a few starts uphill and he’ll be fine.
I wanted one of those “Metro converts”, big time!!
Everything here is just a bit different (in a good way of course) which really makes it special. Including the modern stuff: the Vibe, the Geo convertible, even the Scion. But the DeSoto really makes the story!
There was one of those Mercurys in my home town but a 4 door the only example that came here new of course it had a LHD conversion(chain drive) before being registered and as far as I know still exists.
Family time is important,especially as our parents age. Both of mine have been gone for almost twenty years, luckily we get to spend time with our grown up kids.
That Mercury back window looks like a windshield turned backwards, pretty cool. I taught my oldest daughter and son how to drive sticks, a skill that they still maintain. My youngest wasn’t very enthusiastic about learning to drive, resisted until she turned 18, no stick for her!
It looks as though the family with all those cars lives on a spacious property where they even have a detached shop. Suburban dwellers like myself can only dream of that set up. Still, at least I have a two car garage, driveway, and curb parking. I’m thankful for that, If I lived in a condo or apartment I might not even have that. On the other hand that might force me to have better cars.
Maybe all of southern Ontario has a thing for Vibes. There are many in my town, and one short crescent that has about 30 houses has 4 Vibes. That is a pretty high density. One house with a Vibe has a Matrix as their other car.
What a wonderful and wonderfully told family and road trip story. So many excellent turns of phrase. “Pontiac Vibe enthusiast” is a combination of words that I don’t think I’ve encountered outside of CC 🙂 Also the “couple of old cars” thing is the understatement of the day. Finally, I wish I’d had the “Learning Stick, Sorry” sticker when my kid was. It’s questionable whether many people on the road down here would even know what that meant…as they inched within 3″ of his rear bumper as he was stopped on steep hills. But it still would have been fun.
Great picture of your dad and the DeSoto.
Nice to see you taking that trip with your Dad. I first learned to identify cars on family vacations with my parents. Learned to drive on a55 DeSoto. The MERCURY is my choice. Loved mid 50s to early 60s OTT excessive luxury finned fantasies. Friends of parents had a 60 MERCURY Montclair two door hardtop with the same roof as the 59. One of the most striking ever. 🏆. 👍 😎
Wow, you put together an experience with 3 generations and cars from who knows how many decades. Anyone who can bring together a Geo Metro and a 59 Mercury has some strong CC magic working.
Wonderful post. Ottawa is a tough city on cars. As the first gen Pontiac Vibe and Toyota Matrix, remain remarkably quite plentiful here. A testament to the high quality of these cars.
What a great story .
Cherish the moments, they’ll be gone all too soon .
I love that ’38 DeSoto .
-Nate
Your Dad must’ve loved the experience. It’s really special having the family take you out when you can’t go places unaided. And fascinating cars to see.
Oh wow, that ’59 Mercury! With a 383 nonetheless! I’ll agree with you – that’s the star of the show.
Strange what you say in relation to the gearbox of the Scion TC. I had an automatic 6sp 2013 and the fuel consumption is similar whether it’s automatic or manual . So final drive should be the same and the engine at 100 km/h was not turning more than 2000 rpm if I remenber .
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=32530&id=32531&id=34991&id=34990
Great story and great pictures! I’m sure your Dad enjoyed the nostalgia of the trip.
What a great dad, son(s), grandsons (and others no doubt too) quality time day!
Your Dad looks like he’s enjoyed it too – I hope you have many more like it.
PS – the stripes on the blue Javelin look great
I’m hip to the Vibe, as you know, having owned two Matrixes. I still wish my last one had not met that repair that cost way more than the car was worth. I’d still own it. So damned useful.
You pretty much hit the motherlode of CCs on this trip!