On Thursday, 22 August 2013 14:09:39 UTC-3, Mr. Luddite wrote:

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Shortly before receiving orders to Puerto Rico I had purchased (and

financed) my first "new" car. 1972 Ford Pinto. :-)

The Navy paid to ship it to Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico restricted cars

brought to the island and to qualify it had to be less than a few

years old to be allowed, so I had to have a relatively new car.



After we settled down I found out that *all* cars .... new and old ...

had a severe import tax placed on them for Puerto Rican customers.

The purpose of the tax was to limit the number of cars coming in

because they had a serious problem with what to do with all the old,

discarded ones.



Within a few weeks I received a cash offer from another Puerto Rican

for the Pinto for a couple of hundred more than I had paid for it back

in IL.

I figured if I sold it, I could pay off the loan, saving all the

interest as well.



There was a wealth of used cars for sale on the Navy base, left by

people who had been transferred out. One of the warrant officers had

set up a little "side" business, buying the cars from the people

getting transferred .... or just acquiring them after they left. He

really did everyone a great service because we could get some wheels

cheap. The problem was getting them registered, but he had that

covered also. He had a friend in the Alabama Motor Vehicle Registry

who, for a $25 fee, would send you plates and a registration made out

in your name but to some fictitious address.

It was kinda funny because half the base came from Alabama, according

to their car registrations.



So, I accepted the offer for the Pinto and bought a beat up old VW

Beatle and a really cool, early 60s Bentley. Bought both for a

couple of hundred and used them for the next 2 years while stationed

there.

Back in early 1972 I decided to celebrate getting a job at 'the Corp' by buying a spanking new car.. my first new one.
Looked at the Pintos but their reputation was on the drop by then.
Bought a 1972 VW Super Beatle for $2600.
Could have bought a 1971 convertible VW demonstrator that the dealer owner's wife had supposedly driven but I wanted that first year for the Super Beatle.