Mary DePeder will part with her 1973 Ford Mustang at this weekend's Classic and Collector Car Auction, but not without severing deep emotional ties to the candy apple red cruising machine.

"It's like saying goodbye to your youth," DePeder said. "It's time to make more room in the garage and to help pay for my daughter's education, so it makes sense to sell it. But I hope the new owner doesn't live here because once I make the break, I don't want to see it around town."

DePeder, who has owned the Mustang for 20 years, took her 18-year-old daughter home from the hospital in the car. "I guess I've come full circle with it because the money I get for the car will help pay for her tuition at a vocational school in Sikeston."

The auction, run by Sherm Smith of Dexter, will be held at the Show Me Center at 10 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children.

DePeder said she doesn't want to witness the sale of her car. "I'm sending my husband," she said. "I feel like I'm saying goodbye to an old friend."

Like many antique car owners, DePeder renewed memories of a favorite era each time she put the top down and drove around town. "There was nothing like putting the top down and cruising," the Cape Girardean said.

David McLain, a Cape Girardeau firefighter, said working on his six antique cars relieves stress. "It's very relaxing and a lot of fun," he said.

McLain will put a 1955 Chevrolet up for auction on Saturday. "It's not going to be easy letting go of that car because it has seemed like part of the family the last five years," he said.

Both DePeder and McLain have spent more money on their antique cars than on newer models. "It's an expensive hobby," she said. "It's also hard to find parts for it, but the longer you hold on to it the more valuable it becomes."

When McLain isn't working on one of his antique cars, he's likely watching the movie "American Graffiti," a 1973 film that featured cars from the late '50s.

"I've seen that film about six times," McLain said. "In fact we just pulled it out and watched it the other night."

Although this will be the first antique car auction Smith has held in Cape Girardeau, McLain is hoping it becomes an annual event. "From everything I've heard about the kind of cars and people who are coming here, it looks like it's going to be the Cadillac of antique car auctions."

Dr. Richard Martin said the time is right for him to give up his black 1959 Thunderbird. "I feel like I'm atoning for past sins by putting it up for sale," he said. "You know you're headed for trouble when you start putting the antique next to your new car in the garage and ask your wife to park hers outside."

Another past sin involved telling his daughter a tale or two about the car radio, which is planted in the console. "The first time I turned on the radio, I heard a song from an oldies station," he said. "I told my daughter that the only music that comes out of that radio is from 1959. She didn't fall for that one for long, though."

His atonement for past sins will entail helping a few worthwhile causes. Martin plans to donate the money from the auction to Teen Challenge and the Cape Girardeau Rotary Club. "Both organizations have been good to me over the years, so it makes sense to split the money evenly between the two of them," he said.

Martin said he became engrossed in the Thunderbird back in the fifth grade. "As soon as I got the car I think my heart was thrown back to that era," he said. "There's a visual and tactile sensation that you get from cars like these that helps you relive your favorite era."

Probably the one member of Martin's family who will have the most difficulty parting with the car will be his 16-year-old daughter. "She has seen me working on or driving that car since she was 11," he said. "I think she expected it to be her first car."

What will Martin do without the car that symbolizes his youth? "I'll remind myself that my one-time fling is over," he said.