I bought my first car in February 1972. A 1971 AMC Hornet SST with a white vinyl landau roof and color-coordinated tweed upholstery, it was straight off the showroom floor. I had just turned 20, and even though I had a full-time job, my dad had to co-sign. Livingston had a V-8 under the hood, and one Sunday morning at 2 a.m. I hit 125 mph on the freeway between Poway and Escondido (California).

I drove Livingston for 11 years, including road trips to New Jersey, Washington, Idaho, and Texas. While living in Arizona in 1972, Livingston drove me safely to Gila Bend after I dozed off just outside Yuma — no one else was in the car (true story). And in all those years, Livingston never needed a single major repair.

In 1982, I traded Livingston in on a Dodge Omni because the cost of gas had climbed to more than $1.00 a gallon, and that big engine was a gas hog. Unfortunately, in time I came to regret the decision because the Omni wasn't yellow for nothing! (as in LEMON) To this day, I miss that blue and white beauty.

Suzi