300 Dollar Wonder

Welcome to my blog! This blog will be a place for me to post observations, commentary, and anything else that seems interesting in art, literature, politics, life, and anything else that sparks my interest.

First a bit of explanation. The title is in reference to my first car, which I purchased in June of 2002.

I payed $300 for a 1985 Volkswagen GTI. It already had 279,000 miles on it. It was barely drivable until I replaced the clutch. For the last three years I drove my little orange (yes orange - Mars Red was the 'official' color designation) car everywhere. Back and forth to college, to concerts, to visit friends, and always too fast. It had no airconditioning, no power windows, no power steering. It was great to drive. It was a bare bones car with a sports car spirit and I loved it. The steering was great and with the Koni shocks I installed and the ECU from an Audi 4000, you could toss it around while cannonballing down back roads. In the snow a judicious application of the parking brake would allow me to slide around corners with the rear wheels stepped out and the front wheels at opposite lock.

In September of 2005 I finally gave in and bought a new (used) car, a 1998 Honda Civic coupe. I'll miss my 300 Dollar Wonder. I'll miss the connection to the road it gave to the driver. I'll miss the waves from other Generation II GTI drivers. I'll miss the pride I had in keeping a car with 320,000 miles running.

This blog's title is a tribute to the car I drove to meet a girl that will soon be my wife. A tribute to a car that took me back and forth from Pennsylvania to Virginia to see her at college, the car that I enjoyed every time I sat in it.