Albuquerque pt 2: The cars

Subtitle: Death and Life of the Euro Sports Wagon.

(pronounced SpÖrts "VA-gun")

From my single previous and brief visit to New Mexico, I knew that the American South West was a good place to be a car enthusiast. I mean, this place has a junkyard pretty much devoted to Cadillacs! Imagine: a place where your large metal machines rust away over several decades, rather than the meager several years I was accustomed to. Sure, the sun will rot the interiors and the dust storms dull the paint... but who cares about that stuff?

I already have a solid mental inventory of the interesting vehicles that live around my house... There's the guy with the new Challenger and New Vette, I think he's a bit unusual here, owning two newer awesome cars and no classics. There's the guy with the Fox Body Mustang and old, minty Mazda 626, plus new Mazda 3. There's the house with the pair of matching, late 90's red Camaros (one with a trailer hitch), plus a vintage Camaro under the cover. Or at least that's what Challenger guy says- I've never seen the cover come off. Then there's the House with the two old VW Beatles, PLUS a new mini and a first gen Miata. Also there's the House with the old Ford Pick up (BRIGHT YELLOW!) and old dodge panel van, both looking about perfect. Anyway, this list goes on.

The only real problem I see with this place is the absence of jobs, or at minimum, jobs for me. I'm surrounded by old and unique cars, many for sale at discount prices and I can't afford to collect them! (Expect updates on the job situation in part 3 of this 4 part series) See, every time I venture into the streets (cyber, e.g. Craigslist, or otherwise) I'm assaulted by a litany of Fiats, Cadillacs and quirky hatchbacks that I NEED to experience. Also, there appears to be a high number of Ford SVT Raptors (think of it as a limited production baja truck) and Dodge Magnums. The Raptors make sense because, well, this is a good place to practice you baja-trucking, but I want to talk about the magnums. Dodge magnums are wagon versions of the Dodge charger/Chrysler 300 platform. (some countries received a Chrysler 300 wagon, but not us).

The magnum is a great car because its big, power, American, and wagon!. You could get it with a V6, a V8 and a BIGGER V8, the last being the SRT model. I would always see them in Detroit, but when it comes to cars, Detroit is something of a rare bird, which is why I was surprised to see so many here in Albuquerque. See the down side is, the magnum was never offered with a manual transmission, which brings me to my second point: The Death of Euro Sport Wagon.

See, the European-style Sport wagon (not to be confused with the Eurosport Wagon) is that traditionally European-made wagon, often based on a sedan platform, featuring decent power and handling and at least OFFERED with a manual transmission. The Physicist has a Euro Sport wagon; A Saab 9-5, turbo charged with a 5spd which offers the best compromise of utility and fun to drive. the problem is, the Saab in question is a 2002 model and getting a bit tired. Plus, being a Saab, it is just this side of impossible to work on. So what can replace it? The European companies (BMW, Mercedes, Volvo, Saab) are still making wagons, but the manual transmission has gone the way of formal dating and sensible shoes. Of the four mentioned, only Saab will still offer a manual wagon this year, but they can't even afford to pay their suppliers. The Magnum has long since gone out of production, making room on the platform assembly line for the new Challenger. This is the winter of my automatic transmission discontent...

And yet...

Hope springs eternal for there are new wagons to be had. Cadillac brings a wagon version of the CTS, available with a 3.6L V6 and, briefly, the manual transmission (though this combo axed next year). Also, revealed at the New Mexico Auto show (which, as far as i can tell, was attended by me and approximately 180 other people) is the new Acura TSX wagon.

It seems that Acura recently released a redesign of the sporty TSX sedan. The sedan, which IS offered with a manual trans, was then followed by a wagon version, which according to the hot Acura booth girl, will almost CERTAINLY be offered with a manual transmission in the next 9 months. {shrugs} She seemed to know what she was talking about.



TSX wagon- as luxurious and sporty as the 9-5.


Also revealed at the New Mexico Auto show, what an interior should look like:



(I wonder what they put for the fourth panel when you have a manual trans?)


Anyway, for now and with my limited resources, I'll be happy with the vehicular selection at hand. I'm not so sure the Miata is a good fit for these vast, wide open spaces, but the motorcycle seems to fit in well. they could both stand to have some forced induction added, what with the high altitude an all (which the Saab HAS!), but that's a battle for another day.




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somebody should buy this