If you can't follow your dream, change it?
***WARNING! Lengthy blog about my cars.***
After much deliberation and some turning of events, I’ve decided on some vehicular changes.
First off let’s discuss the All-Trac project. The All-Trac wasn’t supposed to be a project. I spent a good amount of time searching the nation the last few years for an All-Trac that was a good balance of condition and cost. I had saved my first one that got wrecked in 2007 as a parts car, and I was looking for something that would allow that. After finally finding the one that fit that bill, coinciding with a time when I had the funds, I scooped it up. I managed a cheap flight to Milwaukee, WI, managed a shuttle to the owner, had good rapport with him, and even a mostly trouble free drive home (did get a stupid ticket in PA for driving a non-registered vehicle…um, I just BOUGHT it?...whatever), and even managed good gas mileage. Yet within a week of getting it home, the car decided to eat itself. My luck ran out as it were. It basically blew the head, started knocking badly, and no compression on 2 of the 4 cylinders. Begin PROJECT. (hurts just thinking about it lol)
I was basically thinking that I’d take the opportunity to use my other wrecked All-Trac I had saved as a donor car, and do a complete engine rebuild. Being that I had most of the parts at my disposal (some in doubles), it wasn’t going to be a huge cost, and essentially the end result would be an All-Trac in great shape with an engine in tip top shape. It’s what I was HOPING the new car was going to be without having to do this. But that wasn’t an option now. This option would at least get me to what I was hoping to have.
There are 2 main issues with this situation however. First is time. I’ve been teaching 7 days a week for a good amount of time now. Every now and again a day off squeezes through. When this happens however, it’s usually last minute, plus I’m usually not in the mood to go wrenchin’ on the car, even if I happen to be in luck with weather. Which brings me to the second issue.
I don’t have a garage. Both of my All-Tracs are up on jackstands in my driveway/yard. Space isn’t all THAT much of an issue, but weather and storage are. I have enough room to work on the cars, but when it’s dark, even droplights and such aren’t the best solution. Especially since I can’t leave them out. Also, I have to bring out and pack up my tools everytime. If I had a garage where I could work at my leisure barring weather and daylight, I’d be much more prone to working on it, even if it was small bits at a time. The free time I can scrape up often occurs in the wee hours. Also, it often seems that the setup and teardown for working on my vehicles everytime is a job in itself.
I really want a running All-Trac. However, my current All-Trac situation isn’t really syncing up with what my current life situation has in store for me at the moment. Now when I pull into my driveway I have 2 All-Tracs staring me down. 2 of a car that’s super rare to begin with. A car that is high on my list of ultimate cars to own. Yet, I find myself in a position that really leads me to a point where I feel it’s time to move on. Cut and run.
I don’t feel like I got ripped off on the second All-Trac. I got what I paid for. The car is/was in great condition, and ran great when I purchased it and immediately subjected it to a 1000 mile road trip. There is always some sort of risk factor when buying a used car, especially a 21 year old one. It’s just extremely unfortunate that the risk kicked in a week into ownership. It’s even more unfortunate that it culminated at a time in my life when the main factor for repair is time, something I don’t have a lot of to be able to offer.
I also feel that keeping these 2 cars just sitting and barely getting touched or worked on is also a bit on the wrong side. There is a small niche market for these cars, and the parts associated with them. There are some enthusiasts that will be able to put what I have sitting in my driveway to much better use than what I am doing. Also, it’s quite likely that between the 2 cars and all my extra parts and such, I can probably recoup most of my financial investment, or more, if I’m patient and thorough.
There are other events that also pertain to this. First off is my Sentra. Poor, poor, little beater car lol. This car has been ever faithful, and ever ridden hard by me. It’s up to 146k miles. That’s 102k logged by me. Kinda goes without saying that they’re not of the easy kind of mileage. However, the car chugs right along in typical Nissan fashion. It’s not without it’s issues. It’s starting to show it’s age. It needs a bunch of little trivial work done to it. It’s beginning to look like the old beat up econobox it’s turning into. It’s old faithful, but the car does nothing for my soul. I’ve owned it over 8 years now, and I love the car for what it is, but it doesn’t soothe my soul. It isn’t fun. It isn’t a dream car. It’s a workhorse really.
My sister is in the market for such a vehicle. She has her Del Sol (about her equivalent to my All-Trac) which she adores, but she wants another vehicle to take the brunt of routine, so her Honda is at less risk, and can be a little more babied. My sister also owns a 1981 Datsun 210, the older brother to my Sentra per se, that’s not running, but probably could be (you know, if SHE had the time :-p). She had great luck with those old Datsun/Nissans. As opposed to being in the market and searching all over for such a car, when the premiums on these good mpg cars are going up, I have one that would work for her. Keep it in the family, you know?
Tack on now the other factor. I’m going to be buying my friend Vin’s car. He has a 2002 Subaru Impreza 2.5rs that he’s selling for a few personal reasons. This car is one of the few cars of modern bulld that I like. It’s basically the successor to the All-Trac in spirit. It’s a car that’s focus is on an AWD drivetrain. It’s a shame the car’s not a WRX, for the fun factor, but for a daily driver, the lack of a turbo (and turbo lag) is more convenient. Plus, their 2.5 motor is tried and true, and reliability is always tantamount in a daily driver. My main complaint with the Subarus of 2002 onward was lack of 2 door/coupe models. I’m of the mindset that performance cars should be 2 doors, or at least be available in 2 doors. 2 doors look less like family cars and more like sports cars. I like sports cars. There’s a reason that you don’t see 4 door Lamborghinis and Ferraris. I digress.
But as a daily driver car, 4 doors actually work for me. I’m always slugging around guitars for my lessons, and the easy access to the backseat is handier than even a hatchback. Also around here in NJ with rain and snow, it’s more logical to have all wheel drive in my daily driver. Really, the 4 door Subaru is a sensible option for my main driving needs. It also partially fulfills my driving wants. Ok, it’s 25hp (and 25ft/lb of Torque) less than an All-Trac. It’s an arguably ugly, boxy car, compared to a sleeker (even if dated) 2 door hatch. But in function, they cover the same ground. So much so that it seems pretty redundant to own the Impreza and then bust my ass on the All-Trac, so in the end I’d have 2 vehicles that are almost the same in function.
This led me to the thought of possibly still doing the All-Trac, but making it more of a performance car. More power and such. But that would cost a lot more money. Then it hit me, that if I have a daily driver that would be great in all weather, if I’m going to have any sort of car for the ‘fun’ side of things, it would make sense to do something that catered more to the sheer speed factor. You know, the kind of car that you step on the gas and you get forced back into the seat with such force that you feel like you’re time warping lol. Something with rear wheel drive. Maybe like a Toyota Supra. You know, one of my dream cars since I was like 9. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it I guess. For the sheer speed factor, as much as I don’t want to admit it, and most of you wouldn’t imagine me uttering this, I wouldn’t be completely adverse to something American and with a V-8. I’d have to explore and see what I’d find. That’s the future though. We’ll see how that goes when I get there.
In the meantime, in a nutshell, I’ve actually willingly torn myself from the idea of following a dream. The path was right there, and I’m normally the type that says follow your dream at any cost. I guess I took a step further and decided to change the dream, for now, or at least the priority of it. In reality it doesn’t mean that I’ll never have an All-Trac.
I guess it’s sort of like when you are really in love with someone, and despite all efforts, for whatever reason it’s just not going to work out, so you move on. You never lose the love for that person, and you know that if in the future, if there was a way for it to actually work out, you’d pursue it then. But since there is no way it would work out in the present time, you accept the situation for what it is, and do your best to move on without being in too much pain. Dwelling on it only makes it hurt, so you have to get back to living your life and deal with it not including this person.
Looking at 2 All-Tracs in my yard not running is dwelling on my vehicular situation.
(My blogging consistency has been out the window, so it’s pretty safe to say that my next blog will be written by a Subaru owner.)
After much deliberation and some turning of events, I’ve decided on some vehicular changes.
First off let’s discuss the All-Trac project. The All-Trac wasn’t supposed to be a project. I spent a good amount of time searching the nation the last few years for an All-Trac that was a good balance of condition and cost. I had saved my first one that got wrecked in 2007 as a parts car, and I was looking for something that would allow that. After finally finding the one that fit that bill, coinciding with a time when I had the funds, I scooped it up. I managed a cheap flight to Milwaukee, WI, managed a shuttle to the owner, had good rapport with him, and even a mostly trouble free drive home (did get a stupid ticket in PA for driving a non-registered vehicle…um, I just BOUGHT it?...whatever), and even managed good gas mileage. Yet within a week of getting it home, the car decided to eat itself. My luck ran out as it were. It basically blew the head, started knocking badly, and no compression on 2 of the 4 cylinders. Begin PROJECT. (hurts just thinking about it lol)
I was basically thinking that I’d take the opportunity to use my other wrecked All-Trac I had saved as a donor car, and do a complete engine rebuild. Being that I had most of the parts at my disposal (some in doubles), it wasn’t going to be a huge cost, and essentially the end result would be an All-Trac in great shape with an engine in tip top shape. It’s what I was HOPING the new car was going to be without having to do this. But that wasn’t an option now. This option would at least get me to what I was hoping to have.
There are 2 main issues with this situation however. First is time. I’ve been teaching 7 days a week for a good amount of time now. Every now and again a day off squeezes through. When this happens however, it’s usually last minute, plus I’m usually not in the mood to go wrenchin’ on the car, even if I happen to be in luck with weather. Which brings me to the second issue.
I don’t have a garage. Both of my All-Tracs are up on jackstands in my driveway/yard. Space isn’t all THAT much of an issue, but weather and storage are. I have enough room to work on the cars, but when it’s dark, even droplights and such aren’t the best solution. Especially since I can’t leave them out. Also, I have to bring out and pack up my tools everytime. If I had a garage where I could work at my leisure barring weather and daylight, I’d be much more prone to working on it, even if it was small bits at a time. The free time I can scrape up often occurs in the wee hours. Also, it often seems that the setup and teardown for working on my vehicles everytime is a job in itself.
I really want a running All-Trac. However, my current All-Trac situation isn’t really syncing up with what my current life situation has in store for me at the moment. Now when I pull into my driveway I have 2 All-Tracs staring me down. 2 of a car that’s super rare to begin with. A car that is high on my list of ultimate cars to own. Yet, I find myself in a position that really leads me to a point where I feel it’s time to move on. Cut and run.
I don’t feel like I got ripped off on the second All-Trac. I got what I paid for. The car is/was in great condition, and ran great when I purchased it and immediately subjected it to a 1000 mile road trip. There is always some sort of risk factor when buying a used car, especially a 21 year old one. It’s just extremely unfortunate that the risk kicked in a week into ownership. It’s even more unfortunate that it culminated at a time in my life when the main factor for repair is time, something I don’t have a lot of to be able to offer.
I also feel that keeping these 2 cars just sitting and barely getting touched or worked on is also a bit on the wrong side. There is a small niche market for these cars, and the parts associated with them. There are some enthusiasts that will be able to put what I have sitting in my driveway to much better use than what I am doing. Also, it’s quite likely that between the 2 cars and all my extra parts and such, I can probably recoup most of my financial investment, or more, if I’m patient and thorough.
There are other events that also pertain to this. First off is my Sentra. Poor, poor, little beater car lol. This car has been ever faithful, and ever ridden hard by me. It’s up to 146k miles. That’s 102k logged by me. Kinda goes without saying that they’re not of the easy kind of mileage. However, the car chugs right along in typical Nissan fashion. It’s not without it’s issues. It’s starting to show it’s age. It needs a bunch of little trivial work done to it. It’s beginning to look like the old beat up econobox it’s turning into. It’s old faithful, but the car does nothing for my soul. I’ve owned it over 8 years now, and I love the car for what it is, but it doesn’t soothe my soul. It isn’t fun. It isn’t a dream car. It’s a workhorse really.
My sister is in the market for such a vehicle. She has her Del Sol (about her equivalent to my All-Trac) which she adores, but she wants another vehicle to take the brunt of routine, so her Honda is at less risk, and can be a little more babied. My sister also owns a 1981 Datsun 210, the older brother to my Sentra per se, that’s not running, but probably could be (you know, if SHE had the time :-p). She had great luck with those old Datsun/Nissans. As opposed to being in the market and searching all over for such a car, when the premiums on these good mpg cars are going up, I have one that would work for her. Keep it in the family, you know?
Tack on now the other factor. I’m going to be buying my friend Vin’s car. He has a 2002 Subaru Impreza 2.5rs that he’s selling for a few personal reasons. This car is one of the few cars of modern bulld that I like. It’s basically the successor to the All-Trac in spirit. It’s a car that’s focus is on an AWD drivetrain. It’s a shame the car’s not a WRX, for the fun factor, but for a daily driver, the lack of a turbo (and turbo lag) is more convenient. Plus, their 2.5 motor is tried and true, and reliability is always tantamount in a daily driver. My main complaint with the Subarus of 2002 onward was lack of 2 door/coupe models. I’m of the mindset that performance cars should be 2 doors, or at least be available in 2 doors. 2 doors look less like family cars and more like sports cars. I like sports cars. There’s a reason that you don’t see 4 door Lamborghinis and Ferraris. I digress.
But as a daily driver car, 4 doors actually work for me. I’m always slugging around guitars for my lessons, and the easy access to the backseat is handier than even a hatchback. Also around here in NJ with rain and snow, it’s more logical to have all wheel drive in my daily driver. Really, the 4 door Subaru is a sensible option for my main driving needs. It also partially fulfills my driving wants. Ok, it’s 25hp (and 25ft/lb of Torque) less than an All-Trac. It’s an arguably ugly, boxy car, compared to a sleeker (even if dated) 2 door hatch. But in function, they cover the same ground. So much so that it seems pretty redundant to own the Impreza and then bust my ass on the All-Trac, so in the end I’d have 2 vehicles that are almost the same in function.
This led me to the thought of possibly still doing the All-Trac, but making it more of a performance car. More power and such. But that would cost a lot more money. Then it hit me, that if I have a daily driver that would be great in all weather, if I’m going to have any sort of car for the ‘fun’ side of things, it would make sense to do something that catered more to the sheer speed factor. You know, the kind of car that you step on the gas and you get forced back into the seat with such force that you feel like you’re time warping lol. Something with rear wheel drive. Maybe like a Toyota Supra. You know, one of my dream cars since I was like 9. I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it I guess. For the sheer speed factor, as much as I don’t want to admit it, and most of you wouldn’t imagine me uttering this, I wouldn’t be completely adverse to something American and with a V-8. I’d have to explore and see what I’d find. That’s the future though. We’ll see how that goes when I get there.
In the meantime, in a nutshell, I’ve actually willingly torn myself from the idea of following a dream. The path was right there, and I’m normally the type that says follow your dream at any cost. I guess I took a step further and decided to change the dream, for now, or at least the priority of it. In reality it doesn’t mean that I’ll never have an All-Trac.
I guess it’s sort of like when you are really in love with someone, and despite all efforts, for whatever reason it’s just not going to work out, so you move on. You never lose the love for that person, and you know that if in the future, if there was a way for it to actually work out, you’d pursue it then. But since there is no way it would work out in the present time, you accept the situation for what it is, and do your best to move on without being in too much pain. Dwelling on it only makes it hurt, so you have to get back to living your life and deal with it not including this person.
Looking at 2 All-Tracs in my yard not running is dwelling on my vehicular situation.
(My blogging consistency has been out the window, so it’s pretty safe to say that my next blog will be written by a Subaru owner.)