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Did you have a family member or family friend that was an automotive influence in your life when you were a kid? Did they have a specific car, hobby, or skill that was a major influence to your interests later in life?
I was always into cars since the moment I popped out, but step-bastard-father taught me how to wrench when I was a kid.
I have been a gearhead forever, but my dad and my grandpa definitely supported and encouraged my interests. Both of them were mechanical engineers, car guys, and had a lot of car guy friends.
My five brothers shared my interest in cars growing up. But nobody I knew had a clue how to fix vehicles.
David, trade my 6 sisters for your 5 brothers!
My dad worked at British Leyland in the 70s before it shut in Australia and was a mechanic after that, so I think that tinkering mindset passed onto my brother and I.
He passed away when we were quite young, so we kinda learnt as we went and there were uncles and tradies that would fix stuff on the farm we would watch and learn from as well.
One of dad’s best mates was a car dealer, so we got some swag from him from time to time and my first fast car I’d been in was his 1999 WRX Sti Version V so that definitely was one big influence
My father was a UPS truck driver for 25 years before he delivered his last package.
He told me stories of that big brown truck sliding sideways down a steep hill of black ice with chains on the tires in rural Upstate NY (in the 80s-90s) in a sideways, white-out blizzard that forever solidified my interest in anything with wheels and motion.
I took a shop class in high school and took off from there. Thanks for the great question!
If y’all ever find yourselves in Minneapolis and want to have a little reader get together, I’d be happy to host you at my brewery. We have a tiny parking lot, but I reckon we could get creative if folks wanted to turn it into a gathering for cars as well. During the warmer months, we do host a monthly moto-night.
Also – how about the revival of a “what car should I buy” type of thing? I’ll be in the market in the near future, but am struggling with the prices of used cars that are remotely appealing to me.
Tell me more about this brewery.
A healthy amount of German influence; originally intended to be an homage to the working class; taproom feels like a modern dive bar, but with tall ceilings.
@arbeiterbrewing
I’m also in Minneapolis….is there an autopian discount?
Not officially (yet). Just tell a bartender it’s your first time there and you live or work in the neighborhood. They should give you a neighbor discount.
I second what car should I buy- Im hankering for a small convertible thats not a miata, and wish I could get some options from you guys!
Z4. Done. You’re welcome.
986 Boxster.
Funny enough, thats whats up in my other window right now.
Are you okay with maintenance? If yes, Porsche Boxster. If sorta, BMW Z3 or Z4. If no, Honda Del Sol.
If its any indication, my saved searches contain ‘Triumph TR7’ and the like. I am a glutton for punishment. That said, wonder what a 5-6k Boxster will look like!
In that case, buy the nicest 986 Boxster you can afford, or even a 987 if your budget stretches. On 986s, the ignition switch, Variocam pads, early model chain tensioners, and of course the IMS bearing are the things to watch out for, but the last three can be done at the same time as a clutch change, and the first one’s actually a $20 Volkswagen part.
I’d like another AWD, manual transmission wagon. The responses below (above?) aren’t helping. 😀
> “my brewery”
GREETINGS, NEW BEST FRIEND
Stop on by whenever you’re up north!
St Paul checking in. Sounds like a great idea!
Say no more, I’m down for this reader meet idea!!
*high five emoji*
Always wondered how much you guys get into the “lifestyle” side of automotive enthusiasm, or do you make a point of never ever?
By now we know you’re all accomplished in the actual mechanics of the pursuit (wrenching, designing, racing, etc.) but does anyone prize their Champion spark plug tee, wear a chronograph watch, sport a tweedy driving cap while in his Ferrari, etc.?
No. I can’t stand that stuff. I have one Ferrari t-shirt that was €30 from an Italian petrol station. I have souvenirs from events I’ve attended but that’s it.
You mean Torch can’t persuade you to try on a taillight sushi t-shirt?
It doesn’t come in black.
Admittedly, I do wear stringbacks in the Boxster to prevent my hands from getting cold on autumn nights. Otherwise, I generally shy away from automotive merch. Hoonigan had a cool collab with itsaliving a few years ago, and I have a Skreetcar shirt because their photography’s awesome, but that’s about it.
Oh, but I do like watches, to the point that I used to write about them. The sapphire-backed Nomos Tangente Neomatik Platinum 39mm has been calling my name for a while now, but I should really get my converted IWC pocketwatch tuned up first. Of course, I also wouldn’t turn down a Kurono Chronograph II or anything from Studio Underd0g either…
I have some Hoonigan shirts; they’re really comfortable and seem to be well-made.
Figured someone might, but I was half expecting one of you to say “oh yeah Torch wears a Paul Newman Daytona” or something unexpected like that!
(my tastes are much more toward the low-end but historic – bought a Hamilton intra-matic a few years ago that I adore for its simplicity).
I finally have a MoonSwatch, does that count?
Impressive. I’ve only ever seen them on the internet – super rare here in the states.
The market for them has calmed down a lot, but you’re still not getting one retail, despite what Swatch said about making as many as they cold and selling them online (which hasn’t happened). Mine was a present, but I found it on a reputable collector site for £350, above the £220 retail but a far cry from what the scalpers wanted a year ago.
The non-moon Moonswatches will be even less.
I read “stringbacks” and not being familiar with the term my brain went immediately to thong-style underwear. I had just enough time to think “weird but okay, to each his own” before reading on enough to understand you were referring to gloves.
Oh, you know what? I wear an American Apparel Tee with a muscle-grille Jeep Cherokee SJ on it!
I’m wearing a shirt with an MGB GT on it right now.
I have a few blipshift Datsun shirts too. Otherwise what’s my angle of attack to harass people about that car?
I have a few Lane museum t-shirts I wear the crap out of. And I like stupid $5 Chinese smartwatches that don’t really work, or old calculator watches.
The only real “lifestyle” stuff I have that I’m proud of is a 1993 Detroit Grand Prix volunteer T shirt, and a 1994 Reno NV Packard club meet sweatshirt. You can find some cool stuff on etsy.
The car purchase you are most proud of and why? Not just a car I liked buy DT maybe the that I3 cheap plus new battery for free plus I can drive it where children hang out and not get the cops called on me.
My original Volvo 240. It was the first car I searched for and found. It was exactly what I wanted. I loved it.
My very first Smart. Buying that car was physical proof that if I worked hard enough, never stopped dreaming, and ignored the haters, I could achieve my dreams.
In terms of what it gives me, and what it gives other people (I’ll let kids sit in it and have Dad/Mum take their photo if they want) the Ferrari definitely. It’s fabulous to drive, everybody loves it and talks to me about it, and it was a relative bargain.
This Mercedes.
The most ambitious rescue I’ve ever taken on and it actually worked out. I still can’t believe it.
https://www.theautopian.com/how-i-saved-a-once-90000-mercedes-sl-i-bought-for-1900/
Hey I am loving these answe8rs so far. SWG gets points for a story column to back up the answer. Matt proposed what I said avoid but I get what he was trying to say “sometimes the fun is in the hunt”
Well, my wisest purchase seems to have been my ex-Forest Service Chevy truck. It’s the vehicle that got me on DT’s radar, back in the Jalopnik days. And it has been a hell of a companion for the past five years. Like Adrian’s Ferrari, everyone seems to love it.
For me, definitely my Valiant Charger.
I’ve loved 70s cars since before I can remember, my brother and I watched The Blues Brothers so much we wore the VHS out.
I had a Valiant Regal, but the Charger being a coupe in rough but running condition and sounding like thunder was a sign to me that I’d made a good decision.
My Datsun 280Z. It’s the very first unsafe car choice I’ve ever made. I had nowhere to store it when I got it, I couldn’t wrench for shit and I severely under budgeted the restoration. However I’m proud to have had faith in myself and to be seeing this thing through no matter what.
Exactly what I was thinking of. You too steve
I bought the “Nice price or crack pipe” NSX that was on Jalopnik for $25K. Wasn’t the best car for Detroit roads but I’m glad I had a chance to own one and its pretty much the only car that I’ve ever made money on. Definitely a special car and unique driving experience. With prices now I doubt I’d ever be able to afford one again.
Will some of you guys run a Lemons Rally at some point?
Theres a nice short one every fall in the northeast!
They might. I however will spectate with a cold beer.
I’ll be sitting next to Adrian and the cooler.
Right on brother.
Gosh, you’ve got a yard full of legitimate contenders! You SHOULD enter.
Those are fine, upstanding automobiles that are a boon both to society and to all that gaze upon them, Ms. Schrader
I am really digging the little responses to my comments button now that I found it. It is a good design too. But did I miss the reason notice? I first noticed it when I had like 300 comments and too many to respond.
I really miss the antics of DT & JT, I realize very busy maybe assign an intern to a stupid stunt?
Whatever happened to the Autopian RV Rolling Office?
I have an idea for a new one you’ll hopefully see soon!
It’s a mythical object that the more you try to grasp it, the further it slips away.
Very wise young patewon
What is your favorite Diesel Powered automobile (and specific diesel engine if said automobile had various diesel engine options)?
Smart Fortwo CDI. 40 HP, 70 mpg, puts out the tiniest puffs of smoke.
Second place would be any General Motors bus powered by a Detroit Diesel.
I suggest anyone avoid the GMC 1500 DIESEL I got less than 50,000 miles on the original and the two replacements didn’t get me to 100,000
A colleague’s 6.2L T1XX Yukon popped its engine with fewer than 20,000 miles on the clock, so I think I’ll take my chances with the diesel for the duration of the warranty period.
The current Cadillac Escalade Platinum 600D. Getting crossover-like fuel economy from an absolute monolith is a tantalizing proposition.
VM425. My 1994 Chrysler Voyager 5-speed!
VW Dasher. My mom had one when I was a kid, and I loved it. In fact, I almost bought it back several years amd a couple of owners later.
The V10 Audi R8 concept I drove.
Will you ever do a meetup in Hawaii?? Our JDM culture ain’t so bad! 🙂
I have only made good automotive purchases.
*cough*bullshit*cough*
We all had posters of unobtanium cars on our walls as kids. What is your proverbial “poster car” today?
Unrealistic: early LP400 Countach
Realistic: 987 Boxster Spyder
I assume periscopio? The purist form of the Countach.
Yes absolutely.
Unrealistic: Audi R8 V10, specifically a first-generation model. Also, I’d love an early Tesla Roadster in that electric blue color.
Realistic: Smart Roadster (2027 is coming soon, baybee!)
Oh god I’m going to end up looking at Smart Roadsters for you aren’t I?
Unrealistic: Walter Wolf’s Kremer K3
Semi-realistic: Bentley Brooklands Coupe
Realistic: TVR T350C
First-gen Audi TT!
1972-73 Fiat 128 Rally. Both realistic (not too expensive) and unrealistic (there aren’t any left).
AMC Javelin or Rebel Machine.
Always liked the underdog brands, and there’s just something about AMC that’s drawn me towards them since I was a teenager and saw a Rebel at a local car show and a Javelin later on.
I dig your style, mate!
What’s the best car for eating spaghetti in
Someone else’s car.
Ford Festiva without doors…
During my ownership of that car, I ate a huge sub while on a road trip. When I got the fixings on my shirt, I just brushed them off and out of the car. In hindsight, I wonder if someone got a piece of lettuce on their windshield. lol
David’s car.
The rear seat of a very carefully-driven Quattroporte V. Tray tables help a ton.
When is the “Adrian Drives his Ferrari Across America” tour starting?
Ha! Can you even imagine what it would cost to ship it over there? I did 2500 miles in 9 days going to Italy and then Goodwood the other months. It was faultless.
Even if the expenses were reasonable (and borne by the company), I wouldn’t blame Adrian for wanting to be on the same side of the pond as his regular mechanic. At least if he breaks down in Italy, he’ll likely be able to find somebody to service a 40-yr-old Ferrari, and even if not, a tow all the way up Europe probably still costs less–and is faster–even than finding a mechanic and parts in the lower 48!
2005 Volkswagen Passat TDI wagon. Or to be more specific, the third one I purchased. lol
So, after selling my first one because I was too depressed to fix it, I bought a second one a few months later. The second one was great for all of a day before the transmission started grenading and the engine lost all oil pressure. I paid $1,200 for the car and scrapped it for about half that. I also managed to nab good parts before sending it away. So, that didn’t hurt much.
In 2021, I bought a third 2005 Passat TDI wagon. I paid more, $3,500 because this car was supposed to be mechanically perfect. Had a rebuilt transmission and nearly two decades of service records to go with it. On the test drive, I floored it, allowing the car to redline gears 1 through 3. That was good enough for me and I tossed the seller my money.
6 months or so later, I’m driving the car to my mom’s house, and just for giggles, I punch it, trying to find the car’s top speed. It tries to shift out of 3rd gear into 4th, stumbled hard, and slammed into 4th gear as if the car got hit by Thor’s hammer. It didn’t even attempt to go into 5th.
I parked the car in my parents’ garage over the winter and when I came to retrieve it, there was a puddle of trans fluid on the floor with metal flakes in it. That’s a sealed transmission…
When I took the car out in the spring, I tried to do another top speed run. That time, the transmission stumbled and failed so hard that the car just went into limp mode, locking the transmission in 3rd gear. The car hasn’t worked right since. Sometimes the torque converter won’t go into lockup and now, there’s some vac issue causing hard brakes and underboost.
The car’s worth maybe $500 at best now. Projected repair costs are about what the car would be worth in perfect working order, so either way, I lose. Didn’t even get to drive it much before all of this crap.
An ’85 V8 Cougar with a crankcase full of sawdust that made it to the bottom of the sellers’ driveway before throwing a rod.
I could’ve set that $500 on fire and at least had a nice fire for a moment as opposed to that monumental headache of a bad decision.
You live and you learn though.
I am. I feel the others will encourage him because they all have their own basket cases.
Water pump aside, that car is A GAME DAY PLAYER.
A 1985 Chevy Cavalier, for parts to fix a different 1985 Chevy Cavalier. Long story.
It involves a spun rod bearing in -45F weather on the day after Christmas. It was a bad time.
This story definitely deserves to be written!
What do you think about most that isnt related to cars (or your family, i guess)?
Gran Turismo 7, RC racing, music, books, fashion. Not necessarily in that order.
Music, food, wine, photography, my friends, in no particular order. I’ll put it to you this way: I’m making buffalo chicken bites while sampling a riesling, looking at filters, listening to Fred Again, and putting together a Halloween costume right now.
Swimming. As my bio says, I love swimming in literally any body of water I can find. I just found a new swimming spot and I’m bummed summer is already over. Coldest water I’ve been in was 47 degrees on a 55-degree day. Still some time left to try out that new spot. lol If there’s anyone here likely to die from those waterborne brain-eating amoeba things, it would probably be me.
Maybe I might do a polar plunge this year…
aside from the people and animals I love and all that mushy stuff, probably art projects I want to do, archaic computers and video game stuff to find/fix/do dumb things with.
Finding a house with a big garage for more cars
Must the videos run as autoplay? That was an annoying feature on the old site.
It’s the only way it really has value for us. It’s hard to do an equivalency between membership and the player, but we’d need way more members than we have now to be sustainable without it.
I totally get the value of video, but autoplay specifically– my personal reflex to anything like that, a video, an ad, even an animated gif, is to just get it the hell out of my face as fast as possible, whether by stopping it, closing it, scrolling so I can’t see it, or using an addon. The absolute last thing I’ll ever do is stop reading in the middle of a sentence to watch an unrelated video that’s already 30 seconds in. Again this is just me, but I’d personally be far more likely to actually watch a video if it were an eye-catching thumbnail with an interesting title than something that autoplays. I will never see the ads on the ones you’re running now.
It’s definitely not just you. I will do everything in my power to avoid an auto-playing video. I would gladly click on a link to a video related to what I’m reading, and watch said video right after, but stuff moving around while I’m trying to read drives me bananas, and I’ll just stop reading and close the page.
I’ve unfortunately had to resort to an ad blocker to block the auto-playing videos, which as a paying subscriber, I really hate to have to do, but I have no other option if I want to read the content.
Same here. Autoplay is a very fast way to get me annoyed with a site (this one included).
You know a suggestion on how readers can up the profit on the site mite help. Hey read a story hit a button to see an ad. I’d do that.
It’s actually a common misconception that clicking on ad necessarily gives someone more money. It helps, maybe, in terms of people paying a higher CPM. BUT, mostly, it’s the viewing of the ads.
Hi! I like Autopian enough that I actually gave you money, which is something I almost never do to a web site. It was worth it for the handmade Torch drawing and grille badge (though I don’t really have the kind of grill that makes those look good).
This year has partially sucked for cars for me. Last year to celebrate 10 years without cigarettes, I picked up a ’22 Civic Si and loved it very much. But just after its ten-month birthday, I got t-boned by a red-light-running Mercedes GLC 300 and totaled. I replaced it with the fancy version of the same car, a ’23 Acura Integra A-Spec, and despite it being mostly exactly the same car, I’m not sure I love it as unconditionally as I did the Si. It’s a real shame.
Hmm, I guess I don’t have any questions for you after all…
2019 Si owner here. I feel you, man.
How different do the two cars feel to you?
It’s been a mixed bag. Objectively it’s a better car. Largely it drives the same, as you’d expect. Same engine, same clutch and transmission, same gearbox I think. It’s got the LSD which is what made the Si so fun. So it handles wonderfully, and I never feel sluggish. I can be going 70 up a mountain pass in sixth gear and still can simply drop my foot for extra power.
The extra weight doesn’t bother me like I was worried about. But I don’t find myself wanting to push this car at all, and I’m not sure why. At first I thought that was just nerves after a pretty big accident. But now I wonder if it’s because the Integra doesn’t pipe in engine noise like the Si did. I kept the Si in Sport or Individual mode full time, and there’s no way to turn off the piped-in noise in those modes, so you just get used to it. Not having that makes the Acura seem more mature, even if just on a subconscious level.
Oh wow! The noise makes THAT much of a difference, eh?!
I mean, maybe? It *shouldn’t*, though. The Acura’s cabin is so well-damped that unless I have the windows down or the sunroof open, I can’t really hear the engine much at all. So I think there’s part of me that kinda misses that extra engine noise, even though most of me thinks that feature is cheesy and childish.
Case in point, I drove McKenzie Pass in Oregon (a beautiful twisty mountain road that’s only open like two months a year because of weather) in both cars, and it was noticeably more fun in the Honda. I never revved that engine so much as on that drive. The same road in the Acura was much more subdued. Probably more comfortable, but it wasn’t worth the trip like it was in the Honda. So in the case of McKenzie Pass, I would say that the noise did actually make a difference.
One thing I will say is that the safety features of that Honda pretty much saved my butt from any serious injury, and I will never ignore that section of the specs again, when shopping for a car.
I’m curious to know if you guys are planning on continuing the members rides series. It seems like it’s been a while. I really enjoy seeing what others have in their garages.
Yes! I’m hoping that’s something a new staff member is going to be able to pick up.
Excellent!
FWIW I think you guys are doing a great job. Today brought a noticeable increase in content, all of it solid – not bad at all for a Thursday. 🙂
How are you (meaning the staffers) doing? It seems like there are some times where one or more of you will end up 100% exhausted. I think it’s safe to say we definitely appreciate the effort you (collectively) expend on our behalf, but encourage you to take care of yourselves as you do.
Related to that, how are things going on the hiring front? Are you interviewing candidates for the various editor roles?
I agree with this 100%. Burnout is not an option here. I would be ok (and my boss probably would be also) with a little less content to distract me from my job.
Burnout is real. It’s a lot easier to manage it here because we love being here, but it’s something I’m always concerned about.
It’s good that you’re keeping an eye out for it. It can sneak up quite stealthily.
I had a rough few months back there where life kept punching me in the dick, but much better now.
The drawback is there is no practical location to punch life back. However, glad to see (hear? read?) you’re doing better. No more ambulance rides, all right?
I think I’m doing fine. The only thing I’m currently frustrated with is not having enough money for all of the things I want to buy. Remember the CFMoto Papio SS I wrote about?
THEY’RE HERE! I want to buy one today, but I also want to buy like one or two Honda Motocompactos, and I need to buy Christmas presents for like a half-dozen kids, pay to go to Florida in a couple of weeks (brother’s marriage proposal to his girlfriend), and, and…gosh everything is so expensive nowadays. lol
HOLYCRAPHOLYCRAPHOLYCRAPHOLYCRAP!!
Thank you for the link! I want one too, even though I would be picking on a 125 – and both sentiments go double for the Motocompacto.
Family can be expensive but they’re worth it. Mostly. 🙂
You’re a peach to ask! I’m feeling a bit burned out myself, mostly noticing it’s taking me longer to write things, and I’m working on a solution to the pile of car drawings that always looms. My solution is Apple II-based. But I still love doing this.
You had some long days and some interesting travel in there; I think that would cause most of us to char a little bit.
I appreciate the ][ approach. If you need a hand, I can fire up the SPARC5 in the basement. RISC POWER!! 🙂
I just want to ask if you’ve ever been to Speedway Motors out in Lincoln, NE? If not, I’d call and see if you can get a tour of their facilities and their car museum! (shameless plug for a local car attraction)
Wow, this place has some gems! Is that a Tucker? Are those Ed Roth Hotrods? Is that a Shelby Series I?
They have a lot of rad stuff and it’s rotated in and out often.
Plus, cost of living is dirt cheap out here, you could drive in, spend a couple days, and leave full of Runzas for next to nothing.
That sounds really familiar. Maybe? I might be confusing it with the museum at Indy. Looks like a really cool place, though.
David, I would love to hear your thoughts on Volvos! I can’t recall in my mind having ever seen you write about them so I’m curious
You know, I drove to Sweden back in 2020 in my diesel manual Chrysler minivan.
I gained a lot of respect for Volvo, especially the old ones. ESPECIALLY the EPA Tractors.
I love the old DAF-based Volvos, and brick-style Volvos.
I think the modern XC90 is fantastic, and I appreciate the ICE Polestar cars.
The EV Polestars are unique, which I think is a hard thing to pull off in the EV world sometimes.
I respect the hell out of the brand, and of Swedes in general, because they all — deep down — would love nothing more than to have an American V8-powered machine in their garage (but only to cruise on the weekends).
Respect on all counts! I feel the same way about Volvos both old and new. Love everything you’ve done creating The Autopian and if you ever need any website-related help I’m around
Thank you so much!
“I love the old DAF-based Volvos…”
Well, who doesn’t?
I know a Swede with a V8 Mustang. He drives it in London…
Have you guys read that new Walter Isaacson book about Elon yet? Did you see the bit about the Model S having to have a physical glovebox latch because some law prevented it being placed in the touchscreen? Has that law changed or did Walter just get this all wrong? Can we get this law put back on the books?
My girlfriend is reading that! I’ll steal it from her when she’s done.
Did we just witness an Autopian Canon Event of the transition from “friend” to “girlfriend”?
Don’t rush it! She’s apparently willing to put up with DT and all that entails. Don’t scare her away!
Oh crap, I meant “friend”!
Ahh who are we kidding, this is a members-only section. We’re all friends here, right?
You forgot to set it to “members only” again 😉
That’s right, and you don’t have to hide her! We’re happy for you
HAHAHAHAHAHAH. Got’Em.
I was waiting for this!
The relevant bit is on pages 201/202. It’s a fun read but so far I feel like Ashlee Vance book was better.
Sounds like a keeper if she’s reading automotive books…
I’m tempted to ask what other foods David eats in the shower, but what I really want to know is what vehicle each contributor most regrets getting rid of.
For me it’s a toss-up between my old ’94 (green-over-gray leather) Firebird Formula and my ’90 Dodge Daytona.
Both were sold due to being a broke college kid and both are sadly hard to replace due to scarcity these days.
Great question and thanks for hitting it off!
Green over gray is a great combo for that one! Being a broke college kid forces some rough decisions.
How ’bout you, Drew?
Probably my 99 Ford Explorer XLT (also green over gray, but not leather or quite as interesting a green). The 4WD sometimes didn’t want to disengage, the transmission was slipping, and I had probably run it too hard a couple times, but it was a good size and had good capabilities.
Traded it in on a 2008 Focus for reliability and gas mileage. And because I thought the Focus would be more fun than it was.
Those trucks have a handsome quality about them that wasn’t initially apparent until after the 90s-00s. At least not to this guy,
I think the design is aging quite well. Cheers Drew.
Weirdly, I don’t regret getting rid of anything. If I like it, it stays and I find space for it. If I fall out of love, it goes. I’m really glad to have experienced the mix of vehicles I’ve owned, but I’m more than content with my current fleet.
That’s mostly where I land, though I sometimes sort of wish I still had my 99 Explorer. Not enough to, y’know, deal with one again, but enough to miss it.
I totally get it. Sometimes having the memories without having to deal with the actual car is even better than the real thing.
Yes. This way is much easier, cheaper, and sometimes even happier.
There’s a few, but that’s mainly because I couldn’t afford to keep them on the road and now they’re worth a lot of money. My Mk2 Escort RS2000 was a rotten as a pear and back in 2001 you couldn’t get the parts for them. If you could FIND a set of inner wings they were £500, which was half what I paid for the car. Those Escorts are making over £40k now.
But the one that I really miss is my Husqvarna 125 two stroke supermoto I learned to ride on. Obviously I traded it for a bigger bike once I passed my test, but I want another badly and they never come up for sale.
Oh, that is rough to see something that was a money pit become valuable. I haven’t done it with cars, but I’ve definitely gotten rid of stuff and later seen the value shoot up.
The Postal Jeep.
That was a 1 of 1. Keeping it was impractical, but that was in many ways my Mona Lisa.
That’s fair. It was cool, but you made the right choice for good reasons.
For me, it’s my first Volkswagen Passat TDI wagon. I’ve now owned four of these things (I haven’t written about the fourth yet) and none of them were quite as good as my first one. That car never let me down, even when I let it down. It was easily the best $850 I’ve ever spent, but I just wasn’t in a place mentally to do the one repair it needed (a FREE repair, at that) to get it to 100 percent. I was so depressed back then that I second-guessed my own diagnosis. The problem? Split boost hose causing underboost. The previous owner apparently threw $2k fixing every conceivable cause for underboost but the boost hose, so the car was basically bulletproofed.
On many days I sort of kick myself over being too depressed (back then) to fix that car. It would have taken me 30 minutes at the most and wouldn’t have required any real tools. Admittedly, I wish I got a second chance with it.
Thankfully, the car was sold to someone who not only confirmed that my diagnosis was right on the money, but the car drove great after a 15-minute fix.
Depression is a hell of a thing. I totally get not making that repair, even if you’re kicking yourself now. I’m glad you have been able to get back into them, even if that first one’s gone.
It sure is. I’m so much happier now, but it’s fascinating (perhaps the wrong word) how depression can change so much about you. I stopped working on cars, I stopped doing any hobbies. I was just going through the motions of life, not really caring what happened to me.
I wish I kept that car’s VIN somewhere. I’d try to track down the current owner and get myself a second chance with it.
Two for me: first, a 1988 Olds Calais with a Quad 4 and a stick. Not even sure why I wanted to get rid of it. I remember the air conditioning not working, maybe that was it.
And I traded in my one and only new car, a 2002 Mazda Protege, on a one-year-old Focus ZX3 (at Galpin, ironically) and regretted it almost immediately. The Focus was OK, but I didn’t get a great deal on it (sorry Beau) and I really liked that Mazda. But I was super-possessive of it, and my then-fiance (now wife of 17 years) thought we should have an “our” car instead of a “my” car and a “her” car. Oh well, I’ve had some great cars since then.
We all make some less-sound decisions about cars, and it’s easy to feel possessive, especially when you have that emotional attachment to your first new car.
And repairing an older AC unit can be a pain (especially if someone tried to recharge it with the wrong refrigerant), so that might have been perfectly reasonable.
I’ve probably used David’s shower more than he has the last week and it’s full of toothbrushes, toothpaste, and those little (I presume used) floss picks.
He flosses after spaghetti? Who does that!?!?
Yeah, usually you need more for after eating corn on the cob…I wouldn’t put it past him to actually have a cornstalk growing in the shower
Correction: need floss(not more)
I’m not going to judge him for brushing his teeth in the shower (though I insist on colder water for my teeth than my skin). Leaving used floss picks in there is a little more iffy, but it’s probably less iffy than shower spaghetti.
My Reliant Scimitar. I just wish I was able to take care of it better.
Yeah, that’s definitely a combination of interesting and uncommon that would be easy to get wistful about.
I’m with Thomas on this, every car I sold I did because I didn’t want/need it anymore.
I don’t really miss my R34 Skyline GT-T all that much. My 2006 WRX does all the same things with half the running costs and much more parts availability. Sure I miss the handling, but I don’t miss the 90s style turbo-lag which meant you couldn’t have fun with the boost anywhere much except merging onto a highway.
I had an absolutely mint ’75 Valiant Regal sedan, but I sold that as it basically felt like the Charger with two extra doors. It’s gone on to be loved by a whole other group of people, which I think is much better than it just sitting in my shed doing nothing.
I don’t sell my cars. I’ve wrecked 2 but never sold a car, so I have no regret what so ever.