Jonelle's Family Cars!

Here's my uncle Johnny's Corvette. It seems to have lost some of it's chrome trim. Trim or not, I wish someone had kept it! I seem to remember a story about the engine being taken out at some point before he died in Vietnam.

This 1975 Monte Carlo was passed around a bit, finally ending up my dad's. It had great swivel bucket seats, and a not so great Bondo-job on the lower front fender. It used to smell like burnt peanuts when Mom drove it, because Dad never drove it very fast. Mom would always make him front plates, since back then you only have one license plate. This one says "Abruzzi", where his parents were from in Italy. Then there was the Rodney Dangerfield plate that said "No Respect". I miss this car a lot.

Ahh...The Wagon!

This 1975 Chevy Impala station wagon was Mom's chariot for many years. We packed over 15 kids into it and headed to Canobie Lake Park in NH every Summer. Every time Mom would go food shopping, the bags would fly all over the place. The disappearing rear hatch/window stopped working right. And then there were the studded snowtires! Let's not forget the "alarm system" that didn't work. You had to use a key and do something on the front fender. Mom would make like it actually worked. Memories...

My brother's 1978 Firebird Trans Am. It was a bit of a lemon, but it LOOKED good! He had it painted at MAACO, so it's no suprise that the car is now rotting at Lenny's Service Center down the road. Joey still thinks he's going to get it back and put it on the road. HAHA! What a kidder! At least that hair is gone...

My sister Sue's crappy Chevy Cavalier. No comment... OK, the paint cracked, it overheated, the fuses blew, etc. It is also the car I got to drive for a month or so after I got my license. (oh, WOW!!!) If this is the car the Cadillac Cimmeron was based on, then they were insane...

Sue's '94 Cavalier. Much more reliable than anyone ever expected! So far it has over 120,000 miles, but it's starting to rust a bit. Could be because it's never washed... ;-)

(SOLD 2005)

The 1986 Pontiac Parisienne. Another hand-me-down. This ended up being my first car. It had that goofy fuel injected V6 with strange shifting habits. It liked to overheat, too. But it made it through some tough snow storms, and I will always remember that I beat a Mustang with it. The interior was maroon velour, and ultra-comfy. Despite the dents from when Dad had it, and the typical cracked GM paint, it was always spotless. Even after it got hit! I got wacked hard, and all our mechanic had to do was install a new axle, and I drove the car for a few more months! He said if I was in the Cavalier, I'd have been in the hospital. When it finally got junked, our mechanic told me I should take the back seat out and use it for a sofa! I think it had about 165,000 miles at that point.

The only car Mom and Dad bought new. The 1987 Caprice Classic. Mom's baby. We would go from Belmont, MA to Ogunquit, ME and back and the gas needle wouldn't even move. Mirak Chevrolet hit it twice, and after they replaced the cracked engine block, nothing ever went wrong with it. It had a carb, and when the engine was cold you always had to pump the pedal twice, then start it. It would stall, then you'd crank it again and with a puff of smoke, you were ready to go!

Brother Joey's 1987 Camaro, post-MACCO paint-job, pre-rustout! He's had it painted I think three times... I've lost count. This is a V6 automatic, but could hear it a mile away, so he was happy with it. After this Camaro was stolen, we found him a replacement, but then the car was found! It was kept in storage for a few years, but in 2005 was put back on the road.

After the Parisienne went to the junkyard, I diverted from family protocol and got a 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis LS. It, too, had a MAACO paint job from it's previous owner. And, of course, it started to rust. But it was a rather peppy land yacht. It had blue velour seats you could watch TV on, but not as nice as the Pontiac's. I had a Sony stereo installed in place of the AM/FM radio. The hubcaps were locking, and I lost the key for the bolts. I "aquired" a new set with key, along with 2 new centercaps, right before I traded it in. There were always little rattles I could never locate that drove me nuts, but all in all a nice car. Gotta' love that V8...

Mom's Caprice said goodbye with 81,000 miles on the clock when Mom and Dad got a 1995 Lincoln Town Car in 2000. Mom has always wanted a Town Car, so she's happy. I miss the Chevy though, sometimes, since as a passenger the Chevy didn't "float" as much. Nice big truck. But the front wheels get black so fast, a nightmare since I am usually the one who runs out and cleans them!

On April 6, 2000, I finally did it. I took the plunge and traded in the Grand Marquis for a 1998 Ford Crown Victoria LX. This car has the Handling Package, which includes alloy wheels, dual exhaust for 215hp, and an upgraded suspension. It's silver with gray cloth. Pretty much loaded, but no leather, which suits me just fine. No more whitewalls to scrub, but those wheels can be a problem to keep clean, though they are nowhere near as bad as the Lincoln's. I can't go into detail about Vic here, so read more on my CROWN VIC SITE.

This has to be the oldest picture we have of a family car. These are some of the Dionne clan, and a 1930's car I can't figure out the make of. Anyone have a clue? This may have been the one to start it all...

My brother Joe's first car, a 1978 Olds Cutlass Supreme. I don't remember much about it, other than the chassis was all rusty. I think the rear bumper fell off, as you will notice they all do on these cars. Nice wheels...

After my brother's '87 Camaro was stolen, we found this '97. When we got home, the '87 had been found! The '87 is being stored. The '97 is a Z28 30th Anniversary with the 5.7 LT1 engine, about 55k miles. Joe added a 2 chamber Flowmaster muffler and Corvette exhaust tips.

(RETIRED 2005)

In February '03, Dad bought my boyfriend's spare car, a '95 Ford Crown Victoria Police Interceptor. The color is "Pumice". The spotlight has been removed since Dad won't be needing it.

My boyfriend and I are slowly restoring this 1974 AMC Javelin. It is a rather rare version of the car. It originally had a 401 and automatic transmission, with a hard to find blue interior. The paint color is Maxi Blue. Not quite my style, but a good way to learn about working on cars!