The car caught his eye when he first saw her. Long lines, graceful curves, gleaming white with an elegant bronze-colored hard top and lots of chrome. A car this pretty could only be called "her."

Jack Huntoon has been driving her for nearly 50 years. He bought the 1960 Dodge Phoenix brand-new in San Francisco. He retired from the Army in 1957 after serving for 20 years, worked a year as assistant fleet manager for the Dodge dealership, then began a second career in civil service as a management analyst for the military.

"In 1960, I needed a new car, so I went back to the dealership and told them to make me a good deal," Huntoon said. He paid $3,400. It was the only car he's ever bought new. Every other car he's ever had was secondhand.

He brought the car to Hawai'i when he moved here in 1968. Over the years, the Dodge has served him well and turned many heads, and he's always been careful with her.

"He won't even let any parking attendant park his car," his wife Alexandra says.

"My son, who is a retired police officer in California, only recently confessed to taking her over 100 miles per hour when he was a teenager," Huntoon says.

There's nothing wrong with the car, even with more than 200,000 miles. Huntoon is also in great shape considering his mileage. His wife confides that he doesn't take any medication. He still drives and doesn't need glasses to do it. But he's thinking ahead. "I'm 90 years old, and I don't want my wife to have to dispose of it."

So he's been trying to find the right buyer for her. Huntoon put ads in the paper, on Craigslist, had her in a classic car auction and listed her in Hemmings Motor News.

"One original owner, clear title, no dents or dings, garage kept, 318 V8 motor, car runs perfectly fine no problems," he wrote. "Reason for selling, I am 90 years old and I just want someone else to appreciate her like I have ... call 239-6459."

He's asking $12,000, but you can tell he's more interested in finding the Dodge a good home. So far, he hasn't found the perfect person. One man was interested, but his wife nixed the deal when she saw how long the car is. "She said, 'that won't even fit in the garage!' "

The Dodge is close to 20 feet long.

Huntoon, who lives in Kahalu'u, has been a volunteer at the Bishop Museum for the past 29 years, working on cataloguing its extensive bird collection on computer files. His friends at work call the car "chick bait," which he thinks is funny.

His ideal buyer would be somebody middle-aged, someone with the maturity to appreciate her the way she is.

"I don't want some teenager to chop it or something," he says. "Let a middle-aged guy drive a chick magnet."

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172.