I love cars.
Now, you might be saying: “That’s no surprise”, or “understatement of the century”, or you may not know me at all. You know the old joke about vegans? If not, it goes like this:
How can you tell if someone is a vegan?
-How?
Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.
This can be extended to people who frequent Crossfit, as well. And me with cars. It’s kinda my thing. In fact, it’s historically been my biggest thing outside of my family (and even sometimes not outside). My poor wife has had to deal with my obsession for years. Good luck having a nice dinner conversation while seated outdoors. One engine sound and I’m out. I love learning about them (although learning new things at this point is few and far between), doing market research, finding rare cars, working on them, looking at them, etc, etc, etc. The rare part, especially. I take a lot of pride in finding and acquiring rare cars. I have owned a long list of cars, several very rare, and have loved them all for different reasons.
Well, I can’t really do that now.
The roads in Central America don’t really allow it. Also, the cars here are very different. Also, you can’t get a loan for a used car here. It’s cash or nothing, baby. To be honest, I don’t think I would pursue one anyway, considering how difficult buying one has been so far. Adding a loan into that mix would make it impossible. I’m guessing that they would require my first-born’s kidneys, or something.
I used to love going on long, spirited drives with friends. Some highlights include Black Canyon road in the Viper, Bogus Basin drives in the Fiesta ST, and evening drives in the Marlin. Here, though those would be a bit tougher. Black’s Canyon road would be going no faster than 30 mph because of traffic, Bogus Basin would be dirt and full of man-sized potholes, and the Marlin would have rusted into dust by now. Also: I don’t have any friends. That’s tough.
So, I had to pivot my hobby. I’m going to try off-roading here. I got a little taste of it in a 2021 Suzuki Jimny in Costa Rica. I loved the goddamn thing. One of the closest connections to a car I’ve felt in a long time, if I’m being honest. After my trip, I told my friends that very anecdotes, and they didn’t believe me. I sustained. If I could rank my favorite cars I’ve had, by gut feeling, it would go something like this:
- 2004 Pontiac GTO. Before I ruined it by upgrading it to oblivion. I still think about this car weekly.
- 1966 AMC Marlin. On summer days, you could see dust floating through the cabin while you were driving. It was a time machine, and a real moment.
- 2021 Suzuki Jimny. I know! I didn’t even own the damn thing. How do I describe this thing? It went everywhere and loved doing it.
- All the rest of them, all the way to 35 or whatever.
You can’t quit an obsession. Turning off those receptors in my brain is impossible. I still occasionally download the Cars.com app and shop for weird stuff. I’ve been out of the game now since mid-July. I feel like a tweaker switching to methadone. I need a chip to commemorate it. Every time I would normally sit down to watch Youtube videos about rare cars, I force myself to watch. videos about off-roading.
Old Garrett watched videos about obscure Imports.
Old Garrett made podcasts about
top 5 cars under $20k.
Old Garrett researched engine swap options in early 90’s minivans.
New Garrett watches videos about
mud tires.
New Garrett listens to podcasts about
top 5 lifted suspension brands.
New Garrett still does.
Old habits die hard. Lay off me.
I am optimistic for my new hobby. I really enjoyed driving rough roads when I got the chance, and I think it will be a good alley for my passions. It’s also a bit of a necessity considering where we live and the quality of roads. I hope my wife is patient with my exploration needs. I can already feel myself demanding that she accompany me on some trail I was told about. I’m sure, at least, it will be welcome respite from me constantly pointing out engine noises at dinner. And buying cars all the time.
the eventually home 