My Just-Married Whip

Tying the knot Saturday. A real take-home-to-Mom kinda girl, you’d approve. Knowing nerds have a wealth of vehicular knowledge, I asked you a month ago what kind of wheels we should roll in as our getaway car. Got some quality feedback, which I appreciated, and I figured I’d give you a follow-up of what I lined up thanks to the Checker Guy.

I’ve got two American 1950s classics, Mother Nature making the final call on which will be waiting for us outside the church to whisk us away a couple miles downtown to the reception for a rock-bottom deal of $550 (cash) for two hours. Yes I shopped around, that’s the market rate apparently in Manhattan.

Funny though, had I gone with the checker cab, the fare from the church to the reception would weigh in at maybe two hundred times what the fare would have been during the era of that particular taxi. That’s inflation for you; but I guess the trailing tin cans wouldn’t have been included back then so the $550’s reasonable, right? Which leads me to my next question, am I supposed to tip this guy? Given the discount he’ll presumably be giving himself from Uncle Sam thanks to my paying him in greenbacks I think he’s covered but I’m uncertain of the etiquette on this one.

So! Here’s the deal. If it rains, we’ll be rolling in this stately ‘55 Chrysler Imperial:

And if it doesn’t rain, and at the moment it looks like it won’t, my nuptial hoopty will be this lovely 1956 Plymouth Belvedere:

Thanks again for the automotive wisdom and inspiration. This will certainly add some panache to this whole wedding operation. As a token of my gratitude, please enjoy what the presumptive wife and I have been secretly rehearsing as our first dance which, not unlike the car (and my girl), will be quite classy indeed.

Doug Simmons