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Mini Cooper Coupe JCW: Brad revisits his youth

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This post comes to us from Brad, a friend of the Blythbros!

It’s 2001, I’m 14 and sitting in the driver’s seat of the “New” MINI at the Boston car expo.  Up to this point, the only car I have driven involves pedals, a lever that applies a metal rod to one of the rear wheels for “Braking”, and is badged “KETTLER”.  But in my mind and dreams, I have driven across the country a hundred times.  I picture myself driving this MINI, I depress the clutch and pull the gear lever into second *CLUNK*, then into third *CLUNK*, it feels like a straighter path into third than it should be.  I like it.  I reach for the center console where my eyes have caught sight of the gleaming row of toggle switches.  Tales of my father’s Jaguar XKE wash over me and my heart races as I flip them up and down.  The battery is disconnected so nothing happens but that’s not the point, the simple mechanical click is reward enough.  Then I hear my father’s voice, it is 10pm on a school night and we have to leave.  As we walk away I glance back and know that someday I’ll get to experience the vehicle that closest resembles my beloved KETTCAR.

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Porsche 911 Turbo: Owning an 80s Icon Part 1

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Guest post from Shannon at The Crashing Door

Day One (28 miles)

So the first 24hrs of 911 Turbo ownership….let’s first assess the current status. It’s 8:30pm, I am still at work, I am covered in oil, I smell like a I just crawled out of a catalytic converter and I’m soaked. Well, how did we get here (thank you David Byrne)?

So when I test drove the car in question (a 1986 911 Turbo aka 930) the owner mentioned that the oil level gauge was inconsistent and often wrong. I think OK, no problem, always manually check oil and get gauge fixed at the first service. Yesterday I note that the gauge reads at about a third. I get in the car this morning and spot a dollar coin size puddle of oil underneath the sump tank, I am slightly annoyed but I think to myself, “Self, you own a 911 now, this is part of the charm”. During the drive to work the gauge is reading lower than yesterday.  I am not alarmed but concerned. I decide to turn down any requests for rides and resolve to check the dipstick before I leave.

At 6pm I go down to the dark basement of the parking garage for the 5th time today to stare at the car. I say, “hey self, let’s check that ol’ dipstick before the ride home”. Consult the manual just to be sure and discover that you should check the oil with the engine running. Never heard of that before but hey, it’s part of the charm. Fire up the car, let it warm for a minute or two and consult again where the manual says the level should be. Remove oil cap, withdraw dipstick and oh ****. Oil is just barely on the tip. Put dipstick back in quickly and….!!!! The dipstick dodges its little guide and into the bowls of the oil tank it goes. AAAHHHH!

Winter on I-90

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This post and photos come from fellow Alfisti, Fred Russell.

The drive from the biggest city in Montana, Billings, to the small town of Sheridan Wyoming is about 120 miles. In the summer, traffic along I-90 usually flows at a little over 80 MPH. On the one sunny day between two good snow storms, was my choice to drive the route. The traffic was light and I assumed they’d be a little slower than the summer speeds. Most were… except for one knucklehead from the Seattle area doing 80 MPH. This highway heads through the Big Horn Valley crossing over the Little Bighorn River numerous times as it goes. I doubt very many members of the 7th Cavelry sent many postcards home when they passed through here in the summer of 1876.

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Those of us living in a coastal city may forget how critical the railroads are to industry. With the huge ships quietly coming and going at the port, usually far removed from our daily lives. That isn’t an option inland. The railroads are the heavy workers in places like the coal fields of Wyoming. (I watched 4 long coal trains go past in 4 hours this day.) With the Bighorn Moutains creating both a backdrop and a wind break, a train carries new American cars to points westward. Inside may be any number of cars built on these shores from BMW, Dodge, Jeep, Ford, Honda, Mercedes Benz, and more. I imagined the railcars were actually filled with Chevy trucks and that somehow they could sense they were passing an elderly cousin resting in the snow on that sunny day in Wyoming. That 1958 Cameo sat proudly with all of its trim, glass, and pieces showing just about the right amount of age, but not any abuse.

DIYAutoFTW founder Steve on his e28 BMW M5

This repost comes from Steve, the founder of DIYautoFTW  – more on that in the footer.

Sold my GTI and weighed my options. Picked the irresponsible one.

Although it served me faithfully for four years it was time for me to part ways with my 07 GTI. It was extremely versatile, I moved four times and it readily hauled surprising amounts of my stuff, covering hundreds of trips between Detroit, Flint, Milwaukee, and other faraway places in all types of weather with nary a stumble. It could also be very fun, although I hooned around a bit it always handled predictably and I never hit its limits. The only surprises came from the speeds I could go around corners with out drama. Yet after 70,000 miles it had grown boring and I had to change things up.

I was looking at a broad range of cars. I needed something fun and didn’t want a car payment. I don’t have a problem with getting my hands dirty once in a while to keep things running as well (happens when you own a 43 year old British car). I was looking at anything from swapped 2.5 RSs to E36 M3s. The sensible part of me wanted to forget all the potential problems of a used car and get a pre-owned WRX or G8 and be done with it. A warranty, less maintenance and hassle, no risk of being stranded on the side of the road. However after the passing of CosmicTDI and other life events I realized I wouldn’t be at this point in my life again. I’m engaged with no kids on the horizon for a little while but in 3 or 5 years my auto needs would change and would probably be less easy to rationalize. As an enthusiast I felt the need to get something I would really like while I could, even if it wasn‘t the most practical or “smart“ thing to get. Life is short and all that. So my search focused on cars I always wanted and knew would be a blast and interesting to own. I wasn’t thinking reliability be dammed but it wasn’t as high on my list anymore. I ended up finding the perfect car.

Trollhättan Turbo: 300k mile 1989 Saab 900 Turbo

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Andrew provided us with the photos and the following to say about his Saab:

“At 300,000 miles young, we like the burble of this Swedish sled. It only gets better as a whine overpowers it and boost creeps in, typical of the laggy days of yore. Its nimble reflexes that gave it a rally pedigree almost make you forget it can also swallow half that Ikea store.”

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