Took a few pics while waiting for a friend outside Kidrobot in Soho, NYC. (Click for larger) Amazingly quick trip. Jumped in the car, went to a camera shop, zipped through Soho, and back to the studio in under an hour. Guess that’s the advantage of working near the Holland Tunnel.
This is a typical scene outside schools my kids go to: a row of shiny new SUV/CRVs with massive ground clearance, and my bird-shit covered brick laying low on stiff springs that make the kids puke.
DIY Maintenance Travels & Tribulations
Three circumstances worked against me this week:
1. Cold weather in NJ.
2. Oily alternator belt.
3. Ye olde battery.
I needed a jump start twice. The first was from parking in front of my apartment with the hazards on. I was away from the car for only 20 minutes and it wouldn’t start up. I looked under the hood at the Volvo logo on the battery and figured it was probably an 18 year old original. After losing the charge when I moved my car for a street sweeper, I figured I needed a new battery. Got a $100 Bosch at Pep Boys and now we start like a champ.
Travels & Tribulations Used Cars
While cruising Hudson County in my brick one of my buddies had a hard time figuring out how to open the window. I pointed out the power windows and he exclaimed, sarcastically, “Wow, this car is state of the art for the 80′s!”
“But this is a ’92.”
“Oh…”
I’ve been doing road trips to camps all summer. This week is gymnastics in Paramus, so I’ve been piling 5 girls into the brick for the 25 mile trip. The 3rd seat is nice in that it doesn’t require a booster seat; the belt is low enough that it fits 5 and 6 year olds. When I tell the kids they’re going to have to ride in the trunk they laugh and laugh.
Claire is thrilled to sit in the front passenger seat, but the Jonas Brothers are never loud enough. Sigh. Is it too much to wish to have my daughters grow up to be Mastodon fans?
Another great photo from David White.
I put the rack over the back, which put most of the weight over the rear of the car. It wallowed a little on bumps, but nothing too bad. The sport springs and anti-sways stabilize the ride so the car doesn’t feel overloaded. And the Yokohamas were pretty quiet.
Went camping at Covered Bridge campsite in the Catskills this weekend and somehow my buddy David managed to shoot a pic of us tooling around the curvy roads along the river without wrecking his SUV.
I was luck enough to have a neighbor of my parents donate the roof bin they used to use on their 940. The Sears “Ex-Cargo” was the same model my parents used to have on top of our 1979 Olds Delta 88 when we made trips to the beaches of North Carolina. It’s nice and tall and practically doubles the cargo area, enabling me to actually see out the back window with all our equipment.
This is probably the smallest spot I’ve parallel parked into, and I don’t think I could go any smaller. The height of the SUV in front allowed me to tuck the bumper underneath just so. Unfortunately I couldn’t open the back hatch, but at least I could park in fron of my place and not 2 blocks away.
I finally added up all my expenses for the brick for 2009 and got a good view how much its cost over the span of 4 years. This doesn’t include gas or insurance, which is incredibly low for NJ at $800 a year. Here’s the numbers:
