My Brother, the Mustang and Me

by Rosalie Nourse

     Back in 1960’s when the first Mustang came out, little could I imagine that nearly 40 years later I’d have a bright red 1999 SVT Cobra convertible. Though I’m a girl, my love affair with cars started when I was about nine. As one of seven kids, in family birth order I was sandwiched between 3 brothers. My older brothers, Cruz and David, loved cars. They taught me all the makes and models of every car on the road in the late 50’s. (There weren’t that many.) I remember baffling my mom by rattling off the name and year model of the cars parked alongside the road as she drove by.

      My brothers grew up and started buying their own cars. Between them they had several Alpha Romeros, Triumph Spitfires, Mercedes, BMWs, and Porsches. Ultimately, David purchased the Mustang. The first time I laid eyes on it was in July 2005 while at a family reunion in Seattle. When I saw the deep red convertible with its classic lines and black light bar, it literally took my breath away. David had driven it from Coos Bay with plans to sell it to Cruz. Awestruck, I watched and listened as David showed Cruz the car in great detail. At the time terms like SVT, 320 hp and Cobra went right over my head. I just knew it was the quintessential car - a Mustang, a convertible and it was RED.  I was drooling. I wanted the car. Cruz didn’t appear interested in purchasing it. I silently asked myself, “Could I possibly ever hope to own a car like that?” My first cars included David’s hand-me-down 1953 Ford that needed oil before every drive and a trendy 1968 Beetle. Married-with-kids vehicles included a basic truck, a fuel-efficient Datsun wagon, the family minivan, a practical 4 wheel drive SUV and a dependable Honda. B-o-r-i-n-g. As it turned out, David drove the Mustang back to Coos Bay and I flew home to Spokane without ever mentioning my interest.

     A year later at a family reunion in Coos Bay you can imagine my delight when I realized David had not yet sold the Mustang. It was parked in the garage between his Porsche and his Mercedes. “That does it!” I said to myself, “He doesn’t need this car. He’s a single guy with three high end cars in the garage and a truck sitting out front.  I promptly marched into the house and proclaimed, “I want to buy the Mustang.” The ensuing conversation went like this.  “It’s not for sale.”  “But it was for sale last year.”  “Well, it’s not for sale now.”  “That’s okay, I’m going to buy it anyway. When I get home, I’m going to figure out the financing and the insurance and I’m going to send you a check in the mail. Then you tell me if it’s for sale or not.”  David sighed and made no further comment. He was probably thinking, ”What would my little sister know about buying a fancy car like that?” The car bantering continued throughout the weekend much to the amusement of our relatives.  I did what I said I would do. I went home and worked on the finances. David called a few days later and asked,” Are you really serious about buying the car?”  I said,” Yes, I’m almost ready to put a check in the mail. By the way I’ll be sending $1000 less than what you were asking last year. Instead of me writing a check and you sending it back why don’t you save us all the hassle and let me know in two days whether you’re selling it or not.”  “You’re serious.” “Yes, I am.” Little sister indeed!  He called less than 24 hours later and said, “Okay.”  He was building a custom house and the Mustang money would go a long ways towards new windows.  Within a couple days, my husband and I were on a plane to Coos Bay. When we pulled out of David’s driveway in possession of the Mustang, I immediately called my brother-in-law, Rod, who had been with us at the reunion and had laughed heartily at our car conversations.  “You’ll never guess what I’m doing right now. I did it!   I’m in Coos Bay driving home in the Mustang.”  Rod just laughed and said, “If anyone could convince David to sell it, it would be you.”

Being a favorite little sister has its advantages!