[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by NeighborsComplaint

First time I took one of my buddies for a ride, I put it in a ditch trying to do a power slide around a corner on a gravel road. No damage, but it taught me to never drive beyond my abilities.

I guess a lot of us had that same or similar experience. I remember the very first time my mother let me drive completely alone. I still had my learner's. 1966 Chevy Impala 4dr with a 327 4bbl. The very first place I went was where I knew 'the fellas' would be hanging out. After shooting the breeze for a few minutes, I decided I would show them some power on my way out of the parking lot. I stomped it to the floor right as I was passing over a patch of gravel in the middle of the asphalt where it met a gravel drive.
I did a near-complete 360 and wound up in a ditch facing a 100 year old oak.
The car went dead.
Someone was looking out for me as I did not damage the car and it actually started and backed out of the ditch.
I would have caused a major catastrophe if I had wrecked that car. My father had recently passed and my mother was struggling to finish raising/riding herd on 4 teen-aged boys on a very small salary. Sure couldn't have afforded another car.

[LStathas]

The Ford Escape is a fun, inexpensive and confident vehicle. I bought an '02 from a friend when I was in a lurch. I have grown to really like it. It's fantastic in snow (not an issue in Houston) but it's 3.0 V6 is very ample and actually pretty fun to drive. Young girls love the small Utes. Parts are cheap and it's easy to work on.