And Now A Word From Our Sponsors

This week's posts are brought to you by the 1987 Subaru Justy.

Sadly my first car, an '88 Justy, didn't have the AWD option, thus denying me the opportunity to visit girlfriends on stormy nights. Aw, who am I kidding, I didn't have any girlfriends then, even though my hair wasn't too dissimilar to that of the protagonist. But still, I never let a little inclement weather get in the way of rallying the shitbox around, pushing its diminutive 12" Pirellis beyond their limits.

And Now A Word From Our Sponsors

This week's posts are brought to you by the 1987-89 Subaru Justy 4WD.
As I mentioned in a post a week and a half ago, my first car was an '88 Justy DL shitbox. However, only front wheel drive for me. But that certainly didn't stop me from trying (horribly) to emulate the Group B rally stars of the day once the snow flakes fell. Or when I would drive out to the gravel farm roads a half an hour or so south of my parent's south suburban Chicago home.

I'm not sure what magazine this was ripped from, but it appears to be an especially-lame edition of Bicycling Magazine where they ran a story about bicycle-related vanity license plates.
I bet they also had an eyeglass mirror shootout (comparison test).

Down on the Street - Taipei Edition

Justys!
My first car was one of these diminutive shitboxes. They're VERY rare cars in the US now, disposable in nature and very prone to rust.
These two were parked within a block of each other. I've probably only seen a half a dozen of these in the last 15 years.
These are both 1990-'94 models with slightly rounded styling. The silver one is even "Super Deluxe"!
I wonder if the Super Deluxe moniker means that it has an accessory cupholder.

Here's my first car - an '88 Justy DL just in case you care (I know you don't but it's my blog so I'm showing it anyway).

When I bought it as a two year-old car, 1990:
The luxurious and sporty interior:

also shown, the first of many nice stereos to be pried from the dashboard by thieves

The stomping 66 HP 3 cylinder, 9 valve engine, which once propelled me, assisted by both gravity and a strong tailwind, to an indicated 95 MPH:

not-so fun fact: The Justy was the last car sold in the US with a carburetor
Good friend Joe and the Justy, ready to head to Green Lake with a crappy sailboat on the roof

After four and a half years and 113,000 miles, the car had had enough. Despite my best efforts, Midwestern road salt had started taking it's toll, the cheap vinyl seats were splitting and it had an seemingly-unfixable electrical gremlin that made it sputter. I parted ways and traded it in on a then three year-old SAAB 900.

Down on the Street - Taipei Edition

When I spent seven hours wandering the streets of Taipei, I came across this oddity.
Don't let the badges fool you, the only VW-related part on this tiny transporter is the VW emblem up front.
Really nothing more than a Japanese Kei-class van that's undergone a nose-job and a re-spray to emulate the look of the first-generation of VW vans (aka the T1 Transporter).
One nice detail are the bumper overriders. Too bad the taillights are completely modern in style.

My friend Keith thinks that it may be a Subaru Sambar (edited 3/22):
The interior was also customized with, er, questionable taste:
Holy Red Sea! Check out the acrylic steering wheel:
But whatever, if it makes the owner happy, I'm cool with that. It certainly stands out in Taiwan's sea of bland cars.

List - Ten Cars I'll Own Before I'm Dead

For as long as I have been driving, I've kept a mental checklist of cars that I'll own before I'm dead. These are all "obtainable" cars - no fantasy-garage fodder - and most can be found in decent shape for less than $10k in today's market.

Allie and I have owned 13 cars during our seventeen years together. And during that time I've been able to strike a few cars off the list, including an original VW Beetle ('64), VW Bus ('68), Subaru WRX ('02) and a VW EuroVan ('01).

BMW 325i coupe (1988-91)
Now that we don't live in a cold-weather region, a RWD car without traction control or other safety nannies can make sense. "E30"-generation BMW 3-series cars are relatively light, nimble, very-well built, powered by a sweet I-6 engine, inexpensive to buy, insure and repair. Even the parts cost no more than comparable VW parts. 1988-91s have a nicer looking plastic bumper, replacing the "diving board bumpers" from the earlier models. Too bad the ultimate E30 - the first-generation M3 models are so expensive.

Citroën DS
I mentioned the DS in a post last week. Stunning mid-century modern/space-age design, a funky and buttery-smooth riding hydropneumatic suspension and plenty of French quirkiness.

Mazda MX-5 Miata (1994-97)
The authentic reinterpretation of the iconic British roadster, sans-reliability and rust issues. Like the BMW E30s, they're light, cheap, nimble and plentiful. Who cares that some label these as "chick cars" - those people won't know what they're missing. The 1994-97s are the last of the "NA" body style and had received some nice refinements from the early Miatas. I'll take one with a hardtop. Take it to the track!

Mercedes-Benz R107 (450/380/560SL)
This one might have to wait until I'm about 60 or so - it's somewhat of an old-man's (or old lady's) car. The R107-body SLs had an impressive 18 year run of this now-timeless design, during which it was available in the US with 4.5, 3.8 or 5.6 liter V8 engines. All silky smooth, and all unfortunately saddled with automatic transmissions. I'm not a big fan of convertibles, but what a great car for cruising Palm Springs or La Jolla. Screw it, I'll take one now.

Porsche 911 coupe (1988-89)
The most-expensive auto on the list represents the end of the run for the iconic 911. The last two model years of this sports coupe classic were spec'd with the upgraded G50 5-speed transmission, bolted to the air-cooled flat-six engine. Mine will be like the one pictured above: a coupe, metallic silver, Füchs wheels and NO spoiler. This particular example is hovering at $20k on eBay at the moment and is just about as perfect as an automobile can be.

Subaru Impreza WRX STI (2005)
The WRX wagon I drove from '04-'08 was arguably the best car I've ever owned. A super-versatile wagon that was super-capable in all weather conditions - especially when equipped with the seasonal snow tires. But the next WRX to grace my garage will be a 2005 STI propelled by a manic 300HP 2.5l turbo boxer engine. Delete the boy-racer bookshelf wing from the trunk and make sure it has the silver BBS wheels.

Toyota FJ40 Land Cruiser
Where can't an FJ40 go? Well, maybe the moon, but that's about it. For true truckiness, the FJ40 can't be beat. And Toyota's F-series engine can be repaired with no more than a rusty screwdriver and a pair of channel locks. That is, if you ever even need to repair it. This FJ makes the contemporary FJ Cruiser look like the bloated pig that it is.

Volkswagen GTI 2.0 16v (1990-92)
VW's "A2" chassis is my favorite. Still light and simple and free from the electrical gremlins that plagued A3 and A4s. The 2.0l version puts out a respectable 134 HP, enough for fun but not too much to get you in trouble.

Volvo P1800ES
Oh yeah, a two-door wagon. The P1800 was Volvo's take on a sports coupe. Built around Volvo's indestructible B-series motor and wrapped in a taught, efficient body. The ES ("estate") was only available during the last two model years, 1972-73, and offered a distinctive tailgate design which influenced the rear of Volvos C30 of the 2000s.

and something with a rear mid-engined layout
Ask a driving enthusiast what's the best layout for an automotive drivetrain, nine out of ten will tell you it's a rear mid-engine style. With favorable weight dynamics, it's been the layout of choice for many grand sports cars. I'm a bit more modest and would be happy with an early MR2. Early Porsche Boxster prices have dropped precipitously over the past couple of years, it's now possible to find clean, low-mileage examples for around $10k.

Okay, that's a lot of iron there. I better get on it and start knocking some of these off the list.