In July my S will turn 5. Hard to believe. And only 25,000 miles on her (harder to believe). Back when I first got it, I was obsessed with the keeping the car clean. It never saw a raindrop and certainly never saw the light of day in the winter. Whenever we went to meets, I would bring my own personal wash gear (specific to the S) and wash my car upon arrival at the hotel. After the drive I would wash it again at the hotel. Then, upon arriving back home, I would immediately wash it there.

Fast forward to 2007. We were in Florida for 2 weeks a couple weeks ago. The S was outside the entire time. The front end was caked with bugs. Two weeks later, it still sits in the garage this way.

Back in 2002, 2003, there were people on this forum who made fun of us obsessive types and posted that "it was just a car". We harumphed, and went back to polishing our S. Have I now become one of those people? Has it become "just a car" to me now? How about you? Do you obsess less about your S now?

 

There, there. It's OK, really.

I don't seem able to keep the brake dust under control on the front wheels, never did. And I got inured to bugs on our cross-country drive -- first it was giant grasshoppers, then butterflies (I'm glad I got the GrillCraft screen, though).

And while "just a car" doesn't quite describe it, I think of less-than-squeaky clean as a sort of badge of honor -- it means the car is used for what it is rather than put on some sort of silly pedestal. HPH

 

Thanks for that reminder...I need to call Brent at Wintergreen to see if there is a wash area available! For those who are still obsessed.

I never really obsessed too much about mine. The Silverstone didn't show dirt much, though, whereas the Rio shows everything. So I'm probably cleaning it more often.

 

I must admit I don't hold it in as high esteem as I did 4 years ago but I still can't stand to see her dirty. It's just been too cold to do much about it around these parts lately. I'm sure we'll be back in the clean-car saddle once the weather breaks......oh wait, you have good weather year round, don't you? Okay, this is your grandmother speaking: Get out there and get those bugs off that car, mister!

Then report back with pictures of the clean canary. Don't make me .....

 

Rick has always said the S is "just a car." Glad he had that attitude when I crunched the front lip. That's not to say he doesn't take care of it, he just doesn't obsess as much as others.

He keeps the car very clean, it gets waxed often, and he will wash it at a meet, but not as much as some.

Carm, my .02 is that you have more important things in your life now that need your attention, and you can now live with a dirty car from time to time. It's OK.

Since we became grandparents, I found that I can now co-habitate with dust bunnies and still sleep at night. I'll get to them when I get to them, because a trip to the zoo with the grandchildren sounds better than cleaning.

So, not to worry if your car isn't pristine at SF. It's more fun to socialize than to be outside washing your car at a meet. BUT, if you need some car cleaning supplies, I'm sure we'll have some with us.

 

My S is 5 years old too, and I only have 20,000 miles on it. I still don't take it out in the rain or snow, but I'm not nearly so obsessed with it as I was a few years ago.

I used to look for excuses to drive it, now it sits a great deal of the time in the garage. I suppose getting the Si had something to do with it, and not wanting to spend every Sunday washing and waxing it does too.

I still park it in the furthest spot in the lot, and I still won't leave it where I can't see it, but no, I'm not as S crazy as I used to be.

I think Lainey is right too. Now that the novelty of owning it is wearing off, and our lives are so full, its finally in it's proper place.

(All of that said, I still intend to show it at Pebble Beach in the year 2027)

 

My S is now over seven years old, and still crazy after all these years! Berlinas require a lot of TLC, and my car doesn't ever stay very dirty for more than a few days. Bugs are another matter, I think. If they stay on the paint the chemicals attack the finish. So I try to get them off the front as fast as I can during or after a trip. I do wax the car a lot, but the front bumper is now pocked with small rock craters and blemishes from head on collisions with beasties, so it needs to be repainted or replaced.

I like maintaining the car a lot. I change the fluids and filters regularly, and keep the engine in tune. I check the air pressure often, and try to avoid -- at least sometimes, Patty -- driving with rear tires nearing baldness.

I still love the car, and would like to spend more on mods for it, but -- well I have two teenagers and a +1 with more important priorities than my toy. So, yeah, I guess mine

 

40,000 miles, about 3,300 of them are track miles...

My car is a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The Dr. Jekyll part would assure you it is much more than just a car, time has not changed the fact that it is pampered and zainoed and loved. The Mr. Hyde part would tell ya to go to hell with all that f'ing rain, bugs and stone stone chip crap, none of it matters, the only thing that matters is carving out the apexes and making them passes.

Dr. Jekyll


Mr. Hyde

 

Jim,

I don't know how you saw the car when it was darker than the inside of a coffin in Dean and Martha's driveway. .

Rob,

I am shocked! You're view has changed too. I recall you used to change your oil like most people change underwear. And you did it because you considered it fun. It was good father/son time with Adam too. Perhaps as Adam has grown and shown interest in other things (did someone say girls?) and you and he no longer spend time with the car, you have lost some of that zest for the car.

I love the analogy provided by 21/7 H's. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde indeed.

 

[QUOTE=OhioRacer,Apr 18 2007, 07:52 AM] Jim,

I don't know how you saw the car when it was darker than the inside of a coffin in Dean and Martha's driveway.