This is the second and final instalment of “Quirky Cars I’ve Owned”. You may remember that we had progressed to the English Wedge, a 1980 Triumph TR7 ragtop—a car that I both loved and hated. I bought that ride new, and it was one of the first wedges to be seen on Vancouver streets.
Wisely, I sold the TR7 prior to its warranty expiration and put the money into a condo. Mortgage payments replaced rent payments while an economical 1974 VW Dasher became the daily ride. The Dasher was followed by a Duster—Plymouth’s 2-door sports coupe that wasn’t!
Although solid transportation, the Duster wasn’t so good for camping and was soon replaced by a 1973 VW camper van with an automatic transmission. Can you say gutless? Due to a recurring “fuel vapour-lock,” I literally pushed that buggy, with my girlfriend steering, across the Canada/US border about a dozen times. I’m not sure why she ever chose to marry me—the girlfriend not the VW.
After deciding that reliability and comfort trumps van pushing, I came home with a loaded 1981 Olds Cutlass 2dr with the highly revered, Landau Roof appearance package. It literally had tufted velour seats that would have suited a dimly lit airport lounge in the 70s.
Despite the “living room plushness” of the Olds, my heart yearned again for the outdoors. A 1987 VW Westfalia found its way into the driveway. It was the foundation of many good camping trips in the BC outback; apart from a near rollover in a snowy ditch, the hippy bus never let me down.
Two Infiniti Q45s and a Series-2 Land Rover Discovery fill the gap to 2010. I loved the Qs. I had a 1991 and a 1993 way back when. Both were outstanding vehicles. As for the Disco, well in between hauling teens and free-ride bikes up the mountain in summer and skis in winter, it epitomizes “quirky” as it fulfills daily chores around the Rothwell household.
Wisely, I sold the TR7 prior to its warranty expiration and put the money into a condo. Mortgage payments replaced rent payments while an economical 1974 VW Dasher became the daily ride. The Dasher was followed by a Duster—Plymouth’s 2-door sports coupe that wasn’t!
Although solid transportation, the Duster wasn’t so good for camping and was soon replaced by a 1973 VW camper van with an automatic transmission. Can you say gutless? Due to a recurring “fuel vapour-lock,” I literally pushed that buggy, with my girlfriend steering, across the Canada/US border about a dozen times. I’m not sure why she ever chose to marry me—the girlfriend not the VW.
After deciding that reliability and comfort trumps van pushing, I came home with a loaded 1981 Olds Cutlass 2dr with the highly revered, Landau Roof appearance package. It literally had tufted velour seats that would have suited a dimly lit airport lounge in the 70s.
Despite the “living room plushness” of the Olds, my heart yearned again for the outdoors. A 1987 VW Westfalia found its way into the driveway. It was the foundation of many good camping trips in the BC outback; apart from a near rollover in a snowy ditch, the hippy bus never let me down.
Two Infiniti Q45s and a Series-2 Land Rover Discovery fill the gap to 2010. I loved the Qs. I had a 1991 and a 1993 way back when. Both were outstanding vehicles. As for the Disco, well in between hauling teens and free-ride bikes up the mountain in summer and skis in winter, it epitomizes “quirky” as it fulfills daily chores around the Rothwell household.