[poncho-mike]

I've got good and bad memories of an early 70s Econoline van.

One of my buddies had one around the time we got out of high school. The interior was pretty well gutted except for shag carpet on the floor. A bunch of us would get together and go to concerts or to clubs in Charlotte. Since it only had front seats, we would bring lawn chairs to sit in the cargo bay. Seat belts? Naw, who needs those.

We were coming back from Charlotte one weekend and a guy pulled across Independence Blvd (a four lane road) right in front of us. The van barely caught his rear quarter, but it was enough to cause my friendto lose control and we barrel rolled down the highway. There were four or five of us in the back, so we got pretty beat up but we all survived. It really taught me the value of seat belts.

I'm embarrassed to say it, but another friend had a Pinto Cruising wagon (with the small round window in the back). Gas was expensive back then, Pintos and Vegas were a lot more common than what you would think.