Melissa Cars

Cars are freedom, fun, and what gets me to places I'd rather be (or away from places I don't want to be). Cars sort of matter to me: they were freedom and the ability to go where I wanted. For a while, they were sort of an extension of my personality, or at least reflected it a little -- though as I got older, I got more utilitarian and they're more a transportation device. These are pictures of cars that I've owned: or like make/model/color substitutes if I can't find pictures of my actual car. ℹ️ Info           ~ Aristotle Sabouni Created: 2018-11-17

2002 Mini Cooper S (2002)

For her next car, we bought her the Mini Cooper. Melissa was looking at different cars (still wanted a hatch), and I convinced her to try a Mini. The dealer asked me to drive it hard, and I drifted that little go-kart around -- it does handle off-the-hook. Melissa got to customize and pick everything, and the dealer experience was top notch, even if we had to wait months while it was built and shipped over. Buying a Mini back then was kinda joining a friendly cult: people waved at each other, and knew each other by the customizations they had. While consumer reports rates them low in reliability, other than some stereo issues, and a dozen flat tires, it's been rock solid. As it got older she kept considering trading it in, but couldn't find anything she liked better.

1995 318ti (1995)

While I'd never bought myself a new car until I was over 50 (I usually buy 1 or a few years old), we bought Melissa a few. In 1995 she wanted a new car, so we went down and bought her this little BMW 318ti (before I bought my M3 a year later). She liked hatches, so talked her into test driving. She didn't think she was a BMW girl, until she drove it. Then we bought it. They cancelled it (in the U.S.) a year or so later. Everything broke the first year: replaced a transmission, 3 stereos, fuel sensor in the engine, struts for the hatch -- the dealer knew her by name. After 6 months she was thinking of using lemon law to give it back. And all of a sudden, everything was fixed. She kept it for nearly 10 years, and other than some struts for the hatch, it was reliable as heck.

• Honda CRX
• MR2
• Navajo
• Mustang

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Aristotle Sabouni This section is all about me (Ari Sabouni). The initial founder/creator of the site.

Favorites Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, these are a few of my favorite things.

Cars Cars are freedom, fun, and what gets me to places I'd rather be (or away from places I don't want to be).

Tags: User:Aristotle Sabouni  User:Aristotle Sabouni/Favorites  Cars