Cars

I've always been fascinated by cars. Always.

Perhaps it's something in the blood. My Grandfather on my mother's side ran a "Garage" which for at least a part of my childhood was a big deal to me when we went to visit him in West Virginia. He almost always drove a Mercury, with the exception of the time that he had the 1953 Buick which was alright because during much of the time he had the Buick, my grandmother on the other side drove a 1954 Mercury.

Needless to say, I've wanted to have a Mercury for quite some time, even to the point of looking at perhaps getting into a Mercury Milan at some point in the future (as opposed to driving a Ford Fusion, same car, different badge). I may not get the chance, though, as the Ford Motor Company has decided to discontinue the Mercury after, what, 71 years of existance.

Darn shame.

Guess I'll have to find another make to fall in love with as many of the cars I've had are no longer available.

Austin? Part of the collapse of British Leyland.

Renault? Not here. In Mexico and perhaps in Canada, but not here.

Eagle? Good idea, sort of, wrong timing.

Plymouth? Loved (and still love) the minivans, but Plymouth is no longer.

At one point I thought that owning, or even driving a car would mark the car's maker for certain death. Owned an Oldsmobile nearly 30 years ago - mine a particularly miserable example. Try to find an Oldsmobile dealer today. You can't.
Go down the alphabet from there... Pontiac? Gone. Rambler? Gone. Studebaker? Gone. I've driven at least one example of each of the aforementioned makes which no longer appear in metal here in the land of E Pluribus Unum.

Which leads me to my next question. What make of car should I doom next?

At this point in life, I'm happily driving a Dodge Caravan... and if rumours are correct, the Caravan will disappear at some point in the near future in favor of the Chrysler version of the same vehicle.

I test drove a Land Rover about a year and a half ago... and just by taking that test drive, I doomed the company to be sold the Indian maker Tata.

Don't really want to push the hex onto Honda... I've known a few people connected with the Honda plants in Ohio and don't want to push any of my fellow Buckeyes out of work.

I understand that Kia may be pushed out of the business due to the fact that Hyundai owns them. Kias appear (at least to me) to be bland, inoffensive, and not particularly able to stand much longer except as a loss leader for something more expensive. Should I help to push it "over the edge", so to speak? Nahhh, too bland and inoffensive for my tastes.

Toyota? They already have enough problems these days without adding me as one of them. Besides, my brother-in-law and another Face Book friend drive little blue Toyota Yarisis (or would that be Yari?) and neither of them should have to endure the pain of their company being put out of business just because I had a notion to own one.

The best choice to date has come from my dear wife (The lovely Miss Carol) who has become increasingly exhasperated with owners of Lexuses (or Lexi). Her contention is that Lexus has somehow left out turn signals on their cars... or at least that the cars' owners have never learned how to use the things. What better way to extinct a brand with such an obvious defect than to have me own one of my own.

That'll learn 'em for sure.

If I indeed ever decide to go into a dealer to actually purchase a car, I will definitely find a way to alert the people I know of what I intend to be driving next.

After all, I have proven a kiss of death...

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