What car: Widower edition

My condolences as well....E36 is out, how about z3 coupe? or a 540is?

My condolences go out to you. I can't imagine what you must be going through.

I will +1 Woody's 911.

Condolences from here, I can't imagine what that must be like. Losing family/friends is hard enough, to even think about losing a partner is scary as hell.

If you really don't care for the Golf, don't keep it just because it was hers. After 20yrs together, there are probably much better mementos than that thing. I'll bet the Bassetts would dig a wagon. Is the BMW E34 wagon (although I think I've seen a grand total of two with a manual) too new for you?

Man, I'm so sorry for your loss. When my sister died a decade ago distractions were the best thing about my life for a while. Distract the E36 M3 out of yourself.
That said, I'm not sure I could buy something without thinking about my wife. I'd either get something that she would love, a porsche of some sort, or something she would hate, 70's full sized van with twin turbos or something idiotic like that. The air cooled VW community is really active and has a huge knowledge base. I think a guy could spend a lot of time and energy really learning how to make a beetle or a ghia or a thing mechanically competent and fast for the kind of money you have. I could get lost in a world like that for a while. Get something with a huge community and a ton of support and just let it suck you in.
Most importantly, I'm sure she'd want you to be happy, so buy something that makes you happy.

My condolences.

We have an xB and love it. Despite the fact that they hold their value, I'd recommend one anyway. It's going to last longer out there where you are anyway,and the darned things are as dependable as a fridge. You could be driving it for a decade, easily. The seats are a breeze to flip down when the dogs are along ,or you need to haul stuff. The handling is plenty good enough for a fun DD. I wouldn't be without ours and I've got a CooperS, Miata, and a GTI to compare to. One of the others would have to go well before I parted with the xB. I love ours for what it is.

I cannot express my condolances... that is just aweful.

If you want to get rid of the GTI.. I would consider a trade on the Fiat. I know cars that run and run when you want them are boring.. but sometimes you need boring.

Don't really have any helpful suggestions, but want to echo the sentiment of condolences. I cannot fathom where you are right now.

Get something you will enjoy and if it doesn't work for you get something else. Liked the idea of the running Ranchero and fix the Fiat then go play with the Ranchero when the Fiat is fixed.

Thanks for all the kind words. I have been surrounding myself with people and have even gone so far as to have my nephew and his girlfriend move in to my house so that I am not left alone for too long.

But as far as what car I am still at a loss. The nearest Fiat "salon" is 2 hours away but it is tempting to run up and test drive one. I wonder when the abarths will hit the lots? Craigslists within a 250 mile radius are pretty much vacant of modernish coolness that meets my nit picky criteria

I wish I could convince myself that this could reliably handle regular 75mph blasts from Eugene to Seattle http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/2919799922.html

I thought the Abarth became availabile in mid-November. I remember that's when the web launch of it was. I've yet to see one around here, though.

Anyway, alone time is also important. Great/helpful to bury yourself in friends and family, but some quiet introspective moments are good, too.

Getting on a road bike is a nice zen way to commune with everything.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

You mentioned you wanted a truck as well. You should be able to find a nice, older, and fun car (e30 is my vote) and have enough left for an interesting pick-up (driver, project, etc.) as well. No since having to choose. For me, two cheaper cars is always better than one, more expensive car.

ditchdigger wrote: I wish I could convince myself that this could reliably handle regular 75mph blasts from Eugene to Seattle http://portland.craigslist.org/clc/cto/2919799922.html

That is sweet! I don't see any reason it couldn't be reasonably reliable for you. If anything it's about as simple as they come so it wouldn't take much to make it right if something did go wrong.

And I fully understand the distraction aspect as well. I think it was noted in the article on the Wartburg but during the 8 months or so that I was building that car I lost 2 grandfathers and an aunt. At times my wife though I was callous to head right back out to the garage to work, but being buried in that car is the only thing that kept me sane.

falcon 2-door wagon plus T5 = an amount of winning only charlie sheen's tiger blood could handle. you do have tiger blood, don't you?

would also be pretty simple to swap that 170 for a 200 or 240 if you wanted to stay with an inline 6.

Wow, I'm so sorry to hear about this. I'm not going to be much help on the car front - I'd be wary of a big financial commitment till you maybe feel a little more settled, but you could be into a decent e30 pretty cheap and the falcon wagon would be oh so cool - not sure on the buy-in cost though.

Ditchdigger - what's up on the car front? Have you thought any more about what to buy? Love the Falcon wagon!

I am looking into R53 Cooper S's at the moment with a rear seat delete for the hounds.

I did spot a green 2007 XB within 100 miles that I might pop out and test drive this weekend.

I am in no rush. My sister did point out that since I am darn close to 40 that this might as well be my midlife crisis car as well.

Not sure I could stomach the lack of power with the scion but I like the capacity. The R53 is less useful but I would definitely enjoy driving it more.

oldtin wrote: Wow, I'm so sorry to hear about this. I'm not going to be much help on the car front - I'd be wary of a big financial commitment till you maybe feel a little more settled, but you could be into a decent e30 pretty cheap and the falcon wagon would be oh so cool - not sure on the buy-in cost though.

quoted for truth

+1

Just saw this, man I am so sorry.

All my car suggestions are Brit, you have enough on your plate at the moment.

ditchdigger wrote: I am looking into R53 Cooper S's at the moment with a rear seat delete for the hounds. I did spot a green 2007 XB within 100 miles that I might pop out and test drive this weekend. I am in no rush. My sister did point out that since I am darn close to 40 that this might as well be my midlife crisis car as well. Not sure I could stomach the lack of power with the scion but I like the capacity. The R53 is less useful but I would definitely enjoy driving it more.

Every time someone accuses me of "midlife crisis" with the cars, I just remind them I've been driving sports cars my whole life. Shove what people say, get what you want.

A MINI Cooper S is on my list of cars to own one day. That sounds like fun.

I'm glad you're here among friends and bad influences to help distract you. So sorry to hear the news.

I think that many of the previous posters are right: Get something running, not a total project. You may find your energy levels/concentration/ability to deal with frustration are all greatly reduced in the coming months. And you need a source of pure fun.

Tim drove the Abarth a couple of weeks ago at the press intro, and I'm frankly sick of hearing about it. If I'm hearing the noises he's making correctly, I believe we'll end up owning one at some point. And that man is the KING of denial/distractions. (Hello, car magazine publisher.) So I'd take his fondness for it as an expert recommendation on many levels.

Margie

Damn... sorry to hear this. My first thought is to put my E30 on a truck out to you right now. However, I'm not sure how good of a pooch-hauler it would be (325is 2-dr).

Even a good running R53 MINI will keep your mind and time occupied for quite awhile. They can be quite "British" in that regard.

I am thinking a 50K mile R53 should be reliable enough that I can just drive it and fix the Fiat. This is also the reason that condensed awesome like that falcon wagon is pretty much off the table right now.

Again. This is mostly an exercise in distraction for now.

ditchdigger wrote: I am thinking a 50K mile R53 should be reliable enough that I can just drive it and fix the Fiat.

You would think... as I'm getting ready to do over $3000 (dealer quote) worth of a work on a friend's '04 MINI with half that many miles... struts, bushings, mushroom towers, brakes... some steering stuff as well, I think. He doesn't drive the car much or hard, but when he does, it's on crap Northern NJ roads.

I'm so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine.

As far as the car, and this may just be me getting older, I'd make a list or spreadsheet of every car I was even slightly interested in. I go drive every car, take notes, and add all that to the spreadsheet. After I narrowed it down to 10 cars I'd drive those 10 again, then maybe the top 4 and then the last two back to back. I have such car-ADD that I'd either buy the first thing I thought was cool, or I'd never buy anything.

And if you want to make it entertaining for the rest of us, make the list like one half of an NCAA bracket. That way we can a) watch as you test everything, and b) help with questions.

I'll echo my condolences... for a bunch of pseudonyms and a connection defined by electrons, I'd say you have the support of a bunch of friends.

Get the Falcon Wagon... it is sweet, will get you there, and will be far easier and less frustrating to fix than the MINI. And... this is only speaking from experience, but driving a classic, you are somebody. Whenever I drive my MG Midget, which is by anyone's measure not 1/2 the car of my WRX wagon or my 95 M3, I feel good, and whole. Maybe it's because it is a convertible (imagine how much the dogs would like that!), but it does the trick for me.

Best of luck to you, and hang in there.