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I've been teaching tech school for eight years now, and I love it. The challenges are endless, the days are interesting, and the kids make it worthwhile. I have so much to learn, and mandatory college courses to prove it. It's what I've always wanted to do.
That said... there's been something missing, till now.
I bought myself another vehicle, one I could pay cash for. Given the economic state of the universe (check the definition of Solipsism) it had to be a good value, and an inexpensive one. It had to be reliable, or readily made so. It could not be one of a long list of vehicles that have caused me to swear oaths of destruction over the years.
I found one.... and it fit just fine. A little German scooty car with a manual transmission, one previous owner, and some life still left in it's bones. I haven't been able to own a stick in a long time.... but now I can. My first car was a manual, and I'd forgotten all about the utter Zen of meshing oneself with the machine. Tuning the ear to the engine sounds, till the tachometer is just an afterthought. Judging the hills and dales, traffic and timing so the car is always in the right gear at the right time. I'd forgotten how the clutch can mostly be left alone, once the driver is fully engaged as a part of the machine.
Today I spent hours fixing the ills of this older car. Repairing small hurts and doing the maintenance required till I have confidence in the beast. Brakes that work just so. Air conditioning cold enough to warm the heart of a fat man on a midsummers day. Insane Germanic door locks more arcane than a politicians cold soul, but now they work perfectly to an odd dance of vacuum and electronics. Tweaking, tuning, and planning next weeks excursion to a land I'd long forgotten.
You see.... I like working on cars, and I haven't had any like this in years. I'm a teacher now, and buried in my new craft.
Maybe this car isn't one I'd trust on a cross country trip... yet.... but then again I'm not planning any trips. I've no place I need to go.... and the time to re-explore a world I'd let slip through my hands years ago.
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7 comments:
What's that saying???? Oh yeah, this thread is useless without pictures! The only thing worse than telling folks you bought a new (used) car and not showing us pictures, is telling us you bought a new gun and not showing pictures!! :)
Working on an older car - that sounds like fun!
That's beautiful. Got to reconnect with your roots, right?
I have a manual car, and usually I'm cursing because I'm in stop-and-go traffic, all the time.
But I do get a kick out of KNOWING how to drive a car with a manual transmission, and making sure my daughter can, as well.
Leadchucker... photos will follow eventually. But.... it's nothing special. Look around, find your average 15 year old Golf, VW(black), one of, and you will be looking at it.
Besides, I need to find the right compound to cut through the oxidation on the roof and hood paint before I take photos of it.
Working on cars can be a tension reducer too! Because you actually get to SEE what you have done, and see if it runs right afterwards.
Every now and then I get an odd craving for a Scirocco or Corrado and I need to go sit down until it goes away...
Incidentally, there's a Rabbit GTi with an aftermarket Callaway turbo setup for sale on FleaBay here in Indiana. Probably well over 200 horse on a chassis dyno. 1900lbs. Extra fiberglass buckets and four-point harnesses included. Barf bags not included.
A wabbit with a Calaway Turbo setup? Twitch.
Twitch.
Not just now.....
Twitch.
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