THE UNPOPULAR GO FAST JAVELIN
It’s 1969, I am married, two boys and a full time job. I thought it was time to add a “little more color” to my life.
I had always wanted a sporty, bright yellow car. Was this the time? Yes it was, and sure enough American Motors had that exact car in a two door version. Referred to as AMC’s “muscle car”. My dream car. It was a Javelin. Why would I want the popular Mustang when a Javelin was available!
Went straight to the dealer, picked out the lemon yellow one in the showroom, the price was right and drove it home. The “little more color” in my life began.
Most of the time, it was a perky, speedy little vehicle. EXCEPT when making left turns. Then it would slow down or stall, but it usually recovered when finishing the turn. I didn’t like that, so I returned to the dealer who promised an immediate fix. The next left turn proved that there was not an immediate fix.
This stalling during a left turn continued to happen. After eight visits to the dealer for “the fix” and several scary left turns, the last being a stall in the middle of an intersection with a semi-truck coming right at me, I made only right turns, making my trips longer and using more gasoline.
Recent legislation had created the Lemon Law, which allowed consumers to get a refund or replacement of a car that was purchased with a mechanical defect. After negotiation, an offer for a replacement or refund was not difficult. I chose a refund! It’s ironic that my lemon yellow car really was a lemon!
The “little more color” in my life lasted a short eight months. Replaced by my favorite 1970 gold Buick Skylark. It wasn’t as colorful, but my family still had a wife and a Mom.