The new home working situation means that I actually have the wrong car at the door. At least, if few kilometers are made anyway, something completely different can replace it. In my mind I digress to a car that really would be a decline on all fronts, except sentimental.
Three months after we were supposed to go to work from home, I was in good spirits that sooner or later there would be a time when we would have to return to the office. My previous car had to leave the house, which was a bit too exciting for me because of the mileage. It might not have been necessary at the time, but I decided to look for a car where I (once the time had come again) could start making good miles. I live roughly 100 kilometers from the office, so it had to be comfortable, economical and preferably also a bit modern. At the beginning of this summer – not surprisingly – there turned out to be little demand for mileage eaters and so an Audi A4 (B8) arrived at the door for a good price. And no, not one with an above-average preference for motor oil. Just a great thing, in a well-maintained condition, with all the comforts I want. It is anything but an enthusiast’s car, but I think it looks good, it drives like a charm and it meets the requirements.
You may already feel it a bit; I justify my choice. I will frankly admit that my expectations around a return to ‘normal’ were slightly naive. We are now six months later and in the meantime I went back and forth to the office three times. I made most private kilometers shortly after the purchase in the summer, when we were still allowed to go on the road. However, that should not really have a name. After that it only got less. Working in the office is not yet possible, but more importantly; it will no longer be the norm even after this is all over. There you are in your home office, with a car in front of the door that combines the fixed costs of a fine and reasonably large touring car with the gathering of moss around the wheels. There are nicer ways to get rid of your money.
Anyway, you have to think in terms of possibilities. The long distance to the office used to be an important stumbling block for me on the way to an ‘enthusiast’s car’. After all, I mainly wanted something reliable, modern, economical and comfortable for those distances. The fact that barely half a tonne per year was added to the counter was also something that I did not want to wear to an enthusiast car. Now none of that matters anymore. For those private rides now and then, it can also be a bit ‘scarier’ and a bit less rational. Perhaps you are more often at the garage, but if you drive a lot less, that may be. You guessed it: every week there are more and more evening hours scrolling through the sometimes most obscure second-hand offer. There is no real targeted search yet, simply because there is not necessarily one perfect successor. I think there are 20 different ‘unwise cars’ on the list of cars that I actually want to have ever owned.
Probably the most distinct of these is the Ford Escort Mk4. Not even an XR3i or an RS Turbo or something, no, just one that was on every street corner in its time. There will probably be people who have a soft spot for that, but I don’t know them personally and I don’t think there are many. In itself it is of course also a car that has always remained pure for what it was made for: a simple means of transport for the masses, which went straight to the scrapyard when the cake was gone. It did not reach an enthusiast status (except for the sporty versions and convertible). That does apply to more cars from that time that you saw everywhere then. The Escorts, the Kadettjes, the 309’s, they have almost all disappeared. That hurts me. That’s the point for me; pure nostalgia. I grew up in the backseat of such an Escort. Ours also went to the scrapyard when he was only about eight years old. Obviously it wasn’t a great car, but it tore my young car heart apart that his time was suddenly over. It was the first car that I washed with my father, and we went together to the Autorai, which was in front of the tent at the campsite, where my mother sometimes took me to school when it rained. You will never forget that car.
And so I find myself suddenly looking for a basic Escort Mk4. I have found just three. One has almost the same color as ours, has the same design and is of the same year of manufacture. The rusty devil has already found it and the counter with its five digits gives no indication whatsoever of what has been secretly ridden. The performance of the 1.3 is nothing to write home about and the fate of our Escort offers very little hope when it comes to reliability. The fact that it can be picked up for an apple and an egg with MOT for a while, while it is one of the few that is currently for sale, also indicates that indeed nobody really wants this. Neither do I, there is no rational fiber in my body that can defend the purchase of that Escort. It would be all about nostalgia. But whether that feeling is strong enough? Who knows, just for a few months or so. Who knows, maybe getting rid of the A4 will help me get to a different savings goal a bit faster. Two cars after the Escort there was a Citroën DS in the driveway at our home. And yes, that is secretly also on the list. Slightly more understandable, right?