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 Doug Berglund's 1965 Chevrolet Malibu has been a part of his family since 1967. Brenda Blevins McCorkle / The Daily News
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People and Their Wheels: Doug Berglund's 1965 Chevrolet Malibu Super Sport
Friday, September 12, 2008 11:30 PM PDT
By Brenda Blevins McCorkle
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E-mail this articleBackground: Doug Berglund and his wife, Bernice, have lived in Longview since 1976. They have been married for 45 years and have two sons and six grandchildren. Doug is a retired schoolteacher. He worked for the Vancouver School District for four years and at Monticello Middle School in Longview for 26 years.
Bernice also is retired after working for the Longview School District for 17 years. She spent the last 10 years of her employment as a secretary at Cascade Middle School.
His wheels: A 1965 Chevrolet Malibu Super Sport (SS) Doug purchased July 25, 1967.
He found the car after being home for one week after serving in Vietnam.
“We were just heading to the East Coast to finish up, and this was a sporty little car,” he said. “I liked it, so we got it.”
He bought the Chevrolet from Mason Ford in Longview. Doug paid $1,750 for the vehicle which had 34,000 miles on it.
“The original owner bought it at Rupley Chevrolet in Castle Rock,” he added. “So it’s all local.”
Doug said they have kept the car for so long because he’s always liked to drive it.
“It’s a nice-driving, classy little car,” he said.
In the last 41 years, he’s had it painted twice and the interior completely redone twice.
He rebuilt the engine in 1982, he said.
“I rebuilt everything and had it spread all over the garage and basement the whole summer,” he said. “And I wouldn’t do it again. I’m too old for that stuff anymore.”
Sentimental value: Doug and Bernice recently watched the Malibu odometer turn over 200,000 miles.
“I knew it was going to turn over 200,000. We went for pizza someplace, and I just went out on the freeway, watched it turn over,” Doug said.
He said he’s never taken it to a car show, although every now and then he has considered it.
“Then I go down there and see something that’s nicer and shinier than mine, and I don’t,” Doug said.
The couple have received several offers to buy the car throughout the years.
“People would roll down their windows at stop signs and say, ‘Hey, you want to sell your car?’ ” Bernice said. “Sometimes we’d find notes on the windshield, saying if you ever want to sell the car, call me and give a phone number.”
But the memories the car carries with it run deep, including a 6,000 mile trip the first month they had it.
“We went from here to California a couple of times, then we went clear back to the East Coast,” Doug said.
Their children also hold a big place in the car’s family history.
“We took both our boys home from the hospital in it when they were born,” Doug said.
Their plan is to leave the car for the sons and grandsons.
“I’ve got one son who’s into cars, and three grandsons who probably (would like it), but they’re pretty young yet,” Doug said, then added, trailing off. “I won’t be around, so…”
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The submission period for Bud Clary’s Auto Mania car contest at tdn.com has passed, and now we need your help in determining the winner. You can find a link to the contest at www.tdn.com/contests. Check out the submissions and rate them on a scale of 1 to 10 over the next two weeks. After that, we’ll narrow the field for another round of voting that will determine the finalists.
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