I’ll be the first to admit, kind of a strange subject.  As I drove into work today (listening to the Car Talk Pod Zunecast, I thought back to something one of our friends said when she first saw my “new” car, a 1988 Saab 900 SPG (SPG = Special Performance Group, it means it has a tweaked suspension, 3 spoke Ronal wheels, and a custom body kit).  Mind you, I’ve wanted an SPG since my youth, because I thought the body kit and the wheels were just the business (to quote TopGear).

But then I thought about my car history.  My first car, a 1984 Ford Escort, with a stick, was one of the last times I really ever owned a car without something special.  Without, what my friend Becky called, character.  Character?  In a car?

Yeah, as I’ve looked back over my car history, character is what they all (since that Escort) have in common.  Here’s the rundown:

• 1984 Ford Escort – I guess even it had a little character, as it was a manual transmission.  Even as crappy as it was, it was more fun than driving a slushbox.
• 1984 Honda Civic – I got lucky because the previous owner of this car wanted a car with character as well.  Before I bought it (after a lady totaled my Escort for me), the previous owner had swapped it to a CRX transmission, so it was a 5-speed, rather than a 4.  He had also seen fit to swap the exhaust and interior out of a CRX into it, so it sounded better, and had a much sportier interior.  This car is where I got my customization bug.  Custom 13” (hey, I was poor, and it was the 90s) polished Prime 5-spoke wheels, took the nuts off of the torsion bars for a week, because it seriously slammed the car.  Of course, then it seriously slammed my kidneys over every little bump.  Raised the front back up and cut the springs in the rear (I was young and dumb), so it was lowered by 3” all the way around.  Alpine head unit, MB Quart components, Phoenix Gold amp, and (after blowing 6 MTX Blue Thunders in a month) a JL Audio 12W1 sub.  Custom “clear” corners, blue neon kit, etc.  I loved that car.  I sold it to go on my mission, and it would seem it was sold at the right time, as the heater core died shortly after I sold it, as did the transmission.
• 1989 Honda Civic – My mom found this car for me while I was on my mission.  It was an automatic, gold with a brown interior.  Not the combination I would have chosen, but I can’t complain.  I came to MTSU in this car, and it was my education in engine modifications, in many ways.  I started hanging out at HotRods in Murfreesboro, where a great guy named Mark Dugan let me learn from him how it should be done.  I put the 13” Prime wheels back on this car, put a Nakayama muffler with a 5” tip (hey, I was young and stupid, still) on it, built a custom intake, put Suspension Techniques 2.5” springs on it, upgraded the suspension bushings and made the car a blast to drive, especially through the twisties.  Unfortunately, I let my brother-in-law drive it after I had to have the head replaced on it (I didn’t know mechanical stuff well enough then to do it), and the PnP head was too much for the weak bottom end, and I ended up with a car that had a grenaded piston in the oilpan, and no money to fix it.  And, I had just gotten married.
• (We’ll ignore the Taurus, because that was officially Zoni’s, not mine, and it had no character)
• 1997 Dodge Neon – OK, admittedly, this car started with no character.  Baseline, automatic in white with the cheap, flimsy seats.  Oh, but what an education this car was… By the time I traded it for the Omni below, it had been swapped to a 5 speed Manual out of an R/T, with a Stage 2 Luk clutch, I had redone the exhaust system, swapped cams to a Crane #12 grind, swapped to the Mopar PCM, put an Iceman intake on it, taken the Iceman off to use a custom PVC intake manifold and intake setup, put a small Hawker battery in for lighter weight, pull the interior out, ported and polished the head (after I tossed a timing belt and had to have the head resurfaced anyway), had the head milled down .050”, and it was really my only drag racing car that I ever used often.  I took it down the 1/8 and 1/4 mile strips more times than I can remember, and it never failed on the track.  It eventually ran mid 9s in the 1/8th, which was a huge improvement over the 11.76 it originally ran.  It ran high 14s in the 1/4, which for a SOHC Neon, without a turbo or nitrous, is pretty darn good.  It was easily one of my favorite cars, but when it tossed a second timing belt doing 65 and the valves were so bent I had to pound them out with a hammer, I started looking for a new engine.  Thought I had a lead on a 2.4 out of a Stratus for a good price, and then the price changed when I went to pick it up.  So, I offered it up in trade and got the Omni instead.
• 1989 Volvo 745ti (740 Turbo Wagon) – Officially, this was Zoni’s car, but I fell in love with it.  It was a manual, which she balked at when we first got it, but then she fell in love with it as well.  Eventually, I was the demise of it.  My friend Scott, who had originally turned me on to the turbobrick with his 1984 Turbo Wagon that I eventually ended up with, helped me turn the boost up from the paltry 7psi it was running stock, to 15psi.  Since that time, I’ve been a total boost junkie.  15psi in that car, especially in the wet, was downright dangerous, as it would easily get sideways.  I don’t think I ever realized how much of a drift machine I had at that time.  If I had realized it, I probably would never have gotten rid of it.  It ended up with a gutted catalytic converter (due to a bit of a fire), running 15psi and that’s all it really needed.  Until I forgot to check the transmission fluid.  On Christmas Day 2003, the transmission packed in 3rd and 4th gears, and it sat in our driveway, largely because, at the time, I didn’t know that M47s from 240s could work in 740s.  Oh, how stupid I was…
• 1984 Volvo 745ti – Scott’s old car.  He had moved to Missouri, and left the car in TN.  I was in dire need of some kind of transportation, and he couldn’t get it licensed because it had no cat and a Supertrapp muffler.  Man, you could hear the turbo spool in that car.  It sounded like a Peterbilt spooling a Holset.  I only drove it for about 3 months, but took it to the track at US43 in Ethridge, TN, and running 20psi on 115 octane race fuel (hey, it had no cat), it ran a 9.3 in the 1/8th at 80mph.  That shows how much I sucked on the launch.  I sold both this car and the 1989 Volvo as a package.  We were really in need of the moolah, or I never would have done it.  Still wish I hadn’t.
• 1995 Pontiac Bonneville SE – Zoni’s car, I don’t claim it, as I hated driving it (though it was comfy), but it had no real character
• 1985 Dodge Omni GLH – My foray into the Turbo Dodge world.  I traded the Neon for this car, and I have to admit, it was a bit of a basket case.  Luckily, my buddy Kevin (owner of Shelby GLHS #592) is a Turbo Dodge genius (IMO), and he was able to help me work some things out.  When I got it, it was only running about 4-5 psi of boost.  It had been converted to a TII spec with a StarQuest intercooler, so 15psi shouldn’t have been a problem.  Well, we found out later on that the nuts holding the turbo to the manifold were missing, so it was a miracle that it didn’t just fall off.  I got the last set of 13mm nuts from Turbo Auto in Nashville (actually for a Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, but I didn’t mind) and we fixed it up.  The car was a total and complete BEAST at 12psi.  Torque steer that nearly landed me in the ditch a number of times.  It had no heat, the turn signal ended up breaking on me, the paint was shot, the interior was FAR too small for me, and L-bodies just really aren’t made for daily drivers.  I didn’t care, I still loved driving the thing.  I took it out the day after Christmas 2004 (something about Christmas time and my turbo cars and transmissions), and noticed that it seemed even faster than normal.  Well, I peeked over at my boost gauge and saw why: 20psi!  The engine held it fine, and it was like a rocket.  The transmission however…  Well, the spider gear decided it wanted to see daylight, so it blow a hole right through the middle of the weak 525 transmission, and that was the end of my fun.  I never did fix it, and nobody every wanted to buy it, so I had to scrap it due to the man coming down on my in-laws in Smyrna.  Stupid city ordinances.  But the TD bug had bitten me.  So my next car was…
• 1987 Shelby CSX (#76) – I got lucky on this car.  I had been looking at a 1987 Shelby Lancer (#71) in North Carolina, but it just seemed too big, and it had a number of small issues I didn’t want to deal with.  The CSX came up on the SDML if I remember correctly, and I fell in love immediately.  I got ahold of the owner, who lived in Chicago, and we discussed the car at length.  It was stock, except for the addition of a boost gauge and air/fuel gauge; the seats were pretty shredded, and the paint was faded, but the rare wheels were in great shape, all of the Shelby stuff was there, and it ran great.  I flew up to Chicago, had him pick me up at O’hare, and we went to his apartment, where I test drove the car, immediately loved it, and traded the money for the car.  I drove it home with no problems, no issues, and it was great.  I only modified it slightly, because it was a numbered car.  I put a DSM blow-off valve on it, a new head unit in it and nice Memphis speakers up front.  I loved the car, and took it to the track once, where the best it could do (due to traction issues) was a 9.67 in the 1/8th.  It was a great car, and one of the worst decisions I ever made was to trade it away.  I NEVER should have gotten rid of this car, and if I could get it back today, I would…
• 1987 Shelby CSX (#657) – We actually bought this for my brother-in-law (the same one who blew up my Civic, what was I thinking).  I forgot an important thing about Turbo Dodges when I got this car for him.  TDs are great cars, but you do have to have some sense of mechanical aptitude to own them. We got this car in St. Louis, along with an extra block, pistons, rods, a bathtub head, the original Centurion IIs and a set of 15” vintage Momo 5-star wheels.  On the way home from St. Louis, the alternator gave up the ghost.  My brother-in-law and I then drove back up the next day, replaced the alternator in 40 degrees and a thunderstorm, and drove it home.  Eventually, it blew up.  It started overheating on him and he put oil in it instead of water, which blew the head gasket.  The car was a bit of a basket case, so I ended up trading it for a 1984 Daytona Turbo Z (with saddle brown interior). 
• 1984 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z – The car was a basket case from the beginning, and my lack of a garage became an issue.  It needed the fuel pump replaced, which I did in the middle of winter outside on the ground, but it still had a number of issues, including a bad front wheel bearing, which is why I eventually sold it.  It was unique, and quite a looker, but it just wasn’t for me.  I only owned it for about 4 months and sold it to a girl from Michigan who was going to fully restore it.
• 1988 Dodge Lancer Shelby – The worst car I have ever owned, the biggest mistake I have ever made.  I, stupidly, traded CSX #76 for this car.  I wanted a bigger car that wasn’t numbered, so I wouldn’t feel guilty about modifying it and cranking up the boost.  Originally, I was going to trade the CSX for an ‘85 Shelby Charger that had a Super 60 turbo, and all the engine goodies, but he could never get the thing to prime correctly, and ended up blowing up his oil pump before we could trade.  Unfortunately, I had made my mind up to trade, so I decided to trade for the Lancer.  I drove to North Carolina to trade it, and on the way, the axle boot on the passenger side ripped and was flapping on the highway.  The turbo bearings were whining in the CSX, and the clutch was about done, but I had all of the parts to replace, just not the time.  When I first saw the Lancer, my heart sunk.  It was not in great shape, it was only running about 6psi, it had one of the worst suspensions I’ve ever felt, and something just didn’t feel right about it.  But, because I was worried about the cost of having to replace the axle in the CSX, and the turbo, and the clutch, I went ahead and traded for the Lancer.  I have to say, except for the one time that I was an idiot and ran it out of gas, the car ran well, for the most part.  The interior was pretty crappy, both front fenders were banged up, as was the header panel, and the paint was awful.  It did have a 3" turbo-back exhaust, and it did have a good 555 tranny that shifted well.  It didn’t like to run a lot of boost (12 psi caused it to cough and spit), and it drank oil like a tanker.  I eventually lost the keys to it, because I had to stop driving it, due to it having the wrong tags on it.  It was parted out, and then taken by a scrap dealer.  It had character, just a bad one…
• 1990 Volvo 765ti – Perhaps good “carma” was on my side on this purchase.  A professor was moving from Memphis to Washington state, and needed to get rid of this car quickly.  The A/C didn’t work, the driver’s seat was tearing and the paint was pretty rough, but it ran very well, and I bought it for well under book value.  The first mission was to get rid of the butt ugly, old man wheels on it.  I found a decent set of 16” Hydras for it, swapped those on, and improved the looks of the car 150%.  I put a cone filter on it, put my JoeP Manual Boost Controller on it, put a boost and air/fuel meter in it and turned it up to 15psi.  It was an automatic, which was a downside, but it was very comfortable and ran very well.  The tranny would slip, especially when it was cold, and to be honest, it’s probably on it’s way out, so I never took it to the track.  But at 15psi, it would get down the road.  I had a few minor things I had to fix here and there with it, but overall it was a great car until September of ‘08.  The fuel pump relay died, but unfortunately, I didn’t figure that out until I had replaced:
• Mass Air Flow sensor
• Fuel Pressure regulator
• Removed the inline fuel pump
• Replaced the in tank fuel pump with a Walbro (that seized because I forgot to ensure the sock filter was on it)
• Replaced the in tank fuel pump again
• So, I replaced all of that over a 10 month period, and that made me decide it was time to move on.  The car was running well again, but the stupid Fuel Pump relay would occasionally overheat, leaving the car not running until it cooled down.  So I traded it for the Saab.
• 1981 Volvo 242 Turbo – I originally saw this car in the front yard of the original owner, and fell in love with it, but he wanted $1500 for it.  Well after a few months, and a turbo that was in the throes of death, he dropped the price on it.  It is very straight, has the M46 (overdrive doesn’t work), it ran, though with the turbo eventually seizing, it is extremely slow, but it’s a good solid old car.  I was going to trade it for the Saab, but after the potential buyer couldn’t get the 12B replacement turbo on the car, we decided instead to trade the wagon for the Saab.  I still own this car, and will at some point get the 12B turbo on it, and use it for a weekend car again.  It’s too fun of a car to drive for me to get rid of right now.
• 2002 Volvo V70 XC – Another Volvo turbo wagon.  I wish this was “MY” car, but it’s Zoni’s.  It’s a great car, very comfy, very quick, very good looking.  It’s our response to not wanting another mini-van.  We LOVE it.
• 1988 Saab 900 SPG – Ah, finally to the car I currently drive.  I traded the wagon for this car, and it has a few issues.  The wastegate is shot on the turbo, so unless I pull the vacuum line to it, all I see is about 4psi of boost.  The front motor mount is shot, so I get vibrations, and a somewhat less than solid feel from the shifter.  The dash is cracked (as most 900s are), the paint is peeling on the hood, but the body panels are in good shape, the wheels are in good shape, and even on only 4 psi of boost, it’s a BLAST to drive.  It corners better than any car I’ve ever owned.  I have yet to make the tires squeal, and I’ve tried.  It has great brakes, and is setup as a TRUE European sports coupe.  I’ve always heard about the Saab magic, and now I get it.  It’s a quirky little car.  It gets looks from children every time I pass them.  It looks like nothing else on the road today, and it’s FULL of character.

So that’s the story.  I looked at buying “sensible” cars, like a Camry, or Accord or what have you, but they just don’t fit me.  They don’t have the kind of character I’m looking for.  I’ll probably always be that guy who drives the quirky older turbo-charged car, because I care more about character than just getting from point A to point B.  I can do without the creature comforts of newer cars (like AC, etc.) because I want to drive something that honestly puts a smile on my face every time I drive it.  If life truly is an adventure (and I believe it is), then shouldn’t you enjoy the trip?