Christmas Cars

Will you get one? Will you? You know, the Lexus 'December to Remember Event'. Did you get a new Lexus? Will Santa deliver a brand new white, or maybe his personal red, Mercedes? Maybe a new Acura fresh from the 'Oh what fun it is to drive' specials. BMW, Ford, Audi - all manufacturer's believe only a Neanderthal wouldn't purchase a brand new car for Christmas.

How many people actually purchase a car for Christmas? Do you know anyone that has ever been given a car to celebrate the First Noel? Let's go one step further, how many people do you know that received a brand new $50,000 Lexus or $65,000 Mercedes as a gift?



Some teenagers get 'new' cars for Christmas, new to them that is. But really, the car was something they would get anyway, Christmas just makes it more fun. The question I am asking is do you know people who purchased a new car because, well, an ad on television said that if you love that special someone you will buy her a brand new, very expensive, very fancy car and deliver it to her with a huge bow on top.

I have seen this once in my life. In the late 80's I sold Ford, Mercury and Subaru's in a small town. A gentleman from New Hampshire had a ski house just 30 minutes north of my town in Vermont. He had just purchased a new Subaru wagon to help him get back and forth to New Hampshire. His wife loved another Subaru on the lot. The next day he called and said he wanted to buy the other car for his wife and deliver it as a Christmas present. I purchased a giant bow and on Christmas Eve he arrived, picked up the car and headed up to his ski home to deliver to his wife. I am sure she was surprised, he was happy to purchase it for her and I liked the commission. However, a new Subaru isn't the same price range as the $90,000 Mercedes SL or AMG sedan.

Why would I never buy a car as a Christmas gift?

Let's forget the part that I simply can't afford it. I wouldn't do such a
thing for so many reasons. First, my wife is very particular about her cars. After 27 years of marriage and me being a car nut I know exactly what my wife wants in a car (Between you and me, I haven't a clue). I have an idea of the types of cars she likes but what she really likes is beyond my small male mind to comprehend. When we do start the car shopping thing I will list out the 4-5 cars I think she will like and we head out to drive them. The one that I am 100% positive she will love often
ends up on the bottom of the list. We are currently driving a Mini Cooper Countryman because I didn't know she would like one. So reason one to not buy a new car for my wife? I would purchase the wrong car. Heck, I can't pick out a sweater she likes much less a car.

Second, the color that I love and the one she loves is of course the same, not really. Give me a gorgeous burnt orange, dark burgundy colored car and I would be a happy camper. She on the other hand likes aqua blues, mint greens and other colors (and if you are reading this honey - I know I probably have these colors wrong - remember - small male mind).

Third, how the car feels inside and how it drives is important. Get me a vehicle where the inside replicates an F14 fighter cockpit where the buttons are only pinky twitch away. I want to feel like the Red Baron as I shoot down the cars around me. She on the other hand hates, I mean really hates, that tight cocoon type
feeling that many car brands brag about. I think we purchased our last Ford a few years ago because all Ford's now have that tight driver's center that I guess most males like. And how about how it drives? More power! Kidney breaking suspension! The ability to make a passenger throw up when I take a corner is how all cars should be made. I want to know heads versus tails when I drive over a dime. My wife, not so much. Yes, she likes a car that drives nice, is sprightly but the race car turned road car is not on her Christmas wish list.

Finally, I said that we don't have the money but let's assume I do. How in the world, unless you are Bill Gates, hide a $65,000 purchase from your spouse? Even if you manage the books, somehow, somewhere she is going to say 'Hey, remember that CD we had? The bank says we cashed it in. Do you remember doing that?' There is no way I could get away with it. I once bought my wife a $10 gift while traveling and Visa called to confirm the purchase. So she found out that I had bought something for $10 in the state of Washington. Yeah, a $70,000 purchase is not going unnoticed.

Again, dear, if you are reading this, you may be surprised to know that you are not getting a new Range Rover, Jaguar, or Porsche for Christmas. I may get some jewelry and that perfume you want, but don't run down to the garage in the morning unless you want to see the two cars that are already sitting in there. How about a sweater?

Are you someone who purchases expensive cars for Christmas as a gift? Do you know someone who does? Would you dare? This is something I think about each time I see one of the perfect families walk out of the house on Christmas morning, standing in fake snow, hair all perfect (even though it is 5 in the morning) with a surprised face for the new car in the driveway. Maybe it is just jealousy that makes me ponder this. Maybe I just don't get it.


That's the thing about buying a car for someone as a gift or even as a necessity, bring that person with you, it is too personal a purchase to just pick one out for that special loved one.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas season.

A Tale of Two Cars

‘It was the best of times, it was the worst of times’. No real reason for that line but it is required with the title.

Most, if not all, of you know that I own and regularly drive 2 BMW 2002s. A 1974 and a 1975. These two cars while beginning life as family sport sedans clearly lived in different parts of the country with different owners who had different ideas of what car ownership meant. How I came to own these two cars that are nearly opposite, even in color, I still sometimes wonder myself.

Having driven wagons, sedans, and small SUV’s coupled with a new driver on the way, meant it was time for me, the car guy, to get a car guy car. I wanted something I could drive every day, be cool, and handle well. After much consideration my dream was to be a BMW 2002 owner. Now Birmingham, Alabama is certainly not a mecca for small, unique, vintage German cars so my search went to the web with the entire U.S. my location.

Hemmings, Craigslist, 2002 forums became my morning reading list. If I found something interesting I would post on the forums for advice where I would get frank responses such as:

•  ‘I wouldn’t buy a car from them.’
• ‘That price is crazy.’
• ‘No’.

However, my questions did not go unnoticed. One day I received

an e-mail from a guy in St. Louis, MO saying he has a car for sale. He includes a few dark pictures of the car. St. Louis has snow, right? This thing will be a rust bucket, but I will at least listen. He promises more pictures that weekend. At the same time I have located a 1967 1600 with a potent 150HP Metric Mechanic 2.0 liter engine that has caught my fancy. I call that owner and the car is exactly as described. No serious rust issues, really pretty upgraded interior, with a great motor. 

Meanwhile the pictures of the car from St. Louis arrive. I ask the owner:

‘Can you send me current pictures, I don’t want the ones of when the car was new.’

Seriously, the car is that nice. Now to decide:

• A near perfect, automatic, 1974 that has had 2 owners and clearly been cared for its entire life
  or
• A really unique 1600 with a motor that is worth the price of the entire car

Being about the same price didn’t help. Regardless of which car I went with, I was going to modify the Hades out of it (Sorry about the language). I went with the 1974 because it met my needs at the time.

When Ivory, that’s what I call her, got home I realized that the car is simply stunning. The paint looks better than new, the interior carpet isn’t faded, no cracked dash, the seats recovered and re-stuffed using original BMW materials could not be overlooked. Add to that the larger carburetor, the upgraded sway bars and the car was simply perfect and there was no possible way I could modify it. If I did the car gods would surely send down a bolt of lightning and destroy my points so that the car would never run again. So I drove her as is all the while questioning should I modify the car or not?

A couple of years later I am driving home and I see what has to be the drug addicted, party going, live life to the fullest Black 2002 in the country. She has an obnoxious exhaust, doors that don’t shut and an interior that Satan himself couldn’t make look worse. In short, I make a friend and soon negotiations for purchase happen. A good price is agreed on. The car runs but can’t propel itself forward so we ‘tow’ it home (which means on flat stretches of road and downhill the car can move itself, uphill his friend’s Wagoneer will pull it). Ebony, that’s her name, is officially mine.

When a car doesn’t run it is always one of three things:

• Spark
• Fuel
• Something else

Eeny, meeny, miny, mo, it must be spark so there I’ll go. A new starter coil, conversion to electronic points and voila – she runs AND drives. Half the lights work, windows don’t roll up or down, wing windows partially work, seats can’t be moved back and forth and there is no ignition key or tumbler or trunk lock. A few turns of a screwdriver, some used and new parts and the car runs and drives well. I have me a daily driver.

3+ years later and I still have both cars. Both cars start and run nearly every day. Both draw a crowd where ever I go. When asked about the cars I say that Ivory is an accountant, has never had a speeding ticket and is in bed most nights by 8:00. Ebony loves Grateful Dead concerts, has never said no to a party invite, goes to bed late and gets up late. And while Ivory and Ebony are 

complete opposites, I love driving them both. They make me smile each time I get behind the wheel. I like to see the reflection of them in store windows, I love to see the smiles and waves I get and the frequent ‘I love your car.’

So the Tale of Two cars continues on. It amazes me that that two cars that are nothing alike except for make and model can make the same owner grin ear to ear on each and every outing. I guess that is the thing about cars, like puppies, they just find a way to get into your heart.

The Thing About _______ Cars...

Years ago the new cars were revealed with much fanfare in September and October. Nowadays, not so much. I remember back in 2009 when Chevrolet introduced its newly updated Malibu they had a

 set of very funny ads of people walking past tan Malibu's and never noticing them. Some cars people would run into because they were so invisible. One ad, about bank robbers hopping into a tan Malibu and the police running by them was done so well it has become internet folklore as being true. (http://preview.tinyurl.com/nkdravu) I have to say I was proud of GM for the willingness to make fun of their own car (I bet they are wishing they could make recalls invisible but that is for a different day).

My recent rental was one of those invisible cars, to protect its identity I won't tell you it was a Nissan Versa. One of those kinds of cars that you just don't notice on the road, in the neighborhood, maybe in your own garage. It was one of those cars that your neighbor brings home and a month later you say to your neighbor:

"Hey, I thought your car was silver, This one is gold?" 

It was one of those cars that you pick up at the dealership with little to no excitement and don't bother showing it or telling anyone that you just bought a new car. It is not a bad car, but unfortunately, it is just transportation.

My question, or maybe just musing this month, revolves around the question 'Is there a place for the 'invisible' car?' My premise is no.

I own a Fiat 500 Pop. Bought it used with 14,000 miles, remainder of the factory warranty and for an unbelievable price. Even new the Fiat is a wonderful car and for an out the door price in low $16,000 dollar range is a lot of value. It is one of the few new cars out there that make me smile when I drive it. I have another car - a 2011 Ford Fiesta - again, bought it used, like the Fiat, new with a realistic sticker price of mid-$16,000 is a great car. Both cars come with all the 'standard' features we come to expect - power windows, power locks, A/C, AM/FM-CD stereo, fancy trip computer, 6 way adjustable seats, bluetooth connection, iPod connection, aluminum wheels - well, you get the point. These cars drive nice. Super fast, no. Sporty, I will say yes. Peppy for around town driving, most definitely. Comfortable - my first outing in the Fiesta was 8+ hours. Nary an ache to be found.

2012 Ford Fiesta

2012 Nissan Versa

What else separates these cars or cars produced by Kia, Hyundai, and Mazda that sets them apart from other makes and models? They are not invisible. Kia and Hyundai make some of the best looking cars out there built with quality, in the USA by the way, with a phenomenal and unbeatable warranty. Mazda really does put the 'Zoom-Zoom' into cars and are always a joy to drive.

So why do car manufacturers continue to churn out cookie cutter boxes that are boring, uncomfortable and joyless to drive. Cars like the Yaris, really, can they make it much more boring, inside and out? I would easily run into one because they are so bland. The Taurus, Camry, Impala - compare what they look like and drive like compared to the Sonata, Optima, Mazda6 - not even on the same continent. Be careful with the first three listed, you may nap while driving.

In my world there is no reason for one a boring car In someone's world I guess there is. The one who

thinks of cars only as transportation, as an evil necessity, as an appliance. The ones buying the appliances - do they really not care about a nice looking car? Do they dislike driving so much they it just makes no difference how the car handles? If you offered them two cars, same price, same features, same quality and one was nice looking, would they still rather get the non-descript vehicle? I say no, I think it is more about education on car purchasing than just not caring about what you drive. People think that an inexpensive car has to be boring. In the words of the recently passed John Pinnette, 'Nay, nay'.

Let me share my insights into buying a car::

• Few cars are, if any, not built with high quality these days - so get out of your Toyota, Nissan,
  
  Honda rut and look at other brands. Kia/Hyundai - beautiful cars with the best warranty out there. FIAT - yes, FIAT, makes some great cars and again, great warranty. MINI - I always thought they were overpriced - I now own a Countryman because I decided to look more closely. It was as affordable as any small SUV and a whole lot more fun to own and drive.
  
  
• Buy used - don't be afraid. Remember the cars mentioned above? Most of the used cars you
  
  will buy today will have the remainder of the warranty - so little to no risk. Many cars are leased and nothing wrong with them - I just turned in a 2 year old Ford Escape Limited - window sticker of $32K in 2012. 20,000 miles and it will probably sell for $18K with 2 years of warranty left.That's the price of an optioned Yaris.

• The internet is your friend. Shop high and low, near and far, big and small and...well you get the idea. Maybe that car you love is 400 miles away, so what? Have a fun weekend trip and with the money you save make it a weekend and enjoy yourself.

• We have CarFax, dealer reviews, E-Bay guarantees and a host of other protections. So you can almost buy a car site unseen. I don't recommend it, but you almost could do that.

Of the millions of invisible cars sold, I would have to say only 10 or 15% of the people purchasing them truly say 'I really couldn't care less about what I drive' or even 'I like this car'. The other 85 to 90% just don't realize that a nice looking, fun to drive, high quality vehicle is available in their price range. So take some time, do some shopping and don't settle for the car that you will trip over in your own driveway because you can't see it. Take some time and buy the car you really want.

That's the thing about invisible cars, why own one when a fun one is out there?

The Thing About Cars: Making Car Friends

The long, dark and cold days of February are ahead. Thankfully February is a short month that

quickly leads into March giving us glimpses of warm spring days to come fighting winter as the ocean waves fight the beach during high tide. Back in the days when you produced your own food February was a month where little outside work could be done making reflection a possibility. Even in modern days February makes me reflect on the past. As I review the film of my life I realize how many friends I have because of cars that I have owned.

The best man at my wedding and I met my sophomore year in high school. My first car, a 1968 Ford Mustang Fastback, would often be parked in the front row of the student parking lot. From my math class you could look out onto the lot and see all of the cars. Unbeknownst to me my soon to be best friend was sitting right behind me. Before class one day he asks:

‘Is that your Mustang out there?’

With a lot of pride, 

‘Yes, yes it is.’

‘Cool car.’

By the end of the school year he would be my best friend who I would share many car adventures and my life. He and I are still friends and even though we live 1,400 miles apart we meet annually to watch a race together.

After high school I got a job making nearly a whole $15,000 a year so I was ‘pretty rich’. With all that money I bought a slightly used 1983 ½ Dodge Shelby Charger; blue with a silver stripe. It handled like a slot car built with genuine Chrysler quality (i.e. the car ran great but the body and interior fell apart on a regular basis). While out on a drive up a very fun mountain road what should approach but a 1983 ½ Dodge Shelby Charger in the reverse color scheme, silver with a blue stripe. A flash of the headlights and wave and we passed each other. Arriving at the top of the mountain a few 

minutes later that silver Charger appeared and parked right next to mine. An hour later we were racing together down the mountain and into a friendship that is special to me to this very day. Weekends were spent together, car races attended, passing of cars on the highway one right after the other just for fun and even trying to get license plates that said ‘Hello’ and ‘Goodbye’ so we could pass people to see the look on their faces. A cheap Dodge began a priceless friendship.

Fast forward to a new century, a new part of the country taking a new driver to an SCCA teen driver event and a new friend is made. The director of the event, a car guy to the bone who autocrosses so much he has a car specifically for that purpose alone! We chat, we talk about cars and racing, and nearly 4 years later I am still a volunteer in the program and have been made a part of the SCCA family. I have made a good friend that I know I can trust and rely on. A car, a teenager in a Ford Freestyle and a great friend – I would say pretty good event overall.

2011 and my search for my vintage BMW begins. Many posts on the different forums, numerous questions, lots of searches and I run across a very special BMW 1600 with a phenomenal motor and a just downright cool interior! I am interested and call the owner. We talk about the car, and cars, for an hour and soon discover that we have that hard to describe ‘kindred car spirit’. I actually ended up purchasing a different car but my new friend still helped me get the one I bought. Before I knew it we were e-mailing each other regularly, hanging out at the annual 2002 event in Arkansas and meeting up when I am in town. Our friendship has developed over the past 4 years to the point that in the upcoming week he and I are taking a road trip from Dallas to Denver in his beautiful 1973 BMW 2002. An old car makes a new friend, in fact a whole community of friends, in a state I don’t even live in.

There are so many other people in my life that stem from my obsession with cars. With limited space I could only highlight a few.

I know that it takes more than just a car to become true friends, but a car sure is a great way to find those people. Maybe it is the car spirit or the love of cars but I find that often my car friends are people I trust and rely on after knowing them for just a short time.

I admit, I am obsessed about cars. I can’t shut my mind off about cars. I apologize to my friends and family about my inability to not talk about cars. Now as I spend the dark and cold month of February reflecting I wonder, do I love cars? Do I love the car culture? Or do I love the relationships cars have put in my life? It really is all of the above, I just don’t know which one, if any, ranks highest.

That’s the thing about a car, this mechanical thing, that I am convinced has a soul, goes beyond simply parts and transportation and becomes a part of your life as it continues to introduce you to new people. No wonder we often sigh, and sometimes cry, when we sell that car that has so many memories that go with it.

The Thing About Cars - New Year's Resolution

There are over 50 million people who have fitness center memberships in the United States. Six

million of those signups happen in January as part of a New Year’s Resolution. By the time you read this, 80% of those people will have stopped going. Thinking of New Year’s resolutions, fitness centers and our promises to ourselves and others for what we are going to accomplish or change begs the question – What is your plan for your car, or cars, this year?

I don’t make resolutions as a matter of habit, is that a resolution? I don’t think that much of New Year’s as a holiday, the 1^st of January feels an awful lot like the 31^st of December. This year, against my better judgment, I am going to make a few resolutions, related to cars only. I certainly don’t need any improvement, ask my wife or kids…on second thought, just take my word for it. Not only will I make resolutions, I am going to go one step further and foolishly share with all of you those plans.

I have two vintage BMW’s. The first, Ivory, is near perfect but after 4 years of ownership and driving her on a regular basis there are a couple of things that I need to do. My second, Ebony, is not quite so nice. She is characterized as one of those blind dates that have a ‘nice personality’ and ‘a lot of character’. She too could use some work. She will never be beautiful or pristine like Ivory, but she can be a driver that others can be envious of.

So here goes my list:

Ivory

• This year she will have her wheels powder coated to look like new and have new tires installed
• I will strip all of the wax and other dirt on her and make the paint shine better than new
• There are a couple of small oil and transmission leaks that will be fixed
• She will make it to Mid-America 2002 Festival

Ebony

• She will have new sport shocks, sway bars and springs installed
• Replace a rear CV joint
• Install the larger carburetor that I already own
• Add a front air dam and turbo fender flares
• Fix all leaks (ever hear of the Titanic?)
• Convert from a 2 headlight system to a 4 headlight look
• New front seats and a radio
• New door cards
• She will make it to Mid-America 2002 Festival

Many of you are looking at the list and thinking.

‘What is he going to do in February?’

For those of you who think that, I congratulate you on your mechanical skills.

Others are asking.

‘What is a CV joint and why do you want your wheels covered in powder, especially after all that cleaning?’

You may think I own and manage my own mechanic shop. Well, I am neither, a mechanic nor born with two left thumbs. Somewhere along that continuum is where I sit. Not sure which end but hopefully more to the mechanic side than the thumb side, regardless of my skill level, my plan is to attempt, and hopefully complete, all of the above.

Only one issue, it is called procrastination.

I admit, I procrastinate when it comes to fixing my cars. I would like to blame it on a busy work and travel schedule, limited funds (which has some truth to it), wanting to spend more time with my family and other well worn excuses. Being an open tool box, I hesitate to start a project because of fear. I am afraid that I will get the car apart and not get it back together. Maybe get it apart and back together but ruin something along the way. Maybe I will only get it half-way apart and get stuck. Finally, I don’t know how to do the job and don’t even know where to start.

To get started, I remind myself, short of just a bolt and a nut going together, most work performed on a car, much less 40 year old cars, will not be easy. Maybe some bolts will get rounded. Maybe make a scratch. Maybe I will have to take it apart again because I did something wrong. In any case, the first time I attempt something more complicated than changing brakes, plugs and oil, there is a high chance that I will take something apart and it won’t come apart, I will break it or it won’t go back together. Then just dig in!

As I try more things and attempt difficult projects I am learning that few things are irreversible. If I strip threads, well they make something to fix that. Break off a bolt, drills and other tricks easily fix the problem. If I can’t get something together, the internet, YouTube, and friends are wonderful sources of information and help.

Working on and finishing cars shouldn’t be, and is not, as scary as your mind and soul might think. For my mechanic friends out there, I know this sounds simple, but for those of us who are not so good with tools attempting a big job on a car is intimidating but going in with the mindset that anything can be fixed gets you a long way!

Go out there and fix those cars, start those projects, help each other out and hold me accountable to my own goals.

Finally, the same is true with life. Not everything will go perfectly, most things will fail the first time, and often goals are hard to reach, but go out and try anyway. Just like cars, there are few things that can’t be fixed and I find as I tackle more projects on my car I tackle more things in life.

That is the thing about cars, they can impact your life more than just getting you places.