This is the first in a series of articles that appeared in Mazda MX5 Magazine. Hope it helps with your Grand Prix withdrawal.
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| thanks to zbyszko666 |
There’s no denying the noughties have given us many things. Some useful, like taxis with satellite navigation systems so you can track just how much you are being ripped off. Some not, like flippy paddle gears, according to Jeremy Clarkson. Personally the decade gave me a valuable lesson in the perils of attachment.
In the last remaining minutes of the decade my much loved MX5, Ralph, had perfected the glum moodiness of a teenager born in the 90’s. An eye catching Azure blue, one of only four in Western Australia, Ralph’s teenage angst had reached impressive proportions. Having nurtured him through his first steps, I was surprised to find my eye beginning to wander like a middle aged divorcee.
At first I was just ogling newer models on the road. Then one day a visit to the dealership, to investigate the cause of Ralph’s latest petulant strop, coincided with them having a second hand model on display….three years old, only 11,000km on the clock and $20,000 cheaper than the brand new option. Hmmm, now there was something to ponder.
Ralph was not amused. The punishment for my disloyalty….he jettisoned his air conditioning system just days before Christmas, and during a week of 40 degree heat. That would teach me.
Three days later I attended the funeral of a friend, a cartoonist who valiantly giggled his way through life, along with his subsequent extended battle with cancer. On the drive home, sans air conditioning, my mind reeling with thoughts about ‘living for now’, I found myself back at the dealership booking in for a test drive the next morning.
Being the good researcher that I am, that night I hit the net seeking information about my latest object of desire. The search led me to the local MX5 club and a man called Bob. While my membership had lapsed years ago, Bob no doubt sensed the desperation in my email, and so regaled me with valuable advice about a range of MX5 models, along with the unsolicited gem…..‘live a lot for now and a little for later’.
The next morning a quick pit stop at the local petrol station on the way to the test drive, saw me confronted with the wily ways of a cornered teenager.
Paid, seated and reaching out to pull the driver’s door shut, the owner of the car next to me grabbed my door and while I was still trying to close it said ‘I wish I had a small car like that’.
Over the years I had come to expect conversations with complete strangers. Ralph had a knack of pushing down social barriers, thereby giving me the opportunity to meet a vast range of people….. snotty young kids waving as we drove by, bandana wearing bikies leaning over for a chat while stopped at a red light, and police, let’s not forget the police. Ralph seemed to enjoy the Booze Bus game the most, especially if his hard top was removed. I could almost feel him giggling while an unsuspecting junior constable stood swaying slightly in the breeze, unsure what to do with no roof to lean on.
‘Oh please don’t say that’, I begged the stranger who was still holding Ralph’s door open, ‘I’m just about to sell him’.
‘Bet it’s economical?’ he added, starting an extracted conversation that soon had me extolling a long list of Ralph’s good points. Finally turning the key, Ralph smugly set sail giving his best guttural growl.
Undeterred, but with a heavy heart, I completed the test drive and was surprised to find that the 2006 model was not as comfortable a ride as Ralph. Returning home Ralph spent Christmas Day gloating.
Meanwhile I was left weighing up the pros and cons of …..(a) a reliable, stress-free life, versus (b) continued fickleness, fallibility, spontaneous debates with complete strangers, waves of acknowledgement from other MX5 owners, and let’s face it…….love.
Just as well I don’t have children, as I suspect I’d confine them to their rooms until their late 30’s. One thing’s for sure, I thought, if I do end up getting another car this time I’m not naming it.
Coming up: Ralphs Revenge and Billy Connolly
