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Went out to the pole barn and took down all of the winter protection for the toy. Got in and turned the key and was rewarded with the sweetest sound -- engine roaring to life and then settled to a low purr. Yep -- spring is here.
Spent the rest of the morning clearing the driveway (this is, after all, the U.P. and I still have snow on the ground) from the pole barn. Parked the M in the regular garage and will be banishing my winter daily driver to the pole barn as soon as I can get my insurance agent on the phone to put all of my driving coverage back on.
It's glorious here again --- and will be even better when I can get out on the road :)
Been a while since I wrote anything -- guess I was enjoying the car too much. However, up here in Sault Ste. Marie, vehicles like the M Roadster are not really made for our winters so I put it in storage -- a sad day and a lot of work. When it went into storage I declared a week of mourning and some friends replied that they'd light candles for me. I told them that I was so bummed out I thought that a bonfire would be more appropriate :)
Fortunately, I have a pole barn and can store it properly: that means after I did a fall cleaning I did the following:
1) Stored it on a concrete floor with a tarp on the floor (keeps the moisture from coming up out of the concrete)
2) put a cover cover on the car
3) over inflated the tires
4) put silica gel in the passenger compartment and in the trunk
5) stuffed steel wool in all for exhaust pipes (keep any critters out)
6 Put moth balls around the garage roll-up door and barn door
7) put out rat poison in cups around the car (that way I'll see if any critters got in)
and
8 I am visiting it regularly (despite the large drifts that block the entrances).
I plan on starting it up once a month and letting it idle for about a half hour-- figure that will get any condensed water burned up, charge the battery, and allow the fluids to circulate sufficiently -- and yes, I'll pull the steel wool out of the the pipes and make sure I open the garage door before I get it going :)
Already started a count down to Spring (winter here lasts a long time). figure that in about 4 months and 9 days I'll be able to start my top down driving once more.
Was doing some web surfing and found the Hemmings site, joined and checked it out. When I registered I was asked for the "name" of my car. Hadn't really thought about naming the buggy but the more I thought about it, the more I thought, darn it SHOULD be more than...the Beemer, the M, the toy, etc.
So, gave much thought to the matter and after thinking about names that would indicate its speed, handling, color, country of origin and its current locale, I was stumped. Most the good ones are over used and some I came up with were either silly or awful. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that it should be named for the way it makes me feel.
I gave some thought to Ponce (for de Leon, the seeker of the Fountain of Youth); Gilmore (from the the Sandler movie -- it makes me happy -- oy, what a stretch); Conspicuous (my wife constantly tells me that people are STARING at the car...and our friends tell us they see us and we don't have a clue WHERE they've seen us).
Finally decided on.......
GRINS.
The reason? Every time I get in and start to drive I get a silly smile on my face (our friends claim that they see that when they see me in the car). Every time I take a corner...FAST...and accelerate through it...I grin. Putting the top down...smiles. Having to comb my hair before going to the office gives me the giggles. This baby is pure joy and given that I'm smiling most of the time I drive it, Grins seems appropriate...and I don't think too many others have named their toys anything like that.
Also got my vanity plate (of course) but ordered it before coming up with the name (darn). Was originally going to try to get ...
ARRRR -- in honor of International Talk Like a Pirate Day, but my better half convinced me that it would be a bit too whimsical...and dumb :) (BTW, if you've never celebrated TLAPD -- check out their web site -- we do something every year at our campus.). So, went with the more typical plate that attributed the status of the car as my toy -- used my initials as the plate MYTOY was taken. Will try to get a photo and post it when I have a chance.
Tomorrow I drive to Traverse City, getting the dealership to fulfill its promise to do the fix up on the paint chips and they're going to give it a spa treatment. My CA promised a loaner -- may well be a 1 series :) Checked the weather and it'll be a perfect top-down driving opportunity -- crossing the Mackinac Bridge with the top down is simply glorious.
Been having a blast as the weather in the U.P. offers perfect top down driving opportunities; sunshine, not too hot, great breezes (even when standing still), beautiful scenic drives (along Lakes Michigan, Huron and Superior) and very little (if any) humidity. The only thing that gives me any pause is the size of the trunk.
First, I can't get used to having a spare that is square...that small square thingie with foam and an air pump doesn't really give me much confidence. Of course, given the (over)size of the tires I don't know where they'd put a spare...still.
Went shopping over in Canada the other day and bought some groceries and other small items. Small being the operative word because the trunk was almost full (didn't remove the tonneau cover)! Guess I better not take the M if I plan on doing any serious shopping :)
Also checked out to see if my luggage fits. Not much in standard sized pieces worked so it looks like I'll have to find appropriately sized duffles if I plan to do any travel in excess of a day trip in this car. Did see a site where they sell luggage made specifically for a Z3 -- can't see myself doing that...as much as I plan on keeping this car for many years/miles, simply won't buy that kind of stuff. Guess I'll have to try to find some really good trunk organizers or other goodies tha might fit in the passenger area -- wish me luck.
Another darn beautiful U.P. summer day. Decided to do some exploring on back roads. Drove from Sault Ste. Marie towards St. Ignace on the Mackinac Trail. For those who have not driven this road it is, once you get about 9 miles south of SSM, a beautiful tree lined 2 lane that is for a good portion of the way south, in decent shape (no, my kidneys were not howling). Being a city boy I don't know much about tress but did recognize silver and white birches, maples and a slew of evergreens.
Among the things I had forgotten about top down driving was that it really causes you to engage more of your senses. Not being in a sealed, air conditioned box lets you appreciate a variety of changes. I passed someone cutting their lawn and caught a strong smell of sweet grass. Later on, as I drove by Pendleton Bay (a little ways past Cedarville) the air was cool and sweet and (despite the growl of the M) I could hear some water birds. Of course, the nasty smells are, likewise, enhanced ... passed a roadkill skunk that was simply ripe.
After a while the sun was getting to be a bit warm...hot even..decided to put the A/C on (sort of silly with the top down BUT it did cool my knuckles :) As I drove I didn't notice that there was a large cloud overhead -- when I got under it the instant cool that enveloped me was wonderful -- natural A/C kicked in and it felt great.
Am really getting used to the wonderful handling and pick up of this car. Had a few passing opportunities on Rte. 134 (a 2 lane road) and it didn't matter if there were 1, 2 or 3 in front of me.. dropped it into 4th gear and -- voila -- I passed 'em all (yes, I was watching the other lane and had plenty of space) but what a great feeling... no problems getting out, getting by and then pulling back into the land -- no worries about "can I make it?"
When I got back home had to do some errands and, as I was a bit charred from the drive, took my Passat. As soon as I got in I had this overwhelming feeling of....space....height...felt a little like a kid in an adult car :) Also kept trying to find the clutch :) Couldn't figure out why anybody needed this much space :) Guess I'll have see about always having one vehicle that is small and missing a permanent top.
Will be taking some time off next week -- more to explore soon.
Picked up the new/used buggy on Saturday and had a marvelous day to drive it back to the Sault from Traverse City. The drive is about 165 miles and normally takes about 3 hours and 20 minutes. With the "little" M's wonderful motor (meaning I could pass safely just about any opportunity) I made it in 3 hours flat). Top was down for all but 10 miles (ran into a rain squall) and earned a very nice (and somewhat painful) sunburn on my inner forearms. Fortunately I was wearing a hat so the head and forehead were protected.
On to the drive -- what a blast. This roadster has torque just about anywhere in any gear. Cruising on route 75 at 80 mph I tapped the gas and --- zoom -- instant power and acceleration without downshifting! On the two lane blacktop doing 55 to 65, passing was also a breeze -- in this case dropping into 4th and before I could blink I was able to sneak back into the lane.
Handling in this car is terrific -- the faster you go the more it hugs the road. Corners are "point and shoot" and, to the present I haven't pushed it to the point where I get any squeel at all -- it's like the car is on rails -- and this on an eight year old vehicle!
Needless to say I am one happy camper -- the only bad things about that trip were the sunburn and the return of my hurt face -- from smiling during the whole trip (even when I had to put the top on and drive through the rain :)
It was worth waiting 40 years to get my second convertible :)
Responded to a request in one of the forums to speak with a reporter who was interested in talking to folks who were looking to buy a cr but were holding off making a purchase. Had a good chat about the subject and (of course) cars in general and....I got quoted :)
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