When I moved to Chicago to live near my daughter, a professor at U. of Chicago, my son, a car aficionado so unlike me in that one way, worried about me and told me to try to find an old used G5 Mercedes because he said, "If you ever get in trouble driving, this car will save you." I did fine a super old one (lots of repairs), bought it and drove it to Chicago where it would go through snow as if had a plow. I have been sad ever since I had to sell that hard to maintain car ... long story the move away from Chicago and for another time.
You touched me in so many ways with this post, Jeffrey and that includes a memory of my son's love.
It’s such a wonderful delight to know a writer’s work. As soon as I saw the title to this piece, I wondered if I would see the car from Ecuador that gave you so much trouble over a long distance, was it Christmas? trek? Was this the Land Rover in question? Somehow I remember envisioning it as a smaller car.
Great post! I had quite a laugh and a lot of sympathy with the story of the tow and bribe. It’s all fodder, isn’t it?
Thank you, Holly. Yes, it’s all fodder, as you say! And it was the same vehicle. And I’m not finished with it yet… Driving in Ecuador was the source of many adventures. As you will be able to appreciate!
Jeffrey, a great laugh to crank up my weekend. I have my own car stories, most of them traumatic and humiliating. But I doubt that any are as lively as yours. I admire your perseverance in recovering the Land Rover. I’m pretty sure that “sucre’” is a universal euphemism, regardless of pronunciation or official etymology.
Thank you, Mary! Looking back, I'm surprised that I get playing the game so long without relaising what was truly going on. The whole thing mystifies me still. It's amazing what cars can put us through, isn't it?
I laughed more than once while reading your post. I wonder, would you have gotten back the car if you'd provided the bribe from the start, or would they have held out for even more money?
A friend of mine had an exhibition of her paintings in Mexico, which, to this day, she has been unable to get back because she refuses to pay the enormous bribes. So, I think you might have been quite luck, Jeffrey, to see your Land Rover again.
Thank you, Maureen. I was very naive. I should have spotted the whole thing a mile away. And maybe (as might become clear in part 2) that it would have been better not to have seen the Land Rover again.
Hi Jeanine, I guess they are cousins. But the Austin Morris 1300 I drove was square edged, not like the curvy Morris Minor one of my brothers used to drive before he turned it over and wrote it off.
I think we all have a few (in my case many) car trauma stories hidden behind the embarrassment they caused us, I love yours Jeffrey, was somewhat unsurprised by the request for "a little something “para la cola”" though!
You might not be surprised to know, my first car was always an Austin Morris, ownership questionable, possibly my grandads, definitely not mums, the world was a safer place with her in the passenger seat, it also had a dodgy clutch, which drove me insane living at the top of a hill and taught me, unlike you, nothing but frustration. Hence a whole history of embarrassing stories!
I feel in my bones that I am not a book writer. I think I am a natural essay person. In my academic life I wrote a couple of simple textbooks, but don't really have the concentration for book writing. Also I am very lazy. :-)
A very enjoyable read Jeffrey. I like how each car was connected to experiences you had by way of it. A wonderful way to talk about something you’re not all that interested in. For what it’s worth, I am not interested in cars either haha.
I forget -- was the Land Rover the same vehicle in which you took your adventurous but mistaken alternative route vacation drive that got you lost in the dark?
This can't be all the cars. More to come? I think motor vehicle autobiographies could be a whole new genre.
I am the least car person in my family. I was 23 when I first set foot in a private car. It was a 1978 Ford LTD, my husband (then boy friend)’s second-hand first car. 18 months later I learned how to drive a stick shift in a second-hand Honda Accord. Fast forward 35 years, now my husband and I have 5 cars parked at our house! Your story made me look at the twists and turns I have taken, as far as cars concerned lol.
I don't like cars and I don't like driving, but it is the only means of transport if you live and work in rural Canada. I did delay car ownership until my mid thirties and have only owned one car - not counting the one a family member gave me, which had to be promptly scrapped because it didn't pass the safety inspection. I bought my car when it was already well used, so it is now going on 26 years old. It has its flaws, but has served me well driving in all kinds of weather including ice rain, ice pellets, sleet, deep snow, etc. and only once landing in the ditch with both the car and I relatively unscathed.
That sounds like quite a car, Holly! I'm glad you have escaped unscathed. I've never had a car for more than four years, the term of my postings in each place.
Now that we live sans voiture, I am tempted to look back at my ill -starred car ownership record. From an Austin Maxi, my first, bought in the middle of my RAF graduation ball (at about 2 in the morning) - it lasted 2 weeks until the lack of engine oil delivered a catastrophic head gasket failure as I drove to my first job. How to make an impression. The second, a white Ford Escort Poplar, ended up on its roof, AC/DC blasting from its cassette deck, me held upside down by the seatbelt. It was towed to the officers’ mess as the base commander was surveying his empire from a top floor office window. Another fine impression made!! Other cars, always a tale.
The second one, in particular, was one that popped up regularly during my career when young officers came to my attention for transgressions. Perhaps I was a little more forgiving than most!
Ah, baptism of ignorance in a foreign country. Up until recently, they did things differently in what we have been pleased in the West to call 'undeveloped countries. In more out the way places, no doubt, they still do. Sharpens the wits wonderfully and makes for great stories looking back.
What a delightful piece. And so timely too. My partners car dies last week. The old bomb finally gave up and we've been trying to navigate the whole procedure of acquiring a new and reliable car for as little money as possible. He dreams of not needing a car at all, but he needs it for work and our city is not entirely friendly to those without a car.
This is a fascinating car owners journey, and causes me to reflect on my own. I too hate cars, ad yet I've had so many and so many memories made in cars too.
When I moved to Chicago to live near my daughter, a professor at U. of Chicago, my son, a car aficionado so unlike me in that one way, worried about me and told me to try to find an old used G5 Mercedes because he said, "If you ever get in trouble driving, this car will save you." I did fine a super old one (lots of repairs), bought it and drove it to Chicago where it would go through snow as if had a plow. I have been sad ever since I had to sell that hard to maintain car ... long story the move away from Chicago and for another time.
You touched me in so many ways with this post, Jeffrey and that includes a memory of my son's love.
I'm very moved to hear your story and how my own anecdote brought back those precious memories, Mary. ❤️
It’s such a wonderful delight to know a writer’s work. As soon as I saw the title to this piece, I wondered if I would see the car from Ecuador that gave you so much trouble over a long distance, was it Christmas? trek? Was this the Land Rover in question? Somehow I remember envisioning it as a smaller car.
Great post! I had quite a laugh and a lot of sympathy with the story of the tow and bribe. It’s all fodder, isn’t it?
Thank you, Holly. Yes, it’s all fodder, as you say! And it was the same vehicle. And I’m not finished with it yet… Driving in Ecuador was the source of many adventures. As you will be able to appreciate!
Well, as you know, I have a fondness for vehicles with character and stories. So I await the return of the Land Rover with anticipation!
Jeffrey, a great laugh to crank up my weekend. I have my own car stories, most of them traumatic and humiliating. But I doubt that any are as lively as yours. I admire your perseverance in recovering the Land Rover. I’m pretty sure that “sucre’” is a universal euphemism, regardless of pronunciation or official etymology.
Thank you, Mary! Looking back, I'm surprised that I get playing the game so long without relaising what was truly going on. The whole thing mystifies me still. It's amazing what cars can put us through, isn't it?
I laughed more than once while reading your post. I wonder, would you have gotten back the car if you'd provided the bribe from the start, or would they have held out for even more money?
A friend of mine had an exhibition of her paintings in Mexico, which, to this day, she has been unable to get back because she refuses to pay the enormous bribes. So, I think you might have been quite luck, Jeffrey, to see your Land Rover again.
Thank you, Maureen. I was very naive. I should have spotted the whole thing a mile away. And maybe (as might become clear in part 2) that it would have been better not to have seen the Land Rover again.
Is an Austin Morris related to a Morris Minor (which I had many years ago)?
Hi Jeanine, I guess they are cousins. But the Austin Morris 1300 I drove was square edged, not like the curvy Morris Minor one of my brothers used to drive before he turned it over and wrote it off.
I think we all have a few (in my case many) car trauma stories hidden behind the embarrassment they caused us, I love yours Jeffrey, was somewhat unsurprised by the request for "a little something “para la cola”" though!
You might not be surprised to know, my first car was always an Austin Morris, ownership questionable, possibly my grandads, definitely not mums, the world was a safer place with her in the passenger seat, it also had a dodgy clutch, which drove me insane living at the top of a hill and taught me, unlike you, nothing but frustration. Hence a whole history of embarrassing stories!
Oh, 'cars I have owned'. I could probably write a book!
I do love an ancient Land Rover though. We had a Series 2 for a while, driving it was an education!
I should have sold you mine! :) And why not write that book?
I feel in my bones that I am not a book writer. I think I am a natural essay person. In my academic life I wrote a couple of simple textbooks, but don't really have the concentration for book writing. Also I am very lazy. :-)
I understand. I think I'm probably the same 😏
I understand. I think I'm probably the same 😏
A very enjoyable read Jeffrey. I like how each car was connected to experiences you had by way of it. A wonderful way to talk about something you’re not all that interested in. For what it’s worth, I am not interested in cars either haha.
Thank you, Michael!
I forget -- was the Land Rover the same vehicle in which you took your adventurous but mistaken alternative route vacation drive that got you lost in the dark?
This can't be all the cars. More to come? I think motor vehicle autobiographies could be a whole new genre.
Hi Jay, yes, it was the same Land Rover and yes, more cars to come...
I am the least car person in my family. I was 23 when I first set foot in a private car. It was a 1978 Ford LTD, my husband (then boy friend)’s second-hand first car. 18 months later I learned how to drive a stick shift in a second-hand Honda Accord. Fast forward 35 years, now my husband and I have 5 cars parked at our house! Your story made me look at the twists and turns I have taken, as far as cars concerned lol.
Thanks, Yi! 5 cars? they must keep you busy!
Only the car person in the house is busy waiting on the cars (and motorcycles）😄
You're braver than I am. In nearly 2 decades of living abroad, I never owned a car.
I’m not good with cars either so I can’t picture these, but they have vivid personalities! I like them as characters.
I don't like cars and I don't like driving, but it is the only means of transport if you live and work in rural Canada. I did delay car ownership until my mid thirties and have only owned one car - not counting the one a family member gave me, which had to be promptly scrapped because it didn't pass the safety inspection. I bought my car when it was already well used, so it is now going on 26 years old. It has its flaws, but has served me well driving in all kinds of weather including ice rain, ice pellets, sleet, deep snow, etc. and only once landing in the ditch with both the car and I relatively unscathed.
That sounds like quite a car, Holly! I'm glad you have escaped unscathed. I've never had a car for more than four years, the term of my postings in each place.
Now that we live sans voiture, I am tempted to look back at my ill -starred car ownership record. From an Austin Maxi, my first, bought in the middle of my RAF graduation ball (at about 2 in the morning) - it lasted 2 weeks until the lack of engine oil delivered a catastrophic head gasket failure as I drove to my first job. How to make an impression. The second, a white Ford Escort Poplar, ended up on its roof, AC/DC blasting from its cassette deck, me held upside down by the seatbelt. It was towed to the officers’ mess as the base commander was surveying his empire from a top floor office window. Another fine impression made!! Other cars, always a tale.
Thank you for sharing those wonderful stories, which no doubt didn't feel wonderful at the time...
The second one, in particular, was one that popped up regularly during my career when young officers came to my attention for transgressions. Perhaps I was a little more forgiving than most!
Ah, baptism of ignorance in a foreign country. Up until recently, they did things differently in what we have been pleased in the West to call 'undeveloped countries. In more out the way places, no doubt, they still do. Sharpens the wits wonderfully and makes for great stories looking back.
Thank you, Pauline! It does indeed sharpen the wits. Eventually…
What a delightful piece. And so timely too. My partners car dies last week. The old bomb finally gave up and we've been trying to navigate the whole procedure of acquiring a new and reliable car for as little money as possible. He dreams of not needing a car at all, but he needs it for work and our city is not entirely friendly to those without a car.
This is a fascinating car owners journey, and causes me to reflect on my own. I too hate cars, ad yet I've had so many and so many memories made in cars too.
Thank you, Evelyn. Sorry to hear about the car woes. One reason I live in Tokyo is that it makes car ownership entirely optional.
Ahhh, yes. Honestly I’d relocate just to avoid buying a car haha