living in southern california, wheels are an absolute must. i live in santa monica and i throw a quarter to the tide shuttle ever so often but i'm not dedicated enough to get on a bus to trek to chinatown for dim sum. i can get around my ocean park neighborhood and venice easy enough by foot. but once someone mentions rounding up east of lincoln, i start to panic a little. right now, i'm sharing an extra family car with my sister who's visiting my generous aunt and uncle who are loaning us their spare wheels. and it's a pain to figure out the shared car schedule sometimes. in short, without a car here, you're somewhat paralyzed.
i'm a fan of reinvigorated and reissued classics. think old school with modern amenities like push button windows and butt warmers. i've always wanted to own a classic car but my uncle mike (a collector of motorcycles and vintage rides) told me that if i ever owned one, i should probably take a few mechanic courses at the local community college. he explained to me that owning vintage wheels took work and that i should know how to take care of my baby. he's right. we used to have a neighbor that had a mint 1940s ford truck. our neighbor made that baby shine. he was constantly rubbing her down with wax. he also had the hood up almost weekly tinkering away. the only thing i'm that committed to is my sleep.
i bought the new beetle in 1998. like a lot of people, i obsessed about it for years. i caught a glimpse of the bulbous vehicle in a car show in boston (mid 90s) and knew that i would own it one day. when i moved to california in 1996 i leased a VW golf just to get a feel for the engine. the new beetle roll-out was late and i extended my lease, eventually purchasing one. i put something like 25,000 miles on it in less than two years and then sold it and moved to new york city...a place where getting in a car is a rare occasion.
now that i'm back in socal i'm car shopping again. i already know what i want. i'm getting the new mini. no surprise. but it's taking me longer than expected to commit to it. my family is worried a big SUV will run me over. for the record, my brother drives an escalade. it is a company car/gift and it makes me crazy thinking about how much gas he's burning. however, i've ridden in the monster and it's ridiculously comfortable. it's about the same size as a $1200 per month studio in manhattan. no lie. so yeah, the mini...i just can't lock down the color and other crazy variables. i know i'm getting it with the ipod adapter because yeah, one day i'll own one of those too. i'm told by various dealerships that from the time that i place my order until receipt of vehicle is about two to three months. hmm...why not? i waited nearly half a decade for the new beetle.
i'm also down with station wagons these days. seriously, they rock. we've contemplated the volvo and bmw family mobiles. we ran into friends, teresa and bod in their audi station wagon not too long ago. that car was pimpin’. it was looking sweet, sporty and surprisingly, slick. i'd like to get a used wagon. a couple of years old. in a city where wheels are upgraded every 24 months, you can save a bundle on pre-owned mint condition cars. we've got some more researching to do but i think we're nearly ready.
i fantasize about living in a single car family (like before) but with either don milvio or i commuting to work via bicycle or foot. some friends claim you can get everywhere via public transportation. they are right. but i don't want to go visit my friends in culver city with the trip there lasting as long as the time i have to spend with them. new york city really spoiled us in regards to public transportation. damn we had it good.
i drive like an old lady now. i've had that one accident that scars you for a long, long time (has anyone ever shut down the 101 for you)? if i had my druthers, i wouldn't be driving at all. but i'll make my peace and get behind the wheel and meet you for a bite. until then, it's my adidas that's taking me everywhere.
