A kid’s grade school years are some of their most formative. As a kid, you learn to socialize, maybe build a friend network, and figure out who you might become as a person. As a teenager, you might experiment with new experiences, have feelings you’ve never felt before, and perhaps not realize how good you have it while you’re not currently paying bills or having adult responsibilities. Part of grade school involves sometimes being driven to school by your parents or guardians. What were you driven to school in?
My family has always had an interesting relationship with cars. One of the earliest vehicles I remember was the W123 Mercedes-Benz that my mom named ‘Jane.’ I couldn’t have been any older than 5 years old or so when that car was written off. That was in roughly 1997 or so.
My parents also had a pretty big fascination with minivans. My mom would try to have the latest vans, which would lead her to buy a new 1999 Ford Windstar, a 2003 Chrysler Voyager, and then a 2003 Oldsmobile Silhouette. Dad often had older vans, including a 1993 Plymouth Voyager and a 1995 Chevy-Van 20.
Some of my earliest school trip memories involve riding in the second row of that brown ’93 Voyager. My dad would have WLS 890 AM blaring, and in between loud pops of static, I listened to talking heads make commentary on politics. I still remember how much WLS marketed Rush Limbaugh back then. I also remember the smell of my dad’s cheap cigarettes, the softness of the burgundy cloth seats, and the gentle whine of the van’s transmission as it began its departure from this mortal plane.
I was too young to understand the political banter at the time. Instead, I found the voices, broken by bursts of static, to be soothing. That van was more welcoming than any school bus.
As I got older, the vans went away, and were replaced by vehicles like a cherry red 2003 Chevy Blazer, a 2000 Ford Ranger, a 1990s Nissan Hardbody, and a gold on tan 1995 or so Saturn SC1. My dad always drove these older, more beaten vehicles, and the Saturn was no exception. It had only basic amenities, and its interior was worn from a working man who put in hard overtime every single day and relieved stress through packs of cigarettes.
I loved the little coupe. Its exhaust was rusted out, so the car sounded “sporty” to my kid ears. It was a manual, too, so I got to watch dad throw the stick back and forth. I was also in love with the Saturn’s design, from its gigantic instrument cluster to the body, which made me think of a spaceship. In 2010, when I was 16 going on 17, my dad tossed me the keys and gave me a crash course in driving a manual.
Sadly, as much as I wanted the Saturn to be my first car, the vehicle met its end when my dad lost control at an intersection and slid over a curb at high speed. The impact was so hard that the vehicle’s unibody split.
In my later school years, I’d run late for the bus, and my mom would have me drive myself to school in her GMC Envoy XL while she sat in the passenger seat. Then, I’d roll up to the school’s door, toss her the keys, and then sprint in.
A part of me does wonder what would have happened to me as a car enthusiast had I not lived much of my grade school years out of the backs of so many cars. What if, like most of my classmates, I always rode the school bus?
Here’s where I turn things over to you. What cars were you driven to school in as a kid or teenager?
Top graphic image: Saturn
I was driven in on the rare occasion, but mostly in a 2008 Ford Taurus AWD Limited. Absolute fishbowl-like visibility and amazing interior space, plus the ride height lift from the AWD made it very commanding even as a passenger. Occasionally it tried to stay in 2nd gear on the highway, which was not ideal.
Until licensed, either a bus or a couple of un-exciting Big 3 mobiles: a ’74 Duster inherited from my grandmother and a ’82 Olds Cutlass diesel. Neither were a paragon of reliability…
I mostly remember a dark burgundyish hatchback Honda. If it was a Civic, great. If it was even a CVCC, then maybe.
I tell you, in the 80s and 90s, there was just something about the glue in Japanese cars that made them smell all the same. I can see the dusty beige corduroy interior in my head, but I can smell it in my soul.
We moved a few times while I was a kid so, depending on circumstances, I either walked to school or walked to the stop for the school bus. Never more than about half a mile, though, and usually more like a quarter mile. Fortunately it doesn’t rain all that often in western Oregon…
I think my first day was courtesy of a 1984 VW Rabbit Diesel. Then my Dad got an Eagle Premier that always seemed to have an issue. I hated that thing. Then my Dad got an Isuzu truck that I picked out. Then a 2002 Ford Ranger. My Mom had a 1989 Ford Taurus for most of my childhood. I loved that car and wanted it to be my first car. But in the late 90’s, my Mom got sick of it and my Dad bought her a 2000 Ford Taurus in gold (like in the ads!). I hated that car. I thought it was ugly and not necessary. But I guess my Dad wanted a car with airbags. My Mom had that car for a few years and then she died of cancer. My Dad sold it to my aunt, she had it for a few years, and then she died of cancer. My uncle had it until a few years ago. That stupid thing hit 400k miles. My uncle traded it in for a Kia Soul.
Aerostar then Explorer.
Depending on the year it would have been an ‘84 Civic, ‘88 Reliant, ‘90 626, or ‘94 Villager. Vinyl and mouse fur galore baby!
Off brand sneakers and off brand winter boots. High school added a streetcar to the trip. Alone or with neighbours kids. That’s a big reason I know my way around as an adult without needing a GPS.
Edit: I forgot, also my CCM bike quite often when it wasn’t snowing.
Nobody I went to grade school with got a ride to school. It was walking or the bus without exception. I was lucky to have parents who bought their house because it was walkable to the elementary school and high school.
During that time of my life, my parents had a ’72 VW fastback. Red with grey interior. Upper Midwest trips during the winter included bundling up because the heater was more of a concept than a functioning source of heat. But it got us everywhere for our vacations, camping with a canoe strapped to the roof, acting as extra storage for tents and sleeping bags.
That was eventually swapped for the nightmare that was an ’81 Citation. On the plus side, my mom got a job that required a car, so they also purchased a ’76 Suburban with 240k miles on it that had been a railroad inspection vehicle.
I walked to school as a kid. It was often snowing and, on occasion, my walk was uphill both ways. Danged kids have gotten soft these days.
My parents weren’t and still aren’t car people so I didn’t get to experience cool cars from the back seat. As a kid I was driven around in a Volvo 240 (that was cool in hindsight, but I didn’t like it at the time), a Chevrolet conversion van, and a series of Chrysler minivans.
Holy crap look at that swoopy SC1. What a triumph.
As for the actual question: First, I recall being driven in the carpool by a Volvo 740 wagon with rearward facing seats which was delightful for child me. Next, I a 1972 (I think) International Harvester Travelall. It fit the whole carpool. Then a 1986 Ford Escort. It sucked. Last before I got my license was a 1989 Dodge Grand Caravan. That thing kicked so much ass.
Mostly rode in a big yellow and black International Loadstar (sounds porny), but on special occasions, it would be mom’s powder blue 1978 Ford Fairmont station wagon. Poverty spec — 2.3L Pinto 4 cyl, four-speed manual, no a/c, no power brakes or steering, AM radio. Mom was a trooper.
I have no idea what age this ‘grade school’ thing is (an explanation for us non US-ians would have been nice), but some of the highlights would be:
My dad’s Passat
Our (farmer) neighbour’s Land Rover
A trailer behind a tractor (when it had snowed too much for anything else to get through)
Once I was older, I was mostly getting a lift with my mum on her way to work, so that would have been a succession of VW Polos and occasional Golfs, until I could drive, at which point it became my succession of Polos
Driven? I had to walk to school every day for 12 years. Rain or shine or snow. Elementary was only a few blocks, but the middle and high schools were several miles.
Elementary I was in the YMCA before and after school program and my parents dropped me off. Mom in her 78 then 85 Civics, Dad in his 80 Rabbit then 87 Accord hatch. All were absolute base models. I believe the only option my moms had were the semi-automatic transmissions and a dealer added tape deck in the 85. By grade 5 or 6 I was on my own getting to and from school and either rode my bike or walked. Probably walked more from my dads as his house was up a hill while my moms house was a flatter ride. Grade 7 up I was on the bus.
My kids rode to their first day in my Mustang, normally they are dropped off for the YMCA program by their mom in her Sorento. Then its either the Sorento, Mustang or my Soul to pick them up from the Y after school. Can’t wait for the day when they are old enough to take the bus without an adult there to meet them at the end of the day and I’m no longer paying for the Y.
This is fun, I mostly rode the bus or my bike but the cars my parents had when I was a kid.
Pre-K: We lived in Venezuela and drove a Nova (there’s a joke there).
K-3rd: A Ford camper van with extended top and an early 60s Baja Beetle.
3rd-5th: A yellow Pontiac Phoenix with a moon roof
5th-7th: (Here’s where it gets interesting.) Ambulances!!! My parents started a medical transport company and the ambulances were frequently used as family cars.
7th-Grad: Chrysler Conquests in 3 different colors.
80’s blue bird school bus, or my Dyno.
An old navy blue Volvo 240 wagon my parents nicknamed Helga, my dad’s black on black manual Saab 93 hatchback, and eventually a metallic blue GMT400 Suburban.
are we brothers? Mom had a green 240 wagon (which became mine in HS) and Dad had a Saab 900.
After I got the Volvo, mom got a Chrysler T&C minivan for her flower business.
I mean, up until like 5th grade, I was always driven to school in some form of Buick, either a Rendezvous or a Lucerne, but once I was in 6th, I walked every day, including to the high school…. of whom told me in a piece of mail right before 7th that I couldn’t take the bus, even though the bus route had my name on it for my entire high school “career”.
Spontaneous days where the Buicks weren’t available, I was driven in some form of Silverado, Cobalt, Neon, and I think once or twice in a WJ. Depending on weather and who was available.
I also got a ride in the school resource officers’ car once, on a negative 30-ish degree (f) day.
Rarely driven to school. From grade 1-4 would have been a Mercedes O303 bus, the times I was driven would have been a Toyota Camry.
Graded 5-6 were back in Canada, so the car would have been an 84 Buick Century, ahem, Limited. The bus was the generic yellow ones.
I mostly rode the bus, but my parents had an assortment of cars over my gradeschool years. My dad had a Buick Estate Wagon with the 455, a ’67 or ’68 BMW 2002, a ’77 grey market Mercedes, and a ’73 F250 crew cab with the 460. My mom had the Buick Estate Wagon for a bit, then a 70-something Datsun B210, then a rounded-line GMC Suburban. When I got older we had more Mercedes, BMW, Volvos, and at some point a Buick LeSabre with the Olds 350 diesel. And my parents always wondered why I go through cars so often…
Depends on the grade and which school but public School normally road the bus or days we missed the bus my parents had their Astro van at that point but for the 2 years of Catholic school I think my mom had her 99 grand prix at that point. My dad had a 90s something s10 at that point with the tiny rear fold out side seats in the back.
Driven to grade school??!? I rode the BUS.
My mom had a dodge dart for a while, and then a Dodge Caravan for the times we missed the bus.
It was a balance between Volvos (240 wagon or P 1800 ES) and a crappy Buick Skylark Convertible, Plymouth Horizon, and Chevy Chevette, depending on which parent I was staying with.
But I mostly rode the bus.
The one I remember most is my mother’s 1981 (Google pics seem to support that being the year) Buick Century wagon. It was dull yellow.
Biggest memory from that car? We got rear-ended on the way home once. I was sitting in the front passenger seat, on my knees, facing backwards with my hands wrapped around the headrest. My sister and two friends were in the back seat, “safely” belted in with their lap belts. My other sister was in the cargo area (we called it “The Back Back” – anybody else use that one?).
And WHAM!
A car hits us directly in the tailgate, leaving a pretty impressively centered dent across most of the gate. My sister (in the back back) head-butted her Dukes of Hazzard lunchbox (all three of us had Dukes of Hazzard lunchboxes. From then on, we always knew which one was hers because it had a head-shaped dent in the side). The three backseat passengers had it the worst as those lap belts made them all jackknife their bodies. Everybody was ok, but sore.
Me? I got SO LUCKY. The force sent me flying down into the footwell under the dash. I bumped the back of my head on the glovebox but otherwise I was fine.
That wagon also had the distinction of giving us the perception that GM couldn’t make a transmission that lasted more than a couple of years. Didn’t miss that car when we traded it.