CARSPOTTING, 6/1

Saw a Pontiac T1000–the utterly redundant version of the Chevette–on the drive home today. This one looked to be a survivor, with nice, glossy paint the approximate color of pork gravy.

I’ve always loved what Consumer Guide had to say about the Chevette back in the day: “Millions of people bought Chevettes, and millions of people were happy with them.” They went on to explain that just about any subcompact was a better choice than the Chevette, but if it was all you could afford, it beat walking. And I guess that explains my weird, grudging affection for Chevettes. They promised little, but they made good on all that they promised.

I had a classmate/co-worker once who, in the mid ’90s, was still driving his ‘83 Chevette and feeling a little self-conscious about it. I pointed out to him that there weren’t all that many American cars of the early ’80s which could even last a dozen years. He should’ve been proud to have squeezed so much life out of a humble car. I think he actually was proud, but he was afraid to admit that an ‘83 Chevette suited his needs so well.

I’m sure by now he’s driving the nice extended-cab pickup he wanted . . . and I bet it’s a Chevy.