The Slice: Old jalopies hold fond memories

Readers had no trouble identifying the most memorable family car of their childhood.

Here are just a few of the recollections.

“When I was in elementary school my father owned a yellow, 1961 Rambler American which, for all intents and purposes, resembled a giant, banana-flavored jelly bean,” wrote Kristy Bennett. “I died a thousand deaths every time my dad picked me up at school.”

In 1953, when she was 8, Marilyn Daniels’ family moved to Alaska. They drove north in a “root beer” brown Chevy station wagon. “It was our tent and our picnic table, our port in a storm and, at least once, our safe retreat from a wolf.”

Also back in the ‘50s, Karen Cecil’s family had a nine-passenger DeSoto “woody” wagon. Sadly, her parents got rid of it long before woodies came to be considered retro-cool.

When she was growing up in South Dakota in the early ‘70s, Jody Stewart-Strobelt’s family had a black Cadillac limo that previously had been owned by a funeral home.

Ted Redman was a teenager in the late ‘50s when his dad bought a Jaguar sedan. But after word spread about Ted’s Palouse speed records, his dad found another home for the Jag.

Judy McKeehan fondly remembers a black 1963 Chevrolet Impala. “I’m not an old-car person,” she wrote. “But I would love to have that car back.”

“The most memorable car that I remember was a lavender Lincoln Mercury that my folks had when I was in about third grade,” wrote Mimi Bennett. “My mom loved that car and so did I.”

Beth Carlson was growing up in the Midwest in the ‘50s when her father bought a Nash Rambler that had been owned by a doctor in South Africa. They kept the foreign license plate on it. “I always thought it was kind of cool,” said Carlson.

In the early ‘70s, Jill Wakeling’s family drove from Alaska to Spokane in a 1969 Jeepster Commando. “My brother and sister and I have fond memories of that great adventure, but my mom refused to talk about it for many years,” she wrote.

Asking what people have named their cars also proved to be a high-mileage question.

“I named my car Lois Lane,” wrote KyriAnne Watkins.

Mark Charbonneau recently bought a 1989 Ford Econoline van and named it Vincent Van-Go. Its previous owner had called it Van Morrison.

Vic Bertis once had a 1963 Plymouth he called the Green Phantom.

Rosalyn Clark had a pink and white 1956 Plymouth she named Geranium.

Cathy Rubow’s family owned a beat-up old Dodge they called Scrambolie.

Marvin Lake’s family had a Ford Model A truck called Triggle, Triggle, Triggle, Puttle Ut Tut Tut.

Kathy Altieri’s family drove Leaping Leena.

Bonnie Rae’s mom had a 1967 Mustang named Hoss.

Marje Peterson’s family had a pale yellow pickup called The Maggot.

And a friend of mine calls his wife’s fuel-efficient hybrid The Conveyance.

“Today’s Slice question: Do people in Spokane talk good?