Follow us on TwitterA Portrait Of My Driveway In 5 Years
So, one of my favorite automotive mind-stretchers is hypotheticals. “What if…?” What would you buy if you had $500,000 to spend on automobiles, right now? What’s your favorite great car from an awful brand? (It’s a toss-up between the Genesis Coupe and the Buick GNX) What would you drive if you were Conan O’Brian? You know, hypotheticals. It’s that tired conversation you have at Denny’s at 1 in the morning over a cup of coffee with a car buddy. It keeps your mind going.
But they’re usually far-fetched. So let’s be a little more realistic about it. What’s gonna be in your driveway in 5 years? 10 years? What would you like, that you could feasibly attain? That one’s more challenging. When the invisible hand of fate isn’t handing you that winning lottery ticket we all hypothetically dream about, what do you realistically want to get you around?
Some people would take the “put all your eggs in one basket” cart, and finance a new car with a warranty and all the powerful new car smell (mm, adhesives and polymers!) and drive to work, make payments, and not care.
If you’ve been reading my writing, you know that doesn’t describe me. I’d personally like to have a fleet of old, partially-running European crap from the 80′s and 90′s. The goal is to keep at least one running at a time. I’m assuming here that I’m living out in the boonies (which I’d like to) and that i have some understanding neighbors. Let’s take a trip through my automotive psyche and see what’s gonna be cluttering up my driveway in 5 or 10 years.
1) My ’88 Saab SPG.
I can’t get rid of this car. It’s bitten, and I’m hooked. Sure, with my $3k I could’ve probably found a stick-shift mid ninties double-wishbone Accord and been reasonably amused and mechanically unchallenged. But this car has SO much character. And the body’s in such good shape, it would be a shame not to preserve it. So here’s what I’d want to do to this one to get it the way I like it…
As far as appearance, really, 900 3-doors are just lovely. I would want to lower it about an inch (using decent springs and some bilsteins) and obtain some of the 9000 Super Aero 16″ wheels – same bolt pattern, 1″ bigger, very pronounced lip. With thanks and credit to Paul Campagna on SaabCentral.com, I really want it to look something like this:
I’d leave it otherwise fairly stock. Modded APC on the way, keep the Forge dump valve I have, potentially go to 9000 2.3L injectors and a 900 2.1L N/A 3.0 bar fuel pressure regulator, potentially a better intercooler… but the main point would be to have a classic 900 that runs well, sounds great, and is comfortable. Oh, and fix the rust in the trunk.
2) Saab 9-3 Viggen
As pictured, only preferrably in a 5-door. I’d also except Steel Grey, but not that garish Electric Blue. The Viggen is the über-Saab, the combination of the small GM900 platform and the hottest motor from it’s bigger brother the 9-5, a torque-rich 2.3L turbo four. Sumptuous seats, great looking, mmm… daily driver.
3) A Merkur XR4Ti
Can you say, project car? The Merkur will have ultimate sleeper potential in a few years, when everyone has completely forgotten what they are. Of course, it’ll be a massive pain in the arse trying to find one, but that’s ok. Tremec T5 tranny swap, SVO head, BIG T3, big injectors, maybe MegaSquirt… gutted, caged, loud as an AC/DC concert, and sideways all the time.
4) Volkswagen Corrado SLC
The Corrado SLC was the first car I ever honestly lusted after. Well, to be honest I’m not sure if it was a G60 or an SLC, but when I first started wanting a car – at about age 13 – it was a Corrado. The car’s clean, minimalist lines still look fresh today, and the tight proportions and powerful stance make the Corrado look like more than the Golf-Passat bastard child hybrid it really was. But it was a fantastic car, and i’ve been told it’s good to buy the car your heart’s always desired at some point, so you know I’ll have to have a Corrado. I would just do a full 3″ exhaust with a Flowmaster and a test pipe, an induction kit, coilovers, TT brakes and some BBS RC wheels – like the Corrado pictured above. But make mine Emerald Green.
5) BMW E30 M3
The E30 M3 is a living classic, a tribute to when “M” stood for “Motorsport”, and from what I’ve always heard, an absolute handful and a half to drive. I’d probably feel guilty driving it, and chances are I’ll never be able to afford one – they’re pricey! but if my hypothetical house had a hypothetical garage, the M3′s what would be parked in it.
Of course that doesn’t leave room for the early Acura NSX, the Lotus Elise I’m buying when I strike it semi-rich, a V12 Mercedes (everyone should own one twelve-cylinder car, I think), an old Esprit Turbo, an origina 6-series… You know, sometimes cars are more like a plague than a past-time.
Fun!
Back in the day, I preferred the 9000 Aero to the 900, but the 900 has come to define the traditional Saab aesthetic for me and I like it more these days. The one fault – that whack-ass front wheel drive set up. Longitudinally mounted inline four with a transfer case-type thing redirecting the power back under the engine to the transmission? Oh man. That just scares me, James. I mean, what if it breaks? :shudder
In my garage, keeping my feet in the clouds and my head on the ground this time around, I’d probably go with the following handful of attainable prospects:
1. All three of our current vehicles, albeit closer to project completion:
A. Galant VR4 195/2000: Caged, logbook’d, prepped and ready for the next rally.
B. Galant VR4 464/1000: Repainted, nearly stock appearing, pristine example of “old school” Japanese touring car. (And a sort of M3 hunter in sheep’s clothing if I’m feeling saucy.)
C. Isuzu Amigo 4WD: Lightly lifted, proper desert exploration mods, turbo-diesel swap (from an NPR) to provide better mileage and enough grunt to tow 5,000lbs of rally car around.
2. The cruiser – An E38 7-Series. I’ve always loved the proportions of this particular generation. Large and in charge, without being overstated, this would be a great car for an all-tarmac road trip.
3. The money maker – Volvo 244. Round headlights, unassuming exterior appearance, plain old nasty powertrain beneath. Something wicked to this way comes. The Volvette has the twin turbo V8 thing nailed, so I might try something like a Cummins TDI. When someone rolls up next to a diesel Volvo, they think nothing of it, I bet. When that diesel brick stages next to your 911 at the race track, however, there might be some false confidence that could be exploited.
4. And then there’s the oddball, maybe something hand made from the ground up, tubular frame, cross between an Ariel Atom and a dune buggy of my own design.
Here’s to hypotheticals that don’t turn into an endless string of high school kids parroting Skyline, Supra, Konigsegg! Just remember, James, the wife will start pressuring you to free up the garage enough that she can get her one car in there after a year or so.
Oh yeah, and the Xratty? Very nice choice. An underground favorite in the North American rally community. Right wheel drive, unrestricted turbo, and a proven motorsports ability. Hell. I even enjoyed riding in my dad’s Sierra Estate company back in the early nineties in Germany. Red, 5 doors, 5-speed, that thing was pimp.
Jim, I took your advice and took the Genesis coupe for a test drive and was impressed with its performance but prefered the body style and handling of a 350Z much more. Although the Genesis has more power the the 2005 Z I drove and am planning on buying the Z was quicker off the line and handled much better in the turns.
Austin- it’s JAMES :)
glad to see you on our corner of the internet! Sorry i’ve been out of touch, my cell phone is disconnected for the time being. Email me and i’ll send you my current number.
As for the Genesis – did you drive a 4cyl or a V6?
The 350Z is a wonderful car, no doubt.
James, I drove a V6 and from a dead stop the 350Z was quicker, and handled much better, plus I’m partial to Nissans, my dad’s 1995 Maxima, still runs great, no major repairs, and still gives a decent ride. As opposed to my brothers 2002 Hyundaii Elantra which has had a annoying issues like headlights burning out at 40,000, while the Maxima has over 200,000 miles and still has the original headlights. I dont have your email address but phone me when you can, the 350Z is being shipped from Florida, its a 2005 with 27,000 miles which is pretty good, and is selling for 16,500. Oh I dont have your email address but you can email me at austin92024@yahoo. Talk later.
Awesome.
In case anyone’s worried about getting off topic, keep in mind that 5 years from now, James (like the rest of us) will still be standing around in the driveway, bullshitting about this car versus that car with friends.
It’s just what we do when we do what we do.
well put, Brian. That’s assuredly what I’ll be doing.
Oh great. Now you’ve done it. You’ve made me remember how I miss my 86 Saab 900 SPG. I loved that car. Bought it with 150K on the clock, immediately drove it around the country and finally decided it was time to let her go 100K miles later. Why did I do that??