Tyler native takes pride in still driving his first vehicle 50 years later

Published 5:35 am Wednesday, July 6, 2022

A lot of people say they’ll keep driving their car until its wheels fall off or its engine gives out.

These days, the average lifespan of a car is about eight years or 150,000 miles, and the average consumer buys a new car about every 11 years, according to automobile experts.

And most folks don’t hang on to their first car, either — well, at least not for five decades, usually.

But for Tyler native Shelton Riggins, he’s still behind the wheel of his 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 and plans to keep it that way as long as the vehicle will run.

Riggins, 67, got the car in July 1972 as a gift from his grandmother as he was entering his senior year of high school. Fifty years and 172,000 miles later, he said the vehicle is still running just fine.

Keeping his first automobile for five decades is one of his proudest accomplishments, he said.

The car had one previous owner for about seven years before Riggins, and it already had 100,000 miles on it at that time. In the last 50 years, Riggins has added just 72,000 additional miles.

The 1973 Chapel Hill graduate and military retiree said he drives his four-door green Ford a few times during the week and on weekends.

“It runs good,” he said with a smile.

Over the years, Riggins has maintained his vehicle with proper upkeep.

He said the car has had some major repair work. In 1974, his grandmother Ella Riggins helped him get a short block installed, some new Cadillac tires and new parts throughout the car.

The old Ford has taken Riggins many places, like to Wayland Baptist University in Plainview until he graduated on May 14, 1977. That same year, Riggins started his career in the military, serving overseas in the Federal Republic of Germany.

Once he got back home in 1980, his car needed some work but kept running smoothly. Four years later, it became Riggins’ secondary vehicle as he started driving pickup trucks and SUVs.

In 2005, Riggins drove his Ford 400 miles one way for his 18-month tour in Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina. There, he led a humanitarian mission and served as the Command Sergeant Major of a brigade-level training management unit.

After 35 years serving in the United States Army, Riggins retired from the military in 2012, and now lives in Bryan.

He hopes to keep driving his Ford as long as it’ll let him.