My First Car: '54 Buick Century, Richard Perry, 66, Tampa

'54 Buick Century

I grew up in Dunedin and, in 1960, I purchased my first car for $600 with my earnings from a part-time job at Publix. It was a 1954 Buick Century, white with red and black interior (Dunedin High colors), and it had a 322-cubic-inch engine with a four-barrel carburetor. I put "cheater slicks" and spinner hubcaps on it to enhance the appearance and hopefully the performance. It was pretty quick but it sure was thirsty all the time. Of course, gas could be had for anywhere from 15 to 25 cents per gallon then, so it didn't break me. It became my "freedom machine" because, soon after purchasing it, I started dating a girl from St. Pete Beach and my parents lifted the curfew of 11 p.m. since they didn't want me to get into an accident trying to make it home by 11 o'clock. The Buick served me well during high school and a year at St. Petersburg Junior College. The car drove like a tank but it provided many hours and miles of enjoyment and I would sure like to have it back now. I went into the Air Force in September of 1963, and my dad sold it for me to a fellow in Dunedin for $200 and put the money in my bank account. I never saw the car again and often wonder what happened to it.