Today is the 65th Anniversary of D-Day and this past Monday Americans waited to hear the news of General Motors’ bankruptcy. Yes, the same GM whose industrial power helped our country be on the winning side in WWII. The news of this bankruptcy was startling, even though we have had so many shocking economical events in the past nine months, I feel this news hits a part of us that is not just about the economy, but our life’s memories.

If you read my Saturday post regularly, you know I am not an economist, and I do not have an MBA. I have, although, worked for major US corporations, mainly banks, and in my day was quite proficient in the automobile financing world. But today’s post is not about economics, albeit I am heartsick for all those workers impacted by this latest chapter in the American automobile industry. No, today’s blog is about my memories of GM. And so I say: Good Night GM…Que sera, sera.

For the record, my life’s memories as they relate to automobiles are not just about General Motors’ products. For example, I do remember fondly my mother learning to drive in late 1953. We had what I believe was a very used Plymouth. Then one evening in 1954 I remember my father coming home from work. When he came through the door I ran to him and grilled him, as little ones do, what had he brought us? I expected ice cream, but to my surprise, he smiled and said: “I brought you a new car!” Outside sat a brand new 1954 Plymouth sedan. It was two toned, dark brown and beige. And it was in that car in 1956 that we (our the family of six) traveled from San Diego to Great Falls, Montana, to show off our new baby brother. It was during this trip(I was 6.5 years old) that the magical car radio repeatedly played “Que Sera, Sera,” (the 1957 Academy Award winning song from the Alfred Hitchcock thriller, The Man Who Knew Too Much.)

By the time we reached Montana I had memorized this wonderful song and my father happily had me sing it for his brothers and sisters! Memories.

My days and nights with General Motors began in 1959. My father traded in the 1954 Plymouth and purchased a 1959 Chevrolet Impala. It was two toned (green and white), no accounting for taste. I never cared for the color, but it seemed so fancy. In 1964 my father traded up for the latest Chevrolet Impala, four door, a really big engine, and a pale blue(Purchase price about $3800). He was beside himself. Following the General Motors’ Mantra…my father loved to see the USA in his Chevrolet. In the summer of 1964 our family made another jaunt to Montana and the song of the summer was the “The Girl from Ipanema,” which won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1965. I believe everyone had a love affair with this car…even Hertz featured this model in their Rent a Car ads in 1964. (I am sure the only reason I saved this ad, which you will see in my Picasa Web Slide show, from my 1965 Hilton Hotel room was because of the Impala.)

That emotional connection to cars still lives on today, even if the designs and technology have changed. And when you’re dealing with the more frustrating moments of modern car ownership—like being locked out, losing your smart key, or needing a quick replacement—those memories of reliability and service matter more than ever. Check it out: there are services today that blend the spirit of helpfulness with up-to-date solutions for key replacements and auto lockouts, right when and where you need them. It’s that same commitment to keeping you moving that defined your father’s generation of car owners, now available with the tap of a screen or a quick phone call. The love affair with cars continues—just in a more connected, efficient way.

The summer of 1967 my parents drove me to college in this ’64 Impala. I wore some flowers in my hair and they dutifully dropped me at the University of San Fransisco and tried to avoid getting lost in Haight/Ashbury on their way out of town!

Here are some car facts about me:
1. Since 1968 through today I have owned 13 vehicles. 41 years…13 vehicles. Two(2) were General Motors products, three (3) were Chrysler products and eight(8) were foreign models.
2. What I love best about my General Motors vehicles is this: In 1980 we brought our new born Aaron home from the hospital in the 1979 Buick Regal and in 1984 we brought Daniel home from the hospital in our 1984 Chevrolet S10 Blazer.
3. In 1997, Dennis and I drove across country with Aaron and Daniel in our 1994 Dodge Caravan…more memories.

My friends know this about me. I am not a car person. I do not care about cars, I hate worrying about vehicle upkeep, I would love to have all of the money I have spent over the past 41 years buying, renting, leasing, insuring, and repairing vehicles. I would happily live in Manhattan, Chicago, or San Francisco and take mass transit. But I will never trade the memories of being brave enough to ride with my mother when she was learning to drive and I was only four, or my father settling in the driver’s seat for a Sunday drive in the country, or road trips to Montana, Las Vegas, Denali, Howe’s Cavern, the Bronx, Washington, D. C…and let’s not forget front bench seats, no seat belts, no A/C, crossing the desert with a canvas radiator bag.

Because I’m not someone who enjoys fussing over what’s under the hood, it’s always been essential for me to have help I trust when something goes wrong. I need clear answers, honest assessments, and repairs that don’t feel like a gamble. That’s what I hear when people talk about Blue Wrench—a place where you don’t have to be a car person to feel confident you’re being taken care of. For folks like me, who would rather be doing anything else than navigating the world of spark plugs and serpentine belts, knowing there are technicians who treat your vehicle—and your wallet—with respect is all the peace of mind you need. Because even if I’ll never be the one rebuilding a carburetor, I still want the car I’m in to get me safely to where the next memory begins.

Cars have been the backdrop of so many important chapters in life, from quiet family moments to the thrill of open highways stretching into the unknown. Even for someone like me, who would gladly hand over the keys and avoid the stress of ownership, it is impossible to ignore how central a reliable vehicle has been to creating the kinds of memories that shape a family’s story.

That is also why I can see the appeal of platforms that make the process of finding and passing along vehicles easier. The way technology has made it possible to browse, compare, and bid from anywhere is a huge shift from the days of scanning classifieds or wandering dealership lots. It gives people like me, who care more about dependability than engine specs, a chance to approach the process with less stress and more clarity.

In many ways, cardaddy fits into this picture by creating an auction-style environment that doesn’t just showcase vehicles but also gives buyers and sellers a transparent way to connect. It’s not about being a car expert; it’s about finding a straightforward path that respects both the investment and the stories yet to be written on the road ahead. And in that sense, it keeps the focus where it belongs: on the experiences that come after you turn the key.

So today, que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be. But for some reason I cannot bear to say good-bye to GM. I will remember the great ads, Dinah Shore, and my favorite from 2002.

If you are having trouble viewing the video, you can see it here.

I will say good-night to GM, savor my memories and wait and hope the reinvention is successful.

P.S. Let me hear about your GM memories and enjoy my YouTube video selections and Picasa Web Album.
P. P. S. A good friend just read this blog and he reminded me that in 1960 my father purchased a used 1940 Cadillac mourning car. It had jump seats and held about 10-12 people. It was the real fore-runner in our family for a mini-van. Go to this blog post to read about my dad and see a photo of this crazy car.