The chances are pretty good that it was a heap -- or at least a semi-heap -- that was only slightly younger than you, but that didn't really matter. Good gosh almighty, it was your own set of wheels.No more begging to borrow the car from Dad.

It was your own eight-cylinder magic carpet that meant freedom from the folks. Who cared that you could see the pavement through the floor boards and it burned oil like a tramp steamer?

On a recent soft summer evening, Pete DeVita relaxed in a lawn chair parked along Woodward Avenue, scoping out the growing number of classic cars already cruising M-1 in anticipation of the 14th annual Woodward Dream Cruise.

'It was a 1965 Mustang that I bought for $400 from a private owner,' said DeVita, 53, of Clarkston.

'I was 16 and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it, because a Mustang was the coolest car to have. It was cocoa brown and I paid for it by working for a while at a gas station. I didn't have money for insurance, so my dad paid for that. I kept that car for three years until I got a better-paying job.'

DeVita's current cruiser is a red and white 1956 Olds 88, which is for sale.

'It's a fun car,' DeVita said.

"A great driving car, and I'll definitely have it in the Dream Cruise.'