When switching from second to third gear, occasionally the linkages would stick. She made a horrible grinding noise, and needed to be encouraged and coaxed. All that required was to pop the hood and manipulate the linkages back to the proper spot. But she was ticklish and this linkage-unsticking operation had to be performed with a certain delicate touch.

And lest I forget the "Jane Fonda Clutch." If you were unwise enough to try and hold this clutch pedal in for a protracted period, you found your leg trembling like Jell-O and fatigued from the high-tension spring. Work-out tapes? Exercise regimens? Who needed 'em when I had this clutch pedal? Neutral was a good place to be.

My friends complained about the one-speaker, AM-only radio, but we found ways around that with the advent of the "boom box." It was the piece de resistance. A mere adjustment of volume tuned out rattles, road noise, a well-worn exhaust system and anything else that might remind us too rudely of my Nova's actual age and condition. I could hold my head high as we cruised to the beat.

At last, and without a doubt, I had undergone this rite of passage. I was, in fact, cool thanks to my Nova.

What happened to my car? Well, after numerous teen journeys, repairs and adventures, I sold the Nova. The new owner was a 16-year-old kid who lovingly restored her from tip to tail--but he never did figure out how to solve the water trick!*

Carolyn Zsoldos is definitely "cool" today and has moved on from repairing turn signals to saving lives as a critical care nurse for a major medical center. Although she no longer has her old car, Carolyn does relish the comfort of her modern automobile, a Honda Accord LX.

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