Cars

here's something i get asked about often enough to make me explain it here. my list of cars. you see, i have bad luck with motor vehicles like you wouldn't believe. read on and see what i mean.

• 1984 Ford LTD station wagon - mom's car in high school - the sight of woodgrain approaching never scared people more. also a decent off-road vehicle.
• 1981 VW Rabbit - $500 my sophomore year in college. lasted about 6 months. my first manual. also my first blown headgasket.
• 1986 Mazda 323 hatchback - thanks to the parents, the Rabbit was replaced. i had this until about March of senior year. great car. only problem I ever had was the transmision blew once. then some wanker loses control on Rte. 9 and plows into me on my blind side. She had the lamest excuse: "my seat slid back".
• 1984 Nissan 300ZX - t-tops and all this car rocked. too bad it was too rusted to pass inspection. drove it for a month with the Mazda's plates.
• 1981 Buick Riveria - a total grandma car. "self-leveling suspension" and all. motor blew after 2 weeks.
• 1986 Jeep Grand Wagoneer - after watching me come home with a different bomb every couple weeks, the parents give me theirs as i sign over the Mazda's insurance settlement. consumes a quart of oil every couple hundred miles and clouds up entire toll booths with nasty black smoke. thanks mom.
• 1986 Subaru DX - not turbo, not 4WD, but thankfully a 5 speed. got this after college when i started working at Specular. gave it to dad in June of 1997
• 1974 BMW 2002tii - Sabrina. a collector's car. a sports sedan with no frills. adrenaline with wheels and class. 130hp, 4 speeds, CD player and a damn big grin on my face until December 26th, 1997. one lil' patch of ice, one curb, one turn, and one totaled piece of german engineering. i don't think i'll ever find a car with such great acceleration and such a short throw shifter. the car so nice i completely lost interest in dating someone... the sex was a bit rough though....
• 1982 BMW 320i - her name was Suzanne in keeping with the "S" theme. no, not Suzanne after my ex but after the Leonard Cohen song. i'm thinking about an getting rid of her or dropping a new engine in since her head gfasket is shot 8-(
• 1982 BMW 323i - closest thing to a tii that i've found. never imported officially to the US. grey market car. still has euro spec bumpers. same as the 320i, probably even the same weight considering euro versions are lighter; but 50% more power thanks to a 6 cylinder. too bad i totaled it after owning it only a month. f****** rainstorms.
• 1998 Hyundai Tiburon FX - yes, a Hyundai. No i don't give a damn what you think of Hyundais this little coupe is fantastic. power corrupts absolutely - cars drain money absolutely - wahtever - its cute, its red, its a hatchback, 140Hp, it moves, it scoots, its shiny, it makes me happy, and it doesn't break down. I like. It also doesn't dump you. (no I'm not bitter). And its got 71,000 miles on it and still going strong! And I haven't crashed it!!!