Lessee now...my list and welcome to it. In order of purchase ...
1.) 1972 Triumph Spitfire (purchased new in partnership with my cousin when I
was all of 14 years old. I still have the darned thing. Can't say the same
about the cousin.) Great little car, and the ultimate chick magnet when
you're a 17-year old. Or so I've heard.
2.) 1968 Ford Torino (302 4 bbl., automatic); purchased to keep the miles off
the Spitfire during the winter. A great car until I flew over a hill at about
65 miles per hour and launched the battery into the fan. Blew battery acid
all over the inside and ate up every last bit of wiring under the hood. Paid
$800 for it and sold it to the scrap yard four months later for $50. Shame on
me.
3.) 1965 MGB. I purchased it to learn something about restoration. I did.
Crashed it twice, rebuilt it twice, sold it to my buddy Carry Dunlavey who
stuffed it into farm implement. Up until then, it was a nice car. The bumper
is now entombed in concrete in my grandmother's front porch, by the way.
4.) 1971 Ford Pinto. Leaked oil worse than any British car ever would (but
wait...it had the Kent series engine; oh yeah, it WAS British!). Blew up,
throwing a connecting rod out the side of the block doing three (yes,
THREE!) miles per hour. I just kept my foot on the accelerator pedal, I was
so mad. It is a sound I will never ever forget for as long as I live.
5.) 1968 Cadillac Eight-passenger Limosine. Droopy headliner, window divider
with the glass broken out, one wiper arm, about thirty cigar lighters in the
back and a trunk rusted out clear through to China. A great Frat Boy ride. My
dad loved it.
6.) 1973 Pontiac Grand Prix Sedan. I don't remember much about the old
girl, but I do remember that she went well, particularly sideways through the
snow.
7.) 1959 MGA. Ahh, now we're talking. Love at first sight. I saw it on the
street, asked the owner about it and bought it from him that day for $2,000.
I only sold it a few years later to by my...
8.) 1954 MG TF; Red with biscuit interior, wires, 1250 cc motor. I've been
spoiled for T-series ever since. I kept it for three years but sold it
because of the impending birth of my first daughter. I traded it for ...
9.) a used three year old Chevy Impala four door, affectionately called The
Lump. Actually, I loved the thing. V-6, plain jane, but dead reliable and in
its own way the ultimate Urban Assault Vehicle. Blew a radiator hose 14 miles
away from Peru Indiana, one night and drove it all the way there. Replaced
the hose, added anti-freeze the next day and drove it for another 100,000
miles. Ahh, sweet Detroit...
10.) 1984 Volkswagen Jetta GLi: Still my daily driver, and I love
everything about it. 136,000 miles and it still looks and runs like new. What
fun! What Value!
11.) 1974 MG MIdget. Had to have another MG; this time it was the Midget
that caught my eye. Cheap and cheerful in the best MG tradition, it was a
round arch model. Kept it for a couple of years and only sold it to buy
another.
12.) 1989 Acura Integra. Actually, the worst, most unreliable car I have ever
had. loved the engine and transmission, but Lucas never made an electrical
system quite THAT bad. And the rust...this from a car that was never allowed
to sit outdoors. I was quite relieved when I saw it get rolled up into a
sorry little aluminum ball.
13.) 1972 MG MIdget. My neighbors. He bought it new, drove it 40,000 miles
and parked it, saying it wouldn't run. Dead battery and a stuck pressure
plate. I still spent four years restoring it, though, and it is one of two
MGs I will never ever part with. It's beautiful.
14.) 1972 MGB/GT: The less said the better. Still, it might make for a great
boat anchor. But then, I might be liable for giving the fish tetanus.
15.) 1988 BMW 635Csi: Beautifu linesl. Lovely details. Sybarritic interior.
Powerful six-cylinder engine. Silky ZF five-speed transmission. Crappy,
expensive electrics and when they go bad, they go very, very bad. As in
Detroit when the sunroof stuck open overnight during a summer shower.
16.) 1974 MGB/GT. The other MG that I refuse to live without. Bog reliable
and lovely to look at too boot. Just as elegant as the Bimmer (well,
almost...) but far more reliable, believe it or not. And you can haul more
stuff in it, too. So there is a practical MG after all!
Oh, and then there's that TR-3 that resides in pieces in my attic. Don't ask
and I won't tell.
Regards,
Greg Perigo
editor
MG Magazine, the official publication for MG enthusiasts
www.mg-magazine.com
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