Randy Dorr and his 1979 Chevy pickup.
Car enthusiast says he has owned more than 1,000 vehicles in his lifetime.
By Rich Wicks | Panora Times
Randy Dorr of Panora likes classic cars and trucks from the era before computers began controlling nearly every motor vehicle function. Growing up in the 1970s, that decade of vehicles in particular seems to have caught Dorr’s attention.
“Right now, I’ve got three classics,” Dorr said. “I’ve got my 1979 Chevy pickup, 1978 Ford LTD, and 1979 Dodge Magnum. The LTD has only got 39,000 actual miles.”
Dorr said he came by his love of cars, and working on cars, from his family.
“My dad’s been into it all his life. My brother’s been into it. It runs in the family,” he said.
Dorr’s teenage years taught him many lessons about working toward a goal. He also learned firsthand how to work on cars.
“I worked my butt off to get my first car. My very first car was a 1974 Chevelle I bought from my psychology teacher in high school,” Dorr said. “I was making $3.35 an hour working at the grocery store.”
Dorr said buying and working on cars quickly became his main hobby.
“I’ve been doing that since I was 16 years old,” Dorr said. “I owned seven cars my senior year.”
Dorr told the story of a hard lesson he learned during those years.
“My favorite car that I’ve owned was when I was a senior in high school. It was a 1978 ‘Smokey & the Bandit’ Trans Am,” Dorr said. “I lost my license in my senior year; I got caught drag racing with a bunch of other guys, and I ended up walking my entire senior year, so that was no fun.”
Although that was a hard pill to swallow then, Dorr can smile about it now. He recalled the temptation to speed in the Trans Am being tough to resist.
“My dad advised me not to trade for it, but I did anyway,” Dorr said. “I guess he knew what he was talking about. That was my favorite car. Nowadays, I see them for sale, but they’re so expensive.”
That incident may have taught a lesson but it did not dampen Dorr’s love of cars.
“Since I first got my license, I’ve owned over 1,000 cars. That’s no exaggeration,” Dorr said.
Dorr said he doesn’t have any particular “Holy Grail” vehicle that he dreams of someday owning. Instead, he has enjoyed buying vehicles, working on them, and eventually selling them to make room for more.
Although Dorr occasionally drives a vehicle in a local parade, nowadays he prefers car shows.
“I belong to, and I run, the Guthrie County Cars & Coffee group with Galen Carter and my brother, Roger,” Dorr said.
Besides his father and brother, Dorr mentioned another mentor who helped him learn to work on cars.
“I’m a retired auto body and paint guy,” Dorr said. “I learned everything that I know from Denny Shroyer.”
Randy Dorr’s 1978 Ford LTD is one of three classic vehicles he owns.