When I bought my pickup in the fall of 1989, it was the last of the 1989 models on the lot. The dealership had already been selling the 1990 models for a few weeks, and since this one didn't have much in the way of bells and whistles (no air conditioning, manual transmission, AM radio) they were quite happy to be rid of it.

In the late 1980s, not only did the car manufactures wait until fall to roll out the new model year, but because the maximum legal speed anywhere in the United States was 55 MPH, the speedometers on new cars only went up to 85 MPH. This helped hide the fact that those cars couldn't reach 85 MPH.

And because you weren't really supposed to be going more than 55 MPH, the car manufacturers only built them to run well up to around 65 MPH or so. One time out in California, my little four-cylinder pickup truck caught a tail wind while going down a long grade. Much to my surprise, I hit 65 MPH. Then I hit 70 MPH. And then, at 73 MPH, the truck began shaking so hard I thought it would fly apart.

Since that time, I've learned to tell my speed by the various sounds the truck makes. At speeds appropriate to residential neighborhoods, the engine makes a low roaring sound to remind me that the new muffler is already starting to rust. When I reach speeds appropriate for a main thruway, the clutch starts chirping to remind me that the dealership could never figure out where the noise was coming from. At speeds suitable for main highways, the wind noise becomes loud enough to drown out my radio, but not loud enough to drown out the teenager's radio three lanes over. And if I go too fast for the Interstate, the pistons start knocking while the truck starts bucking like a crazed bronco.

There are advantages inherent in learning to judge your speed by the sounds the engine makes. Along with allowing you look at the street instead of fixating on the speedometer, you also notice new engine noises more quickly so you can (hopefully) get them fixed before they become more expensive engine noises.

Of course, there are some disadvantages too. Take what happened to me for example.

Last weekend, I drove down to Gatlinburg, Tennessee with my friend Karen. She suggested we take her car since it's equipped with such amenities as climate control, a working radio, and most importantly, cup holders. The flaw with this plan is that Karen's car is new.

Now don't get me wrong, new cars are great. We made that entire trip without any mechanical problems and had a lot of fun on the way. But because it's new, Karen's car doesn't make noises yet.

Driving a new car when you're used to judging your speed by the sounds the engine makes is a little tricky. If the engine is quiet, and you're travelling down a smooth stretch of Interstate in Virginia, you can forget to check the speedometer and lose track of your speed. Fortunately, the state Highway Administration foresaw this possibility and had an officer standing by to tell me I was driving 74 in a 55 zone.

I'm not going to fight the ticket. I screwed up, plain and simple. The fine hurts, but not so much as my pride. The worst of it though is that I can't make fun of Dave's driving record anymore.