A dream come true?

So, it been a while, huh? From my last post back in May until now, real life has been rather busy, like switching companies for employment sake, moving, reconnecting with long, lost family, this list could go on.

However, since it's an automotive themed blog (both real and virtual), I will focus more on that.

I am not too sure if I have mentioned this before or not, I have a son who is ten years old (at the time of this posting) and has crossed over a major threshold (at least, in my eyes). He is slowly graduating from the world of pushing small metal cars around on the floor and carpets to sitting behind the wheel of ones that can move on their own. Although a Go-Cart isn't what people would consider to be a real vehicle, per se, it's still a huge step into a bigger world.

This past June, while my wife and son went to visit and see a family member graduate from high school, I remained behind and worked. One day, during a dull and slow moment, I browsed through the local classified ads (can't remember if it was Kijiji, Craigslist or a local offering) and stumbled across this.

I just found an unbelievable deal on a convertible, a high mileage and needs lots of work 1994 Chrysler Lebaron GTC. Like my good old days, when I used to buy "wrecks" that were questionable to be on the road, this one will require a lot of time and attention before any long drives in the country.

However, I decided to surprise my returning family by picking them up at the airport, the same day I bought the car and had a very interesting drive home with them in it. See, I never drove the car before I put down the money to purchase it. In fact, the previous owner drove it to our place and I drove them back to theirs, the airport trip was the first time I even sat in it!

When I was about half my son's current age, this was one of my favorite toys. I "drove" the heck out of this Hot Wheels and it looked pretty much like this the last time I saw it (long since lost with the ages). What does this have to do with a LeBaron Convertible? Well, I clearly remember taking this toy out one day, when I went downtown with my mother and seeing a full sized, real version of it without it's roof!

In fact, this could be the very car I saw way back when (currently owned by Don McClure of Quesnel, B.C.). I was determined to own a convertible or a car with a removable roof, someday....

Over time, that determination faded, since growing up in the colder north meant I wouldn't see very many convertibles, nor would they ever be "reasonably" priced, for my budget. Plus, with the limited amount of warm weather during the year, owning one would have been more of a novelty, not a practical vehicle for the environmental conditions.

I will let the following video explain the dream coming to pass, 37 years later....