– By Andy Lindberg –
“Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.” Is there a similar aphorism for cars? “Wreck me once, shame on me. Wreck me twice, shame on you.” Well I’ve wrecked the Saab twice now. Is that enough for me to learn my lesson? Whatever, Pa Taket has left the building. Marty Adams of Meyer Saab picked her up on Saturday, August 6. He’s going to rebuild her, and probably sell her. So what do I do now?
I’m embarrassed to drive a new car to an old car event. Even if that Miata is ten years old.
So why don’t I like to drive it to a vintage event? Two things. First and least important, it’s about looks. You could recognize the Saab 96 from a block away. The Miata looks like all those Miata wannabe drop tops. Honda S2000s, BMW Z4s and in the more obese class, Jaguars and whatnots. Well, at least you can see it’s not an SUV barge.
Second and more important, is the sense of accomplishment I get driving an old car. At my first national Triumph convention in North Carolina, people would see my Minnesota plates and say, “Wow, did you drive that TR3 all the way here?” This was different from the reaction than that received by the TR4s and TR6s with wind-up windows and other mod cons. The reaction I got in Dallas/Fort Worth was even more pronounced. Of course that may have been due to my fluorescent sunburn from driving two days with the top down.
But the Miata is so easy to drive. It insulates you from all those annoying mechanical things that are happening. Yep, that engine is running, but it runs smoothly no matter how cold it is. Or how hot. Or which gear it’s in. Of course it never overheats, not even in 100 degree weather in a traffic jam downtown with the A/C on. The one thing from which you are not insulated in the Miata is the feel of the road. Thank goodness. Even with the power steering, I can feel the tires’ contact with the road as well as I ever could in my TR3 or Saab 96. So what are my options?
One. Do nothing.
Two. Wait for Marty to finish the Saab 96 and see if I can buy it back from him.
Three. Buy a different old car. A Saab 99, 900, or even a 9-3 (although the latter’s GM roots are off putting). Maybe a Citroen 2CV, Dyane, Ami, DS, or CX. At my age, I don’t need anything too fast so turbos are out as are Maserati engines.
Four. Do nothing. Yeah I know I already mentioned this, but I’m so good at it that it bears repeating. If I do it long enough, the 2012 will become vintage along with me.
