You see them all the time. They're there in the want ads, Autotrader, even the Barrett-Jackson auctions. And sometimes, still in your dreams. They're the cars of your past, the ones that you had and you wish you still had. So what happened at the time? Why didn't the romance continue?
The first car I ever owned was a '57 VW Beetle. I paid $50 for that one. It no longer had a ring gear in it so the previous owner had rigged up a rope pull start on its 36HP engine (I kid you not!). It also lacked a reverse gear which made trips to the mall a bit interesting. So its obvious as to why this classic never made it into the “permanent collection”. But recently I saw the same year restored on eBay for $23,000, so you start to wonder.
In my first year of university, I bought a four year old 1968 BMW 1602 for the then princely sum of $1200. A pretty basic 2-door, it didn't even have a radio when I bought it (quickly remedied by the addition of a Pioneer 8-track), but it was a classic small BMW, produced when the company was starting to sell reasonable numbers in North America. I had to go to my dad's bank to get my first car loan to buy it.
This was a new experience because I had bought and sold most of my previous six cars for the almost uniform sum of $500. The bank manager had never heard of BMWs and sternly asked me if it was “one of those sports cars”. It wasn't. Of course, I didn't tell him that it would outperform any of the Minis, MGs, and Triumphs I had owned up to that time. Sahara tan over brown BMW vinyl, it was amazing, quiet, and a great freeway cruiser. In those days, if you had a BMW, you would wave at any others that you would see and even stop along side the road to have a chat with another enlightened BMW owner. You don't see 1600s much anymore, but a few of the heavier-engined 2002s are still around with asking prices in the mid $20,000's.
More recently, I owned a '96 Volvo 850R. I found it at a small independent dealer in Northern Ontario and the car was reported to be one of only 14 Rs of its configuration ever brought into North America. It had the 247HP Euro-spec engine, not even OBD2-compliant making scanning with a standard reader impossible and so the car was illegal in the US.
These cars were only imported into Canada with the 14 split 9 sedans and 5 wagons. It had the close-ratio 5 speed manual box with limited slip, working aero, and it was red. Not that standard 850 dark metallic red but fire engine, non-metallic, purposeful Volvo #601 red. With the full-dress top of the line alcantara interior, it was not only extremely quick, but also comfortable, even beyond the classic Volvo comfort. Modified with 302mm front brakes and stainless lines, braking performance was brilliant. In the worst case of automotive insanity ever, I traded the car in on my current XC because "I needed more hauling room".
So was it the reliability, or more likely the lack thereof, gas mileage, comfort, kids or what, that made you get rid of your love? Or was it simply, insanity?
What's the worst component placement you have ever had to deal with during a DIY repair?
About the Author: Uilleam Ross
Uilleam (Bill) Ross is a 60 year-old retired 30-year veteran of the IT industry and a 45-year car guy. Living in Western Head, Nova Scotia, he now indulges his passions for landscape photography and cars, principally Volvos and Land Rovers.
