A 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.