1984 Pontiac Fiero
- Lotus Esprit
This was the least realistic of all the cars on my wishlist. Ever since I saw "The Spy Who Loved Me" with the Lotus Esprit submarine, I considered the model to be the quintessential mid-engined GT sports car. I just absolutely loved the lines. When the model became popular, Lotus augmented the style with fender flares and big whale-tails. I thought this totally ruined its appearance. I figured an older model might be more affordable. I went so far as to contact an Internet firm who imported cars from Europe and made them US legal. They said they probably wouldn't be able to find me one that was within my budget. - Porsche 924
I've long been an anti-Porsche person, but I always liked the original 924 model. I thought it had clean and simple lines, and was a fine, basic, front-engine, hatchback coupe. The fact that Porsche purists disliked the model appeased my general disdain for Porsche products. While it was on my list, I wasn't very serious about it, and never really went looking. - Jeep CJ5
As a butch gay man, I figured there was nothing wrong with driving around in a nice Jeep. It roughly met my criteria as a convertible. I would only consider the CJ5 model which had the rounded-off door openings like the original Willys Jeeps. All subsequent Jeep models had squared-off door openings, which I didn't think looked good. I never noticed one for sale in my area, and didn't really go looking elsewhere. - MGA
I'd been an MG fan since before I bought my 1965 MGB, and the MGA had always been a favorite of mine. Its soft, sweeping lines were characteristic of the classic 2-seat roadsters of the era, and, in my opinion, the most pleasing and nicely proportioned of all its contemporaries. I thought it was much prettier than the Austin Healy, which was generally considered to be a superior car. I knew MGAs were easily available, but a decent one would be a lot of money, and I never looked very hard. - Mercedes 450SL
I'm not a big Mercedes fan, but the 450SL 2-seater convertible always appealed to me in a 70's, coke-snorting, disco diva kind of way. I thought it had remarkably clean lines, and was a classic luxury roadster. I did find a nice black one for sale right in my area, but they wanted $10K. That was within my budget, albeit towards the top, but I decided not to buy it. I knew it would have a lot of maintenance requirements, and to put up with that you need to really be in love with the car. While this was a fine specimen, I knew I wouldn't fall in love with it, and would grow to be resentful of the drain on my pocketbook. - Big Daddy Caddy Convertible
Somehow I got it in my head that it would be cool to drive around in a big old American led-sled convertible. A Cadillac from between 1959 and 1971 would have been quite perfect. I did find a fine specimen for sale on eBay, but it was in Chicago, which just proved to be too far away. I decided that one day's drive was my limit with respect to distance. I also found an Oldsmobile Starfire convertible on a used car lot right in town, but the salesman was a real dick, and there was too much rust in the floor boards. - Volvo P1800ES (sport wagon)
Ever since I dumped the P1800ES project car I'd bought in the 80's but never restored, I pined for one that was actually in running condition. I found a wonderful specimen on eBay that was for sale in Connecticut. I came *very* close to buying it. I was to have swung buy and looked at it on my way back from the ICCCR, but I was too hung over and there was too much mechanical drama with the 1961 Citroën I was driving, so I blew it off and went directly home. A few days later the eBay auction was cancelled, making me believe it was sold outright.
One day I was driving around and I saw a Pontiac Fiero for sale. Believe it or not, I've always been interested in Fiero's. They're kind of cheesy 80's big-haired-daddy's-girl cars, but they were mid-engined, 2-seater coupes. I'd peeked inside them in the past, and liked the dashboard layout, the prominent central console, and the whole idea of sitting right up against a solid fire wall.
I called the number checked the car out. The seller said it had been his daughter's car (no surprise!), but that he'd gotten her a 4WD and now had to get rid of the Fiero. It turned out to have very low miles (less than my Beetle, actually), and was remarkably original and in fine condition. The guy would let it go for $1,000. When I balanced that against the potential $10,000+ I was considering spending, I figured I should just pick this up and get it out of my system.
It's sluggish, and not terribly comfortable, but it is a lot of fun. It has a removable sunroof that stows under the "hood." When that's out and the windows are rolled down, it's actually a nice drive.
The next spring I got the Fiero out and started driving it. It was doing well, but there was a noisy lifter that bothered me. I didn't drive it much until I could get around to looking at it more seriously.
Some time later a very good friend needed to borrow a car for a while while his battered old Hyundai was getting fixed. Forgetting about the noisy lifter I let the kid take it. Apparently it started exhibiting other symptoms during this time, but the kid, bless him, is a real car cripple. I finally got it back from him, and the next time I drove it it died. It could be something really minor, or it could be a bent valve. To be honest I haven't taken the time to even give it a compression test. But whether I get it running again or not, it's not long for my yard.