As if having a Frankenfender wasn't bad enough, some major suspension parts under the rear of the Bronco decided they were underappreciated and vacated the premises.
Now we're down to one vehicle of three (My Puick is down until it gets new tires and inspection, and I haven't decided yet if it's worth it.) Can't drive Bruce until he's fixed (to the tune of $175, if we buy the parts and fix it ourselves. By "ourselves" I mean my husband, since I'll be at work.) I think to myself... how many cars are at Dad's this week? Hmm.
So I call Dad. No preamble, no explanation.
Me: "Hey, Dad. Which vehicle are you letting me borrow for a week?"
Dad: "I'm taking the Subie down for tires and picking up the Buick."
Me: "Okay, can I drive the Buick?"
Dad: "You'll have to give me a ride home. Be there in 15 minutes."
*pause*
Dad: "Why do you need a vehicle?"
This is why Dad is cool. :-)
I now have the land yacht for a few days. It's big, it's heavy, it's got boatloads of power, it eats roads and fuel, and oh yeah, it's big. Here's to retro! They sure don't make 'em like that any more.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Color Wheels
As I mentioned in the Viper post, I've been partial to blue cars with white stripes for a long time. Ever since I saw a photo of a skunk-striped '68 Camaro, I've drooled... add that color scheme to a mid-60's Mustang fastback, Chevelle, Dodge Ram; whatever the vehicle, it will catch my eye.
When hubby and I were truck-hunting a few years ago, the one thing we agreed on was that the truck would be medium to dark blue. Unless, of course, a really sharp dark green one came along at the right price. But the Bronco swayed us. While it's technically blue (according to the paint specs), it isn't a shade we'd have normally considered, and I still say it's lavender. The silver second color makes it look sharp so I'm not complaining.
So... now we're car-hunting, and of course "blue" was my first and foremost request. After six months of eyeballing cars I realized that I've also been attracted to that metallic orange color so prevalent now. I really noticed it for the first time some 10 years ago on a Mitsubishi Eclipse and since then it's been in my peripheral vision. (I believe I referred to it as "burnt pumpkin" back then.) For a while I had my mind made up- Toyota in indigo- but with so many cars out there to choose from, wishy-washiness was inevitable. The blue that Mazda is using on their cars is quite nice, but the same model in orange drags my eyes to it like a tractor beam. Then, of course, there's that funky mint/pea/sage green on the Malibu and Subaru, among others, and that's turning my head as well. (The only downside to that one: manufacturers seem to put tan/beige interiors in all green cars. I want gray or charcoal; I hate beige.)
Not only do I have to make up my mind on which CAR to get, but now which COLOR. Will it be the initial indigo Toyota? If so, which model; the Corolla LE, Corolla S, or Matrix? What if a good deal on a Camry comes along? How about that orange Mazda6? Or the blue one? Or a green Impala or Legacy? And just to throw a wrench in the gears, I really like the black-and-silver Bajas. I have never been fond of black, red, or white cars but that one looks good to me. So does yellow. Maybe a yellow Mazda3 or Baja... My husband hates yellow cars/trucks but that's another color that (on certain vehicles) strikes my fancy. He told me "get what you want, you're the one driving it." Ack! I hope, come February, that a vehicle speaks to me like our Bronco did. When that happens, all bets are off... I could end up bringing home a red Buick wagon. *sigh*
Oh wait, I DO want a red Buick wagon... this one:
Have seen it twice parked next to the Carlisle grounds. LOVE it!!!
When hubby and I were truck-hunting a few years ago, the one thing we agreed on was that the truck would be medium to dark blue. Unless, of course, a really sharp dark green one came along at the right price. But the Bronco swayed us. While it's technically blue (according to the paint specs), it isn't a shade we'd have normally considered, and I still say it's lavender. The silver second color makes it look sharp so I'm not complaining.
So... now we're car-hunting, and of course "blue" was my first and foremost request. After six months of eyeballing cars I realized that I've also been attracted to that metallic orange color so prevalent now. I really noticed it for the first time some 10 years ago on a Mitsubishi Eclipse and since then it's been in my peripheral vision. (I believe I referred to it as "burnt pumpkin" back then.) For a while I had my mind made up- Toyota in indigo- but with so many cars out there to choose from, wishy-washiness was inevitable. The blue that Mazda is using on their cars is quite nice, but the same model in orange drags my eyes to it like a tractor beam. Then, of course, there's that funky mint/pea/sage green on the Malibu and Subaru, among others, and that's turning my head as well. (The only downside to that one: manufacturers seem to put tan/beige interiors in all green cars. I want gray or charcoal; I hate beige.)
Not only do I have to make up my mind on which CAR to get, but now which COLOR. Will it be the initial indigo Toyota? If so, which model; the Corolla LE, Corolla S, or Matrix? What if a good deal on a Camry comes along? How about that orange Mazda6? Or the blue one? Or a green Impala or Legacy? And just to throw a wrench in the gears, I really like the black-and-silver Bajas. I have never been fond of black, red, or white cars but that one looks good to me. So does yellow. Maybe a yellow Mazda3 or Baja... My husband hates yellow cars/trucks but that's another color that (on certain vehicles) strikes my fancy. He told me "get what you want, you're the one driving it." Ack! I hope, come February, that a vehicle speaks to me like our Bronco did. When that happens, all bets are off... I could end up bringing home a red Buick wagon. *sigh*
Oh wait, I DO want a red Buick wagon... this one:
Have seen it twice parked next to the Carlisle grounds. LOVE it!!!
Next-Gen Challenger
There she be, the Challenger scheduled to arrive for 2008. I like the shape, I like the color, I like the retro styling. This is what Chrysler should have done with the new Charger. Instead, they made the Charger into a "performance sedan" with 4 doors and a DVD player for the kiddies in the backseat (!!!). This Challenger looks truer to its roots as a musclecar. It does remind me a bit of the first-gen Camaros, even more than the new prototype Camaro does. This is not a bad thing. The Charger and proto-Camaro are studies in excess, while this Challenger just looks like a nice mean street machine. I bet the modders can't wait to get ahold of one! Heck, I can't wait to see one on the lot myself. I'm curious as to how many tweaks they'll add before the actual production.
Decisions, Decisions!
Hmm, should I get the orange one?
Or the blue one?
I can't decide! Aw, I'll just take both!
(I've always wanted a blue and white Viper hardtop. Well, a blue and white anything, actually...)
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Lunch on the fly!
A fella I work with, Tom, has a 40th Anniversary Edition Mach I Mustang. He brought it to work today and floored me when he asked if I wanted to drive it at lunch. My reply: "Are you serious?!" Well, he was. I was a bit nervous, so I didn't go balls-out, but on the way back he was driving and punched it and WOW what a thrill! Car just screams... or roars, maybe, is the correct word. It was cool. Thanks Tom!
A Man and His Mustang
A Man and His MustangMonday, July 10, 2006
Home Again, Home Again
The Chrysler show was great! There was an incredible turnout with a ton of fantastic cars.
- I beat my husband on the tire-change challenge at the Mopar booth!
- Got to sit in a Barracuda convertible!
- Test-drove three new cars: Chrysler Crossfire coupe, Dodge Caliber, and Charger R/T. Crossfire was disappointing, Caliber looked neat but felt cheap (hey, base price is just over 13 grand after all), and the Charger was fun but so far removed from the original that it was like driving a luxury family sedan, not a hot-rod.
- Saw Bill Goldberg again. He was cool as usual. His car was sweet too. Thanks BG!
- Special thanks to the folks at More Than Tires. We bought new rubber at the show and they installed our tires at lunchtime on a Sunday, down the road at their shop.
- The new Challenger
conceptreality was on display. If only they'd given the same old-school look to the new Charger! The Challenger is, simply put, done right. Very impressive. - I'm still undecided on the concept Imperial. It's... different.
- My brother wouldn't let me take any pictures of him. He said to take a pic of the cutaway turbo-diesel engine instead and stated that it was what his brain looked like. I think we ate more in two days than he usually does, but we "warned" him that food was high on our to-do list so he went along with it. Nobody comes home hungry on our trips!
- As usual, we met some great folks and saw some spectacular vehicles. Never seen so many Hemis in one place! We had a dream of hearing them all fire up at once... wouldn't that just be the most incredible thing ever?!?
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Gearing up for Chryslers!
Almost ready for Carlisle again! I really should feel guilty about taking Saturday off. My boss is on vacation, and I usually take over for him when he's gone. If we're not there the site supervisor fills in. None of us three will be there this weekend, and my own fill-in is off as well. But even though I'm concerned about who's going to run what, I really don't feel guilty. I worked on our wedding anniversary last weekend, and I'll be supervising for the next two weeks while my boss is off fishing in Florida, so they can just deal. It's car-show time!
I think we're going to fly by the seats of our pants for this one. Our original plan was to spend Friday and Saturday night camping near the show since the local hotel rates have been jacked up to ridiculousness. Then my hubby found out he'd be working late Friday so we aren't going tomorrow night. The campground has a 2-night minimum... still cheaper than one night in even the scuzziest roach motel but it's 30 bucks we could use elsewhere. There's supposed to be a first-come-basis primitive camping area near the show grounds so we're going to take the risk and hope it's both open and not full on Saturday night. If it is, we'll either sleep in the truck (not the first time) or drive home and go back Sunday. I'd rather not do the latter but we're just a couple hours away so if it comes to that, well, it's what we would have spent to stay going in the gas tank instead.
I really don't care how it all pans out. We'll be there Saturday! Whee!
I think we're going to fly by the seats of our pants for this one. Our original plan was to spend Friday and Saturday night camping near the show since the local hotel rates have been jacked up to ridiculousness. Then my hubby found out he'd be working late Friday so we aren't going tomorrow night. The campground has a 2-night minimum... still cheaper than one night in even the scuzziest roach motel but it's 30 bucks we could use elsewhere. There's supposed to be a first-come-basis primitive camping area near the show grounds so we're going to take the risk and hope it's both open and not full on Saturday night. If it is, we'll either sleep in the truck (not the first time) or drive home and go back Sunday. I'd rather not do the latter but we're just a couple hours away so if it comes to that, well, it's what we would have spent to stay going in the gas tank instead.
I really don't care how it all pans out. We'll be there Saturday! Whee!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
