Robin Meade’s 1974 Ford Maverick

This award-winning journalist is the longtime anchor of “Morning Express with Robin Meade” on HLN. A former Miss Ohio, she is also the author of the New York Times best-seller “Morning Sunshine: How to Radiate Confidence and Feel It Too,” and a singer-songwriter with two country music albums. Wake up to Robin and the “Morning Express” crew weekdays from 6 to 11 a.m. on HLN.

What was your first car?
My first car was a light blue, two-door 1974 Ford Maverick. It had a classic sporty shape, but in 1985 or so when the Mav was my ride, it reminded me of something some fella would drag race on the back roads. The radio receiver didn’t work, but the cassette player did. I fed it a regular diet of The Outfield, Crowded House and John Cougar Mellencamp albums.

How did you acquire it?
I came home from school one afternoon during my junior year of high school, and my dad asked me to go get something for him from the garage. Thank goodness I didn’t whine about it, because when I opened the door there was the Maverick! A piece of cardboard was propped up on its windshield with the word “Surprise!” scrawled in his writing. He picked it up for a mere $200 from a co-worker.

What is your favorite memory of the car?
I have great memories of piling my friends inside to go toilet paper someone’s house. It must have had a pretty deep trunk, because that’s where the Charmin got stacked to supply our night of shenanigans. It was my transportation for all your classic high school moments: football games, high school dances … and, eventually, the drive to college.

What happened to it?
By the time I was a junior in college, my dad was afraid the old Mav would give up the ghost and leave me stranded on some frozen Ohio highway. Somewhere he came across a white 1980 Chevy Citation and switched the Mav out for that. I drove the Citation until one day when the road curved and I didn’t. You get the picture.

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