Do you believe in a Forever Car?
I’ve often thought about this, but never was able to put it into such an eloquent phrase. I’ve use the phrase “forever home” in reference to pets and cars, but that doesn’t quite have the same ring to it. Yingbot did a blog post on this topic a few weeks ago and put the two words together. It immediately struck a chord.
“Forever Car.”
It’s a car that would be with you forever. No matter what happened in your life, no matter where you went or who you became, nothing would separate you from your Forever Car. Your family might grow or shrink, but your Forever Car would always be there.
Other cars might come and go (no one ever said you have to limit yourself to a single car,) and you might have a few Forever Cars – nothing saying that you can’t. But the car(s) that touch a special part in your heart… they’d stay.
Forever.
For me, the answer is pretty obvious. Yes, I very much believe in a Forever Car.
I believed it seven years ago. I believed so strongly that I rebuilt the same car after losing it. I was incapable of doing anything else. I still remember laying on a hospital bed with a mild concussion being completely consumed by the thought of rebuilding the blue and white Miata I’d just lost on the freeway.
I started this blog when I found the 95 and started that rebuild. (I can’t believe I’ve been blogging since 2009.)
Sharka is such a part of me that I’ve built a whole business based on the mods I’ve done and parts I’ve made over the years. And I keep naming parts and products after the car.
Sharka is my Forever Car.
So, how ’bout it? Do you believe?
Absolutely. Baby car will be the first car my higher drives. And when I am too senile/arthritic/fat (delete as appropriate) she will inherit it. No questions.
I’m hoping that my daughter will want to take Sharka after I’m gone. It’ll definitely be her choice… I won’t force it. But I kinda suspect she might be excited about taking care of the car.
Higher= daughter. Bloody phone.
HA! I was wondering.
Great post Adam!
I would have the same reaction in the event of an accident.
“Arms: Check.
Legs: Check.
Car: How to rebuilt?”
I always wondered what I’d do when it happened (before it happened). I thought about making a Seven clone out of the dead chassis or whatever they might have (I don’t think the Exocet was out in 2008). That was my plan actually, making a stripped out kit car out of the powertrain.
And then I found I had no choice but to find another NA body.
Considering that I’ve had my red 1990 since 1992, I think my answer is obvious.
I’m ever so slightly jealous. I would have loved to buy one so early in the Miata’s life.
For me, it was a case of pure serendipity. I’d grown up in Toronto, and until I moved to Edmonton at the age of 31, I’d never owned a car. Suddenly, I had a need for a car, and about enough money to buy a brand-new, no-frills econobox (think base Civic, or slightly uprated Suzuki Swift), and I was NOT looking forward to that. Yes: I COULD have taken out a car loan, but I preferred to buy outright.
And then I found a guy who was selling is 1.5 year old 1990.
It was a base model, but he worked for the local Miata dealer, so it had the better stereo and headrest speakers.
He lived about 300 yards from work, so it had only 9,000km on it (5600 miles), and it had received excellent care.
And it’s been mine ever since. The only thing I didn’t buy with it was the hardtop… …but I just got one of those with headliner and defrost.
I’m keeping it forever.
Most people consider cars as disposable objects, tools or fashion accessories. I’m one of those people who think of cars as something you live with. You might dislike a few things about your car, run into problems with it and get frustrated by various stuff, it may not be able to do everything you want to, it might not be as perfect as a car could be in your mind… but in the end, your car will always bring you that smile on your face, and you will go through things to overcome everything else to keep driving it. You’ll maintain it, repair it, modify it, and buy other vehicles aside this one to do the things it can’t do, and forgive and forget all the drawbacks you saw in that car. Odometer numbers won’t fade your love, and no matter what, you will always try your best to not just let it die slowly.
Of course, not all cars are worthy of such a treatment. And that’s when you discover a car that is different from all the gray commuting boxes you see around in the streets that you will begin your search for your Forever Car. A car that brings you so much everytime you’re behind the wheel that letting it go would make a void in your life.
My dad had an Alpine A110 1600S back in the 70’s, but the car ended up being destroyed in an accident way before I was born. He didn’t owned it for a very long period of time, but he keeps coming with new stories about that particular car each time the subject is brought on the table, after nearly 26 years of my own life. He always tell it’s the best car he ever driven. Today, the prices for those are 10 times what he paid for it, so there’s nothing close to that in his garage now, but the way he speaks about it makes it, for me, his Forever Car nonetheless. I hope to be able one day to buy or restore one and get him behind the wheel.
As for me, even though I’m not able to run the car at the moment, I have a huge list of things to do with my MX5, and if I ever get the chance to travel all around the world, I would take no other car but this one.
Don’t knock the econoboxes too much. I’ve driven a few that had soul and spirit oozing out of every misaligned body panel. A Forever Car might not look special to the outside world. As long as it’s loved by someone and prized above all other cars, it’s worthy.
Yeah, it can be a childhood car, or even a beater as well. Some seemingly shitty cars can have soul and bring you some kind of strange satisfaction.
My dad had for a while a Daihatsu Charade 4wd only for snow, looking like this one, but with 13″ alloys and big snow tyres : https://pics.ricardostatic.ch/2_748267984_Big/autos/daihatsu-charade-1-3-cxf-4×4.jpg
I learned to drive on this. It was beaten, rooten by rust and the seats had a funny smell, but this was awesome on snow, and he didn’t care to rub a guardrail or a barrier with it, so we had a lot of fun in this one. And I really liked the way it looked because it always made me laugh with the alloys, the big tyres, the fender put back into approximative shape with random hammer hits… For the story, my dad decided the car should go to scrape as there were too much repairs to justify considering the value and tons of rust : it took fire on the way to the scrap yard (electrics behind the dash ignited it).
Though I still fail to see how those diesel gray base trim 207, Clio or stuff like that that is fairly recent can feel special for a lifetime, but then I may be biased against those bulky cars with much electronics and no feedback that doesn’t have rattles or stuff like that to keep you awake. But if someone decide to keep something like that for years, and take care of it properly all that time, I can only appreciate and respect that.
I know exactly where you’re coming from. My Miata is my forever car. It was a gift for my 19th birthday and I drove the wheels off it. When I moved to Colorado, I nearly traded it in for a Subaru, but instead bought a beat up old Chevy truck and stored it. Best decision I ever made. Not only did I get to enjoy a truck that I couldn’t have cared less about, I got to jump into my bone stock Miata in the summertime and feel the kick of a bone stock 1.6. You develop a real appreciation for the spirit and balance of a Miata when you’re stuck behind the wheel of something more utilitarian.
I bought the FM turbo kit in 2009 – something I’d always wanted from the day I first bought my car. I rebuilt a 1.8L long block in preparation for the changes. It took some time to exorcise a few gremlins, but it was worth it. Spent quite a bit on it. My girlfriend encouraged me when I had some second thoughts. (I was essentially buying the car twice with all the work being put in) That was a big hint that she was a keeper. I married her a few years later.
There are three words to describe my Miata: Dopamine Delivery System.
I may have other project cars in my life, but I think at this point I can give my Miata a name. As Richard Hammond once said, you should never name your car. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QMMb2rIIHk I think it’s okay when you love something you never intend to give up.
HA!!! Before even clicking the video my brain spat out “OLIVER!!!” lol
Oliver is totally a Forever Car.
Richard Hammond spent months painstakingly restoring every inch of that car. It really was the perfect car for that expedition.
I believe IN The Forever Car. Haven’t found it yet, at least i think. It’d be pretty anti-climatic to find out that the MX6 is actually The Forever Car.
Aww. MX6s need love too. hahaha
Guys like you are one of the biggest reasons to be a part of the Miata community.
Keep on trucking, buddy
Thanks very kindly Moti! But you? You’re also one of those guys.
I believe in the idea, even if auto-dom is a dwindling past time it seems, with every passing “201x Whocares GT sedan” that we all see every day.
As for myself, I had a house built because I couldn’t find one around here in our price range with a big enough garage. I wanted indoor parking (Wyoming is cold in the winters and can be hot hot in the summer sunshine) for all the cars, as well as an area to work on the cars.
Why would I go to that much trouble? So I had a place to build the Supra I’ve been collecting parts for for half a decade… I can’t say I’ll ever be without a Supra. That said, I’m quite attached to the Miatas too.
I believe in a forever car, but I believe more in a plan in the event that something causes you to lose your forever car. After all, with the effort put into our cars, what do we do in the face of catastrophe? I can tell you right now, if anything were to happen to the Supra that would make repairing the shell completely cost / sanity prohibitive, I’m going to pull out anything salvageable, and build a tube frame to adapt all the suspension and drivetrain to.
Then what? Well… I have a 46 Chevy 2 door that would be awesome with a fire breathing 700+ hp inline six, and a capable chassis underneath. Imagine THAT chasing down the new cars! =P
I hope that my car will stay with me forever. My 91 BRG is my first car, and I hope that it can be my forever car! My parents told me if I ever need to part with it for financial reasons of any sort, I always have a spot in their garage to cover it up for a few years until I can get it back! It has 180,000KM on it now, and years from now I hope it has double that. If it needs a new motor, so be it, if it needs fresh paint, ill start saving, if it gets wrecked beyond recognition, i’ll rebuild it off another shell! I hope I have this car the day I die, and I hope after that my future kids will take it and love it!
110%. Ryu, that you made the Autobot gauges for, is my forever car. Nothing is going to change that.
My ’92 Crystal White (Kimi) will always be my Forever Car. As much as I love my Focus as a DD, I can’t imagine life without that little roadster. People are shocked when I tell them I’ve owned my car for almost 15 years. Nearly half my lifetime. Sure, there are times I wish she didn’t have every factory option (ABS S.U.C.K.S!!!) and that she had perfect paint, but I love her anyway.
She still has LOADS of potential and a lot more room for Revlimiter goodies. She’s mentioned once or twice that she loves his products. She told me it’s like finding the perfect pair of shoes or pants. When they fit juussstttt right you know you have to have them.
Her next stable mate will be a 98-99 Lan Evo V. I have a good feeling they’ll become quick friends.
I read this a week or so ago and have been thinking about it ever since. As cheesy as this sounds, my forever car is Sharka. I’ve had a few that I thought I would have forever but the only car I’ve ever known as a ‘forever car’ is yours.
Man. That made me smile. Sharka can definitely be your forever car also. Any and every day, Geoff.
I follow you on instagram and I beleive in that a forever car you build a bond with like a dog you never want to outlive. Keeo it up ill be buying some products from you soon!
Thanks Andrew!!! I’ve had pets like that. The nice thing about a car – it can always be rebuilt. I’d give a lot to rebuild a few of my furry departed family members.
My ’01 is the “Forever Car” that I always wanted but I didn’t know it was going to be a Miata until I bought one. I thought it was the Corvette. My plan is to own a “Forever Car” version of each gen MX-5. Driving the Miata turned me into a car guy and I discovered that I can turn a wrench too!
Mine is still fairly stock and it is not going to stay that way. I am not in a hurry to rework it all at once. I can give the customization time to mature like a fine wine.
Every mod can be puzzed out and given careful thought, I have the time, because it is my car, forever.
I’ve owned my ’94, named “Karbon” since October of 1994, when I was only 17. He’s still with me, and I expect we will be together till one or both of our demise. Forever car, indeed!
There is an Aussie named Eric Bana who grew up in a migrant suburb, his first car was a XB Falcon Hardtop (For you guys think Mustang Mach I would be pretty close)
Never sold it, moved to Hollywood, acted, raced Porsches etc, a big revhead.
Restored the car well up to Sharka standards, raced it in the Targa Tas totalled the car, really totalled it, completely. REBUILT it.
Check out the doco, “The Beast”. Now that is a FOREVER car.
I watched it this evening. HUGE thank yous for the recommendation! It really resonated in my heart.
I used the term in my ‘For Sale’ advert for my Mk2.5 on 14/03/15 on MX5Nutz… Jus’ Sayin’
Turns out invented the concept and not this ‘Yingbot’ character ;)… http://www.mx5nutz.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=197969&hl=
Maybe… Forever is a long time.
I bought my 1997 Miata in 1998, intending to keep it forever. It has the factory R package, and considering that I was replacing an MGB, it was a good fit for me. I enjoy the car more every year.
But that’s the best part. Forever is almost long enough to truly become one with a car. Almost.
Lil’ Red: ’90 (1989 on the vin sticker) is my FC. Never going sell it.
I finally got my ’02 Miata last week, after obsessing about getting a Miata for years and years and it never being the right time. Can’t keep my hands off her since I brought her home. Already replaced the top.
I hope Micah is my forever car and I’m her forever driver. I promise to love, honor, clean, and provider after-market accessories for her!
I believe in forever-cars, and I think my Miata (will finally afford one early next year) will be one.
My father is obsessed with resale-value and we rarely keep a car longer than a year, so he of course thinks I’m completely stupid for wanting to keep a car for long.
I’m kinda the opposite. I keep cars forever. I’m having my Mazda3 painted right now so that I can keep it another decade. ha!