Coffee Brake: Shipwrecked
For this week’s Coffee Brake, I’d like to shift from the serious, Pulitzer prize potential stories that we normally run and instead talk about something on the lighter side. Imagine for a minute that you are marooned on a deserted island, but that island has a nice set of roads (think road to Hana) and an obscenely large gravity fed gas station tank. So, what car do you drive every day for the rest of your life as you live in solitary — BUT it has to be a car that you own currently or owned in the past.
I’d pick the E36 M3 that I owned a few years back — it wasn’t the fastest car on the block, but it had a combination of usability (a few car seats fit in the back) trackability (it crushed cones at autocross on some of the worlds worst and most worn out tires) and basic ruggedness. Oh yeah, did I mention that this island is on a major shipping lane and occasionally packages wash ashore that contain spare parts for your car?
Comments below.
Do I get my tools?
Reliability becomes a big deal without those, even if you have an unlimited supply of gasoline and random parts boxes magically appear on the beach. Figuring, I'm also the only one on the island, Zero insurance costs (major plus).
Deserted Island implies that whatever car we choose was similarly abandoned, ergo free. Deserted Island implies plenty of sunshine, but given the proximity to salt water and sea breezes, one has to consider that fiberglass bodies aren't as likely to rust. So once again, the world's perfect vehicle remains: '67 Corvette convertible (Marina Blue 327/350hp).
Would've gone Jaguar XKE, but lucas electrics and salty breezes are a non-starter
I agree about the tools, but since we have some sort of self perpetuating filing station, I'm going to assume that it also has a service robot to work on my convertible JCW mini.
Considering you said the Road to Hana (which is definitely a blast to drive), I gotta go with the 2004 Audi TT 3.2 Quattro roadster. The AWD coupled with the tiptronic tranny/paddle shifting would be a great time. Unfortunately, when I drove it I was in a rental V6 Mustang, but at least it was a convertible. B)
Hands down my old e30
[image src=" i10.photobucket.com/albums/a106/sscott55/DSC00034_zps1vdfmd4y.jpg" width="400px"/]
Nice!
have to be my first car that was really mine – the Saab 99 EMS i drove in college – complete with rusty fenders and leaky sunroof – it's my personal baseline for what driving is supposed to feel like – other cars after have been better in a bunch of ways, but i've never bonded in the same way
even the Roadmaster, as great as it is all around, some aspects of driving it weren't necessarily the best part of the experience
[image src=" autozine.org/Archive/Saab/classic/99_1.jpg" width="500px"/]
You have a good point about going with the car you bonded with the most. In my case that's easy; 1972 911. Never have I ever felt so intimately connected with a car. It did absolutely everything that I wanted from a car. Unfortunately, its been so long that the Polaroid has yellowed and my hair has whitened significantly.
[image src=" 2.bp.blogspot.com/-yYD0cPB8t_0/VatEtrWJ29I/AAAAAAAAP5I/dJFQp9S-OQ8/s1600/1972%2BPorsche%2B911%2BHunsbloger.jpg" width="400px"/]
Except for your oil tank filler looks just like my just recently departed '70…..do you still have your '65 Buick wagon or did you sell it? I'd want my '95 E36 4 cyl vert ….still driving it with 308k on the odo….. I could keep that thing running anywhere!
I still have it, but am interested in selling it. Send me an email via tips@dailyturismo.com and I'll give details.
Wow, you are lucky to have owned that. I think you must be like me and sold "bubble" cars before their prime. I have missed timed so many car sales.
great photo H – who's that anyway? – all seriousness aside, i'm pretty sure i don't have a single photo of my 99 – unlike today, when we all take a bazillion photos of lunch – the one above is very close, silver, soccer balls – minus the leaky sunroof and rusty fenders mentioned above – i had painted the grille black, looked pretty good – orange seats – amp with slider eq hanging under the dash – *sigh*
Vanagon. You probably need housing as well.
[image src=" slowcarfasthouse.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/slowcar21.jpg" width="400px"/]
Assuming its a warm & usually dry locale, I'll take my Ducati ST4.
79 Rx-7 Light&Flickable.
Definitely my '87 635 CSi, wish I'd never sold it. Not fast off the line, but handled like it was glued to the road. Besides, who ya gonna race on a desert island, anyway?
Oh man, I'm prepping my Euro 635 for sale and it seems that every other car page I see has a "wish I never sold my 635" on it.
I'm with Dante, I'd choose a bike. Since they only have two wheels we could choose two, right? I'd take a moped for carefree touring with the island vibe and my G650 X-Challenge for exploring.
I dunno, but being on a desert island by myself I'm thinking, what's the hurry to go anywhere. I love to drive around the island in my old 1948 Chrysler New Yorker Highlander. We called him Lurch and I always had a soft spot for that car. If I'm alone I want to feel cool and in charge (it is MY island) so Lurch will do just fine, thank you.
I dunno, but being on a desert island by myself I'm thinking, what's the hurry to go anywhere. I love to drive around the island in my old 1948 Chrysler New Yorker Highlander. We called him Lurch and I always had a soft spot for that car. If I'm alone I want to feel cool and in charge (it is MY island) so Lurch will do just fine, thank you.
Toyota MR2 MkI. My first car. Sadly got stolen and stripped… for the next car after that I chose something ugly so nobody would be interested, a Tercel…
Assuming my mechanic, his lift and entire staff wash ashore with me, i would select my new-to-me 996. I find it is the only car I want to drive ever again.