Δαφνη Ευτυχια Αρθουρος

There are better fantasy cars for me than a Volvo 740, but I read the question to be "if money were no object", not "if neither money nor the hangups I've currently got from not having any money for so long were obstacles". A Jaguar XJ12, an antique Volvo P1800 (the one that looks like a cartoon shark -- really, really looks more shark than car), or maybe a Mazda RX7 (with a Wankel (or is it Wankle?) engine, of course) would make a good little sporty thang, and the hauling vehicle would be a smallish van with a way big engine -- or maybe a Suburban if I were going to use it seldom enough not to feel guilty about the amount of gas it burns (then again, what's the fuel economy of that 12-cylinder Jag?) and "money is no object" applies to gas as well as vehicle-purchase. I'm not a huge fan of SUVs, but I see the Suburban as being more trucklike than SUVish, maybe because an ex-girlfriend figured out that her Fiat X1/9 would fit inside the cargo compartment of another ex-girlfriend's Suburban if she removed the mirrors. (That is, I don't see the Suburban as a cruising/people-carrying vehicle; I see it as a hauling vehicle. Though obviously, if the seats are in place, it hauls people effectively.)

But if I had the money, I'd still feel funny about spending in on "more car than I need" or too fancy a car. So even with enough money to buy a Jag and a Suburban, I'd probably wind up buying a Fiat and a minivan, or splitting the difference and getting that 740 wagon.

I wonder how the Volvo 740 handles the mountains of MD and PA. One thing I really miss about the 1978 Pontiac Catalina (approximately a Bonneville with different trim) was how that small V-8 (yes, small V-8 ... 301 cu. in., as opposed to the 325, 400, and 450 cu. in. engines in use at the time, and the 500 that I think only showed up in a Caddy and race cars) didn't feel like it was huffing and puffing and straining to get over the mountains. Yeah, it only got in the low 20s highway (I think my average was around 17-18 mpg for everyday driving), and yeah, I got annoyed when I went to a mall where the parking lot had just been repainted and I hung over the lines on both sides of the parking space (and that was a mid-size car then, even if cars made that size now are considered full-size or luxury), but it was really nice to take on those long road trips with or without mountains.

I find it less tiring to drive a car that doesn't feel like I'm pushing it terribly hard, where I can just point the nose where I want it to go, put the needle at 80 mph, and the car just whirrs merrily along sounding happy to have its legs, without my worrying about how hard the engine is working or whether I can build up enough speed downhill to stay above the speed limit on the uphill when the back if loaded full of instruments and camping gear, where I'm not thinking about whether the sound of the motor is too high-pitched or what the temperature guage is doing. And hey, if the suspension, steering, and upholstery are that much more comfortable as well, then it makes driving six hours (Pennsic) or nine hours (Boston) a whole lot more pleasant.

I like getting nearly half-again as many miles per gallon as I used to, and would like to do even better, but sometimes I really miss that V-8.

Air conditioning ... oh yeah, living around here. I miss having air conditioning.

Dunno that I'd pad the carpeting in a van, 'cause I'd worry more about tearing it when sliding stuff in and out. But I'm starting to remember some ways I used to think about vehicles that I haven't thought about in a while, and that's kind of cool.